Charlotte had not even intended to give his name. With a flick of his rapier, the sword light blossomed like a cascade of colorful streams, engulfing the brave gentleman from head to toe.
Julanther was horrified. Unlike Charlotte, he had never been to war, nor was he a gifted prodigy like Julian, Kreil, or Abner—already a Mid-Order or High-Order Transcendent. Faced with Charlotte's legendary sword technique, he had only drawn his longsword halfway when his splendid formal attire was pierced with sixteen or seventeen holes.
Charlotte had pierced only the clothing and had not harmed so much as a patch of Julanther's skin. Such swordsmanship was nothing short of astonishing; even many high-ranking Knights might not have been able to accomplish it.
With a swish, Julanther finally drew his rapier, but Charlotte had already sheathed his weapon and stepped back. Looking down at the holes in his formal attire, he said softly, "Am I not even worthy of drawing my sword for Miss Menilman?"
Those words struck not only every Inglima noblewoman present, but also filled many men proud of their swordsmanship with shame.
Transcendence was exceedingly rare in every nation. Most of the young nobles who could attend Victory Champagne Count's ball had not advanced through arduous training or innate talent, but through vast resources piled upon them, sometimes supplemented by precious potions. Even so, these young nobles were still considered the cream of the crop.
Among those young nobles, Julanther had already been outstanding. Yet he had suffered a dismal defeat before even drawing his sword. How could that not shake everyone to the core?
Julanther performed an Imperial salute, handed the sheathed longsword in his hand to Charlotte, and departed gracefully, displaying impeccable manners.
Charlotte casually stuck the rapier he had picked up into the ground and