Steel, Explosives, and Spellcasters

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Winters couldn't see Aike's expression, but he could make out from Aike's tone that it was quite natural, "Not at all, I've never intentionally played poorly or allowed myself to be hit by the sword on purpose. The rounds you had earlier were really good, very stable. When you got to match point, I truly felt I was going to lose. I got anxious, and I couldn't control the strength in my sword properly. Otherwise, I wouldn't have hit you so hard."

Winters was now in great spirits, having confirmed that his lead over Aike was due to his own skills and not because Aike had let him win on purpose. At this thought, he suddenly felt regretful, as it also meant that he really had the chance to win the match, and it was his own final lapse that caused him to lose the advantage.

However, no matter what he thought internally, he couldn't show any weakness verbally. Winters chuckled and said, "Bullshit, I think you just planned it out, letting me get to match point before making a cool comeback."

Aike laughed out loud after hearing this.

The swordsmen on the field had a round of exciting offense and defense, and Winters and Aike also clapped their hands vigorously in admiration.

"I think if you spent more time working out and practicing swordsmanship, you could have definitely won just now," Aike said seriously after looking at Winters's less defined arms, then at his own more muscular ones.

Aike began to speak frankly and reasonably, "Look, you don't practice swordsmanship in your spare time, do you? You only practice during swordsmanship class, not outside of it. And look, you don't work out for strength either, do you? You haven't lifted bells or pulled millstones, have you?"

"Even so, you still scored seventeen points. You're good enough, I think that's pretty impressive," Aike concluded in the end.

"Now I really don't know if you are praising me or mocking me," Winters said with a wry smile after looking at Aike's sturdy arms and chest muscles.

"Of course I'm praising you," Aike picked up a longsword and swung it a couple of times while sitting on a stone bench, then said to Winters, "Think about it, swordsmanship essentially relies on on-the-spot judgment and your own strength. If you don't deliberately train your strength and have underdeveloped muscles, you naturally are at a disadvantage when fencing. And since you don't rigorously practice swordsmanship, then you..."

"Stop talking, get up, I need to find something," Winters quickly interrupted Aike.

"What do you need to find?" Aike asked, puzzled, as he stood up.

"I need to find a crack in the ground to crawl into," said Winters.

"I'm really praising you," Aike said sincerely.

Truth hurts more than lies, and Winters couldn't take it anymore so he quickly begged for mercy, "Please, no more, Master. I'm so ashamed right now I want to hang myself. When I get home, I promise I'll train extra every day, stick to weightlifting, and develop muscles like yours."

The "Master" Winters referred to was short for "Fencing Master." In the Alliance, this was not a title casually used in flattery among swordsmen, but an official one that required the certification of the smiths' guild.

Only those swordsmanship grandmasters whose theories were widely recognized and learned, who had a significant influence, would be certified as "Fencing Masters." To date, no living person had earned this honor; it was only bestowed posthumously.

Aike had a profound mastery of longsword swordsmanship; during his preparatory school days, no one in his class could match him. Back then, only adults could discipline Aike. When Aike was fully matured after puberty, he became unbeatable in all age groups.

Everyone from the Military Academy, from instructors to students, had learned longsword in swordsmanship class, but no one could score 20 points against Aike. Winters could say responsibly that the Military Academy was now no match for Aike's depth, as Aike's level was a notch above everyone there, making him the academy's unacknowledged top swordsman.

So, at some point, Aike acquired the nickname "Fencing Master" at school, which quickly shortened to "Master." Even the instructors jokingly called him "Master" in light-hearted moments.

The most memorable incident happened when General Taylor of the Federated Provinces' Republic's Army visited the academy to inspect teaching conditions during Winters and Aike's sophomore year. Upon realizing that the student in front of him was Axel, he blurted out, "Are you the 'Master'?" shocking all the students around him. From then on, the nickname became even more widely known.

Although on one hand, the nickname "Master" was a recognition of Aike's swordsmanship by the academy, it also carried an undertone of teasing because no living person had yet earned the title.

It was a nickname with both commendatory and derogatory connotations, and Aike himself seemed indifferent to it. He never claimed to be a Fencing Master, but he didn't mind when others called him so.

However, as Aike's good friend, unless they were teasing each other in jest, Winters was not willing to call Aike "Master," as he disliked the curse-like implications hidden in the word towards a friend.

When Winters called him "Master," Aike also teased back, "As if you could develop those muscles. You don't train at school, how would you suddenly become diligent at home? People claim they'll study furiously once home after not learning at school - do you believe that? And you're talking about developing muscles? When you come back from Sea Blue next year, I bet you'll have lost all your swordsmanship basics."

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