After knocking on the door and awakening Mother, the Marquess led us all towards the Training Grounds, telling the tired Dogkin that it'd be best if she got some fresh air as well - and that she could nap there too if she still needed it.
The wonders of mana made itself known once more as Mother just yawned and sent a burst of her mana through her body, rousing herself from drowsiness and walking beside us without issue, her stomach having already shrunk enough to be almost unnoticeable beneath her black dress.
Alessandra and Lakshmi were resting in her arms, the two babies curiously looking around at the Palace as they were carried through the halls, this sudden change in scenery taking all of their attention.
We reached the Training Grounds rather quickly, finding it relatively empty and making our way towards one of the larger spaces as we began to prepare for the spars to come, with Mother thanking me as I created a chair for her made of ice, which I tried to make as neutral as possible temperature wise... though she didn't seem bothered by the cool touch of the material as she sat down.
The Marquess was the one to step foot into the center first, beckoning at someone to join her as we all took our spots around the space we had drawn up for the spars to come.
Glancing around at one another, I shrugged as I stepped forwards, deciding to be the one to take the first plunge into what would likely be a rather strenuous hell.
The Countess strode back over with a bundle of wooden weapons in her hands, which she handed out to everyone.
ραndαsΝοvεl ƈοm Taking the blade, I spun it around before lowering myself into a stance, staring at the Demoness across from me and watching as she swished her blade a few times, meeting my gaze with a smirk.
"Ready, little pup? It's been awhile..."
I nodded, lunging forwards as soon as she beckoned for me to begin, the slight breeze inside the Training Grounds turning into a wind as began to flicker around the Marquess, my sword lashing out towards her large torso, only for the sound of wood thunking together to fill the air with the sound of battle.
The Marquess remained standing still as I dashed around her, my blade slashing towards her constantly as I began to warm up, my speed only growing as I got into my groove against the Marquess, even if all I was doing was hitting her sword as she blocked everything.
Everyone watched from the side as I darted around the Marquess, who was nodding to herself as the flurry of blows hitting her from all sides only grew in number, with each passing second allowing me to warm up to using this sword.
"Not too bad, little pup, could always be better though. Like if I were to actually start attacking..."
With that, the Marquess lunged forwards and swatted my blade away, before hers began to snake towards my throat as she went on the offensive for the first time, which I narrowly avoided by spinning away, only to have to jump back as the Marquess slashed at my chest.
Planting my feet, I shot forwards after her blade swooshed in front of me, hoping to take advantage of her overextension and low a blow, but...
I staggered back as the Marquess slammed her fist into my gut, followed quickly by a swift strike of her blade that almost hit my collarbone.
Taking a few steps back, I took a deep breath and reengaged, opting for speed as I kept her sword engaged for a few seconds, honing myself against the Marquess before willingly taking a step back as she began to go back on the offensive again, not wanting to take another hit if I could avoid it.
The Marquess just snorted as I stepped out of the circle, the Demoness rolling her eyes as I smiled wryly at her, before she focused on Jahi as she stepped forwards, taking my place.
Standing beside Mother, I watched as the two Demoness' began to spar, forgoing the blades after they shattered from the initial impact and instead resorted to grappling, utilizing their brute strength against one another.
The Countess walked over and sighed as she watched the two muscular women go at it in the middle of the sand pits, muttering "Muscle heads, the both of them..."
Mother chuckled softly, glancing up at the both of us as she muttered back "Isn't that why we love them~? Besides, I do have to admit it is a rather good show, no~?"
I glanced at the Countess before we both nodded, small smiles on our lips as we agreed with Mother, with Leone joining in as she added "It is quite something to watch... and it is rather jarring to see just how similar they are to one another despite the age gap. More like sisters than parent and child."
The Countess snorted as she nodded, though her eyes were warm as she said "Because their combined mental age sometimes barely scrapes double digits... simplistic, childish, selfish, but..."
She fell silent, watching as the two continued to grapple to the ground as the Marquess displayed her superior strength and technique against her daughter, where they began to vie for the win as they hooked their arms around the others limbs.
It took a few moments, but the Marquess came out on top as she wrapped her arm around Jahi's neck, forcing the stubborn younger Demoness to submit before she was choked out.
The older Demoness was all smiles as she stood up, gloating her victory over her daughter as she grinned down at her, before helping her stand up, only to grin more as Jahi yanked her arm and dragged her back onto the sand, starting a new bout without much fanfare.
We all just sighed as we watched them start anew, but it was a rather amusing thing to watch as we all settled in for another bout.
---
Reminder : all uploads on Sunday EST will likely be later than normal since American Football is back on, so yeah...
---
Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!
Use arrow keys (or A / D) to PREV/NEXT chapter