He looked Arthur up and down and chuckled arrogantly and domineeringly.
"So this is the young master. Hah! You're smaller than I expected." He said as he reached out and patted Arthur on his back with a little more force than what he expected, as if he were a child. "Well, no matter… We'll see what we can do."
Arthur was clearly irritated by this man, he grinded his teeth, but outwardly he kept his composure.
Bella however, did not have the same patience that Arthur had, she was not restrained. She stepped forward, curling her hands into fists. "Head Instructor, is this how you greet the Marquess's son? He is no child to be toyed with." She said sharply.
The man was taken aback by Bella but just chuckled again in response. "You're an aggressive little mage, aren't you? Don't worry, little girl. We'll take good care of him. No harm will come to your master."
Bella was now even more furious at the man for calling her 'little mage.' This was something she despised. But she was equally embarrassed at Gareth for calling Arthur, her master.
Arthur lifted a hand subtly to calm down Bella, though inside he was also irritated. The instructor gestured for them to follow him as he led them around the grounds. Watching, the trainees were all clashing swords in a way that similar to Arthur. Gareth would occasionally shout corrections at the trainees, following the outdated standard Percivell swordsmanship style.
Internally Arthur could make out several flaws with the style and compared them to his own Godslayer style. The old style had much emphasis on large, sweeping slashes that were done with lots of strength. This left the ribs and lower torso open for someone who deflected the initial swing to follow up, and recovery was very slow. Not only this, but the footwork was very rigid and inflexible, as the stance was linear. Advancing and retreating in straight lines was very predictable, it was easy to sidestep or counter with feints.
"This is the daily routine of the White Wolves," Gareth said proudly. "Discipline, endurance, and the strength to win any battle. By the time I'm done with them, they'll be able to fight for hours without stopping." He glanced at Arthur again. "And today, young master, we will start training you to atleast be prepared."
Gareth turned around and reached behind him to pick a wooden sword that had been leaning on a rack. He casually threw it to Arthur, and Arthur caught it.
"The best way to learn is to get your hands dirty. Experience is the greatest teacher!" Gareth said, seemingly shocked at himself for being so wise.
Arthur had plenty of experience with a wooden sword from his studies in the past. Afterall he spent a third of the day practising swordsmanship. The thought behind this was to atleast be good enough to defend oneself even if he was a mage. Training the Godslayer technique was mandatory for all three of the princes. Even though Arthur had this experience, the familiarity had been built gradually and would be hard to full replicate in a new body that was initially weak and not used to this.
Bella's eyes widened in surprise at the instructor's carefree attitude. She moved forward before she even realised it, between Arthur and the Instructor. She raised her hand midair, about to take the wooden sword and throw it at Gareth's face, but stopped. She turned to face Arthur.
"Young master, no! This is dangerous. You're… you're not like them. Your body isn't trained for this." Bella said in a hushed and urgent tone to Arthur.
Arthur was internally slightly shocked at her reaction but looked at her with calmness. "It's fine, Bella. I can handle it."
'You're a mage. You shouldn't risk anything or waste strength on these brutish games.' Bella thought to her self as she moved back. This boy, this bastard son everyone dismissed, had looked at her yesterday with enough authority to freeze her in place. Now, he was calm even infront of swordsmen who had received training, and it left her cornered. 'Would he be able to stay this calm when he gets injured? Huh! I'll wait to say, I told you so!'
"…As you wish," she said finally, but her tone was sharper than she intended to be. Her shoulders stiffened in frustration.
"Brave lad." Gareth said approvingly, his booming voice carrying across the training yard. "That's the spirit I like to see. And don't worry they're just wooden swords. You'll take some bruises, but nothing that'll kill you." He chuckled.
Arthur remained composed, though he found Gareth's tone irritating.
"Now then, I hadn't really thought this far ahead." The instructor said as he looked over the trainees. "Who should be your opponent…?"
Before he could finish though, a loud shout came out from one of the sparring pairs nearby. All three of them turned their heads to the direction of the sound.
A young man with brilliant red hair, looking perhaps two or three years older than Arthur, shouted as he charged recklessly at his opponent. His movements were very wild like an animal and his sword was raised way too high. The man he faced in a spar was a veteran looking man with weird curly hair and a calm expression. The older man was waiting, feet planted firmly. At the last moment when the red-head jumped, the older man sidestepped and knocked the redhead's blade aside and sending him rolling into the dirt.
The older man laughed heartily and walked up to the red-head. He extended his had as a gesture to help him up. But when he went to grab it, the man gave the boy a harsh kick in the ribs. "Too easy!"
"Leon!" Gareth's voice shouted across the yard. Such a loud voice naturally silenced the laughter around them. "Get up this instant! Stop being such a simple-minded idiot. Charging like a bull will get you killed on the battlefield!"
The red-haired youth growled in anger, and it was clearly visible that his face was burning red as he scrambled to his feet. He was in humiliation as Gareth barked again. "Over here! Now!"
Leon angrily stomped his way across the sparring ground. Dust was still clinging to his clothes. His fists were clenched so tightly that his knuckles went white. His glare shifted to Arthur as he approached.
"What do you want?" Leon said in an irritated tone as she turned his gaze to Gareth.