127: Gladstone

"Lister, he is my third brother, Glaisdon."

Hearing Daisna's introduction, Lister looked at Glaisdon and smiled, "Lord Glaisdon, you're too polite. It was just a small effort."

"Alright, I won't say more words of thanks. If you need anything in the future, just come to me, and I will do my best to help you," Glaisdon said with a hearty laugh.

Lister nodded and didn't refuse. He had come to earn some favors in the first place, so he certainly wouldn't be foolish enough to miss such an opportunity.

Patting Lister on the shoulder with familiarity, Glaisdon smiled and changed how he addressed him, "Lister, I heard from Daisna that you're also a knight and that your cultivation talent isn't weak. Since you're already here at the training grounds, how about we spar?"

"Third Brother, you're already at Bronze Rank 9. How can you even ask that!"

Daisna immediately looked unhappy. She remembered that during the last welcome banquet, Lister had only just broken through to Bronze Rank Intermediate.

Only a short month had passed. Even if she believed in Lister's great talent, it was unlikely he could break through so quickly.

Glaisdon waved his hand and said, "Daisna, it's just a spar, not a real life-and-death battle. I think Lister will accept, right?"

"But..."

Daisna wanted to say more, but she was interrupted by Lister, who smiled and said softly, "Daisna, don't worry. Lord Glaisdon is right; it's just a spar."

"Besides, I also want to cross paths with a genius like Lord Glaisdon. It's a perfect chance to test the results of my recent cultivation."

Lister spoke very humbly. He could sense that Glaisdon intended to test him, and he didn't want to miss this good opportunity.

Usually, he always spared and practiced with Spartacus, so he had indeed wanted to find someone else to practice with for a long time.

Furthermore, he wanted to see how big the gap was between himself and a scion of a great noble family like Glaisdon.

"Well, alright then."

Daisna hesitated for a moment before agreeing. She knew it was just a spar and that Glaisdon certainly wouldn't be too heavy-handed.

She had just been over-anxious out of concern. Moreover, although Lister's tone was soft, it carried a sense of determination, so she naturally couldn't refuse.

"Hahaha, how straightforward!" Glaisdon laughed loudly. He was even more impressed by Lister's lack of hesitation to fight.

Coming to the center of the grounds, the two of them stepped back to create some distance and stood facing each other.

The Full Knights and Apprentice Knights under the Earl's command nearby all became excited.

"How many moves do you think this Lord of Ironthorn Territory can last against Young Master Glaisdon?"

"I went to Ironthorn Territory with Lord Ellis last time. As far as I know, Lord Howard had only just broken through to Bronze Rank Intermediate then. Even if he's made progress since, he probably isn't much stronger."

"If that's the case, Lord Howard probably won't last more than a few moves."

"There's nothing to be done; the gap in realms is right there. However, Lord Howard is a very generous person. I hope Lord Glaisdon lets him lose gracefully."

"Stop bragging. If I hadn't been busy last time, I would have been the one going to Ironthorn Territory. The meat of the Black Flame Demon Bear..."

"Hehe! You were indeed busy, but busy on a woman's belly."

In the arena, Glaisdon looked at Lister and said, "Lister, there are various training weapons over there. Feel free to choose whatever you like."

"Thank you," Lister thanked him.

Going to the nearby weapon rack, he originally intended to choose a wooden longsword, but after a moment's thought, he picked up a wooden spear lying horizontally on the rack.

As soon as he grasped the spear, Lister felt that the wood of the shaft was extraordinary; it must have been made from high-quality timber.

Returning to the arena, Lister stood with his spear, facing Glaisdon, who held a longsword.

Glaisdon bowed in a training salute and said, "Please advise me."

"Please advise me," Lister saluted in return.

"Watch out, Lister, I'm making my move."

Giving a specific warning, Glaisdon suddenly charged from his position like a cannonball, shooting toward Lister at high speed.

His great speed kicked up gusts of wind wherever he passed.

Seeing this, Lister's expression tightened. Instead of meeting the impact head-on, he gripped his spear in a defensive stance.

Bang!

In the next second, accompanied by the violent sound of wood clashing, the wooden sword and wooden spear made forceful contact.

It had to be said that although Glaisdon didn't look particularly burly, his attacking power was surprisingly heavy and powerful.

In just an instant, the web between Lister's thumb and index finger felt a bit numb.

Is this the strength of an Earl's son?

After sighing inwardly, Lister's arms suddenly exerted force. The powerful counter-impact forced Glaisdon back several steps.

"Hahaha, good!"

Glaisdon laughed heartily and charged at Lister once again.

Lister didn't continue to defend. Through that first probe, he had roughly gauged Glaisdon's power level.

If his estimation was correct, Glaisdon was definitely not a power-type knight; he was likely more outstanding in terms of technique.

In the next second, just as he had expected, at the moment his wooden spear was about to pierce Glaisdon's chest...

Glaisdon's wrist flicked slightly, parrying the spear and redirecting it.

Immediately after, the longsword bloomed like a flower, transforming into several afterimages that swept toward the front of Lister's body.

But this was also within Lister's expectations. He planted his feet firmly and exerted force with his arms again.

The spear, which had been parried while thrusting forward, suddenly froze in mid-air and then swept horizontally toward the sword afterimages on the left.

Bang, bang, bang!

Several consecutive sounds of collision rang out as the afterimages created by the longsword were all struck and dispersed by the spear.

Under Glaisdon's astonished gaze, the spear lunged toward his body again like a swimming dragon, even faster than before.

However, the scene of the hit that Lister expected did not occur. Glaisdon's body suddenly twisted strangely, and the spear brushed past him.

Then, the longsword swept toward him like a phantom.

Unable to dodge in time, he could only quickly pull back his spear to block in front of him.

Bang, bang, bang!

As the sounds of collision rang out one after another, the two of them became entangled in combat once again.

Although there were no flashing blades, wood chips torn away by the impacts were constantly flying through the air.

Under their fierce mutual assault, both the wooden sword and the wooden spear had reached their breaking points.

Glaisdon was now thoroughly enjoying the fight and had completely forgotten to hold back; every move was accompanied by powerful Dou Qi energy.

Yet, under Daisna's anxious gaze and the shocked looks of the surrounding knights, Lister did not fall into a disadvantage at all.

The spear in his hands danced with formidable power, and the Dou Qi energy condensed on the shaft was not inferior to Glaisdon's at all.

In the next second, Glaisdon flipped backward and shouted, "Watch out, Lister!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a massive, blue, Tiger-Shaped Magical Beast energy phantom—suffused with cold air and a fusion of mana and Dou Qi—charged toward Lister.

In an instant, Lister recognized it as a swordsmanship skill. Without hesitation, he gripped his nearly broken spear.

Dou Qi energy gathered throughout his body and condensed onto the spear. Simultaneously, under the guidance of his Spiritual Power, a large amount of wind elements from the air converged toward the spear.

In an instant, the two powerful forces of wind element and Dou Qi energy merged.

Immediately after, the spear swept forward violently. With the sound of wood snapping, a powerful blue 'Storm Dragon' shot straight toward the 'Tiger-Shaped Magical Beast'.

The ground was overturned wherever the two phantom creatures formed of energy passed, and the air crackled with continuous explosions.

In an instant, with a loud boom, the 'Tiger-Shaped Magical Beast' and the 'Storm Dragon' collided violently.

A terrifying shockwave swept wildly in all directions. Seeing Daisna nearby, who might be hit by the impact...

Lister dropped his broken spear, dashed to Daisna's side in a flash, and swept her up in his arms to avoid the shockwave.

"Hahaha, that was great! Great!"

Glaisdon's hearty laughter rang out from the dust-filled training grounds.

Seeing his dirt-streaked face, the surrounding knights couldn't help but burst into laughter.

In contrast, Lister had dodged quickly while saving the lady, so besides his clothes being a bit dirty, his face remained clean, handsome, and charming.

Being set down from his arms, Daisna asked with a blushing face, "Lister, how did you become so strong?"

"Hehe, maybe it's because I wanted to make progress so badly," Lister said with a gentle smile.

On the other side, Glaisdon walked over quickly, seemingly not having noticed Lister's earlier actions, and praised him sincerely:

"Lister, I didn't expect you to have the strength of a High-Rank Bronze. Your power is almost on par with mine. Moreover, your Spearmanship and skills should have reached the Proficient level, right?"

"Lord Glaisdon has a keen eye." Lister nodded and said humbly, "I only happened to break through a few days ago. Besides, you didn't use your full strength either."

"Haha, you're too humble."

Although he hadn't used his full strength, Glaisdon knew very well that he had gotten a bit carried away during the fight and had used seventy percent of his power.

With seventy percent of the power from his Bronze Rank 9 realm—which was close to advancing to Silver Knight—along with a rare-quality swordsmanship skill...

Even so, he hadn't won outright against Lister, which showed that Lister's strength was much greater than he had imagined.

Strong cultivators often share a mutual respect, and Glaisdon himself worshipped strength.

Thus, after this spar, his favorable impression of Lister deepened even further.

His earlier initiative to spar with Lister had indeed been born from the idea of testing Lister's strength.

He was very clear about his sister Daisna's feelings, so as an older brother, he had to vet the man properly.

As for Lister's background, he was also aware of it, but he never cared about that, or rather, no one in the entire Flanders Family cared.

All they cared about was one thing: whether Lister's own strength was great enough and whether his abilities were outstanding enough.

Background?

Within the entire kingdom, their Flanders Family was a powerful background in itself. For anyone marrying into the Flanders Family...

Besides strength and ability, their character had to be absolutely good; otherwise, no matter how much they talked, they would never enter the doors of the Flanders Family... That evening, the Flanders Family's banquet.

The Flanders Family wasn't considered massive, but it didn't have few members either.

However, there weren't many members currently staying with the family. Daisna's eldest and second brothers were currently holding important positions at the border.

Many other members of the middle and younger generations were either out on missions, stationed elsewhere, or studying at various academies.

Some had also gone to prepare for the possibility that the Tulip Territory might need support after the war began, following the discovery of large-scale movements by the Orc Race in the northern border.

Currently, those still in Aetheria were only Elsid, Daisna, Glaisdon, their only grandmother Thebesa, and Daisna's mother, Philomina, who had been out on business during the day and returned just before dinner.

Lister was also invited to attend this banquet.

Thebesa and Philomina were very happy about his arrival and kept showing him sincere smiles.

Although Thebesa was the wife of the former Earl Flanders, she didn't look old; it was clear she had been a great beauty in her youth.

And the current Earl Elsid's wife, Philomina, had maintained her appearance extremely well; describing her as a graceful noble lady was no exaggeration.

Looking at the handsome and composed Lister before her, Thebesa said with a look of heartache, "Lister, I heard your mother passed away when you were young, and your viscount father also died in battle not long ago."

"To be able to develop a barren land like Ironthorn Territory so well now, you truly have extraordinary ability."

"Now that you've come to us, don't be formal. Just treat this place as your own home."

"Mother is right."

Philomina smiled and agreed, "Lister, you saved Daisna and are her good friend. You can just relax and be at ease here."

"Thank you, Old Countess and Countess. I do feel very much at home here," Lister thanked them sincerely.

Hearing him say this, the two women couldn't help but look relieved.

Soon, after all kinds of delicacies were served, the banquet officially began.

Compared to Lister's own meals in the Ironthorn Territory castle, the Flanders Family's banquet was much more sumptuous.

The culinary skills of this world were already very mature. Combined with the special energy in the air, the taste of the cooked food was not at all inferior to that of his previous life.

This was also why Lister hadn't thought about developing a food industry before; there was simply no competitiveness left to exploit.

Seated at the head of the table, Elsid took a bite of Magical Beast Meat, elegantly wiped his mouth, and looked at Lister, saying, "Lister, after the sudden heavy rain in the northwestern part of the kingdom earlier, how was the aftermath for the casualties in Ironthorn Territory?"

Although he had previously sent scout knights to secretly monitor the situation in Ironthorn Territory, he only knew that the territory hadn't suffered any major problems.

As for exactly how many people were killed or injured, because of the tight patrols in Ironthorn Territory, they hadn't conducted a detailed investigation.

"Thank you for your concern, Lord Earl."

Lister thanked him and said with a slightly relieved tone, "Our Ironthorn Territory might have had better luck; the sudden rainstorm didn't cause any casualties."

"No casualties!"