Chapter 13: Sparring the Duke

"Now, let's see how you handle some light sparring," my father said, raising his training sword into a defensive stance. "Remember, this is just to assess your current capabilities. Don't worry about winning, focus on applying what we just practiced." My father reassured me, I can see that he didn't want me to lose motivation. I nodded, gripping my sword and trying to mirror the stance he'd taught me earlier. Around the courtyard, I noticed several guards had paused their own training to watch. It wasn't every day they got to see the Duke personally spar with his son, especially since the previous Adrian had been notorious for avoiding any form of physical exertion. "Begin when you're ready," my father instructed me, his voice taking on a stronger tone. I could tell from his face that he wasn't going to go easy on me. I took a deep breath and launched into my first attack, a simple overhead strike that he'd demonstrated earlier. The training sword whistled through the air with far more force than I'd intended. My father's eyes widened in surprise as he deflected the blow, the impact sending vibrations up both our blades that were clearly much stronger than he'd expected from a complete beginner. "Interesting," he murmured, resetting his stance. "Again." This time I tried a horizontal slash, but my speed made the movement blur faster than any Noble-rank awakener should have been capable of. My father blocked the sword strike with relative ease, but I wasn't disheartened. Several guards had now stopped their training entirely, staring at us with undisguised amazement. "Young Master... his awakened bloodline must've really improved his physical condition," one of them whispered to another. "I've never seen a fresh awakener move like that." Despite their low whispers, my ears were able to perceive it loud and clear. "That's no ordinary bloodline," another guard murmured back. "Look at the Duke's face, even he's impressed." I wasn't worried by their speculation over my bloodline, I knew that the guards and servants that served my father were very loyal. They had shown their loyalty when they fought alongside my father to their death. My father's expression had long since changed, the huge smile that had formed from our first exchange did not leave his face at all. He began moving more seriously, testing my reactions with quick feints and probing attacks. Despite my crude technique and obvious inexperience, my body was responding with supernatural reflexes. When he thrust toward my chest, I twisted away at the last second. When he swept low at my legs, I leaped back with explosive power that carried me twice as far as a noble-ranked awakener could have managed. My counterattacks were equally shocking. Each swing of my blade carried enough force to dent the training posts if it connected. When I attempted the combination sequence my father had shown me albeit with terrible form, the speed was so intense that the wooden sword actually began to splinter from the air resistance. "Adrian!" my father called out, stepping back smoothly and raising his hand in the universal signal to pause the sparring. His breathing was slightly elevated, though more from excitement than exertion. "Your power output is extraordinary, but you need to learn control before anything else. Once you master proper regulation of your strength and speed, your combat effectiveness will skyrocket significantly." He lowered his sword completely, his gaze sweeping over me with new understanding. "Based on what I've observed here, you should have the physical capability to fight on equal footing with pseudo-Elite level opponents. Your raw strength are simply that impressive." The gathered guards exchanged meaningful looks, clearly recognizing the significance of the Duke's assessment. Pseudo-Elite was a designation reserved for those who possessed near Elite-level power while still technically remaining at Noble rank, an extremely rare occurrence that typically indicated exceptional bloodline potential. Marcus had deliberately kept the specific details of Adrian's bloodline classification private, but he made no effort to hide the fact that his son had successfully awakened. Word would spread through appropriate channels that House Blackwood had produced another combat-capable heir, but the true extent of my abilities would remain within the family for now. I wasn't worried about news of my awakening spreading either. Based on the original timeline, Adrian should have awakened today or tomorrow anyway. This was perfectly within the expected schedule. After the sparring ended, I approached my father with questions that had been weighing on my mind. I wanted to seek the advice of someone with experience, and my father was my best bet. "Father, do you have any advice on how to improve my coordination and adapt to this new body? The power feels... overwhelming sometimes." "I'm worried I might hurt someone accidentally or break something important." I lied through my teeth, I wasn't worried that I would hurt someone or break something important. What I was worried about was my safety, I worried that I would die because I simply wasn't able to control my power. Not only was it a pathetic death, but it was something that is totally avoidable. Unlike Kyle, the protagonist, I didn't have plot armour, so in this dangerous world, a random monster could potentially enter the city and kill me. And no, this wasn't far fetched. In fact, this did happen and the reason was more cliché than you might realise. The author had made Kyle fall into the 'saving the damsel in distress' scenario by allowing a powerful beast to appear in the city, the beast killed tens of people and some were elite-ranked! Kyle appeared at the perfect moment and saved one of the heroines. The girl would then fall in love with him instantly, and follow him like she was glued to him. I'm sure that my action have already started to change things, so I must not think solely based on the original timeline, but think beyond that. My father nodded thoughtfully, clearly having not expected this question. His lazy son wasn't just satisfied with the training, he wanted to go beyond that. "That's a very mature concern, Adrian. Power without control is dangerous to both yourself and others." My father said, before gesturing for me to sit on one of the benches positioned around the training yard. "When I first awakened my bloodline, I had similar issues. I accidentally broke three swords in my first week and put a hole through a stone wall during practice."