"Alright, pretty boy. Let’s see what you’ve got."

The captain gestured, and ten guards stepped forward first, forming a loose circle around Brandon with training swords and shields.

Amelia looked visibly worried, ’He’s going to get hurt...’

Freya, on the other hand, had a teasing smile playing on her lips, ’Well, he surely won’t beat 100 guards... but let’s see how strong he is.’

The first guard lunged forward with a testing thrust.

Brandon moved in a blur.

His right hand snapped out in a precise strike to the guard’s wrist, hitting a nerve point with pinpoint accuracy.

The man’s fingers spasmed, and the training sword dropped from his grip.

Brandon caught the falling weapon mid-air, spun it smoothly, and used the flat of the blade to sweep the legs of the next two guards who were charging in from the sides.

THUD! THUD!

The three guards hit the ground hard, groaning in surprise.

"Ugh-"

"Aughh-"

The remaining seven charged at once with their shields up, trying to overwhelm him with coordinated pressure.

Brandon ducked under the first swinging sword, pivoted sharply, and slammed the pommel of his borrowed training sword into the second guard’s solar plexus.

The man doubled over with a wheeze.

Without pausing, Brandon spun low and swept the legs of two more guards, sending them crashing into each other.

CLANG- THUD!

A guard tried to bash him with a shield, Brandon sidestepped at the last moment, grabbed the edge of the shield, and used the man’s own momentum to flip him over his hip.

"Grahh-" The guard landed hard on his back with a loud grunt.

Another came from behind with a downward chop.

Brandon twisted, blocked with his sword, and delivered a sharp kick to the inside of the man’s knee.

The guard’s leg buckled, and Brandon followed up with a gentle push that sent him stumbling into two of his comrades.

The remaining guards hesitated for a second, long enough for Brandon to close the distance.

He disarmed one with a quick wrist lock, caught the sword, and used both weapons in a rapid series of strikes that knocked shields aside and tapped pressure points, dropping three more men in quick succession.

The last guard standing tried a desperate overhead swing.

Brandon stepped inside the arc, trapped the man’s arm, and used his own body weight to throw him cleanly over his shoulder.

THUD.

The final guard hit the ground with a groan.

Silence fell over the training yard.

All ten men were on the ground, breathing hard, disarmed, and staring up at Brandon in stunned disbelief.

The captain’s jaw dropped.

Freya’s teasing smile had frozen on her face, and her green eyes were wide with genuine surprise.

Amelia stood frozen with her mouth slightly open.

Brandon stood in the center of the circle and casually tossed the training sword back toward its owner, who caught it clumsily while still on the ground.

He looked toward Freya "Ten down. Should I keep going?"

The captain snapped out of his shock and muttered "By gods... who are you?"

He waved for the next group "All of you. Carefully this time."

The remaining ninety guards moved in more cautiously, forming tighter formations with their swords ready.

Brandon didn’t wait for them to surround him completely.

The moment the formation began to close, he exploded forward.

He ducked under the first swinging sword as the blade whistled harmlessly over his head. In the same fluid motion, he twisted between two guards, using the narrow gap in their shield wall to his advantage.

A guard lunged from the right with a powerful thrust.

Brandon sidestepped at the last instant and grabbed the edge of the man’s shield with his left hand and used the guard’s own forward momentum to launch himself into the air.

Twisting mid-air, he came down with a spinning kick that connected solidly with the chests of two guards who had been closing in from behind.

THUD! THUD!

The two men were knocked clean off their feet, crashing backward into their comrades and breaking the tight formation.

The guards reacted instantly, trying to tighten the circle again.

Brandon disarmed another guard with a precise strike to the wrist.

He caught the falling weapon mid-air, spun it smoothly, and used the flat of the blade to lightly bash two more guards across their armored shoulders, just hard enough to stagger them without causing real injury.

"Ugh-!"

"Watch your left-!"

The guards were shouting now, trying to coordinate, but Brandon was already moving again.

The captain watched from the side with his mouth slightly open in disbelief.

Freya’s teasing smile had completely vanished, replaced by wide-eyed astonishment.

Within four minutes, the entire group of one hundred guards was sitting or lying on the grass, breathing hard with their weapons scattered around them.

Not one had been seriously injured.

Brandon turned toward Freya and smiled faintly "So?"

She nodded her head "Well... I stand corrected."

Amelia walked over to him slowly "I a-am... impressed. You are a lot stronger than you look."

The captain bowed down his head "You have my sincere apologies for doubting you, sir. And my thanks for showing restraint with my men."

Brandon gave a faint nod "Mhm."

The training yard slowly returned to normal as the guards picked themselves up, muttering in awe and disbelief.

Whispers spread quickly among them...

"Did you see how fast he moved?"

"He took all of us down without even breaking a sweat..."

"It looked like he didn’t want to harm us, so he knocked us down. Imagine if he was serious and he had a weapon."

Freya linked her arm with Amelia’s and gave Brandon one last teasing smile "You’ve certainly made an impression today. I look forward to seeing what else you can do."

As the two Bleaufort women walked away, Amelia glanced back at Brandon one last time with a mixture of awe and newfound respect in her eyes.

Brandon stood alone in the yard for a moment, shaking his head with a wry smile.

’Well... that escalated quickly.’

---

It was already evening...

Emperor Valerian Bleaufort stood near a stone bench beside a bubbling fountain, "What are you saying? Letting Amelia go with him?" he muttered as he looked at his younger sister.

Freya sat opposite him on the bench sipping a cup of tea.

She gave a small nod "Yeah... how long do you think you are going to keep her locked in this castle?"

Valerian’s gaze lowered as he sat on the chair opposite to her "I lost my wife because I was careless, Freya. I can’t lose my daughter too."

At that exact moment, Brandon walked into the garden from the main pathway.

Both Valerian and Freya noticed him immediately and rose to their feet.

"Mr. Kael," the Emperor greeted with respect.

Brandon raised a hand casually, offering a relaxed smile "Please sit down."

Valerian lowered himself back onto the chair and Freya followed suit.

Brandon quietly sat beside Freya on the bench "I overheard part of your conversation. About Amelia wanting to see the city."

"I understand your caution. After losing someone you love, the world feels like it’s full of threats."

"But keeping her locked away forever... it might protect her body, but it will slowly break her spirit. She trains every morning not just to prove she’s strong, but because she wants to live."

Freya poured some tea in another cup and handed it to Brandon, who accepted it with a smile.

Valerian stayed silent for a moment and a deep sigh escaped his lips "After what you showed my men today... I cannot deny your strength."

"Very well. If you personally guarantee my daughter’s safety, I will allow Amelia to go out into the capital tonight under your escort."

Freya smiled softly, setting her teacup down "I will accompany them as well, brother. Just to be safe."

Valerian gave a reluctant nod "Fine." 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

Seeing this, Brandon smiled dryly in his heart ’Why is he making a big deal out of this... it’s just visiting the city.’

’Maybe it’s a sensitive matter in this era.’

’Well... I guess he is also cautious about sending his daughter with a stranger whom he met just yesterday.’

’It’s because of Rheanne that they trust me to this extent.’

Brandon took a sip of his tea and glanced at the sun.

He thought of Florence again... thinking how she would laugh if she knew her distant ancestor was about to be taken on a night out by her future partner.

The Bootstrap paradox felt almost playful now.