Carrying the hopes of her companions on her back, Sona nodded seriously and looked at Luke across from her.
"Come on!"
"Hmph. No matter how many weaklings come at me, the result will be the same."
Luke snorted lightly in contempt.
But very soon, he took those words back.
Sona was unexpectedly strong!
In this match, Luke actually lost for the first time!
The main reason was that when he played badminton with Sona, Luke simply could not focus.
He sent the shuttlecock over, and Sona chased after it with all her effort. As the young woman's movements became larger, the two balls in front of her chest also swayed back and forth.
That left Luke completely unsure which ball he was supposed to look at.
The moment he slipped up, he lost a point.
After several rounds, following one smash from Sona, Luke ultimately suffered defeat.
He dropped to his knees, gritted his teeth, and pounded the ground in frustration. "Damn it... How could this happen? I actually fell here."
Even Sona herself had not expected to win, and at this moment, her surprised face was full of excitement.
Lux, Kahina, and Poppy quickly ran over as well, surrounding her to celebrate. Then, without the slightest mercy, they turned around and began mocking Luke.
Only Katarina, who had seen a little of what was going on, glanced at Luke with disdain, her eyes full of disgust.
Luke stood up.
This really could not be blamed on him.
All he could say was that his opponent had been too powerful, in every sense.
After playing four matches in a row, he was somewhat tired too. He had sweated quite a bit, but he felt unexpectedly relaxed.
Moving his body again after so long felt pretty nice.
Badminton was suitable for beginners, and the rules were relatively simple.
There were more interesting sports too, such as tennis, which was harder than badminton in every sense.
However, tennis had higher requirements, especially when it came to the court. Even if Luke wanted to play now, he would need some time to prepare.
After adding tennis to his preparation plan, Luke saw that the time was about right and got ready to make breakfast.
So he handed the racket to Katarina, and she immediately issued a duel invitation to Yurna.
Yurna gladly agreed, and the two soon stood on the court.
Lux, Kahina, Sona, and Poppy sat around the edge, ready to watch their match.
Katarina was the one to serve first. Her eyes were sharp, and with a smack, the shuttlecock shot out in an instant, carrying her seriousness with it.
However, in the next moment, Yurna directly hit it back.
Smack! Smack! Smack!
Very quickly, the crisp sound of the shuttlecock being struck rang out.
Neither of them was willing to yield. Their figures flashed back and forth, and the shuttlecock in midair was moving so fast that it almost left afterimages, drawing arc after arc through the air.
The four spectators at the side of the court were dazzled and extremely surprised.
So this was real badminton.
Not only was it extremely enjoyable to watch, but the intensity had also been raised straight to the limit!
Some time passed, and the two still had not decided a winner. The sounds even woke up Fiora, who had been sleeping in upstairs.
She changed clothes and followed the noise to the backyard, also feeling curious about badminton.
While waiting for breakfast, she sat in the audience area and watched with the others.
The two on the court were now farther and farther from the net, and the arcs drawn by the shuttlecock through the air were becoming longer and longer. Yet its speed was just as fast, even a little faster.
As if they shared a wordless understanding, Katarina and Yurna both extended the battle line, using all kinds of footwork and techniques.
This match could be described as absolutely brilliant.
The final victor was Katarina. With one thrilling shot, she took the win.
After winning, she discovered that several beads of sweat had appeared on her forehead. She had actually felt an intensity similar to training.
What brought her this pressure was not the sport of badminton.
It was Yurna on the other side.
After spending so much time with her, Katarina felt that Yurna was definitely the most deeply hidden person in the courtyard, always giving her a mysterious feeling in every way.
"I'm not playing anymore."
After one match, Yurna had no intention of continuing. It seemed she had only wanted to try something new.
In contrast, her flawless face was still expressionless, and there was not even a drop of sweat on her.
That was enough to prove that her stamina was above Katarina's.
Katarina, who was still in the mood to play, looked toward Fiora, who had only just arrived, and invited her. "Want to play?"
Although Fiora was very interested at the moment, she still shook her head. "I'll pass."
If it had been her usual self, she would have already been standing on the court by now.
But today... it was probably not possible.
Even now, her legs were still a little weak. She truly had the will but not the strength.
The whole day today was unsuitable for exercise. She needed to rest properly.
Katarina roughly guessed the reason, so she looked toward the defeated group on the other side.
"I'll do it!"
At this time, Lux suddenly stood up with an expression that said she thought she could win again, intending to challenge Katarina.
Naturally, the result was a merciless slaughter.
They had used up quite a bit of stamina in the morning, so everyone ate this breakfast with exceptional enjoyment.
After breakfast, Lux suddenly remembered something and said to Luke, "Oh right, Aunt said that when you have time, you should go find her."
Luke asked strangely, "Why is that old woman looking for me for no reason?"
Lux shook her head. "I don't know, but I do know something you definitely don't."
Luke asked curiously, "What?"
Lux smiled brightly, her beautiful eyes full of schadenfreude. "You're about to be in serious trouble."
"What do you mean?" While Luke was still puzzled, he suddenly felt a chill behind his back, and his whole body instantly stiffened.
He turned around bit by bit and saw a figure slowly walking in from the courtyard gate, her entire body seeming to radiate a faint, almost invisible coldness.
It was clearly Tianna.
At this moment, she was wearing a completely emotionless smile, her gaze fixed on Luke. "I think I just heard something."
"What something? Aunt, you must have heard wrong."
Luke gave an awkward laugh.
"I do not think I am so old that my ears have stopped working."
Tianna walked closer. Under Lux's expectant gaze, she raised her hand as if about to bring it down.
Luke subconsciously prepared to dodge. With his current footwork, he felt that he might not necessarily be handled by this old woman anymore.
However, Tianna did not flick his forehead. Instead, she patted Luke on the shoulder. "Take a walk with me."
Lux immediately showed a deeply disappointed expression.
Luke gave this girl an annoyed look and nodded. "Fine, fine."
Tianna did not take Luke far, only walking along the street outside the courtyard.
The spring air was not hot and dry. The feeling of winter had not yet fully faded, and there was still a slight coolness in it.
Tianna went straight to the point. "This afternoon, I will be heading to the northern border."
Luke asked in confusion, "The northern border? Did something happen there?"
"Something came up. Those barbarians from the Freljord have gone mad for some reason. They gathered and attacked several towns along the border, and they have already taken quite a lot of goods. The generals sent over some time ago could not deal with them, so I still have to make the trip myself."
As Tianna walked along the road, she briefly explained the situation on the northern border. Her expression carried a touch of seriousness.
After hearing it, Luke fell into thought.
North of Demacia was the Freljord. As for the Freljord... how to put it, there were civilized people there, such as Frey.
But there were also plenty of barbarians. Burning, killing, and looting was their usual style.
Just as any place would always have good people and bad people, this was unavoidable.
The Freljord was bitterly cold all year round, and it could even snow in summer. The climate in many regions was extremely harsh, which meant that the Freljord's own agricultural yields were not ideal.
Especially every winter, when the climate was at its worst, the cold could freeze a person into an ice block. In that kind of environment, no crops could survive.
When people did not eat, they became hungry. When they became hungry, they died.
If the tribes did not want to starve to death, and if they could no longer survive internally, they could only reach outside.
Every winter, the tribes of the Freljord would strike at nearby nations, such as Demacia and Noxus.
The three sides could be said to be at war year-round.
Even now, Noxus seemed to still be waging its northern campaigns, and the targets of those campaigns were naturally the tribes of the Freljord.
However, compared with Noxus, which casually launched wars on a massive scale, the Freljordian tribes had not yet reached that level.
If one encountered a relatively better tribe, they would only rob and not kill.
If one encountered a worse one, they would take the goods and kill the people too. Those were the truly wicked and cold-blooded ones.
Their raids usually took place in winter, but that did not mean they only happened in winter.
In truth, throughout the year, there were always tribes that had lost their minds enough to come and clash with Demacia.
This time, since it had reached the point where even Tianna had to go personally, the situation along the northern border was clearly a little more serious.
Coming back from his thoughts, Luke smiled. "If Aunt goes there, then you will definitely suppress those barbarian tribes and let them see the might of Demacia's greatest female commander."
"Stop flattering me." Tianna glanced at the boy. "I showed them that in earlier years already. It is just that those barbarians never remember pain after they have healed. Since I am going this time, I will definitely make them suffer a little more."
Luke nodded repeatedly in agreement.
Tianna absolutely had the confidence to say these words. For a woman to sit firmly in the position of Grand Marshal of Demacia was not only because of House Crownguard's power.
It was also because, whether in commanding armies or in personal strength, she was one of Demacia's finest.
Tianna herself was definitely one of Demacia's powerful combatants.
"Originally, that boy Jarvan IV was fighting to go, but he has already proven his ability on the southern border. There is no need for him to go out again. Repeated campaigns are not a good thing either. It is not as if Demacia has no capable people left."
As Tianna walked, she continued speaking in a tone as casual as chatting about daily life. "Also, those Freljordian tribes may look barbaric, but in truth, they are even more cunning than Noxian warbands. I do not want to give them a chance to act recklessly. They must be suppressed quickly. It is just that once I leave..."
Hearing this, Luke immediately guaranteed, "Don't worry, Aunt. I'll be in the capital."
Tianna glanced at him. "It is precisely because you will be here that I am not reassured."
Luke was speechless.
Aunt, talking like that makes this conversation a lot less fun.
"You brat, if I say you are well-behaved, you are quite well-behaved. But if I say you are not well-behaved, you always give people the feeling that you might cause trouble at any moment."
Tianna nagged on. Every time she looked at Luke, she had all sorts of feelings. She said helplessly, "Look what Lux has become after being led astray by you."
Luke could not tolerate this accusation. With a serious face, he said, "Aunt, you can't put it that way. Could that really be because I led her astray? That is just her true nature!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he was immediately struck on the forehead with a flick.
Tianna glared at him in annoyance. "In any case, that girl has become like this under your influence. Her mother and I can no longer control her, so you should take some responsibility."
Luke complained, "Actually, I can't control her at all either."
"What I mean is, look after her properly. No matter what, I am still her aunt. I will definitely go and return quickly this time. If I come back and see that she has been bullied, I will not let you off."
Tianna rarely looked at Luke with a majestic gaze.
"Yes, yes, yes." Luke could only nod repeatedly, then asked, "Does Aunt have any other instructions?"
"No. Go back. Behave yourself during this period. I will go and return quickly."
Tianna waved her hand in disgust, repeating the phrase "go and return quickly" again.
"Aunt can rest absolutely assured. People call me the well-behaved little prince."
Luke nodded repeatedly again.
Even Tianna was amused by those words. She waved her hand. "All right, all right."
"Then I'm going, Aunt. I won't see you off this afternoon."
Luke gave a symbolic farewell, and without caring whether Tianna replied or not, turned around and prepared to slip away.
Tianna naturally did not mind the boy's impoliteness. She turned her head and glanced at his back, her gaze flickering slightly. After a long while, she sighed softly.
Leaving the capital at a time like this still made her feel somewhat uneasy.
However, the safety of the people on the other side was also very important, and in the end, she had to make the trip.
If she were in the capital, then if any chaos broke out, she could suppress it.
Now that she was about to leave the capital, if something happened...
Tianna felt that she was overthinking it. The capital was Demacia's capital. How could something happen so easily?
But for some reason, before leaving, she had suddenly wanted to find this boy Luke and have a chat.
Although this boy's usual personality had nothing to do with steadiness, deep down, she somehow felt that he could be relied upon.
Luke's figure turned past the corner and disappeared from sight.
Tianna continued walking forward, preparing to set out at once, while her thoughts continued.
By now, that girl's magic was probably already known to that boy as well.
The little blonde girl being touched by magic was something the whole family worried about.
So even though her own husband had been killed by a mage, whenever Tianna thought of the little girl's young, innocent, bright smiling face, she knew that one could never define whether a person was good or bad by magic.
Even when she heard that Jarvan III intended to pardon mages, she had silently expressed her support in her heart.
It was just that the rules Demacia had upheld for so many years were not something that could be broken so easily.
Perhaps if it were that boy, he might have some method.
For some unknown reason, at a certain moment, that thought flashed through Tianna's mind.
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