The Cornflower Witch Chapter 27

Chapter 27

Sweat on the Training Ground

In the study, Yero stood beside Hyde, listening to him recount the情况 of the current batch of trainees.

“Yero, you’ve been with everyone for almost a month now. Who do you think will get the top three spots in next month’s assessment?” Scholar Hyde asked, leaning back in his chair.

“I think…” He pondered for a moment.

“First, Iona’s strength far surpasses the others, so she should be the designated first place.”

“Among the other trainees, Solin and Balun are both very strong in secret history studies and combat, and they are likely to take second and third place overall.”

“The remaining trainees, although some have advantages, only excel in one area. For example, Lei and Karen are strong in combat, but their secret history knowledge is much weaker.”

“Miss Lia is very knowledgeable in secret history, but she is far too weak in combat. Komia’s secret history is decent, but her advantage isn’t obvious, and her combat skills are only slightly better than Miss Lia’s.”

“Is that so?” Scholar Hyde showed a smile that was hard to decipher.

“This… please enlighten me, teacher.” Yero bowed and asked for guidance.

“I won’t tell you the answer beforehand, but you might have misjudged this time.”

“No matter, anyone else would probably misjudge, after all, that child is too low-key.”

Yero didn’t know which trainee Scholar Hyde was referring to, so he could only review the names in his mind repeatedly, searching for possibilities.

Thoth? He’s also a nobleman’s son, and Viscount Xuefeng’s nephew. Could he be a dark horse? No, with his flamboyant personality, he would never be low-key.

Valeni? Even less likely. That guy is just Iona’s shadow now. He hasn’t inherited Knight Leven’s physique or skills at all.

Mick? His combat skills are all self-taught, and he’s been forced to correct them by the instructor recently, training late every day. Could it be him? But his secret history grades are really not commendable, unless he improves in other areas to get bonus points.

Miss Lia’s knowledge is excellent, and she’s very smart, but unfortunately, she’s been frail since childhood and I’ve never seen her wield a sword. She probably can’t fight at all. After a few thoughts, Yero decided to cross the girl with glasses off the list.

There was no other possibility for the others; they were either too foolish or too mediocre.

In that case, Mick is most likely the one who’s been overlooked. He has indeed been working hard to catch up during this period, and he’s the most proactive in daily exercises, Yero mused.

…

A week later, only three days remained until the assessment.

On the training ground, the thin-faced youth vigorously swung his iron sword, sweat dripping like beads, soaking into the dust on the ground.

After another practice of the swordsmanship taught by the instructor, his movements were exceptionally skilled, having formed a kind of muscle memory.

“Basic Swordsmanship Lv.3” – this was his approximate level of proficiency.

After wiping off the sweat with a towel, he went to the well, pulled up a bucket of water and poured it over himself to dissipate the heat, letting out a satisfied roar.

“Hey, Mick, training again today?” A tall figure approached. His name was Lei, and he was the tallest among all the trainees, about 1.9 meters and over 200 pounds.

“How about sparring with me today?” Lei swung the large hammer in his hand, a little itching to fight.

Even with several layers of soft cloth wrapped around it, a strike from this hammer would cause indescribable internal injuries, which is why other trainees were unwilling to spar with him.

“Phew, alright, but I need to rest for a bit.” Mick took a deep breath and adjusted his state.

“Okay, I’ll wait for you.” Lei scratched his head clumsily, and the two went to a corner of the training ground to sit.

…

On the other side, Balun was also sparring with another noble trainee, practicing the newly learned swordsmanship.

After a few moves, Balun easily defeated his opponent.

“Although Instructor Burke always has a stern expression, the swordsmanship he teaches is indeed very practical,” he said, sheathing his sword and striking a rather elegant pose.

Balun’s talent was already good, and with the strict training during this period, his strength had improved a lot. Even Solin occasionally lost to him.

“Now Balun, you’re going to get second place.” Another noble trainee joked.

“Second place…” Balun nodded slightly.

“As the score closest to Miss Iona, I’m sure it will make her rethink.” His pursuit of Iona was already known to everyone.

“It definitely will. You are the rightful heir to the Baron. Although Iona’s previous status was prominent, now she’s just…” The trainee shook his head.

There are also strata within the nobility. The highest status usually belongs to the eldest legitimate son who can inherit the title, followed by the second sons of great nobles, and then those with noble blood who cannot inherit titles.

“Forget it, let’s not talk about that anymore. I heard Solin has been practicing a special ability recently. Do you have any news?” Balun asked directly.

“I don’t know about that. You’d have to ask the commoner students.” There was little interaction between noble and commoner trainees, an invisible barrier existing between them.

“Solin’s father is a Level 2 Blood Discipline warrior, so it must be his father who taught him.”

“However, Solin hasn’t been able to condense a Level 1 manifested form yet, so the abilities he can cultivate are very limited.”

“Blood Discipline manifested form…” Balun thought for a moment, then shook his head.

“Besides breathing techniques, I won’t cultivate Blood Discipline attribute abilities. This is not in line with my family’s legacy.” He would become a knight in the future and could not go astray.

“Unfortunately, most of the abilities of the Castle manifested form require condensing a Level 1 Castle manifested form before they can be learned.” Is there no other way? Balun wondered.

He didn’t want to lose to Solin. He was a noble, and if he lost to a commoner in the assessment, it would be utterly humiliating. Especially with this highly scrutinized assessment, the results would immediately spread among the noble circles of Burntstone City. It wouldn’t just be a disgrace to his family; if Iona saw it, wouldn’t that mean…

Thinking of this, Balun felt a surge of irritation.

No, I need to go back and ask my dad to see if he can come up with a solution. I’m his heir, and if I lose face, he loses face too.

…

After resting, Mick and Lei came to one side of the training ground, each taking their weapons.

“Here I come, Mick.” Lei swung his large hammer, causing a whistling sound.

Such a large hammer… Mick glanced at it, quickly leaped aside, widening the distance to avoid the attack.

“Don’t run.” Lei swung his large hammer again and followed, but his pace wasn’t fast, so Mick could always evade.

However, constant evasion wouldn’t lead to victory. Mick’s eyes focused on the opponent’s movements, trying to find a weak point.

After Lei swung his hammer again, Mick suddenly charged forward, his sword blade thrusting directly at the opponent’s waist and abdomen. The specially made wooden sword pressed into Lei’s training leather armor, causing him to cry out in pain, cover his stomach and squat down, finally sitting back on the ground.

“Ouch, again.” Lei rubbed himself and then stood up.

“Heh, alright.” Mick chuckled. The two had a sense of mutual appreciation.

Because they both came from humble backgrounds, started at a low point, and worked hard to train, their relationship slowly grew closer.

The two continued to spar back and forth on the training ground until the sun set and dusk approached.

…

“That’s enough for today.” Mick, smelling of sweat, washed himself with water, and said to Lei, who was doing the same beside him.

“Okay.”

With that, the two tacitly walked out of the training ground. They were once again the last to leave that day.

Gazing at the dark red sunset clouds in the sky, Mick felt a surge of emotion.

Perhaps, living like this forever wouldn’t be so bad.

(End of this chapter)