The next day.
Sophia had been persuaded, the contract had been signed, and one month after Richard “repaid” fifty thousand gold coins in the capital, at the beginning of autumn, he already had a debt of fourteen thousand five hundred.
Sophia’s father only took five hundred gold coins; the remaining fraction, Richard would need before the wedding.
The future job had also been settled, and naturally, Sophia would manage the accounts—it was only right.
By afternoon, the autumn wind was blowing gently, and the weather was no longer so hot.
Dang! With a sound, the greatsword’s blade cleaved through Richard’s guard, sparking upon impact, the sword tip touching Richard’s helmet visor.
Aurina, holding the greatsword with both hands, just opened her mouth happily and laughed: “Success!”
“!”
Richard subconsciously countered with a swing, cleaving her head.
Aurina withdrew her greatsword, her small shoulders carrying it as she said: “Boring.”
Richard said: “You said according to unarmored sword fighting rules, counterattacks are allowed within one beat. You didn’t defend against my death throes counter; it’s a double kill.”
Aurina raised her left index finger, pointing at Richard: “I say, you’re distracted. Boring. If you’re swinging iron bars, get serious with this king.”
Richard held his helmet with one hand, lowering the visor, gazing at Aurina’s serious little face.
To be honest, he had originally come with the mindset of playing with a dangerous little girl.
But Aurina had seized the moment he was distracted, suddenly charging fiercely and cleaving toward his head, breaking his guard.
“Fine.”
Richard got serious for the time being; he was in full plate armor, which counted as a disadvantage under unarmored sword fighting rules.
He assumed the long point stance, gripping the sword with both hands, the tip pointing straight at the short Aurina, the hilt at navel level, arms bent like springs ready to thrust forward at any time, right foot toe forward.
Aurina slowly approached; Richard suddenly thrust a sword at her, and Aurina quickly stepped back.
As Richard’s thrust missed and he just retracted the sword, Aurina suddenly leaped forward; her speed was much faster than her short stature suggested.
Her greatsword was very low, slipping under Richard’s sword, the blade picking upward, aiming right at Richard’s hand.
Because the long point stance extended the hands forward and downward, swordsmen often didn’t realize their hands were within the enemy’s striking range when calculating distance.
Seeing he was about to have his hand picked, Richard directly swung downward, knocking Aurina’s greatsword away, thus relieving the danger to his hands.
At this moment, Aurina’s greatsword smashed toward the ground and bounced once; she forcefully pushed back with both feet, trying to escape Richard’s attack range as quickly as possible.
Lifting the sword from the lowest point to overhead for head protection took longer, making it a weak spot.
Although with Aurina’s strength, this time wasn’t long, her opponent was Richard.
Richard indeed cleaved toward her head, stepping forward in a bow stance, pushing the sword forward—front hand pushing, rear hand pulling—that feather strike sword surged fiercely forward, with a forceful nod.
The feather strike sword cleaved into Aurina’s hastily raised sword; it was too hasty, the structure too weak.
Sparks flew from the blade; Aurina’s guard broke, the feather strike sword’s tip cleaving her head, yet she changed her retreating intent—Richard only then noticed that her steps, which should have been retreating, had already shifted; it must have been just before he cleaved, her rear foot didn’t retreat, only the front foot did, the front heel touching the rear foot’s body.
This way, although it was a step back, as long as she bowed forward, it became two steps ahead.
In swordsmen’s terms, it was “stealing distance.”
Aurina leaped forward; her whole body seemed to fly across the ground, thrusting toward Richard.
When Richard cleaved, he immediately pulled back to defend, but it was still a bit late; Aurina’s greatsword tip like a shooting star, thrusting in, aiming precisely at his right elbow.
This spot was a hard-to-guard part of the long point stance.
Simply because the right hand was already forward, plus the right foot forward, using the sword to guard the crotch was inconsistent, making it a bit slower.
Richard’s defending blade chopped into Aurina’s greatsword blade, but it was still a bit slow—just a bit.
Aurina’s greatsword tip thrust into Richard’s right elbow; the resilient blade even bent, showing she thrust well.
The greatsword was knocked aside; Aurina borrowed the force to spin the greatsword overhead once, the blade then slashing toward Richard’s left hand.
“Stop!” Richard blocked Aurina’s sword: “Victory decided; double kill.”
Though a double kill, Aurina had traded head for hand; even double kills had highs and lows.
“This king was going easy on you,” Aurina said. “Next, I’ll get serious.”
Richard said: “Have you been secretly learning swordsmanship?”
“Nope.”
“I feel like you’re lying.”
“This king just watched you swing the big chopper.” Aurina casually swung an iron butterfly: “Isn’t it simple?”
Richard said: “I use the long point stance; almost no one thrusts my right hand’s weak spot—I didn’t even think it was a weak spot before.”
“Now the great true dragon has thrust it.”
“How did you think of it?”
Richard was quite curious: “And the downward pick at the hand; think about it, long point stance has hands forward and placed so low; it’s pretty easy to pick the hand.”
This wasn’t some new discovery, but for a dragon who had just picked up a sword not long ago and just started unarmored sword fighting to think of fighting this way was very rare.
“Huh? Why think so complicated?”
Aurina said: “Because it’s easy to hit, so this king hits it. Richard, you’re not scared of battle, are you? Why chatter on so long?”
Richard hadn’t encountered a sword fighting opponent who could match him for a long time.
The long point stance’s weaknesses weren’t some ultimate secret; back in the Tyr knight order, everyone easily found them during sword technique exchanges.
But when the strength difference reached a certain level, weaknesses ceased to be weaknesses.
Without weaknesses, unarmored sword fighting lost its game theory; without game theory, it lost the fun.
“Fine.”
Richard’s blood heated up, his limbs filled with vigor.
He stared at Aurina’s sword and horns—because his helmet visor limited him, he could only see Aurina’s horns, so he lifted the visor.
Aurina said: “Not afraid this king will thrust you to death with one sword?”
The practice greatsword’s tip was rolled, but it was still dangerous; Richard didn’t have “natural armor” like Aurina, where ordinary blades and spears could hardly harm her.
Richard said: “No one can thrust my face.”
“Gah!” Aurina sneak attacked, thrusting the greatsword.
Richard easily parried, deflecting the thrust, counterattacking.
Both sides attacked and defended mutually, going back and forth; blades clashed, sparks flew everywhere; when thrust or cleaved, they consciously separated, quickly diving into the next sword fight.
Fourteen thousand five hundred gold coin debt, wedding, smoke smell… those oppressive things that made it hard to breathe had temporarily left Richard.
He continuously clashed with Aurina, thinking about his tactics, thinking about how to surpass Aurina.
“True Dragon Tail Swing! True Dragon Roar! Great Dragon King Mighty Roar! Mad Roar! Tyrant Roar! Mighty Roar Gah!”
Aurina shouted the move names she made up on the spot while launching attacks.
Richard only felt much younger, back to those carefree youth days, simply enjoying the joy of the game.
Dong!
The sound of a bronze gong being struck rang out.
Richard turned his head and saw Frostsilver had arrived at some point, holding the “gong stick,” with a maid carrying the bronze gong, which was still vibrating.
“Count Champagne? When did you arrive?”
“Dragon-slaying hero,” Frostsilver said. “You’re quite the busy man; forgot the time. It’s already three minutes past the agreed handover time.”
Richard was startled; he had planned to play sword fighting with Aurina, also fulfilling his promise, then hand over custody to Frostsilver.
So he had left enough time, but unexpectedly, he and Aurina had sword fought and played, wasting time.
“Handover?”
Aurina greedily stared at Frostsilver: “Richard, you got money for this king?”
“Such an important matter for the dragon-slaying hero; you haven’t told Aurina yet?”
Richard saw Aurina turn her face, her little face full of joy: “How much this time?”
In an instant, those forgotten pressures all came back, weighing on his shoulders.
For some reason, Richard felt very tired; he used the sword as a crutch, leaning on it with a bitter smile: “Aurina, from now on, Frostsilver will raise you.”
“What do you mean?”
“From now on, Frostsilver is your guardian.”
Richard leaned on the sword: “I no longer have the qualification to raise you; Frostsilver is more suitable for you.”
“Gah, seems like it.”
Aurina tapped Richard’s feather strike sword with her sword: “Let’s continue fighting.”
“No, you have to leave.”
“Why?”
Aurina asked: “I eat and drink at Frostsilver’s, come play at yours at night, ride you; can’t I?”
“No, I’m very sorry, Aurina.”
Frostsilver said: “Alright, let me quickly end this little reluctance. Open sesame!”
Behind Frostsilver, the door of her exclusive silver carriage parked outside pushed open immediately.
Two maids opened the treasure chest lids, revealing piles of gold coins inside, shining yellow.
Frostsilver said: “This is for you, as a meeting gift.”
“Gold!”
Aurina jumped happily, her eyes the color of gold coins; the sword flew away, landing in front of Richard.
She ran toward the carriage; Richard watched her back, seeing her dive into that luxurious carriage, enjoying the gold coins there.
Frostsilver boarded the carriage; the door closed, the coachman whipped the horses, and the carriage left.
From beginning to end, Aurina didn’t look back once.
Richard felt a sense of loss; facing where Aurina disappeared, he raised his hand, then immediately put it down.
He was a man about to marry, had to be responsible.
He thought to himself.
Holding the borrowed practice greatsword and feather strike sword, Richard returned to his room.
In the room, Aurina’s small desk was still there, the chair too, the three thick books on the chair as well. She left so hurriedly, so happily; these things were all left behind.
Richard wasn’t sure if Aurina still needed them; Frostsilver was very rich, richer than her liege lord. But Richard still packed Aurina’s things, preparing to have someone box them up and take them away.
Then, in front of Aurina’s small desk, he saw a notebook.
On the cover, it said “Richard’s” three words; after the three words was a scribbled ball of lines.
Richard was familiar; this was what Aurina did when she encountered words she couldn’t write.
After the ball of lines, there was a Q-version skull head drawn, the artwork not bad.
Richard didn’t know this was Aurina’s notebook recording his weaknesses.