65.

Ro quickly stepped backward, brushing her ear as if swatting away something unpleasant. His breath had reached her ears uncomfortably close. She shuddered in disgust.

“Keep your distance if you don’t want to suffocate.”

“You’ll regret it, you know?”

“What the hell are you babbling about?”

“Nothing… just something I thought you’d rather keep hidden.”

He shrugged his shoulders. His tone sounded as if he were about to expose a tremendous secret. Ro knew that whenever Turner acted this boldly, he held a substantial advantage. Eventually, she reluctantly stepped one pace closer, not forgetting to threateningly shake her tightly clenched fist.

“If this is just a pointless trick, I’ll make sure you regret it.”

“It’s not a trick… I’m just curious. Who taught you swordsmanship?”

“Taught? What are you talking about?”

“With reflexes that sharp, it’s impossible you’ve never trained. Yet, the way you freely sacrifice one arm doesn’t seem like a technique a noble lady would normally use.”

“…….”

“If you’d simply dodged entirely, it might’ve been different.”

His suspicion was somewhat justified. The technique was far too reckless—too indifferent to self-preservation—to be something a noble lady would learn as mere etiquette.

Close combat could reveal far more information than one might expect, provided one had sharp eyes. Small details—such as which hand the opponent favored, their habits, stubborn quirks, or even clues about their teacher—could all be inferred. Furthermore, the original ‘Rosetta’ had a particularly unusual habit: deliberately leaving one arm exposed, exactly as Turner had pointed out.

That had always been Rosetta’s favored tactic. By feigning an opening in one arm, she’d lure the opponent’s blade in, then strike at their now poorly guarded torso. The arrogance of men who assumed a woman couldn’t possibly wield a heavy shamshir one-handed had cost them their lives all too easily.

Of course, this technique had many weaknesses. Originally, the metal-reinforced bracer worn by the ‘Red Dawn’ would have deflected blades, but current Rosetta wore no such protection. Moreover, her body was merely that of a duke’s daughter who had grown somewhat accustomed to physical movement—hardly trained at all. She instinctively raised her arm to block, but had Turner attacked seriously, her arm would either have broken or been severed entirely.

“So? Your answer?”

Turner pressed as her silence stretched. Regardless, she couldn’t just tell him the truth outright. Whether he’d believe her was questionable, and even if he didn’t, he was a merchant who bought and sold information. Unless he were utterly destitute, with no connections left to rely on, he wouldn’t hesitate to spread rumors. Ro played dumb.

“I’ve never learned from anyone. You were just slow.”

“You’re saying blocking my dagger was pure luck?”

Turner completely ignored her implication of his slowness, interpreting her words however suited him. If only you knew, you bastard—it wasn’t luck, but the domain of effort etched into one’s soul. Ro smirked inwardly while outwardly shrugging nonchalantly.

“Whatever. If that was all you’ve got, I don’t see anything worth learning from you.”

“What if that wasn’t all?”

Turner shot back, slightly provoked. Ro snorted through her nose.

“That’ll never happen, even if I died trying. But I’ll double your current pay.”

“Is that all? How about tripling my salary and treating me as your honored master?”

“Hey, that’d be a loss for me. In a bet, I should gain something too.”

At this, Turner clicked his tongue in disappointment, then added generously, “Fine. Then I’ll provide information—anything you want—free of charge.”

“And unlimited times. Also return the money I took from you last time.”

“You’re really trying to get everything for free, aren’t you? Well, fine.”

Turner laughed as if amazed, but soon raised both hands in acceptance. Ro smirked.

“You won’t change your mind even if you cry later, begging just one glance?”

“Ha-ha.”

Turner laughed aloud at her provocation. His eyes still held a playful ease, but Rosetta sensed an ominous undertone in his laughter. She tensed and widened the distance. Yet Turner merely narrowed his eyes, appearing deeply thoughtful.

They remained locked in tense silence for over ten minutes. The time dragged so long that even Rosetta, who had initially watched Turner with intense vigilance, began to lose her focus.

“What exactly are you trying to do?”

And just as she let her guard down—exactly as he must have been waiting for—Turner suddenly moved from her blind spot. If it had been an attack like before, instinct might have sensed it. But he seemed to vanish completely in an instant. Ro immediately tried to escape that spot. But in the very next moment…

“Got you.”

Her neck was seized. Ro wore a stunned expression. For several seconds, she had completely failed to track Turner’s movement. For Rosetta, who had privately considered Turner several steps beneath her, this was utterly shocking.

“W-what? I mean… how on earth did you do that?”

“This is the difference in skill.”

“…….”

In an instant, Ro’s face twisted as if she’d bitten something foul. Damn it… Turner’s smug expression irritated her, not just mildly, but to the point her insides churned. Still, she had no choice but to admit his superior skill.

At her current level, even blocking Turner’s first attack had been nothing short of a miracle. It was like stopping a lion’s claw with a chick’s feather. Irritated, Ro shook off his hand still gripping the back of her neck.

“Stop showing off and just answer. How did you move like that?”

She pressed insistently, laying all her cards on the table. But Turner simply stood with arms crossed, shrugging casually.

“Well now, didn’t we have a deal? You promised to treat me as your honored master.”

“…….”

Damn it, I’ll rip out your intestines and pickle them in brine. Ro lowered her eyes respectfully, suppressing the urge to glare, but apparently her expression still held defiance, for Turner narrowed his eyes and scolded her sternly.

“Well now. A promise is a promise.”

…Damn it. He was right. A promise was a promise. Ro clasped her hands together. Her voice strained out as if swallowing sharp thorns.

“…M-master.”

“Good.”

“Now answer me.”

“You expect me to hand over my trade secrets for free? Not for now.”

Ro ground her teeth inwardly. True, their agreement hadn’t included a clause forbidding the disciple from killing the master. Turner, oblivious to her dark thoughts, chuckled contentedly. He clapped his hands sharply.

“Then let’s start with the most basic training, shall we?”

Ro obediently slumped her shoulders and moved to a corner of the training ground as Turner gestured. Having called him master, she had no choice but to comply. Still, Turner seemed surprisingly serious about training her.

“Let’s start with running around the training ground. Exactly five laps.”

…You piece of trash, I hope you trip and faceplant into a mudflat and die.

* * *

The Montrosa training ground was large enough to comfortably fit about three knightly units of average size. While basic coordination could be somewhat supported by memories from her past life, physical stamina was an entirely different matter. By the end of the first lap, she had already reached her limit. By the second, her consciousness blurred. By the third, she was driven purely by stubborn pride and spite.

Turner remarked, with an attitude impossible to tell whether kind or mocking, that she could walk if she found it too difficult. Yet each time, his gaze pierced her with a look of pitiful condescension. So Ro gritted her teeth and forced her limbs to move. Only after barely completing all five laps was she finally allowed to leave the training ground.

“Uuuuugh…”

Ro groaned as she sank her body into a bathtub steaming with hot water. Her exhausted muscles screamed in protest. Damn it… if the pain was this bad already, tomorrow she’d be half-dead. Anna grumbled as she poured a stream of scented oil into the bathwater.

“I told you, go easy on the first day.”

“Go complain to him. Tell him to stop pushing me like this.”

“He’s just upset. You came all the way to the Eastern District, yet you show no interest in dominating high society…”

Sure enough, there came that nagging again. Ro lifted a dripping wet hand to pretend to cover her ears. Anna, undeterred, rolled her eyes but carefully adjusted the water temperature to prevent it from cooling.

“You haven’t even hosted the customary tea gatherings you’re expected to, nor had any dresses tailored…”

Letting her guard down at Anna’s kindness, the moment Ro lowered her hands from her ears, Anna immediately launched into her second round of scolding. Ro took a deep breath and submerged herself completely, burying even the tips of her hair beneath the water’s surface.