Just as Rein fretted over that single Experience point, an attractive maid dressed in a gray uniform approached him and said,
"Rein, Chief Maid Shadia asks for your presence in the lower back garden."
Rein, momentarily taken aback, hesitated briefly before nodding in acquiescence, "Alright, I'll be there momentarily."
"George, you go on ahead and let my parents know that I may be late for dinner, asking them not to wait for me."
George, who had been waiting at the side, nodded. However, he was quite puzzled—when had Rein gotten to know Chief Maid Shadia?
After all, the Chief Maid is a senior servant, second only to the butler and the treasurer in the Habsburg manor.
Soon, Rein followed the maid, passing through the towering back doors of the castle and stepping into its rear gardens for the first time.
"Rein, please come in. Chief Maid Shadia is inside," said the beautiful maid with a slight smile before she took her leave.
Rein nodded slightly in thanks for the maid's guidance.
At this moment, he already had some speculations in his heart.
However, some things had to wait until the moment of revelation to be confirmed.
When Rein entered the garden, he saw the lady standing by the flowerbeds—none other than the Chief Maid Shadia, likely in her forties.
Dressed in a refined black maid's uniform with a stern expression, she exuded an air of severity.
But the protagonist in the back garden was not the Chief Maid.
It was instead the noble young lady, wearing a fitted hunting outfit, who was not far from her, standing in the center of the garden!
At that moment, she was fully engrossed in swinging her Dual-Handed Greatsword, seemingly in contemplation of some sort of swordsmanship.
This was an incredibly pleasant surprise for Rein!
He had not expected to catch the attention of such a distinguished individual.
He always thought it would be quite an honor to attract the attention of Combat Instructor Humbert.
Exaggerating a bit, having the attention of Habsburg Manor's Butler and Knight, Lord Lloyd, would even be better!
But he never expected to capture the attention of a noble young lady!
He had heard of her identity—the youngest daughter of the Earl, her status far above that of Lord Lloyd, the Butler, and Knight of Habsburg Manor.
"Rein, there are swords over there. Pick one and attack me!" Lady Creya stopped her movements, turned to Rein and instructed.
Had Rein not anticipated such an event, his heart would surely be in turmoil at this moment.
"As you wish, Lady Creya."
As Rein approached the rack of weapons, he realized that the swords were all sharpened steel Longswords of various types—short swords, knightly Longswords, Bastard Swords, and even Dual-Handed Greatswords, all seeming to be of exceptional quality.
After some thought, Rein chose a Knight's Longsword that was about the same length as the training Ironwood sword he was familiar with, and stood ready in the center of the garden.
This was his first time in either his past or present life holding such a sharp weapon, about to engage in a "battle" with someone. He couldn't help but feel tense inside.
"If you're ready, then let's begin," Creya said with a slight smile, her Dual-Handed Greatsword now exchanged for a Bastard Sword.
Creya immediately delivered a downward slash at Rein, who instinctively blocked with his sword horizontally.
"Clang!" The sound of metal striking metal rang out.
But this was just the beginning, Creya followed up with a rapid three-strike combination!
Suddenly, Rein's pupils shrank and he swiftly retreated!
Even though he kept retreating, he was barely able to defend, with no chance to counterattack!
Three seconds later, Creya's sword stopped at Rein's neck!
He lasted only three seconds!
In this sparring session with Creya, Rein resisted for merely three seconds before he was swiftly defeated.
This was in spite of the fact that Creya had deliberately held back, controlling her physical abilities to match Rein's level!
Rein sensed this too, especially since he had seen her swinging around a seventy or eighty-pound Dual-Handed Greatsword as if it were a mere stick.
Yet, this three-second skirmish brought Rein:
[Your skill in Basic Swordsmanship has improved, Experience Points +15]
[Having engaged in combat, your Militia Profession Experience Points +4]
[Congratulations, your Militia Profession Level has increased!]
[Remaining attribute points: 1]
[Remaining Skill Points: 1]
"You've learned the basic swordsmanship quite well; it's quite rare among young servants. You do have a certain talent for swordsmanship, but it's not top-notch," the girl said, looking up at Rein.
"Unfortunately, your physical condition is a bit lacking. The hope of becoming a formal knight isn't very great."
"It seems I was hoping for too much. It's really difficult to find someone with knight potential among ordinary people," Cleya said with a hint of disappointment.
Wait a minute, who is she looking down on?
At this moment, the look that the noble girl gave him made Rein realize why they say women are the driving force for a man's determination to become stronger!
"Wait a moment, Lady Cleya, I want to try one more time. Can you give me another chance?" Rein said, looking up at the girl with a burning gaze.
"Oh? Can you handle it?"
The girl looked at Rein with a half-smile.
At that moment, Rein really wanted to shout to Cleya that when a beauty asks a man if he can handle it, would any man give a second type of answer?
Without hesitation, Rein immediately added the attribute points he had just gained from leveling up to Militia lv2 into agility!
In the martial world, only speed is unbreakable!
It was precisely because Cleya's sword was so fast that he had been unable to react in time.
When his agility went from 6 to 7 points, a warm surge pumped from his heart, quickly spreading through his body, and suddenly Rein felt a renewed sense of strength throughout his body.
That's the best part about adding points; it always fully restores your stamina!
The girl was about to refuse, but seeing the determined look in Rein's eyes as he got up again, she nodded and said, "Ok! But this is your last chance."
Rein gave a slight bow, and the next second.
The speed at which Rein stepped forward had increased by at least twenty percent, which slightly startled Cleya.
With his stamina fully recovered and his agility increased by one point, as well as his familiarity with the steel sword from the previous fight.
Due to several contributing factors, his combat ability was now a whole level higher than before.
Huh? This level of strength.
The more the girl fought, the more surprised she became.
"Ding ding clang clang!" The two engaged in rapid combat!
The Chief Maid Shadia, watching from the side, also had a change in the way she looked at Rein, shifting from calm to surprised!
After a sudden thrust of her sword, the girl repelled Rein and said,
"Not bad, Rein. You can go back now."
Now Rein was a bit confused—did she acknowledge him or not?
He had deliberately kept some Skill Points in reserve in case Lady Cleya was not satisfied, so he could...
But given her current stance, all Rein could do was give a slight bow and say, "Goodbye, Lady Cleya!"
Then, Rein turned and left.
The girl watched Rein's departing figure intently.
She had been ready to give up, but Rein had suddenly given her a pleasant surprise.
From his expression, it seemed that even the strength he had just displayed wasn't his limit; it appeared he still had something in reserve?
If that's the case, then he might indeed be a knight prospect worth cultivating. However, there's no rush; she needed to investigate his background first.
At this moment, Shadia, pondering, asked with a hint of confusion,
"Miss, why do you value this Rein so much?"
"Although Rein seems to have decent talent, both Young Master Dennis and Young Master Marcos are already level three knight attendants, and they are much stronger than Rein, who is about the same age."
In the Chief Maid's eyes, Rein might have good talent, but starting knight training now was just too late.
She didn't think Rein had any chance of catching up with Dennis and Marcos.
Yet if Rein's future was just to become an ordinary guard, then he wouldn't be worth the trouble the mistress was taking.
"Shadia, Rein is fundamentally different from them. Dennis is the son of Baron Norman and has been practicing the family's inherited Knight Breathing Method from a young age. His current strength is proof of mediocre talent at best," Cleya said slowly.
"And Marcos is the son of the president of the Bordeaux Merchants' Guild. He has been taking all sorts of potions to enhance his attributes since he was a child. It may seem like he's making fast progress, but he has already exhausted his potential, and the possibility of becoming a formal knight is very low," Cleya explained.
Shadia's eyes widened; it was the first time she had heard her mistress talk about this.
"So you mean to say, Rein has high potential?"