Ferdinand - Part 4

"You're lost for words, aren't you?" Ferdinand said with a laugh. "Well, I wonder, why not teach me? Mm? Could you? You're teaching that Blackthorn girl are you not? Do you not suppose that you could make a decent sword hand out of me, or is the wood too rotten?"

It was hard to tell whether it was a sincere request, or the man was simply making fun of him. The way that Ferdinand had spoken, it could have been either. Oliver was forced to make the lesser of two evil assumptions, and respond as though he expected it to be true. "…If you've serious intentions at growing stronger, then it would likely be good to know just where you stand currently. If I were to put it generally, though, perhaps your training was missing a proper test? Maybe you'd find inspiration if you fought something more challenging, without the safety net of a dozen guards around you."