Chapter 115 - The Training Gym (Part 1) (1/2)

”All right. Now write the letter A in both forms.” Nathalia asked Luke.

The half-wolf nodded. He then firmly took the quill, dipped it in the black ink, and gently touched the paper with it. He had to control his strength well because besides the writing quill being a fragile object, the ink could get thick and that would make the handwriting illegible.

Carefully, he repeated the letter A a few times on the thick sheet. Luke found this strangely pleasurable.

In his life, there were very few times when he had the chance to touch a writing quill, because in addition to ink always being something very expensive, parchment sheets are also expensive because even with the rampant advance of the economy, the market for this is still not so large.

A sheet of parchment usually costs two silver coins, and with that same amount, anyone can buy a bag of apples at the fair.

Nathalia saw that Luke was managing to write the Letter A well. ”Very well... now you have to do the same with all the letters of the alphabet.”

Luke arched his eyebrows, surprised because learning to write was something that required more patience than he imagined. Learning grammar and striking with a sword, in a way, are two similar things. Both arts need a lot of repetition, fault correction, time, and patience.

This is why Luke did not want to learn to write as soon as he was released from Yoelona's Masters because he wanted to use all the free time to continue evolving his strength on his own. If he had chosen to start learning writing, he would have had less time to improve himself, and thus his skills would have lagged. To keep his friends safe, his techniques and his body should always be at their maximum.

”Okay. Now I think you are ready to start learning the phonemes. Can you take over now, Alexis?” Nathalia questioned the half-dragon who was polishing the Behemoth Axe with admiration.

”Yes, of course.” Alexis replied and carefully placed the Axe on the table again. ”Well... phonemes and letters are two of the main grammar classes when you are learning to read, because...”

All morning, the trio of Adventurers would gather in the small, empty library of the new residence they lived in. Gradually Luke began to learn more and more about grammar and math, as well as other subjects that Nathalia and Alexis casually introduced.

When there was some time left in Ayumi Yamazaki's schedule, she would show up and stay for a while. In the few minutes he was taught by her, Luke got to know another side of the exquisite Elf who is so feared by some, and respected by others.

Unlike how she is in bed, Ayumi is usually calm and reverent, and around her, a demanding atmosphere is created. Luke began to find this contrast in personality something extremely exciting.

During the afternoons, Luke began to introduce Nathalia to some of his techniques. Of all the powerful body positions the half-wolf could teach, from knives to spears, the one that Nathalia was most interested in was the one that uses the strength of the shoulders to amplify the power of individual blows.

Luckily, Alexis Dmitry was following the training closely, so she was able to provide tips for Luke to teach Nathalia. The S-Class acted as a translator. When Luke was trying to describe a method and Nathalia didn't understand, Alexis would translate into a lingo more akin to that of a Formal Instructor.

Before they knew it, the three began exchanging tips and advice. Although Alexis was already classified as an S-Class and her style was quite different from the other two Adventurers, Luke dared to give her posture tips as well.

”You have to curve your spine more and tuck your arms more. That way, when you use a quick thrust, you can gain even more speed.” Luke said, touching the half-dragon to explain in more detail, as she instructed him to do.

Secretly, Alexis enjoyed being touched by the half-wolf, but controlled herself, because she now fully understood how serious his relationship was with her friend. ”I understand...but I asked because I want to control the speed, not increase it.”