With the ceremony complete, the master and apprentice didn't rush back to the tavern. With nothing else to do, they decided to stay and train in the clearing by the river.
Half a month ago at the beach, Aldric had taught Kevin a two-handed sword style capable of facing down Old Gods, which had greatly improved Kevin's martial arts.
However, a two-handed sword has little value on a real battlefield.
On a true battlefield, you use bows and crossbows at long range, spears at mid-range, and sword and shield in close combat.
In short, you stay as far away from the enemy as possible. If you must get close, you cover yourself as much as possible.
Weapons like the two-handed sword, which are strong on offense but weak on defense, mostly shine in city duels.
It's not that the two-handed sword isn't practical or cool, it's just that its applications are limited.
Before, Aldric and Kevin were just strangers traveling together. Now that their master-student relationship was established, Aldric had to consider Kevin's safety on the battlefield.
So, Aldric donned his armor, picked up his "Royal Crest of Lordaeron" and "Blade of the Unquenched," and engaged in a live-blade spar with his student to cultivate Kevin's combat awareness and temper his fighting skills.
To avoid injuring Kevin, Aldric didn't just relentlessly beat the boy as he had before. This time, he would precisely stop the blade just as it was about to land on Kevin's body.
Even so, this realistic practice, where a hair's breadth meant the difference between life and death, put immense pressure on Kevin.
There is great terror between life and death. Every time Aldric's blade bypassed Kevin's defense and thrust toward his vitals, Kevin was filled with immense panic.
Unconsciously, Kevin's counterattacks often became overly forceful, employing deadly moves that went beyond the limits of practice.
Faced with his student's attacks, Aldric didn't dodge or evade, letting Kevin's sword, "Aellie," strike his body.
Because Aldric's armor was of a very high level, Kevin's attacks couldn't harm him, not even leaving a white mark on the armor.
The first time he struck Aldric's waist, Kevin nervously dropped Aellie and ran to his master to check for injuries.
But Aldric was not only uninjured, he even pulled him close and helped him analyze the shortcomings of his last strike.
After a few times, Kevin relaxed and began to attack his master boldly.
Of course, this level of combat was extremely exhausting.
Every night after returning to the tavern and eating dinner, Kevin would immediately climb into bed, leaving his master to find his own entertainment in the tavern hall.
Fortunately, Kevin had received his father's instruction for many years on the Fingers, which had laid a solid foundation for his martial arts training.
After three days of high-intensity, realistic training, although Kevin's swordsmanship couldn't be called masterful, he had at least reached a proficient level.
As long as he wasn't foolish, he could now handle several untrained commoners without a problem.
At the end of the last day of practice, Aldric scooped up a few handfuls of water from the small river and wiped the sweat from his face. He said to Kevin, who was sitting on the ground panting, "That's it for the sword and shield practice for now. You still need to spend some time strengthening the weaknesses we've exposed these past few days, especially the low slash and the straight thrust. Your movements need to be more refined."
For some reason, as he spoke, Aldric's brow furrowed. "I remember telling you several times, a straight thrust is a straight thrust. Don't add any fancy little moves. Control the centerline, control the centerline! You never remember."
Hearing Aldric's rebuke, Kevin was ashamed. "I'm sorry, Master. I'll definitely practice it well tomorrow."
After cleaning themselves in the river, the two walked slowly back to the village in the twilight.
They had only taken a few steps when Aldric noticed something was wrong. The village was much noisier than usual.
Unfamiliar faces, armed with swords, appeared on the streets. They gathered in small groups, chatting and joking, while the local residents seemed unfazed, even joining in their conversations and laughing loudly.
"Master, who are these people?"
Kevin tilted his head and asked quietly.
"Shh. They're not pirates, anyway. Be quiet, don't talk."
As a seasoned homebody, although Aldric was a decisive commander in games, he was actually slightly socially anxious and didn't like being the center of attention.
Unfortunately, his golden armor was too conspicuous. As he walked, all the unfamiliar faces turned to look at him.
And today's tavern was also different from usual.
Familiar and unfamiliar faces crowded the narrow hall. Patrons raised their mugs and shouted loudly, bursting into raucous cheers from time to time, just like a barbecue stand during the World Cup, full of noisy vitality.
But as soon as Aldric stepped into the tavern, the boisterous hall fell silent, and all eyes fell on him.
Being stared at by a group of burly men, although Aldric rationally didn't feel afraid, his steps inevitably became stiff.
When he returned to his room, changed into casual clothes, and came downstairs again, no one in the tavern was paying special attention to him anymore, and the hall had returned to its lively state. This made Aldric breathe a sigh of relief.
He walked to the bar, pulled out a high stool, and sat down. He asked Gabry, "What's with all these people? I've never seen them before."
Gabry wiped a mug with a cloth and told him, "These guys are all militiamen from the nearby villages. A few days ago, after Elder William sent someone to see Castellan Rodney, Lord Rodney immediately summoned the nearby militias to pursue the pirates."
"Just last night, our Lord Rodney fought a battle with the pirates. They killed a dozen of them, but we also suffered some casualties, so they decided to stop and rest. Since it was close to our village, they came here."
Aldric suddenly understood. "So that's why I haven't seen William and the others these past few days. They were all conscripted?"
"Yes, Elder William and the others came back tonight, but they all went back to their own homes."
"How many men did the castellan bring?"
"About one hundred and fifty or sixty, I think. It should be more than the pirates."
"Then where are they staying? I don't see that many spare houses in your village."
"Those with relatives here are staying with them. Those without are staying in tents."
"Oh... bring me my dinner."
Gabry said apologetically, "All the ale in the tavern is sold out. Only fresh milk is left."
Aldric usually didn't let Kevin drink ale, telling him he was still growing and should only drink milk. So Gabry guessed Aldric wouldn't refuse fresh milk.
As expected, Aldric didn't mind. "Milk is fine."
The dinner Gabry brought was very generous: a large piece of whole-wheat dark bread, a large bowl of thick vegetable soup, cheese instead of cured meat, and a large glass of milk.
Aldric nodded his thanks to Gabry and began to enjoy his dinner.
He had only taken a couple of bites when he heard a gruff voice say loudly, "Ha, such a big man, still drinking milk. I wonder if he needs a good mommy to wipe his mouth when he spits up at night!"
A burst of unrestrained laughter followed from the direction of the voice.
Aldric turned his head and saw a lean, wrinkled middle-aged man grinning at him provocatively.
"Who's that guy?" Aldric asked Gabry.
"Erik, the leader from Redstone Village. Lord Rodney's favorite."
"Did I offend him in some way?"
Gabry shrugged and didn't answer, clearly not intending to get involved.
Aldric thought for a moment, then picked up his glass and walked over to Erik. He looked him in the eye, tilted his head back, and drained the milk in one gulp. Then he squeezed the wooden cup, which shattered into several pieces and fell onto the table in front of Erik with a clatter.
"I'm curious, are your bones harder than this cup?"
The air in the tavern seemed to be sucked out. It immediately fell silent, and all eyes focused on them.
Erik slowly stood up, his playful expression turning grim. "A cup doesn't fight back, kid."
Aldric nodded. "A cup doesn't talk and annoy people either."
Erik's pupils contracted. "Perhaps I should teach you how to show respect to your elders."
"Ha, you, you," Aldric pointed to Erik and his four companions one by one, "and you two, come outside with me. I'll give you a lesson."
With that, he turned and walked out of the tavern.
Erik and his men exchanged a look, stood up, and followed him into the tavern yard.
"I don't know why you're looking for trouble with me for no reason, but I guess it won't stop unless I beat you up," Aldric said, cracking his knuckles. "Come on, all of you at once, save me the trouble."
Erik smirked, the wrinkles on his face bunching up. "Big guy, William told me you took down six or seven pirates by yourself. I don't believe it. There are always people in this world who don't know what shame is and like to take credit for others' achievements. Come on, let me see if you're a coward or a tough guy."
As he spoke, Erik and his companions spread out, surrounding Aldric.
Aldric quickly observed that they were unarmed and said, "A fight can't be without a prize. What if I knock you all down?"
"Let's see you win first!"
A man suddenly lunged at Aldric from behind, grabbing his arms. The others closed in.
But though the man had grabbed Aldric's arms, he couldn't control his movements at all. Aldric spun sharply, spreading his arms. The man's grip was broken, and he was thrown off, crashing into one of his companions. Both fell to the ground.
Then Aldric raised his hand and slapped the nearest man, sending him face-first into the dirt, where he lay motionless.
A fourth man threw a straight punch at Aldric's face, but Aldric blocked it with his arm and grabbed his wrist with his other hand, throwing him to the ground.
Just then, Erik slipped into Aldric's blind spot and threw an uppercut at his waist.
A kidney shot? Heh, do you have any idea how familiar I am with that move?
Aldric leaned back slightly, causing Erik's attack to miss. He then grabbed Erik's head and pushed him back.
Erik stumbled back a few steps and tripped over one of his men who was trying to get up.
In just a dozen seconds, the militia leader from Redstone Village and his closest comrades were easily defeated by Aldric, unable to resist.
The crowd of militiamen and villagers fell silent.
Aldric walked over to Erik and crossed his arms. "I win."
Erik clutched the side of his head where Aldric's fingers had grabbed it it was still throbbing and said, "You win. Say it, what do you want?"
"Apologize to me. Buy me a drink."
"I hope your tolerance for alcohol is better than your fighting skills."
Aldric extended his hand. "You're welcome to try."
Erik laughed, took Aldric's hand, and stood up. He raised Aldric's hand high and shouted, "This is a real man!"
The crowd erupted in cheers and applause. The sudden enthusiasm made Aldric feel incredibly awkward.
It was just a fight. Why are these people so excited?
It seemed he still needed some time to get used to this world.
Because Aldric had held back, the troublemakers were able to get up and recover after a little stretching.
Back in the tavern, Erik told his companions to go back to their seats and continue drinking. He himself led Aldric to a table by the window.
At the table sat a middle-aged man in a black velvet coat and a young man with medium-length curly hair.
"Lord Rodney, this kid has a strong grip. My scalp is still a little sore."
As soon as he sat down, Erik couldn't help but complain.
"Heh."
The middle-aged man chuckled and said to Aldric, "I apologize, Ser. This pointless brawl was my idea. If you have any dissatisfaction, please direct it at me. Don't take it out on my men."
Aldric shrugged and replied, "It's fine. It's not like I'm the one who got hurt. So, have I passed the interview?"
Rodney took out a silver stag and tossed it to the young man opposite him. "Harry, get us some real good ale from the bartender. Don't bring us that watered-down stuff."
Then he nodded to Aldric and said, "Yes. Your strength and wisdom are impressive. Ser Aldric, may I know which family from the Fingers you hail from?"
Aldric thought to himself, I wonder how much this Rodney knows about the families on the Fingers. If I just make one up, it would be embarrassing if he calls me out.
In fact, Aldric's claim of being from the Fingers was already full of holes.
According to Kevin, the Fingers was a remote and barren coastal territory. It couldn't possibly produce a knight like him.
Aldric thought for a moment and replied, "Alright, actually, I'm from Pentos, across the sea. Kevin's uncle and I were comrades in the same warband."
"I was fulfilling his last wish, taking Kevin from the Fingers to join the army in the east. But we ran into some trouble on the way and were kicked off the ship by the captain. I assume this isn't a problem?"
"Indeed. No matter where you're from, as long as you're not a pirate, you're our friend."
Rodney continued, "Let me introduce myself. My name is Rodney Cobbert. I am the castellan of Stoneyard Village and the surrounding villages."
"I invite you to join us in hunting down the pirates. If we have a powerful warrior like you fighting alongside us, I think our chances of victory will be much greater. You wouldn't mind earning some extra money before you return to the east, would you?"