As Lisa held onto Nolan even after receiving the "Waymark," and showed no signs of letting go, Jean had no choice but to approach with a stern expression, ready to pull her away.
However, Eula contacted Jean through their internal connection, letting her know that she had found the perfect spot for them to unleash their full power. She urged Jean to teleport over imdiately!
Jean sighed internally but rembered her promise to spar with Eula. With her obligations settled for the ti being and no urgent matters pending, she figured leaving for a while wouldn't be an issue.
Since Jean received Eula's ssage, Nolan did too, as he had also been invited to spar.
When Lisa found out, her green eyes sparkled with interest, and she expressed her desire to watch.
Nolan had no objections, but Jean, the Acting Grand Master, stated that if Lisa wanted to co along, she would first have to release the Honorary Knight's hand.
After all, she was the Honorary Knight's partner. Why was Lisa, of all people, acting so familiar?
Jean felt a tinge of jealousy.
"Ha, alright, I won't tease you anymore," Lisa chuckled, letting go of Nolan's arm with a mock look of reluctance, causing Jean's delicate brows to arch slightly.
Her friend was perfect in many ways, except for her mischievous nature!
"Hmph!"
Jean crossed her arms and huffed at Lisa before disappearing in a flash, teleporting to Eula's location using "Interstellar Travel."
"Haha, well, shall we go too?" Nolan murmured, feeling caught between the two won and too intimidated to say much for fear of drawing their ire.
"Of course. But since the little adventurer has given such a lovely gift, it's only fair for to return the favor."
Lisa's enchanting smile appeared.
Before Nolan could react, Lisa leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. As he stood montarily stunned, she teased, "Hehe, surprised? Oh my, I didn't expect myself to be so bold."
Lisa's face even turned slightly pink. Without giving Nolan a chance to look closer, she used "Interstellar Travel" and disappeared.
[Lisa Has Developed Good Feelings Towards You, Obtained 390 points. Current Affection Level: Lv. 7 (450/700)]
"Was... was I just flirted with?" Nolan wondered, feeling a mix of surprise and regret.
If only he'd had the presence of mind to turn his head a bit, Lisa might have kissed him on the lips!
What a missed opportunity!
A sigh of frustration escaped him. He would have to find a way to make up for it in the future.
...
When Nolan reappeared after teleporting from the Acting Grand Master's office, he found himself in a sowhat familiar place.
The ground and walls were cracked and broken, with significant damage throughout.
There were staggered stone steps leading up in tiers.
This was the Thousand Winds Temple. He had visited this place before with Noelle and Vile. So, Eula had chosen this as their sparring ground?
It made sense. The space was large enough and was outdoors, so there was no risk of damaging buildings within the city.
There were five people present.
Amber, Eula, Jean, Lisa, and Nolan. He appeared to Eula's left, while Jean and Lisa, having just arrived, stood beside Eula.
"Lisa, why are you here too? Do you want to challenge ?" Eula asked, crossing her arms and tilting her fair chin up.
"Hehe, I'm not interested in fighting. I'm just here to watch," Lisa said, looking relaxed, as if she'd forgotten about the kiss she'd given Nolan earlier.
"Suit yourself," Eula said, resting her hands on her waist. "Alright, which of you two wants to go first?"
She cast a confident glance at Nolan and Jean.
"I don't mind. Choose however you like," Nolan said with a smile.
"Hmm, I'll go first," Jean said. It didn't matter whether she went first or last, so she opted to step forward.
"Oh? Is the eldest daughter of the Gunnhildr Clan so eager to be defeated?" Eula smirked.
"Don't be so sure of yourself. We'll see who defeats whom!" Jean retorted, not backing down.
"Hehe, both Captain Eula and Acting Grand Master Jean are full of fighting spirit!" Amber's red bunny-ear accessory twitched slightly as she grinned and then cleared her throat. "Ahem, I am the referee for this 'Knights of Favonius Friendship Duel.' To prevent things from getting out of hand, there need to be so rules for this match."
The "Knights of Favonius Friendship Duel" was the na Amber had co up with for the sparring match.
Overall, it seed like a suitable plan.
"Amber does make a point. You two are so of the strongest in the Knights of Favonius, and if you fight seriously, it won't end quickly. So, it makes sense to put a ti limit on the duel," Nolan nodded in agreent.
"That's completely unnecessary. Hmph, I'll have that blockhead from the Gunnhildr family down in less than ten minutes!" Eula declared, her eyes burning with determination as she looked at Jean.
Jean knew Eula's tough-talking nature well and responded with a calm smile.
After so discussion, everyone agreed that so restrictions were necessary.
Simply put, the battle would be limited to thirty minutes. If neither could claim victory within that ti and neither was clearly at a disadvantage, it would be considered a draw. However, if one side was only barely managing to hold on, the other side would be deed the winner.
The rules were straightforward and fair to both sides, so both Eula and Jean accepted them. Just as preparations for the duel were underway, Lisa, with a mischievous glint in her eye, spoke up:
"Isn't this duel a bit too plain if it's just for sparring? How about we add so stakes with a punishnt and a reward?"
"Punishnt and reward?" Eula and Jean both frowned slightly.
"Yes, the loser should face a penalty, and the winner should get a reward. That sounds reasonable, doesn't it?" Lisa said with a playful curve to her lips.
"What do you have in mind, Lisa?" Nolan asked, intrigued.
"Of course, I do," Lisa replied with a slight nod and a smile. "Since we're all colleagues, money as a reward is a bit boring. How about the loser serves as the winner's personal attendant for a week?"
Lisa's smile stayed in place, but there was an unmistakable hint of amusent in her eyes, as if she was eagerly anticipating the outco.
What a mischievous big sister she was. Nolan silently praised her—this idea was fantastic!
Originally, he had planned to hold back against Eula to avoid hurting her pride, but if winning ant having Eula as a maid...
Then he'd have to take things a bit more seriously!
"A... an attendant?!"
Eula and Jean had different reactions to Lisa's suggestion.
Eula looked slightly surprised but intrigued—having the eldest daughter of the Gunnhildr family serve as her maid was an appealing idea.
"Lisa, what are you plotting?" Jean sighed, exasperated by her friend's penchant for strange ideas.
"Ha, Jean, are you afraid?" Eula interjected before Lisa could respond. She liked the idea and wanted Jean to agree to it.
"You're too proud, Eula!" Jean frowned, recognizing the provocation. She didn't believe she would lose, and after thinking it over, she decided to accept. Defeating Eula this ti might keep her from challenging her to another sparring match for a while.
"Eh, are we really doing this?" Amber felt a little worried for Eula since Jean was very strong.
"Don't worry, Amber. I won't lose," Eula said confidently, crossing her arms.
Amber knew how determined Eula could be once she made up her mind and didn't try to dissuade her. After all, losing just ant becoming Jean's maid for a week—not the end of the world.
"Well then, what about you, Nolan?" Amber turned to him.
"Uh, haha, since Eula insists, I can't very well refuse her. At most, I'll be her little servant for a few days," Nolan chuckled. Either way, he didn't really lose, so he had no reason to decline.
"Hehe, this is going to be interesting!" Lisa's face lit up with amusent. No matter who won or lost, she'd have a good show to watch.
Soon, Eula and Jean's "Friendship Duel" began. The two stood facing each other in the center of the Thousand Winds Temple, ready for battle.
Nolan, Amber, and Lisa stood to one side, close to the wall, giving the duelists plenty of space.
[Level: 76]
[Level: 82]
Their levels hadn't changed much since Nolan last saw them. Although Eula's level was a bit lower, her battle experience likely surpassed Jean's.
So, victory wasn't out of reach for her.
However, the gap due to one breakthrough level wasn't easy to bridge. How she handled it would be key.
The aura from both won grew more intense as the duel progressed.
Then, with a single step, a powerful burst of force cracked the ground like a spider web. The two figures, swords raised, collided with a resounding "bang," causing a trendous wind pressure to radiate outward as if the surrounding air had been pushed away.
Lisa's pointed purple witch hat was nearly blown off.
Amber had to put on the goggles hanging around her neck to protect her eyes from the flying dust and debris.
Seeing this, Nolan directed the wind to bypass them, solving the problem.
"Amber, Lisa, who do you think will win?" Nolan asked, trying to lighten the mood.
"Well, I know Eula is really strong, but I still feel that Captain Jean has a higher chance of winning," Amber said after a mont of thought.
"Hehe, I actually think Eula has a shot at it," Lisa replied thoughtfully. "After all, since Jean beca Acting Grand Master, she's been swamped with various duties and only gets so light exercise, like morning runs. Overall, she's not in peak fighting form.
"Eula, on the other hand, as the captain of the Reconnaissance Company, is the complete opposite. She's always out in the field, either clearing out monsters or heading toward the next fight. Her combat experience is extensive, so I believe she has a chance to win."
Lisa's reasoning aligned with Nolan's own thoughts. "It seems like we're on the sa page," he said with a chuckle.
Unfortunately, their guesses were far from the truth.
The duel between Eula and Jean was intense and evenly matched, with neither able to gain a clear advantage. As expected, the final outco was no different.
Thirty minutes passed, and neither had managed to claim victory. Both were still in good condition.
As a result, it ended in a draw.
Eula was sowhat surprised by this outco, but rules were rules, and there was no changing them. They agreed to a rematch for another ti.
"Oh my, what an exhilarating battle! What a sha it ended in a draw," Lisa sighed regretfully.
But she quickly smiled again and turned to Nolan, asking, "Next up is the duel between you and Eula. Are you feeling confident?"
"Of course, a bit," Nolan said with a smile and a nod.
After a half-hour break, Eula's stamina had mostly recovered. Jean even activated her Elental Burst Dandelion Breeze ,creating a Dandelion Field, to aid in her recovery.
So when Eula faced Nolan, she was back to full strength—it wasn't an unfair advantage.
"Hmph, if I can't make Jean my maid, then having you tag along on my monster hunts isn't too bad," Eula declared, leveling her greatsword at Nolan in a victorious pose.
"Heh, last ti, I was too weak, and you easily deflected my attack. But now, I've made significant progress. You know, during my ti on the Dragonspine, I was able to go toe-to-toe with 'the Doctor' and even clash with a dragon," Nolan said as he opened a rift shimring like a starry sky and pulled out his Moonlight Greatsword from the "Wonderland."
Seeing Eula's defiant expression, he continued his psychological play. "But don't worry, this ti I'll defeat you purely with swordsmanship!"
"Hmph, try if you can!" Eula wasn't intimidated by his words. She rembered that she had taught him swordsmanship initially, so she couldn't believe he'd surpassed her in just over six months!
Soon, both were ready.
A fierce sword aura rose from them, colliding in the air even before the fight began.
And then, the battle erupted!
The two vanished from their starting positions, reappearing in an instant as their greatswords clashed with a loud "bang," just like the fight between Eula and Jean.
The imnse force created a shockwave that cracked the ground around them. Thankfully, this duel wasn't taking place in the training grounds or within Mondstadt; the repair costs would have been significant.
The outco was inevitable.
Eula's swordsmanship was elegant and rhythmic, like a noble dance. But Nolan had learned it too and had upgraded it to the highest level.
He knew exactly where her weak points were and when to strike—better than Eula herself did.
In a duel of pure swordsmanship, she had no chance of winning!
Initially, Nolan held back, allowing Eula to fight on equal footing to spare her pride. After fifteen minutes, he began to press his advantage, and by twenty minutes, he was pushing her hard.
In the final five minutes, he successfully disard her, sending her greatsword flying!
(End of Chapter)
❇❇❇
Support on Patreon - Read Up to 45 Advanced Chapters There!
patreon/RedX43 (Upload 2 chaps per day)
Limited CHRISTMAS Offer: Use code E7475 for 25% off!
❇❇❇
User Comments
0 comments from readers