Lucelle lunged forward at blinding speed, her wooden rapier piercing the air like a streak of light.
Taken aback by her explosive initial surge, Lucian involuntarily took a step back. He instantly regained his composure, snapping his fingers to cast a swift light spell. A sudden, brilliant flash burst directly in Lucelle's field of vision, momentarily blinding her and allowing him to slip past her blade. Without wasting a second, Lucian cast a wind spell, using a burst of air momentum to propel himself backward and create much-needed distance.
Lucelle, however, did not lose her balance. Anticipating his attempt to disengage, she unhesitatingly threw her wooden buckler straight at him, sending the shield spinning through the air to interrupt his retreat. She immediately sprinted forward, charging right behind the buckler she had thrown.
Lucian quickly cast an earth spell, raising a wall of dirt to intercept the incoming shield. The buckler struck the barrier and fell, but the wall was far from enough to stop Lucelle. Breaking through the dirt, her momentum remained entirely unhindered.
Seeing the tip of the wooden rapier less than a meter from his chest, Lucian reached out and deflected the blade with his gloved hand. Pain shot through his palm despite the thick leather, but it was far better than taking a direct thrust. Capitalizing on the close distance, he drove an uppercut straight toward her chin with his free fist.
Lucelle, surprised that a mage would resort to close-quarters martial arts, was caught off guard and took the blow directly. However, her body was far sturdier than that of an average human; without aura behind the strike, Lucian's uppercut failed to cause any real damage.
Lucelle rubbed her chin lightly, a wide grin spreading across her face. "You're good, but isn't it ungentlemanly to punch a lady?"
Lucian lowered his hands slightly, giving a polite bow. "I think holding back against you would be far more ungentlemanly, Lady Lucelle."
Lucelle laughed, her eyes gleaming with genuine excitement. "That's true! I love fighting, and for me, it's an honor to trade blows like that." She shifted her grip on her rapier, her stance relaxing just a fraction as she glanced over toward the sidelines. "Tresca was right—you're definitely crafty to fight against."
She then added, "It's a pity you're still Level 1. It would have been much more fun fighting against you at a similar level."
Lucelle retrieved her buckler from the ground and readied her stance once more, though this stance was completely different from when she started the match.
Sensing the sudden rise in threat, Lucian immediately cast a spell that froze the footing in front of him into solid ice to bind her movements. Right after, he cast a wind spell to blast Lucelle and disrupt her balance, but she easily blocked the gale with her buckler.
"Moonfield Snowfairy Swordsmanship, First Form: Gentle Breeze," Lucelle called out.
True to the name of the technique, Lucelle moved across the ice effortlessly, appearing directly in front of Lucian like a gentle breeze. She launched three swift, consecutive lunges at him. Lucian managed to deflect the first thrust with his gloved hand, but the second grazed his side. The third thrust landed cleanly, dealing the decisive blow that completely incapacitated him.
Lucian, however, was not finished yet. He had already prepared another spell ahead of time—a trap that triggered the moment someone stepped into his designated area.
Three magic circles instantly formed in a triangle around Lucelle. From the glowing arrays, a barrage of mini icicles shot inward toward her. A few managed to graze her skin, but Lucelle reacted rapidly, blocking and deflecting the majority of the frozen projectiles with swift, precise flicks of her rapier.
Unable to move due to the severe impact of her final blow, Lucian raised a hand in defeat and let out a breathless laugh. "I concede. I can't move after that."
Lucelle lowered her rapier and smiled warmly, offering him a hand to help him up. "You did remarkably well, Lucian. If you had access to spells with more firepower, that final trap probably would have dealt a decisive blow too. It could have easily ended our match in a tie."
Lucian accepted her praise with a slight smile and slowly got up, clutching his chest where the final strike of the rapier had landed.
Seeing him wince, Lucelle immediately turned to the edge of the training field and instructed a nearby servant to bring a healer right away to treat Lucian's injuries.
She then turned toward Tresca and Lucian, her expression shifting to one of genuine apology. "I'm really sorry, both of you. I got a bit too excited during the match and forgot to adjust my strength properly."
Lucian gave a small, reassuring smile, waving off her apology. "It's alright, Lady Lucelle. Injuries are completely normal in a sparring match."
Tresca stood up from the stone bench and walked over to join them. "He's right, Lucelle—and besides, Lucian is also to blame here." She looked at Lucian with a slight smirk. "He purposely took that last hit just to force you into letting your guard down for his trap. He simply didn't anticipate receiving that much damage from the strike."
Lucelle turned her gaze to Lucian, searching his face to confirm if Tresca's assessment was true. Lucian slowly nodded, looking noticeably embarrassed that his lady had caught him slipping up in his calculations.
Lucelle smiled, her expression softening into curious amusement. "Why purposefully receive such a blow? Surely you had a way to avoid it."
Lucian offered a sheepish grin, rubbing the back of his neck. "To be entirely honest, Lady Lucelle, I realized early in the bout that a prolonged engagement was a battle I could not win. Given the sheer difference in our levels, my stamina and defenses would have given out far before yours. I reasoned that my sole chance at securing a victory—or at least a draw—was to catch you entirely off guard. So, I took the gamble."
"I see," Lucelle said, acknowledging his strategy with an understanding nod. "Once you've broken through Level 1, let's have another match."
"Understood," Lucian replied, giving a brief, respectful bow. "If my lady gives me permission, I look forward to it."
Shortly after, the Moonfield healer arrived on the grounds. She tended to Lucelle first, casting a light restorative spell to mend the small cuts across her skin. Once finished, the healer moved over to Lucian, guiding him to a nearby bench and channeling her magic over his chest to mend his injuries.
Lucelle then turned toward Tresca, looking at her with clear expectations in her eyes.
Seeing Lucelle's eager expression, Tresca suppressed a sigh. She just finished fighting Lucian and wants to go straight into the next match? Tresca thought to herself, struggling to believe that such a small, seemingly innocent girl possessed this much drive for battle.
"Do you want to go right ahead?" Tresca asked.
"Yes!" Lucelle replied, her eyes brightening with excitement.
Tresca stood up from the bench and walked toward the center of the training ground. Once in position, Lucelle took her stance and asked if she was ready. Tresca offered a quiet nod, drawing her breath as she prepared herself.
The match began.
Having observed how Lucelle fought, Tresca immediately cast the same light spell Lucian had used in the previous match, momentarily blinding her. However, rather than using the distraction to dodge, Tresca followed up instantly with an attack. She cast a water spell, forming a dense trident of water that launched toward Lucelle at high speed.
Knowing her wooden buckler would not be enough to block the incoming spell, Lucelle swiftly took a step back to dodge it.
Tresca, having gained a comfortable distance, was able to cast her magic freely. Rather than attempting a direct attack, she took the opportunity to set several trap spells across the field, establishing an advantage for the later stages of the match.
Lucelle, regaining her footing after dodging the water trident, tightened her grip on her blade. She drew a deep, steady breath, preparing her family's signature technique—the Moonfield Snowfairy Swordsmanship, First Form: Gentle Breeze.
"Let's see how you handle this," Lucelle murmured under her breath, her focus sharpening as a soft, chilling draft began to swirl around her boots.
As Lucelle closed the distance using the Gentle Breeze style, her foot came down directly onto one of Tresca's hidden traps. A sudden burst of frost erupted from the ground, instantly freezing her left foot to the dirt and locking her in place. Before she could react, a second trap launched a sharp ice spear straight toward her chest.
Seeing the dire situation, Lucelle realized she had no choice but to rely on another defensive technique.
"Moonfield Ice Fairy Shield Technique: Ice Shell!" she called out.
Unlike her earlier style, which relied heavily on swift mobility, this technique required her to stand her ground. Taking the full impact of the ice spear head-on, the spear shattered against her defense. She remained uninjured, but her shield showed visible cracks.
Feelings of fatigue began to settle in. *I used too much force against Lucian, and setting up Ice Shell took what was left of my reserves,* Lucelle realized, her breath coming in tight bursts. *If I let this turn into a drawn-out battle, Tresca will wear me down.*
With her defensive option shattered and her aura running low, Lucelle shifted her posture, taking a stance completely different from both Gentle Breeze and Ice Shell.
"I can't afford to drag this out," Lucelle admitted quietly, her eyes locking onto Tresca with sharp focus.
She took a deep breath and muttered, "Moonfield Moon Fairy Signature Technique: Light Step."
True to the technique's name, Lucelle took a single step. That single motion instantly bridged the gap, bringing her directly in front of Tresca—passing right through the rest of Tresca's traps so quickly that none had time to trigger.
Tresca managed to cast a defensive spell, raising a wall of light to block the attack. However, Lucelle's rapier pierced straight through the barrier, coming to a sudden halt just inches from Tresca's face.
Staring at the sharp tip hovering right before her eyes, Tresca raised her hand and acknowledged her defeat.
Lucelle lowered her rapier and offered Tresca a bright, genuine smile. "That was a great match. Your trap placement was incredible."
"Thank you," Tresca replied, letting out a tired sigh as her wall of light faded into particles. "I still have a lot to work on."
With that exchange, today's sparring session officially came to an end.