He nodded and raised his saber again. This time he tried not to think about what he wanted to do. He simply followed his most basic instinct. He moved forward with a less pronounced motion. Kethra parried, but Kaiser changed direction at the last moment and attempted a second strike. His saber brushed the air just a few centimeters from Kethra's arm.
She stopped dead. It was the first time she had paused without deciding to. She looked down at her arm, then back up at him.
"You almost got me," she said.
Kaiser, despite his exhaustion, felt a small wave of relief in his chest.
"But the word 'almost' is worthless in combat," she added immediately.
She moved and touched him in the stomach. He bent slightly from the impact, then let himself drop to the ground. He couldn't take any more. His breathing was ragged, his muscles shook, and his vision blurred a little.
"You didn't touch me once," Kethra said.
"How the hell am I supposed to touch you, you damn monster?" he thought, but only said, "I'll do better tomorrow."
She nodded. "You'll do better because you'll come back. And because you'll accept falling a hundred times if that's what it takes. Swordsmanship isn't talent. It's endurance."
He slowly stood up. "Thank you for the training."
Kethra sheathed her saber. "Tomorrow, same thing. In the meantime, go treat your arms. You're going to need them."
Kaiser gave a tired smile. "Got it."
When she turned to leave, he realized one simple thing. He hadn't won a single exchange, but he had learned more in one hour than he would have in weeks of practicing alone. And he was fully determined to keep going, even if it cost him a hundred more hits.
...
Kaiser left the training session with fatigue clinging to his skin. He felt like he had spent the afternoon being crushed rather than making progress. The county guard commander had looked at him as if he were nothing but dead weight, and her cold attitude spoke for itself. To her, he was just an incapable noble, a good-for-nothing who needed to be put in his place. Still, he now had a deeper understanding of sword handling.
When he returned to his room, his steps dragged across the floor. He set his sword on the table, let his sweat-soaked shirt fall, and took a quick bath. The lukewarm water soothed his heavy arms and sore back, but not his mood.
Later, once night had already covered the estate, someone knocked softly at the door.
Kaiser sat up.
"Come in."
A servant entered, head bowed as always when bringing bad news. He held out a letter sealed with the Hornraven duchy crest.
"A letter for you, Master Kaiser."
"Thank you. You may go."
The servant left without a word. Kaiser remained still for a moment, the letter still in his hand. The red seal already gave him a bad feeling. He opened it, unrolled the parchment, and read slowly. The words were simple, but their effect was brutal.
The engagement was canceled.
His fiancée, Lady Ariana Hornraven, had learned that he was considered a talentless noble, incapable of mastering the martial art specific to his family. She had made it known that the union was no longer advantageous for her. It was said bluntly. The Hornraven family no longer saw any benefit in allying with an heir who brought neither glory nor promise of a future.
"What had to happen happened…" Kaiser sighed.
He felt no heartbreak, but his ego still took a hit. He and Ariana had never been close. There was neither love nor attachment. The marriage was simply an agreement between their families. Duke Hornraven wanted the resources of Paragon County, and Kaiser's father hoped to strengthen their bloodline's position. Everything rested on a strategic alliance.
And now, it had all vanished.
The Hornravens had finally decided Kaiser wasn't worth it. A son with no talent, no prowess, no prestige. A burden. They preferred to break the agreement rather than risk being tied to an heir whose reputation was already starting to crack.
Kaiser set the letter on the table and sat on the edge of the bed. He let out a long sigh.
"Those bastards… they should at least pay for this insult…"
But a new problem was looming on the horizon. In the world of politics, having allies was crucial, especially in his case where he had no personal power. And what would his father say?
This whole mess was really starting to piss him off. Having to deal with Paragon County's problems, having to deal with that damn protagonist, the training… it was a lot of weight on his shoulders.
If only his family wasn't so shitty. Everything came down to power. Without power, you got crushed like a common insect.
In the empire, besides the imperial family, six other families dominated the continent alongside the Holy Cathedral.
Legend said that several hundred years ago, during the great war, seven heroes blessed by the Seraphs had fought body and soul to drive back the demons.
The war had been particularly savage, and after humanity's victory, the seven heroes received those bloodlines, thus granting their descendants authority alongside the imperial family.
Below them were the dukes, counts, viscounts, barons, and finally the commoner class.
Lost in thought, Kaiser realized he still had a lot to do. He now had to start expanding his social circle. In other words, those evening parties he had always categorically refused to attend were now essential.
"This really sucks…" he sighed.
Why was politics so damn boring? He just wanted a peaceful life, and now he was thrown into an ocean full of starving sharks.
While thinking about which families it would be advantageous to have on his side, his mind suddenly remembered something that might just change everything.
"Artifacts…"
Those man-made tools that still granted considerable power. If he could find even one of them, his situation could improve dramatically.
Grabbing a scrap of paper and drawing on his memories of the novel, Kaiser started making a list. A list of vital importance: the artifacts that existed and the clues he remembered from the novel about how to obtain them.
After a few hours of scribbling on that piece of paper, he couldn't keep going. He let himself fall onto the bed and fell asleep peacefully.