The Distinguished Mr. Rose Chapter 32: Chapter 32: A Sky Full of Stars

Read chapter 32 of The Distinguished Mr. Rose by QuiteTheSlacker on NovelPedia.

Chapter 32: A Sky Full of Stars “I’m just sayin’... you mighta went a bit overboard.” Lucius and his fellows were once again enjoying a lovely meal of flowers in the dining hall. A few days had passed since Mili’s, rather memorable, demonstration. It took an entire group of paladins to subdue her, and even then the spunky musician wouldn’t go without a fight - kicking and singing and blasting their eardrums with music to the very end. There were no real casualties as far as Lucius knew, nor any lasting wounds, but it sure gave everyone a fright. Lady Bradamante suffered the worst of them all. Even with her prowess, she could not fully avoid the surge of lightning. Her once golden armor turned a hazy black, and despite emerging relatively unharmed surprisingly, the paladin shivered whenever she saw Mili from thereon after. “Psh, It’s fine. It turned out alright, didn’t it? Now no one’s looking at you all funny-like anymore!” “Yeah, kid. They changed gears over to you.” “Suits me just fine. I’m used to the attention.” At the time, the musician acted innocent, saying she wasn’t used to her power and that it was all just a big misunderstanding. No one could resist her teary, quivering eyes - so pure, so guiltless. Eventually she managed to get away completely scot free. Only her companions saw the snicker hiding beneath. “I must say,” Lucius said, elegantly cutting a piece of flower steak. “Our stay here has been quite the surprising one. I had expected the lady’s teaching to be rather harsh, but these past few days have been nothing but pleasant.” The morning following Mili’s impromptu concert, their training had begun. Contrary to what they thought, it was rather simple: running around the courtyard, doing exercises, building up stamina. Lady Bradamante watched over them closely and had other knights to act as assistants. Once the afternoon arrived, they switched over to a more academic-based focus. The players were given books and parchments detailing the basics of combat (conveniently translated thanks to the system), and then underwent periodic tests to examine their knowledge. The evening hours were where they faced the most tribulation: sparring. It wasn’t as intense compared to Lady Bradamante’s show before, though. Each player was assigned their own personal knight, and they would conduct light spars to help hone their experience. Learning couldn’t be done only through text, after all - a personal approach was necessary in order to cover the gaps that theory could not. Lucius subdued all the knights appointed to him quite easily, so unfortunately he didn’t get much out of it. That was fine. The gentleman didn’t need to learn what he had already mastered. Mili wrinkled her nose. “Speak for yourself. I swear, every day feels like I’m about to kick the bucket. Can’t even make it to my room at the end of the night without some part of my body being sore or aching.” “Well, what'd ya expect after pourin’ all your stats into magic?” Marco said, teasing her. “What’s it at now, anyway?” “Forty-five.” Marco nearly spat his food. “That high, huh? No wonder you managed to scare the miss.” Mili shrugged. “Maybe. I don't think it actually hurt her. I wasn’t holding back, y’know, but she stood up right as rain. Tough cookie, that lady is.” She continued on, availing them of her woes and poor, battered muscles. The training certainly was strenuous for those of lesser physical stats, but fortunately it was made tolerable thanks to the efforts of Sir Ruggiero. The man was like an oasis in the desert, a refreshing breeze of kindness and consideration. Whenever a person was about to give up, he swooped in and reinvigorated them, lending words of support and advice with the patience of a saint. His courtesy was well appreciated, especially when compared to the tough-love practiced by Lady Bradamante. She did not hold back her words, nor her apparent ecstasy in pushing them to their very limits. Still, she wasn’t an unreasonable one. Bradamant