Knight Training (2)

Despite his left hand feeling numb, Norn still kept a cool demeanor and said, "Your physical condition is pretty good. But you need to work on your technique."

"Is that so!" Jinn didn't seem to mind his failure.

"Go put on your armor. You need to get used to fighting while wearing it," Norn added, thinking about his still-numb hand, "And tie those two sandbags to your wrists."

Once fully equipped, Jinn immediately felt the weight of the armor, especially the heavy sandbags on his wrists that slowed his movements even more. Not to mention, the narrow field of vision from the helmet made Jinn extremely uncomfortable.

"Watch closely!" Norn said, then suddenly lunged forward, disappearing from Jinn's sight in an instant. Before Jinn could react, he felt a blow to his left leg.

"Felt that, didn't you?" Norn reappeared in front of Jinn, tapping the helmet with his right hand.

"Engaging a knight head-on is a huge disadvantage. Most people, when facing a fully-armored knight, will exploit the knight's narrow field of vision and try to attack the relatively weaker limbs of the knight's armor, weakening and controlling the knight's movements before delivering the final blow."

Jinn thought for a moment, then asked uncertainly, "Just like the knight we captured before?"

"That's right!" Norn nodded, "Now that you know, keep practicing until you can instinctively counter such attacks."

"But you haven't told me how a knight should respond yet," Jinn retorted.

"There are plenty of ways! You can swing your weapon to keep the enemy at bay, use your shield to protect your vulnerable parts, or even charge forward to disrupt the opponent's rhythm," Norn concluded meaningfully, "There's no one-size-fits-all method. It's all about the contest between individuals."

Norn's words left Jinn puzzled once again.

"If you don't understand, just practice!" Norn raised his longsword again and said slowly, "If your mind can't remember, let your body do the remembering."

As Norn and Jinn continued their sparring, the evening glow quietly descended.

Jinn sadly ate another unappetizing "muscle-building meal" and was about to retreat to his tent for some rest when...

"Jinn! Time to practice!" Not only Norn, but Anna had come over as well.

"It's dark out! What else is there to practice?" Jinn replied wearily.

"There's still etiquette to learn!" Norn said disdainfully.

"Huh?" Jinn recalled the image of a knight in his mind—words like "majestic" and "strong" came to mind, but not "polite" or "cultured."

Seeing Jinn's skeptical look, Norn couldn't help but express his frustration, "Even though there are plenty of muscle-bound, brainless brutes in this world, a knight who doesn't know etiquette can't possibly win over the common folk, treat noble ladies with respect, or be loyal to his lord."

"Jinn, if you want to be a true knight, you need to know more than just combat skills," Norn emphasized.

Hearing that it concerned his knightly aspirations, Jinn reluctantly got up to learn.

"Etiquette lesson one: Suppose you meet a noble lady at a banquet. How do you ask for her name?" Norn pointed to himself, signaling Jinn to come forward and ask.

Jinn hesitated for a long time, then slowly approached within a meter of Norn and mumbled, "Miss, what's your name?"

Norn was taken aback for a moment, then angrily knocked Jinn on the head. Anna, standing by, couldn't stop laughing.

"You're a knight! A knight!" Norn shook Jinn, exasperated, "Etiquette! Etiquette!"

"But how do I do it?" Jinn asked, bewildered.

"Let me give you a simplified version. Watch closely!"

Norn stood up straight, gazed steadily at Anna, and moved his hands naturally, with moderate but strong gestures. Each step he took was evenly spaced, steady, and forceful. His every move exuded confidence and grace, a stark contrast to the usual haggling merchant's apprentice he usually was.

Under Jinn's astonished gaze, Norn walked gracefully up to Anna, first bowed slightly, and then performed a respectful chest-touching salute, to which Anna responded with a curtsy.

"Good evening," Norn nodded gently and asked in a magnetic tone, "May I have the honor of knowing the name of the noble lady I am speaking with?"

After a moment, Norn turned back to Jinn, his expression returning to that of a shrewd merchant's apprentice.

"Did you get it?"

"This... this..." Jinn was completely stunned. In his brief 16 years, he had only been around people of his class—farmers, hunters, and the highest-ranking person he had ever met was the tax collector who came by regularly. Where could he see this kind of behavior in them?

"Is this even considered simple?" Jinn finally managed to say.

"Pfft!" Norn scoffed, "This is the basics. If you don't believe me..."

Norn turned to Anna and said, "Naan, give him a performance."

Anna, who had been laughing happily, nodded and her smile transformed from a genuine grin to a polite, noble, yet distant expression.

Not only that, but Anna walked slowly and steadily towards Norn, with no visible movement above her shoulders. Her eyes were extremely expressive, like a bright moon hidden beneath her eyelids. Her left hand seemed to be holding something, with her middle finger gently touching her waist, while her right hand moved steadily and naturally.

As she passed by the stunned Jinn, Anna didn't react to his rudeness at all but instead nodded politely at him.

Jinn's eyes widened. If Norn had just demonstrated the demeanor of an elegant knight, then the person in front of him now was like a king who owned a vast territory.

It felt like a long time had passed before Anna reached Norn, subtly smoothing out the creases in her dress with her right hand, and then curtsied gracefully. The movement was not only elegant but also exuded a casualness that seemed ingrained in her very being.

"Good evening, fair lady," Anna looked directly into Norn's eyes and said in a gentle but firm tone, "May I have the honor of asking a beautiful and kind lady to do me a favor so that I might relieve my doubts and know to which of the Muses I am praying?"

The scene fell silent for a moment, with only the crackling of the campfire breaking the quiet.

Anna had finished her etiquette performance and turned to look at Jinn, only to find him quietly shrinking into the corner, muttering to himself, "Being a knight... is hard."