Geralt replied just as indifferently and politely: "The information is useful, thank you for your work, Miss Merigold."
His posture became much more reserved, lacking the slow, half-beat movements that usually conveyed confidence and relaxation.
When facing a strange and powerful sorceress, it was natural to be cautious.
He even shifted his stance slightly so that he wasn't turning his back completely to Triss.
Triss nodded and couldn't wait to turn to Karl.
Her eyes lit up: "Karl, Arzu's Shield! I've succeeded over a dozen times, and the stability is already high!"
"I think... maybe I can give you a practical test of the casting."
Hearing Triss's account, Karl's eyes sparkled: "Excellent! What a coincidence, but Lambert is also here."
He looked at Geralt and had an idea: "How about... we go to the outskirts of the city to find a quiet place?"
"On the one hand, I want to test the spell, and on the other hand, I also want to spar with Lambert. We won't be facing ordinary enemies."
Karl's proposal was right up Geralt's alley.
Geralt had long wanted to personally gauge the weight of this young man whom the king had praised to the skies.
Written materials and rumors were far less intuitive than actual combat.
"Yes." Geralt's first word was concise and to the point.
......
The three of them arrived at a secluded grove on the outskirts of Vizima.
Triss enthusiastically recited the incantation again, and this time she successfully cast Arzu's Shield on Karl.
An invisible layer of energy fluctuations quickly covered Karl's entire body.
"Alright, how does it feel?" Triss asked nervously.
Karl moved his arms and legs: "It doesn't feel particularly different, but I vaguely sense a layer of protection."
Geralt's cat-like eyes narrowed slightly, his medallion trembled, and he could see the magical shield containing magical fluctuations.
"So, shall we give it a try?" Karl drew his steel sword from his belt.
Geralt also slowly drew the steel sword from his back, posing in his classic starting stance.
His movements still retained that characteristic: seemingly relaxed, but capable of exploding with startling rhythm at any moment.
He faced Karl head-on, showing his seriousness about the spar.
"Be careful." Karl called out and took the lead in attacking.
He stepped forward, a powerful midsection swing heading straight in, starting with standard military swordsmanship, but his speed and strength were far above that of an ordinary person.
Geralt didn't attempt a hard block; he habitually slid to the side and flicked his sword tip, trying to deflect Karl's blade while moving inside.
However, the moment the two swords crossed, Geralt's expression changed slightly.
CLANG! A terrifying force, exceeding his expectations, radiated from the sword's blade, shaking his wrist.
His entire body was involuntarily pushed back two steps before the force was dissipated.
This wasn't like blocking a sword, but more like blocking a heavy war hammer!
"This strength... the king wasn't exaggerating..." Geralt's heart instantly filled with vigilance.
A flicker of genuine surprise crossed his amber pupils; this didn't seem like the level of power an ordinary person should possess.
Then Geralt immediately changed his strategy, abandoning all direct clashes of power.
His body became more fluid, his sword movements like a venomous snake, no longer blocking.
Instead, using extremely high speed, he thrust, poked, and slashed, specializing in exploiting the gaps between Karl's movements and his joints, such as wrists and elbows, trying to overcome strength with skill and speed.
And Karl immediately realized that he had subconsciously used too much force.
So he gathered his strength and suppressed it to a level roughly comparable to Geralt's.
However, in pure swordsmanship, he immediately felt intense pressure.
Geralt's sword was too fast and cunning.
Geralt's fencing style incorporated multiple genres—simple and effective, without unnecessary frills.
Each attack went straight for the key points that could incapacitate an opponent.
Karl's chest, shoulders, and arms were struck by Geralt's steel sword at least a dozen times.
But each time the sword tip was about to touch Karl's body, the invisible Arzu's Shield would activate, appearing with a lavender hue.
The shield would deftly slide off or deflect Geralt's sword, emitting a soft "pop."
Geralt felt the feedback from the sword, but relying on his excellent body control and Witcher swordsmanship,
he could always instantly change his stance for a counterattack and use the sword's blade to block Karl's subsequent counter.
Seeing that the spell shield was so reliable, he didn't have to worry about accidentally injuring Karl, so he completely let loose.
His attacks became even more intense, the sword aiming directly at Karl's throat, heart, wrists, and other lethal or disabling areas.
This wasn't malice, but the most effective combat instinct a Witcher had developed.
After Geralt completely let loose, Karl's pressure suddenly doubled.
He had to concentrate and push his perception to its limits to keep up with Geralt's ghostly speed and penetrating sword work.
His swordsmanship was clearly insufficient, and these very skillful attacks seemed unpredictable for a while.
...…
But shortly after, an unexpected scene occurred after being completely overwhelmed for the first twelve rounds.
Karl gradually began to adapt to Geralt's rhythm and style, and at this moment, his learning ability and combat instincts began to show.
Instead of just passively blocking and parrying, he started to mimic Geralt's footwork and even try to predict Geralt's attack paths.
To Geralt's surprise, Karl was actually observing and learning his sword movements.
Some of the sliding techniques he used for quick dashes and changes of direction,
and the quick thrusts launched with a wrist flick, were actually used by Karl as well, almost like copying.
Although Karl's movements were still a bit stiff, much less smooth and natural than his,
his underlying physical skills and timing were inseparable from the imitation.
Geralt was even surprised to find that Karl was trying to incorporate some of his evasive techniques into his own defense.
He didn't mind Karl learning them; Witcher skills were originally honed in life-or-death struggles, and he didn't have a portal to sell them through.
He was just very curious about how strong this young man's learning ability and physical coordination really were.
How much could Karl learn in such a short time of combat? Where was his limit?
This sparring, originally intended for testing and participation, gradually turned into a deep assessment of Karl's strength for Geralt.
It also became an extremely valuable opportunity for Karl to learn from Geralt, a master swordsman.
The clear sound of rapidly clashing swords echoed through the forest.