Chapter 67

Chapter 40 The Duke’s Instruction Part 1

I immediately frowned when I heard this.

Standing guard at the door? Wasn’t he supposed to be on duty at the city walls?

What a lunatic, staying up all night instead of sleeping. What’s the point of standing guard at the door?

I had these questions until almost finishing the food on the table, when suddenly I remembered that I had sent him there last night because I found him annoying.

My mood changed subtly.

I originally thought he would only stand guard for a while and meet Carlos coming back from the orphanage, then they would fight each other… No, it should be that Percival would get beaten up by Carlos and return to the Duke with a bruised face and nose, making Carlos look bad.

Or maybe after standing guard for a while and not seeing anyone, he would just go back to sleep, but who knew he actually stood guard all night. Is he really that honest?

How cute.

But since he is still standing guard, that means Carlos hasn’t returned from the orphanage last night.

Hmm…

I don’t really understand these things, but I feel that whatever Jiaoguo grass is like, it’s similar to drugs in the original world, like heroin or meth. Although its nature is very bad, it’s quite common. Many wealthy families’ children use these things as easily and frequently as ordinary people smoke cigarettes.

These people are certainly despicable, but aren’t there Church knights to manage them? At worst, with the Duke’s power, hunters could assist in investigations and catch a few drug dealers, right?

But Carlos didn’t come back last night… Although his strength should ensure nothing happens to him, is the situation in the orphanage really so serious?

And those heretics, they look truly terrifying, just like in books, sacrificing their own blood to demons… They seem like a bunch of madmen who harm others without benefiting themselves. How could an orphanage, which shelters unfortunate children, have anything to do with them?

“Miss Silvija, how is it? Should we leave now that you’ve eaten enough?”

The Duke’s words pulled me out of my thoughts, and I nodded dazedly.

Then I quickly stuffed half a piece of sweet bread into my mouth and drank the last sip of soup.

“Mm-hm.”

I was already somewhat impatient inside.

“You two are really…” Lady Catherine shook her head helplessly, “Why must you do such things? Can’t you just stay at home?”

“Haha, how can that be?” The Duke laughed, “Don’t forget, Miss Silvija is a Papal Knight, the youngest ever Papal Knight. Meeting an old Papal Knight like me, she can’t avoid exchanging a few words.”

I also smiled and nodded.

This was something agreed upon yesterday. The Duke said he wouldn’t charge money for making weapons, but he wanted me to agree to one condition.

The condition was simple: from today until I leave Winter City, every morning I would train with him.

As for how to train… When two strong men face each other, especially two Ice Order knights, how could they understand each other without a fight first?

A direct confrontation is the romance of men.

Obviously, Lady Catherine couldn’t understand the passion burning in our chests.

“So what if you’re a Papal Knight? You nearly lost your life as a Papal Knight. What’s the use of those empty titles?”

“How can they be empty titles? If not for… Forget it, let’s not talk about this.”

“Yes, yes, I know you’re all great heroes, but what if something goes wrong and you get hurt?”

“I’ll be careful.”

“What will you be careful about? It’s not that easy to stop once it starts… Hmph, forget it. I know I can’t stop you, but I’ll follow you later. Don’t try to stop me. If I see you accidentally hurt Miss Silvija, I won’t let you off lightly.”

“Haha, then you better stand far away…”

…

Behind Schantel Castle, there is a large courtyard.

Following the long corridor deeper in, there is an open area roughly the size of two football fields, completely bare.

This place is usually where the elite hunters of the Schantel army train, and occasionally the Duke comes here to exercise. Therefore, one side of the open area is lined with various targets and wooden stakes covered in thick armor.

Last night’s snowfall wasn’t heavy, and the little snow on the ground had obviously been cleared.

The sky gradually brightened, and sunlight shone down.

In the vast open space, over ten hunters had put down their weapons and were sitting around, watching intently two figures not far away, one larger and one smaller.

Bam—

Crack—

The sound of ice breaking constantly echoed in the field.

Lady Catherine in the middle of the crowd looked tense, unconsciously clenching her fists.

In her eyes, the petite girl moved gracefully, weaving through the shattered ice blocks with extreme agility.

Their fighting rhythm was quite fast. Every time it reached a critical moment, she felt her heart racing.

Despite this,

The expression on her face remained calm; of course, that was because there were many hunters present, and she couldn’t afford to show any sign of losing composure.

But internally, she had already cursed the duke profusely in her mind.

Really. How could a father act like this, actually fighting with his own daughter… Does he think this is just a game? Like knights in stories who always manage to stop their swords right before the other person’s neck?

What a joke. Even children’s playful brawls can lead to accidents, let alone such a scene that even she found terrifying.

Isn’t this playing with life? Even when training those workshop hunters, it wouldn’t come to this extent, would it?

What made her most angry was that the two seemed to be enjoying themselves more and more, while the surrounding hunters watched with great interest, leaving her the only one on edge.

What kind of situation is this?

Fortunately, neither of them used weapons; otherwise, she would never have agreed to this.

Crack—

The sound of ice breaking echoed again, and Lady Catherine’s shoulders shrank slightly as she hurriedly dispelled her chaotic thoughts, focusing intently on the figures in the arena.

“Huff, huff—”

Her chest rose and fell with each breath.

This battle had been going on for an unknown amount of time, and she was starting to feel tired.

But at this moment, she could only cautiously survey the surroundings, making constant dodging movements without letting up for a second.

The next moment, a shadow appeared above her head.

“Here!”

A huge ice hammer came crashing down. Her heart skipped a beat, and she quickly sidestepped to dodge it.

Thud—

Ice shards scattered in all directions, flying through the air in a stunning display.

But now wasn’t the time to admire it. Taking advantage of the duke not having adjusted his stance yet, she immediately turned and swung a roundhouse kick at him.

The fabric of her pants brushed through the air, creating a series of explosive sounds.

The duke reacted very quickly, decisively dropping the ice hammer and raising both arms to block.

Bang!

Her kick hit its mark.

Sss—

This single kick sent the duke sliding four or five meters away, the soles of his boots scraping against the ground with a grating sound.

“Haha! What strength!”

He laughed twice, then shook his arms after stabilizing himself.

“Not bad, not bad. When the Thirteenth Month is in your hands, even I might have to step back.”

Does he mean that I’m not qualified enough yet? Don’t underestimate me!

She gathered frost in her palms, ready to launch another attack, but saw the duke suddenly change direction. His right foot lightly touched the ground, and despite his relaxed-looking movements, his figure moved as fast as an arrow, reaching her in an instant.

So fast!

She was suddenly startled. Isn’t this the strange movement technique used by the masked man!

There was no time to think further as the duke’s fist, accompanied by a gust of wind, struck towards her.

Whoosh!

The wind grazed her ear, brushing past her hair.

She tilted her head slightly, barely avoiding the attack. Then, she clenched her right hand into a fist, taking a horse stance, and punched the duke’s abdomen.

Clang—

Instead of the expected impact, her fist hit the duke’s metal arm, causing her to stagger back half a step, her arm tingling from the shock.

It hurt.

But the duke stepped back several times, “Deng deng.”

“Amazing! No wonder Carlos said you have a natural talent for combat. This is almost instinctive.” He looked at her with admiration, “Being able to quickly assess the situation and seize the opportunity to counterattack, you didn’t think at all during that move, did you?”

“No. You charged at me, and I reacted.”

She nodded at the duke and, while speaking, condensed a fist-sized ice stone in her palm, which she threw at him.

“Haha, it seems better not to get too close and fight you directly, or you’ll eventually take advantage.”

The duke dodged the ice chunk, and a blue light flashed in his hand.

Seeing the sharpness in his eyes, she felt a sense of foreboding.

Crack crack crack—

In the next moment, countless ice pillars rose from under her feet, crisscrossing around her, forming a dense ice crystal prison that left her with almost no room to move, instantly immobilizing her.

“What do you say? Want to continue?”

The duke walked slowly towards her, condensing another ice hammer in his hand, which he carried over his shoulder with a reverse grip.

Should we continue?

Why does it sound like he’s convinced I will lose?

But I don’t think the outcome is decided yet…

She took a deep breath.

The air temperature began to plummet, and a fine frost formed on the ground.

“Be careful.”

Whistling—

Frost mist surged out like a low-temperature bomb, creating a freezing storm centered around her. The high concentration obscured her vision.

Everything became foggy.

Where are you!

She narrowed her eyes and tried to find the duke’s figure in the mist.

“…I’ll teach you something.”

The sudden voice made her pupils constrict violently.

“When facing Frost Order, unless there’s a significant gap between the two parties, the attribute ‘cold’ of ice has no effect.”

Before she could finish processing his words, something broke through the frost mist and attacked her.