Epic Of The Demonic Sage

The people who approached them were none other than Captain Donald and his group, with Gellor and his own mercenaries.

When they heard Count Gabriel's praise, they all immediately chimed in as well.

"Young Lord Asher has performed remarkably well! It was quite a great fight." Captain Donald said before he paid his respects to Viscountess Blackshield. "To you as well, Viscountess Blackshield. My people here have learned a great deal from observing the two of you. We give you our thanks."

Viscountess Blackshield's expression cooled slightly at the appearance of several people she didn't recognize, but Lucius quickly stepped in to introduce them.

"I believe you may already know Captain Donald. He is the Captain of the Guards here in the Inanis Family," Lucius said.

"I do not think Viscountess will remember me. I was merely an observer in one of her past fights." Captain Donald said humbly.

"I apologize that I do not recall, but it is a pleasure to meet the Guard Captain of the Inanis Family. You must be quite strong." Viscountess Blackshield replied politely. "I know that Count Inanis does not take in any weak people, so all of you must be quite adept."

The words of the Viscountess Blackshield made Captain Donald, and his accompanying guards pleased at the statement.

"Thank you so much, Viscountess. You honor all of us a great deal!" Captain Donald said.

While Viscountess Blackshield was not as charismatic as Viscount Felldan, the straightforwardness of her words made it all the more appealing when she praised someone.

"Perhaps if you are all here to observe the fight, if opportunity allows, I can spar with you Captain Donald and some of your excellent guards here as a demonstration." Viscountess Blackshield said.

"T-that would be an amazing offer, Viscountess! We are looking forward to it." Captain Donald said with a calm smile. The rest of his guards looked a bit queasy at the offer but did their best to restrain their emotions from showing on their faces.

Once the interaction between the Captain and his men was done, Lucius then also gestured to Gellor, Albus and Barty.

"Meanwhile, these are three out of the five mercenaries that are working for the Inanis Family. This is Captain Gellor. He has trained under Master Frank in the past, and these are some of his companions, Albus and Barty. All of them are incredible mercenaries that I can say for certain they are one of the best."

Asher's words lifted up the spirits of the mercenaries even under the scrutiny of the Viscountess.

"Master Frank?" Viscountess Blackshield's eyes lit up in recognition, and she glanced at Gellor with interest. "A pleasure to meet all of you. Countless have learned under Master Frank… but one can say for certain that all those who train under him are accomplished due to his efforts."

"I was fortunate to have studied under him before he passed away." Gellor humbly said, but then cleared his throat. "We are here to congratulate Young Lord Asher on his excellent spar with you, Viscountess Blackshield. It was a thrilling one."

"Indeed! Young Lord Asher was nimble and agile, moving here and there gracefully like a crane!" Albus said.

"You are trying to praise yourself while praising Young Lord Asher." Barty covered his face and shook his head.

"Then what would you have described, Barty? The wind?"

Barty's face turned a bit red, but he nodded.

"Yes, I believe the more apt term would be to compare Young Lord Asher's movements to the wind. He darts back and forth, speeding up and then slowing down in unexpected ways. While not invisible, it is unpredictable. It is a great contrast to Viscountess Blackshield who reminds me of a great unmovable force, like a wall that tanks each attack and also uses her strength incredibly. Her ability with the mace is like someone playing with water, whereas you're like a child waving around a stick."

"Hey!" Albus frowned. "That's…"

"Mercenary Albus. What would you describe to me if Young Lord Asher is a crane of some sort?" Viscountess Blackshield asked.

The question struck everyone who was paying attention.

Albus quickly paused and considered the Viscountess' words. He scratched his head and glanced at both Gellor and Barty who didn't seem willing to help him.

"Er… for the Viscountess. I think, like one of those creatures with thick and impenetrable skin. Uh, I can't recall… " Albus thought hard. "Like a Plow Worm."

"Did you just call her a Plow Worm?" Barty muttered.

Albus's eyes widened as he realized the connotations of his word and he immediately bowed deeply.

"No! I did not mean to offend you, Viscountess Blackshield! I was thinking of how great Plow Worms are! I mean it in a compliment."

Viscountess Blackshield stared at Albus blankly for a second before she suddenly laughed.

"A Plow Worm? That's the first time someone has ever compared me to such an animal. A fascinating one, Mercenary Albus. Thank you for your compliments as well, Mercenary Barty."

When Viscountess Blackshield laughed, everyone couldn't help but relax slightly as well.

'I have to remember that Albus has a certain sense of humor, but fortunately, the Viscountess took it in well.' Lucius thought with some relief.

"This has been a wonderful spar, but perhaps it is also time to get changed?" Countess Lita remarked.

Both Viscountess Blackshield and Asher were covered with a decent amount of sweat even though both of them had worn armor for mobility.

"That seems like a good idea," Lucius agreed, then considered the situation some more. "Viscountess, after we are both changed, would you be interested in going on a tour of the city? It is a fine day for it."

Even though Lucius woke up a little later than usual that morning due to exhaustion, the time leading up and the actual spar as well didn't take much time.

Since Lucius was the one who first invited Viscountess Blackshield to visit the Inanis Territory, it was also his main responsibility to act as the host.

"That sounds lovely, Young Lord Asher. However, I am not interested in your offer at the moment. Tomorrow will be a better time." Viscountess Blackshield replied.