I Will Be the Greatest Knight
Chapter 112: Calm Before the Storm

Chapter 112: Calm Before the Storm

"If your first impression of Felix is that he’s an arse, you’re not wrong," Irene explained to Arne. "This is Leif, he’s usually kinder.

"Nice ta meet you," Arne greeted the two.

"Speak properly," Irene snapped. "There are knights in the room."

"Don’t want to," he responded and began eating. With his mouth full, he spoke again. "Besides, there are always knights around. Doesn’t make a difference to me."

Felix and Leif were both clearly amused by Arne already and Irene dreaded what they may teach him in the brief moments they had with him. She sighed, but she was so hungry that she began eating regardless.

Since Leif was already finished eating, he couldn’t help the curiosities bubbling up within him.

"What are you doing traveling all this way?" the apprentice asked.

Arne took another bite then he sat up a bit straighter.

"Mother’s mad at dad," he admitted. "She said if he’s really lost his arm she was going to take off the other one as well. Something about him not being able to wield a sword any longer will be a blessing for this family when he’s forced into retirement. I don’t quite understand."

Since Irene hadn’t been able to talk to her mother, her eyes widened, and the spoon she held clattered to the table.

She averted her gaze quickly when she saw the other two staring on in slight horror as well.

"How awful..." she uttered. "She couldn’t actually take him from the knighthood..."

Since there was a lull of uncomfortableness, Irene was able to finish her porridge even though it felt hard to swallow by that time. Since Arne ate much faster than her, he was already done and waiting for her.

"When are we going to play with swords?" he asked.

Her eyes drifted towards the tall doors at the end of the dining hall.

"Wooden swords," she corrected. "And since it seems there’s no sign of mother or father, I suppose we can go out right now."

The girl reached for her brother’s bowl then she stood up to take them back to the maids.

However, two expectant faces were looking after Irene.

Felix and Leif followed by putting their bowls away as well. They then blocked Irene’s path so she couldn’t exit the dining hall.

"Don’t you have something to ask us?" Felix wondered.

"Not particularly," Irene admitted.

"We want to practice too," Leif explained.

"Aren’t you tired from traveling?" she asked. "We should have been asleep hours ago."

"Aren’t you?" Felix asked. "Move. I’m going with you regardless."

Irene’s green eyes drifted to Sir Gunnar but he had already exited the dining hall by then. With a sigh, she relented and allowed the others to come along. It seemed like there was no stopping them anyway.

Half of the knighthood’s apprentices were about to be rendered useless from exhaustion. However, at least Irene had an excuse since it was her parents in the Duke’s study arguing with one another—or whatever else they were going to do. With their history, she assumed arguing.

When all four of them were on the practice yard, Irene went to retrieve the swords and she delivered them to the others quickly.

"What shall we do then?" she asked.

Felix tapped his chin thoughtfully for a moment before he exclaimed, "Let’s show Arne how the apprentices practice! See if you’re cut out for this sort of thing."

Since Felix was the oldest, he assumed the position of leader. Unlike Gunnar, he participated in the practice fully, not simply calling out drills but participating in them with him.

Arne seemed to fall in line quickly and Irene couldn’t help feeling a little bit satisfied at that.

They went on as usual and, even though she was exhausted. It was kind of nice to freely move her sword in a way that wasn’t out of survival or need to slice down a monster. Never did she think she would miss practices, but she did.

At least she knew with the impending winter there would be plenty of them until she stopped missing them and got tired of them.

The apprentices were warmed up and they decided to mock spar with each other.

Irene decided to pair off with Leif and let Felix face her brother. Since he had the most experience, he was probably a better teacher.

Since they were tired, Leif and Irene went particularly easy on each other. It was more for fun as they hit swords or feinted. Their movements were slow but there was laughter because they were having genuine fun.

Unlike the two of them, the other sword match was much more heated and Felix realized he had underestimated the boy.

They started with a few parries and Felix purposefully only used his right hand and went slow enough to watch the child carefully. He thought nothing of it when Arne started backing off, but the kid soon ran forward with his sword raised and he brought down the wooden weapon as hard as he possibly could.

It was enough that Felix was knocked backward and, since he had underestimated the child, he landed on his backside with his wooden sword protecting his head.

"Good God!" Felix shouted. "Your movements aren’t trained but you’re quite strong for a kid. Keep it up with that. You’ll be able to take down your old man in no time."

Irene was a bit jealous considering she never got praise from Felix like that but she had to be proud at the same time because the very genetics that made her brother strong were the same for her as well. Plus, she thought that she could almost take down Felix if she tried hard enough.

The girl went forward and offered her hand to Felix, helping him up.

All of them went back to the center of the practice field and raised their wooden swords again.

However, before any more movement could be had, Rochelle was rushing back out of the Duke’s Tower with her hands holding her skirts so they wouldn’t brush against the ground.

"Get ready, Arne!" she called. "We’re leaving again."

The girl’s eyebrows lowered and she looked to the Duke’s Tower where her father rushed out of it as well.

"Not yet, Rochelle," he spoke in a stern voice. "Go to one of the guest rooms for the time being. A maid has already prepared a place to stay."

Rochelle turned back to the tower and tossed her hair over her shoulder. She didn’t acknowledge her husband who then turned towards their children and gestured for them to come inside.

He wore an expression of irritation that made his children—who were unaccustomed to him wearing such a look—very frightened.

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