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The cloudless blue sky seemed impossibly vast and deep, and the early afternoon sun shone all the brighter for it, casting shadows with sharp outlines.
Duncan swung his battle-axe with a groan while Percival moved aside to avoid it before swiftly rushing forth and putting his hand on the warrior’s solar plexus.
“Ah! I admit defeat!”
Percival laughed and waved his hand dismissively. “Ha ha! You’ll have to do better than that next time!”
Duncan, smiling wryly, lowered his weapon. “My word, you’re just as masterful as I expected, Sir Percival. To think I couldn’t even make you draw your sword!”
“Maybe you’ve gotten a bit dull after all the lumberjacking?”
“Ha ha ha! Yes, it’s true—I’ve gotten too used to cutting things that don’t move!”
Duncan laughed heartily and sat down with a thud. Percival sat beside him, staring up at the wide-open sky. Up in the endless blue, a kite let out an audible screech as it flew in a circle.
After helping out the younger villagers with their training, Percival had had time to kill and had been wandering around the village outskirts when he came across Duncan practicing with his battle-axe. He’d figured if the man was training anyways, they might as well make it a bout.
The village was busily preparing for the winter, and lately, Belgrieve’s time was occupied with talking to Seren, Hoffman, and Kerry about various matters, mostly concerning the new guild. Since Percival did not plan on having any active involvement with guild management, he had no intentions of butting in on those meetings. And Satie, for her part, had housework to do, as well as get-togethers with the other women to prepare for winter, while Graham was tasked with looking after the kids. Percival would play with the twins now and then, but Charlotte and Mit had recently begun to look after them like older siblings, which left him no part to play. Lastly, lazing about with Kasim for every hour of the day wasn’t an option. In short, he was bored.
Duncan laid his axe down. “But now that everyone’s talking about this new dungeon, I must sharpen my edge. Not that dungeon exploration was ever my forte...”
“Then head into one with Bell. That’ll do wonders for you.”
“That sounds like a jolly time indeed. Back when that disaster happened in the forest, I did venture out with Sir Bell.”
“Oh, when Mit first came here, right?”
“Correct. We were chasing after Maggie and Graham, who had gone in ahead of us, but the woods were in the process of turning into a dungeon, and I couldn’t keep my bearings. But just as I thought we were completely lost, Sir Bell was able to figure out where to go, and we arrived right where we needed to be.”
“That’s the sort of guy he is. He can keep a cool head in times of crisis—that’s what saved us countless times,” Percival said, smiling.
Just like that time... His smile was self-deprecating now.
Duncan twisted at the hairs of his beard. “I know I might be barking up the wrong tree, but...are you still fixated on that?”
“Yes. Those feelings just don’t go away on their own. Even if I plastered over them with something else, the color beneath bleeds through when you least expect it. I fought a long time, feeling like the world was dark as hell—and I still feel the same way, no matter how bright my days are right now. That doesn’t change.”
“I see...” Duncan mulled that over.
Percival burst out laughing. “Don’t be so serious. This is my problem—no need for you to worry about it.”
“Ah, perhaps I’ve overstepped my bounds.”
“No, that’s not what I meant.” Percival smiled morosely. He’s as earnest as ever...
Duncan scratched his head. “Well, I can be rather boorish... Hannah says so often enough.”
“Oh, I haven’t seen her lately. Is the missus doing well?”
“She’s far better off than me. I don’t deserve her.”
“Good to hear. A household is at peace with a strong wife, apparently.”
“Ha ha! Dame Satie is strong, come to think of it...”
Percival laughed too. “Bell is overmatched against pretty much everyone.”
“Ha ha ha, certainly. But that softness of his is also his strong suit. I think it manifests itself well in his swordsmanship too.”
“I’ll bet... His swordsmanship is the complete opposite of mine.”
“Come to think of it, Sir Percival, are you self-taught?”
“Yeah, though it only developed this way after I’d been wandering on my own for a while. After recklessly charging at one fiend after another, this is what I came up with before I even realized it.”
Duncan’s mouth hung open in surprise. “Incredible... To think you could survive so long living like that!”
“Well, when you put it that way... Well, I said ‘recklessly,’ but I did run whenever I thought my foe was beyond my capabilities. I’d immediately throw up a smoke screen... Despite everything, I guess I still valued my life. And...”
“And?”
“Bell was always good at retreating like that, and I learned to imitate him. Whenever I did, it was like...we were still fighting together. Although I doubt I even had the leisure to think of it like that back then.”
“I see.”
“Don’t hesitate to run from someone you can’t beat. That’s what he’d say. It’s ironic... Back when I was in a party, I was the reckless one, but once I was left alone, I suddenly had to shape up.”
“But it was because of that that you managed to eventually reunite, right?”
“Yeah... What woke me from my delirium was the memories of the time I spent with all of them. Until we reunited, even that much was a scourge to me though.”
“You had it hard... And here I am, awestruck that you polished your craft to this level despite the pain.”
With Duncan looking at him with open admiration, Percival suddenly began to feel embarrassed and awkwardly scratched his cheek. “Dammit, I’ve said too much. Hey, keep this a secret from the others. Especially Kasim—he always takes things too far.”
“Ha ha ha! I understand. If you need someone to listen, you can come to me anytime.”
“No, today was just... Whatever! It’s time for round two.”
“Very well. I shall keep it to myself, in any case.”
The two faced off once more. Percival was again bare-handed against Duncan and his battle-axe, each of them carefully searching for their opportunity to close in. Last time, Duncan had taken the initiative, and it had backfired on him; he was a bit more cautious this time around, but Percival turned his hesitation into another opportunity. The swordsman approached in the blink of an eye and pinned Duncan’s arm before he could even swing his axe.