"Huff, huff...ah, good thing master Caim still isn't here yet. If I had been late, master would probably get irritated and forbid me from joining the competition if I asked him", Surk said as he tried to catch his breath. He sat down on one of the benches near the gate and checked the items he bought to make sure that they were all there.
As he sat there, he observed the people that went pass through the gate. Some of them carried swords or axes while others carried bows or staffs. There were also some who wore hooded cloaks.
'Hes probably a rogue or an assassin.', Surk thought when suddenly someone sat beside him. When he turned to look who it was, he was relieved to see that it was his master.
"Um...", Surk was nervous on how to ask his master to let him join the competition when his master said
"Do you know why there are so many people coming to town recently?", Caim asked his apprentice.
"Y-yes, Miu said that there will be a competition that will be held near the castle this Saturday.", Surk responded quickly.
"I see. So Miu told you about it...", Caim said as he wondered if he should let him join.
"Err...Master, can I join the competition?", Surk finally asked Caim and anxiously waited for his answer.
Caim did not respond and continued to think about something.
'Uuuu...it seems that master doesn't want me to join. I, I have to do something', Surk thought.
"Master, Miu also said that the winner gets a thousand gold in prize and a title.", Surk said to Caim.
"What!", Caim said as he turned around and looked at his apprentice.
Surk was surprised at his master's reaction. Caim suddenly grabbed his shoulder and said,
"You, you..."
"Y-yes?"
Caim grabbed his shoulders more tightly and said,
"You have to join and get me that thousand gold prize, you hear me?!"
"Yes, Master!", Surk was happy that Caim allowed him to join.
"I'll have to train you more seriously until the competition begins since you'll probably face a strong opponent", Caim said as he thought about the girl who defeated the people in the alley singlehandedly.
'I'll have to ask Cruz to help me train his swordsmanship.', Caim thought.
"This is the training grounds for people who want to learn swordsmanship and become knights.", a muscular man said as he stood in front of a crowd.
"My name is Lenk and I will be your instructor during your training here. I will first test you to determine your current swordsmanship skills. Those who pass the test will start with the advanced lessons while those who don't will start with the basic lessons. To pass the test, you just need to block two of the five strikes that I will be aiming at you. The training will start tomorrow so you can leave after you take the test." As the instructor finished announcing this, the crowd began to ease a little.
At one of the corners of the training ground, Cruz and Caim were standing by watching them.
"Hmm, the test seems simple", Caim said as he heard the details of the test.
"It's actually harder than what it seems. The instructor will use a special skill that will simultaneously attack you in five spots. To defend two of the strikes, you would need a considerable amount of skill and reflex. Usually, only those who have attained knight level swordsmanship are able to block all of the attacks with a sword and shield. Blocking all of them using only a sword is almost impossible. Since trainees are forbidden to use shields. Most probably all of them would fail the test. But this time, some of them may pass the test.", Cruz said.
"What do you mean?", Caim asked.
"Some of the trainees here are actually sons and daughters of high ranking officers in the kingdom. Most of them have already gone through basic swordsmanship training at their homes and are here to take the advanced training lessons. What about your apprentice? Do you think he will pass?", Cruz asked.
"Probably. Before he became my apprentice, he had apparently undergone swordsmanship training. Although, I'm not sure how good he is since I haven't seen him fight once.", Caim said
"Well, we'll get to see how good he is today", Cruz said as they continued to watch from the distance.
The instructor started calling names one by one. Each trainee brought their own sword and took the test one by one. The first fifteen people who took the test were only able to deflect one of the attacks. The next trainee who came forward brought a broadsword and was a muscular tall boy.
"Look, that's the son of one the generals in our kingdom.", Cruz said.
The boy took a defensive stance. He was able to block two of the attacks and avoid the other three. After that, some trainees were able to block two hits but they weren't able to evade the other attacks and got hit. Lastly, Surk was called and he was the only one left in the training grounds. The trainees before him were already walking outside of the training ground.
Surk didn't notice that his master was there and since nobody was around, he thought that it was fine to try out something. He took a stance which the instructor found quite familiar. The instructor performed the special skill and was surprised to see Surk shift his position and perform the same skill. All his attacks got deflected and as he looked at his sword, he saw a chip on it.
'Impossible! How did he do that! Is he really a trainee?'
"Did I pass?", Surk asked the instructor since he didn't say anything.
"Yes, but how did you do that? Have you already learned this skill before?", Lenk asked Surk.
"No, I just watched you during the test and tried it", Surk said.
"That's amazing", Surk heard someone say it from his side. When he turned, he saw that it was Cruz and his master.
"M-Master, you were here?", Surk said as his master grinned at him.
"Do you think he'll be able to complete the lessons before the competitions", Cruz asked Lenk.
"With his skills, he'll finish the lessons in no time!", Lenk said loudly.
"I'm counting on you", his master said to him.
"Yes, I'll do my best", Surk said with a smile.
Note: Next chapter will be posted next week.
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