Chapter 69 - 68:Morrigan’s training(2/?)



In the morning, as the sun was rising, only Morrigan and Thomas remained. They stood in the small training ground they had set up with Richard’s help the previous day.

Instead of her usual noble attire, Morrigan wore pants and a shirt that Thomas had brought for her.

Morrigan took the sword Thomas handed to her with surprise. The metal blade appeared smooth and plain. "Am I going to learn swordsmanship?"

"Yes," Thomas answered calmly. Morrigan frowned. "Rachel told me she’d teach me how to use a sword, but I don’t think I have any talent for it."

"You’re mistaken, my Lady," Thomas remarked. "You don’t need talent to learn swordsmanship. With enough practice, you can become a master swordsman."

Morrigan sighed and nodded. Even though she was pursuing the path of a mage, learning to wield a sword wouldn’t hurt.

"Well then, let’s not delay any further."

As Rachel approached with an axe in her hand, Morrigan furrowed her brows in confusion. She stared curiously at the axe Rachel carried. "I thought we were going to practice sword fighting? Why are you using an axe?"

Rachel grinned, lifting the axe slightly to show it to Morrigan. "You don’t need your opponent to use a sword in order to learn how to fight with one."

"Well, you know better than I do," Morrigan nodded. As Thomas tied her hair into a ponytail, her eyes remained on Rachel. "How will you teach me? Are there any stances or techniques I need to know?"

Rachel laughed at that, shaking her head in dismissal. "The best way to learn is through experience. Once you have enough, techniques don’t matter as much."

While Morrigan stared in disbelief, Thomas stepped back, calmly observing the two women.

"Don’t be so shocked," Rachel said. "I’m going to train you like a real warrior. By the end of this, you’ll thank me."

Seeing the bloody grin forming on Rachel’s lips, Morrigan raised her sword nervously. Rachel smirked before suddenly charging forward at a speed Morrigan couldn’t follow.

Morrigan sidestepped quickly. Rachel’s axe slammed into the ground with such force that the earth cracked beneath it.

Narrowing her eyes, Morrigan glanced at Rachel. "Did you just attack me with the intent to kill?"

Rachel easily pulled her axe from the ground and looked calmly at Morrigan. "If you want to gain experience, don’t complain. Raise your sword and fight."

Rachel twirled the axe with a feral grin. "Because this time, I won’t go easy on you!"

With a horizontal swing of the axe, Rachel’s attack was deflected by Morrigan’s reflexive block with her sword. The clash of metal echoed through the air.

Before Morrigan could fully prepare, Rachel swung again, this time hitting the flat side of Morrigan’s sword with the back of her axe.

The sword slipped from Morrigan’s grasp, falling to the ground. Rachel leaned on her axe while Morrigan picked up her sword and stood before her once again.

"Hold your sword properly," Rachel instructed with just a single sentence. Morrigan adjusted her grip on the hilt, signaling her understanding.

Satisfied, Rachel launched herself forward again. This time, before Rachel could swing, Morrigan initiated a diagonal strike aiming at Rachel’s shoulder.

"Good attempt!"

Occasionally breaking through Rachel’s defense, Morrigan continued to spar with the grinning Rachel, the clash of axe and sword resounding with incredible speed.

"You’re improving!" Rachel declared with a wild grin, knocking Morrigan’s sword back. With a powerful strike, Rachel brought her axe down diagonally with one hand.

"But I must get even better!" Morrigan quickly reacted, raising her sword. The sword and axe clashed again, sparks flying as Rachel targeted Morrigan’s stomach with a swift kick.

Morrigan bent her body to avoid the blow, causing Rachel’s kick to miss. As Rachel pulled her leg back, Morrigan ducked and delivered a backhand punch to Rachel’s face.

Anticipating this, Rachel pulled her head back, but the movement caused her to lose her balance. Seizing the opportunity, Morrigan brought her sword down toward Rachel’s stomach.

"This is nothing!" Rachel gave up trying to stay on her feet, letting herself fall to the ground. In one quick motion, she rolled to the side to escape.

As Morrigan’s sword cut through the air, Rachel sprang back to her feet and attacked. Morrigan pulled her sword from the ground and swung upwards at Rachel.

Rachel quickly readied her axe and parried the attack, then threw a hard side kick at Morrigan’s hand, forcing her to drop the sword.

Morrigan and Rachel stopped fighting, while Morrigan rested.

Her hands were bruised. She had incredible pain in many parts of her body, most notably in her jaw. Morrigan sighed, remembering Rachel’s kick.

"I haven’t had this much fun in a long time," Rachel said happily. She then carelessly dropped her axe to the ground. "You’ve gotten better than expected in such a short time."

"Even staying on your feet throughout the fight is an accomplishment."

Listening to Rachel, Morrigan nodded tiredly. She was surprised when she saw that the sun’s golden rays had begun to fade.

"When did the time pass so quickly?"

The sun was already starting to set. Morrigan wondered how she hadn’t noticed. Rachel laughed and patted Morrigan on the shoulder. "That means you had fun too, Morrigan. It means you like fighting."

"I didn’t know I liked fighting either." Morrigan wasn’t sure whether to be surprised or impressed. As a noble Lady, fighting with a sword was considered improper.

But Morrigan didn’t really care. A smile appeared on her lips. Then she looked at Rachel. "I think I do actually enjoy fighting."

"Oh my Lady, you’re starting to become just like that witch," Thomas said teasingly. As Rachel chuckled, Morrigan turned to see Thomas grinning at her.

"I like it," Morrigan said calmly. "The feeling of fighting almost takes all the tension away."

A thoughtful yet playful expression appeared on Thomas’s face. "If you want to relax, you can whip me?"

Seeing Morrigan squint at him, Thomas quickly shook his head and laughed. "I’m just joking, my Lady! I’m not a masochist."

"You’d better not be, Thomas," Morrigan said calmly. "Because I don’t want to whip you."

"But if you really want, I could whip you?" Rachel said, but Thomas simply ignored her. Morrigan continued. "Is the food ready?"

Thomas turned to her and nodded. "Yes, my Lady. I’ve made the best meal I could with what we have."

"Good, let’s go." Without lingering any longer, the group set off toward dinner before night fell.