For a split second Joohyun’s confidence staggered, a sense of hesitation.

“She’ll be taking on all six at once?” Seulgi didn’t like the idea that Joohyun had to be blindfolded.

“I’ll show you some leniency.” Yuri made her way to the side of the courtyard where Seola sat with their group of maids waiting behind. “It’ll be up to her if she wants to fight all at once, or one by one.”

“I–”

“One by one.” Seulgi answered while directing her gaze towards the latter. Her expression, was as if begging Joohyun to listen to her this once. This round didn’t rely only on one side to succeed, they both needed to put in the effort. It wasn’t only Joohyun who had to focus on protecting her blindfold and figuring out which opponent was the right one, but also on Seulgi who had to attack in a way that would help Joohyun recognize her and allow her to take the blindfold off.

The older girl calmed her competitive side down before nodding her head in agreement.

With an opaque fabric of silk completely hindering her sense of sight, the frosty winter air became twice as cold. The smell of wintersweet dispersing far and wide into the winter evening and the sound of the steward, Ryewook’s, static breathing became clear. Tilting her head to a side to crack her neck, she tightened her grip on the sword that was returned to her.

Joohyun’s first opponent charged at her with barbaric movements. Strong blows but clumsy technique. A male no doubt. She had easily dodged the first three swings before swiftly making her own powerful counterattacks.

When she heard the opponent’s footing changed pace, she revealed a little grin. As the man charged towards her, she quickly sidestepped the attack, spun around her opponent, and with her sword still enclosed in its sheath, she firmly swung out, hitting the man in the back of his head.

Her poor opponent was knocked out before he could witness Joohyun’s unbelievable speed and strength. Seulgi grinned from the side of the court. This was the very first move that Joohyun’s father had taught the both of them. The amount of blood and sweat they had poured into practicing this technique can be witnessed by the so-claimed extraordinary speed and strength.

Yuri, on the other hand, had suddenly become more serious with her observation. There was something familiar about the young girl’s execution of moves but she couldn’t quite figure out what.

Her daughter, Seola, had also gotten more interested in the match. It was unexpected for her to watch Joohyun, who was smaller than her in terms of size, take down a grown man twice her size without much effort. What surprised her the most was that her