At the general’s command, Luca went first, followed by Karim, both swinging their longswords at Emily.

  While they struggled to adjust to the weight of the new weapons, they also tried to increase their speed.

  The challenge of wielding a different kind of weapon was evident.

  After three hours of training, the general finally told them to stop.

  During the break, all three sat drenched in sweat, talking about the new swords.

  The general then called Karim over and said,

  “To keep things fair for Luca, you and I will do one-on-one training with regular swords.”

  While Luca chuckled from the corner, Karim narrowed his eyes and turned to the general.

  “Wouldn’t it make more sense if Emily and Luca trained together at the same time in front of us, sir?

  That way, we could simulate a more realistic battle environment.”

  The general thought for a moment.

  Meanwhile, Karim shot a sly grin at Luca.

  Without saying a word, Luca mouthed clearly, “Fuck you.”

  “Actually, that’s a good point, Karim,” the general said with a nod.

  He then announced that Luca and Emily would be training simultaneously with longswords.

  As Karim chuckled quietly, Luca groaned, getting up from the chair to begin sparring with Emily.

  The general turned to Karim and spoke in a calm yet commanding tone:

  “If you’d like, we can start at an average pace. Then we’ll push until you hit your limit.”

  Karim nodded in agreement.

  At the general’s command, Emily continued her sparring with Luca, while Karim trained directly with the general himself.

  At first, Karim had no trouble deflecting the general’s attacks.

  But as the general gradually increased his speed, Karim began to struggle to keep up.

  Eventually, the general was moving so quickly that Emily and Luca paused their own training just to watch.

  The sharp, rhythmic sound of wooden swords clashing echoed through the courtyard so intensely that people in nearby houses peeked out their windows to see what was going on.

  When Karim finally reached his limit, the general repeated the same line he’d said to Luca earlier:

  “To finish this fight, you need to go on the offensive, son.”

  Karim tried to counter, just as Luca had—but the general met every move with a flawless counterattack.

  Each attempt was blocked, redirected, or overpowered.

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  Karim paused, thinking for a brief moment.

  Instead of focusing solely on defense, he decided to try something different.

  This time, instead of blocking the incoming strike, he ducked.

  As the general swung his sword, Karim suddenly lunged and aimed a strike at the general’s leg.

  The general managed to block it just in time.

  But from a technical standpoint, Karim’s bold counter had ended the fight.

  The general gave a slight smile and nodded:

  "Congratulations, Karim. You truly surprised me. I didn’t expect that kind of dodge at all."

  Karim, still catching his breath, nodded and thanked him.

  Just then, the general turned his eyes toward the edge of the courtyard and frowned.

  Emily and Luca were both watching them intently.

  "When the hell did I tell you two to stop?!" he barked at them harshly.

  Emily stammered slightly:

  "But father..."

  But the general didn’t even let her finish:

  "Push-ups. Until I say stop. Now!"

  The General turned to Karim:

  “You may leave, Karim. Luca will stay a little longer.”

  Karim hesitated for a moment before replying:

  “If you don’t mind, sir, I’d like to wait for Luca.”

  But the General responded firmly:

  “Yes, I do mind. I don't want you watching your friend’s punishment. Go.”

  Karim took a deep breath and nodded:

  “Very well.”

  He dropped his sword to the ground, turned to Luca and said:

  “I’ll be on the hill.” Then he left the courtyard.

  Karim waited on the hill for Luca the entire day.

  But Luca never came.

  ***

  The next day, when they finally met, Karim frowned and asked:

  “Where the hell were you? I waited for you the whole damn day.”

  Luca threw his arms open and shouted in exasperation:

  “Fuck! I did so many push-ups yesterday, I thought it was never gonna end!

  I passed out the moment I got back!”

  Then he ran his fingers through his hair and added:

  “I did so many I lost count at some point. Five hundred? Maybe a hundred and fifty… I don’t fucking know!”

  ***

  When the two reached the General’s residence, Emily answered the door.

  They were heading toward the garden gate when the General called out from in front of the fireplace.

  The two sat down in front of him and waited silently.

  Before long, the General broke the silence:

  “There won’t be any physical training today.”

  He called out to Emily, and the two red books she brought were handed over to them.

  “Today, I’ll be teaching you about ethics, etiquette, and how to speak to nobles or elite individuals,” the General said.

  “Elite individuals?” Luca asked, frowning.

  “People of rank, Luca. A general like me, one of the robed council members, or any high-ranking leader,” the General replied.

  Emily handed the books to them. As Karim and Luca flipped through the pages quickly, the General continued:

  “Finish this book within the next three days and try to absorb its contents. We’ll be taking a short break from physical training.”

  “Why?” Karim asked with curiosity.

  The General gestured toward the books as he replied:

  “Because we’ll be going on a trip soon.”

  The book was written by Sloden Krunak, and its title was “The Meaning of Humanity and Ethics.”

  The General repeated himself one last time, ending the conversation:

  “For the next three days, this book is your only lesson. Learn as much of it as you can. You’re dismissed.”

  Karim and Luca took their books and headed to their hill, where they began to read.