Chapter 19
“Let’s start with a simple enhanced lunge,” Arnold ordered. “Take up the– Ah, I forgot to ask: Which school do you practice? My best guess is Moreau, or maybe Beauvais.”
“Moreau is correct… Are you sure you’re not an expert?” Katharina replied, astonished. ‘He got that from a mere three exchanges?’
“I like to think of myself as decent with the smallsword, but I could never measure up to actual experts like, say, Princess Klara,” he shrugged.
Katharina was not convinced. “How would you rate your skills with a saber, then?”
“Hmmm. I suppose I could call myself an ‘expert’ with the saber, yes. Still, my cousin would win seven out of ten spars against me, and my sister nine.”
‘That means he has a one-in-ten chance of beating a Paladin in a duel… Christ almighty. And Friedrich is even more of a monster?!’
Arnold must have seen the awe on her face, because he hastily tried to explain himself. “It’s nowhere near as grand as you imagine. There is a lot of luck involved in duels, and I merely accounted for that.”
“Still, that sounds incredible,” she cooed, trying to mask her genuine wonder with her best ‘amazed damsel’ impression. “Say, who would win in a duel between you and Princess Klara?”
He considered her words for a moment. “If we’re fighting with rapiers or smallswords, probably her. With sabers, the odds might be slightly in my favor.”