Elsprinc 13th, 799 – Afternoon

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“I choose the other person,” you say.

Sir Ezron smirks, then shouts, “Jenn! He chooses you."

You're stunned.

What? Jenn? She… she's here? She’s home?

A girl appears from behind the crowd. She's 6 feet tall and has silvery yellow hair that is shoulder length. She wears a dark blue coat with a high collar and gold buttons, and black trousers. Her countenance was calm, her smile friendly, and her style elegant, but she’s not an ordinary noble girl. When she looks around she seems to record and study everything she saw.

The 24-year-old girl has a charm that can make everyone stare in awe at her, but those who know her know she can also keep herself hidden in a crowd. She can make people around him laugh and be comfortable, but also able to paralyze someone without the person having the chance to react in the slightest. Lovely and dangerous, that's Jenn Stromberg.

As she walks past you she only gives you a small smile. About ten paces in front of you she stops. She turns around gracefully, then stands up straight looking at you. A wooden sword was already in her hand.

“Aaa… Sir Ezron,” you say, “May I change my choice?”

Sir Ezron laughs. "Sorry, can not. Wish you luck, son."

You can only mutter. There have been many questions in your mind about Jenn, but you'd better forget about it for a while. You have to focus because otherwise, this girl can paralyze you with just one move.

"Are you ready?" Jenn taunts you in a very polite manner.

You brandish your sword, not wanting to be intimidated by her composure, then shake your sword slightly, trying to provoke her reaction. Jenn just waits, her eyes following your movements, but still unprovoked. Slowly you advance, then decide to open the fight with a straightforward thrust.

Jenn parries easily without moving her body. You strike again with more speed and power. Jenn parries while sliding her feet left and right like she was dancing, then somehow, suddenly her sword hit the side of your head.

You wince in pain and quickly back away while cursing. Jenn only thumped you with the flat part of her sword, not the sharp edge, so the fight can continue, because you can't be considered a loser yet.

You decide to be more careful now. Better not to attack first. Jenn moves forward. Her sword swings a few times, and you manage to parry them all. But just as you’re feeling a little happy, her sword comes from the side hitting your shoulder. Again, too fast for you.

The giggling sounds of the soldiers around you are heard, and you realize that Jenn is just playing with you. If she wants, she can directly hit your body with the tip or the sharp part of his sword. This girl didn't do it because she wanted to torture you longer.

"Come on," the girl says, knowing what you were thinking. “Don't think about giving up now. Attack me again. You can do better!”

All right, you say to yourself. She's right. You can do this better. You gather your spirit and strength, then attack.

This time your attacks are more dangerous. Jenn parries a few times, then her sword slips toward you. You can see the movement, then parry. Jenn tries the trick one more time, but again you hold on. The girl laughs.

"Good!" Jen shouts. "This is better!"

Then she attacks. Her sword moves quickly to open your defenses. You try to block frantically, but suddenly the tip of her sword is in front of your neck.

"But it's still not good enough," she says.

"Yeah, yeah, I know," you retort, trying to get away from her sword.

"Don't be so sad." Jenn smiles. “You just need to spend more time here. It won't take too long, as long as you're diligent."

Jenn taps you on the shoulder, like a big sister to a little brother, or a teacher to a student. Deep down, somehow, you feel good being treated by her that way. Meanwhile, around the two of you, the soldiers are applauding, and especially praising Jenn's skills. Sir Ezron walks over.

“[Your Name], tomorrow morning onwards you will come here again.”

"Yes." You know, you have no choice.

The sad thing is, you know you're not likely to beat Jenn anytime soon, no matter how hard you train. Jenn has become this good because of years of practice. It doesn't seem fair that you have to continue to face her. Why should you take the exam when the results are known?

“Listen, boy, I know what you're thinking,” Sir Ezron says. "You'll understand later, what's important is not the exam, but the practice."

“So, I don’t have to understand it now, right?" you reply. "I should get more time, then. Well, I don’t mind with the practice, but is this enough for today?"

"You smartass. Well, for you, it’s not enough." Sir Ezron smirks. “As I said, there are other important things we need to discuss. Come on, to my room."

Sir Ezron walks up the stairs. You follow him, and Jenn does too. The three of you enter the room. Looking at the girl, you're reminded of the questions you want to ask her, which are so many that you're not sure where to start.

“Good to see you, Jenn,” you say. "Are you really home?"

"Yes, I'm home, but only for a moment. I still have work to do at Brendberg."

“At Brendberg? The King’s City? I thought you were at Arronetz all along, working for Duke Arland.”

“At first I was, but then I was needed in Brendberg.” Jenn turns to Sir Ezron who is already sitting in his chair. "May I start now, Father?"

"Yes, please," Sir Ezron replies, taking a sip of his tea.

Jenn walks to the corner of the room to get something. You watch the girl from behind. Despite calling the man Father, Jenn is not a real daughter of Ezron Esterri, the Baron of Ettarin. Her biological father, Jonnar Stromberg, used to be the Count of Kipzarg, a county within the Duchy of Norrhein located in the northern part of the Kingdom of Merovia.

When Jenn was a child, Count Jonnar clashed with Gunnar, his brother. Jonnar died, but before he died he sent Jenn to Ezron, his friend in the east so that Jenn could find protection. Gunnar seized the position of Count of Kipzarg, then sent a swarm of assassins to kill Jenn.

But Ezron killed them all and wrote a threatening letter to Gunnar: if Gunnar continued to target Jenn, then Ezron would go north to kill Gunnar. Not wanting to get into trouble with a formidable knight like Ezron, Gunnar retreated and promised not to bother Jenn anymore.

After Ezron married, he adopted Jenn as his daughter, and since then Jenn became part of House Esterri. The girl has lived a safe and quiet life until now, and although she continues to bear the name Stromberg she never once bring up her past in the north. But, who knows what was going through Jenn's mind? To you, she remains a mystery. You won't be surprised if one day the girl goes north alone in disguise and kills her uncle.

Jenn puts a bag on the table. She looks at you. “In Brendberg I worked for a special agency. My job is to observe suspicious events that occur in the Kingdom of Merovia, as well as in other countries, which have the potential to endanger the security of our country.”

“To be more precise, events that have the potential to jeopardize the safety of the King.” Sir Ezron smiles as he gazes at his adopted daughter.

"Is it some kind of intelligence agency?" you ask. "I've heard of it, but I don't know what it looks like, or who's in it."

"Because it's something that shouldn't be talked about," Jenn says. “Forget that. What I want to point out here is this.”

From her bag, she took out two objects that seems to be made of metal. Each object is one arm long. The two objects are placed side by side on the table.

"What's this?" you ask curiously.

“We could call it firearms, or guns,” Jenn replies.

"What’s this for?"

"To kill, of course."

"How?"

Jenn takes something else from her bag. A small black metal ball, no more than the width of the tip of the index finger. She picks up a firearm from the table, opens a storage case at the back, and puts the little black ball in there. A clicking sound is heard. Jenn grips the firearm in her right hand. Her arms are outstretched, as she aims the tip of the firearm at the wooden shield hanging on the wall across the room.

A loud booming sound is heard, making you startle and jump. That sound is quickly followed by another loud noise, as the wooden shield across the room is torn apart. White smoke wafts up from the tip of the gun Jenn is holding. Your mouth is wide open.

Footsteps sounded from outside the room, which is followed by a shout from a soldier, “Sir! What happened inside? Are you all right?”

"We're okay!" Sir Ezron exclaims. "Jenn was just playing around." He glances annoyed at the girl. "You never change."

"Sorry." Jen grimaces. Her left-hand points at the torn shield. “You see, [Your Name]? The black bullet got there in no more than half a second since I pulled the trigger. It moves much faster than a shot of an arrow. And the result, you can see, is more destructive, and certainly more lethal.”

“This is truly an admirable thing.” You pick up another firearm from the table, trying to see every detail of its parts. The long iron pipe, the hole at the end where the little black bullet came out, the trigger at the bottom that the index finger could pull out, as well as the storage compartment for the bullet in the back. Various questions pile up in your mind, about how this thing works. But one thing makes you realize. “But also very dangerous.”

"Correct," Sir Ezron replies. “It will drastically change how we will fight, and also how we will live. Maybe not soon, but it's bound to happen when everyone knows about it, and these guns start being produced everywhere. A ruler who realizes this too late will lose his power.”

“Does King Altarrik already know about this?” you ask Jenn.

"Not yet."

"Why?"

Jenn just stares at you. You're trying to guess what the girl is thinking, and what intentions are in there, but you can't tell yet.

“At least you tell me how you got these weapons."

“Two weeks ago I heard that there was a murder in the city of Atlos, a hundred miles from here, and not far from our border with the Kingdom of Romanin. A man was found dead with a hollow forehead. When the skull was opened, a small object was found inside. It's like the bullet I used earlier. So, I went straight to the city. I tried to see or hear anything suspicious and waited until I finally met someone, who almost killed me. In the end, I was the one who killed him, and I found these two weapons in his hands. This is an important discovery, which could mean many things. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to figure out who that person is, and how he got this weapon."

"What's the person like?"

“From the color of his slightly dark skin, he's a southerner. But that doesn't mean anything. He can work for anyone."

“That dead man, who is he?”

“Terrin, a soldier who became an investigator in the city of Atlos. But when I asked Count Danno of Aldhar and Sir Mathios, the commander of the soldier, they said they had no idea what Terrin was investigating. Probably he heard or saw something he shouldn't know, so the gun owner had to kill him."

“Can we trust them?”

“Sir Mathios… is a man to be trusted,” Sir Ezron says.

The man's voice is low, unusual, and makes you turn your head.

You are stunned when you see that he seems to be squeezing his left chest. His mouth grimaces, as if in pain.

"Sir Ezron!" you say, worried. "Are you okay?"

Jenn turns and is surprised too. "Father! What is it?"

"I... it's okay," the man says quietly. He looks at you. "Go ahead. This conversation is important, don't delay…”