Her Graceful War Song (Carissa Sinclair) novel Chapter 916

Violet pulled Carissa aside to watch the sparring match. She knew Carissa must be worried about her grandfather right now, so she called over her apprentices to compete. Martial arts was Carissa's favorite, and watching the match would likely help distract her.

Rafael sat beside her, also observing the fight. His main purpose, of course, was to stay with Carissa. As for how the match was going, he didn't care much.

Well, it didn't matter whether he cared or not. Kevin was up against three opponents and was getting utterly pummeled. He could barely fight back and was mostly just taking the hits.

It was almost painful to watch.

Fortunately, they were careful not to target Kevin's head or face. A few punches and kicks to his body weren't a big deal since no one would see the damage. But if this kept up, Kevin wouldn't last much longer.

Just as Rafael was about to step in and call for a stop, Carissa beat him to it. As someone who practiced martial arts, she couldn't bear to watch such a one-sided beating. Kevin's weaknesses were already clear—his foundation was solid enough, but that was about all he had. His techniques were a mess. From his stances to his punches and kicks, there was no coherence or structure.

Violet noticed that Carissa's attention had completely shifted, and she felt a sense of relief. Even the way Carissa now looked at Kevin, lying on the ground, had softened a little.

Carissa asked, "How many years have you been practicing martial arts?"

Kevin was breathing heavily and hadn't caught his breath yet, but before he could answer, Violet prompted him, "Answer your martial aunt's question."

Carissa stiffened. No, she didn't want to be their martial aunt. She and Violet were from different guilds.

Kevin slowly stood up, his steps unsteady, but managed to reply, "I've been practicing since I was seven, so it's been twenty years."

"Who did you study under originally?"

"I never formally apprenticed under anyone," Kevin answered. "I trained with the household instructor and practiced with my cousin. Later, I met Galen, and he taught me. After I joined the then crown prince's personal guards, it was mostly him who guided me."