Chapter 398: Master Mavis
The children, growing impatient with being ignored, began to taunt Luca directly.
"Hey! Evil Hero! Stop whispering to Big Sis!"
Nella yelled out, stomping her little hoof angrily before provoking him.
"Are you scared?! Is the big scary Hero actually a weakling?!"
"Yeah! Are you a coward? I thought you were supposed to be super strong!"
"My mother said you defeated everyone yesterday, but I don’t believe it! You look like you’re going to run away any second!"
"Come on! Fight us! Or are you too afraid of a bunch of little girls?"
The provocations were so earnest, that Luca couldn’t help but be impressed despite himself.
He also knew that these weren’t just random taunts—they were strategic taunts, designed to goad him into engaging with their challenge.
Each line had clearly been fed to them beforehand.
’This is Mavis’s handiwork. Without question.’
She had predicted Sigrid’s questions, prepared the children’s responses, and even calculated how to provoke Luca into participating. It was remarkable, really—the mind of a master strategist hidden behind the facade of a petty prankster.
But while he was thoroughly enjoying himself, Sigrid herself simply wanted to resolve this matter as quickly as possible.
These children were supposed to be training, learning, and behaving themselves—not staging an adorable insurrection in the middle of the village square.
She fixed her gaze on Nella, the ringleader of this miniature uprising, and spoke in the tone of a commander addressing a subordinate.
"Nella. Recite for me the Vows of a Knight."
The effect was immediate. Nella snapped to attention with the crisp discipline of a soldier, her small body straightening as she placed one tiny fist over her heart.
The other children followed suit, their earlier rowdiness vanishing as they assumed positions of solemn attention.
When Nella spoke, her voice carried a gravity that seemed far too heavy for someone her age.
"I swear upon my name, my blade, and my dignity. I shall uphold honor even when the path is difficult, protect those who place their trust in me, and never abandon my duty for fear or selfish gain."
"Let my word be as firm as steel, my courage unwavering, and my actions worthy of the title I bear."
"So long as I stand, I shall carry my honor with pride and defend it with my life."
This was no mere recitation, it was a sacred oath, one that every centaur in the village had spoken countless times throughout their lives.
It was the foundation upon which their entire society was built, the code that defined what it meant to be a knight of the Galloping Brigade.
Sigrid allowed a small, knowing smile to touch her lips.
"After reciting something so profound." She asked. "How could you possibly employ such trickery? How can you justify using methods of deceit against the Hero? You are taking advantage of his inability to fight back against children."
"...Is that not fundamentally wrong?"
She expected Nella to mumble an apology and retreat with her tail between her legs.
Instead, Nella simply shook her head with unwavering conviction.
"There is no deceit or dishonesty in what we’re doing, Big Sis! I am simply using my natural advantages against a stronger opponent!"
Sigrid’s eyebrow twitched.
"Strong warriors use their strength in battle."
Nella continued, speaking with the confidence of someone who had rehearsed this argument extensively.
"Fast centaurs use their speed to outmaneuver opponents. Clever centaurs use their minds to find weaknesses. And I—"
She puffed out her cheeks and widened her eyes to their maximum adorable capacity.
"—am using my cuteness against the Hero!"
The effect was devastating.
Even Sigrid, felt her resolve waver for a fraction of a second under the assault of that devastatingly cute expression.
The big, shimmering eyes. The puffed cheeks. The utterly earnest conviction radiating from that tiny face.
Nella, sensing her advantage, pressed it mercilessly.
"The Hero is too strong for us to defeat in a fair fight, so we’re fighting in the only way we can! Isn’t that what any good warrior would do?"
Sigrid struggled to maintain her stern expression.
"But still—don’t you think there’s some level of manipulation at play here? You’re taking advantage of Sir Luca’s kindness. That’s not—"
"Not at all!" Nella interrupted cheerfully. "I wouldn’t call it manipulation. I’d call it..."
She paused, her brow furrowing as she struggled to remember something she had clearly been coached to say. Her eyes lit up.
"...the Art of War! And in the Art of War, there is no such thing as unfair deceit!"
The moment Luca heard this, he turned slowly toward Sigrid with a wry smile.
"You know, Sigrid..." He drawled, his tone dripping with playful sarcasm. "Given the noble reputation of the centaurs, I genuinely thought the kids around here would be the same."
"I pictured studious, virtuous little angels following every word out of their elders’ mouths."
Sigrid winced, looking utterly mortified.
"Who could have guessed." Luca continued, shaking his head in mock dismay. "That the youth of this village are actually a bunch of ruthless, cunning masterminds plotting psychological warfare against me? I never expected to get outplayed by a toddler."
"Don’t misunderstand, Sir Luca!" Sigrid blurted out, her voice rising in desperate defense. "They weren’t always like this! I swear to you, they used to be such adorable, well-behaved children! They would wake up at the crack of dawn to practice their footwork, listen attentively to the adult knights, and dream of honorably protecting the realm!"
"Even now, they still hold those aspirations. But..."
She let out a heavy sigh. "Mavis has entered the picture. And she has been steadily corrupting all of the little ones."
Luca’s eyebrows rose. "Corrupting them?"
Sigrid’s expression grew more troubled as she explained.
"Apparently, Mavis did not approve of the way we were teaching values and virtues to the children. She claimed in her words that ’all that noble nonsense is going to get them killed.’ She believed our emphasis on honor and tradition was not only outdated but actively dangerous."
Luca said nothing, though his expression was thoughtful.
"Because of that." Sigrid continued. "She decided to take it upon herself to change their minds. She began inviting the little ones to her workshop, spending time with them, teaching them her own values. Which, of course, means doing whatever it takes to achieve your goals and using every possible advantage at your disposal."
Luca nodded slowly. ’Yep, that sounds exactly like the woman who used smoke bombs to fight yesterday.’
"She’s been filling their heads with these ideas for months now. Propaganda, essentially. And somehow..."
She bit her lips in vexation.
"...she’s managed to charm her way into their hearts. They hang on her every word. They mimic her mannerisms. They even argue like her now."
"That one is practically Mavis’s personal disciple."
She glanced at Nella, who stood with her chest puffed out and an expression that was unmistakably Mavis-like in its smug confidence.
"She’s completely devoted to her ’Master Mavis,’ as she calls her. Every clever argument, every underhanded tactic, every manipulative strategy—she’s absorbed them all."
Luca chuckled softly under his breath.
The idea of Mavis running a secret underground school of shameless tactical villainy for baby centaurs was objectively hilarious.
But more than the humor, he found himself...agreeing with Mavis.
The centaurs were dangerously rigid in their thinking. Their adherence to tradition, while admirable in many ways, had clearly created blind spots that could prove fatal in real combat.
Mavis’s philosophy of willing to use every advantage was simply a more honest approach to survival.
But he wasn’t going to argue this point with Sigrid, though. Not now.
She was clearly too irritated about the whole situation to entertain alternative perspectives.
Sigrid, deciding she had indulged this nonsense long enough, began to turn away.
"Pay them no mind, Sir Luca. We should just ignore them. They can’t actually do anything if we simply walk off."
The moment Sigrid moved to leave, Nella’s face twisted into a furious scowl.
"Hey! That’s not fair at all!" The little filly yelled, stomping her hooves. "You know we had to prepare our battle scripts for hours! It’s completely dishonorable to run away from a formal challenge!"
The other fillies immediately chimed in, brandishing their wooden sticks.
"Yeah! Running away is cowardly!"
"A real knight never turns her back on a battle!"
"Only the biggest cowards retreat! Stop right there, Commander! You can’t run away!"
Sigrid shot a glare over her shoulder, her temper flaring.
"You little brats only care about knightly virtues when it’s convenient for your pranks! Mavis really did a number on your brains, didn’t she?!"
"We don’t care! You can’t leave!" Nella insisted stubbornly.
Before Sigrid could unleash a full tirade, Luca raised a hand, interrupting them both.
"Hold on a second. If they want a fight...then I’ll fight them."
Sigrid gasped, turning her head back. "Sir Luca?!"
"It’s totally fine." Luca replied, a glint of pure playfulness dancing in his eyes as he looked down at the tiny, wooden-sword-wielding battalion.
"Yesterday at the trial, I clearly stated that anyone could challenge me, provided they had the heart of a centaur warrior. That offer didn’t just apply to Mavis—it applies to the little ones, too."
He looked at the ponies, who were all nodding frantically in agreement.
"They’re doing this to defend your honor, Sigrid." Luca noted warmly. "They’re looking out for their Commander. For a display of courage like that, the least I can do is grant them a proper battle."
Before Sigrid could voice any further objections, he swung himself off her back and landed lightly on the ground.
He straightened his clothes, rolled his shoulders, and began walking toward the waiting children.
Nella let out a triumphant laugh.
"Ha! You may be a evil Hero, but you possess some redeemable qualities!"
"Yeah! Not bad for a two-legged meanie!"
"This is how a real man should act!"
"Prepare yourself! We’re gonna beat you up real good!"
"Show him the absolute might of the Mini Galloping Brigade!"
The children stamped their tiny hooves and brandished their wooden swords, already savoring their anticipated victory.
They could do whatever they wanted, and Luca would be helpless to stop them. That was the plan.
That is until...Luca casually raised his hand and tore open a dark, swirling portal in thin air right in front of them.
He reached inside the portal and slowly began to pull something out
The children watched with growing trepidation as first the pommel emergee, then the grip, then...
"Oh no." Nella whispered.
It was a sword. But ot just any ordinary sword.
It was a massive broadsword!
A slab of gleaming steel that looked like it weighed more than several of the little ponies combined.
The kind of weapon one was supposed to wield with two hands, to smash through walls and cleave through armored knights.
Yet there Luca stood, holding it effortlessly in just one hand, the muscles in his arm bulging as he brought it to rest across his shoulder.
The children stared in horror. Even Sigrid felt her breath catch.
Under the divine restrictions, Luca should have been reduced to ordinary mortal strength.
Yet here he stood, wielding a weapon that would have required two strong centaurs to even lift, as though it weighed nothing at all.
Sigrid’s eyes involuntarily drifted to his arm. She could see the thick, dense muscles bulging beneath his skin, the dark veins pulsating as his sheer mortal power held the massive weapon steady.
He wasn’t wielding it effortlessly, she could tell he was using serious physical effort.
But the fact that a mortal human could hold such a terrifying weapon at all was astounding.
After several seconds longer than was appropriate, she forced herself to look away, feeling heat rise to her cheeks.
’What am I doing?’ She thought, mortified. ’Focus, Sigrid. Focus!’
While Sigrid was battling her internal panic, the little fillies were suffering a complete mental breakdown.
The sight of the colossal dragon-slaying blade instantly shattered their resolve!