novelraw Chapter 136: Engagement - Axe
Chapter 136: Engagement - Axe
136. Engagement - Axe
“My name is ‘Ran Aviker.’ Call me Ran. And this is my younger sister, ‘Anne Aviker.’”
“Call me Anne. Nice to meet you.”
The sisters, in their late twenties, extended their hands to shake with Lena, Leo, and a warrior from the Ainar tribe.
The test to select participants for the great warrior’s trial ended quickly.
The young warriors of the Ainar tribe who showed up, interested in the trial, left immediately upon seeing Lena and Leo Dexter, saying, “Oh, looks like there aren’t any spots left.”
When it came to weapon skills, Lena had no rivals among her peers in the tribe.
Moreover, Leo was the one who easily defeated Lena, and since they both learned swordsmanship from the knight Noel Dexter, it was natural for the other warriors to give up quickly.
Ran and Anne were surprised when all the gathered warriors left, leaving only Lena, Leo, and a single warrior.
Could this gentlemanly young man and young lady be that strong? ─ Anne was the first to spar with Leo out of curiosity.And she got demolished.
It was a light sparring match for testing, so it wasn’t too embarrassing, but she knew immediately upon crossing axes with him.
‘What a monster…’
The axe Anne used, inherited from her father, had a very wide blade.
Axes meant for weapons generally had narrow blades and thick bodies.
This was to keep them light enough to handle while being sturdy enough to clash with heavy armor and crack skulls effectively.
On the other hand, axes used as tools had wide blades for ease of use.
To chop meat or wood.
Thus, their blades were thinner and often had longer handles for versatility.
Anne’s axe, however, had a wide and thick blade.
With a short handle meant for one-handed use, it was clear this axe was a tool and a weapon.
This made it quite heavy and difficult to handle.
With a simple round shield in one hand and her trusty axe in the other, Anne exchanged a few blows with Leo and quickly recognized his skill.
Effortlessly deflecting the powerful strikes of her axe with his sword and tapping her shield as if sparing her, his dual-wielding sword skills were on a whole different level.
“Wow... impressive.”
“You flatter me.”
After Anne’s match with Leo, Ran, her elder sister by one year, faced Lena. Ran also used a shield and axe, and, having seen Leo’s skill, she was initially very tense.
However, the fight unfolded as a straightforward contest.
Despite having edges on both sides, a double-edged sword was specialized for thrusting.
It allowed for varied attacks and was powerful when wielded with both hands, but each strike wasn’t as powerful as an axe blow.
Even with one hand, an axe was still an axe, a heavy weapon.
Ran felt both relief and disappointment. In a simple exchange of blows, the axe was bound to win. The sword would eventually break under the axe's weight.
Moreover, with a shield, Ran was prepared for a long duel testing the weapon’s durability.
Still, to avoid breaking an expensive sword, Ran decided to end it soon, when suddenly, Lena stepped forward, thrusting her sword.
“Hmm?”
The girl, who had been passive, suddenly switched to an offensive stance.
‘Frustrating. She’s not making any mistakes…’
While Ran assessed her skills, Lena felt frustration.
Aside from Leo and Uncle Noel, she had never faced someone of this skill level. She had sparred with her father, but Dehor’s enormous axe was too dangerous for training.
Lena’s swordsmanship, taught by Noel Dexter, was about hiding an extra move for safety.
This style, focusing on stability, had a downside: it was passive. She had to wait for the opponent to make a mistake and then use the hidden move to secure victory.
But in a simple test, with Ran not taking risks, there were no openings.
‘What would Leo do in this situation?’
Lena thought back to Leo’s distinctly aggressive swordsmanship.
Following Uncle Noel’s teachings while being extremely aggressive.
Leo would boldly step forward, shaking his weight and attack direction, throwing off his opponents.
Inspired, Lena tightened her grip on her sword as Ran’s axe moved back defensively.
Noel’s swordsmanship was undoubtedly strong. Facing his infinitely stable style made one think it was the pinnacle of swordsmanship.
However, it had a clear drawback. Maybe that’s why Leo had recently changed his style?
Lena advanced like Leo.
She would thrust first and worry about recovery later, using her back leg and shoulder to stabilize if necessary, but she needed to unsettle her opponent.
As expected, Ran quickly blocked the sword with her shield and swung her axe down.
Normally, Lena would have retreated, but she decided to hold her ground and gritted her teeth.
- Thud!
The double-edged sword and axe clashed with an unpleasant noise. Lacking Leo’s finesse, Lena blocked it directly.
Having never blocked so crudely before, the long sword trembled as if it might break, but Lena’s eyes sparkled with a newfound opportunity.
“Hiyah!”
Lena pushed the axe towards the right, where Ran held her shield. She then spun her body, initially thinking to kick her opponent away to reset the situation, but instead, she swung her sword in a large arc.
Gathering all her reserved strength, she struck with all her might…!!
- Clang!
‘Oh… did she block it? Wait! This is bad!’
In the split second before her head fully turned, countless thoughts ran through Lena’s mind.
Her stance was broken. The sword was too far from her body to defend herself.
How did she block that? No time to think! Her counterattack would come soon...!
Lena rolled on the ground, sweeping her right foot to keep her opponent at bay as she tried to regain her stance, and then...
She saw Leo. The person who had blocked her sword was not Ran.
“Lena, you did great. But be careful. That was dangerous.”
Focused entirely on the sword, Lena was momentarily confused. Seeing Leo’s kind smile brought her back to reality, and she quickly bowed her head.
“Oh! I-I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to...”
Ran, with a pale face, accepted her apology. If the young man hadn’t intervened, her waist might have been split in two.
Although she had nearly died, she wiped the faint sweat from her neck and spoke cheerfully.
“It’s fine. I’m okay. You’re strong. A strong person doesn’t need to apologize to a weaker one.”
“But… I’m sorry. I forgot it was just a spar. I apologize.”
“No need to apologize. What’s your name? I’m Ran Aviker. Call me Ran. And this is my sister, Anne Aviker.”
“Call me Anne. Nice to meet you.”
Ran grinned as she extended her hand to Lena for a handshake. Anne also shook hands with Leo and the Ainar tribe warrior.
Although both Ran and Anne had lost, they felt good. They were confident that they could catch the beast with Lena and Leo.
Meanwhile, the Ainar warrior who hadn't left after seeing Lena and Leo looked baffled.
‘I haven’t even taken the test yet…’
Since they had already shaken hands, it was best to stay quiet for now.
*
“No!”
“I’m going!”
“When I say no, it means no!”
Father and daughter’s arguments clashed head-on. Lena, who insisted on going to catch the beast, and her father, Dehor, opposed her stubbornly.
“How long have you been a warrior to think about taking the trial already? Absolutely not!”
“What does that matter! And didn’t you take the trial when you were about my age too?”
“I was older than you!”
“I’m much better! You lost at the ‘Mawenin-Reti’ tournament... I would have won!”
“You brat! You wouldn’t even make it to the finals! That place gathers the top warriors from all tribes. No, why am I even discussing this? Anyway, no! Your skills haven’t improved enough…”
Dehor glanced at Leo Dexter as he continued.
“If you were as good as Leo, I wouldn’t say a thing. But you’re not ready!”
“Ugh... Why do you keep comparing me to Leo! You would lose to him too! You don’t even know what you’re talking about.”
“Lose to Leo? Ha! Do you think so too?”
“...”
Noel Dexter, who was eating nearby, carefully turned his head to avoid the sudden confrontation.
“Oh? Really? You think I’d lose to your son?”
“...Leo has improved a lot recently. Don't look at me like that. You'd be better at catching monsters, but sparring… would be tough.”
“See!”
Lena’s triumphant exclamation made Dehor’s face darken with anger.
“Is that so? Have you all forgotten how terrifying my axe swings are? Do you know who I am? I am…!”
“Yeah, yeah. The great warrior of the Ainar tribe. The one who recklessly caught two beasts. But you said during the last drinking session that I could become a great warrior too!”
“That was saying you could become one someday, not to take the trial right now!”
“How long do you want me to wait? I’m all grown up!”
“Grown up? You still smell like baby oil…”
In the Ainar tribe, newborns and occasionally young children were rubbed with ‘Danner’ oil.
This was to protect their delicate skin from the harsh northern winds, but the oil from inedible berries had a rather unpleasant smell.
Saying she smelled like oil was akin to calling her a child who hadn’t matured.
Infuriated, Lena.
She began recounting embarrassing stories about her father, as told by her late grandmother, and Dehor countered with “I saw you eat your own poop!” leading to a fierce argument Lena couldn’t possibly win.
It was a mess.
Leo observed his father, Dehor, and Lena’s mother for their reactions. It was easy to persuade simple Lena, but convincing her parents was another matter.
What should he do? As Leo was about to speak, Lena hammered in the final nail.
“Anyway, I’m going! We’ve already set the date. And with warriors from other tribes too.”
“Hmph! That’s laughable. Why would those who take the trial need warriors from other tribes? They must be rejects who couldn’t gain recognition in their own tribe, just dreamers.”
“They’re not! I told you, they’re pretty good! And Urok is coming too.”
“Urok? Urok Ainar?”
“Yes!”
“Did you coax him?”
“No, he came on his own.”
“Oh, this tribe is falling apart. But I don’t need to step in. Urok can’t go. The chieftain won’t allow it. I can’t allow it either. So, give it up.”
“Why? Why wouldn’t the chieftain allow it?”
“Show some respect and call him chieftain.”
“Fine. Why wouldn’t the chieftain allow it? What does it matter if he wants to go?”
Lena, Leo, and the Ainar warrior who took the test together, Urok Ainar, were there. He was the next chieftain of the Ainar tribe.
Strictly speaking, the second next chieftain. His grandfather, the current chieftain, was old but still alive, and his father was the next chieftain. So Urok’s turn was still far off.
“...”
Dehor didn’t answer.
He and the other two great warriors who currently represented the Ainar tribe had taken the great warrior’s trial when they were younger. They had left as five and returned as three, still setting aside drinks for their fallen comrades when they drank.
One of those who had died was the chieftain’s first son, Urok’s uncle.
The three who returned as great warriors couldn’t bear to look the chieftain in the eye.
They were supposed to be celebrating the birth of a great warrior, yet they had to inform a father of his son’s death. Dehor couldn’t imagine the chieftain’s feelings.
This happened nearly twenty years ago.
The chieftain’s second son had been leading the tribe well in his elderly father’s place, and the incident was almost forgotten. The younger warriors, like Lena, didn’t even know about it.
Dehor lost the will to argue with his daughter. “You’ll never go!” he shouted and went into his room.
Lena muttered, “He’s just making excuses because he doesn’t want to let me go,” and suggested to Leo that they leave secretly if necessary...
A few days later, Lena Ainar, Leo Dexter, Ran Aviker, Anne Aviker, and Urok Ainar left Avril Castle as planned to take the trial.
They didn’t leave secretly.
Instead, the tribe held a small farewell party, wishing them a safe journey, because the chieftain had granted permission the day after Lena and Dehor’s argument.
Dehor, surprised, couldn’t immediately question the decision and cautiously asked why.
What was said remains unknown. But after meeting with the chieftain, Dehor stopped opposing Lena and decided to test Ran and Anne’s skills. Afterward, he grudgingly permitted it.
“You worry too muChapter They’ll be fine. Whose daughter is she? Don’t forget you were just as stubborn.”
“...”
“Take care and be careful. Honestly, I’d rather you didn’t go, but…”
Lena’s mother called to her daughter as she prepared to leave. She pulled her close and whispered something in her ear.
What she said, Leo couldn’t hear. But Lena looked at her father with a smirk and said, “Really? That’s what happened?” causing Dehor to blush and turn away towards the castle.
It was still snowing in Avril Castle.