*As the title states, this chapter is no longer canon because I cannot stand the fact that I wrote it. I'm keeping it up to remind me of my shame and what not to do*

"These are the men who will take part in this first round of sparring matches, they are some of our finest knights-to-be."

Arioch introduced the men he had picked out when everyone arrived at the Barong training grounds. It was mostly the same as the Vritara training grounds except here it was just one large metal square. There were grooves and holes in the square for training-dummies and fences to separate it into smaller stages. But for now they had all been removed so it was just an empty square.

"Listen up, trainees. This is a friendly round of sparring matches, don’t forget that. We also have the runner-up of the most recent Twin Moon Festival, Sir Caine Woodime, with us, so don’t show him anything shameful and act as if this was a real fight, understood?"

Arioch continued to talk, giving the group of 10 people a stern look before he introduced Caine. With the introduction, he immediately received the attention of the trainees, from both sides.

The Twin Moon Festival was an annual festival celebrated by the Earhart Empire, the centrepiece of said festival being a competition between fighters. There were a few rules to limit exactly what you could do, but it was generally a good way to gauge someones strength. To be the runner up in that festival was technically to be the third place, as first and second place would be referred to by a Moon title, but to receive the third spot at his age was still a great feat that made it hard for others to not respect Caine.

"Yes, Sir!"

The trainees from the Barong estate responded energetically, the sound of their stomps echoing across the grounds for a bit. Arioch sucked in a nervous breath, but the light smile on Alice’s face made it hard for him to say anything as the first person from his family stepped forward.

"I am Juliano Saril, who will be the first to step up and face me!"

The burly man spoke so loudly that Gabriel almost felt his ears ring, his oppressive gaze bearing down on Alice’s entourage. Trisha was about to raise her arm, but Lawrence stopped her by sending forward another man before she could do it.

"Ah! Ah… Tavar Makut, at your service…"

Gabriel could see the outcome just from how the man introduced himself. A soldier who lost heart before the mission began was bound to only be dead weight. And indeed, Tavar barely managed to last three exchanges before he was knocked down and surrendered.

It was perhaps to be expected, but the matches that followed were all the same. Two or three moves was generally all it took for the people of the Barong estate to beat down the people that had been forced to follow Alice. In the end, Trisha had to step up, swallowing heavily.

"Don’t worry too much about it. Just give it your best and then be proud that you gave it your all."

Gabriel’s hand landed on her shoulder before she stepped up, her quivering pupils gaining a measure of peace when she met his calm expression. She grasped her sword tightly as she unsheathed it and stepped forward.

"I am Tristana Delgrade, future knight of Alice De Vritara. I have come to accept your challenge."

Her brown hair was tied into a neat ponytail behind her, still swinging slightly from when she unsheathed her blade. Her leather and metal armour was tight enough to show off some of her curves, giving a few glimpses of tanned skin while her deep blue eyes stared fiercely at her opponent.

"Hellion Tartak! I accept your challenge, little lady!"

Female knights weren’t exactly common, but they weren’t uncommon either, they fell somewhere in-between. But most knights were scarred or wounded from battle and harsh training so it was somewhat rare to find a female knight as delicate as Trisha so it was inevitable that she got some attention from the others.

Lawrence looked on anxiously as the battle started, Gabriel could see his nails dig into his skin from how hard he clutched his hands. His mouth was closed, but Gabriel was sure that he was clutching his teeth so hard that they were about to crack. And as the battle dragged on, his expression only got worse.

"No no no, that’s not good enough. Force, come on girlie, put more force into your stab! Here, like this."

She was knocked down after the fifth move, the best so far. The hit clearly knocked all the air out of her, she had luckily blocked it with the flat side of her blade at the last second.

"Again!"

She sprung to her feet with grit teeth. She refused to surrender in the same manner as the earlier people. She grabbed her weapon and charged again.

"No no, come on, you have to swing like you’re planning to cleave your opponent. Observe."

The main raised his sword with a smile after a few more moves and brought it down in a straight line. He was probably a few years older than Trisha, the long periods of training giving him great physical strength.

Trisha barely got her sword up in time before his weapon slammed down on, crushing the flat side of her blade into her shoulder and causing her to crumple to the ground. By this point Lawrence already had some blood at the corner of his mouth because he had started to chew on his lips. He was barely able to hold himself back from drawing his sword and cutting down the man where he stood. If only this wasn’t a round of sparring matches to foster good relations…

"Again!"

Trisha sprung to her feet again, clearly unsteady as she held her sword. But she could barely hold the sword, much less point it at the opponent. The only thing keeping her going was stubbornness and an unfaltering desire to remain standing. The man facing her simply shook his head and swatted her sword out of her hand, following it with his gaze as it bounced away.

"A knight can’t let their sword slip from their grasp, to do so means the death of themselves and their master. A shame, you were almost good enough."

He spun his sword as he spoke and hit Trisha’s chest with the pommel to push her down, knocking all the air out of her lungs in the process. In the end, she too failed to gain a victory and was beaten brutally.

"I’m Garvel Justo! Who’s next? Is it that girly over there?"

The last man from the Barong estate stepped up as Lawrence hurriedly picked up and cradled Trisha, applying medicine where he could. The man in question pointed at Teresa, who was standing amidst the rest of the entourage, Gabriel was probably standing a bit too close to Alice for him to consider Gabriel part of the entourage.

"…"

Arioch was pale as he stood there, cursing internally. He specifically told them that it was a friendly round but they were acting like this, each one as proud as a cock as they showed their skills. This… This could irreparably harm their relationship with the Vritara family, or at least Alice’s faction in it. But Alice still smiled, speaking up before Arioch could stop anything.

"No, he’s next."

Her arm stretched out, Gabriel once again at the end of her finger. His gaze was calm, as placid as the ocean before a storm. Violet eyes swept over the men from the Barong estate, simply taking them in quietly one by one. He was the last fighter from the Vritara estate, so he stepped forward.

"Oh, Gabriel?"

Alice’s voice reached him before he finished his step. She wore a radiant smile when he turned his head.

"You’re not allow to eat them, okay?"

The corners of his lips turned up slightly when she gave her reminder, his hand going to his chest as he gave a proper bow.

"As you wish, my Lady."

He continued moving forward, but as the man from the Barong estate was going to introduce himself, Gabriel simply kept walking. He ignored everything else and walked over to the blade that had been knocked out of Trisha’s hands, picking it up before he headed over to the girl.

"Your sheath."

He didn’t give her the blade, he simply stretched out his other hand and beckoned for her scabbard. She was still short of breath from the beating, but her gaze was strong as she looked at him, bulging veins of frustration filling her eyes. She loosened the sheath from her belt and handed it to him, Gabriel sheathing the weapon before he turned away.

"Watch."

He continued holding her weapon, now sheathed so that it was harmless, as he stepped in front of the man from the Barong Estate. He wasn’t allowed to eat them. What Alice meant by that was that everything else was allowed.

"Gabriel. No last name."

A simple greeting, a simple introduction without an ounce of respect. No last name, meaning he was a commoner. He wasn’t granted a last name either so he probably didn’t have any great achievements after joining the Vritara family, meaning that he was likely just a servant.

"Very well, Gabriel, no last name. Draw your weapon!"

Garvel drew his sword and spoke loudly, his entire body practically radiating excitement. He’d been waiting for this. It was a bit of a shame that it was just against a servant but he finally had a chance to show his skills in this peaceful north.

"Just come."

Gabriel couldn’t be bothered to give him a proper response, still holding the sheathed blade. His gaze was calm, focused solely on the man in front of him. Internally, he was already starting to recite the words as he worked on the mental image of the magic formation.

"Wa… Hmph. Very well, but do not blame me for anything!"

Garvel was taken aback, and insulted by the fact that Gabriel didn’t even want to draw his sword, but he couldn’t miss this chance. He raised his weapon and his foot, stepping forward.

"Katush Vara." (Water Move)

Gabriel spoke up before Garvel could finish his step, tapping into the strange sensation he acquired after Alice signed the covenant with him. Alice’s bloodline came from a water dragon so this was the element he acquired from the covenant. Katush, water.

Some water gathered beneath Garvel’s foot as he lowered it, the pool making a sharp jolt to the right just when his foot reached it. His balance was broken as his foot slid sideways, his entire body leaning into it as if he was going to do the splits while leaning sideways.

"Eh…?"

He barely managed to utter a surprised noise before Gabriel’s weapon reached him. The sheathed blade smashed into the spot where his shoulder and neck met, smashing him into the metal floor with a dull and echoing thud.

"…"

Unlike the others, who had gotten to surrender after getting beaten, Garvel didn’t get back up. There were some sounds of strained breathing from him so he wasn’t dead, but he was definitely worse for wear.

"You… Have you no pride as a knight in training?! Using magic?"

Someone chimed up from among the Barong people. They had all clearly seen Gabriel use magic to trip up Garvel, there was no way he would be able to lie about it. But what a shame, he had no intentions of lying from the start.

"Pride? Your master was the one who said to treat this like an actual battle. When the demons come from the mountains, will you expect them to follow your etiquette? When the brigands come for your carriage, will you curse them for being cowardly when they use magic or ambush you? That ‘pride’ you scream of will only get all those around you killed. Fuck that pride. Now send out the next man, I haven’t had enough."

He almost spat as he spoke, a thin sneer hanging over his entire expression. He wasn’t taught the royal swordsmanship or the swordsmanship of the Vritara family, he didn’t have the elegance and grace they demanded. He was taught how to kill, and how to protect that which he held dear.

There was a short silence from the Barong people after Gabriel called them out. It was a bit frowned upon to take part in multiple fights. If you won more than one in a row you would humiliate the opposing family, and if you lost there was no honour to be gained for your opponent. They cast a few quick glances at Arioch, who gave them a stealthy nod.

Thank the gods that there was someone inn the Vritara entourage that could stand up for them. If he managed to beat two or three more of the Barong people then the Vritara family could reclaim some of their lost honour and they could somewhat gloss over this for now. Well, one of the knights to be would have to be punished for his conduct.

"Very well. Gabriel, no last name, I, Hellion Tartak, will take you on! I have just fought so we are at similar levels of exhaustion so there will be no shame no matter who among us loses."

Gabriel almost smiled when he saw the black-haired and blue-eyed man that stepped forward. Ah, how good.

"You talk too much. Come."

He raised his weapon again, still sheathed, and pointed the tip at Hellion. Hellion wanted to complain about the sheathed weapon, was he really planning on using the same trick again?

"Very well. Here I come!"

He raised his blade and stepped forward, but he was very careful with his steps despite the volume of his voice. He didn’t raise his leg too high, nor did he put it down with too much force. He also paid great attention to his balance, he had no intentions of falling for the same trick.

"Katush Devak." (Water Burst)

His fingers twitched, the mana moved. A bit of water appeared in the air between Gabriel and Hellion and then burst, exploding towards his eyes. Hellion acted on instinct, raising his arm to shield his eyes so that he wasn’t blinded. But in doing so, he blinded himself. And Gabriel stepped in.

"GH!"

Gabriel pushed the weapon forward and slammed the tip into Hellion’s solar plexus, knocking all the air out of his lungs and causing some vomit to leak from his mouth.

"That, Hellion, is how you put force into a stab. Again."

Hellion felt his vision darken as Gabriel returned his own words to him, especially since it was done in front of everyone, even the future lord of Barong. He spat out the vomit that remained in his mouth and raised his head fiercely, clutching his sword tightly with a roar.

"RHAAA! Waraya Kut Hatau!" (Strength Arms Magnify)

He charged like a wild beast and decided to use magic of his own. Gabriel had said it first so it should be fine. Yes, it would definitely be fine, the challenger was the first one to use it after all. Gabriel faced his charge calmly, his fingers moving again.

"Waraya Hatau." (Strength Magnify.)

It was in essence, the same spell but just a bit shorter, less focused. But the force… the force Gabriel packed into those two simple words…

He swung his weapon sideways as if he was trying to cleave the horizon, the scabbard smashing into Hellion’s blade. The metal shattered in the collision, Gabriel tilting his wrist slightly so that he could angle the blade downwards and tap it against Hellion’s exposed wrist.

"RAGHH! My hand! He took my hand!"

The scattered pieces of the sword flew to the side and the remains of the handle fell to the ground as Hellion’s wrist shattered. He was barely able to remain on his feet as he roared and screamed, clutching his bent hand as the entire right side of his body trembled.

"Quiet, it’s just a fracture."

Gabriel tapped Hellion’s forehead with the scabbard, not using the same level of force this time. The man was huffing like a bull as he looked at Gabriel, his teeth clenched almost as much as Lawrence had to clench his.

"A knight can’t let their sword slip from their grasp."

Gabriel raised Hellion’s chin with the scabbard, directing his gaze towards the fractured pieces that remained of his weapon. The man huffed and puffed, but his lungs were practically burning so he couldn’t get out any words. As such, he simply elected to turn around.

"A shame, you weren’t even close to good enough."

Gabriel also turned to take a few steps back as he delivered the final verdict, each word hammering against Hellion’s head like a hammer. The fire in his lungs finally became too much for him to bear as he had no choice but to curse to make himself feel better.

"Ha… Nothing but the measly servant of a dirty half—blood…"

As the words left his mouth, he felt a chill. His spine shrivelled, his toes curled, his stomach clenched. He saw some panicked expressions on the people in front of him and then heard a clanking sound. By turning his head, he was just barely able to see the scabbard that hit the ground.

What he saw with perfect clarity however was the pair of violet eyes that looked straight at him, colder than the winds of hell. And the sword. It had finally left the scabbard, and now it came for his throat.

"No no, Gabriel. I said you weren’t allowed to eat him."

A calm and gentle, even somewhat joyful sounding, voice reached his ears before the blade did. He didn’t know when, but a back covered by a red dress adorned with black lace had appeared in front of him, directly in the path of the blade.

The weapon stopped as if blocked by a wall, the veins on Gabriel’s arm bulging from the sheer exertion required to stop that swing. Alice now stood in front of Hellion, a few crackling arcs flickering in her pupils for a moment before fading. She placed a hand on the flat side of the sword and slowly stepped forward, tracing her fingers along the blade.

"Are you angry, Gabriel?"

Her hand left the blade when she reached him, both her hands cradling his cheeks so that he had no choice but to look straight at her. She was reflected in his eyes with a violet hue, and he in hers with a crimson one. She looked into his eyes as if she wanted to peer into his soul, the smile on her face growing a little.

"Good. That’s a good look, Gabriel. I like it. But you can’t eat him. He belongs to the Barong, so they are the ones who must punish him, otherwise it will harm our relations. Is that fine with you?"

She didn’t let go of his face as she spoke. She wanted to keep seeing that expression on his face. Emotions. Fierce and violent ones, like an erupting volcano. And they were for her. She had to savour it.

"It will be as you desire, my Lady."

Gabriel sucked in a sharp breath and sheathed the blade again with a slight desire to hit himself. He had acted impulsively, he struck without thinking for a moment and it could have ended badly. Alice didn’t scold him, taking in his expressions for another moment before she turned to look at Arioch.

"Young Master Barong, I trust that you will handle this appropriately?"