Lucas noticed the shift in Silvara's expression—awkward, slightly lowered, and clearly not her usual demeanor. He considered following up, but eventually exhaled quietly.

She looks uncomfortable. Better focus on training for now, he thought.

Besides, the duel was already taking up enough space in his mind.

"…Alright," Lucas said at last. "We should focus on training first."

Silvara twitched faintly.

She slowly turned to Lucas, her eyes narrowing a little.

So that's it?

Just that?

Lucas raised his hoe again, preparing to attempt the next instruction—as if anything about her simply wasn't worth asking.

Silvara let out a short breath, though she said nothing. In her head, the noise was far louder.

So he really doesn't care?

Even after that incident… he doesn't want to know anything about me?

Is he the same as the previous Young Master?

The type who only cared about himself… and only wanted to enjoy the women who passed through his life?

Silvara turned her face away, hiding the irritation rising despite herself.

Her voice remained flat when she resumed giving instructions.

"Alright. Continue. Steady your mana flow."

Lucas nodded and went back to training, unaware that something in Silvara's eyes had changed just a little.

He channeled mana along the blade of his hoe. The flow was steady, gathering at the tip just as Silvara instructed.

Silvara observed for a moment before asking, "How did you make that hoe feel heavier before?"

Lucas answered without thinking much. "Just twist the end of the handle to the right."

Silvara frowned. "Twist… to the right?"

Lucas nodded casually.

Silvara studied the tool longer, and her memory drifted back to the time when she still saw Lucas as Lucian. Back then, she assumed her Young Master was simply careless when placing the hoe on the floor… but now she realized: he had turned his wrist with practiced ease.

"…For someone who's not very perceptive," Silvara finally said, her voice flat but laced with a faint mocking tone, "you're surprisingly clever."

Lucas raised a brow. "What does that mean?"

"Nothing," Silvara cut him off quickly. She drew her sword—a regular blade, not a Soulbound weapon. "Try attacking me."

Lucas looked at the sword. "You're not using your Soulbound weapon?"

"No need."

Silvara observed Lucas's hand placement, then said,

"Use an overhand grip with your right hand. It will make it easier for you to twist the handle to the right."

Lucas immediately adjusted his grip.

"Like this?"

"Yes. Your left hand…" Silvara pointed at the shaft.

"Give it some distance from the rotating part. Not too close. Your left hand is only for balancing the swing, not twisting."

Lucas adjusted again.

His stance with the hoe now looked much more stable.

"Good," Silvara said.

"Now—time the rotation right before you strike."

She raised her sword slightly, signaling that she was ready to receive the attack.

"Half a second before impact."

Silvara stared at him without blinking.

"Now."

"Alright," Lucas replied.

The moment Lucas swung his hoe, the impact rang out sharply, making Anya—who was guarding the tomatoes—jump in surprise.

Trank—

"W-WOW…!" Anya's eyes widened in awe. "Their training is so cool…"

She crouched beside a tomato plant, watching intently.

On the other side, Silvara blocked the strike without the slightest effort. Lucas's swing was too heavy, and his timing was still off.

He nearly slipped as the Hoe's momentum dragged his body forward. He quickly twisted the end of the handle to the left, making the weapon light again.

Silvara remained calm and simply said,

"Again."

Lucas took a breath.

"More…" Silvara added.

Lucas gave a half-mocking smirk. "As you command… my Lady."

This time, he truly went all out. Mana pulled into the blade, pivot rotated, and the swing dropped with maximum weight—

BRANG—

Silvara met it with a single swing.

The impact felt like hitting a wall.

Lucas was thrown backward, the Hoe flying out of his hands, spinning through the air before stabbing into the ground several meters away.

THUD.

Lucas rolled across the dirt as dust rose around him.

Silvara lowered her sword again, as if nothing had happened.

Anya, from a distance, stared with her mouth hanging open.

[Ding!]

[Damn, she ain't playing, brother.]

Lucas blinked. "…Sure she is," he muttered, standing up and brushing the dust off his clothes.

Silvara looked at him without a hint of mercy.

"Still too weak. And slow. At that level of speed, you'll lose to a single strike from Aldric."

Lucas let out a long sigh, then started walking toward his Hoe stuck in the ground some distance away.

Silvara raised an eyebrow.

"Where are you going?"

"Getting my Hoe," Lucas replied plainly.

Silvara frowned.

"That's a Soulbound Weapon, isn't it?"

Lucas gave a small grin. "Something like that…"

Silvara rolled her eyes.

"Then retrieve it with your will. No need to walk."

"Huh?"

[Ding!]

[Fantasy world, King. Fantasy world.]

Lucas let out a short grunt. "…Right."

He extended his right hand toward the Hoe.

A bit of focus… a push of will…

The Great Hoe trembled—then lifted off the ground, flying straight toward him, exactly like that one god who kept throwing his thunder hammer at enemies.

"Woah—" His eyes widened, impressed and slightly thrilled.

The moment the handle landed in his palm, Lucas was immediately thrown backward.

THUD.

The Hoe was still far too heavy.

He still wasn't used to handling the Great Hoe like a pro.

Silvara let out a long sigh as she watched Lucas sprawled on the ground, the Hoe still dragging his body downward.

"…Good grief."

Anya immediately scurried over to him, her face tense.

"Don't die… don't die… Young Master, Father still needs the daily coin…" she whispered anxiously.

Lucas stared at the little brat with a half-exhausted, half-frustrated expression.

In his mind, This kid… way too dramatic and way too honest.

He finally sat up, twisting the handle slightly to reduce the Hoe's weight.

"Hey, Little Knight," Lucas said, pointing toward the field. "Go guard the plants again. If you don't, you won't get the tasty bread from the maid."

Anya froze—like a soldier receiving a direct order.

She straightened her posture, giving a sharp salute.

"My apologies. Iron Knight will return to duty."

Without waiting a second longer, Anya hurried back to her row of tomatoes.

Silvara looked at Lucas, who was still sitting on the ground while holding his aching waist.

"If you want to survive against Aldric," she said flatly, "we've only touched about five percent of what you need to master."

Lucas lifted his head, breathing heavily.

"…Five percent?"

"Four, maybe," Silvara added as she turned away. "Rest for ten minutes. After that, we continue."

Lucas let himself fall back down, staring up at the sky. Six days until the duel… great.

The Great Hoe lay beside him—still useless, but at least it returned in a sorta heroic way.

For now, that was enough.

A small beginning to mastering the Great Hoe.

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