Rhemic Empire (2)

Before leaving, the Fortress commander reminded Tsukiko not to confuse training battles with duels. “An ordinary person won’t understand the difference, but for a warrior, they have completely different meanings. We are happy to use the opportunity to hone our skills in battles with each other, but there must be a worthy reason for challenging someone to a duel. If you don’t have one, you will only show your ignorance or offend the person you want to cross swords with.” He waved his hand. “Alright, go.”

-- Peace be with your spirit. I wanted to do two things: thank you for saving me with the others in that situation in the desert. If it weren’t for you, I would be dead. And challenge you to a duel (names the time and place). It would be an honor for me to fight you, although I’m not sure you can say the same about me.

The young warrior was a little surprised by such a proposal, but after thinking about it, he gave his consent.

/does parrying go before or after dodging?

After.

— We are from the police. We have reason to believe that your daughter may be dead. There are no guarantees, but these items were found at the crime scene. Perhaps something will seem familiar to you? — Alaria did not rush with further questions, giving the blacksmith time to fully realize what he had heard.

The blacksmith was genuinely frightened and needed to sit down before he could continue the conversation. He mumbled something incoherent, but then answered negatively – he knew nothing about the items.