Chapter 1415: Practice Match
Ning looked at the people that were gathered around him and the sword they held to their side.
“Are these your students?” Ning pointed to the ones that were standing guard all around them.
“They are,” the Cardinal said. “But not my best. You can go against them if you want to, but my son said you boasted about your abilities being quite above par.”
“I must say it is not a boast on my part,” Ning said. “If you wish to see me fight, I will.”
“Cardinal Elias seems as though he will be arriving a little late. Why don’t we spend some time in the training field once you are rested,” the Cardinal said.
“Oh, no need for that. I’m well rested. We can start right away,” Ning said.
The Cardinal raised an eyebrow. “Very well, let us head on over if you wish for it.”
Tim and Jasmine were abruptly forced to leave their place and walk away to the battlefield that was behind the mansion.
Overlooking the beautiful ocean was a large field of dead soil that had been tread upon so much that the chances of anything growing atop it in the near future were none at all.
Half-naked men and women were training with swords, spears, as well as bows and arrows.
The Cardinal walked along with Ning, showing him how he trained his students.
“I am the Cardinal of Justice, meaning I overlook everything from the Paladins of the church to the police departments of the country. Every single fighter out here is under me even when they work for the other Cardinals.”
“The only one who could take away their command from me is His Holiness and him alone.”
“You have quite the army on your hand, Cardinal. How many trainee paladins do you have at a time here?” Ning asked.
“Somewhere between a thousand or two,” the Cardinal said. “They come from churches and orphanages all over the world to become a paladin and are trained right here.”
“Orphanages?” Ning asked before realizing. “Ah! I heard orphanages have a lot of influence from the church.”
“They are funded by the church all around the world so that much is obvious,” the Cardinal said.
“In a way, you are just raising future Paladins there,” Ning said, giving the cardinal a strong glare at Ning.
The Cardinal coughed a little and pointed toward one of the men training in the distance.
“Go have Renon come here for me,” he said. One of the paladins swiftly departed and went up to the young man, bringing him back.
“What need have you of me, honored Cardinal?” the young man named Renon asked.
“Renon, how long have you been training for?” the Cardinal asked.
“At this place? For 10 months, honored Cardinal,” the young man answered.
Cardinal Farsas nodded a little and gestured toward Ning.
“This guest of ours wishes to show us his mastery of weapons. You will assist him with that by being his opponent. Do you agree?” the Cardinal asked.
“Of course. I will be of help however I may be able to,” the young man said before turning toward Ning. “Please allow me to be your opponent, sir.”
“Very well,” Ning said and walked ahead. “Come, let us fight.”
The young man quickly followed as someone else cleared the training field for just the two of them. Sweaty trainees formed a circle around them as the Cardinal stood and watched as Ning and Renon returned from the weapons stand.
Renon held a wooden sword, while Ning held a wooden spear with a rounded tip and sides.
“A spear? You’re not a swordsman?” the Cardinal asked.
“I can use swords if you want me to, but I find Spears to be what I lean toward the most,” Ning said.
“No, use whatever you feel comfortable with,” the Cardinal said. “Since this will be a simple practice round, please try not to hurt each other. And try to not attack the head, chest, or the nether regions. Keep your strikes on the arms and legs if you can.”
Both sides nodded to the Cardinal’s demand.
“Then, you may begin fighting.”
Renon gave a deep bow before charging toward Ning. His wooden sword was of average size, so he had to come quite close to Ning before striking at him.
Ning moved his leg slightly to the side and dodged the sword slash while his spear moved at an impossible angle to stop right at the young man’s throat.
The young man could feel the dull tip of the spear barely touching the front of his neck and his breathing couldn’t help but get faster and heavier.
The surroundings seemed to quiet at once with no one making a single sound. Everyone who trained there knew that Renon was one of the best trainees in recent years, which was why the Cardinal had chosen him at all.
He was a prodigy in sword who could take in teaching about the sword like a sponge took in water. He soaked all the knowledge and made use of it so efficiently that one could hardly tell that he had only been training for just about a year at all.
The Cardinal’s eyes were wide in shock as well. He saw how effortless Ning made his move look, but he knew more than anyone else that it was not effortless at all.
It was a practiced move that was made to look effortless because of the many hours Ning must have put into training with the spear. The Cardinal couldn’t imagine how else one would be so efficient.
Tim and Jasmine were equally surprised as well. They knew Ning could do many things, but weapons were not one of them. They had been surprised by all the magical things Ning had done, but this was not magic at all.
It was pure skill born by training. They could only imagine how many other secrets Ning was probably holding back to himself.
Ning pulled back away from the stunned young man and smiled.
“Again.”
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