“I would be honored to prove myself in front of you, My Lord.” Irelia pressed her fist to her heart respectfully. “But, I left my practice sword at home.”

  “I can send one of the boys to fetch some,” Ted offered.

  “No need.” Selene flicked her wrist and a bunch of shortswords materialized out of her ring. “You can use any of these.”

  Irelia approached her and picked the most plain-looking weapon out of them all. She gave it a few glances, test swings, and practice thrusts before nodding to herself.

  “Even though it doesn’t fit me too well, it’s a good sword. Thank you.” She made a tiny bow to the fox lady.

  “Only amateurs look for excuses with their weapons.” The man snorted, drawing his own shortsword.

  “Only fools don’t pay attention to their weapon’s compatibility with them,” Irelia countered with more coldness than usual, most likely unhappy that he was disrespecting some of the lessons from her past teachers. “A Knight’s weapon is an extension of their will. It can’t flow properly through a sword that rests wrong in one’s grip.”

  “These are sharp, though,” Tina pointed out.

  Selene snapped her fingers and a cerulean aura covered the entirety of both blades. With that taken care of, everyone made some space for the contenders, surrounding them with a comfortably wide circle. The man took his position loosely while Irelia firmly planted her feet on the ground and held her sword at about forty-five degrees in front with both hands. It looked fairly heavy but she didn’t have much of an issue with holding it steady. Asterios could tell that she was using her mana to enhance her muscles and was doing pretty well too.

  Before they started, Miria quickly trotted up to her and whispered something into Irelia’s ear. The young girl nodded, took a deep breath, and Asterios sensed the change in the flow of her energy. Her posture relaxed just a bit exactly where it needed to and her sword felt more confident. Running back his way, Miria winked at him, clearly having provided their friend with some tip about Physical Strengthening.

  Ted stepped forward to supervise the duel and both parties got ready. He met their gazes and signaled the beginning of the challenge. Irelia moved first, clearly pushing herself forward with a similar or even the same rushing technique she’d used during Ast’s visit to her father’s office back in the past. She knew she was at a disadvantage here due to their difference in sizes and general builds so she had to take the initiative.

  Her opponent was slightly shocked seeing her speed but managed to parry the first strike without much of an issue. They exchanged a few quick blows and Irelia backed off just a moment before he attacked with his whole weight. Her perceptiveness made him click his tongue, but before he could get into the offensive, she was already running in circles around him, looking for another chance to strike.

  But, he wasn’t that easily surprised anymore and showed that he wasn’t all talk and no bite. The official training was visible in his almost instinctive movements. When Irelia changed her direction and lunged at his thigh, he easily dodged aside and threw his own swing straight at her head.

  She was forced to abandon her attempt and duck, which earned her a smack on the back with the flat of her opponent’s blade, sending her stumbling forward. He went right after her without holding back and she barely blocked the next three blows, which pushed her weapon from side to side. After the last one, he closed the remaining distance between them as her sword was forced upwards and slugged her right in the face with a vicious smirk.

  Irelia fell backward with the force of the blow and rolled away into a crouch. A streak of blood ran from her nose but she wiped it off without a hint of fear while standing up. He jumped at her straight away and forced her to defend. The man definitely didn’t lack skill with a blade, even if his techniques weren’t that elaborate and most of them relied on strength.

  “I don’t enjoy bullying weaklings like this so let’s end this,” the man stated and prepared an enhanced thrust, aiming to finish the duel with a single move, preventing Irelia from getting a chance to land a hit on him.

  Regaining her balance after his relentless barrage, Irelia seemed completely vulnerable to his incoming attack and a wide grin rose on the guy’s lips. He sped forward in a quick and accurate charge, aiming for her head.

  But, that was when Irelia’s demeanor suddenly changed.

  Her posture became firmer and her expression more focused and resolute. Faster than before, she positioned her sword in the incoming thrust’s path while holding it upside down and parried the blow. Her attacker ran straight into her shoulder and was met with resistance equal to a thick tree, bouncing back with a grunt.

  She followed her block with an immediate pirouette and guided her sword into a seamless swing upwards, gathering the speed and strength through the wide arc of an almost full vertical circle during her spin. Her blade was coming straight at him from below and he had no time to react.

  All the men around winced when the tip of Irelia’s sword struck the man’s crotch, continuing upwards over his stomach, chest, and even face, leaving a red line over it from the friction caused by the protective coating Selene had applied to their weapons. Irelia’s swing was so strong it bumped him up a tiny bit during that first contact and would have no doubt sliced the man in half if she was wielding even a slightly magically sharpened sword.

  He fell to his knees and spasmed violently a moment later, just after she jumped back to avoid his fall. Breathing heavily, she regarded all the red rashes and stinging lines over her body that she’d gathered from the fight and looked down at her opponent.

  “One of the first rules you learn as a Knight. When facing a much stronger opponent, act even weaker than you are. Your only chance of survival is either finding a window to run away or an opportunity to finish them in one strike,” she said in between her breaths. “Thank you for underestimating me and giving me this chance to learn from my betters.”

  Ted leaned towards Asterios with an impressed expression as she slowly approached them. “She has good basics. I didn’t think she was that far. She will fit nicely with our guys. I’ll gladly take her under my wing.”

  “And so will we while we are here,” Kathy added, moving to intercept Irelia and turn her around towards Tina’s squad, wrapping her arm over the younger girl’s shoulders. “Nice moves. Want to learn a few more maneuvers with us?”

  They wandered off to her group while the other party began collecting their colleague from the ground.

  It looked like the garrison was going to be lively in the upcoming weeks or months.

  Chapter 10

  When One Wall Is Not Enough

  Bryn nodded at Asterios and walked up to the group of soldiers to take care of the defeated guy’s injuries. There was no doubt that he’d suffered a bigger mental blow than the physical one, but she could still at least ease the man’s suffering a little bit. It was obvious that the relations between the three teams were going to be strained anyway, but it would be better not to stoke the fires too much. As Silvia had said, perhaps there was still a chance to fix the men her father had sent them.

  Meanwhile, Asterios joined Kathy and her colleagues to exchange a few more words with Irelia. He wanted to see if she would rather stay with Ted and everyone or continue accompanying them for now since he was heading for the Committee next. She thanked him once more for the given opportunity and chose to remain under Ted’s watchful eye. Tina’s subordinates promised to look after her too and Asterios retreated after making sure that Irelia would let him know if the new guys started causing trouble.

  Tina was already done with her duties too so they chatted with Ted for only a while longer and bid farewell to everyone, leaving them to their training and maybe a very necessary integration. If the rumors turned out to be true, they would need their garrison to be as united as possible. Who knew what was coming for Glimmervale this time?

  Soon, they were on their way to the Town Hall and Asterios turned to Althea, who walked slightly behind him and the girls.

  “You seem awfully quiet since the moment we arrived. If there’s anything that makes you uncomfortable or bored, I hope you can let us know. There’s no reason to follow us everywhere. We can switch the schedule up a bit and get you settled down in the castle next,” he suggested.

  Althea showed a kind smile. “I did not see any reason to interfere in your matters, thus I haven’t spoken much. I can promise you that just the simple act of walking around this previously unknown-to-me place fills me with enough joy and excitement that I could jump around like a little girl. If you haven’t forgotten, my freedom was quite limited not that long ago. Plus, the entire time I accompany you, I’m able to study your person and learn more about each of you. I believe it will be beneficial for our lessons.”

  “If you say so.” He shrugged. “Just wanted to make sure. Your opinions and notes are more than welcome.”

  “You possess great leadership qualities, then,” she replied fairly quickly. “The situation with that young female Knight candidate was the perfect proof. You are capable of figuring out where to place your subordinates to let them grow to their highest potential. It’s a good quality that will help you master your heritage with more ease.”

  “Like with the two sources he assimilated instead of fighting?” Selene asked curiously.

  “You can say that.” Althea nodded. “But True Dragons rarely care for anyone below the rank of a mate, viewing all the lower tiers as nothing more than useful pieces of meat or sacrificial pawns. From what I have learned, you seem to be managing your entourage fairly well.”

  “We should check on Zoe and the Lizardkin!” Miria bounced around them happily. “Do you think Imadil and Cynthia finished our gift for her?”

  Asterios shrugged. “No idea. We’ll have to ask before we jump to your village. Let’s first talk with the Committee and let them know about the arms supply we have secured for Glimmervale back in the Scorching Steppes.”

  Everyone agreed with that course of action and they arrived in front of the Town Hall in no time, climbing up the stairs to enter the round planning chamber. At first glance, it looked empty, but they could tell that almost everyone was there. Save for Ted, of course. The Committee members just remained in their personal offices.

  Noticing their arrival, Danny, Esotvi, Merfinna, Ulyssen, and Keenu gathered in the room, greeting their returning lords with some polite bows. Asterios and Tina nodded at them respectfully and they all surrounded the round table in the middle.

  “It’s good to see you again, Your Lordships,” Ulyssen, the person responsible for logistics began. “We’ve heard that your expedition to the land of elves was successful.”

  “And we heard that you have another problem past the borders.” Grea snorted while crossing her arms. “This place just can’t ever rest. Exactly like us.”

  Silvia graced them with a tiny smirk. “That’s just the life of a leader, be it a king, an emperor, or the local lord. You feel like there’s always something to take care of and things never slow down after they start rolling in.”

  “Wise words, Your Highness,” Merfinna commented.

  “Miss Kindra told us that the wall is almost done,” Bryn joined in.

  “And that you are considering some new project,” Tina added.

  “But first, I think we should introduce our new friend.” Asterios gestured at the Dragon lady. “This is Althea and she is my mentor. Don’t let her beauty fool you, she’s older than Glimmervale itself, and thus much wiser than she looks.”

  “It will be good having someone else with lots of experience other than this elf geezer.” Esotvi chuckled, jabbing Ulyssen in his thigh with her elbow.

  “It’s our pleasure.” Keenu bowed and the rest followed. “Now, in terms of the wall and our future plans, yes, it’s on the verge of being fully constructed. But, we are expanding much faster than we first predicted. Even with an unexpected boom of popularity included in our calculations.”

  “And that means?” Miria tilted her head.

  “More buildings, more homes, more mansions, more farms, more everything,” Ulyssen continued. “And, in the end, another wall. It’s going to be kind of pointless after we will have to build on the other side.”

  “We did leave quite enough space between it and the first line of buildings. Or so we thought,” Danny admitted. “We are still quite safe in terms of terrain, but if things continue as they are, it won’t take more than half a year to run out of it. And that means the next best solution is to set up another wall even further from the center.”

  “Basically a copy of Ring City,” Grea mused. “Not like it’s a unique concept, of course. Some giant cities do have multiple walled-off sections.”

  “And I assume you are considering focusing on that first and foremost,” Asterios guessed.

  “Exactly. But, that would again take away plenty of workers for a long time,” Ulyssen pointed out. “We aren’t sure if we can spare another investment of such scale, ignoring other necessary projects and setting them aside. Yet, we all understand that safety is the most important element of living in a big city.”

  “Too bad you can’t transport people yet,” Tina said, glancing up at Asterios. “I’m sure plenty of your followers would be happy to help.”

  “We will definitely be focusing on that ability as much as we can,” Althea offered. “Perhaps we should begin soon.”

  “Regarding the mentioned safety, we managed to secure a stable supply of high-quality gear, mostly weapons, from our allies in a different realm,” Asterios said. “Nothing as impressive as the masterful artifacts from our Spellsong friends, but there’s barely any metal as strong and sharp in our world as the one we have found. We are planning to bring the first batch in soon if that’s alright with everyone.”

  “Every edge is a good edge.” Keenu showed them thumbs up. “We are already being showered with gifts since the day of your inauguration but it would be unwise to say no to any of them.”

  “Perhaps it is time you allowed Father to get more involved in the matters of Glimmervale,” Silvia shared her opinion. “If the supposed dungeon appearance turns out to be true, the kingdom will benefit from it as well. We can make it work as a partnership. The second wall will be finished much faster with his help.”

  “It’s certainly something to consider.” Ulyssen stroked his chin. “So, I assume you heard the news?”

  “As much as we could gather from the rumors and Guildmaster Suanori.” Asterios nodded. “Do you have anything more specific or fully confirmed?”

  “Venuzathor concluded that it was a budding dungeon and we decided to trust in his judgment. Nothing is yet completely confirmed but we were waiting for your return to begin a more thorough investigation in case we triggered something bad again,” Keenu replied. “We can share the gathered reports with you so that you are up to speed with all the signs but you will most likely have to go there on your own too anyway.”

  “But, as dangerous as it might sound, it’s not a pressing matter,” Ulyssen said. “You just returned and deserve some time to rest and regenerate. Even if an entrance appears right now, it’s not like monsters will begin spilling out of it to rush at the town. Hopefully.”

  “Yeah. Fresh dungeons would rather choose to lure people in first,” Grea agreed. “But again, it wasn’t that long since we got rid of the circle so there still should be a lot of time before anything happens if we assume that night as the first day of the dungeon-forming process.”

  “Unless something is fucked again.” Esotvi sighed.

  “Alright. Let’s establish some semblance of a plan.” Tina clapped her hands to capture everyone’s attention. “We need to deal with new construction, a potential new dungeon, and new supplies for our troops. We’ve just recently made friends with the elves so I would suggest asking both Queen Civienne and King Welrond for assistance. Working together might be a good opportunity to bring the nations even closer. We can be the solidifying link in that scenario. Mostly Asterios.”

  “I approve of this notion,” Althea said.

  “Wow, that’s a good idea, Tina!” Miria giggled in glee. “We should again involve Miss Kindra! It will make everything smoother!”

  Asterios snickered while shaking his head. Civienne hadn’t yet had the chance to experience his mother’s prowess. The famous Ice Queen versus the unyielding Merchant Queen. Who would come out on top of that confrontation?

  “Perhaps we really should consider it.” Ulyssen looked thoughtful. “Everything seems to revolve around you, My Lord. It feels like investing in you is the correct step forward for this little town.”

  “Just don’t forget where your loyalties lie when Glimmervale turns into the crown jewel of a budding empire!” Grea grinned devilishly, somehow managing to avoid mentioning anything about Dragons and a certain also budding Emperor.

  “As for the dungeon, we will rest shortly and get right into it. The earlier, the better. Then we can sleep easy knowing that everyone’s homes aren’t in immediate danger,” Tina continued with a resolute expression. “The Royal Division can now join the patrolling duty and watch the area from the sky. The newly assigned troops will be at the ready to jump in too. This will lessen the burden on our local wardens and sentries.”

  “A good decision.” Keenu nodded. “With more and more people coming into the town, we need all hands on deck within the guards and watchmen. Venuzathor does scare away most criminals, but their flow into our Glimmervale is higher than in the past. It’s just simple statistics. We can’t let any crime syndicates and underground circles develop under our noses.”

  “Great. Then, finally, the new weapons and gear. We will naturally take care of that. I’m not sure how many will the first batch involve but we are planning to equip all of our forces with them. Perhaps we can also start thinking more about armor and presentation,” Tina mused.