The combat skills training soon began, with Brodvar leading the punching, kicking, and grappling drills.
Right from the start, Garwin and his guards immediately noticed that Lohran's punches and kicks were extremely sharp and snappy for someone who had just begun training.
He also seemed to have effortlessly learned how to execute clean takedowns just by observing them.
'Was the second young master extremely talented in combat despite his current fragile physique?' mused the guard captain.
A hint of excitement inevitably crept into the hearts of Garwin, Brodvar, and the other guards.
Lohran was showing signs of being a talented Blader!
While the role wasn't extremely uncommon, it was rare compared to others, and gifted individuals were even rarer, destined for greatness.
Even the less talented Bladers could still earn relatively more than those in other roles with the same level of talent.
Furthermore, the role had the highest chance of saving the family's status.
The lord and the guards knew better than to overly excite themselves, though, understanding that only time would truly tell.
Only when Lohran surpassed his older brother in raw physical strength could they truly start expecting something.
For now, they shall focus on training.
Half an hour later, the combat skills session concluded, making way for the most exciting part of the training session: sparring.
For Lohran, at least.
He loved to spar and compare techniques with others.
Louen seemed quite excited as well, thinking that he would finally be able to show off his skills to his little brother.
"Brodvar, you and the others will spar one by one in the center of the mats. I want my sons to get a good look at what proper sparring looks like, as this will be their first time facing each other," Garwin ordered, immediately opting out of melee combat, as it was not his expertise.
That didn't mean the lord lacked melee combat skills.
It was just that Garwin knew it would be difficult to match the Dawnchasers he had hired to guard the Minor House of Neyvaris in terms of melee combat knowledge.
Brodvar, a Shielder, and the others, who were either untalented or newbie Bladers, would be better suited to teaching his sons.
Brodvar and another guard named Damian nodded and stepped at the center of the mats first, slightly bowing at each other and assuming their fighting stances.
It seemed that Brodvar was somewhat of a grappler while Damian was more of a striker.
It would be a rather interesting clash of styles as far as Lohran was concerned, even though such matchups were rather common in the octagon.
The actual result, however, was far less interesting than expected, as one side was clearly superior in both striking and grappling.
Even with Brodvar lowering his stance and restraining his strength to around fifty to sixty percent, he still battered Damian with ease, expertly dodging and blocking strikes with immaculate precision before seamlessly countering with precise punches and kicks of his own.
Then, after decisively outstriking his opponent, the guard captain swiftly executed a takedown, bringing the fight to the mats.
From there, he grappled his way to Damian's back and forced a tap-out with a rear naked choke.
Lohran observed everything with a subtle smile, amused by how the grappling style bore some resemblance to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu—only far more barbaric and rough.
Martial arts on Earth had been more refined.
On the other hand, those in Edelmundr were brutish and raw, likely due to the nature of their opponents.
After all, unlike on Earth, one had to fight darkborne monsters with overwhelming size and lethal limbs and fangs.
Too much emphasis on grace could be the cause of one's undoing in Edelmundr.
'I don't understand how these would help with killing Zoraphs and Zorphlings, though…' he mused. 'Shouldn't they be teaching me how to handle weapons instead? Or do some Dawnchasers use only their limbs to slaughter such monstrosities?'
He had just arrived in the world and had so many unanswered questions.
Apparently, he would learn the answers to most of them once he arrived at the academy, so Lohran wasn't in too much of a rush to find out.
The other three pairs pressed on and also sparred, but none caught Lohran's eye anymore.
Aside from Brodvar, the rest weren't even at an elite level in melee combat.
Most were merely intermediate.
Soon, the matches concluded, which meant that it was finally time for the brothers to test their skills against each other, though there shouldn't be any competition.
Louen was two years older than Lohran and was also two years ahead in terms of training.
The fact that they were even letting the two spar was already a bit of a stretch.
If Lohran hadn't shown promise earlier, Garwin would have postponed the brothers' first sparring match by a month or even two, waiting until Lohran had at least some means to defend himself.
It was only because the adults were rather excited to gauge the second young master's melee combat talent that this was allowed to happen.
"As you both saw, there's no need to go all out in sparring—especially you, Louen. Focus on honing your techniques," Garwin warned, his gaze lingering on his eldest son for a few seconds before turning to Brodvar and giving him a nod.
The guard captain smiled enthusiastically.
"Now then, young masters, please step to the center of the mats. I'll be your referee to ensure no one gets hurt. Again, remember—there's no need to go all out. Refining your techniques and enriching your combat experience matter far more than winning or losing," Brodvar reminded them.
Lohran and Louen nodded.
However, there was a difference between the two.
Lohran had long understood the true essence of sparring, while Louen was simply eager to subtly assert his dominance over his younger brother and win.
Of course, he still planned to hold back—but deep down, he was excited to show his father that he was superior.
At last, he had a chance to earn the respect of his brash, unhinged little brother and the acknowledgment of his father and the Neyvaris Manor guards.
Lohran would likely listen to him more often than not after this.
'If he didn't…hmph!'
Arriving at the center of the mats, the two youngsters assumed their fighting stances—one loose and relaxed, the other tense with anticipation.
"Begin!" Brodvar announced, jerking his right arm skyward.
"UOOOHH!!"
As soon as he heard the guard captain's signal, Louen eagerly charged forth, his footwork a slight mess due to his overenthusiasm.
The older boy launched a rather vicious right straight without hesitation, expecting to overwhelm his little brother and knock him down with a single punch.
To his surprise, Lohran remained completely unfazed, slightly bending his knee and smoothly slipping his head diagonally downward to the side before rotating his torso just enough to counter with a sharp uppercut.
Louen barely had time to react before the light blow caught him under the chin.
He stumbled backward, accidentally biting his tongue, and lost his balance, landing on his butt with a thud.
Tears welled up at the corners of the older young master's eyes, and then…
He cried.
"Uuuu… that hurt…"
"S-Stop! Match over!" exclaimed Brodvar, jumping in.
Lohran, on the other hand, frowned.
'What? I know it was a perfect counter, but I didn't even hit him that hard…' thought the runt with a hint of disappointment for his older brother.
Garwin, on the other hand, was trembling.
Not in anger, but in excitement.
That was an immaculate slip followed by a swift counterattack, wasn't it?
Even he couldn't do that!
Could his second son truly be destined to be a Blader?