I Don’t Care About the Story, I Want a Cat ～Transmigrated into an Otome Game～ - Chapter 36

Approaching the Tournament (Part 1)

The sound of swords striking against each other echoed in the open field.

Located in one corner of the Palace grounds, this field was used as training and practice grounds for the Imperial knights.

The circular field was surrounded by walls on all sides. One end of it had a roof built on a solid platform with bleachers-like seats set up underneath.

The sun was setting, drawing out four elongated shadows on the field currently in the midst of practicing sword fighting.

A few people were gathered on the edge of the field, their eyes trained singularly on one of the two pairs fighting on the field.

They watched in bated breaths as a sword came swooping down in the field.

“Push the attack to the side and immediately fall into a defensive position. Pay attention to the angle of your legs.”

The person who had spoken was a large man with a strong, military bearing, his hair streaked with silver. This man was General Riley, a veteran with excellent sword skills.

He was originally from a civilian family but had made a name for himself in the battles that took place along the borders when he was still young, and he eventually rose to the rank of General due to his prowess.

Although there were still some skirmishes from time to time, the overall situation with neighbouring kingdoms had improved. It was a relatively peaceful time now, however General Riley hadn’t been able to retire due to various circumstances.

He kept his title of General but had stepped down from active duty, instead he focused on training the next generation of recruits.

His opponent was a young man dressed in the knight’s uniform. The young man nodded at his command and held his sword closer to his body. He was slender in stature, compared to the General’s strong build, but his height was similar to the older man.

He was doing his best to evade and sidestep the attacks rained down on him by the veteran General.

He seemed to be skilled enough to hold his own in the skirmish. Although the length of their swords were different, he put up a good fight against the skillful General, not backing down from the onslaught of surprise attacks.

Beads of sweat rolled down his forehead but he paid them no mind as he tried to block the attacks.

“…… Ah!”

There was a loud noise and the young man’s sword was flipped out of his hand.

The General’s sword came flying down at him; however, at the last minute, he rolled to the side and came up on one knee, barely managing to avoid it. The sword came at him again and this time he pulled out his scabbard and held it over his head to block the attack.

“You have improved.”

“I can do at least this much…”

The General picked up on the cold determination in the young man’s grey eyes and, without loosening the strength in his sword, broke out into a wry smile.

“Good, good. I will give you a passing mark in the handling of your sword and body.”

After saying so he waited to confirm that the young man did not get distracted and give up on his strength or grip, before finally pulling back his sword.

The young man let out a breath when the General stepped back.

The tension surrounding them dissipated and the onlookers also let out sighs of relief to see the danger had passed.

“If you can hold up to this extent then you’ll be fine.”

With this reassurance, General Riley extended a hand to the young man still kneeling on the ground. The man returned his scabbard to his side and clasped the extended hand. However, the moment he stood up, a spare dagger suddenly came flying at his neck from the other side.

Clang!

A dull sound echoed around them and a satisfied smile spread on the General’s face.

The tip of the knife was blocked by an invisible force just inches away from his neck, small cracks running along the blade.

The men gazed at each other with calculating eyes without letting go of their clasped hands.

“Hm……! Your reflexes are great, conjuring up that magical shield in an instant, Prince Edward.”

“I do value my own life, General.”

“Heeeyy, you two done over there!?”

“Yes, General!!”

The pair of men fighting alongside them ran up to them at the General’s question, out of breath.

“Ah, you’re also done, Alexander? So who won today?” Edward asked in a lightly teasing voice.

“No one won. I beg of you, can’t you practice like normal people? You see, both Kevin and I were so worried we couldn’t even focus on our own sparring.”

The man called Kevin came up to them looking flustered. He was dressed in a senior knight’s uniform.

His face had drained of all colour when he’d seen the General pull out his dagger earlier.

“That’s not a dull blade, is it? Do you want to injure His Highness!?”

Certainly, the general had attacked with a killing intent. It was unthinkable to use a sharp blade for that, that too against a member of Royalty.

“Well, I got to make it as real as possible.”

“That’s not the problem! What if he died! This is just training, General. Training. Not real life.”

“Ah, you’re so noisy. And you call yourself my grandson? You should know I did take his own skill into account while attacking.”

“But even so, this is not right!”

Kevin’s nostrils flared at his grandfather who shrugged callously at him. The General was someone who always sparred as if he was in actual battle with his opponent.

Besides, it was actually Edward who had asked him not to hold back, saying he wanted to ‘test his current skill level’.

“I’m sorry for making you worry, but thanks to the General, I learned a lot.” Edward said, addressing the man with a smile.

“Your Highness, even if you say that…… wait isn’t this dagger crafted in Sandona? Ah, that must be worth a whole month’s salary.”

“It’s good when it comes to sharpness but the blade doesn’t have much strength in it.”

“No, it’s just that you’re too strong for it, General. Besides this much wear is normal for its age. Also, His Highness’s shield was super strong as well!”

Kevin continued his scolding to the General who pretended not to listen.

The two men had the same hazel coloured eyes and dark, maroon hair. They were not just similar in appearance but their personalities were also the same.

“Hm? Hey, Ed. Did you get stronger again?”

“Yes, but I think I need to work a bit more on my flexibility.”

Alexander looked at Edward in surprise after hearing Kevin’s words.

It was General Riley who replied, turning towards Edward with furrowed brows.

“That’s right. If you want to take down enemies quicker then you have to stay alert. As for the magical shield, it would be better to ask Sir Dion. Ah, maybe Phineas is also back from training. Should I send him over to Your Highness?”

“I agree……”

There were many forms of magic that could be used to enhance one’s own movement and skills.

The magic spell Edward had used provided a ‘shield’ that could cover a part or the whole on one’s body and protect it against attacks.

There was also a kind of magic that could help propel one into the air and allow them to remain there for a long period of time. Harold was particularly skilled at this and often used it for aerial combat.

It took a large amount of time to get used to such magic and, naturally, required great concentration and control to be able to use it properly.

“Should I get a sword that won’t break easily for our next practice session?” The general mused.

“Haha, do you want to break my neck instead, General?” Edward replied.

“Now, now, I’m just looking forward to seeing how much you improve by then.”

“Don’t talk about such dangerous things with such a calm face……” Alexander protested.

“Well, I’m just learning sword fighting and defense magic to defend myself. If it comes to offense, I’ve already got knights for that.” Saying so, Edward turned to the Knights standing on reserve at the side.

The escort knights under Darius, and the healing mages all straightened their backs in attention.

“You’re being humble, Your Highness. If you train like this for the next ten years then you can easily beat me.” The General said.

“Ten years, huh. Ok, I’ll leave that role to Kevin.”

With that, the four men started walking towards the entrance of the training field, as they discussed offense and defense tactics.