Royal Knights Academy – Main Building

Western Primary Practice Chamber, 2nd Floor

Two figures stood facing each other on the practice mat, wooden blades raised, stances flawless.

Those two figures were me.

Both of us were still in our academy uniforms, having come straight here after classes. I’d planned to meet Ricent later, but judging from what I remembered of Mirabelle’s schedule, he wouldn’t be free for at least another hour. That left me with the perfect window.

Time to beat myself up.

I hadn’t had the chance to do this for a long while now. And though I hated it before, it was mostly because Mother kept her eyes on me all the time, judging my every move. 

The best pace was always my own, so being free to do whatever I wanted in this private chamber was a godsend.

Sure, it was still hard to fully charge at myselves with all I had. But I didn’t need intent to kill to put this training to good use.

There weren’t many places where both of me could be alone together for long back at the mansion. I’d expected that to be even worse here at the academy.

But that was before I learned of the greatest invention of all time, private practice chambers. 

They were training chambers that had all the facilities you needed for a spar, a casual duel, or a place to hold a small gathering. You had to reserve one personally, which was why I’d immediately asked Leila to look into how one should secure a reservation.

And wow, did she deliver.

The practice chamber Leila managed to snag had all I needed for a proper training. Of course, I needed nothing more than a practice mat, a couple of wooden weapons of different sizes, some pretty good lighting thanks to the wide windows, towels that were regularly cleaned and replaced, and even several training dummies ready to be whacked.

Of course, I didn’t bother with those training dummies. After all, I had the best training dummies the world could ask for in front of me.

Myselves.

…

Both of my bodies took slow, deep breaths, calming the nerves and sharpening my focus. And on the same beat, we rushed forward.

Carine’s blade rushed forward in a fast downward strike.

I caught it as Feyt, catching the blow near the base of my sword and pushing the force to the side. Feyt pressed forward, forcing Carine’s grip to loosen for just a moment, and that moment was seized.

I adjusted Carine’s hold, snapping her back into a defensive stance as Feyt shifted quickly into offense.

Feyt unleashed a series of attacks meant to wear her down, each one flowing into the next. Carine endured, then caught a particularly heavy swing and pushed it back, creating a clean opening.

Carine’s pommel thrusted forward for a sharp, disorienting strike. But Feyt was already moving, stepping back just as the pommel dragged down through the air.

We separated, returning to neutral distance once more, faint smiles of satisfaction mirrored on both faces, though noticeably less so on Carine’s face.

Alright, nice!

Let’s do another set!

Without a word, both bodies lunged at each other, and the furious back and forth continued once more.

No matter how many times I had trained myself using myself as a sparring partner, it never got old. 

The act of reading my own thoughts and coming up with solutions and counters at the moment was always satisfying. 

I could implement everything Mother and Father had taught me, be it principles, techniques, or even situations in a single spar. After all, my sparring partner understood my needs perfectly every time.

However, I wasn’t delusional. This kind of training wouldn’t fully translate to a real fight. The only reason I could react almost instantly was because I could read my own intent the moment it formed. Knowing that I, myself, could block or react to any attacks, made the thought of punching myself full force slightly more bearable.

Unfortunately, that would be nearly impossible to pull off against any other opponent. I’d have to rely on my eyes and ears alone. They were reliable, yes, but not as reliable as reading thoughts directly.

That doesn’t mean this training was all for enjoyment, though.

This was mostly for refining fundamentals, working up a sweat, and burning every motion into my muscles in hopes they would surface when faced with a similar situation.

The second set neared its end.

Feyt rushed in, aiming for a clean strike to Carine’s side.

Carine shifted into position to counter, but the moment Feyt closed the distance, he altered the flow mid-swing, turning the attack into a sudden feint.

Of course, Carine saw it coming.

She jumped back, narrowly out of range, and once again we returned to neutral distance.

The second set was finished. 

Both of my bodies let out long, satisfied sighs as we walked toward Leila, who stood at the edge of the mat with fresh towels in hand.

“Thanks, Leila,” I said as Carine, taking one.

“Thank you, Miss Leila!” I added as Feyt with a smile, taking the other.

“My pleasure,” she replied with a bow.

We wiped away the small amount of sweat that had gathered.

During the short, quiet break, I pondered about my training.

Perhaps I needed some more sparring partners.

Both Carine and Feyt relied on swords, both from the same sword schools, and not to mention, both of them were literally me. 

If I truly wanted to improve my combat skills, perhaps I, too, needed to expand my horizons just like Attila was doing.

Perhaps I could bring in a few of my friends? 

I doubted I could bring over Mirabelle and Ricent into a practice chamber for training; their classes were held in the arena for a reason. But Eveliana, Villius, Kyro, Clarissa… each of them fought differently.

Fighting alongside, or against, a proper sparring partner while controlling both bodies could elevate my training even further and help me learn more about how to synergize both bodies instead of coming up with rough ideas on the spot.

The only problem was how to convince them. I believe they would join me if Carine was the one asking it, my main concern lies in how to convince them that there truly was nothing between the both of me, and how to prevent any rumors from leaking.

This kind of thinking was best done during another set!

As the both of me prepared for the third round, I noticed something off. Leila didn’t reach for the towels right away. Usually, back in the mansion or during my morning exercise, she would go out of her way to take the towels from me instead of letting me hand it to her.

“Leila, is something the matter?” I asked as Carine.

She seemed to snap out of it, but her body barely moved or flinched, so I couldn’t tell. “It’s nothing, my Lady. Please, allow me.”

She took the towels from us.

I couldn’t help but wonder what, exactly, she had been thinking about.

—

Royal Knights Academy – Servants’ Quarters

Room 100

Leila closed the door behind her quietly, the door settling into place. 

Her room was modest, yet impeccably clean. There was a narrow but comfortable bed in the corner, a small desk on the far wall with compartments, and a single high-quality Luminite lantern casting warm light across the wood. Everything was as clean as she had left it.

Normally, she would spend this hour walking the halls.

She would inspect corners and ceilings of the quarters’ halls, firmly reminding the younger attendants to learn how to clean properly, and standing near the front door in case Lady Carine called for her. It was fortunate that her room was the nearest to the exit, too.

Today, however, she went straight inside. After all, there was work to be done.

From a locked drawer in the desk, Leila retrieved a sheet of fine parchment and laid it carefully atop the polished surface. She sat, adjusted the lantern’s position, and began drafting a paper.

A progress report on Carine and Feyt’s improvements.

Lord Kyrat required a report at the end of every month or sooner, should Leila judge that a significant breakthrough had occurred.

And what she saw this afternoon was definitely the latter.

As her pen moved, her thoughts returned naturally to the practice chamber.

To the steady rhythm of footwork. The clean exchange of blows. The way Carine and Feyt had faced one another. It was a duel unlike any other she had ever seen, one that differed even from their spars against other opponents.

More than that, she had noticed the expressions they wore as they fought. As though the spar itself was a fun activity. As though each of them genuinely enjoyed the other’s presence in the chamber.

They were improving rapidly, especially when together.

The way they spar, from observation alone, Leila could tell that both of them accommodated the other’s needs even during something as hectic as a sparring session. She began to see how the both of them managed to perform that synergy during that practical exam.

It was like they could read each other’s thoughts, perhaps even communicate in a way no other could understand. 

She had thought herself accustomed to their synergy. Once again, she was proven wrong.

It was just as Lord Kyrat assumed, they were very much in tune, or rather. ‘On the same page,’ as he had put it.

Of course, further observation would be required to truly validate his theory, but even so… it was clear to nearly anyone.

Lady Carine and Sir Feyt were strongest when they stood together.

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