Her Graceful War Song by Summer's Blaze

Chapter 916 Violet pulled Carissa aside to watch the sparring match. She knew Carissa must be worried about her grandfather right now, so she called over her apprentices to compete. Martial arts was Carissa's favorite, and watching the match would likely help distract her.

Rafael sat beside her, also observing the fight. His main purpose, of course, was to stay with Carissa. As for how the match was going, he didn't care much.

Well, it didn't matter whether he cared or not. Kevin was up against three opponents and was getting utterly pummeled. He could barely fight back and was mostly just taking the hits.

It was almost painful to watch.

Fortunately, they were careful not to target Kevin's head or face. A few punches and kicks to his body weren't a big deal since no one would see the damage. But if this kept up, Kevin wouldn't last much longer.

Just as Rafael was about to step in and call for a stop, Carissa beat him to it. As someone who practiced martial arts, she couldn't bear to watch such a one-sided beating. Kevin's weaknesses were already clear-his foundation was solid enough, but that was about all he had. His techniques were a mess. From his stances to his punches and kicks, there was no coherence or structure.

Violet noticed that Carissa's attention had completely shifted, and she felt a sense of relief. Even the way Carissa now looked at Kevin, lying on the ground, had softened a little.

Carissa asked, "How many years have you been practicing martial arts?" Kevin was breathing heavily and hadn't caught his breath yet, but before he could answer, Violet prompted him,' Answer your martial aunt's question." Carissa stiffened. No, she didn't want to be their martial aunt. She and Violet were from different guilds.

Kevin slowly stood up, his steps unsteady, but managed to reply, "I've been practicing since I was seven, so it's been twenty years." "Who did you study under originally?" "I never formally apprenticed under anyone," Kevin answered. "I trained with the household instructor and practiced with my cousin. Later, I met Galen, and he taught me. After I joined the then crown prince's personal guards, it was mostly him who guided me." After a pause, he added, "I also used to hang around the other guys and pester them, trying to learn a bit from them here and there." Everyone laughed. It was good that Kevin was eager to learn, but picking up bits and pieces here and there could lead to confusion. The key was to focus on mastering one thing, and once that was solid, move on to other areas. Only then would things make sense.

'No wonder you're all over the place," Violet remarked, frowning. She had noticed this during the bigger classes held earlier, but hadn't paid much attention to Kevin at the time. "If you enjoy martial arts so much, why didn't you apprentice formally when you were younger?" After all, Kevin was from the Marquis of Elderglen's family. Becoming an apprentice shouldn't have been that difficult. Why had he only trained with the household instructor? Household instructors weren't known for their exceptional skills, and their teaching lacked structure.

Kevin fell silent for a moment, then let out a long, drawn-out sigh.

What followed was the unfortunate tale of his long and difficult journey to find a mentor. It explained why he was so determined to seize this opportunity, and why he couldn't wait until tomorrow to formally becher apprentice.

He had started practicing martial arts at seven. His family had already found a mentor for him, but just an hour before the apprenticeship ceremony, that mentor suddenly died from a heart attack.

So, he trained with the household instructor while his family searched for another mentor. Finally, when he turned eight, they found an expert from the Stormshore Guild, but there was a catch. He had to travel to the guild to be accepted, and there was a strict limit to the number of apprentices-only five spots available, and it was first-come, first-served.

Ernest immediately took Kevin on the road, determined not to stop until they got there. Along the way, they encountered another boy traveling to the Stormshore Guild. Ernest believed this boy was a competitor, so he pushed himself to outpace him. Since they would be traveling by water, Ernest rented a boat in advance and disembarked at the designated port. However, it ended in disaster. The boat capsized, and dad and son barely managed to survive. By the tthey recovered, any hope of joining the Stormshore Guild was lost.

They waited until Kevin turned ten, and this time, Edwin helped find him a mentor. A martial arts school had opened in the capital. Kevin was accepted, he would be the eldest apprentice. Logically, everything should have gone smoothly. With his uncle's help and the school being in the capital, there was no reason for things to go wrong. Yet, luck turned its back on Kevin once again.

A series of heavy rains in the capital caused the newly rented school building to collapse. Not only was the mentor injured and broke his leg, but it also crushed any hope of continuing the school. After that, the mentor didn't want to stay in the capital anymore and had no intention of taking in apprentices.

With his leg crippled, the mentor left the city in a carriage, claiming the capital was unlucky and not meant for him.