Chapter 171: Chapter 170: The Three Great Illusions of Life
“Agreed?” Richard asked Nancy.
“Yes, agreed. My father had no choice but to agree or else face the destruction of his kingdom,” Nancy gritted her teeth. “But my father also tried to delay. He told the demon that I was too young, and that when I turned sixteen, I would be sent to the Blue Lion Kingdom.”
“Hmm,” Richard said, “you’re sixteen this year, but you didn’t go.”
Nancy didn’t ask Richard how he knew, probably figuring it out didn’t matter. She said, “Correct, I didn’t go. From a young age, when I knew I might have to marry a stranger’s son, a demon’s son, I swore I would never let him succeed. If he did succeed, I would kill him when he married me, in his sleep at night!”
“Uh…” Richard’s expressionless face turned towards the sea outside the deck, to where the sky met the ocean, where dawn’s light was breaking through.
“Of course, the best outcome would be not to give him any chance to succeed,” Nancy continued. “For this, I’ve been striving since I was little. When I found out a powerful wizard was my ancestor, I tried hard to awaken my own talent. I used many methods, many cruel methods, and finally, I succeeded at twelve.”
“That’s impressive,” Richard blinked.
Nancy smiled and continued, “Having the talent of a wizard meant I could be seen by other wizards and taken away. The Blue Lion Kingdom, no matter how angry, would dare do nothing otherwise they’d be enemies of wizards. Since then, I’ve been continually striving to become exceptional, and finally, this year I boarded the wizard’s great ship and came here. I am safe now.”
“But the funny thing is, I heard the demon King of the Blue Lion Kingdom died, and his two sons had a feud. The younger son vanished, and I didn’t really need to worry about being abducted to become a princess,” Nancy said.
“So, do you regret it?”
“No, I don’t regret it,” Nancy said earnestly. “This taught me that being powerless is pitiful. I must become strong, otherwise, I can only hope for luck. I want to be very strong so that I can do what I want.”
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“Becoming a wizard will naturally make me strong, but before that, I must ensure my safety. Spells are useful, but before becoming a wizard, swordsmanship is actually even more important. Many times I’ve had to rely on swordsmanship to ensure my security. So, I cannot give it up.”
After Nancy finished speaking, she looked at Richard, “I’ve told you my secret, so do you have any interest in sharing yours?”
“However, as an exchange, I can tell you a piece of information I heard from a informant in Jade City.”
“About that King of the Blue Lion Kingdom, the missing younger son you mentioned.”
“What about him?” Nancy raised her eyebrows.
“He wasn’t just missing,” Richard said, “Hmm, he actually died, eaten by a fire-breathing dragon.”
“Really?” Nancy blinked, “That’s actually satisfying.”
“Alright.” Nancy stood up and looked at Richard, “Let’s not talk about that damned demon’s son anymore. Since you’re not willing to share your secret, could you maybe join me for some swordsmanship practice?”
Nancy handed over her longsword without responding.
“Alright.” Richard accepted the sword, thinking more about using this opportunity to continue testing the “Prototype Acuity Potion” in a real fight.
“Wait for me a moment.” Nancy ran to the side, came back shortly with another longsword, steadied her stance, and said, “Ready?”
“You make the first move,” Richard said.
“Are you sure?” Nancy asked, somewhat provocatively, “Though I know you’re better at swordsmanship, letting me strike first might not work out well for you.”
“Just try it,” Richard said.
“Alright then, let’s try.” Nancy began, slowly drawing her longsword from its scabbard.
As she drew the last part of her longsword, Nancy suddenly quickened her speed. A cold gleam flashed through the air, the longsword was unsheathed and quickly slashed towards Richard.
Richard was a step slow in drawing his sword, but with a “bang,” he accurately blocked Nancy’s attack.
Nancy, unstartled by being blocked, slid smoothly, slashing towards Richard’s left side.
Richard held up his sword and directly blocked Nancy’s attack.
Nancy pursed her lips, took a step back, and then swung her sword down toward Richard’s right side.
Richard stood still, twisted his arm, and once again lifted Nancy’s longsword, blocking it.
Nancy’s expression became solemn, her attacks quickening, faster and faster, unleashing her full strength, casting fierce sword light all over the deck.
But Richard stood his ground, constantly swinging his longsword, blocking each attack.
Nancy felt uneasy, very uncomfortable. During their swordsmanship practice, she always felt a half beat slow. Every time she found a gap and prepared to attack, as soon as she swung her sword, she would find Richard had already blocked her path, as if he could see through all her intentions.
The attacks continued, and Nancy felt increasingly helpless, but her eyes shone brightly, looking directly at Richard as if she had discovered some treasure.
The sounds of clashing swords echoed nonstop, and then suddenly stopped.
Richard suddenly shifted from defense to offense, breaching Nancy’s hastily formed defense in an instant, pressing the tip of his sword against Nancy’s pale neck.
Nancy’s eyes lit up brilliantly. Having a sword pointed at her did not seem to frighten her much; instead, there was a teasing tone in her voice as she asked Richard, “Do you want to kill me?”
“Is there any need?” Richard asked.
Indeed, there was no need. The main reason Richard had agreed to practice swordsmanship with Nancy was to test the effects of the “Prototype Acuity Potion” in actual combat.
And now he had his answer. If it was purely close combat, just defending almost guaranteed invincibility. Attacking, as shown by Nancy’s sword at her neck, said it all.
“It seems the ‘Prototype Acuity Potion’ is indeed astonishingly effective. If combined with ‘Pearce’s Nerve Sensitivity Technique’…”
Richard pondered, lowered his sword, and handed it back to Nancy. “Killing you would achieve nothing. I’m heading back to my cabin.”
After speaking, Richard turned and left, preparing to organize the data about the “Prototype Acuity Potion” and record its effects on a Papyrus Scroll.
At that moment, as Nancy watched Richard’s retreating figure, she seemed to have made a decision, suddenly calling out, “Hey, wait a moment.”
“Hmm?” Richard turned to look at Nancy.
“There’s something I want to discuss with you,” Nancy said softly, biting her pink lips. “I wasn’t sure before, but after just now, I feel certain.”
“Hmm? What is it?” Richard’s eyes flickered. Was it an illusion? An illusion? Or perhaps an illusion?
“What I want to discuss is…” Nancy took a deep breath, “if possible, would you…?”
“If possible, would you…be my attendant!” Nancy finally said it all, looking directly at Richard, waiting for his response.
“Attendant?” Richard’s expression was calm, but his mind was racing. Indeed, a certain saying from modern Earth was right: the three greatest illusions in life are—nobody in the bushes, I can counter-attack, she is interested in me…
“Yes, an attendant,” Nancy earnestly repeated, “You should know, wizards are powerful, but that doesn’t mean they’re invincible. Sometimes they can be killed by sneak attacks or targeted tactics.
For their own safety, wizards usually don’t travel alone; they often bring attendants. Attendants are generally students, friends, relatives, or lovers. The reason several wizards on this giant ship brought their direct apprentices is partly to train them as qualified attendants.
I know I’m only a Level One apprentice now, and becoming a wizard is still a long way off for me, but I am confident that once we reach the White Stone Tower, I will quickly become a true wizard.
At that time, I hope you can be one of my attendants, using your superb swordsmanship to protect me and ensure my safety in critical situations, allowing me to cast spells on enemies at ease. Of course, as a reward, I won’t let you suffer any loss.”
“Hmm…” Richard voiced, fully understanding Nancy’s words, which simply translated to: I think highly of you, come be my servant to protect me, be my human shield, take hits for me, although I owe you a favor now, although I don’t have much to offer you now, I definitely won’t let you down in the future.
This was indeed… very promising.
Richard was not angry about it, for from Nancy’s perspective, he was just someone with great sword skills but hardly any talent for wizardry, while she was a person with immense talent, highly likely to become an official wizard.
Thus, for him to be her attendant was an excellent choice. For her, it was a big deal, which was why she took her time to assess him, get close to him, and finally asked for an answer.
However… this was completely at odds with what he wanted.
Richard looked at Nancy, not outright refusing, and spoke indifferently, “Let me think about this, and you should think it over as well. Once you really become a wizard, you can ask me again, at which time I will give you a definitive answer.”
“Ah, okay.” Nancy nodded. “I’ll be looking forward to it.”
In the distance, the sun peeked over the sea surface, spreading its light to all directions, quickly fading the dark color of the water, turning the entire view a fiery red.
“I’ll wait for you,” Nancy said.
“Ah…” Richard replied, then turned and walked into the cabin.