Serpico's Sword Skills and Demeanor

How exactly he acquired them seems to be left out of his reflection on the past personally I'd assume that Lord Vandimion probably arranged for Serpico to have such instruction once he realized that it was beneficial for Serpico to remain Farnese's companion I guess he figured it was necessary for Serpico to be able to guard her
but what I'm curious about is the period where Serpico acquired not only his skills but the Demeanor he shows when using them toward anything he perceives as a threat to Farnese namely how he acts when he fights Guts in comparison to his behavior shown during the duel with the other aristocrat during his reflection
I'm just curious how he acquired that level of conviction toward protecting Farnese and I guess I'm assuming he acquired it at the same time as his sword skills But How I wonder?
I Know he was already loyal to Farnese but his attitude seems quite the opposite from he normally acts in the face of adversity by simply just tolerating with whatever is thrown at him rather than fighting it
Personally I think it would make for an interesting reflection possibly if Serpico ever gives Isidro a sword lesson or teaches him how to get over his reluctance to kill
Any Thoughts
also I am a Dark Horse Reader so take pity on me if this has been explained in a future Act

I assume you've read as far as Volume 22, which explains much of he and Farnese's past. In it, Vandimion grants Serpico noble status. So, he was raised with the same kind of education any young noble boy would receive, which includes how to fight with a sword.

Apart from that, Serpico has natural skill, good instincts and is very observant. It wouldn't take a master teacher to turn him into a decent fighter.

I kinda figured he excelled beyond your average aristocratic swordsman(the scene with the leaves comes to mind) so i guess I was hoping there was more of a story behind his skills than standard training and his initial discipline brought about by his upbringing
but alas it lies in the realm of speculation

puppet12ca said:

I kinda figured he excelled beyond your average aristocratic swordsman

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He did, and like Walter said you can chalk it up to his natural skill. Just like a lot of other characters excel beyond the average person.

puppet12ca said:

I kinda figured he excelled beyond your average aristocratic swordsman(the scene with the leaves comes to mind) so i guess I was hoping there was more of a story behind his skills than standard training and his initial discipline brought about by his upbringing
but alas it lies in the realm of speculation

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Well it's not complete speculation. It just comes down to analyzing his past, the situations and how he dealt with them. And then figuring out why.

We know Farnese gave him some pretty ridiculous tasks that could have gotten him killed. He survived all of them, so saying he's naturally skilled and also lucky as hell, isn't a far stretch. Unlike other nobles, he knew what it was like coming from a brutally poor background. He also knew that since he came from the outside, he'd never be seen as an equal by other nobles. This was demonstrated by all the duels he was put through whenever Farnese was "insulted". She did not like other nobles insulting Serpico, while he himself didn't mind because that would only create a situation. In order to survive, he had to avoid conflict. Not to mention that he had to keep his parentage a secret. When we first got a glimpse of Serpico's past he got bullied by other kids, his initial reaction was to hit the kid in the face with a brick. The consequence was that an older friend of that kid later kicked his ass. This event, imo, explains a lot about why Serpico is the way he is. He learned first hand about escalation and how revenge only results in more revenge. He himself mentions this. By trying to take revenge he only got into a worse situation. In the duel we saw Serpico in, he did not kill his opponent. Most likely because a death would have created an even worse situation. As a noble he had a tendency to try and deescalate a situation, to do that he needed to have complete self control. And at least some ability to control a situation. In order to control a situation, Serpico had to develop the skill to be able to toy with his opponents, while fooling them into thinking that that was the extent of his skills. He also had to be polite and respectful at all times, as that made it easier for other nobles to tolerate him. Farnese knew that he was drastically holding back, imo that indicates that Serpico used the extent of his skills as needed.


From what Serpico told Azan when the Iron Chain Knights were first introduced, we know that most nobles sent their sons there to get experience while not actually being exposed to brutal combat. That really more than speaks for itself regarding the general view on combat training among nobles. My guess would be that while most other nobles, attended training for swordsmanship and other things because they were probably required to. Imo Serpico actually made full use of the training that he could now receive.

All these events as a whole should explain his demeanor. He's reserved, overly polite and respectful. He is very cunning and is fully capable of using an innocent smile to throw an opponent off guard. He hides his skills until they are needed. He's observant of the mood of others, the situation as a whole and uses his observation to try and side step problems coming his way. He is not ambitious or confrontational. We also know that he did not like the life he had before Farnese "rescued" him. Seeing his mother every night was depressing, she was delusional, and she was putting a lot of burden on his young shoulders. Even if his new life wasn't exactly all that much better, thanks to Farnese's treatment, it was still like being freed from the shackles he had before. His bond with Farnese developed over the course of many years. He knew that Farnese was actually really weak willed but when pushed over her limits she'd doing something unpredictable. Serpico also found out that she is his half-sister. I think it's from that, that he decided to protect her. There's quite a bit to their relationship but that's complicated so I'm not gonna go there.