VII

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Arc VII Chapter 8

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1st Aqua Solar XI AAC 753

Her hand threw another dagger. The dagger crossed the distance. The weapon crossed the distance. Angelika deflected her attack. The knightess was forced to defend, which compromised her stance, opening her up for another attack. Supposedly. Her posture. The angle of her blade. It was a trap.

Not that Aurora cared. She dashed in, her hew aiming low. Angelika parried, her sword anticipating her strike. Her counter was swift and brutal. Angelika stepped forwards, rewarding her defenceless form with a spinning kick. Aurora took her punishment with as much grace and dignity as possible, which meant taking a kick in the guts and being sent flying on an involuntary basis. It was over. Finally.

Aurora hit the ground, her frail body rolling over it. The ground had claimed her hard and fast. She scrambled to rise, but a heavy boot cut her short, its weight pinning her chest down. A blade threatened her throat, spelling out her terms of defeat.

Aurora gazed up, staring at Angelika's familiar face. The knightess had opened her eyes, still wet and red, irritated by the sand that she had thrown. "You lost."

Aurora rolled her eyes, her mood improvable. That was rather obvious, was it not? "I guess so, any other piece of sage wisdom that you would like to offer?"

As usual, Angelika brushed her sarcasm aside, with a smile. "You know, you get quite cheeky when in a foul mood, I note. You don't like to lose, do you?"

"... ... ..." Aurora averted her gaze, refusing to respond.

"Figured so." Angelika beamed, offering her defeated opponent a hand. "I was told you're a sore loser. As it turns out, they were right."

Aurora viewed her hand with suspicion and distrust. She hesitated before grabbing it to pull herself up. Her initial reluctance and stubbornness did not go unnoticed, much to Angelika's amusement. "And who told you so? Let me guess, Sir Hartmann and Erika." Again.

The knightness chuckled, mere nodding. "Spot on." Of course, it would be them. Unsurprisingly. If she didn't know better, she would think that they had a bone to pick with her.

Angelika raised her index finger. "They both warned me in no uncertain terms. Edelgart. Cute. Adorable. Arrogant. Prideful. They also warned me that contrary to your appearance, you love to fight dirty. Sir Hartmann in particular."

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"..." Aurora rolled her eyes in disbelief. How judgemental on their part. What was a weak, little girl with a frail body and puny physique against a bunch of juvenile boys? How was she supposed to fight all these brats in class without a few tricks here and there? Did they seriously expect her to fight these uncouth rascals fair and squarely?

"That being said, you fight well, Edelgart." Angelika beamed. "Sir Hartmann was right when he told me that you've much potential. You might not look like it, but you were a pretty tough nut to crack. You gave me quite the run for money, Edelgart." A compliment was a compliment, one that was appreciated.

"... ... ..." Aurora offered a blank stare in response, studying the knightess. There was neither deceit nor deception in her words. They were sincere. Angelika meant what she said, but admittedly, it did not take much to impress her. Nevertheless ... "Thank you."

"..." Her words did not fail to elicit a smile from Angelika. The knightess grinned before suddenly stepping closer to ruffle her hair, in a gentle motion that was commonly referred to as a dreaded head pat. It was an uncalled intrusion in her private sphere, without her permission! "Now, tell me, little one, where did you learn how to fight this way?"

Aurora raised an eyebrow, her black hair ruffled. "What do you mean?"

"..." Angelika beamed at her. Not in her usual manner, but in a knowing manner that meant that she had been caught red handed stealing from the cookie jar. "Listen, Edelgart, I'm old enough to have seen a few things in life. Unlikely as it might seem, I know one or two things about sword fighting.

There are people that fight with technique. Like Erich. He follows his teachings and his style. There are people that fight with instinct. Like Ludolf. He follows his heart. You, however, you fight with experience. The way you moved ... The way you countered my attacks ... Your stance ... You knew how to react and when to act. You've done this before, haven't you?"

Her words caught everyone's attention, including Erich's and Ludolf's. The former viewed her with renewed scrutiny, which only heightened his suspicion.

"..." Aurora narrowed her eyes, mostly in a neutral manner. Her question was unwelcome, but not unexpected. Of course, the woman would notice. Fortunately, she had a plan. Not necessarily a good one, but a plan nevertheless. Deny. Reject. Divert. With cuteness.

"..." Aurora fidgeted with her hands, deploying her cutest timid face. "Well, Uncle Lambert and Sir Hartmann taught me a lot~. So I guess that I know one or two things when it comes to sword fighting."

"Did they? I gather they must've taught you well then." Angelika chuckled, always positive, always charming. The tinge of sarcasm was noted. Her explanation did neither satisfy nor convince the inquisitive knightess. "Anyway, if you don't want to tell me, that's fine. I won't pry. After all, every one of us has their little secrets, right?" The knightess gave her a secretive wink.

"... ... ..." Aurora tentatively agreed. "Right ..."

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"One for you, Erich. One for you, Ludolf. One for me. And two for you and your doll, Edelgart~." Angelika was busy distributing the cups of hot chocolate among them, shoving them across the wooden table. Erich, Ludolf, she and her doll, they were all sitting together inside the guild, huddled around a table. Dollora, meanwhile, perched on top of the table like the proper lady she was. Each of them received their allotted share, a mug full of dark, delicious chocolateness thanks to Angelika's kind heart. To quote her, sharing was caring, such was her credo, which translated to a cup of hot chocolate for everyone.

Elated, Angelika smiled at them, a broad grin plastered across her face. Her good deed warmed her heart. "That's everyone, right? I didn't forget anyone?"

Erich responded, "No, not that I know of. Thank you for the hot chocolate. The cup is ... appreciated."

"Yes, thank you", Ludolf joined him, rich chocolate flavoured foam already clinging to his upper lip. He had taken the first gulp, unable to wait. "Erich is right, you're the best, Angelika!"

"..." Aurora seconded their opinion, nodding along sagely. Her tiny hands held her cup tightly, protecting her precious beverage against any potential avaricious competitors. As a wise girl once said, the best hot chocolate was the one relished. Especially, if you did not pay for it. The latter was entirely Angelika's merit.

Angelika grinned before raising her cup for a toast. "I'm glad to hear that. Now, prosit, everyone! Enjoy your hot chocolate! You earned it!"

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