Julius's face lit up with a smile. "Excellent! I'll try not to go easy on you, though I'll be basing my assessment on the fact that you've only been training for three months. Is that true, by the way? Three months?"
Cassian nodded again, a bit more confidently this time. "Yeah, just three months."
"Good, then..." Julius said, glancing around before continuing, "let me get a training sword first." He walked toward the ship's wooden railing, unsheathing his sword. It was the first time Cassian had seen it drawn, and the blade was beautiful—gleaming with a red hue despite its blue metal.
Cassian barely had time to admire it before Julius swung the sword in a horizontal slash, effortlessly slicing a precise piece of wood from the railing. The cut was clean, shaping the wood similarly to Cassian's own wooden training sword, but with sharp edges instead of smooth ones.
Cassian was genuinely impressed by the precision and control it took to make such a clean cut with so little effort. Julius picked up the newly cut piece, smiling as he turned to face Cassian. "Alright, let's see the fruits of your hard training... if it was even training in the first place," he said, taking his stance. "If it is, you can keep at it.
But if not, consider normal training, and I'll even help you enroll in a proper school if you're willing."
"I will, but can you really tell if my training is working just by sparring with me?" Cassian asked, getting into his stance. Julius smirked, raising his sword for an overhead slash. Cassian barely managed to block it, his stance shaky. Julius, noticing his struggle, grinned and said, "Don't worry about that—just block this."
Cassian visibly strained under the pressure of Julius' sword, his arms trembling as he tried to hold his ground. With a grunt, he mustered his strength and pushed Julius back. But Julius didn't give him a moment to breathe. Stumbling only a single step backward, Julius quickly closed the gap again, delivering another swift swing.
Cassian barely had time to react, hastily throwing his sword in the path of the strike. Though he couldn't block it completely, he managed to deflect enough to avoid getting hit directly, sparing himself from any real pain.
Julius didn't relent, swiftly attacking from the other side. Cassian hurriedly blocked again, but this time he managed a full defense and even advanced slightly, attempting a strike of his own. Julius dodged effortlessly, raising an impressed eyebrow. "You've got good reflexes," he remarked, "but they seem more like natural talent than something you've honed."
Cassian stayed silent, focusing on steadying himself for the next attack. But instead of pressing forward, Julius paused and smirked. "Your turn," he said, gesturing for Cassian to come at him.
Hearing Julius' command, Cassian didn't hesitate. He lunged from the side, but Julius easily blocked the strike. Undeterred, Cassian spun with the momentum of the clash, attacking from the opposite direction. Julius, surprised, dodged instead of blocking this time, but Cassian wasn't finished.
As his second attack missed, he quickly controlled his sword, aiming its tip directly at Julius and thrusting forward.
Cassian thought he had him, with Julius retreating. However, he'd forgotten about Julius' sword. With a swift swing, Julius struck Cassian's blade, deflecting it to the side. The force of the blow caused Cassian to stumble sideways, and with all his strength behind the thrust, he ended up slamming into the ship's railing behind Julius.
As Cassian struggled to regain his footing after slamming into the railing, Julius lowered his sword and stepped back with an impressed expression. "You're good," he said, his tone carrying genuine surprise. Cassian looked up, breathing heavily, unsure how to respond.
Julius continued, "That last attack—your swings were smooth, controlled. No wasted movements." He nodded in acknowledgment. "It's clear you've been training. I can tell by the way you moved just now. That method you've been using… it's working."
Cassian stood up with a smug expression and said, "I told you, I was training."
Julius nodded, still surprised. "Yeah, it's shocking, but if it's working, then fine. Still, I'd advise you to spar with a real person, not just shadows. Imaginary opponents only attack the way you expect, but real people? They can pull off unpredictable moves, things you won't see coming."
"I know," Cassian responded, brushing the dust from his clothes. He agreed with Julius on principle, but what Julius didn't realize was that the system's shadow wasn't just some predictable training dummy. It had evolved, attacking with an unpredictability that sometimes rivaled a real opponent. Cassian didn't bother explaining that, though.
At least now, Julius might stop looking at him with those pitying eyes during training.
"Then how about you train with me today?" Julius asked. Cassian didn't object and agreed without hesitation.
An hour later, Cassian was sore all over after sparring with Julius, but at least he had completed his daily training task. He even picked up a few new techniques about swordsmanship. Exhausted, he collapsed onto the deck, wiping the sweat from his brow as he gazed at the sunrise—a routine he had kept since his first day on the ship.
Julius, who had been watching Cassian's daily morning "show" from the deck, sat nearby. "Are you really a bastard of the Ven Dyke family, or were you just lying to keep a low profile?" he asked, curious.
Cassian shook his head as he stood up and said, "I didn't lie. I am a bastard, and also a servant."
Julius nodded, then asked, "So, you're headed to Magisteria to serve your master?"
"Yeah, something like that," Cassian replied with a smile. Noticing the sun rising, he added, "If you're free, help me train tomorrow morning too. But for now, I've got something to take care of, so... bye!" Cassian hurried off without even waiting for Julius's response, leaving Julius chuckling at his abrupt exit.
Cassian made his way through the ship's corridors, his muscles sore from the intense sparring session. He winced, rubbing his shoulder, but the thought of the slight pain quickly faded. Soon enough, he would find himself between Katherine's velvety thighs, and that anticipation was more than enough to lift his spirits.