She raised her head sleepily and looked around. The sun had not yet risen, and light poured into the room. She shook her head and looked around, wondering why they were bothering her now.
The knock came from the servants' hall, so she shook her head again. "Here it comes," she said, then slowly slid off the bed and walked toward the door. She looked down at herself, trembling all over, and passed out without even changing her clothes. She didn't expect that she was so tired.
She unlocked the door, opened it, and let the man in. Then she glanced down the hallway again and sighed. "How do you know where you are going?" The tray was unusually full tonight, a large bowl of soup and three meatloaf. Very hungry. ha.
"Candles," he said, walking over to his desk and setting down the tray. "
Joan blushed at the mention of her previous adventures.
"Of course not," he said, a hint of a smile on his lips. "If you hear any more noise, be careful. Navigating these tunnels can be very confusing if you can't see. We're going to hurt ourselves, you know? It's just not okay to sound the alarm and have the guards come and arrest you." ha"
I have some good news. The Queen has asked me to inform you that Lord Hadwin will be back tonight. "
"Really?" Joan asked, pushing aside the thought of adventure. "when?"
"He's expected to arrive a little after dinner, so tonight will be postponed."
She glanced at the tray and then at the man, feeling increasingly confused. "Wait, dinner? Isn't this dinner?" she asked, pointing to the tray.
"No, this is lunch. You slept through yesterday's dinner and breakfast. However, I'm glad to see you woke up for lunch. Your Highness said that's normal considering your injuries."
Joan stared at the tray for a long moment before turning to him. "That's impossible. I couldn't sleep that long. I just lay down!"
"You've done it, ma'am. I've seen it with my own eyes."
"That's impossible," she whispered again, then shook her head. "You can go. Just, just go. Please. Go," she said, then walked over to the bed and sat down. He sighed, turned away, and closed the door.
She slept for almost the whole day and the only thing she did was fight that little battle and use a spell. There is absolutely no way her body is so weak now.
Maybe she was just lazy, that was the only excuse she could think of. She slept all day because she was too lazy to actually do what she had to do. "Stupid, stupid," she whispered to herself, then reached for another piece of pie. She tapped the empty plate and stared. She could hardly believe she had finished all three. "Enough!" she said, patting her cheek gently. "Apparently, I just let myself slack too much."
Joan wolfed down her soup and headed for the door. She opened the door and looked at the guard for a moment. To her surprise, it was the same guard from the day before. "Uh... did you stay here all night?"
"No, we work in shifts," the woman told her, smiling. "I work during the day. But we were the only ones allowed up here."
"Of course. Do you want to go somewhere?"
"Yesterday I saw a fenced-off area where soldiers were fighting with each other. I wanted to go there."
The soldier was stunned for a moment and stared at her. Finally, she sighed softly and shook her head. "No."
"No? But you said you would take me where I want to go."
"I said I am your guard. Your physical condition is not suitable for wielding a weapon."
She was tired of being pampered constantly. "I feel good."
"Of course you feel good," the woman said, then let out a small sigh. She slowly knelt down and looked into her eyes. "Look, kid, I get it. But you have to—"
"I'm not a kid," Joan said angrily. Technically, I mean, I am. But I'm also a mercenary. I have spent most of my life taking care of myself. I can handle some sparring. "
"Ms. Joan, your legs and arms are broken. The magic that healed them took a lot from you. You must rest or—"
Her guard, however, looked shocked and a little horrified. "You have? How?"
"A monster, a demon, an avalanche," she said. When the woman saw this, she looked even more frightened. "I may be young, but I'm more experienced than I look. I've been through a lot more than you can imagine. Please. I can't stand being stuck here anymore. Just a little bit? Please?"
The woman sighed again, "Okay. But just a little. When you get tired, we'll stop. Got it?"
"I swear," Joan said, a smile playing on her lips. "Thanks."
"Okay, then come together." The woman glanced at her after walking out of the room. "Is this what you want to wear?"
"Yeah, what's the problem? They're standard on the Crystal Phoenix."
"No, they're perfect," the guard said, motioning her downstairs and looking at
Then again, if she hadn't been a normal kid, maybe this wouldn't have happened. How much she missed the hero's abilities, by the time she could walk she was already faster and stronger than an adult. At this age, she has accomplished so much that no one but a hero can see anything.
But now it feels like all they see are children. "Excuse me, where is the queen?"
"Her Royal Highness is currently with her husband. They are planning their next steps."
"Where has he gone?"
"I don't know," her guard said.
"And what do you know?" she asked in a slightly stern tone, wincing at the look of shock on the woman's face. She shook her head. "I'm sorry. It wasn't necessary. I was just a little nervous."
The woman chuckled. "You are a unique child, Ms. Joan."
"You don't even know the half of it," Joan whispered. She couldn't wait to see Hadwin again. If she could get him alone, she could somehow convince him to trust her. He had to believe her. Her own destiny depends on her.
"sorry?"
"Nothing," Joan said, then glanced back at the woman. "What's your name? You never told me."
"Wendalyn of House Grey."
"Oh. Great. Uh. Sorry about that," she said sheepishly.
"It's okay. I have a sister and I know how impatient you are."
She couldn't allow herself to be lazy and pathetic.
------
Joan swung the blunt sword a few times, feeling the weight. This is very familiar. Heavier than she likes, but still easy to swing. Well balanced. Not too long or she won't be able to make a precise, fast swing, but not too short or she won't be able to reach.
"I'm ready," she said, then turned to Wendarin.
"First, protective gear," Wendaling said, pointing to a row of hanging thick shoes, one of which she was sliding on, and a helmet.
Maybe as a hero she doesn't need protection, but as an ordinary person she certainly does. To her surprise, there were a few that suited her better. But then again, she felt like she was old enough to be a guard apprentice.
"Is this the child prodigy I often hear about?" a voice said, making her jump. She quickly grabbed one of the helmets, put it on, then turned and walked towards the storage room door. There was a man standing there, wearing a hero's cloak, which was different from the ordinary gray cloak. "Ah!" Lord Frisch. "Wen Darin quickly lowered her head and said. "Yes. This is Ms. Joan, His Highness's guest. Joan, this is Master Frisch, Royal Master of Arms."
She always had the feeling that the two of them were just having a conversation that she couldn't understand. When Wendarin walked up to the man and whispered to him, no matter how hard she strained her ears, she couldn't hear him clearly. But after a while, Wendalin looked back at her with a horrified expression, and then looked at him again. He just nodded.
Ahem. Joan," Wendarin said, turning to face her. "Master Frisch will be watching our training. Any objection? "
"No," said Joan, who had more experience than they had in a hundred lifetimes, fighting monsters and things they could only dream of. She didn't need this baby.
She walked out of the storage room into a fenced-in field.
When they came, there were a few people practicing, but now they are all gone. She expected at least a few people to stand around and watch. But their gear was still on.
She suspected they hadn't expected her to last long, expecting her to be defeated. Of course they thought she was just a weak, helpless child. A child who needs someone to save them.
"I don't care," she whispered bitterly.
"Excuse me?" Wendalin asked.
"Nothing. Can we?" Joan asked, walking to the center of the field.
"Of course. Please strike first when you are ready," the guard said, then raised his sword in a defensive posture, with the blade extended towards her.
Frisch was watching them. She doubted any of them had suspected too much. After all, to them, she was just a child.
She would tell them to drop the idea. Although her body was relatively weak, she had more combat experience than they imagined. Joan took another deep breath, then drew her sword and readied it, the tip of the sword lowered to the ground. Just before she struck, she saw Wendalin's eyes widen slightly.
She uses magic to strengthen her body and move forward, challenging her own limits. Wendarin tried to parry the blow, but the woman could be moving slowly. She had thousands of years of combat experience to draw from, and every move this woman made was so predictable she was already three steps ahead of every guard. Even if the opponent's body is stronger and faster, using magic to enhance the body can easily make up for this. It only took her a few seconds to disarm her, and the tip of the training knife was pressed against the other woman's neck. ha
After a long silence, Wendalin opened his eyes wide and looked at her in awe. "How did you do it?" she whispered.
"I told you, I have a lot more experience than I seem," Joan said, drawing her sword back.
Wendalin shuddered slightly, stared at her for a moment, then knelt down and picked up the sword.
They fought again and again, swords clashing. Sometimes she'll disarm with three hits, sometimes five. Once or even twice. feels good. No, great. Unlike yesterday, she was fully armed and able to fight on an equal footing with her enemies.
Still, she had to admit that Wendalyn was a lot better than she expected. Her movements were precise and powerful. Every movement and parry was almost perfect, having been practiced a thousand times. Unfortunately, she was fighting someone she had practiced fighting millions of times. Her body moved almost instinctively, each movement perfectly predicted.
A terrible chill ran down Joan's back and she jumped back quickly, searching frantically for any sign of what had happened. At that moment, she felt like her soul was almost thrown into a bucket of ice water.
Then it disappeared, as if it had never been there.
"Is there any problem?" Wendalin asked, her tone full of concern.
"No," Joan whispered, readying her sword again. Is it her imagination? But she swore she felt something. Or maybe she saw something out of the corner of her eye. Is this a reaction to some memory she hasn't been able to pry open? Or is she so nervous now that she has some fantasies? The more she thought about it, the more stupid her idea became. Who could possibly be watching her now?
She turned to Wendarin and tried to strengthen her body with magic. To her surprise, the spell didn't trigger. she asked, trying to cast the spell again.
Then it hit her like a carriage hitting her. Her legs gave out and she began to fall, but before she hit the ground, Wendalin appeared, catching her and holding her up. "Shh, it's okay."
"I don't feel good," Joan whispered, her voice hoarse. Her throat felt so dry. The clothes were completely soaked with sweat.
"Drink this," Free said, holding out a small pitcher. She took it with trembling hands and drank deeply. The water was slightly warm, sliding down her thirsty throat.
Unfortunately, she drank too quickly and choked, having to pull the bottle away and cough for a few seconds. He chuckled. "I'm surprised you can keep up at this rate. Once you're fully grown, you're going to be pretty scary."
"Hopefully," she muttered, handing him the kettle. She felt like her limbs were falling off. What's up with her? She was once able to fight for days at a time. Now she could only maintain the spell for so short a time before it collapsed.
"I have to say, your move is really impressive." Wendalin said with a slight smile. "I think I'm starting to understand why they call you a prodigy. Who taught you that?"
"Teach me what?" Joan asked.
"Your strengthening spell," Wendalin said. "No normal child would be able to move like that. I've only seen a handful of mages attempt this technique, but you managed to enhance yourself so much."
Joan just gestured and blushed. This spell was one she had used almost all her life, with various successes.
"Indeed. This goes way beyond your little outburst. When you get older, who knows? You might even become as powerful as the Chosen One."
Joan wanted to laugh. It's a delightful thought, and a silly one. If she trained her whole life to be able to maximize the power of this spell, maybe one day, she might be as powerful as Hadwin.
The smile on Wendalin's face froze. "Joan? What's wrong?"
"What? It's nothing," she said quickly.
Friedrich shook his head. "Joan, may I give you a suggestion?"
"Please," Joan said.
"You fight like you've already lost," he said softly. "You don't fight with an ounce of self-preservation. You're talented, I'm not going to lie. Probably the most talented fighter I've ever seen. And yet you fight like you already expect to lose. Same. The battle with the trolls still weighs on you, doesn't it?"
She winced, but nodded slightly.
"Don't be too heavy a burden," he said gently. "You don't need to compare yourself to the Chosen or such beasts. Humans like us were never meant to face monsters like this, which is why the gods gave us the choice in the first place. If you compare yourself to them Compare and you will only achieve the impossible. Trust in their ability to deal with these creatures and focus on what only you can do."
"Joan? Please don't cry. It's okay," Wendalin whispered, giving her a small hug.
"It's not me, it's sweat," Joan whispered, trying to hold back tears. Of course, she fights like she's already lost. She has lost countless times. Failure after failure, failure after failure. This is her past, this is her present, and if she doesn't get stronger and figure it all out, it will be everyone's future.
"Hurry up. "Come on, go clean up. Wendarin said with a smile. "Hadwin will be back soon." You don't want to get dirty when you see him, do you? "
She nodded slightly and allowed the woman to pull her up. "I just want to be alone for a while. Is that okay?"
"Of course," Wendalin said gently. “There’s nothing better than a nice soak after a workout like this.
Joan nodded slightly and followed the woman, being guided slowly through the castle again.
