bookandnovel Chapter 26 "It's still okay"
Chapter 26 "It's still okay"
"That's great, you're quite efficient."
Ronan casually broke off some breadcrumbs and put them on the table. "You've gone to all that trouble, this is a reward for you, slurp slurp slurp."
"Hey, do you really think I'm a jerk?"
Scarlett transformed back into her blonde beauty and threw a punch at Ronan; Ronan simply shrugged and dodged it with a grin.
Meidel frowned and bit her lip lightly.
"Ronan, you haven't checked the results of my recent training yet."
She squeezed between the two of them and said earnestly.
"Indeed, I've been quite busy lately. How's your Steel Armament project progressing?"
"I feel okay. I'd like to show you."
"OK."
Next, in the yard, Madonna showed Ronan her definition of "okay":
She made a grasping motion in the air, and a dozen iron swords appeared out of thin air in front of her. Then, the iron swords soared and danced in the air, like a graceful flock of swallows.
Unlike the previous rain of swords—this time, the trajectory of each iron sword was different!
"receive."
With a flick of her finger, all the iron swords in mid-air instantly changed their trajectory and flew towards the iron plate displayed in the corner.
"state!!!"
A dozen swords were thrust into the iron plate, but only produced one loud bang, because all the swords struck the same spot.
With a blank, cat-like expression, Ronan went to examine the iron plate: it had been blasted open with a large gash, and some blades had even embedded themselves in the brick wall behind it. If this had been a heavily armored knight, the consequences of such an attack would have been unimaginable.
He had initially been critical of Maddale's actions: it was just a demonstration, and it was too extravagant to bring so many fine iron swords at once.
As a result, Maddie stated that the pollution from creating these iron swords was similar to that from handling pig iron in daily life, and that she could handle it completely at her current level.
Ronan was both surprised and delighted: "It's incredible! You've improved so much in less than a week. Your control and stamina have both undergone a complete transformation!"
Madel nodded: "The original progress wasn't this fast, but after removing the Divine Punishment Stone, I felt that casting magical energy became much easier and smoother, and the difficulties that had been bothering me were quickly resolved."
"I didn't expect that Madel's magical abilities have improved to this extent."
Scarlett exclaimed in surprise, "It seems that Xiao Mei's strength might not be inferior to mine..."
"These advancements were achieved through the joint efforts of Ronan and me."
Madale glanced at her. "And there's no doubt that my strength surpasses yours."
"Huh? Are you serious?"
"If you don't believe me, we can have a discussion."
Why does it suddenly feel so tense...? Ronan tried to play peacemaker: "Let's skip the sparring; we should try to avoid unnecessary escalation of the conflict..."
"No, I know what I'm doing."
Madonna remained expressionless.
"It would be a disappointment if I refused."
Scarlett laughed too. "Come on, let's have a friendly match, a real martial arts contest!"
"Alright...then you two should know when to stop."
Ronan had no choice but to agree to their request, feeling like a parent taking care of a child.
Fortunately, moderately high-intensity use of magic power can also boost status stats. Maddale's daily magic power usage is mainly at low to medium intensity, so slightly increasing the intensity is just right.
The two witches stood in their respective positions and, without tacitly understanding each other, got straight to the point.
In their first hand-to-hand combat, Medal quickly gained the upper hand. As a former guardian witch of a major military stronghold, her fighting skills were clearly very solid.
Scarlett is a bit weaker. Although she could take on a dozen Barts, an assassin is obviously at a disadvantage when going head-to-head with a warrior.
Seeing that she was falling behind, Scarlett knew that there was no chance of winning if she continued to drag it out, so she went all in first. With a sharp cry, she drew her dagger, moved nimbly to the flank, and swung the back of the blade toward Maddie's neck.
Almost simultaneously, Madale made a clenched fist in the air, and a long sword appeared in her hand, which she quickly placed against Scarlett's neck behind her.
At this point, both of them stopped what they were doing.
Is this what a battle between masters looks like? Having witnessed a high-level fight, Ronan wanted to offer some praise or commentary, but unfortunately, he was too uncultured and could only come up with the phrase "Holy crap, awesome!"
Unlike the flashy or spectacular exchanges one might imagine, the sparring between the two could be described as simple and unpretentious, yet it was just as impactful.
"It looks like a draw."
Scarlett smiled slightly and put down the dagger.
This is actually a lenient way of putting it, because her movements were slightly faster than Medallion's. In a real battle, however, that difference of less than a hundredth of a second is enough to decide the outcome.
Meidel shook her head and said, "Wrong, you lost."
"ha?"
Scarlett chuckled, a hint of irritation in her voice. "You were once a guardian witch, don't you realize the difference between you and me?"
"It is precisely because I was once a guardian witch that I am fully aware of the difference between you and me."
After saying that, Madonna grabbed the dagger from Scarlett's hand with her bare hands.
Scarlett's eyes widened as she stared at the blade that was enough to end the life of the evil beast, which she held in her hand without even leaving a mark.
At this moment, Madale's palm was covered with a layer of dark silver steel. It possessed astonishing strength, yet maintained the flexibility of muscle and skin.
"Buzz!"
Maddie plunged the dagger into her own neck.
Under Scarlett's astonished gaze, the dagger snapped in two.
Ronan has always used Maddalene as a farming ground for Iron Maidens, to the point that many people have forgotten one thing: she herself is, in a literal sense, the most ironclad one...
"If this were a real fight, I could ignore your dagger, but could you ignore my sword?"
"Hey! If that's how you put it, I can transform into another animal and then find a chance to retaliate!"
"No. Because you just died."
"you……"
"Alright, anything can happen in a real battle, and you both have valid points. As for this sparring match, I think Medallion has the edge."
Ronan intervened in time, preventing this high-level match from turning into a children's quarrel.
Scarlett looked like she hadn't had enough, as if she was thinking about how she could have made the argument even better; while Madonna, who had received the praise, squinted her eyes slightly, like a tabby cat that had just been petted.
"Ahem, let's get down to business first—I'll be spreading the word in the territory soon so my people know that your sister is a guest I invited. They're used to Madel's presence and won't fear the witch like the average person."
Ronan then suggested that Scarlett could also make an appearance, but she politely declined again.
"I also envy Madonna, but I can only play my greatest role by lurking in the shadows. Before the real victory arrives, the fewer people who know of my existence, the better."
Scarlett laughed heartily, showing no sign of disappointment.
"I believe that vision will come true, and it is my honor to be able to contribute to it."
"It's an honor to have this trust in me—I do have another task that I need your help with, and only you can do it."
Ronan shared his thoughts: Due to the limitations of outdated technology, the existing maps were too crude, with unclear terrain and dimensions, and they almost exclusively marked large territories and official main roads, resulting in serious omissions in details.
Scarlett can transform into a bird and enjoy a bird's-eye view of the entire landscape below.
A highly accurate map is a top-tier strategic resource, both for defending against rebels now and for governing the territory in the future.
"No problem, leave it to me!"
Scarlett seemed incredibly enthusiastic; the task sounded amazing. And since only she could do it, it was even harder to refuse.
Just as she was about to make way, Madonna called out to her.
"for you."
Meidel handed over a brand new dagger, which looked exactly the same as the original, but its sharp texture was far superior.
"It's sturdier than the original."
The girl said earnestly.
Thanks!
Scarlett took it without hesitation and put it back into the dagger sheath on her leg ring, the size fitting perfectly.
"Golden Ranger accepts defeat—you've won this time, but we'll spar again sometime!"
·
·