LIGHTNOVELWORLD Episode 57
Chapter 57
“So, how skilled are you with a spear, Rios?”
“I can handle the basics that soldiers learn in training—thrusts, sweeps, and downward strikes. After that, it’s just practice in parrying. You could say I went from being a complete novice to having some basic proficiency in about ten days.”
Edward was laughing, but then he suddenly turned serious. Alshade was surprised by the change in his expression, but considering how nonchalant Orto’s response was, it seemed like a common occurrence.
“You know, there can be some variations even in basic thrusts and sweeping techniques depending on the school of martial arts.”
“I’m aware of that, but there are some circumstances. I wanted to at least be able to defend myself if needed. Unfortunately, I only know the basics of spear techniques.”
Not long ago, imperial spies had infiltrated the city, and they had just narrowly averted a major disaster for the Baltzfeld family.
I couldn’t afford to be a liability, so while Alshade was training in swordsmanship, Orto had taught me the basics of spear techniques.
“I see. Well, if it’s only been about ten days, it should be easy to make corrections.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
Edward said that and shrugged, then walked over to me, squatting down in front of me and grabbing my shoulders.
“Rios, I’m going to be tough on you. Are you confident you can keep up?”
“Yes!”
“Good, that’s what I wanted to hear.”
Edward, with a hearty smile, ruffled my hair.
His palm was rough and his ruffling was quite sloppy as well, so I couldn’t honestly say it felt good, but it didn’t bother me.
“Now that we’ve had our introductions, I hate to say goodbye, but I’m heading back to the mansion. What about you, Rios and Edward?”
“Well, I plan to stay here a little longer. Don’t worry; it won’t be too long. We can’t fight on empty stomachs, after all. Is that okay with you, Rios?”
“Yes, it’s fine.”
I nodded, thinking that there were probably some things he wanted to confirm.
My stomach was empty, but Edward had said it wouldn’t be too long, so it should be okay.
“In that case, leave this guy to me.”
“Understood. I have to accompany Lady Alshade as her bodyguard, so don’t cause any trouble. Also, Edward, come to me after you’re done. I’ll explain what you must not do in this mansion.”
“Got it, got it. You’re as naggy as ever.”
Edward waved his hand dismissively at Orto, but his expression seemed a little weary.
“We have limited time, so let’s get started. Rios, where are the training spears?”
“If that’s the case, they’re over there… Whoa!”
As I pointed to the place where the wooden spears were in the corner of the training ground, a strong gust of wind blew, making me instinctively close my eyes.
“Here, this is for you.”
Edward had two wooden spears in his hand when I opened my eyes, and he threw one of them to me.
I caught the spear hastily, trying not to drop it.
“What we’re going to do is simple. Use that wooden spear and come at me. I want to assess your abilities, even if you’ve only been practicing for ten days.”
“Understood.”
I see, that’s what this is about. I’ve seen this kind of development in light novels and manga, but I never thought I would actually experience it.
I nodded and then took a stance with the wooden spear, but Edward didn’t seem to be in any particular stance.
Being so confident in this situation would be arrogant. In reality, the difference in skill was clear enough for Edward to have that much confidence.
“Huh…!”
I stepped forward and thrust with the spear.
However, as if it were a matter of course, it was effortlessly deflected, and I quickly pulled the wooden spear back before losing my balance.
“Hmm, if you can do this after just ten days, you certainly have talent. Next!”
“Yes!”
I swung downward, swept, and thrust again, but each attack was either deflected or blocked.
Throughout this, Edward remained motionless, sporting a constant relaxed smile.
“Passable so far… How about this?”
“…”
When Edward slightly lowered his stance and pointed the tip of the wooden spear at me, I found myself unable to move as if I had been paralyzed.
Even when I tried to move or make thrusts and sweeps, Edward subtly adjusted his balance, foot position, and the tip of the spear to control and restrict my movements.
Had it only been that, I might not have noticed, but at the same time, he emitted a killing intent and pressure that made it impossible for me to ignore the fact that I was being restricted.
Unable to move and with time passing by, I couldn’t help but break into a cold sweat, despite the cold temperature, and my throat became dry.
Breaking the constructed silence, it was Edward himself who disrupted the situation he had created.
“What’s the matter? Not coming at me?”
“Ah…!”
As soon as Edward relaxed his stance and released the pressure, whether due to the recoil from the suppression or some other reason, I found myself thrusting with all my might.
“Don’t fully extend your arm here; it’s a bad move. See, your posture easily crumbles.”
“Ugh!”
My thrust, just like the first one, was easily deflected, and my body, pushed forward by the momentum of the thrust, ended up rolling on the ground.
“This time, I guided you into that outcome, but it’s not advisable to put all your strength into your thrusts. If you’re going to do it, you need to create a situation where you can hit your target with certainty; otherwise, your vulnerabilities will be too exposed.”
“I… I’ve learned it the hard way.”
“It’s different when you experience it firsthand. Come on, get up. We still have more to do.”
Edward might not have intended it, but from an outsider’s perspective, the difference in skill was so vast that it looked like I was being toyed with.
With a faint sense of frustration, I gritted my teeth and stood up.
“This time, I’m going to attack, so don’t dodge; try to deflect.”
Seeing that I had gotten up, Edward said so and readied his wooden spear.
I also held my wooden spear, preparing for Edward’s attack.
“Here I go!”
“Ugh!”
With that declaration, he launched an attack, and I tried to deflect it with the movements I had learned, but the blow delivered a heavy impact to my hands.
“Next!”
“Ugh…!”
One after another, the thrusts became faster and began to graze my body, making it difficult for me to parry.
My hands were numb, and my arms were gradually getting heavier, but the barrage of attacks showed no sign of ending.
It had become so fast that I couldn’t keep up with it just by using my eyes, so, in desperation, I followed my intuition, which had served me well during the battle with Finbul, and deflected the oncoming thrusts by instinctively changing their direction.
“This is the last one!”
“…Ugh!”
Following my intuition, I tried to parry the last thrust that was supposed to hit my torso, but――
“Wha…!?”
—But the tip of the spear stopped right in front of my eyes.
“Well, that’s it.”
While I was confused by the fact that my instincts had failed for the first time, Edward retracted the wooden spear, released his stance, and held it on his shoulder as he grinned.
“What’s with that look of not knowing what just happened?”
At Edward’s teasing smile, I nodded honestly.
In truth, I had no idea why my intuition had failed this time.
“Yes, I’ve never had my intuition fail me before…”
“You have a good physique and sharp instincts. However, you lack experience. I put killing intent to all my previous attacks, but I changed the target and the direction of the killing intent in the final attack. Your intuition probably got mixed up with the killing intent you felt, and your instincts prioritized it. Well, there’s also a possibility that your instincts fell for a decoy.”
As Edward explained this while approaching me, he poked my head with his finger.
Though he said it in a casual manner, it essentially meant that he could control the location and intensity of his killing intent at will.
As a beginner who had just started learning martial arts, I didn’t know how difficult that level of skill was, but I could tell that Edward’s technique was impressive.
“I see…”
“Well, there are plenty of ways to deceive instincts. Just relying on them can be dangerous, so be careful.”
While he said this with a light tone, the content was far from a joke.
Honestly, in the heat of the moment, I might still rely on my instincts, but I had no choice but to hope that training would help improve that aspect.
“I’m getting hungry… Rios, let’s go get something to eat. Can you show me the way to the dining hall?”
Edward rubbed his stomach and asked for directions to the dining hall, but at that moment, a question popped into my head.
“Um, have you informed Orto-san that we’ll be having breakfast at the mansion?”
“Huh? Come to think of it… I haven’t.”
“In that case, I don’t think breakfast has been prepared, right?”
“What…!?”
Upon hearing my prediction, Edward’s face froze in shock, and he opened his mouth wide in astonishment.
“I, I have to do something about this! Rios, please put away this wooden spear for me.Also, we’ll have an exam in two weeks, so be prepared! …ORTOOOO!!!”
“Uh, okay.”
Edward, who had suddenly sprung into action, shoved the wooden spear at me and quickly disappeared from the training ground, shouting Orto’s name.
“…He was even more like a storm than I imagined.”
I muttered unconsciously, but my words were swept away by the wind stirred up by Edward, reaching no one’s ears.
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