For anything involving the Erdtree, he needed someone who knew more about it. Gideon's deeper understanding of the Erdtree and the Golden Order might not even match that of their faithful.
There was no point in idle speculation. It was nearly noon, and after filling his stomach, sparring with Blaidd? was more important.
The Roundtable Hold had windows, so he could see the light change from dawn to dusk. Besides, the cook in the dining hall would announce when it was time to eat.
The cook was an ordinary person, profoundly grateful for the chance to work here and serve the Two Fingers' important subordinates. He dared not say a word out of turn.
While eating, Zhao Si began to understand what the Roundtable Hold was. Drawing on his memories of his previous life, he could think of it as a kind of Valhalla, gathering warriors to prepare for "Ragnarök."
"Haha, surely that doesn't make Fia a 'Valkyrie.'" Zhao Si laughed at his own idea.
That afternoon, he sparred with Blaidd? as usual.
This time, he chose a lightweight Estoc and a parrying dagger. Wearing a helmet and gloves, he stepped into the "training ground."
The entrance hall and corridor by the front door on the first floor were the only places suitable for fighting.
Back when he had first reached the Roundtable Hold, an invading red phantom had killed him a dozen times or so in this very spot, costing him at least twenty thousand runes.
What was that red phantom called again? He barely remembered. All he recalled was that the name seemed long and rather complicated.
Blaidd? looked surprised. "You're going like that?"
Yesterday, Zhao Si had been armored from head to toe. Why was he practically naked today?
"Yes. Honestly, I'm still feeling sore and weak. But I gave it some serious thought last night, and I think too much protection will only weigh me down. Better to keep things simple."
Zhao Si tapped the blunt practice weapons together, looking quite confident.
"Don't regret it." Blaidd? wasted no more words. He raised his wooden sword and took an offensive stance.
Zhao Si nodded. "I'm ready!"
Before the words had fully left his mouth, he struck first. It was only his second day, yet he already dared to take the initiative, much to Blaidd?'s surprise.
The Estoc mainly relied on thrusts and shallow cuts, making it a weapon with a rather narrow range of uses. The parrying dagger was even more limited: its reach was too short, and it was mostly used for defense.
Imitating Blaidd?'s movements, Zhao Si stepped forward with a plain, straightforward thrust.
Much of the combat instinct within him had already awakened. His body was far more agile and powerful than it looked, and he did not need to learn weapon handling from scratch.
It seemed he really was descended from warriors.
Blaidd? had been right. What Zhao Si lacked most was courage. Only when he stopped being afraid could he bring out his true strength.
Blaidd? traded blows with Zhao Si using his wooden sword. A rhythm emerged between them again. Their dance-like exchange grew steadily more coordinated, leaving its initial awkwardness behind.
Zhao Si now felt as though Blaidd? was guiding him through practiced exchanges, feeding him openings from time to time so he could better understand how to fight.
By the time they ruined the third wooden sword, Zhao Si finally managed to graze Blaidd? with his Estoc.
That was a genuine breakthrough!
Zhao Si was just about to grin when the broken wooden sword smacked him across the cheek. His face swelled at once, and the pain left him unable to open his mouth.
"Don't let your guard down!" Blaidd? said.
Just then, someone spoke outside the door. "Oh? Since when did the Roundtable get another piece of trash? So weak you have to learn everything from scratch?"
Zhao Si looked toward the door, his pupils contracting sharply. Two people entered side by side. One was dressed as a sorcerer, wearing a broad-brimmed hat and a long robe.
The other looked decidedly eccentric. He wore a golden mask shaped like a golden sunflower and was draped in rags, his body skeletal and his skin dark and withered.
The sorcerer stirred painful memories in Zhao Si. He remembered now-Alberich, the "Mad Tongue"!
An outcast sorcerer, heretical and morbid. Supposedly, the red glintstone on her clothes had been refined from the blood of living sacrifices.
Even more surprisingly, Alberich was a woman.
With that tall, thin build and air of madness, he really had never expected her to be a woman.
Before Zhao Si could retort, she unfastened the staff at her waist.
It was a homemade Sinner's Staff, a heretical staff that transformed dripping blood into glintstone by impaling sacrifices on the tip of scorched, dead wood.
He had to admit Alberich was genuinely talented. Coming up with an idea like that was something else.
Then she swung the Sinner's Staff and fired a Glintstone Icecrag.
Zhao Si reacted quickly enough to barely dodge it, only for a second Glintstone Icecrag to fly straight at his face.
If that hit Zhao Si, it would certainly disfigure him.
At the last possible instant, the Glintstone Icecrag shattered with a crack.
Blaidd? had smashed the Glintstone Icecrag with his broken wooden sword, destroying the sword completely in the process. The spell's chill crept over his gauntlet. He shook his right hand, drew his twinblade, flung off its leather sheath, and surged forward with a quick step.
Like a gust of icy wind, he charged at Alberich.
He unleashed Spinning Slash, using the force and speed of his rotation to close the distance further. His twinblade was almost at Alberich's neck.
Alarm spread across Alberich's face, but her hands and feet kept moving.
She swept the Sinner's Staff through the air, spraying Freezing Mist, while pushing off the ground to glide sideways. Even as she evaded the twinblade, she set up a counterattack, drawing Blaidd? into the mist.
In an instant, the cold swept over Blaidd?'s entire body. It felt as though even the blood in his veins was about to freeze.
But his feet never stopped. With another burst of strength, he pursued Alberich with the second strike of Spinning Slash.
Alberich probably seldom encountered opponents this troublesome, and she struggled to react in time. As an outcast, heretical sorcerer, she was not yet skilled in close combat, so she chose to strike him with the Sinner's Staff.
To Blaidd?, that was laughable.
With a light flick of his twinblade, he knocked the Sinner's Staff aside and pressed his blade's tip beneath Alberich's chin.
Just then, a furious shout rang out from the second-floor gallery. "Enough! Have you forgotten that fighting is forbidden in the Roundtable Hold?"
Everyone looked toward the voice and saw Sir Gideon Ofnir, the All-Knowing. His fist struck the railing as he glared down at them.
Alberich raised both hands first. "See? You took too long, and now you've made our commander angry."
Only then did Blaidd? put away his twinblade. "Watch yourself."
"Watch what? Hmm? Watch what?" Alberich leaned her face toward him, practically begging to be hit.
Blaidd? refused to back down. "Watch your head."
"My head is stuck firmly to my neck." Alberich stuck out her tongue exaggeratedly, brimming with provocation.
She looked at Zhao Si as well. "You'd better keep an eye on your little pet. When you're not paying attention, he might just become my sacrifice."
Meeting Alberich's eyes sent a shiver down Zhao Si's spine. He could not help remembering the times she had brutally slaughtered him.
Alberich had shown no mercy when invading as a red phantom. Armed with a great scythe and the Sinner's Staff, she could attack at both close and long range, inflicting the twin debuffs of blood loss and frostbite. For newcomers entering the Roundtable Hold for the first time, she was a formidable opponent.
Judging by the people currently in the Roundtable Hold, and leaving Gideon aside, Blaidd? probably belonged in the top tier of fighting strength, while Alberich belonged in the second.
Goldmask was not a combatant, so he did not count.
"If there's nothing else, disperse!" Gideon left without looking back. He needed to ask the Two Fingers about a few things, such as whatever Zhao Si had mentioned that could threaten a Demigod. He urgently needed confirmation.
Zhao Si sought out Goldmask instead. When it came to understanding the Golden Order, who could compare to Goldmask?
Before you continue