Swiss Arms 46 (Patreon)

Swiss Arms

Chapter 46

-VB-

This was a rare event.

Leon looked on as the lord of the castle faced off against would-be winners of the prize. Five of them stood within a sand ring in the circle in front of the castle’s wooden walls. Around the ring were a lot of the other contestants and onlookers like Leon himself.

Leon knew that he had no chance here. He’s seen what the lord could do with a single hand, never mind both of his hands with a sword, no matter what kind of material that sword was made out of.

He watched as one of the contestants to the lord’s back went for a dishonorable attack.

The lord reacted almost too quickly, parrying the downward strike and then kicking the guy in the chest. They stopped the attack immediately and sent the challenger tumbling back.

The other challengers quickly attacked the lord.

And received the same treatment.

He awed audibly at how his lord jumped over a spear strike at his feet, kicked away another spear thrust while mid-air, struck another with the flat of his wooden practice sword, and then twisted his body to dodge another sword strike.

When he landed, the lord burst forth and slammed into the two last standing challengers and dispatched them with one, two, and three strikes.

He clapped his hands, mouth hanging open like an idiot. He couldn’t help it. The lord’s movement were … “kunstlerich.” Yes, a new word he learned in the “schula.” Remembering it all was a hassle, so he needed to keep using them lest he forgets and score low.

If he scored low, then he was going to get less tax cut than even a half-decent score.

“Next!” the lord shouted, and the grumbling challengers left. They’ll get their chance next month for that piece of gold.

Leon smirked as he accepted his cut of the bet from the dealer. Sure, he only got a little, but it was a sure bet, so he’ll be happy with a few spare coins or sliver of silver more.

The next five challengers stepped up, and this time, Leon didn’t bet his “hard”-earned money. No, he was satisfied seeing veteran warriors get their shit kicked in for his weekend entertainment.

-VB-

I let out a slow release of air as the exercise came to an end. As the crowd dispersed, I turned back around to enter my fort.

What waited me there was none other than Alvia and Isabella, the former holding a water pitcher and a cup while the latter held a towel for me to wipe myself with.

I accepted their help with a strained smile.

It felt awkward for me to remain near Isabella but also Alvia. After all, hadn’t she come here initially? One could say that she was the first woman of the fort, and once I realized just how people saw me - or at least some of them through inference I made using what Isabella said - and how oblivious I had been because of how obstinately I had been focused on my Gamer quests, abilities, Sim City-ing, and Minecraft-ing.

Speaking of which…

[Ping!]

I went through my usual process, and this time, I chose to get an upgrade to my Strength even more. The only other options were Agility and improvement to my already impressive Endurance.

I noticed Alvia and Isabella glancing at each other briefly before focusing back on me. It didn’t seem like they had any hostility towards each other… but then again, I hadn’t noticed a lot of details in the people around me, so I was skeptical of my own observation.

Afer drinking a cup of water and patting down what little sweat that accumulated on my skin with the towel, I thanked them. “Thanks, Alvia, Isabella.”

“No problem,” Alvia said.

“Of course, my lord,” Isabella replied.

It was also moments like this that I realized the kind of impact I’ve had on people. ‘No problem’ was not the usual kind of answer the locals gave when I was young or recent to this area. No problem was something I said often around here and which only a few people heard. The way she said it so casually and easily told me the level of change.

… Something to observe from the rest of the castle town and even Davos.

“What will you two be doing today?” I asked. It was still morning, though soon to be noon.

“I was hoping to dine with you for lunch, my lord,” Isabella spoke up, her red hair bouncing with the slight jump she made, which also made her considerable tracts of land also bounce up and down a little.

I was a complete gentleman and didn’t look.

Alvia, ever the silent and blunt one, rolled her eyes. “I’m going to be eating and working in the shop,” she said. “Have you satisfied your thirst?” she asked me.

“Yes,” I nodded.

“Good,” she said and then handed me the water pitcher. “I’ll see you at dinner.” And then she walked away.

Isabella was quick to take the towel, water pitcher, and the cup from me. “Now, I believe you have a meeting with your indoor ‘shower,’ my lord. Your servants have heated up the water for you.”

“Servants? I don’t have servants,” I replied with a raised eyebrow.

Her smile only grew. “Then I have asked your employees to do so, and they did.”

“Alright, alright,” I grumbled. “I haven’t even decided on the marriage but you’re already being pushy.”

Her smile turned into a smirk. “Because my lord,” she whispered as she stepped up to me while pushing up her breasts from under them. “You are a man, and I am a woman who told you she wants you. I have prodded and learned the limits of what I can ask of you as a woman should in any situation.”

If she kept showing off, then I might really do something stupid.

I was a man, Isabella was a hot woman almost spreading her legs, and she was neither stupid nor malevolent. In fact, she genuinely liked me. She got to know me and got me to know her over the past two months she’s been staying here (somehow getting permission from her father to stay).

She was intelligent, educated, understanding, sexy, and cheerful. The only “bad” part of her was her slight obsessiveness and impulsivity, though neither characteristics were out of her control; in fact, she liked to use them to her advantage to put others off guard, especially when combined with her cheerfulness and attractiveness.

So I did the only brave thing I could do in this situation to not let the situation escalate: bravely running away.

I sighed. “I don’t even know what to say to that,” I grumbled as I walked away.

“You could be a brute, scoop me up, and have your way with me~!” she teased with a little titter in her voice. “You’ll definitely have to take responsibility and marry me!”

“And get into a fight with your dad? I’m not a guy who goes around risking my people so easily.” I didn’t hear what she said afterwards, but I did give her one more. “And thanks for the hot water!”

---

When her lord - she would make it happen - rounded the corner, Isabella dropped her smile and sighed.

She’s tried every trick her mothers - birth and step mothers - have taught her. She’s tried to be cool and logical as she first thought Lord Hans would be more amenable to. It worked a little but not enough. She tried to get him to see her as a woman.

She knew she was desperate when she was making herself look useful.

She also knew that she was managing to slowly wear Hans’s resolve. Just a little more and … she might even be able to visit him at night.

Isabella shivered.

While her adventure was not as romantic as her father’s had been, she found it interesting and great nonetheless. Sure, her adventure felt more methodical than how her father seduced her birth mother… and step mother. She had to be. Hans was a far catchier and tougher target than her mothers were.

She wasn’t debasing her birth and step mothers, just that Hans was a romantically and marriage reluctant man focused on other aspects of life, which was something men can do because they didn’t have a time limit on when they could get married.

Unfortunately for her, she was a woman and there was a time limit for when she could get married. Give her two more years and she would be considered odd. A year more after that and people would start asking if she was barren or horrible. Another year after that and men won’t even look at her for marriage prospects.

… Perhaps she was exaggerating to herself a little, but the matter of the fact was still clear: women had limited time to find their husbands.

And Hans, probably one of the best men out there including the likes of dukes and emperors, was incredibly hard to seduce.

Isabella knew that she was on the right track. She just … needed to push herself a little more.

-VB-

Alvia knew that her decision was right.

Perhaps it was just that her love was not like what Isabella felt. Her love felt more … blue? Green? It wasn’t the blushing red and passionate love that her friends and peers talked about.

Now that she had more time and outside perspective to see what a “passionate love” looked like (or obsession), she realized that, yes, she does love Hans, but not like Isabella. It felt more … friendly. More cordial. More sibling-like than a desire for a man.

… Maybe she did feel a bit of that desire, but it was largely overshadowed by the other kinds of love.

In fact, this revelation made her feel better about Isabella.

Hans needed a woman to keep him grounded, because he will otherwise go deep into a hole and never return, and while she couldn’t be tht woman for Hans because she also had that issue, Isabella might be able to … once she actually became Hans’s wife.

Otherwise, Alvia might need to find someone else for Hans.

-VB-

[Character Status]

Name: Hans von Fluelaberg

Age: 20
LvL: 34
HP: 700
MP: 350
ST: 350

STR: 57
END: 70
AGI: 63
DEX: 52
INT: 35
CHA: 22