Revive Rome: Wait! Why not make the empress fall in love with me first?
Chapter 242 - 40 Sparring

Chapter 242: Chapter 40 Sparring

"Do we really have to do it in your family’s training ground?" Aske asked with a wry smile.

"Of course," Eleanor replied cleverly. "If my family sees us, you surely won’t be too harsh, right?"

"That’s because of the pain..."

"I know what you want to say, that pain promotes the absorption of Extraordinary Power, right?" Eleanor cut him off. "But I always feel like, Squad Leader, you just want to take advantage of the situation to bully someone. Do you have a tendency towards domestic violence?"

"I am currently, and spectacularly, single," Aske stated, resting his hand on his sword.

"Then, Squad Leader, you need to learn how to treat a girl gently," Eleanor said with a smile.

"You should know, on the battlefield..."

"On the battlefield, there’s no distinction between male and female," Eleanor continued. "Aske, I’ve memorized all those clichéd things you say. In fact, today our focus is on mastering the tactics of Spear Shield Flow and Sword and Shield Flow, along with their corresponding advanced combat moves, not getting beaten to a pulp by you and rolling around on the ground like a shrimp."

"Eleanor, you’ve misunderstood me..." Aske sighed.

"On the contrary, I understand you very well, Squad Leader," Eleanor interrupted him. "I can even guess what you’re about to say next, ’getting hit helps me remember the moves better’, right? But past experiences have shown that pain isn’t of any help to me."

Aske: ...

When did this girl become so quick-witted? Aske lamented silently in his heart.

He still remembered their first encounter, sparring in the underground training ground of the Constantinople hotel for four days. Each time after she was knocked down, she would stand up strong and silent... Where did that strong and sincere girl go? Why has she become like this now!

"Alright," Aske drew his longsword and sighed, "let’s begin then."

——————

The news about the training ground quickly reached Ludwig’s ears.

"What? Sparring?!" Upon hearing that the two were sparring in the training ground, Ludwig quickly conjured up such a scene in his mind:

Eleanor stretched out her arms gracefully, while Aske embraced her from behind, whispering with a chuckle in her ear,

"The sword isn’t used like that. Come on, hold it gently."

"Your sword is poking me," Eleanor blushed.

With a clang, Ludwig slammed the documents onto the table and roared,

"Head to the training ground immediately!"

Accompanied by two Knight Followers, Ludwig stormed all the way to the training ground, his mood a mix of anger, disappointment, and unease.

He knew his sister’s temperament all too well; it was about as stubborn as it gets, and if she truly fell for that man, not even eight bulls could pull her back.

But this wasn’t some secluded forest; this was their family’s training ground, sister! Even if you’re declaring love, you should consider the time and place, right? Our father is currently in Franknia discussing matters with the Duke. If he hears about this, he might just march the troops straight back here!

When Ludwig arrived at the training ground and saw that the two were actually sparring in earnest instead of whispering sweet nothings, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Then he was struck by terror.

Because these two reckless individuals were actually using real weapons for their sparring.

For a normal person’s training method, take the morning lessons for Knight Followers as an example, which involve practicing with heavy training swords. A strike might be painful, but at least it wouldn’t break hands or legs.

Upon being promoted to a regular Knight, there would be so-called "Full Armor Practice," which entailed being fully clad in armor, helmet, hand guards, shin guards, face guards, and all, then using blunted swords not sharpened for fighting in actual combat practice.

Even so, during such real combat practice, there were still accidental instances where someone would get struck, resulting in broken tendons and bones, or even death.

Yet these two fools were actually practicing with real weapons, and without any armor at that!

In that instant, Ludwig even had some kind of illusion that this couple, having had some kind of quarrel, had let their anger boil over and were about to duke it out on the training grounds in a fight to the death.

"Stop them at once!" Ludwig quickly commanded, and two Knight Followers immediately drew their swords to intervene—the command to stop, of course, meant recklessly cutting down the man to prevent him from harming the Weisbach family’s distinguished young miss.

On the field, the unarmored Eleanor moved swiftly, her right hand with the spear delivering a Rapid Thrust that was both quick and urgent, while Aske leaped back to dodge.

As Eleanor’s spear tip was about to reach its limit, she suddenly extended it further—cleverly hiding a half-step in her footwork, at this moment she suddenly stepped forward that half-step, immediately extending her reach.

Just as her spear tip was about to hit Aske, a cold light flashed. Aske, incredibly, executed a Sword Draw Slash in mid-air, precisely parrying away the Thrust.

"Your attack is too obvious," Aske said calmly, landing steadily on his feet.

"It’s not just a Thrust, it’s a Dragon Spear," Eleanor said, stepping forward with big strides, raising her Long Spear for another Rapid Thrust.

The two Knight Followers had just drawn their swords and hadn’t even moved forward when they saw Aske parry Eleanor’s spear thrust, land, say something casually, and then Eleanor showed a contemplative expression...

Now, anyone with clear eyes could tell the two were practicing, not duelling.

"Come back!" Realizing his mistake, Ludwig hastily ordered the two Followers to stop.

If they caused an unnecessary conflict with Aske over such a misunderstanding, his sister would definitely chew him out. Moreover, as the Weisbach heir, not being able to distinguish normal practice from a fight to the death would be quite damaging to his reputation if it reached the ears of the other Knights.

The two Followers immediately sheathed their swords and quickly returned to Ludwig’s side, pretending as if nothing had happened—that’s what guards needed to be good at.

"My sister’s Spear Technique has indeed improved greatly," Ludwig said, shifting the topic to avoid embarrassment, laughing proudly.

"Miss Eleanor’s Spear Technique, inherited from the Viscount Regens’ Martial Arts, can truly be said to far surpass that of ordinary people," one of the Knight Followers complimented.

"That’s right, Henry being appointed as a Guard Officer by Your Majesty is in itself a huge affirmation of his strength. Eleanor was personally trained by Henry, so naturally, her spear skills won’t fall short," Ludwig nodded in agreement.

As the Weisbach heir, while he too had undergone War courses, his focus was more on Tactical command and strategy than on actual combat with real weapons.

However, this did not prevent him from adding glory to his brother and sister’s reputation.

Seeing that their young master was in the mood to boast, the two Knight Followers naturally began to flatter as well:

"Viscount Regens has studied in the Imperial Military Academy for many years, his skills must have made great strides."

"It’s a pity that the Viscount isn’t here, otherwise Miss Eleanor wouldn’t need to practice with that man."

"With the Viscount’s strength, if he were in Miss Eleanor’s place, he could easily Crush his opponent."

"Haha, don’t say that," Ludwig laughed, "Squad Leader Aske is also a seasoned mercenary who has battled through numerous fights; don’t make his skills sound so negligible."

Though he said this, the smile on his face couldn’t have been clearer. The two Knight Followers quickly continued to praise Henry until even Ludwig felt it was a bit too much and coughed subtly to signal them to stop.

Regardless, seeing his sister’s growth to this point and thinking about his brother who had already become a promising Court Guard Officer, Ludwig, as the eldest brother, felt quite proud indeed.