We moved to the arena next to the castle. A good number of knights gathered in the stands just to watch my "test" with Julius.
We were each given a wooden sword for the duel.
"I guess it's mandatory to use this..."
"Of course. The sword is the symbol of knights."
I wanted to smile at how funny Julius's exaggerated gestures were, reminding me of the iconic poses of characters from certain anime and video games.
With a vengeance, I managed to maintain a calm face. The last thing I needed was to appear mocking in a situation like this.
"Hey, are there any conditions to this one-sided duel?" I asked with a wry smile.
"I hadn't thought of that... What do you think about this? If you can disarm me, you win."
"Okay. The same applies to me, then."
We both nodded, satisfied with the terms of the duel. Obviously, I wasn't confident I could beat him in a regular battle, so this special rule was like a ray of hope.
"Whenever you're ready." Julius said generously.
"How kind of you." I praised, brandishing the sword in the air to get used to its weight and length.
"Is this your first time handling a sword?"
"Yes, but I have a little experience with daggers: I hope that will help me a little."
The spirit knight approached me. I immediately tensed, thinking he'd decided to start fighting. However, what Julius did was point at my legs and shoulders.
"Your stance is incorrect. Being a medium-range weapon, the sword requires a different type of movement. In fact, if you learn to use it correctly, you could make it as effective as a spear in terms of your attack range."
Giving me practical examples, Julius simulated a series of battle moves that I tried to imitate. The atmosphere of this scene felt radically different from the original. It made sense, since the context wasn't the same.
"Hey! Are you guys going to fight or what?!" Felix tried to instigate violence from his position nearby, since he was designated to referee the duel. "Julius, don't hold back! Ferri will heal any wound Leandro might receive, nya!"
"This idiot... I'm going to stab him with my sword to shut him up." I said, looking at the cat boy menacingly.
"That would be going too far, even if it is a wooden weapon, Julius gently denied."
"Huh? I wasn't talking about this sword." I clarified with a sly smile while I shook my hips.
Julius tilted his head, confused by my response.
"Anyway, thanks for your advice." I bowed. "I think I'm ready. Yeah, ready to be publicly humiliated."
"In that case, you can make the first move."
"Well, thank you."
It was painful to know that his offer wasn't so much out of courtesy but because he was so confident in the difference in our abilities. I bit my lip in frustration, but I didn't let it ruin my mentality.
"This sword is very light, so it's great for fighting with my speed. I'll have to be very fast to surprise this guy."
I leaned my body forward and kicked the ground, gaining great momentum as I pointed my sword at Julius, who easily deflected my thrust.
Seeing that he didn't counterattack immediately, I spun around and threw a sweeping kick to knock him off balance.
"Hmph."
YOU ARE READING
A Random in Re:Zero
FanfictionWhat would happen if someone else took Subaru's place in the story? What would his path, his decisions, and his relationship with the characters be like? Would he have more power or intelligence than Subaru? Would he choose the same route, take an a...
