A day has passed and currently, Shin and the others are on the backyard located on the premises of Emilia. This was arranged before they parted yesterday.

The girls exclaimed as they saw the house. As expected of someone with stature and nobility, her house simply outclasses the others.

Upon entering the gate to her house, you are guided by neatly trimmed plants that resembled a wall as high as Shin’s shoulders and on the center is a fountain with a sculptor of a warrior in a riposte position pointing at the gate.

Her home was established at the exclusive place for nobles to build their houses. Sturdy walls separated them from the commoners. And every gate has guards station to it.

Before a commoner could enter this place, they will need a permission letter from a noble with their signature. Hence, before Shin and the girls entered the place, they were halted. Fortunately, Emilia and her old butler were waiting for them near the entrance.

They received and guided them to her place.

Shin was perplexed about Emilia’s actions. Why would she even go to such hassle to receive them? She can just order her butler or maid to pick them up. Or maybe this is just her being formal since she was the one who invited him. Whatever reason she has, she’s the only one who knows.

Although they came here as a guest, they haven’t actually entered the house. Instead they were guided straight to her backyard.

As they entered the backyard, what immediately came into view was a wide flatland filled with girls in light armors practicing their swords.

Despite its location, this place is actually the training grounds for the Female Imperial Knights and Emilia as the core and the leader. Men and women knights trained separately to avoid conflicts which were agreed on both sides.

When the girls noticed Emilia, they all stopped and lined together to greet her in respect.

Emilia nodded in affirmation. After that, some girls walked to her side.

“Emilia-sama, is he the one you are fighting?”

A short-haired girl with a dignified face put her hand on her chin and looked at Shin from toe to head like she’s appraising goods. Likewise, Shin did the same. Her height is a head shorter compared to Shin so she was practically looking up. The girl noticed his action and narrowed her eyes even more; they were narrow to begin with.

“What are you looking at?”

“I could say the same thing to you.”

“Staring at a girl’s body is an action deserving a title of a pervert.”

“I see”

Shin only shrugs at her words.

His reaction caused a vein popping at the girl’s temple.

“.... Emilia-sama, can I cut him instead?”

Surprised by her blunt question, Emilia calmed her down with a wry smile.

“Now, now. More importantly Tia, can you tell the girls to clear the grounds? We’re using it now”

“Alright..”

This was supposed to be their first meeting so Emilia was rather shock by her attitude. Normally, she was compose and calm so her demeanor is really surprising even for Emilia.

It was because of Shin’s lack of response and his indifferent tone that the short-haired girl named Tia bluntly expresses her annoyance. The reason behind that action was that Shin thought it was rude to appraise a person, measuring its worth.

Before leaving, Tia glanced to Shin one last time with animosity and then walked briskly to the practicing girls. After that, the girls seized their action and make room for them to use.

Emilia walked to the open field and turned back to face Shin.

“Shall we start?”

Shin nodded and glanced back to look at the girls who also lined up few meters away from the duel grounds as they cheered him on before walking towards Emilia.

“Shin-sama… please be safe”

“Do your best Shin”

“Where is Shin onii-chan going?”

Yuffa and Clarisse had a worried look but Tanya doesn’t seem to understand what was going on so Yuffa had to pull her closer and lightly hugs her.

Shin lightly raised his hands to say he’s okay and turned his gaze to the girl who was pointing her weapon to him.

“Sorry for being willful and thank you for accepting my duel invitation”

“No, it’s okay. As matter of fact, I’m kind of bored lately so this is a good change of pace.”

“Hoh? What a coincidence, I was the same too.”

A smile broke into Emilia’s face.

“May I ask why?”

“Well, there are only few S-class adventurers I can spar here and all of them had a mission so I was stuck here with nothing to do but patrol the whole kingdom”

“So why don’t you go on a mission yourself?”

Her smile was then replaced with a sigh when she heard Shin’s question.

“Unfortunately, I’m not an adventurer so I can’t. You see, I’m directly employed by the king so the only time that I can go on a mission is when I am ordered to. But it has been stale lately so I’m rather bored. Don’t misunderstand. I’m not complaining of something”

‘Then what do you call that?’

Shin wanted to retort but kept it to himself.

Nonetheless, he understands the situation she was in.

Being held here with nothing to do but walk around aimlessly waiting for something to happen must be pretty boring. Shin thought about it so he can only sympathize.

This might be why a soldier can’t be an adventurer at the same time. It would be inconvenient for the employer if they asked for assistance but there won’t be any because the employees are away; therefore they cannot do both things.

To do a good job, one must pick and devote oneself by their chosen profession.

On a side note, if we’re talking about salary, a soldier has a more steady income compared to an average adventurer but that’s it. Being an adventurer has some benefits and risk as well. Their income might be reliant on a quest which sometimes gives random rewards but it will also give a high chance to obtain treasures like a rare drop or even legendary items that could be sold amounting to millions, if they’re lucky enough.

Risk and its equivalent rewards so to say.

But more importantly, as Shin was been occupied by these thoughts, he was interrupted by a rather loud voice who was been calling him the entire time.

“Hey! Are you listening?”

“Eh? Oh I am. I am” Shin scratched his hair “So what now?”

“As I’ve said, are you ready?”

“Oh that. I’m ready as you are”

“You say that but where is your weapon?”

“Oh that.. here”

As Shin said that, he pulled a weapon out of thin air. To him, what he did wasn’t anything special but that didn’t apply to the surrounding audience who became rowdy.

What appeared in his hand was a Japanese sword in a scabbard a few inches longer that the usual katana.

He decided to use a melee weapon instead of his usual guns. Even though there’s no such rules like melee-to-melee or range-to-range combat, he decided to fight fair and square without any advantages to his side.

Emilia watched that scene in a serious manner. “Unique Skill, huh?” she said under her breath. She never has seen anything like that before so she deemed that the man she would be facing is a dangerous opponent. She always had this gut feeling after they first met.

She then pulled out her weapon and put it in front of her emitting blue light.

“Ready? … Here I go!”

Without waiting for Shin’s reply, she dashed agilely towards Shin with great speed.

As fast as lightning, her movement caused her image to blur and the next thing was she’s already in front of Shin. “I got you!” She shouted as she thrusts her rapier targeting his chest.

But even though she was fast, Shin had already guessed her move.

He already knows what a rapier is best at, and that is direct frontal attack. Its thin blade is best for stabbing the opponent in their vital organs with pinpoint accuracy.

And so, by putting the katana in his waist, he performed a sword drawing technique and parried her attack with a vertical strike.

Emilia widened her eyes.

Seeing her attack failed and was blocked with ease caused her attack to stop momentarily, but she still continued and pulled out a dagger from her back and aimed at Shin’s side.

Shin also wasn’t finished with his move. He performed another vertical slash by rotating his body a full 360 degrees after his sword drawing technique.

[Twin Moon Slash]

Their blades clashed.

Feeling the power of Shin’s blade, Emilia used that strength to push her up. She used that momentum to jump above Shin.

Now on mid-air, she began chanting and focused her mana from her body into her rapier.

Her weapon then emitted light that turned into lightning. She then swiftly thrusts her weapon and rays of lightning headed straight, targeting the man below her.

“Try to dodge this! [Lightning Spear]!”

Emilia’s revered attribute, the lightning element. One the rare and powerful element that a person could ever have and that power is heading down towards its target ready to obliterate.

But…

Even against a strong attack, a small smile escaped in the corner of Shin’s lips.

He stood his ground, puts his katana back to its scabbard and pulls it out instantaneously with great speed.

[Wind Wall]

Like a storm, a strong gushed of wind reflected and changes the trajectory of the lightning attack causing it to strike down an empty ground few meters away from him

Emilia who was now falling down couldn’t believe her eyes.

“Impossible! That just now-! Argh-!”

She tried to speak but couldn’t even finish her words.

Shin’s [Wind Wall] isn’t just for defensive purposes but also offensive.

With no ground to serve as a foothold, the strong wind blasted off Emilia.

(((((Emilia-sama!)))))

Watching that spectacle caused the audience full of girls exclaimed mixed with surprise and worry when they saw their captain being blasted off.

On the other hand, the girls on Shin’s side had their mouth agape.

“Shin onii-chan so strong~!”

The two girls were speechless and words didn’t escape their mouth except for Tanya who is waving her hands happily while being carried on by Yuffa.

Everyone held their breath is disbelief.

Even though the fight isn’t over, the power that Shin has showed leaves a big impression to the one who witnessed it.