(56 Days Before the Fight, Leo's POV)
When Leo asked Charles to train him as hard as he could, he did not expect the Monarch to directly challenge him to a friendly sparring match, where he was asked to go as hard as he could to try and land a blow.
*SHING*
*SHING*
Leo's daggers clashed against a crooked piece of scrap metal, something Charles had picked up while casually walking through the military base, not because it was special, but because it was there, and because even a piece of junk in his hands became a lethal weapon.
They sparred in the heart of an active military zone, surrounded by thousands of soldiers and staff, many of whom had stopped mid-task to witness the bout, their attention completely drawn to this violent dance, ignoring the distant artillery strikes echoing in the sky above Juxta as if this duel unfolding on the ground mattered more than the war itself.
"That's him, isn't it? That's Leo Skyshard, one of the two Dragon candidates."
