Steel, Explosives, and Spellcasters

Under the shade of a tree, Winters glanced at the note in his hand and then at the trainee who brought it.

"The Mason Commissioner just sent you to find me?" Winters asked in surprise, "Didn't say anything else?"

"No." The trainee in front of him answered blankly.

"Alright, I'll have to ask you to wait for me a moment." Winters stuffed the note into his wrist guard and pointed casually to the clothes and bundle under the tree: "There's water and food there, help yourself if you're hungry."

Then, he saw the trainee named "Houdel" walk stiffly to the tree, his legs straighter than the trunk.

"Sit down." Winters couldn't help but smile, "It's okay."

But the trainee still stood straight as a ramrod. Clearly, he was at a loss, unsure whether to treat the Civil Guard Officer's words as polite remarks or as an order to obey.

Winters was somewhat accustomed to this. He cleared his throat and ordered in a deep voice, "Soldier, stand at attention!"

The trainee instinctively brought his heels together and tightened his knees and shoulders.

"At ease—sit."

The trainee sat down on the ground with the quickest motion.

Winters nodded, lowered his visor, and turned to walk towards another swordsman who had been waiting, resuming the conversation that had been interrupted.

"Let's continue." Winters held the wooden sword steadily with both hands.

The swordsman facing him also took a stance, and a slightly muffled voice came from inside the helmet, "Did you hear about Speaker Mayerhaus's speech?"

"Which speech are you referring to?" Winters nodded, signaling the other to come at him, "The one in Varn? Or the one after returning to the Federated Provinces?"

"The one after returning to the Federated Provinces." Winters's opponent said and, without warning, stepped forward to thrust.

However, the sudden attack had no effect on Winters. He raised his arm to parry the incoming longsword, and in the cross of blades, he pointed the sword tip at his opponent in a smooth, effortless motion.

Winters even had the leisure to chat, "Heard about it, but it's almost the same as rumors. I'd like to hear your version."

His sword stopped a foot away from the opponent's shoulder — the opponent voluntarily stopped, took half a step back, raised a hand, and then walked back to the starting position.

Raising a hand signifies acknowledging a conceded point, a gesture of formal dueling etiquette.

However, next to this small clearing under the shade, there was neither a referee nor a scoreboard, the only audience being someone who had yet to grasp the situation.

In the eyes of a baffled outside observer, the spar between the Civil Guard Officer and the sparring partner seemed like a mere formality, ending as quickly as it began, with no clear winner.

One couldn't entirely blame the observer for lacking discernment.

Winters and his opponent lacked the necessary protective gear, so their safety depended on the opponent rather than themselves — although they were using wooden swords, a solid hit would still leave a mark.

Only with absolute trust in each other could they 'play' like this. Since it was 'play,' naturally, it appeared to be all gestures with no winner.

"You must have heard that the content of Mayerhaus's speech at the Alliance Congress wasn't much different from a declaration of war." Winters's opponent returned to the other end of the clearing, flexed his wrist, and gripped the longsword again, "When he returned to Guidao City, he gave another public speech at Martyrs' Square, which was even more sensational."

With that, he thrust his sword at Winters again.

Winters effortlessly deflected the wide swing, "Let's hear it."

"Speaker Mayerhaus personally declared the 'April 1st Revolution' as a rebellion." The opponent took a step back, raised a hand, and caught his breath, "An illegal armed rebellion."

Winters unconsciously furrowed his brows, lowered the sword tip, and asked, "No reaction from the Provincial Army?"

"I don't know, at least when I left Kingsfort, I hadn't heard of any major moves from Guidao City." The laughter from his opponent slipped out of the helmet, fully imagining the smug expression behind the visor, "But Cornelius mustn't be having a good time, turning from a 'hero' into a 'traitor' all of a sudden."

Winters lowered the longsword, seemingly thoughtful, "Tell me carefully about the new Speaker's speech."

"The usual rhetoric." The swordsman opposite Winters also rested the wooden sword on his shoulder, responding easily and happily:

"First, he cursed, harshly criticized the previous Federated Provinces government for its corruption and incompetence; then he cried, lamenting how miserable the Federated Provinces people's lives were; then he alarmed the public, using chaos in the Empire, Vineta, and Paratu to scare people; only at the end did he speak from the heart, admitting that the 'April 1st Revolution' was an armed rebellion, but also gave an excuse, saying it was because the 'Lionel regime was too corrupt and incompetent,' so the 'military had to temporarily take over the country.'"

"Temporarily?" Winters keenly caught on to something unusual.

"Yes, temporarily." The previously witty swordsman became hesitant and slow, speaking slowly, "Speaker Mayerhaus publicly promised to reorganize the National Assembly and re-elect representatives at all levels, gradually transferring national power from the military back to a new National Assembly within three years."

"Three years?" Winters raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, three years."

"Retaliation from the Provincial Army?"

"No retaliation. Instead, several generals came forward to endorse Speaker Mayerhaus's promise. The Provincial Army is a mess inside too, full of factions, with infighting amongst themselves."