Sharp Sword

They could not help but put themselves in Jeanne's place.

These knights knew full well that they would never have been able to dodge so easily.

It had to be a coincidence. The girl's body was too petite, and that helped her evade.

The knights refused to believe they could be inferior to a young maid. There was only one explanation: coincidence. Luck.

With that in mind, the knights were convinced that Jeanne would definitely lose the next exchange!

Aurelian narrowed his eyes. Jeanne had yet to exert herself, but it should be soon. As long as Master kept pressing her step by step, Jeanne would surely reveal something new. Then he would learn something about her background. Whether she came from a great noble house in the kingdom or another organization, such as the kingdom's knight academy, there would be traces to follow.

Master's sharp sword swung at her again, even faster than before!

This time, Jeanne did not choose to dodge. She drew her sword and slashed through the air.

The clang of metal rang out sharply across the open field.

Master was startled. This maid possessed astonishing strength—enough to contend with him!

Jeanne remained expressionless. With a cold shout, she swung her sword again and smashed it viciously against Master's blade.

Another deafening clash of metal rang out. Master staggered backward more than a dozen steps before barely managing to steady himself.

Master's eyes widened to their limit. He was stunned. He had actually been forced back in that exchange.

Other than Aurelian, everyone stared wide-eyed, mouths slightly open, unable to believe what they were seeing. Their knight commander had actually suffered a loss. How was that possible?!

Aurelian narrowed his eyes. If he was not mistaken, this was a combat technique commonly used by the Star Kingdom's most elite knight corps.

Great Strength Strike.

It was a technique for using magic power to increase one's strength for a short time, then knock the enemy back.

"Could Jeanne really be from a knight order?"

Doubt kept rising in Aurelian's heart. Something about Jeanne felt wrong to him. She did not seem like someone truly born in a military corps.

Because he sensed an innate holiness about Jeanne, much like the saints he had seen before.

"Good. Again!"

Master roared, his fighting spirit fully ignited as magic power surged through his body.

Though knights who had reached the Source Gathering magic power rank could not release magic power externally, they could use it to enhance their defense, slashes, and speed.

A blue glow spread across his sword, and his slashing speed was visibly far faster than before.

Blades were sharp, and Master's sword had been forged with special metal. If Jeanne failed to evade in time, she could very well be injured!

Jeanne's expression was cold. No one knew what she was thinking. In Aurelian's eyes, Jeanne was only sixteen. Even if she had reached the Lower Rank Magic level, her combat awareness and techniques should not have matched a veteran like Master's.

Yet Jeanne neither dodged nor activated the immense magic power within her to strengthen herself. She swung her sword at Master.

Without using magic power! Once again, she chose to meet him head-on!

The knights all closed their eyes, for they already knew the outcome. This beautiful girl would likely collapse in a pool of blood.

Master was startled as well. He did not have time to react. He had thought Jeanne would evade, and he wanted to pull back, but the sword in his hand could no longer be stopped.

Aurelian's eyes widened slightly too. Why was Jeanne not using magic power to strengthen herself? This was far too reckless.

As Master's sword was about to reach Jeanne, everyone's hearts rose to their throats.

But.

What happened next exceeded everyone's expectations, leaving the knights staring in disbelief.

Heavens, what had just happened?

Master held his breath, his entire body stiff. A sense of defeat rose from the depths of his heart, and the sword in his hand fell to the ground.

He did not dare move, because Jeanne's sword rested at his neck. One careless movement, and blood would come gushing out.

Aurelian was stunned as well, but then he understood.

His combat skills and techniques had been taught by the court knights, so naturally his discernment was keen.

Among everyone present, aside from Jeanne herself, he was likely the only one who understood what had just happened.

It was an exceptionally advanced sword technique, one that was difficult to achieve without countless life-and-death battles.

It also required instinctive reflexes as monstrous as a beast's.

This maid's combat ability was terrifying, and her experience had reached an equally terrifying level.

This was not something that could be achieved overnight. It reminded him of his second elder sister, the elegant Blood Flower, Fiona Archmond.

The instant Master raised his magic-enhanced sword, Jeanne had already seen through the trajectory of his blade with her monstrous instincts.

And in that same instant, she had made the optimal choice.

No, the most effortless method.

Before Master could react, she shifted her position and swung her sword at the same time.

When the dust settled, Master's strike had missed, while Jeanne's sword had appeared at one of his vital points.

Everything had flowed as naturally as drifting clouds and running water, completed in an instant.

Aurelian could not help praising her inwardly. Damn, that was badass.

He would never dare fight like that. It was like walking a tightrope over a cliff—one misstep, and he would fall.

"I lost..."

There was a trace of desolation in Master's voice.

He had never imagined that he would lose a duel to a maid.

Jeanne said nothing. She was as quiet as ever. She sheathed her sword, tossed it to Darwin, and returned to stand behind Aurelian.

Damn, that was so pretentious!

He cried out inwardly, though his expression remained as imposing as ever.

"Since Master has lost, according to the rules, Jeanne may accompany us to Spruce Forest."

"And according to Star Empire tradition, the victor of a duel should receive the reward they deserve. Since Jeanne has defeated the strongest knight commander under my command, I shall confer upon her the title of honorary baron and appoint her as my Grand Knight Commander. Does anyone have any objections?"

The knights looked at one another.

Who would dare object? This was merely a noble's polite formality.

"Very well. From this moment onward, Jeanne shall serve as Grand Knight Commander."

Every knight order had one Grand Knight Commander. Beneath the Grand Knight Commander were five knight commander positions, each managing between twenty and fifty knights.

Clearly, Aurelian did not have a knight order under his command, only the smallest unit: a knight commander.

But that did not stop him from establishing the position of Grand Knight Commander. Not having a knight order now did not mean he would not have one in the future, right?

Master said nothing. He had already fallen to his lowest point and did not care whether there was now someone else above him.

"My knight commander, I hope you can pull yourself together. First, I must tell you one fact: Jeanne is no ordinary girl. In truth, like me, she has already surpassed Source Gathering and advanced to Lower Rank Magic. So your defeat was not undeserved."