Chapter 24 - Mock Battle

A few days passed by once more, and Seraphina was training in swordplay and increasing her muscles over time. Nothing important happened, but it was a routine she was growing used to—she preferred a safe routine over unexpected developments.

It was morning once more, and Seraphina woke up early, her body still aching from the hardship she had been going through, but she was not unwilling to bear it. She had grown accustomed to the routine, and despite the pain, she found a sense of fulfillment in pushing her limits.

After a quick breakfast, she made her way to the training ground. Today, Sir Aldric had mentioned that they would focus on refining her weapon skill further and gain some experience with it.

She wasn't sure what he meant by that, but she was eager to find out.

As she entered the training ground, she noticed a figure already standing there, practicing with a spear. However, it wasn't Sir Aldric, but rather a young man similar in age to her, with a lean build and striking features.

His movements with the spear were fluid and precise, but it was clear from the way he moved that he wasn't a proper knight. There was a sort of robotic movement to his actions—making him look stiff.

Curious, Seraphina approached the man, who paused his training and turned to face her with a smile when noticing her presence.

"Good morning, Lady Seraphina."

He greeted; his voice was warm but polite.

"I am Leon, one of Sir Aldric's apprentices. He asked me to assist with your training today as he would be somewhat busy."

Seraphina returned the smile, appreciating the gesture, and spoke.

"Good morning, Leon. Thank you for helping. I'm looking forward to learning from you. What is today's lesson?"

"Sir Aldric wished for you to gain some experience with your weapon. As such, today, we will have a mock battle."

Seraphina frowned her brows slightly at the man's words. It wasn't like she was against the idea of a mock battle. However, she had only been training for a few weeks at most.

"Is that a good idea?"

She asked, and the man picked up on her concern. He spoke to clarify her doubts.

"Don't worry. We will be using wooden weapons, and we will stop before someone gets injured."

After listening to his words, she figured that it wouldn't hurt her to try. Plus, it would give her a little combat experience to improve herself further.

"Understood."

She replied and walked to the open field to stretch—preparing for the fight.

The man walked over to a rack of weapons and picked up two wooden replicas that had been made for them. One was his spear, and the other was the girl's rapier.

Leon handed Seraphina the wooden rapier, and she took a moment to get a feel for its weight and balance. It was lighter than her actual sword but still well-crafted for training purposes.

She appreciated the effort put into creating a replica that closely resembled her weapon of choice for training.

"Are you ready, Lady Seraphina?"

Leon asked, drawing her attention as he took his position a few paces away from her. His wooden spear was held at the ready.

Seraphina nodded, her grip tightening around the handle of the wooden rapier as she took a firm stance. Her eyes looked ahead, with a clear target in sight.

"I'm ready."

Leon smiled and adopted a fighting stance.

"Remember, this is a learning experience. Focus on your movement and try to anticipate mine. Begin!"

With that, Leon lunged towards the girl with his spear, thrusting at Seraphina's chest with surprising speed. Seraphina reacted instinctively, sidestepping and parrying the attack with her wooden rapier.

The sound of wood clashing against wood echoed through the training ground, and Seraphina could feel the vibration from the impact. The man had greater strength than her. As such, parrying the attack didn't do much.

Leon didn't give her a moment to breathe and kept moving. He followed up with a series of quick jabs with the spear, testing her defense and reflexes.

Seraphina had to concentrate on maintaining her balance so as not to trip while she attempted to dodge the attacks. The ones she couldn't dodge, she was forced to deflect with her sword. However, she was hit by one of the jabs.

Wincing from the pain, she stayed focused. She waited for her moment, and after a few seconds, she saw an opening. Taking her chance, she dashed forward and aimed a precise strike at Leon's side with her sword.

She felt her rapier connect, but she didn't allow her satisfaction to slow her movement as she dashed back to keep a distance.

"Good hit, Lady Seraphina."

Leon praised as he stepped back to reassess his stance.

"But don't get overconfident and lose focus."

He resumed his assault, increasing the pace and range of his attacks. He used a combination of jabs, swings, and slashes to attack the girl in a frontal assault.

Seraphina found herself on the defensive once more, struggling to keep up with his relentless onslaught of attacks. Despite the intensity, she kept her eyes open and locked on the man's movement.

She could see his moves coming at her, and thanks to that, she was able to barely react in time to avoid or block the attack. As the fight went on, she found herself growing more adept at the man's moves.

As the mock battle continued, Seraphina managed to land a few more hits, but Leon's experience and skill were very apparent as he landed a lot more on her.

His movements were much more fluid and precise than she was, an advantage that came with experience.

A particularly swift thrust caught Seraphina off guard, striking her stomach and causing her to stumble. She ate the pain and pushed through it as she refused to back down.

However, Leon pressed his advantage and used the chance given by the girl's distraction to attack her. Seraphina found herself on the ground, her wooden rapier knocked from her hand.

She laid on the ground with heavy breathing and looked up at the man above her, who held the edge of the spear to her neck.

"You're doing well, Lady Seraphina.'

Leon said, offering her a hand to help her up. She took it and stood up, grabbing her sword.

"But remember, it's not just about strength and speed. It's also about strategy and awareness. Don't just swing your weapon hoping to win; swing your weapon when you have a plan to win."

Seraphina nodded at the man's words and replied.

"I understand. Thank you, Leon."

"Let's go again."

Leon suggested as he stepped back.

"This time, focus on anticipating my moves and finding openings in my defenses before I hit you."

They resumed their positions, and the mock battle started once more. Seraphina took Leon's advice to heart, and instead of simply rushing to attack, she studied the man's movements and looked for any patterns in his attacks.

She still struggled to keep up with his speed, but her eyes could notice the small openings in his movements and the gaps made in his defenses whenever he made an attack.

Despite her best efforts, Leon's experience ultimately outmatched her own. He disarmed her once more, ending the mock battle with a decisive strike.

Seraphina felt a mixture of frustration and envy as she wished to be able to fight that well. However, she knew that with time, she would improve, so she did not let it affect her.

"You're improving quickly, Lady Seraphina. Let's stop here for today. With more practice, you'll surpass me soon enough."

Leon said with an encouraging smile, to which Seraphina only replied with a nod.

As they decided to end the training for today, Seraphina decided to head back to her mansion. However, as she exited the main house, she saw a group of servants crowding around the main gate.