Sword Skill

Giulio had the servants serve tea and introduced several other important buildings:

Palazzo Vecchio, currently serving as the city hall, with its dark gray roof.

Giotto's Campanile, in the Gothic style, with an exterior of ornate marble sculptures.

After the merchant left, Vitus sat at the desk, pen in hand, writing a letter to Constantinople. He claimed that all was well and that he planned to stay in Florence to observe the city's commercial operations. Finally, he solemnly promised his Imperial Father that he would never act recklessly in the name of the Palaiologos family.

Once finished, Vitus checked the letter from start to finish. He broke off a small piece of sealing wax, placed it in a copper spoon, and held it over a candle flame. Gradually, the wax melted, emitting the distinct scent of pine resin.

Vitus tilted the spoon, letting the molten wax drip onto the fold of the envelope, forming a red circle the size of a coin. Before it could fully solidify, he removed the signet ring from his left hand and pressed the face firmly into the softened wax, ensuring the pattern was clearly imprinted.

Confirming everything was in order, Vitus rang a bell and handed the envelope to the servant who entered the room, entrusting him to send it to Constantinople.

Phew, that should be about right. Regardless, I'm not under any scrutiny; it makes no difference whether I'm in Constantinople or not.

Having been on the road for days, Vitus yawned and slumped over the desk for a short nap until evening, when Giulio invited him to dinner.

There were four seats at the table: Vitus, Giulio, and the latter's two sons, Pauli and Phil.

The father and his two sons looked quite similar. Giulio was slightly portly, while his sons had moderate builds, oval-shaped faces, high bridges of the nose, and short, deep chestnut hair with a hint of natural curl at the tips.

Giulio sat at the head of the table and introduced his guest to his sons, "This is Vitus Palaiologos, the fourth brother of Prince John. He is willing to serve as our artillery commander, on the condition that he be addressed by the pseudonym 'Anthony Doukas'."

Pauli had participated in the battle outside Pistoia and had met Vitus before, so he nodded at him in a friendly manner, "Greetings, Your Highness."

Phil scrutinized the guest's appearance repeatedly, feeling that something was off. During the meal, Phil threw out several questions, but unfortunately, none of them managed to stump the other.

For the past decade or so, Vitus had lived in seclusion within the deep palace, where he had ample time to receive an education. During this period, the cultural education of the Byzantine upper class was divided into three stages:

Primary education included reading, writing, and arithmetic. The focus of secondary education was "Paideia," which encompassed classical Greek culture, Ancient Greek, and various general studies (grammar, rhetoric, logic, arithmetic, geometry, astronomy, and music).

The goal of higher education was to cultivate officials, high-ranking clergy, and scholars. The curriculum included philosophy, oratory, law, and theology. As a member of the imperial family, Vitus had also mastered Latin, a prerequisite for the upper class. Combined with the knowledge he brought from the future, he crushed Phil, who came from a merchant family, in terms of scholarship.

After a long while, Phil stopped asking questions, and Vitus focused on the beef stewed with onions on his plate. Before he knew it, the servants cleared the main course, and dinner reached the dessert stage.

"Your Highness." Giulio handed his guest a copper spoon, signaling him to break the sugar sculpture in the center of the table—a castle built entirely of sugar.

Vitus complied, using the spoon to shatter the main tower of the "castle." To his surprise, a live bird flew out from inside the sculpture, flapping its wings as it exited the dining room, which gave everyone quite a start.

He picked up a piece of broken sugar and put it in his mouth, sighing sincerely, "What a creative dessert, though it is far too extravagant."

In the Middle Ages, sugar was an absolute luxury. It was only after Europe colonized the New World and established sugarcane plantations in the Caribbean islands that cane sugar gradually entered the lives of commoners.

Pauli explained, "This trend was started by the Medici family. There's no helping it; we and other families have no choice but to follow suit. Spending a bit of money is nothing; the important thing is to maintain one's dignity."

After the banquet ended, Vitus returned to his guest room. Under the influence of alcohol, he drifted into a heavy sleep and did not open his eyes again until the next morning.

Phew, the comfort of a velvet mattress really is something else.

Vitus groggily got up to wash, when he suddenly heard a commotion outside the mansion. He asked Phil, who was teasing a parrot in the courtyard, "What happened?"

"Magistrate Albizzi has a conflict with another family. Mediation from multiple parties failed, so they are using a 'trial by combat' as the final verdict. Your Highness, are you interested?"

"Please call me Anthony." Vitus was indeed interested. He followed Phil to the center of Florence—the Piazza della Signoria. Pushing through the crowded square, he saw two swordsmen kneeling on one knee in the arena, leaning on their longswords in silent prayer.

Phil thoughtfully introduced the situation to his guest:

"Albizzi is sure to win. His dueling proxy is Master Conan—a formal disciple of Fiore dei Liberi. Having lived in the German lands for many years, he has fused the advantages of both the German school and the Italian school; he is almost impossible to find an opponent for."

Vitus had heard the name of Fiore dei Liberi, and his curiosity grew even stronger as he watched the movements in the arena intently.

The prayer ended, and the duel officially began. The other duelist took his stance, let out a shout, and swung his sword down rapidly from the upper right. In an instant, Conan swung his own sword from his right side, striking the opponent's blade with his own.

Clang!

To the disbelief of the audience, Conan's blade slid down the opponent's sword like a viper flicking its tongue, miraculously striking the man's cheek. The opponent swayed, collapsed helplessly to the ground, and clutched his injured cheek in silence.

Phil: "It's a good thing these are blunt swords for dueling, otherwise that would have been fatal."

It was over?

Vitus hadn't even reacted, and neither had the crowd nearby. Amidst a chorus of gasps, Conan sheathed his longsword and bowed to the onlookers.

The notary coughed twice and announced at the top of his lungs, "Under the witness of the gods, the winner of this trial by combat is Master Conan from Toulon, and his employer, Magistrate Albizzi!"

Witnessing this duel, Phil felt a sudden impulse; his long-dormant interest in swordsmanship was reignited, and he began to explain the characteristics of Conan's style:

"Master Conan advocates for 'striking after,' using counterattacks to suppress an opponent's offense. For instance, that move just now, the 'Glutzhauw,' is a type of Master-cut. The movement is concise and elegant... are you interested in learning?"

Vitus had never received knightly training and was completely lost during such explanations. After a moment of daze, Phil grabbed his wrist and headed toward a nearby blacksmith shop.

A sign hung at the shop's entrance, depicting a hammer and flames, indicating that the owner was a member of the blacksmiths' guild.