Chapter 7: The Weight of a Wooden Sword

The rapid attack skill, Whirlwind Slash, has excellent synergy with other skills. If you are a Battle Warrior, you must fully invest in the skill tree.

Lucy, who had once enjoyed great success as a Battle Warrior, was well-versed in its mechanics.

That was why she could immediately recognize how inadequate Abres’s Whirlwind Slash was.

Even though it was a rapid attack skill, its preparatory movement was too slow, and the activation time was too long.

Furthermore, the skill tree had not been properly developed.

In Ragnarok, players could assign attributes to skills depending on their level, creating anywhere from one to a maximum of seven skill trees.

Judging by the range and impact of Abres’ Whirlwind Slash, it seemed to be around three to four trees.

In terms of skill level, it would be roughly 40-50.

Lucy, a ranked Battle Warrior, thought it was a skill with many shortcomings.

It was weaker than expected.

Of course, compared to the ruffians she had seen last night, Abres was at least competent, but his abilities still fell short of expectations.

A knight commander was supposed to lead the imperial knights and serve as a core pillar of the military.

The fact that someone of that position was only at an estimated level of 50 meant that the people of this world were clearly weaker than the players.

However, since she still didn’t know the combat capabilities of Satan and the Seven Great Demons, she reserved judgment.

“It was a pitiful tragedy compared to my father, but what did you think?” Abres asked, awaiting her evaluation.

Lucy forced a smile and attempted to offer some praise.

“It was great.”

“Thank you for the generous praise.”

Abres bowed his head in gratitude, as if honored by her words, while Lucy’s awkward smile only deepened.

After the demonstration ended, Lucy glanced at the other knights.

They were still engrossed in their training.

Judging from Abres’ combat ability, she could roughly gauge their skill level.

They were comparable to village guard NPCs.

Even if they were slightly stronger, if they were weaker than Abres, they wouldn’t pose a threat to her.

With that in mind, Lucy noticed a wooden sword set aside and had an interesting thought.

“Commander, may I ask for a favor?”

“You may ask anything.”

“I’d like to spar with one of the knights over there.”

“Huh…?”

Even Abres was taken aback.

Sparring, out of the blue?

It wasn’t a request one would expect from a princess.

Abres studied her face, wondering if she was joking, but Lucy’s eyes were serious.

Of course, her sincerity was directed toward sparring, not giving it her all.

It was just practice.

Now that she knew illusions were functioning properly, she needed to experience close combat firsthand.

Meanwhile, Abres was troubled.

For a princess—especially one so young—to spar with a trained knight was unheard of and could even be considered disrespectful.

“That cannot be done, Princess. You might get hurt.”

“There’s no need to worry about injuries with wooden swords. And if I do get hurt, healing magic can fix it.”

“It’s not just about safety; it goes against etiquette.”

“Is there a rule stating that royalty cannot spar with knights?”

There wasn’t.

Lucy was the first princess in the history of Helatour.

However, there was such a thing as common sense.

A princess sparring with a knight was an absurd situation—if this were just a game…

Abres’ head snapped up.

That’s right. Why not just take the attacks?

If sparring was dangerous, the knight could simply refrain from attacking altogether.

If the princess lost stamina first or realized the power gap and gave up, that would settle the matter.

Surely, this was meant to be some sort of entertainment.

Abres accepted the situation.

“If we ensure your safety, I have no objections. Would you like me to be your sparring partner?”

“No, if possible, I would like to spar with one of them.”

Lucy had deliberately not chosen Abres as her opponent.

If she were to overpower Abres, it could damage his reputation as a knight commander.

However, Abres interpreted it differently.

Did she get scared after sensing my sword aura? I suppose it’s understandable.

With that thought, Abres glanced at his subordinates and selected a knight named Wood, one of the most highly regarded among the 30 knights.

A member of the water race with a large horn on his head, Wood was known as the best defensive swordsman in the 3rd Knights.

Abres whispered quietly in his ear.

“You understand?”

“Don’t worry.”

Wood nodded.

They exchanged a silent understanding.

“Greetings, I am Wood Pediblo of the 3rd Knights.”

“I look forward to our match.”

Without unnecessary words, Lucy and Wood picked up their wooden swords and prepared.

Abres stood between them as a mediator, while the surrounding knights gathered to watch.

“Are you certain you can fight in that outfit?”

Lucy’s white dress, which reached down to her knees, wasn’t suited for combat, but it didn’t hinder her movements.

“Yes, no problem.”

“Understood. Commander, please give the signal.”

Soon, Abres announced the start.

“Begin the duel.”

As the duel commenced, Wood assumed a defensive stance, ensuring that if Lucy lost her balance, he would not apply pressure.

“You may attack at any time, Princess.”

“Then I won’t hold back.”

Lucy loosened her wrist and took a stance.

The Battle Warrior’s combat stance.

She couldn’t use warrior-type skills, but she could replicate similar techniques using her physical abilities.

Her class was Illusionist.

While her physical strength was low, her agility rivaled that of a level 70 Assassin.

Recalling this, she attacked.

First, she adjusted her strength and swung an upper slash at Wood’s wooden sword.

Abres, observing the duel, nodded in admiration at the form.

Then—

Bang!

The wooden sword spun through the air.

Admiration turned to shock.

Wood had failed to block the attack and lost his grip on his sword.

A natural result.

Even as a magic user, a level 100 character’s physical strength matched that of a level 50 warrior.

Since Wood had intentionally relaxed his grip, the outcome was inevitable.

However, those unaware of this fact could only mumble in confusion.

Unable to watch any longer, Abres stopped the spar and whispered to Wood.

“Wood, even if you’re going easy, at least make it look convincing. It would be an insult otherwise.”

“My apologies… I must have underestimated my grip strength.”

“Let’s not make another mistake.”

After a brief conversation, Abres turned to Lucy and bowed.

“My subordinate lacks experience sparring with nobility. He must have been nervous and made a mistake. Please understand.”

Lucy, however, wasn’t listening.

She was focused on the weight of the wooden sword in her hands, recalling the impact of the previous exchange.

That sensation…

She wanted to experience it again.

Once wasn’t enough to etch the feeling into her body.

Noticing her expression, Abres nodded, giving the signal to resume.

Wood, seeing this, tightened his grip.

He had pride in his defensive swordsmanship.

While he didn’t outwardly show it, dropping his sword had wounded his pride.

He wouldn’t make the same mistake twice.

“I was careless before. Please attack again.”

“Then, I won’t refuse.”

Lucy swung again.

Knock!

Wood realized—this wasn’t a fluke.

Just now, the sword that he had dropped was not just because of carelessness.

The sword that Lucy was swinging was quite heavy.

In comparison, it was heavier and faster than the sword that a normal knight would swing.

This time, he had strengthened his grip so as not to drop the sword, and that made him aware of her strength.

He was perplexed by the current situation.

How on earth can such a small body produce such strength? he wondered.

The answer to that question automatically came to mind when he was about to receive the next sword strike.

For the first time, he understood.

She wasn’t just any girl.

She was the daughter of Satan.

According to legend, Satan had the power to rule the demon world from the moment he was born.

So it was only natural that his daughter, Lucy, had strength that defied common sense.

Wood, who had belatedly realized the situation, finally gripped the wooden sword with all his might, but nothing changed.

Whether he used strength or not, he could not keep up with Lucy’s sword speed.

Knock! Knock! Knock! Knock!

Lucy continued to move in a straight line and strike.

There was no special technique to it; it was just infinitely fast.

Wood, who had been continuously receiving attacks, felt every strike in his bones.

He had been defending himself all along, drenched in sweat, and then almost instinctively, he forgot the rule Abres told him of, and took an offensive stance.

The rule was that you must never attack the princess.

“Eww!”

Wood, anxious and cornered, lost his mind and tried to attack.

“Wood!”

Abres was terrified.

But it was a needless worry.

Lucy easily dodged the sword that was coming down vertically and aimed her sword at Wood’s neck.

Wood had been defeated.