Knight and Wand

Chapter 167 Encounter (Thanks for the monthly ticket)
"Let's go and take a look. The last time I saw a tamed griffin was when I went to the Northern Fortress." Ines excitedly urged her mount and walked down the hillside.

Agatha flicked the reins and followed the pace, saying noncommittally, "Maybe it's just a rumor. Some people can brag that they killed a dragon after beheading a wild boar. Besides, I doubt whether the peasants in the countryside can tell the difference between a griffin and a hippogriff."

Agatha's career as a mercenary who traveled all over the country made her very clear that although both were rare flying beasts and looked similar, their sizes and ferocity were very different.

The Hippogriff is only as dangerous as a flying tiger or lion, and is only slightly more difficult to deal with by a fully armed knight.

But the power of the griffin, that noble creature, is no less than that of the various dragon beasts in the Boneyard Wasteland.

She looked at her lord, a little puzzled: "Your Highness, if you want to see that knight, just send a messenger to summon him to the camp. Why do you have to sneak over here without making any noise? His Excellency Rahman is also visiting here, why don't we attend the banquet together?"

Agatha estimated that the lords of the Sea Eagle Knights would be extremely worried when they found out that His Highness was traveling alone.

"Come here secretly? Don't put it so harshly~ At least say you came here incognito~"

Ines smiled and waved her fan. "If I come here with great fanfare, or summon him directly, I'm afraid I can only see a perfect appearance. How boring is that? Remember, Agatha, if you want to assess a person, the first way is not to look at him, but to look at the people around him first~"

As she spoke, she looked up and around at the small but still bustling and vibrant village in front of her.

Regardless of whether the rumor about raising griffins is true or false, at least in General Trosa's letter, there is probably nothing wrong with the knight's record of defeating the strong with the weak.

Since it is rare for her to pass through this place, she is always happy to find out more about such talents.

If there is a chance in the future, why not dig into the Thorn Flower family and add another outstanding member to the knights under my command?

"Relax like this, move with your whole body, not just your feet, and feel the bone and flesh structure under the skin."

In the backyard, Olivia demonstrated the steps of moving forward, backward and turning slowly and lightly to Treia who had just completed physical training.

The figure was clearly moving on the bumpy ground, but it was as agile as if it was on a smooth floor, like a smooth dance step.

Sweat broke out on Theresia's forehead. Although the blonde girl acted so relaxed, when she tried to learn from her, she felt so stupid and slow, as if every joint in her body was out of control.

For a month, she felt like she had turned into a baby, relearning how to walk and run under Olivia's guidance.

"Yeah, good, that's it, take your time and don't rush. You're making rapid progress, is it because you've learned dancing?" Olivia stood with her hands on her waist and nodded to encourage Treia.

But what she said was not to comfort the other party, but the truth. Regardless of sword skills, if we only talk about footwork, Treia has indeed improved much faster than Zabron and the others. It seems that what Leon said is right. People with a dance foundation can get started with the cat spin footwork more quickly.

After a long repetition of one or two moments, when Theresia had completed enough sets of training in a sweat and her breathing became disordered, Olivia handed her a steel sword.

"You can't rest yet. It's just right now. A little fatigue will allow you to feel the difference in the force of manipulating the weapon in your hand.

But remember, at this stage, don't practice like this when you are practicing alone, it is easy to get into a bad habit. Today, I am here to help you correct your mistakes, so I can use this trick to speed up your progress." The girl warned.

Hearing Olivia's reminder, Treia nodded silently. To be honest, under the state of continuous physical exertion, she still had to concentrate on training her posture. Even if she wanted to do it on her own, it would take great willpower to restrain the fatigue and the boredom that kept obstructing her heart.

Taking the long sword, the knight's daughter held up the sword in a proper manner, and then began to practice each move in the basic routine repeatedly according to the basic sword skills she was taught.

Cut, chop, hack, and stab with the sword as the body moves, and the sword falls with the steps.
Olivia would occasionally offer corrections and intervene to adjust the other person's posture.

Treia remembered and appreciated the other party's advice with gratitude in her heart.

She cherishes this one-on-one time every day. On weekdays, this is probably a "privilege" that no one else can enjoy except Lord Leon.

After all, Lord Azerien and Lord Lohak are busy with affairs and often travel between territories, and warriors such as Zabron and Hawke have many other daily military training and tasks.

Right now, I am the only useless and idle maid who can spare enough time to receive Miss Olivia's hands-on teaching.

Because of this, the expressionless Theresia became increasingly anxious.

Although she understood that learning martial arts was not something that could be done overnight, the fact that she was the only one with no other options still burned her heart like a flame.

Olivia, who was standing by, saw that Treia was slowly getting into the state and there were no special problems that needed to be corrected at this stage, so she raised the sword in her hand and began to practice sword dancing like the wind.

Another quarter of an hour passed, and Olivia stopped with her sword raised. She glanced sideways at Theresia, whose body was soaked in sweat and whose arms were shaking more and more obviously, and quickly called for her to stop.

"That's about it for now. Take a break. In the evening, you can practice the same moves with Hawke and the others as usual. I think I should be able to teach you the 'Spear Slash' tomorrow."

Theresia felt relieved. After such a long period of training, she only felt that the steel sword that she lifted easily in her hand was as heavy as a thousand pounds.

Putting down her practice weapon, she walked to the side, sat down with sore body, and wiped the sweat off with a towel.

Picking up the kettle to quench her thirst, Treia looked toward the courtyard, awed by the blonde girl's beautiful sword moves, which were as light as a flying swallow and as fierce as a bird of prey.

She heard from Hawke that since the girl was eleven years old, even her father, Lord Brian, could not teach her anything except some advice on long-handled weapons.

Miss Olivia's martial arts were completely based on her own passion, and she learned them on her own as if they were gifted by God.

The more Treia practiced martial arts, the more she felt how extraordinary this terrifying talent was. This girl, who was two years younger than her, was extraordinary.

Suddenly, she couldn't help but ask the girl who was practicing swordplay, "Ms. Olivia, what kind of move is 'Spear Slash'?"

Using a sword strike to stop the swirling sword wind, Olivia put away the sword, turned her head and smiled, "That's the name Leon gave. He always names things poetically. It's actually the basics. You practiced defensive slashing, and then followed up with stabbing to counterattack and chase the enemy, and finally you have to do slight dragging and cutting at different angles, and finally you can convert it into other offensive moves."

Olivia found it funny when she thought of the dazzling names of the moves in the sword manual compiled by her lover.

But she also admitted that she had no talent for naming. If she were to name a place like "Fei Yan Fan Chao" which is like a poem, she would probably call it "Cut it left and cut it right".

There was also a move in which he would leap over the enemy's head in a hurry and then perform a heavy attack. After racking her brains, she could only call that move "jump up and smash the enemy's head", but Leon gave it a nice name "Griffin Slash".

Olivia was about to perform the "Spear Slash" on Treya, but suddenly stopped and looked towards the backyard gate.

She could hear the conversation of the guards standing guard outside.
"My dear lady, if you want to visit the lord, please go through the main gate of the mansion. The housekeeper will receive you. In addition, the lord is not in the mansion today, so you may not be able to see him." The guard suggested with some embarrassment.

Looking at the beautiful girl smiling in front of them, the two Selva soldiers guarding the backyard did not dare to neglect or embarrass her. They tried to speak respectfully and did not shout to drive her away.

It's not that they are so civilized and polite, but there has been an endless stream of nobles coming to Selva during this period. The beautiful girl with a tall horse behind her is obviously not of common origin. Who knows which lord's daughter she is.

What's more, there was a female warrior with a sword who was as tall as the man next to the other party. The serious woman with scars all over her face looked like someone who was not easy to mess with.

"The villagers told me that the griffin was kept in the lord's backyard, so I came here specially to broaden my eyes. However, the lord is not here, and the griffin is not here either~?" Ines blinked regretfully and glanced at the courtyard wall behind the guard with a little disappointment.

She had seen Count North's griffin in the Warlock Fortress in the north. Although it was not as huge as her brother's flying dragon, it was also of astonishing size. Unless it was lying down completely, a beast of that size would not be obscured by a wall of this height.

The young guard was frightened by the noble and charming beauty of the blonde girl, and could not help but look away out of shame.

"You unfortunately came at the wrong time. That big guy only flies to Selva once every four days or so, and the griffin just came yesterday." The guard instinctively explained in a flattering tone. This is also a common knowledge among passers-by in Kossos County. Recently, many nobles have come to see the strange beast. After all, such a huge monster flies to Selva every day, and no one is blind or deaf.

As he spoke, the guard stole a glance at the other person and sighed that the girl was so beautiful that it made his heart tremble.

Especially that golden hair, it is as dazzling as Olivia's.

However, unlike the girl from the same village whom he had grown up with, she was much more gentle and charming than the ferocious golden lion in the yard behind him.
The beatings he received as a child automatically blurred the impression of Olivia, a beauty that was equally beautiful to the other woman, in the mind of this young man from Selva.

After all, he had never heard the Golden Lion speak with such a soft, sweet voice that made one's bones soften.
Suddenly, the gate to the yard behind the guard opened.

The two guards stood up straight abruptly, raised their heads and stopped talking.

"Uncle Roma, Brother Langdon? Are there any guests visiting?" Olivia walked out from behind the door and asked the guard from her hometown who was outside.

As she spoke, her green eyes turned towards the visitor at the backyard door.

At first glance, the girl instinctively looked at the tall female warrior who seemed to be a considerable threat.

But seeing that the scarred lady was wary but had no ill intentions, Olivia turned to look at the girl who was slightly younger than herself and was wearing a long robe and cloak.

Her eyes slid across the other person's face, and Olivia couldn't help but linger on the blonde hair that was quite similar to her own.

There were people of the same age with the same hair color in the area around Selva, but the girl in front of Olivia gave her an inexplicable sense of familiarity.

Seeing the blonde girl with a sword on her waist walking out of the courtyard, Ines's thin eyebrows raised slightly.

"Hello, I am the niece of Count Trosa. You can call me 'Lenice'. I'm sorry for the intrusive visit." Ines made up an identity with a warm smile. Anyway, Grandpa Trosa would definitely not mind her borrowing the name.

Olivia suddenly came back to her senses from the strange feeling of familiarity: "Ah, hello, it's an honor to meet you, Miss Lenise, my name is Olivia."

Although she was used to getting along with Leon and the other two at home without any status barriers, the girl had not forgotten to be polite to the nobles outside.

She held the hilt of the sword, stepped back, bent her knees and lowered her head slightly, but she was wearing long pants for sword practice and had no skirt to hold up.

"Are you looking for Leon?" Olivia raised her head and reminded him, "He is at the banquet to welcome Lord Rahman and is not at home. The banquet has probably just started. I think with your noble status, you are worthy of being invited. How about I send someone to escort you to the banquet?"

Ines shook her head, with helplessness on her pretty face: "No need, Miss Olivia, I just heard the rumors around me and came to see the griffin, but I'm unlucky and it seems I'm late."

Seeing a griffin? Olivia didn't find it strange.

Over the past month, leading nobles and knights who had heard the news often came to see the legendary beast. Leon joked with her at night and suggested that she should just charge some admission fees.

Thinking of Leon's strange idea, Olivia smiled and said, "You did come at an untimely time, but if you stay a few more days, you should be able to see it again."

Ines fanned her forehead, looking troubled: "What a pity, I can only stay in your place for two days before I have to lead the army south to the front line."

Olivia was a little surprised when she heard this: "Miss Lanis, a girl like you also needs to lead an army to war?"

"Hmm? This is strange? But don't girls like you also wield swords and knives?" Ines glanced at the long sword on the other's waist, blinked and smiled.

"Yes, I'm sorry. I don't mean to look down on you. I just admire you and am surprised."

Olivia waved her hands and apologized hurriedly.

As a woman, she herself has experienced fighting and battlefields, and of course she will not look down on others just because of the same gender.

However, Olivia could clearly see that this "Miss Lanis" really had no martial arts skills. She was so light and frail, and it would be extremely dangerous for her to go to the battlefield with such a weak body.

Lanis could see the other party's confusion, she spread out her fan and covered her mouth with a chuckle: "I don't have to charge into battle with the soldiers. Sometimes, staying in the military tent and using your brain may be more useful than a sword or a spear~"

It was a close call, huh~, I just made it to the deadline. Also, thank you all for your monthly votes. I am really moved that I can top the fantasy bestseller and monthly vote list in my lifetime. Although I only stayed at the top of the category list for one day before I was ass-fucked by a big shot again, but as a little Karami who wrote a book for the first time, I have no regrets in my life to be able to ass-fuck a big shot once.


(End of this chapter)