Chương 96: Rose Sword Technique

Elsa Cinderella is a smart girl and a girl with a conscience.

In the days that followed, after understanding the whole story, she didn't revel in her rise from poverty to become a duke of a great nation, nor was she terrified by the vampires' pursuit, weeping and only seeking protection from the strong.

Instead, she thought more deeply about the responsibilities she would have to shoulder as the Grand Duke of Ashes in the future, and how all the people around her along the way—even her older brother Richard—might die for her.

This made her small shoulders feel a huge weight, and made her yearn to grow up more than ever before.

Even if it's just a matter of speeding things up by a few days.

Becoming a true Grand Duke of Ashes a few days earlier would allow me to protect everyone instead of being protected by them.

In conclusion, at this very moment.

"—Any technique is fine, I'll try my best to learn!"

With her bright, watery eyes wide open, she made a request to Isabella and Josie, the only sorcerer in the group.

Isabella nodded approvingly.

Josie was very enthusiastic. In her opinion, this would not only win over her future husband but also demonstrate her value to the princess, making it a win-win situation.

She then led Aisha to the more spacious bow of the ship, saying as they walked, "Many people think that only mages need to learn, but they are wrong. In fact, we warlocks also have a lot to learn—"

"Your Conrad family has a unique tradition in this area, which I don't know much about either, but the most basic things are universal, and I can teach you those—" Isabella winked at Amélie, signaling her to stay close to Aisha.

Upon seeing this scene, Richard finally stopped delaying. After all, if even minors were actively learning new things, how could he, an adult, fall behind?

He then stepped forward and told Isabella that he wanted to learn swordsmanship.

"No problem, we're on a boat anyway, so we have the time."

Isabella tilted her head and smiled, readily agreeing.

She led Richard to the ship's side, easily pulled two wooden swords from her enormous dimensional bag, tossed one to Richard, and said, "I actually have a school of swordsmanship here that's perfect for you."

Richard asked curiously, "What swordsmanship?"

"The Rose Sword Technique, created a hundred years ago by one of your contemporaries, emphasizes dodging, speed, and precise thrusts. It is especially suitable for those who wear light armor and are agile, and is a favorite of many young nobles in the Imperial Court."

Isabella gripped the wooden sword, twirled it, and said to Richard with a smile, "Come on, let's have a fight first, so you can experience it for yourself, and then I'll teach you step by step, starting with the stances."

interesting.

Let me, with my 17 points of agility, give it a try!

Richard nodded, then, without any hesitation, aimed at Isabella's shoulder and slashed.

However, he had only made half of his movement when he saw Isabella flash by, her sword tip already aimed at his wrist.

Fortunately, his 17 points of agility were no joke, and with the help of his beast intuition, he managed to take a half-step back at the last second, narrowly avoiding the stabbing attack.

"Wow, you're much faster than before—not bad, not bad! I'll get serious then!"

Isabella's eyes lit up, and she launched a series of attacks. Her figure flickered, and sword tips rained down upon her like a storm.

Richard was now at a loss.

Although Isabella's stats and experience are better than when she faced Jostan, she is still far superior to Jostan.

Soon, due to his chaotic moves and unsteady footwork, he was knocked away by Isabella and lost his wooden sword.

The battle was over, and Isabella handed the wooden sword back to me with a smile, asking, "How did it feel?"

Richard exclaimed, "That's excellent swordsmanship!"

"Now, let's begin the formal lesson!"

Isabella casually tucked a few stray strands of hair behind her ear, took two steps forward naturally, and moved so close to Richard that they were only a fist's distance apart. She reached out and grasped Richard's wrist with one hand while patting his waist with the other.

"Raise your hands, and engage your core muscles as well—" At this moment, Richard could easily smell the citrus scent mixed with a faint smell of sweat and feel the soft, warm hands moving over his body.

It doesn't feel like proper teaching at all.

Holcher's gaze also changed—forget it, I'm lying down, think what you want, I'm seriously learning swordsmanship, and I have a clear conscience!

Richard immediately focused his mind and concentrated on learning swordsmanship.

However, what he didn't know was that, besides Holcher, Aisha was also secretly looking in their direction.

Seeing Richard and Isabella so close together, she instinctively felt a little unhappy!

I want to use magic to blow the two of them apart!

Beside her, Josie felt a violent surge of magic and exclaimed in bewilderment, "This child is truly gifted!"

The relatively peaceful times passed quickly.

The afternoon of the second day.

Richard learned the Rose Sword Technique without any trouble—that was naturally impossible, as it required a long period of training and understanding.

However, thanks to his superior agility, intelligence, and perception compared to ordinary people, as well as the flexible body honed by the Wild Dance Slash and Flowing Water Rock Shattering Fist, he quickly mastered the most basic stances and was able to perform a few moves in a respectable manner.

"Your learning speed has surpassed that of most people I know."

On the deck, Isabella exclaimed in genuine admiration as she watched Richard reach this level of skill in just over a day.

Just as she finished speaking, a small pouch at her waist suddenly vibrated.

She took out a stone with a pattern engraved on it and put it to her ear.

Richard squinted and observed that it was none other than the communication stone he had seen on the assassin from the Church of the Goddess of Wealth.

A few seconds later, Isabella put down the communication stone, her brow furrowed.

Richard asked, "Who sent you the message?"

"Pegasus Mercenary Group".

"What did they say?"

"They didn't say anything. Communication stones have a limited range. If they're too far away, they can only cause vibrations and can't transmit any specific messages."

Richard narrowed his eyes, thinking, "That's because you haven't figured out Morse code yet. I'll do it when I have time—" Isabella continued, "However, although there were no specific words, I can guess why they sent the message based on the earlier agreement."

Richard asked in a low voice, "Did we encounter vampires?"

Isabella nodded: "Yes, they have been attacked. As for the exact extent of their losses, we have no way of knowing. In any case, this means that the vampires have begun their operation."

For a moment, Richard and Isabella's expressions turned serious.

"Your Highness!"

Just then, Amelie suddenly pointed to the water ahead and shouted, "There's movement on the water! It's a fish-man!"

Richard and Isabella peered out from the gunwale and saw, sure enough, ugly blue-green heads covered in scales and gills emerging from the water.

"Prepare for battle!"

>