Chapter 58

*CLACK!* *SMACK!* *TWANG!*

The sounds of a wood hitting wood rang out across the garden as Vincent practiced against Sten. The two wooden weapons smacked against echoer as the two fought one another. Vincent was a good fighter especially for someone his age yet Sten proved to be a tough opponent. Vincent had yet to defeat his butler even once despite having daily spars with the man since he first came to the mansion. In most spars Vincent forbid himself from using and magic thus he had to defeat Sten using skill alone. Sten was fairly skilled even though he claimed that he was rusty, Sten was also considerably taller and stronger than Vincent which was unsurprising since Vincent wasn't even close to being an adult yet. Despite this Vincent had already fought all kinds of lesser monsters as well as wolves, skeletons, and even Humans. He had experience in surviving in the wild and he also knew how to cast spells. Despite his many impressive achievements he was still just a ten year old. A ten year old in a kingdom that was burning itself into the ground over a civil war that started for reasons he still could not fathom. The war caused Vincent to be more lonely than ever before. His father had less and less time to spend with his son and whenever Vincent saw James he looked tired and stressed. David barely saw Victoria and the other royals were nowhere to be seen. Elizabeth at least sent him a single message once but he heard nothing from Alex. 

*BLONK* 

A wooden stave hit Vincent on the head.

Vincent: "OWWW!" 

Sten: "Are you alright?"

Vincent: "Yeah i was just distracted."

Sten: "It's getting worse Vincent. you're losing focus more and more during our spars."

Vincent: "I know its just everything going on. Its distracting me. I need to go out, There are people meet I need to meet, yet instead I'm couped up here all day everyday. At least before i returned I could actually help beat those rebels instead of being stuck here where I'm even more lonely than i was when i was out there. " 

Sten: "You're still a kid i don't think anyone is expecting you to go fight the rebals."

Vincent: "I've seen people just a few years older than me be recruited into militia's"

Sten: "In backwater regions that may be the case but their arrow fodder. The only reason thier used is because those regions lack the manpower to be fully staffed by more capable warriors. If you were to go to a major front in the war you'd be killed in no time. I am not even a professional warrior and you can't defeat me using your skill alone, How do you expect to survive a knight's cavalry charge. My family has records of whats it like being on the receiving end of a cavalry charge and its ugly. Tens if not hundreds of knights charging towards you using their weapon arts while on the back of a mighty stead rushing at you at the speed of lightning. Trust me, You don't want that ever aimed at you Vincent"

Vincent: "I'll survive"

Sten: "How?"

Vincent: "I'll use Magic!"

Sten: "That's childish and you know it. I've seen you're magic, its insufficient."

Vincent: "I killed a knight before?" 

Sten: "Was it an experienced knight or one of those half cooked ones that are constantly getting deployed by both sides due to the manpower shortage?" 

Vincent: "Uhh... I don't know."

Sten: "Did you fight him directly or did you ambush him or did he just fall into some sort of trap you made?"

Vincent: "Ambush."

Sten: "Did you fight him alone or with help?"

Vincent: "Technically I ambushed him by myself but i wasn't the only one there. I had allies fighting and he wasn't alone either."

Sten: "Was he distracted due to you're allies actions?"

Vincent: "You could say that."

Sten: "Can you see my point?"

Vincent reluctantly nodded his head yet he was dissatisfied with Stens arguments. He felt like his pride had been shattered and he did not like that feeling one bit. Before ling Vincent unhappily storming off into the house.