Suddenly, a man appeared behind Kreuz. What was his name again…? “Oh, Abel.”
“I think your attitude toward training is amazing, Mer. Would you consider training me as well?”
“Thank you for your kind words. Unfortunately, I don’t think it would be appropriate for me to train you, but if you were to want to spar here, that would be another story.”
It was important to draw boundaries with people. I had given guidance many times during these sessions, but I only did it to be helpful. Asking me to formally train someone other than the two girls made me feel hesitant—especially when that person was a commander. I didn’t feel right about getting mud on his face, that was for sure.
“I can spar. Let’s go,” Abel said, drawing his sword.
As he did that, Kreuz, Anna, and Enarene backed away to give us space.
I closed my eyes and released a deep breath, letting all the sounds around me float away. I reached a place of intense focus before opening my eyes. At last, I gripped my sword. “Ready.”
The moment I said that, Abel appeared right in front of me and swung his own. He was fast. I parried and leaped backward.
“I’d expect nothing less from you, Mer,” he said, lunging at me with another attack. His reaction was delayed by a second, but he was still able to parry my own stroke. The match grew more intense, more dangerous. I focused on his movements and those of my sword.
At the same time, I felt my heart singing in excitement. How would he come at me next? How should I respond?
As our match continued, sometimes I’d get a strange feeling about his movements. Nevertheless, I thoroughly enjoyed the match, but it was over all too soon. Before long, my sword caught his and flung it into the air.
“…You win.” He threw both his hands up and declared his loss.
“Thank you.” I sheathed my sword and bowed my head to him.
“I expected nothing less from you, Mer. I couldn’t even get one solid hit on you.”
“You’re being too humble. I was on edge the entire time.”
“Can we spar together again sometime?”
“Yes, of course. I’d love to.”
We smiled at each other. I thought about the strange feeling I got while we were fighting. It was like he was tracing the arc of a form he hadn’t gotten used to yet. And that split-second delayed reaction…?
I had a feeling he hadn’t completely shown his true skills, but to be fair, neither had I. I always held back while I sparred here, because I knew I could destroy my opponent otherwise. For that very reason, it had been a long time since I enjoyed a match so much. Even if he was holding back as well, I knew he was a worthy opponent.
“Then how about now?” he asked casually as he picked up his sword again.
“Of course.” I answered with a smile.
And so we continued sparring. It’s true what they say, you know, that time flies when you’re having fun. We had several more matches, and then it was time for training to conclude.
“You’re really something, Abel. There aren’t many people who can hold their own against Mer.” A group of soldiers gathered around him once we were finished.
“Not at all… She just brings out the best in my technique. Also, we weren’t having a serious fight, we were just sparring. I wouldn’t be standing here if she stopped holding back,” Abel answered them with a wry smile.
“Yeah, Mer’s scary when she gets serious!”
As I listened to their conversation, I thought about how polite Abel was.
Just then, Anna and Enarene came over to me. “Nice job, Mer.”
“You two as well. I’m going back to the mansion, but you can stay here and continue training if you want. I’ll tell the mistress.”
“…Very well, then.”
“No, I’ll go back to the mansion too.”
Enarene stayed behind while Anna returned to the mansion with me. Once we were in my room, I wiped off my sweat, and she helped me change. Just then, a servant knocked at the door.
“My lady, Lord Louis is here to see you.”
“Louis? I didn’t know he was coming… Did he send a message?”
“No, he just said he was dropping by. What shall I tell him?”
“I’ll be right there,” I said and then looked in the mirror. Satisfied, I brushed my hair once more and then left the room. It felt a little strange to do so, even though he had met me as Mer plenty of times.
I opened the door, but Louis was already there. “Sorry to come so suddenly.”
“It’s okay. I’m happy to see you.” I hugged him, then looked up at his face from within his arms. “What’s going on?”
“I heard that you were attacked by bandits while you were traveling.”
“Oh, that,” I laughed. It made my heart warm to know that he’d been worried about me. “I’m just fine, as you can see.”
“I know. I just wanted to confirm it with my own eyes or else I wouldn’t have been satisfied.”
“Thank you, Louis.” I buried my head into his chest and tightened my grip around him. I was so glad that he had been concerned about me. But at the same time, I felt I needed to tell him something important. “If something like that happens again, I might choose to pick up my sword… And every time I do so, I’ll worry you. Do you still want to stay by my side, knowing all that?”
“Yes. I accept everything about you, remember?” he said, his voice warm and kind.
“Thank you, Louis.” I giggled sheepishly in his arms. I was no match for him.