Capítulo 18: Confident
"Master?" I was so engrossed in my thoughts that I didn't notice he was calling me already.
"Sorry, Prince Xydel. I thought she looked familiar, but then I realized that she looked like the young princess," I said chuckling, masking the confusion that I was feeling.
The prince just nodded and kept on showing me other portraits of the other Royal families and where they are now. After giving me a tour of the Palace's garden, which is off-limits to most people unless they have permission from the Royal Family, he mentioned that he had to go to a court meeting with the Aristocrats and other court officials.
"Good luck, Your Highness. Please believe in your skills and capabilities and show them that you are the Crown Prince of this Kingdome,"
"Thanks, master. And feel free to talk to me casually, no need to address me as Prince or Your Highness. I even call you master in front of everyone because I respect you," he said, sounding a bit sulky.
"I mean, everyone calls you that because we all respect the young prince too," I said with a little smile. "It's kind of embarrassing for me to be called 'master,' but what can I do? It's a direct order from the Crown Prince." He just grins and shakes his head repeatedly.
"I will escort you first, Your Highness."
"Thank you, Master Nicholas,"
As we walked on the seemingly endless hallway, the Prince only talked about the complicated things that were usually discussed in the courtroom like the usual heated arguments between the nobles who have different points of view on a lot of political things.
The Prince expressed his discomfort with attending meetings where everyone aims to gain something from their respective jurisdictions. He expressed a preference for studying the geography of Sataraia or weaponry instead. His words showed a sense of disheartenment with the nature of such meetings.
"But you don't have a choice, right?"
"Well, yes. That is one of the things that I should get used to."
As we made our way down the never-ending corridor, we finally reached the grand white and gold double doors that marked the entrance to the courtroom. The area outside was filled with nobles adorned in their luxurious dresses, creating a striking and elegant scene. They turned their heads when they noticed our arrival.
"Greeting, Your Royal Highness, the crown prince." One of them said and all of the chatters stopped and they all bowed to greet the prince. I maintained my distance from him so they didn't notice me much.
"Perhaps, you are here to join yet another discussion about the affairs of the kingdom?" A large middle-aged man said to the prince.
"Of course, Minister Golby. Although if it were up to me, I would prefer not to. But I suppose it's part of the job to listen to your complaints four times every month," the Prince replied with a smile. And here I am struggling to stifle a laugh.
The minister cleared his throat and avoided the prince's gaze.
"Excuse me, noblemen. I need to go inside to prepare," he stated, turning towards me. "Thank you for escorting me, Sir Nicholas. You may return to your post now," he said with a commanding tone. I acknowledged with a nod and headed back towards the training ground.
I hear whispers and chatter of the noblemen asking who I am, but I don't have to make myself known to them because I only intend to serve the Royal Family.
"Tomorrow, the General will honor us with his presence. He will conduct training sessions and will participate in several duels to assess your skills, particularly the captains. I expect that each of you will conduct yourselves as someone who dedicates themselves to safeguarding the security of our nation and that you will be present on the training grounds before the General's arrival."
Commander Dyle has us gathered to inform us about the monthly meeting and training with General, Nathaniel Treston.
"This is one of the cursed days for us," Salen said sounding discouraged.
"Is he strict?"
"Strict is an understatement, Nicholas," he said turning his head to me.
"Last meeting, he had a duel with Commander Dyle, the duel ended in just 30 seconds. General Treston didn't even use his energy during that time,"
"So he is the most formidable one."
"Of course! He wouldn't be the general if he wasn't seriously scary. He seems so carefree but don't be deceived by his nature and looks," he warned me. "There are lots of nasty rumors about him but it was overshadowed by his achievements."
I think one of the rumors that has been circulating in the western region is about the child that he is looking for. There was no news of him being married before so society has been forming a lot of theories about the Duke General.
Must be nice to have so much power. No matter how nasty the rumors are, they won't crush him down.
Standing before the whole Royal army is the man with an ironclad aura. Wearing the same uniform as us, except for the dominating gold colors and badges, is none other than the Duke and General Commander of Sataraia, Nathaniel Trenston IV. He is just observing all of us, with the commander beside him and the captain in front of our near line.
I was in the middle of the captainless troops, and I saw Milla looking serious as usual at the back of her troop's line.
"It's good to see the esteemed Royal army of our kingdom." the sudden speech of the general made the atmosphere more tense.
The training ground was filled with the sound of heavy, labored breathing, the crunch of boots on the pebbled ground, and the rhythmic thump of heartbeats echoing throughout the area.
"The soldiers seemed more tense than usual," he said as he walked down the platform in front, the atmosphere became heavier. He made his way through the line of soldiers, tapping some of them on the shoulder, including Milla Bryson.
As he approached us, his gaze swept over each soldier before locking onto mine. I quickly looked away, feeling the weight of his stare. I noticed the commander whispering something to him and saw his eyebrows shoot up in surprise. Suddenly, I sensed his presence beside me, and my heart began to race.
"Of course who wouldn't want to see the capabilities of the Crown Prince's mentor?" He said then tapped my shoulder.
"Everyone except those I tap on the shoulder, move aside, and clear the area at the core of the ground." I remained motionless. The general stood beside me, his presence exuding a formidable aura. The pressure of being in his proximity alone was overwhelming.
"Milla, Anari, you will be the first to a duel in front of everyone. The rest of you, step aside first, " The general said as he went back to the front.
As I made my way to the side, I positioned myself to get a good view of the first duel. I watched with intense focus, trying to take in every detail. However, it seemed like the duel was over in the blink of an eye. Milla Bryson's sword was swiftly and decisively positioned at her opponent's neck, signaling the end of the duel.
Everyone seems to be too shocked. I can't help but smirk. She finally showed off her true capability.
She stepped backward and bowed.
"That's how you do it," the General said, a hint of satisfaction in his voice. "You seem to be too shocked, captain. She is from your squad, isn't she?" His eyes bore into the captain's, searching for a reaction.
"Ah yes, General Trenston," he said, his voice trembling slightly as he spoke. "She didn't display this level of skill during our training sessions, so I was quite surprised by her exceptional performance."
"In short, you were always underestimating her,"
"No, sir-" he was cut off by the General.
"Enough. Next pair,"
It must have been quite embarrassing for her squad. The General clearly knows what is happening in their squad, that Milla is being bullied by them. And now, he took action that forced Milla to showcase her abilities and what she is truly capable of.
As the duel progressed, it became evident that the general intentionally chose weak-looking soldiers. All of the soldiers, except for me, are aware that Milla is just being submissive to her superiors. It seems that this dynamic applies to the others as well. They all possess skills, but they have been overshadowed by their superiors.
The last pair was done, and I just realized that I don't have a partner. Everyone's eyes were now on me.
"Well, that was quite an intense battle. It was truly a sight to behold, witnessing the display of new skills from some of our recent recruits. I must say, Milla's victory in Sataraia's renowned Annual tournament was truly remarkable. However, I have to commend all of you for living up to the name of being valiant soldiers of our Kingdom," the general remarked, his eyes filled with genuine appreciation as he addressed everyone. As the general's gaze eventually shifted towards me, I couldn't help but feel a surge of surprise at being singled out in such a manner.
"For the final part, of course, it's Sir Nicholas, the Prince's trainer. I bet everyone wants to see him fight, right?" he once again gave everyone a knowing grin. His playful nature is very evident and he seems to be enjoying this.
"And being the Crown Prince's trainer, I think it's only fair if I am his opponent. I haven't been in a serious fight or even a duel for the past few days, so I'm worried that my skills will be rusty."
Saying that statement, he is expecting a serious fight rather than a duel like the others. That adds even more pressure around the training ground. My initial reaction is shock. Who wouldn't? He wants to test my skills. Maybe he wants to test if I am worthy to be Xydel's trainer.
Everyone seemed to be excited and, at the same time dejected. Do they feel bad for me? It's not as if the General will kill me. Me losing is inevitable considering his skills and standing as the General of the Army.
I step in the center of the training ground, standing barehand and so is the General. A hand-to-hand combat would be ideal if he wants to test me.
"Commander, give this boy a sword," General Trenston instructed the commander, and immediately he went to get a sword from the weapon rack near him, and hands a gleaming sword that can seem to cut through diamonds. I guess, no hand-to-hand combat.
"Nicholas, you're the lucky soldier today," he said, tapping my shoulder before returning to his position. I couldn't help but grimace at the thought of being the chosen soldier who would have to face the General.
"Now that I get a good look at your face, you seem somewhat familiar to me,"
"I'm honored that someone resembles someone the General knows, but this is the first time we met Sir," I said keeping my head a little low, but enough for me to see his movement.
"Hmm, yes. I don't recall meeting you before so maybe I'm just reminded by someone who looks like you."
"Yes, General,"
"Whenever you are ready Sir Nicholas," he said and that's the cue that the duel between me and the General started.
I tightened my grip on the hilt of the sword, feeling the weight of the weapon in my hand as I prepared to strike. I launched my first attack, but the commander effortlessly deflected it, almost taunting me with his skill. Determined, I tried to look out for openings in his defense, but he was a formidable opponent, countering each of my attempts. As the duel intensified, I released powerful strikes, causing the commander to adjust his stance, now wielding his sword with both hands for added strength. This small adjustment in his strategy fueled my confidence, making me take a more aggressive approach.
I thrust the hilt of my sword on his hand when I got close to him and it made him stagger and take a few steps back. I heard the captains and the others gasping as I continued to attack the general. The sound of clashing steel dominates the whole ground now that the General has started his counterattack.
I was already having a hard time attacking now that he chose to change into an offensive stance. With each thrust of his sword, I can't help but step back and try to be careful with my footwork. One wrong step would make me trip, and I don't want to lose just because I tripped.
Desperate not to lose, I started transferring energy into my weapon. Now that I had more power in my weapon, I started to attack him aggressively again. His eyes widen when he feels that my attacks are more powerful, and then he grins at me and starts defending again. I desperately don't want to lose easily and proves that I deserve the position that I'm in.
This is crucial for me because now that I somehow gained the trust of the people in the palace, I can easily get close to Alexander. I won't let this duel hinder everything that I've planned for.
I continuously thrust my sword into every possible opening. I managed to graze his cape which made everyone react unexpectedly. Now I'm at an advantage so I took this opportunity to make the General fall.
The surge of adrenaline coursed through my veins, heightening my senses and making every movement feel effortless. I could sense the surprise in the Duke's expression as he struggled to keep up with my newfound speed. Just when I thought victory was within reach, he swiftly seized my wrist, causing me to lose my grip on the hilt of my sword. As I faltered, he delivered a kick to the back of my knee, forcing me to kneel. With that swift and decisive move, our duel concluded.
Everyone was in shock as I am. His last move was impossible to see. For a moment I thought he became invisible, but he is not. He moves with unbelievable speed that is impossible for the naked eye to see.
"That was a good duel!" He said then offered his hand to me. I willingly grab it, still shocked by what happened.
"I'm grateful that the General was satisfied with the duel," I murmured.
"I am beyond satisfied!" He exclaimed gleefully. "It's been a long time since I've felt so thrilled with this kind of duel." He took a step forward and firmly grabbed my shoulder. "With those skills and power, you are on par with your commander." My heart raced at the compliment he gave. I couldn't help but smile. "Keep it up," he said, tapping my shoulder as he walked away.
As I strolled along, still feeling euphoric, I made my way over to Salen. As I approached, he greeted me with a slap on the back, his expression mirroring that of a proud mother doting on her child.
"Niholas! You just made everyone's jaw drop! Who would have thought that you could land a hit on the general? No ordinary soldier made it for the past months." He said excitedly.
"I am not an ordinary soldier, I am the Crown Prince's trainer." I bragged. And some of the soldiers looked at me with annoyed expressions.
Upon receiving the unexpected vote of confidence from the General, I was taken aback by the significant impact it had on your self-assurance. Now that I have solidified my current position, I am now able to completely immerse myself in the details of my plans.
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