The camp was ready. Caius spoke slowly, "Next…"

  “Sparring!” Hilda cut in immediately.

  Her eyes were blazing as she looked at Caius. She was eager to fight him again. Yesterday’s battle had benefited her tremendously—she’d spent the night reflecting on it and even practiced in the morning. Sure enough, she’d made visible progress with her swordsmanship.

  She was itching to show it off in front of Caius.

  And besides, she still hadn’t gotten over being teased and mocked by him earlier. She needed to restore her dignity.

  They were only slightly even now—just barely.

  After this match, they’d finally be even!

  But Caius said, “We should check out the area first. If the Bloody Lands are nearby, the noise from our sparring might attract a horde of Bloody Creatures.”

  “Oh…” Hilda looked a little disappointed.

  In truth, Caius didn’t care that much about the Bloody Lands.

  If there really were Bloody Creatures nearby, they’d have already been drawn to the camp by his loud laughter earlier—there was no need to wait until now.

  He said it on purpose—just to see Hilda get a little dejected… so he could then lift her spirits again.

  “But, since you’re eager… then let’s spar first,” Caius said with a smile.

  Hilda lit up with joy.

  See? That emotional rollercoaster? Exactly what he was aiming for~

  Even small shifts in emotion—if they were positive—could significantly strengthen the bond between a man and a woman.

  Because those joyful moments built an association—being with that person brought happiness.

  Over time, that association turned into affection, almost like a habit.

  Caius understood human nature all too well—and how to use it to his advantage.

  “But what if the Bloody Lands really are nearby? What if our fight attracts Bloody Creatures?” Hilda asked. She was clearly a rational Little Swan.

  Caius chuckled, “Even better. We’ll narrow the search radius and pinpoint the location of the Bloody Lands much faster. Saves us the trouble of doing a wide-area sweep later.”

  “True!” Hilda immediately accepted the logic and eagerly moved to a wide patch of open grass. She drew her slender sword.

  “Come on then! This time, I want you to use your warhammer!”

  The confident Little Swan was back.

  And now… time to give her a tiny dose of reality.

  “That’s not gonna happen,” Caius said with a shake of his head.

  “Why not? I’ve really improved!” Hilda puffed out her cheeks in protest.

  Silly Mushroom loved to shrink his neck, Little Swan loved to puff her cheeks—both were adorable.

  “It’s not that I don’t want to—it’s that I can’t.”

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  “My hammer’s of higher quality than your sword. If we’re sparring and I break your blade, it’ll slow down our investigation,” Caius explained.

  “It’s fine, I brought spares!” Hilda said.

  “How many swords did you bring?” Caius asked, a little surprised.

  “Six!” Hilda said proudly, with a humph.

  “Six?! Then why didn’t you have a spare last time?” Caius asked.

  “Because I didn’t bring one last time—that’s exactly why I made sure to pack more this time!” Hilda said, brimming with smugness.

  Caius’s lips twitched slightly.

  What a little rich girl…

  Still, he shook his head. “Let’s stick with daggers. I need to teach the little kitty how to fight. Using daggers will allow her to learn something from the match.”

  Upon hearing that, Kiki quickly pulled out her own dagger and handed it to Caius. Then she ran to the side, eyes sparkling with anticipation.

  Hilda, hearing this, could only nod. “Fine… but one day, I’ll force you to bring out your warhammer!”

  “Mhm, I’ll be looking forward to it,” Caius said as he took a stance with the dagger.

  “Come on. Same as before—you take the first move.”

  Hilda nodded and assumed her offensive stance.

  In the very next moment, she stepped forward and transformed into a streak of golden light, appearing in front of Caius in a flash. Her slender sword aimed straight for his throat!

  Caius’s eyes lit up.

  That was a beautiful strike!

  She’d clearly taken his words to heart and improved based on them—such swift adaptability was rare.

  It also confirmed what Caius had already seen in her: talent in the sword arts. She could analyze and evolve rapidly.

  A true genius.

  And it was thanks to the inspiration Caius had given her.

  As he had mentioned earlier, her old habit was to hold back first and act second.

  Now, her focus was solely on how to defeat him with full force.

  She had healing elixirs on her, after all. Even if Caius were left with just a single breath, she could bring him back—so why hold back?

  That resolve gave her sword a vicious edge.

  Holding back, even slightly, made one’s sword slower. But now—her blade was both fast and fierce!

  Caius was forced to fully dodge.

  A sidestep brought the thin sword dangerously close to grazing his throat. But Hilda wasn’t done—her wrist twisted, turning the thrust into a deadly horizontal slash!

  If that landed, even if she held back at the last second, it would cut halfway into his neck!

  Fortunately, Caius had already predicted her approach. While sidestepping, he had also ducked and tilted his head. The sword once again missed him by a hair's breadth.

  So close that the fine hairs on his face could feel the blade slicing through the air.

  Hilda hadn’t expected him to evade even that—but she had no time to think, because Caius had already counterattacked mid-dodge!

  One leg swept toward her planted foot.

  Staggering, Hilda threw out a hand to push against Caius’s shoulder and leapt into the air. Her long legs traced a perfect arc midair, forming a graceful splits position as she thrust her sword toward Caius’s back.

  Just as she thought the blow was certain to land, Caius suddenly dropped low like a tiger pouncing, surging forward on all fours. Her blade only tore through the back of his shirt, causing no harm.

  How could such a hulking guy move like that?

  Hilda was stunned—but the real surprise was yet to come.

  Caius didn’t roll upon landing—his palms hit the ground, and with a powerful push, he rebounded.

  Just as he had leapt forward, he bounced back the same way, feet pressed together. His broad soles slammed squarely into Hilda’s midsection.

  Still airborne, Hilda was launched.

  She flew over ten meters before hitting the ground.

  Her slender sword stabbed into the dirt as she skidded a couple more meters. She clutched her stomach and looked up, her face filled with shock.

  That reaction, that movement, that fighting mindset and technique—none of it was anything she had seen before!

  It was now obvious—Caius hadn’t even shown his true abilities yesterday!

  At that moment, Caius landed gracefully, his entire body supported by one hand in a handstand before transitioning smoothly into a Thomas flair spin, finally rising to his feet in a steady stance.

  That level of body control shocked Hilda to the core.

  She even felt that Caius's massive frame might be more agile than her own!

  “This is today’s first lesson,” Caius said with a smile. “Unless absolutely necessary, never leap into the air in front of your enemy. Being airborne often means you're one step from death—unless you possess the ability to change direction midair at extreme angles.”

  Hearing this, Hilda nodded, her expression growing more serious.

  If Caius had had a weapon in his heel just now—or if instead of kicking, he had chosen to clamp her with both legs—she would have died on the spot.

  But at the same time, she felt a rush of excitement. Only through such defeats could she grow quickly!

  Everything Caius was teaching her was of immense value.

  Bring it on. Today, she would train with all her might!

  She raised her rapier, positioning it horizontally, its tip pointed directly at Caius.

  Golden light flared from her body, and her sapphire eyes shifted into a gleaming gold—this meant Hilda was finally getting serious.