"He is Bear Hunter Lynd, the one you are looking for." After the two arrived in front of Lynd, Raul pointed at Lynd and introduced him.
"Lord Bear Hunter, my name is Raleigh, and I am the son of the Bitterbridge blacksmith." The young strong man walked nervously to Lynd, took a deep breath, as if making a major decision, his expression tense, and said in a very formal tone: "I can no longer find an opponent in Bitterbridge, and those Lord Knights disdain to fight with someone like me. I have heard legends about you, and just now I also heard from your camp that you once fought with Lord Vortimer, so I want to…"
The young strong man stopped halfway, his face showing a difficult expression, as if he didn't know how to say the rest of his words, and he got stuck.
"Are you trying to spar with me?" Lynd spoke the words the other party wanted to say.
The young strong man breathed a sigh of relief, nodded, and then asked with some concern: "Can I?"
"Of course." Lynd nodded, then looked at Raul, who was beside him, and asked, "Has he already sparred with you?"
Raul gave a wry smile and said, "We did. This guy is too strong, none of us are his match." As he spoke, he looked at Raleigh and said, "When we were in Highgarden, we heard that Lord Caswell had a formidable individual under his command, the son of a blacksmith, who was only a teenager but already stronger than most adult warriors. Now we know that those rumors were not exaggerated at all, just like your legends, Lord Lynd."
After hearing Raul's introduction, Lynd also looked at Raleigh with a hint of curiosity, then drew the twin swords from his waist, gestured to Raleigh, and said, "In that case, let's begin!"
"Wait?" Raleigh was stunned when he saw Lynd's movements and asked, "Are we using real swords?"
"Of course." Lynd said in a deep voice, "Using practice swords is not dangerous, but it doesn't achieve the effect of actual combat, because deep down you feel that even if you are hit by a practice sword, you won't die, you'll just get a little injured. So you will make some incorrect movements in offense and defense. These movements won't be a problem during regular practice, but they can be fatal on the battlefield."
Although Raleigh didn't fully understand Lynd's explanation, he felt there was some truth to it, so he turned and hurried towards the castle, apparently intending to get his sword.
After Raleigh left, Raul asked with a slight doubt, "Lord Lynd, how do you have time to train this kid this time? We've been asking you to help us improve our swordsmanship for a while now, but you always say you don't have time."
Lynd heard a hint of dissatisfaction in Raul's words and said, "I've told you, what you bottom-level warriors need to improve is not swordsmanship, but battle formations that cooperate with each other on the battlefield. Excellent swordsmanship cannot help you survive in a melee of thousands, but a perfectly coordinated team of comrades can."
Raul pouted and said nothing more. He knew very well that Lynd's words were correct, but he still hoped to possess excellent swordsmanship, then be noticed by a certain knight, become a knight's squire, and have the opportunity to become a knight in the future, rather than just remaining a guard soldier until he died.
Perhaps because of the commotion Raleigh caused at the encampment earlier, some busybodies in the camp also ran to this open ground to watch the excitement, primarily wanting to see how Lynd would train this Bitterbridge blacksmith's son, and incidentally vent some of the resentment from being defeated by him earlier.
By the time Raleigh brought his longsword, two or three dozen people had already gathered around the open ground, including guards from House Tyrell and guards from Bitterbridge Castle.
Seeing so many people gathered there, Raleigh did not show stage fright; from his expression, he seemed even more excited. He came before Lynd, eagerly drew his longsword, and assumed the most common offensive sword stance.
"Let's begin." Lynd did not assume any preparatory sword stance. After reminding Raleigh, he walked slowly towards him, looking less like he was engaging in a sword practice and more like he was taking a stroll.
On the contrary, Raleigh, who was fully prepared, felt immense pressure at this moment. In his eyes, Lynd seemed to have transformed into a beast slowly approaching its prey, which forced him to retreat two steps to slightly alleviate some of the pressure.
However, Lynd's steps did not stop; he continued to approach slowly, and the pressure that had just diminished reappeared, this time even stronger.
Perhaps feeling that if he continued to be so passive, he might eventually lose even the courage to swing his sword, Raleigh endured the invisible pressure on him, let out a loud roar, and brought his sword down fiercely towards Lynd.
Although Raleigh's sword strike was fierce, even the fiercest strike is useless if it doesn't hit anyone.
Lynd simply moved one step to the side, easily dodging the descending longsword. At the same time, his left-hand longsword swung towards the opponent's neck, while his right-hand sword tilted slightly and thrust straight. Almost simultaneously, one sword was placed against Raleigh's neck, and the other was pressed against Raleigh's chest.
The surrounding sounds instantly quieted down, followed by gasps from the Bitterbridge Castle guards. After all, Raleigh was a famously strong warrior in Bitterbridge Castle; a year ago, no guard soldier in Bitterbridge Castle could defeat him, and only a few knights in the castle might be stronger than him. For such a powerful person to be defeated so easily by one person left the Bitterbridge soldiers who had previously lost to Raleigh utterly astonished.
On the other hand, the soldiers of House Tyrell had grown accustomed to Lynd's strength during this time and were not surprised by the current situation, so they did not show much emotion.
As for Raleigh, the person involved, he was completely stunned. Although he had already felt the gap between himself and Lynd when he experienced the immense pressure Lynd exerted on him, he had never expected the difference between them to be so vast. In fact, what just happened could not even be considered a sword competition; Lynd had merely taken one step and casually swung the sword in his hand to defeat him. An unprecedented sense of frustration washed over him.
"Continue, again." Lynd, on the other hand, withdrew the twin swords from Raleigh, then stepped back two paces, and said to Raleigh with a calm expression.
Raleigh was stunned, he collected his shattered confidence, then took a deep breath, gripped the sword in his hand again, and then, as usual, attacked Lynd once more.
The result of this attack was exactly the same as the last time. Lynd moved diagonally one step, easily avoiding Raleigh's attack, then attacked the opening he exposed, subduing him.
Raleigh, whose confidence was shattered again, began to think that perhaps he was not as strong as he believed. His previous matches with the castle guards were just them letting him win because he was young. He also wondered if he should give up his dream of being a knight and honestly inherit his father's blacksmith shop to become a blacksmith.
"Do you know what your shortcomings are?" Lynd could see that he had already crushed the other party's confidence, so he didn't continue, but instead said with a serious expression.
"Shortcomings?" Raleigh was completely stunned, a blank look on his face.
Lynd, like a teacher, instructed, "I guess you haven't received any formal swordsmanship training. Your swordsmanship is just something you imitated from watching the castle guards and Lord Caswell's knights train. Your swordsmanship is very crude; it relies entirely on your physical talent to be effective. When you encounter people whose physical talent is inferior to yours, you might win, but when you encounter people with better physical qualities than you, or who possess excellent swordsmanship, then all your advantages will cease to exist."
Raleigh's face turned somewhat pale upon hearing this. He had never imagined he had so many flaws. Perhaps due to his youth, his mindset was not yet mature, and a slight setback caused him to doubt himself, and the pride he had accumulated over the years began to totter.
Lynd then offered a suggestion: "If you want to improve your strength in a short time, you can practice dodging and defense more. Of course, it would be even better if you could hire a swordsmanship teacher."
"A lowly blacksmith's son should stay in his place; a pair of hands meant for a hammer is not fit to hold a sword." Just as Lynd's words fell, a sharp, piercing voice came from outside the crowd watching the commotion.
Hearing this voice, the Bitterbridge Castle guards, including Raleigh, seemed to know who the speaker was, and each of them slightly lowered their heads towards the source of the voice, while the others looked curiously towards it.
Then, a short figure, surrounded by several well-equipped Lord's guards and servants, walked out from behind the crowd.
This short figure was a sickly-looking youth with a pale complexion, sunken cheeks, and lifeless eyes, making him appear as if he could faint at any moment. From the youth's luxurious attire and the reactions of those around him, it was not difficult to tell that he held an unusual status, likely a descendant of Lord Caswell.
The youth stopped when he reached Raleigh's side. He ignored the bowing Raleigh and instead looked at Lynd first, his eyes revealing undisguised jealousy, resentment, and even hatred.
This almost hateful gaze made Lynd feel a bit confused, as he recalled never having seen this youth before.
However, the youth's eyes lingered on Lynd for only a moment before he turned to look at Raleigh with the same expression, and with an extremely disdainful look on his face, he said, "You are just a blacksmith's son, destined to spend your entire life by the forge, just like that lowly old man in your family."
Facing the youth's contempt, Raleigh kept his head down and said nothing, but from his tightly clenched grip on the sword hilt, it was clear that he was extremely angry inside.
It was clear that Raleigh's actions were also noticed by the few Lord's guards beside the youth. They all placed their hands near their weapons, ready to launch a coordinated attack and kill Raleigh if he made any sudden moves.
The Bitterbridge Castle guards watching the commotion did not show any concern for their colleague being targeted; instead, they wore smiles and expressions of schadenfreude, clearly indicating that Raleigh's relationship with his colleagues was not very good, perhaps even hostile.
"What? Do you want to attack me with that sword?" The youth also naturally noticed Raleigh's actions. He showed no fear; instead, the disdain on his face grew even more intense. He walked up to Raleigh, and under everyone's gaze, he slapped him hard.
Although the youth's body seemed very weak, the force of the slap was very strong. Everyone around heard the sound of the slap, and Raleigh's head even swayed from the blow. The youth's hand also seemed to hurt from the slap, and he unconsciously rubbed it as he lowered it.
Although he was so humiliated, Raleigh still did not resist, keeping his head down and clutching the sword in his hand.
The youth could see that Raleigh dared not lay a hand on him, so he said with extreme contempt, "What a waste, go back to your filthy hole. You shamed us Bitterbridge tonight. Tomorrow, you will go to the castle front to receive your punishment."
Hearing the youth's command, Raleigh turned to leave, but after taking two steps, he seemed to remember something, turned back, bowed to Lynd, and then walked towards Bitterbridge Castle with his head down, picking up speed until he was jogging and finally disappeared from everyone's sight.
"A person should do what their birth dictates; they shouldn't have any overreaching ideas. Knights are not something such low-born people can become." After Raleigh left, the youth still seemed unsatisfied. He pointed his spearhead at Lynd and said, "I've heard of you, Bear Hunter Lynd, son of a hunter. The forest is where you belong, not…"
Before the youth could finish, Lynd said coldly, "Do you think I don't have the guts to kill you?" Then, he looked at the guards beside the youth and said, "Or do you think these people can protect you?"
As Lynd spoke, the killing aura from Peacekeeper erupted from him, impacting the youth in front of him and those around him.
The youth, already physically weak, was immediately scared unconscious, while the few guards were all trembling under the pressure of the aura, unable even to grip their swords. As for the servants, they collapsed to the ground.
Seeing that he had achieved his disciplinary goal, Lynd stopped applying pressure and returned to normal, while disdainfully saying, "Take your master and get out. Remember to change his pants when you get back. Wetting himself at his age, truly a disgrace to Lord Lord Caswell."
Those few people dared not say anything more. They quickly picked up the unconscious youth, helped the servants who had collapsed on the ground, and quickly fled the area.
The Bitterbridge Castle guards who had been watching the commotion also lost their interest in watching. They realized that they had witnessed the youth's disgrace, and given the youth's personality, he would surely seek revenge on them. Their faces all turned incredibly grim.
"You shouldn't have threatened that Lord." Raul walked up to Lynd at this moment and reminded him, "He should be the only son of Lord Lord Caswell, the future Lord of Bitterbridge. What you did will make Lord Garlan very difficult."
Facing Raul's concern, Lynd merely smiled, not taking the matter to heart at all.