“Begin.”

  At that very instant, Sibeiya surged forward, leaving behind a dirt cloud where she stood. Lilieth’s eyes, so used to watching heroes fight, were able to keep track of Sibeiya’s movements, but her body lagged behind.

  “Kh—!”

  Sibeiya landed a thrust straight to Lilieth’s shoulder. A sharp pain surged, and Lilieth’s grip on her own weaponed loosened.

  “One,” Sibeiya said.

  Sibeiya followed with a sweep, knocking her wooden sword several paces away. Before Lilieth even landed on the ground, Sibeiya was already swinging her spear down.

  Lilieth’s instincts flared, and she pushed the ground as fast as she could, rolling to the side. The spear grazed her arm, leaving a small scratch.

  “Two.”

  Lilieth got herself back up on her feet, but Sibeiya was already rushing towards her again.

  She’s not giving me time to think!

  Sibeiya was stronger than Lilieth in all regards, that was an undeniable fact. If she continued to overwhelm her, then Lilieth would have no chance of winning. Lilieth needed to make some distance between them somehow.

  Lilieth took to the side, where her wooden sword laid on the ground. She remembered one of the rules Spearman gave.

  You are allowed to use spells so long as they aren’t used to directly attack your opponent.

  “[Bedivere]!”

  “Wha—?!”

  In an instant, Lilieth’s vision shifted, and the direction of “down” changed. She was now falling parallel to the ground, towards the wooden sword.

  Her stomach churned, seeing the endless expanse of trees below her. She was never good with heights.

  As she approached the sword, she disabled the spell, grabbing the wooden blade with her hands. However, her momentum carried her a bit further than she intended, and she crashed into a tree.

  Her body burned up. The adrenaline helped numb the pain somewhat. She hoped a bone didn’t break as she stood back up, sword in hand. Sibeiya stared at her with wide eyes.

  “Sky magic ... You’re a mage, too?”

  Sibeiya’s glare got deeper, and Lilieth could almost see her reassessing her as a threat. Lilieth took a deep breath, calming herself down. Being flustered and panicked wasn’t going to let her win. She needed to use her brain.

  She wracked her thoughts, but her options weren’t wide. She’s already been hit twice, and her opponent is incredibly agile. Lilieth’s reaction was able to keep up with her, no small part thanks to years of being a quiet observer in a hero’s party. Observe...

  That’s right. She never learned how to fight, but she’s watched others fight her entire life. Strong people. People who would be able to defeat Sibeiya. There had to be something she take from all those years of being a bystander.

  Strength wasn’t going to help her. She had none. All she needed to do was touch Sibeiya five times with her weapon. For that, she needed speed. To sweep in and land a strike, no matter how weak. Agility. Like a bird.

  A peregrine.

  “...”

  Lilieth saw a figure in her mind. The figure of a woman she looked up to. She used a longsword with one-hand, using it as an extension of her own body. She remembered how she stood. Confident, resolute.

  She shifted her own body, mimicking that image.

  Sibeiya became more alert. “I don’t recognize that stance.”

  “Eirsarian Bladewaltz,” Spearman chimed in. “A rare style from the land of the elves.”

  “You’ve never taught me that stance, Master.”

  “I saw no need to. It’s an extremely ancient stance. Never knew someone still practiced it.”

  Sibeiya readied her spear, clearly cautious of the unfamiliar stance. While it gave Lilieth precious time to regain her bearings, the gap between her and her opponent was still that wide. She needed to know how to use this stance.

  Remember. Just this once, remember!

  “Heh. Not a fighter, are you?” Sibeiya grinned, lowering herself, ready to pounce. “I can see right through you. I’ll win without you even getting a single hit in.”

  Sibeiya charged in, stance low, and thrust her spear forward, her movements becoming a blur. Lilieth, copying the exact movements of that person in her memory, and swung. Sibeiya’s spear bounced off, just narrowly missing Lilieth’s cheek.

  Lilieth’s arms rang numb. The force of the impact was a lot stronger than she anticipated. She tried to keep it in mind, but a Shebauno’s physical strength was absurd.

  While Sibeiya was taken aback by Lilieth’s parry, Lilieth swooped in and closed the distance, negating her opponent’s reach advantage. She swung, but Sibeiya jumped back, and the sword sliced through empty air. Immediately, Lilieth followed it up by throwing the sword straight at Sibeiya.

  The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

  “Wha—?!”

  Sibeiya reacted quickly and swung an arm, using the back of her fist to knock the sword to the side. The sound slid across the ground. Sibeiya looked incredulously at Lilieth, as if she had gone mad for discarding her own weapon like that.

  Lilieth glared back and held up a finger. “One.”

  Sibeiya’s eyes widened at the realization, and her surprise quickly turned to fury. She burst forward, swinging her spear in a wide arc. Lilieth jumped over it and ran past her, towards the direction of her fallen sword.

  Maybe throwing it wasn’t the smartest move, she thought.

  A spear impaled itself on the ground just between her legs, causing her to yelp and trip. Thankfully, the spear didn’t hit her at all. Lilieth used the momentum from her tumble to roll right next to her sword and pick it up. Almost by instinct—or perhaps just an educated guess, based on what she knew about Sibeiya—Lilieth held her sword directly above her, just barely blocking her opponent’s downward strike.

  It suddenly became a contest of strength, one which Lilieth was very quickly losing as the spear came closer and closer to her face. Her arms weren’t going to last.

  Then suddenly, a flash of inspiration came to her. Lilieth slid her blade down against Sibeiya’s spear. The spear dropped down, but Lilieth tilted her head to dodge. All the while, Lilieth’s sword reached all the to where Sibeiya’s hand was holding her spear, and her wooden sword’s cross guard managed to touch Sibeiya’s knuckle.

  “Two,” Lilieth muttered, before using both legs to kick Sibeiya straight in the stomach, pushing her off the ground and throwing the desert girl on her back.

  Both of them stood back up. Sibeiya cradled her own stomach. Lilieth wasn’t a fighter, yes, but she had a Blessed body. A kick from her was sure to hurt.

  Sibeiya glared. “If that’s how you wanna play...”

  She readied her spear again, this time changing her stance, holding her spear with one hand like Lilieth was. Sibeiya sank low, a palm pressed to the ground, like a panther poised to spring. In a single breath, the aura surrounding her sharpened into something more beast-like. Feral.

  Chills ran down Lilieth’s spine. She needed to—

  “—Huh?”

  Sibeiya appeared in front of her and rammed the butt of her spear onto her stomach. Lilieth’s vision blurred as she flew backwards, skidding across the soil.

  “Three,” Sibeiya growled, then lunged again.

  Desperate, Lilieth strained her mind, combing through her own memories, searching for any move that would be useful. She found one, and immediately lunged towards Sibeiya as well. They swung at the same time, their weapons scraping against each other, sending splinters flying. Sibeiya’s attack missed, while Lilieth’s grazed the side of her opponent’s stomach.

  Third hit. Now both of them were only two hits away from the duel’s end. Lilieth found it strange that she was able to make it this far against her. Sure, the gap was still there, but Lilieth was getting more comfortable with these frantic movements, bit by bit.

  Sibeiya surged forward and swung. Lilieth tried to parry, but her timing was off, and the blade was knocked out of her hand. She immediately jumped backwards, creating distance between them.

  “[Bedivere]!” Lilieth chanted, trying to “fall” towards her sword faster.

  In response, Sibeiya opened her palm at her. “[Scissor]!”

  Lilieth’s spell abruptly deactivated, and Lilieth fell to the ground, just short of reaching her own blade.

  She’s not only Shebauno, but also Blessed!? Lilieth thought with a grimace. Furthermore, that spell...

  “Countermage...!” Lilieth spat. The worst opponent for a Blessed; a mage capable of disabling other mage’s spells.

  Sibeiya charged in. Lilieth grabbed a handful of dirt and threw it at her, blinding her just enough for her strike to miss. Lilieth reached out and grabbed her sword, then swung it towards Sibeiya’s legs. Sibeiya jumped back, but it was too late; Lilieth had landed a good hit on her ankle. Sibeiya clicked her tongue.

  “Four,” Lilieth breathed out. Just one more.

  The two charged in again. Sibeiya swung, and Lilieth parried. Then Sibeiya’s leg came up, hitting Lilieth square in the abdomen.

  She flew several feet, and landed on the ground, gasping for air. She tried to stand up, but doubled over from the pain.

  “You surprise me,” Sibeiya said, a clear frustration in her voice. “Thought you were just some meek little girl. But if you don’t have the stomach to keep going, then you best quit while you’re ahead.”

  “What ... was that...?” Lilieth glared.

  “I remember what you did when that wyvern attacked. You froze, plain and simple. You don’t have what it takes, I can tell.”

  Lilieth felt something inside her snap. She clenched her fist as she stood up.

  What right did Sibeiya have to tell her that? Even though she knew nothing. Yet she could proclaim that with so much confidence. Sibeiya was Shebauno. She was born with strength. She could only be as brave as she was because of her lineage.

  She had no right.

  “—As if you’ve ever had to work hard in your life.”

  Sibeiya’s eyes turned dark. “...The hell did you say to me?”

  “You bloody heard me,” Lilieth spat back at her. “You would never understand, so keep your mouth shut.”

  The desert girl readied her spear, gripping it so hard Lilieth could hear the wood almost crack. “What do you know...?!”

  Lilieth gripped her own sword, and took a deep breath.

  Then, the two charged at each other and swung at the same time.

  Sibeiya’s speed was much, much faster than before. An unbelievable quickness. There was no way for her to dodge, or block, or parry it. Absolutely not.

  That didn’t matter.

  “—?!”

  Sibeiya’s eyes widened as Lilieth took the attack head on, without evading. The spear slammed against her head, breaking into two halves as wooden splinters flew about. Lilieth’s vision spun, all of her senses getting disoriented. But she planted her feet wide, desperately making sure she didn’t fall over, even as blood dripped down the side of her head.

  That was Sibeiya’s fourth hit. Just one more, and Lilieth would lose.

  Not missing that opportunity, Sibeiya raised the half of the spear she held, and—

  “Enough!” Spearman called out. “It is Lilieth’s victory.”

  Sibeiya’s head jerked towards him.

  “What?! What do you...”

  Then Sibeiya looked down, and noticed that Lilieth’s sword was poking Sibeiya’s stomach. It wasn’t an attack. Lilieth had simply rested her sword against Sibeiya’s body.

  “Five.”

  Lilieth said with a shaky voice, before dropping to the ground, almost hyperventilating from exhaustion. All the while, Sibeiya had a look of disbelief on her face.

  “What ... but, no. No, I...”

  “Go,” Spearman said to her. “You are dismissed.”

  “M-Master, that wasn’t—”

  “I said go. I have words to speak with this girl.”

  Under Spearman’s glare that made even Lilieth shudder, Sibeiya winced, dropped her spear to the ground with a slam, and left, her every step harsh and filled with anger.

  When she was gone, Spearman slowly approached Lilieth, standing in front of her as she tried to regain her bearings. The injury to her head was bad, but she could confidently say she’s suffered worse.

  “...I won,” Lilieth said to him, if only to remind him about their deal.

  “That you did, neskatxo,” Spearman replied. “Didn’t expect that.”

  “You’ll keep your end of the bargain?”

  “I make no Oaths, but I don’t go back on my word. I will agree to train you. However, the method of training will be ... a bit different than usual.”

  “What do you mean?” Lilieth asked.

  “Usually, I train my students by having them spar against me. That will not be the case with you. I will have you spar against my three students, Sibeiya included. I will preside over it, of course, and guide you. But, the two of us shall not fight.”

  “Huh? But ... why not?”

  Spearman was quiet for a moment, then turned around and walked away. “Get some rest. You’re bleeding all over my garden. We start tomorrow.”

  Lilieth wanted to stop him and press him on it, but she found herself too light-headed to try.