Chapter 4

4

For now I took a carriage that pretty much got me to Regal, and from then on its only about a twenty minute walk. With this, my travel funds were completely depleted, though.

It was evening, but the town was still mind numbingly loud and filled to the brim. That is what Regal is actually known for: It's sunup to sundown festival atmosphere.

The people in this part of the land are way better dressed and all well groomed. It's also one of the only cities with active sewer systems and it's one of the cleanest cities in the world.

*At the castle gates*

The atmosphere change is quite immense, though one can still hear the loud crowd from the city.

{Guard of the royal palace}: „Please state your business and official name."

{Leo}: „I am Leo. I come commissioned by the seventh to apply as a royal instructor."

{Guard of the royal palace}: „I will now escort you to the throne. As soon as you arrive, you are expected to patiently hold until the king arrives."

{Leo}: „Hail!"

After waiting just a short amount, a big bearded middle-aged man, equipped with an imposing shimmering red cloak, walks intensely towards the throne and sits down. Next to him a cheerful young lady clad in a dark purple gown.

{King}: „Speak."

{Leo}: „I come, commissioned by Aurelius the seventh. I bring an official letter of recommendation."

{King}: „*whispers to guard* Check this for legitimacy."

{King}: „State your intentions with this letter."

{Leo}: „I, Leo, have the intention of becoming a royal instructor for the prince and princess."

{Adelinde}: „Father, I don't trust in the capabilities of this commoner, what do you make of it?"

{King}: „Whether the letter is legitimate or not, I shall have you duel against Adelinde."

Damn this is bad, if I want to raise my affinity with Adelinde, I shouldn't be winning as hard, but then I would be revealed as a fraud. I should probably beat her quickly.

{King}: „Start."

Adelinde rushes in with a slow and predictable vertical slice. It may be quick, but it's easy to see, that she isn't proficient with actual swords, and crumbles under it's clunkieness and weight.

Leo takes but a single swing towards the root of the sword, paying attention not to hit Adelindes hand. Adelindes sword goes flying to the immense strength, that Leo has.

Directly after the trade of blows, Leo rushes over to Adelinde to help her get up.

{Leo}: „Are you alright?"

{Adelinde}: „Ah… Yes, thank you."

{King}: „That was quite the show of strength, though I still see uncertainty in your blade. Tell me, are you honestly fit to train the next generation of royal nobles?"

{Leo}: „Absolutely. If it's anything, that is important in today's world, I believe it to be strength, which I possess. If I can train for example Adelinde to garner even a split of my strength, it would be far superior to what a traditional instructor could possibly teach."

{King}: „Hahaha, young man. Are you always this confident?"

{Leo}: „Rather to be confident, than to wallow in desperation."

{King}: „Adelinde, will you escort Leo to his room?"

{Adelinde}: „Yes, father."

{Adelinde}: „Don't get ahead of yourself just because you beat a beginner. Did the same mistake when I came here and got humbled almost immediately."

{Leo}: „Why be humble, when both mistake and success are a core part of life? I believe defeat to be a necessity. Remember this, it might be a pretense for your training tomorrow."

{Adelinde}: „Quite the personality you've got there, though mentally sane people have no chance in the palace anyways. Night."

{Leo}: „I wish you a peaceful slumber, princess."

{Adelinde}: Ah… You don't have to be so formal with me…"

Weird, I don't remember getting close enough to her, for her to open up to me already. Maybe I look better than I thought? My great charms must have finally done some good for me.

I am content, the bed is soft, there are people relying on me and every day is different. Finally I got closer to my goal of living an exciting noble life. Adelinde was way different than what I'd imagined, though I believe it to be a facade. There's no way a royal princess is this humble, there's just no way.

*The next morning*

As I leave my room, a suited man guides me to the dining hall.

{King}: „Leo, take a seat. Please acquaint yourself with Elara, as she is joining us as well later."

{Leo}: „I will try my best, your highness."

I was one of the first to arrive. Though there were two menacing men already dining…

One of them the king, the other was Leopold. I was tasked to primarily train and tutor Adelinde but Leopold was also interested and insisted on being trained as well.

{Leopold}: „From whose land do you originate from?"

{Leo}: „Aurelius the seventh' land, young master."

{Leopold}: „Where did you learn your swordsmanship and how did you get a recommendation letter?"

{Leo}: „I was self-taught and I got a letter from Aurelius himself, as he recognized my talent."

As expected, the young master had an enormous ego, that could only be rivaled by the king himself. Though it's justified for him to be asking these questions, atleast that means, that he cares for his sister, who is to be tutored and trained by me.

Then, a small young woman with sickly white hair and a swarm of buttlers surrounding her, guiding her every step, enters. That must be Elara, the blind princess.

{King}: „Ah, Elara, please don't hurry. Today Adelindes tutor arrived at the palace, his name is Leo."

{Elara}: „Is he present?"

{Leo}: „Yes, your highness. It is a pleasure to humbly meet thee."

{Elara}: „It's my pleasure, also."

{Leopold}: „Dear sister, sit. Please."

{Elara}: „I heard Adelinde was arriving shortly as well."

I finally met all the members of importance. I already figured Elara to be the most down-to-earth, so this is by far the least surprising. She has quite the dreamy face, it's actually a pleasure talking to her as well.

Then, the young Adelinde came rushing in and quickly sat down.

{Adelinde}: „Greetings."

{King}: „Don't dilly dally on me, Adelinde. From today on, you'll practise under a tutor after all."

{Leopold}: „Father, may I take part in todays training? I won't interrupt, of course."

{King}: „You may."

{Leo}: „Then I will meet you both in half an hour time on the royal grounds."

Do you want to know how I feel right now? Nervous, honestly. I don't have the capabilities to teach. Even my innate strength is something I can't teach, so I might as well pretend I know, while practicing an unknown sword style.

I actually am self-taught, as I tried to wield a sword before, though it was just an immature dream. I'll teach them exactly that style, though, as I don't think it's actually half bad.

*At the training grounds*

{Adelinde}: „Ok. Leo, I wish to start with the training now. My brother will arrive later, cause he has a busy schedule."

{Leo}: „Okay first off I want you to show me what you're already capable of, so let's start by sparring until I get an idea of how you should wield your sword."

{Adelinde}: „Well, I haven't actually been taught before, so I don't know if sparring would bear any actual results."

It's quite sad to see even the royal children have to prepare for war. The king must be desperate and unwilling to peacefully settle things with the kingdom to the east.

Ok, I will turn this girl into the strongest, I absolutely must.

{Leo}: „Adelinde, do you know why you're expected to train, when you weren't before?"

{Adelinde}: „Well, I honestly don't, but I don't hate it."

{Leo}: „I will make sure, that you are prepared for whatever the king might have in store you for. And I think if you get actual sparring experience you will develop the experience and strength to do that."

{Adelinde}: „Right. I believe you, Leo, I really do."

She's quite the sweet person, contrary to what I thought of her before I came here. We are almost the same age, so I thought her to underestimate me. Of course, she's still immature, as she probably rarely left the palace.

I think sparring is not the most benefitial for her right now, I must admit. This is only for me to recognize, whether she is actually proficient in the sword, or if she should switch to something lighter. After sparring, she will still practice her swings though, as to actually train her properly.

{Leopold}: „You know, dear instructor… I've been watching for a while and may I pose some questions?"

{Leo}: „You may."

{Leopold}: „How do you think sparring would help her, a bloody beginner?"

{Leo}: „You see, when I first sparred with her, I noticed incompatability within her swordplay. I'm currently trying to figure out, if she was even able to masterfully wield my swordstyle."

{leopold}: „That's impossible, the royal bloodline only births master swordsmen. It's ridiculous to think, that someone like you has the right to judge her skills. Do you mind if we duel?"

Leopold throws his white glove on the ground before me.

Quite bothersome, this guy. Maybe I should just beat him with a single strike to teach him a lesson. Well, I know I'll win, but if I don't finish quickly enough, the people watching will realise, that I don't actually know how to wield a sword.

So I accept.