|The complexity of Lionheart

“My question remains the same. What happened to the previous instructor?”

“Well, you see. He died a few days ago.”

Synchronized gasps filled the classroom. A couple of students remained unfazed, as expected. I was even more surprised at the expression of concern coming from some of them. So they had hearts after all.

“Out of all the annoying professors I had, Sylvester was my favourite. What a pity.”

“Indeed. Although, I guess I wouldn’t be here if not for that tragic incident which for the record, I would not wish upon anyone. Not even you, Mr Martial.”

“You talk too much, you geezer. Simmer down.”

His cold voice echoed in the classroom. I was tempted to see the stupid expression he had on as he said those words but as I previously said, he was seated in front of me. It was clear that he had enough power to talk down to authorities. Similar status to mine. There was nothing ‘equal’ about this.

“Silence, Marton.”

“It’s Martial, you wench!!!”

As he turned his ugly gaze towards my direction, i realized that the one who made a retort was none other than Rumi. I could see the veins slowly making its way to the surface. His frown suggested that he was victim of this multiple times and was clearly frustrated. My wife had only a faint smile on and that pissed him off even more.

“Can’t you conduct yourself properly? Like an actual prince? If no one knew you were from the Lionheart family, you would be treated like a regular brat..”

“What did you say?”

“The truth. Now, will you keep proving my point or you will you allow Professor Oakendot speak??”

“I’ll deal with you later.”

He looked at me before returning to his seat. What a problematic individual. The way he stared at me just now, the way his eyes tensed up, I could tell this man had a few screws loose. What, did he get off from having heated interactions with people??

“Now that the heated exchange between royalty has melted, I, the painfully honest representation of ordinary will continue from where I left off. I have reviewed all the records of your previous lectures and I must say…I am truly astonished. Professor Sylvester did a terrific job. However, there are many things he didn’t input into your curriculum. I’m sure he didn’t even consider this. Perhaps he did but could not touch on this. I don’t know, I can’t ask him now.”

There was silence mixed with a few chuckles here and there. He then cleared his throat before continuing.

“Now, you might be wondering, what is it that is lacking in this wonderful curriculum you are using?? It is very simple, actually.”

“.…………..”

“I watched some of you during your warm-up session today and it couldn’t be any clearer. You know how to fight because you are being taught, of course. But you can’t fight. As things are, you might as well drop out and spend a month or two in the wild.”

“What is he talking about??”

“We can’t fight??”

“Has this man lost it??”

“Why did Britannica have to hire such a man. He is saying a bunch of nothings.”

“Trying to undermine our efforts?”

They did not hold back on their comments and certainly didn’t care how loud they were being. Their pride could not allow them. It stung quite a bit. But then, it was quite true. If this school really required competence, then a lot of these people wouldn’t be seated here. Being a part-time bystander, I watched as many of them found themselves on the ground. It was sad to watch and it only proved the point that weaklings were accepted. If everyone was competent, of course there would be losers, no matter how high the standards were. But it’s not about who fell but how easily they fell. He was right.

“Hold on!!! I’m not insulting any of you lovely students. It’s not an insult when you think about it. The only insult would be to the instructors if that warm up session was how well you fought in a real fight.”

This time, there were only a few murmurs. Some genuinely wanted to hear what he had to say. Because he was chosen as an instructor. That said enough on its own.

“You see, instinct is key in every battle. Well, almost every battle. Now, with that being said, what does that word even mean?? Instinct is that inner impulse that helps you react to situations well. The quality of that instinct affects your survival. Not only in the wild but in battle. That is what is missing with a lot of people. The main question now is ‘Can one’s instinct improve’?? I’m here to tell you that it can. When you are using textbook moves you learned in class, you are merely swinging a sword. But with instinct, you are moving a part of you. It doesn’t have to be a weapon. Because, on its own, a weapon is just a tool, like any other. You know what that means, right?”

Their eyes all widened like little children that were being shown a magic trick. Even I was engrossed in what he was saying.

“In other words, you can use your surroundings as a part of you to fight. Believe it or not, it’s possible. Of course, elegance is important but if it clashes with your willingness to survive, then…..Nothing happens. Just that mistress death will pay you a visit much sooner.”

The whole class burst into laughter. Was what he said that funny?? It made me feel like I was missing something but then when I turned to my side, I saw Rumi. Of course I saw her, who else was I going to see when she was the one seated beside me. What I meant to say was, I saw the genuine smile on her face.

“I went on a tangent there but you get the point. If you do not agree with anything I just said, feel free to leave. You may skip this class as often as you like. I will leave you to your devices and give you a passing grade so don’t worry. But if you do agree, then rest assured, no matter how good you are, you will undoubtedly get better with this ordinary geezer guiding you.”

The striking of palms seemed endless. Even I was left wondering whether I should have given a round of applause. It seemed like they loved what he was giving. That’s a good sign, at least. I don’t know whether this man was trying to lift their spirits after the loss of their previous teacher but his approach certainly worked.

“Come on you guys. Don’t praise me just for saying words”

HE’S CERTAINLY ENJOYING IT!!

“Anyway, without wasting much time, we will be focusing on today’s lecture. Swordsmanship has a lot to do with luck. That much might be true but calculation is also extremely essential. So it will be less about ‘I have to make sure this weapon doesn’t hit me’ and more of ‘I have to render this weapon useless’. That is where Weapon exploitation comes in. Every weapon has at least one hidden weakness. Be it a sword, or a dagger. An axe or a spear. Once it is exploited, you could win a losing battle. That is how effective this tactic really is. I need some volunteers. Let’s see. Prince Martial and Princess Rumi, would you mind demonstrating for us??”

What’s up with this geezer??  Of all the people he could have chosen, I don’t see this ending well.

“I refuse. If anything, I would like to have a go at you. Let’s see if our instructor really knows what he’s talking about.”

“Oh, so I would be the one demonstrating and explaining at the same time. Fair enough, might as well take caution. If not, I might be the one needing replacement by the end of the day. Okay, please step up.”

On the platform, they stood, each at the edge, weapon in hand. The prince pulled out a stunning silver sword and held it firmly in his right hand. The instructor on the other hand, went in with a pair of daggers.

“Now, the goal is to see which weapon will prove superior. Don’t take it seriously.”

“Got it.”

They both swung at each other. The grey haired man was clearly keeping up due to his swift attacks while the prince was on leveled ground, despite being in a somewhat disadvantageous position.

“As you can see, my blows are faster, the more mobile the user, the faster the attacks. That’s how daggers work in general. They can also easily manipulate the force of an attack. For example.”

Martial made an upper swing that was parried to the side. Just for a single moment, it looked as though the sword was plunged into another direction.

“You see that, I took as little force as possible from the attack and managed to redirect it without any problem. So, in a case like this, swinging aimlessly like an idiot will lead to your death. However, if your opponent is skilled enough..”

Martial swung again but this time the speed was intensified, leading the instructor to instead block with both of his daggers.

“He or she can easily counter that and defeat the opponent with the better weapon. Mind you, swords are arguably the best weapons you can have due to its versatility.. But even a sword can have a natural enemy. I hope you got the point.”

Everyone nodded their heads and with that, the demonstration was over. Those nods were not just nods of agreement, but nods of approval for their new instructor. An acknowledgment of sorts. He effectively captured his students attention for the long haul.

“Class, you saw what happened just now, right??? Someone as skilled as Martial could easily get away with such a disadvantage at close range. With the right amount of knowledge and training, you will be able to convert most situations into favourable ones.”

He took a quick look at his watch and then clapped twice.

“That marks the end of this lecture. We will talk more about this in the next..”

I took a closer look at Oakendot. He was certainly bulky in terms of muscle mass but then, he was of moderate weight. A scar crossed from the edge of his cheeks to his chin. His demeanour definitely didn’t match his looks. He had a rough look and a gentle manner of speech. Truly fascinating.

“How was the lecture, Rumi??”

“Hmm. If I had to say, it was a breath of fresh air. It seems like this man possesses some experience as a mercenary. Or better still, a knight.”

“You think?”

“It’s just an assumption. Take it with a grain of salt.”

“Y-Yeah.”

A mercenary… That explains a lot when it comes to the roots of his tactics. He sounds like someone that often plays dirty in order to seize victory. Someone that could do anything to survive.

“Well, enough of that. I have to apologize. I just spoke about how confrontation is not the best answer. And then I proceeded to do it myself. I don’t want to cause a strained relationship between the Lionheart family and the Leopold family but I…”

“You felt it was best, right? I can understand. The only ones that can silence royalty are people on the same level, royalty. If you didn’t do it, I would have done it myself. Don’t you know? I hate him just as much as you.”

Her lips were pressed together. She looked down after hearing my careless words.

“What happened?”

“Nothing. I just don’t want you to see my face. I’m extremely angry.”

“Did I do something?”

“Not really. Though, I can confirm that your words aren’t entirely true.”

“What part??”

“About hating him as much I do. That can’t possibly be true.”

I was missing shit loads of information so I pondered on what those words meant and how well I could direct this conversation.

“You hate him that much, huh?”

“Of course I do. I guess this is the right opportunity to tell you.”

“???”

“Of all the things that scum did to me.”

“Did I just hear a pretty lady talking about me?? Must be fate.”

Standing right behind us was none other than Martial. His irritating smirk and his stupid way of walking. Every single thing. Every little detail made me angry. What did he do to her? Right now, those were the only questions I needed answers to.

“I’m quite surprised. You called me a pretty lady.”

“Because you are a wench and a pretty lady. I see no contradiction, do you??

“Are you trying to look for a reaction out of me, Martin?”

{Tsk}

“I did say I will deal with you later. Thanks for reminding me.”

I stood in front of him, neither amused nor peeved, my expression was similar to a poker face. I wasn’t composed in front of Viesta and I regret that. I have learned my lesson.

“I’ll appreciate it if you quit calling my wife a wench, Martini.”

“I’ll kill you, Voyan!!!!!!!!”