Knights and Magic Wand

The lessons learned in her mind came fast, but they left just as quickly.

Olivia soon cast them aside, her excitement returning as if the healed wound had made her forget the pain.

She looked at Leon, "Can I take it out for a look?"

"Go ahead, but it's very sharp, be careful not to hurt yourself," Leon reminded her to be safe.

No matter how exquisite, this was a weapon, not a toy. One must always be careful when handling it.

Olivia nodded obediently, her right hand deftly gripping the hilt, slowly pulling out the long sword.

The smooth and beautiful blade sang softly as it was drawn from the sheath.

Under the bright sunlight, the silver blade reflected a dazzling radiance.

The girl held the tip upward, slanted the blade, and admired the exquisite treasure sword forged from special steel with admiration in her eyes.

Instinctively, Olivia started to raise her hand with the sword but then retracted it midway, stealing a glance at the youth beside her with a tentative expression.

Leon smiled, as if he had seen through the girl's suppressed eagerness to try.

"Why look at me with such a pathetic gaze? If you want to play, go ahead. There's no one around, and we won't tell your father. Just don't get injured or accidentally let it slip and hurt us. Swinging it around here won't be an issue."

"Thank you, Leon."

With permission granted, Olivia's eyes shone even more brightly.

Without a belt to secure it and not wanting to place her friend's scabbard on the ground and dirty it, she skillfully flipped the scabbard upright and handed it over with her left hand.

Once Leon took the scabbard, Olivia stepped back a few paces, distancing herself slightly from the three before turning sideways to face the empty field.

"Last time I secretly played with the steel sword in the shop was three years ago…" The girl murmured wistfully, grasping the hilt raised to her side with both hands.

Under her somewhat cumbersome long skirt, her light footsteps suddenly shifted.

Buzz—!

Two silver loops with a whistling wind passed by, and Leon's eyes were momentarily dazzled.

The girl had swiftly completed a step forward and a retreat, stopping in a stance resembling the "Bull Style."

His previously natural expression froze on his face.

...?

??

What happened?

He blinked hard, his mind racing to recall.

It seemed like, perhaps, possibly, probably, maybe... he had just seen Olivia moving from right to left in a "Roof Style" step, changing her stance, then stepping back to her original position.

Yes, it was just a change in the left and right stance, very quick, very agile. It was a common sword-warming exercise... but the sword?

No sword movement?

Just footwork and body movements, without swinging the sword?

No! He had indeed been dazzled by two rays of reflected sunlight! And indeed, the girl in front of him had gone from lifting her sword to holding it horizontally.

Sweat broke out on Leon's forehead.

This terrifying sword speed, what kind of superhuman swordsmanship was this?

He could barely guess from the body movements that it was a step-forward side slash followed by a retreat shoulder slash, and then a fluid return to the original hand-on-sword stance.

The rays of the sun naturally couldn't keep up with the metal mirror surface moving through the air.

His dynamic vision had completely failed to follow the trajectory of the sword just swung, to the point where his brain even harbored doubt!

Leon glanced sidelong at his companions.

Lokhak opened his mouth wide in astonishment, almost as if he could fit an egg inside it.

Azeryan's reaction was similar, rubbing his eyes as if he doubted he was seeing things.

However, Olivia, absorbed in her world, didn't notice the bewildered expressions of her three foreign friends.

She was completely immersed in the joy of swinging the long sword in her hand.

Her footsteps lightly tapped.

With that, the girl's figure crossed a shoulder's breadth.

The sword wind howled, and in an instant, three arcs of movement wrapped the girl as if she was clothed in a silver gossamer veil.

The moment her footsteps touched the ground, two shadows split the oncoming breeze.

By the time Leon could see the blade again, the girl had already stopped her movement, and the long sword had come to rest at her side in the "Iron Gate Style."

"It's hard to move with the skirt in the way," Olivia murmured quietly, lifting the blade and tucking the hem of her skirt into the waistband with her left hand.

Of course, there was no scandalous exposure; beneath the girl's long skirt was a pair of plain white bloomers that were quite modest, covering even the calves with tight long stockings.

But at this moment, Leon had no interest in making remarks about how conservative the women's fashion of this world was.

His brain was still stuck in the futile attempt to catch up with the vanishing sword trace.

Without waiting for the others to regain their senses, Olivia, with her skirt pinned up, once again started moving.

Slash! Flick! Chop!

Swing! Hack! Entangle!

Her delicate shoes moved swiftly across the grass.

Advancing, retreating, leaping, sidestepping, her movements were rapid and nimble, causing the skirt's falling edges to spin and flutter continuously.

The petite figure was enveloped in flickering cold lights.

The long sword seemed weightless in the girl's hand, its path undetectable.

Amidst the slashes of light, her beautiful blond hair danced through the elegant yet perilous steps.

Leon gradually gave up trying to discern the invisible sword trail.

He focused intently on the girl's shoulders, arms, thighs, and her footsteps that flitted about like swallows skimming low over water.

Only by concentrating on the girl's coordinated movements and momentum could he guess where her long sword had been from his position at the side.

It was like a dance.

A deadly and beautiful dance of death.

Leaves caught in the wind fluttered gently.

The thin leaves that touched the splendid sword light were silently sliced in two in the blink of an eye.

The hanging sword tip abruptly ceased its momentum.

The sword itself seemed to regain mass as it swept up a whirlwind that scraped the ground during this smooth and natural pause.

The grass hissed like an afterthought as wave after wave of air pressed long sword marks into the ground.

Olivia exhaled a clear breath from her chest, as if she'd had her fill of satisfaction.

She dropped her stance, skillfully flipped the hilt with her fingers, supported the hilt with her hand in reverse, and rested the blade steadily on her shoulder with the tip pointing up.

With one hand, she dropped the hem of her skirt, which had been curled around her waist, and humming a light tune, the girl walked back to Leon's side.

The three onlookers in the shade of the trees had unknowingly already sweated through their clothes.

Leon swallowed hard, coming back to his senses from his amazement, and suddenly thought of the village bully who dared to point a short sword at the girl yesterday. He couldn't help but feel emotional.

...Bro, how can you be so brave?

On second thought, since the old blacksmith didn't let Olivia touch swords, that meant those village bullies, although beaten up by the girl, probably had never really seen her display her full sword skill.

Otherwise, Leon didn't think they'd have the guts to speak so loudly to Olivia... even to threaten to kill her?

Bro, do you have enough heads for her to chop off?

"I haven't swung my sword so happily in a long time, I'm really happy." The girl gently shook the sword she was holding and smiled in contentment, her slightly flushed cheeks from the exercise looking especially satisfied.

Leon looked at the girl leaning on her sword in front of him, a feeling of déjà vu suddenly washing over him.

Aside from the lack of idiot hair, she really did bear a resemblance.

He couldn't help but absurdly ask, "Olivia, could it be that your real name is Altoria?"

"Huh?"

Olivia tilted her head, looking puzzled at Leon, "I'm sorry, I didn't understand, who is that?"

Leon covered his face and waved his hand, "Sorry, it was just a joke. Forget that nonsense."

Olivia: "?"

Leon clapped his stiff cheeks and tried to regain his composure as he scrutinized the mysterious "country girl."

Recalling the old blacksmith's advice from yesterday, Leon indeed felt that he should take the advice seriously and leave this place sooner rather than later, so as not to be involved in any strange secrets that weren't meant for the three of them outsiders.

Lokhak's reaction was much more direct; the youth who grew up in a barracks widened his eyes. Having practiced martial arts since childhood, he was naturally aware of the value of the other party's swordsmanship, "Olivia, your swordsmanship is too amazing! ...Who did you learn it from?"

At this moment, facing the girl before him, the son of the military officer instinctively softened his voice when he spoke.

"This swordsmanship? I pestered my father to teach me when I was a child."

The girl answered while she reached out to hold the scabbard of the long sword in Leon's hand, gently sliding the sword back into place, returning it to its owner.

There was a point where play had to end, and she had her fill of enjoyment.

"Isn't Uncle Bryan a blacksmith? I didn't know he knew swordsmanship." Leon recalled the old blacksmith's build, which indeed suggested traces of a seasoned practitioner.

"I heard that my father once served in the King's army, but he returned to the village because of a leg injury," Olivia explained matter-of-factly.

The speaker meant no harm, but upon hearing this, Lokhak couldn't help but marvel internally. His own father had served in the Holy Land City Guard for many years as a sergeant, yet neither he nor his father possessed such astonishing martial arts skills.

Azeryan voiced his doubt, "If you learned to be this good from him, why would your father be content working as a blacksmith in the village?

Even if his leg injury prevented him from returning to battle, surely it would be more promising for him to serve as a Swordsmanship Instructor in the castle of Great Nobles?"

The noble youth silently weighed the several Knights who had taught him martial arts.

The girl before him surpassed them in terms of Sword Skill, something he would have struggled to believe, had he not seen it with his own eyes.

Someone so young, a delicate girl no less, to wield a sword to such an extent... With that thought, the old blacksmith truly seemed to be a hermit of extraordinary ability, hidden away in their mountain village.

On hearing this, Olivia touched her hair with slight embarrassment.

"Thank you for the compliments, but aren't you exaggerating a bit?" She knew she had a natural talent for fighting from a young age, but still did not understand Leon and his companions' astonishment.

The girl was a bit perplexed, "Is what you say true? Could my father really teach swordsmanship to the nobles?"

Leon couldn't help but laugh and cry at the same time. If it weren't for knowing the girl's innocence and kindness, he might have thought her words were sarcastically boastful.

"Not an exaggeration at all. I've never seen a Swordsman as formidable as you. If Uncle Bryan was able to train you to this level, he could easily serve as a Swordsmanship Instructor at the Royal Court for those noble families," Leon exclaimed with a sigh.

After these words, Olivia paused, realizing what Leon and the others had misunderstood.

She hesitantly touched her arm, with a somewhat reluctant look, wondering if she should clarify.

Seeing her suddenly weird look, Leon thought he had misspoken, "What's wrong? Did I say something incorrect?"

Olivia quickly shook her hands.

"No, no, no, it's just that... you... seem to have misunderstood."

Leon puzzled, "Misunderstood?"

"Well, actually..."

The girl began to explain with difficulty, choosing her words carefully, not wanting the others to think she intended to belittle her father.

"My father... couldn't quite use a sword like I do; over the years, it was mostly me practicing alone based on the basic principles. Of course, I'm not saying my father's swordsmanship is bad! Just maybe, a little bit inferior to mine..."

Leon and the others exchanged glances, taking a moment to grasp the girl's tactful expression.

"You mean to say—Uncle Bryan isn't as skilled with the sword as you are, and you honed these skills on your own?" Leon was more astonished.

"You can't really say that..." Olivia defended her father's honor, flicking her hair to hide the awkwardness in her eyes.

"Initially, it was indeed me insisting that my father teach me sword fighting. He really is amazing! But then... you see, after all, my father is getting older, and he has old injuries."

The girl felt somewhat guilty.

To this day, she still remembered the pitiable lonely figure of her father at eleven, after she had decisively defeated him in a Sword Fight.