Vega stood on a pole not far away, watching as a mage and a knight both drew their swords, preparing to fight hand-to-hand.
Gwen was wearing standard armor that protected every part of her body. In contrast, Viktor, under his trench coat, was also completely wrapped in protective gear, looking exactly like a knight.
Those were all things Gwen had forced him to wear.
Although Viktor had repeatedly insisted that his trench coat already had enough defensive power, Gwen simply didn't believe him.
That shabby trench coat, defense? What defense? It was only good for looking cool, nothing else.
Viktor actually said he really liked hearing that.
So, after Gwen's repeated demands, he finally agreed to wear the armor.
The moment he fastened the helmet on, Viktor stood there holding a longsword, armor beneath, trench coat over it, he looked oddly mismatched and ridiculous.
Kefra sat not far from the training field, watching everything with confusion all over her face.
She had come to spectate, and also to intervene in case Gwen went too hard, so she could rescue Viktor.
Even so, she was completely baffled.
'What were these two even doing?'
When Viktor suddenly said he wanted to "train" with Gwen, Kefra thought he had finally come around, wanted to bond with Gwen, maybe improve their relationship.
But then Viktor made a shocking request, no magic, pure close combat sparring.
Kefra was dumbfounded.
'Wait, you're a mage, and you want to fight a knight in melee combat?'
She was just about to tug on Gwen's sleeve, planning to secretly get her to decline.
After all, she knew Gwen's personality well, if they fought, Gwen would definitely take it seriously.
Getting hurt wasn't a big deal, but if Viktor lost too badly, it'd be embarrassing and might hurt their relationship.
That would be bad.
But Gwen accepted without hesitation, as if it were totally normal.
Kefra stood there dumbfounded, staring at the two of them standing in the arena.
'Let's hope my brother-in-law doesn't get beaten too badly.'
She prayed silently in her heart, just please, don't let this hurt their feelings.
"Little Gwen too," Kefra muttered under her breath.
"When needed, let Viktor have a little leeway."
Gwen asked, "Are you ready?"
Viktor held his sword in one hand and nodded.
Gwen didn't understand why he was using one hand, but she had seen Viktor handle her own sword before, casually playing with it like it was nothing.
That meant he had definitely trained. If she underestimated him, she might actually end up losing.
Plus, that inexplicable irritation in her heart made her want to hit Viktor even more.
'So Gwen went all out from the very start!'
She charged forward and swung her sword like a ferocious beast lunging at its prey.
Viktor instinctively raised his sword in front of him to block.
Clang!
Viktor's movements were fluid, he successfully parried Gwen's first attack. But the force behind it still made him stagger back several steps.
His arm went numb from the impact, and he couldn't help but mutter inwardly, 'Damn, that strength… she's really strong.'
Although this Gwen wasn't nearly as powerful as she would become in the future, she was still a battle-hardened knight.
The battle had triggered, Gwen's level and HP bar appeared.
[Lv. 31.]
In other words, a knight who had just entered the third tier.
'So about the same as Chur,' Viktor thought.
But of course, Gwen was stronger than Chur, in both strength and skill.
Viktor quietly assessed her abilities, testing her in his mind.
Meanwhile, Kefra was covering her eyes beside the field, too nervous to look. She didn't want to see her little brother-in-law get knocked down in one strike, it would be too embarrassing.
Her hair was standing on end, and she was internally panicking.
"Oh no, oh no, this is going to be so humiliating!"
Just as the thought crossed her mind, the sound of clashing metal filled the air.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
She opened a small slit between her fingers and peeked through.
And then...
"Huh?"
'Viktor is actually fighting back against Gwen?!'
Even though he was clearly on the defensive, getting pushed around, the one-sided beating she had imagined didn't happen at all.
'Wait, what???:
'Is Viktor really a mage?'
Gwen stomped hard on the ground, sword thrust forward as she lunged toward Viktor.
The ground cracked beneath her feet, sand and gravel flying, and with a powerful burst, she shot forward like lightning, instantly closing the distance.
She slashed upward toward Viktor's lower side, but Viktor instinctively leapt into the air, dodging the strike.
He adjusted his posture midair, but before he could land, Gwen's follow-up attack came immediately.
Viktor braced his sword in front of him, barely managing to block, but the rain of sword strikes still left several scratches on his armor.
Taking advantage of a small opening, Viktor swung back at her.
Gwen's eyes widened in surprise, she hadn't expected Viktor to counterattack so cleanly in the middle of her flurry.
She quickly stepped back, dodging the strike.
By this point, Gwen was honestly shocked at Viktor's skill.
She had known he could use a sword, but she hadn't expected him to be this good.
The only reason she was winning at all was because Viktor, as a mage, simply lacked physical strength.
If his strength were even a bit higher, would she be the one getting overwhelmed instead?
Still, Gwen didn't relax, instead, she raised her sword again and brought it down in a powerful vertical strike.
Viktor landed, eyes fixed on the descending blade.
He waited, timing it perfectly.
Just as the sword was about to hit his face, his free hand flashed, summoning a round shield.
CLANG!
A sharp sound rang out as Gwen's attack was perfectly deflected.
She stumbled back a few steps, shaking her head, momentarily dazed.
He'd done it, successfully parried Gwen's strike.
Viktor felt very satisfied.
The [Evil Knight] ability worked beautifully. Even when fighting someone whose close combat ability far outstripped his own, he could still hold his own with ease.
Gwen quickly recovered, her dizziness hadn't affected her much.
But Viktor's body had reached its limit. Without any magic buffs, it was indeed hard for a mage to keep up in close combat with a knight like her.
Panting, he gestured for a break.
"Let's rest a bit."
Viktor couldn't help but feel emotional.
This was the first time since coming to this world that he'd felt so alive.
The ache of his muscles, the thrill of combat, it all brought back a real, tangible feeling.
Gwen also stopped. She wasn't tired, but she looked unusually quiet.
Viktor had surprised her deeply.
She could tell, Viktor was no amateur. His fighting technique, his experience, and his reflexes all screamed that he was a seasoned warrior.
But his physical condition simply didn't match his skill.
And also… where did that round shield come from?
As the two stopped fighting, Kefra hurried over with water and a towel.
Viktor took them, nodding slightly. "Thanks."
He wiped the sweat from his head, just about to take a drink when Gwen's voice, laced with a hint of fire, cut in, "Drinking water right after intense exercise is bad for your body."
"…"
Viktor put the bottle down.
He couldn't help it, he suddenly remembered he was the one who had said that to Gwen before.
'So she's holding a grudge, huh.'
After a bit of rest and once his sweat had dried, Viktor finally took a sip.
Then Kefra suddenly grinned and pointed at herself.
"Viktor, you're pretty good, huh?"
"Wanna spar with your big sister next?"
Viktor was silent for a moment, then picked up his sword from the ground and lightly tapped Kefra's shoulder with it. She froze.
Then his eyes flicked up to her head, [Lv. 39.]
Viktor ignored her, stood up after resting enough, and looked toward Gwen.
"Let's continue."
———
Several hours later, Viktor sat on the ground, drenched in sweat, armor removed, completely out of breath.
Gwen sheathed her sword, looking a little satisfied.
"Not bad," she said. "I don't know why you suddenly want to train with the sword, but if you need to next time, I, "
Suddenly, she froze, stammering a little.
"I… um… I'm free in the mornings, during my morning practice…"
As soon as she said it, Gwen regretted it. Would that sound like she was inviting him for something else?
She blamed her own loose tongue, Viktor hadn't even asked.
But Viktor just said calmly, "Thanks. I do need it."
After resting enough, he cast a Cleanse spell, instantly clearing all the sweat off his body.
Gwen watched as Viktor suddenly became completely fresh again, and couldn't help feeling a little jealous.
Viktor nodded to her. "I'm heading off. Gwen, I still need to go teach Her Highness today."
Gwen knew he had official duties, so she just nodded, not saying more.
Then Viktor asked, "Does your family have any extra refined steel you could sell me?"
Refined steel, knight families like the Delyns would never lack that.
After all, both weapons and armor required large amounts of it.
Gwen nodded but looked puzzled. "What do you need refined steel for?"
She didn't think about career advancement, maybe he wanted to recruit knights for his barony now that he'd been promoted?
"Prepare some for me. I need it," he said, then handed her a golden parchment.
"What's this?" Gwen asked curiously.
"Once you've got the steel ready, you can use this to find my location," Viktor replied, and turned to leave.
Gwen nodded blankly, standing there watching him walk away. At some point, a crow had landed on his shoulder.
Even after Viktor's figure had disappeared in the distance, she was still standing there, dazed. Kefra nudged her with her elbow.
"Hey, hey, what are you staring at? He's long gone."
Gwen snapped out of it, hurriedly explaining, "I just wanted to ask if he'd had breakfast…"
Kefra laughed teasingly.
"Oh? My little Gwen isn't angry anymore?"
Gwen turned her head away stubbornly, muttering like she was pouting, "I wasn't angry to begin with."
Kefra gave her a knowing grin. "Really not angry?"
When Gwen didn't answer, Kefra sighed dramatically.
"Sigh, Viktor really is something. On the night of the banquet, my little Gwen dressed up so beautifully, and he didn't even come over to look at her once."
Gwen puffed her cheeks and protested, "I really wasn't angry!"
Hearing her stubborn words, Kefra covered her mouth, giggling. "Alright, alright, not angry, not angry."
But after teasing, her expression turned a little serious.
"So," she asked softly, "did you test him?"
"Has your Heart of Justice… really stopped working?"