Chapter 186: Demon Beasts Moving South (4) (1/2)

Crack- Crack-

The crackling fire was the only sound filling the air. Most of the people at the training grounds had already left, but Julie and her colleagues remained.

“…”

Gwen watched Julie; her head held down. Raphael and Syrio did not move as they looked at each other.

“…Wasn’t that a trick of magic? No, what kind of knight kicks their opponent in the first place… oh, he’s not a knight.”

Gwen broke the silence, then looked to Raphael and Syrio for help.

“Magic… I don’t know. I mean, I watched how Deculein wielded his sword. That guy looked like he had a lot of weaknesses, but that wasn’t the case at all. If it were me, I’d probably be hit at least once. It’s the first time I’ve ever seen such skill.”

“Hey, man. What is that?”

Gwen’s eyes drilled holes into Syrio.

“I’m just saying he was like the wind. Of course, he’s not faster than me. Ahaha.”

Deculein’s swordsmanship was as elegant as a waltz and as graceful as an aristocrat. He broke Julie’s sword as if he were dancing.

“That’s right.”

Raphael cut in.

“Also, Deculein’s physique is strong even at a glance. Even for you, Julie, it’s a physical difference that would be difficult to overcome without mana.”

It was difficult, even for a knight, to overcome a distance of 20 cm without mana.

“…I’m fine.”

Yet Julie said the words in a voice that didn’t sound fine at all.

“I admit it. I lost the fight. The Professor accurately and thoroughly analyzed my movements.”

Julie closed her eyes for a moment, recalling their fight. His every movement, down to the trembling of his sword and fingertips, were all-natural. Her blade was predictable, and her movements were easily thrown off balance.

“…Haah.”

Gwen sighed as Julie rustled in her pocket and pulled something out. It was the document covering all of Deculein’s points.

“She’s obsessed with standard rules. At first glance, she seems to mix variations, but even that is regular if you look closely. For example, after a simple sideways slash, her only option is the upper left or the upper right.”

Julie recited one of the paragraphs. Gwen, Syrio, and Raphael trembled.

“Also, she can’t give up on that Freyden style, especially that of Zeit’s. So she just rushes, charges…”

“Ah~, that’s really true. Knowing that in advance, Deculein put his shoulder out to block you. I knew his response was too quick. Did that hurt? Haha.”

Syrio clapped and laughed. Julie bit her lower lip without a word, and Gwen glared at him.

“Be quiet you.”

“Oh, sorry, sorry.”

At that moment, Julie jumped up, turned away, and stalked off. Gwen patted Syrio on the back and called after her.

“Julie, where are you going?”

“…I have something to say to Professor Deculein. Don’t follow me. Nothing will happen.”

* * *

Rustle, rustle.

Behind the mansion, I was wielding my sword across the snow-covered ground. I had nothing like a special move or unique sword style; I merely moved the blade along the most efficient path.

Swish…

Following along the tip of the sword, nineteen pieces of wood steel flowed like petals behind the blade. It wasn’t a bad way to utilize them. Combining Iron Man and Sturdy Body would be useful for sword dances, sparring, and actual combat.

…Actually, it was still curious. How did Julie endure these shoulders and legs, stronger than most metals, without any magic or armor?

“Not bad.”

Anyway, this sword and body training was fine. Rather, it was good enough for practical use. The problem was, again, the absolute value of mana and these personality flaws. It was hard to incarnate the power of a sword with a wizard’s talent, and even if that could be supplemented by completing Metal Enhancement soon, it was difficult to bear even the thought of sweating.

Metal Enhancement was also stagnant at 99% proficiency. Was that called a bottleneck stage or something…?

At this point, I stopped swinging as I felt someone approaching.

“…Deya?”

I looked over to where Julie stood in the dark, her head lowered.

“Yes.”

“Why did you come?”

I threw the broadsword into the snow. Julie hesitated before answering.

“This is because we need the opinions of our opponents for a healthier recovery.”

I nodded.

“You’re right, but is there anything to recover? All your moves were in my head, and your movements were predictable.”

“…”

“Just with the shaking of your blade, I could tell what was next. It is a habit that must be broken. There is a problem with your entire style right now.”

Julie clenched her fists but did not object.

“…How are you so sure, Professor? That I was wrong.”

“As you said, I am not a knight. But pure learning has no absolute or vocational limits, and I gladly acknowledge my ignorance, learn by acknowledging it, and understand it as learning.”

Julie thought about my words. And then she let out a small breath, letting go. She wasn’t the type of person who would remain stubborn about this.

“Then-“

“I’ll send you all of your habits that need to be broken and my analysis, all together. There are many knights other than you that need analysis, but they won’t admit that I know better than them.”

“…Yes.”

Julie answered in a low voice.

“But before that.”

I glanced Julie up and down. I already knew her height: 173 cm. However, the knights were special cases, in which I couldn’t estimate their weight by appearance.

“Do you weigh about 65 kilograms?”

“…”

For a moment, Julie’s mouth tightly shut. Surprised by the question, she glared at me. I waited for her to answer.

“…”

“…”

“…”

“…”

The silence grew long, and I frowned.

“Answer me.”

Then, Julie’s lips moved.

“Six… seven… six…”

“Just say it. The exact number.”

“…”

Stuttering, she mumbled the answer.

“It’s a lot more than I expected. Well, that’s a knight for you, after all. Go now.”

“…”

Julie looked at me, let her eyes fall to the ground, glared at me again, then looked down again… after repeating this a few times, she turned and walked away. I entered the mansion considering factors such as her height and weight, the proportions of her arms and legs, and her strength as determined by the sparring.

However.

“You’re here.”

“Oh, the Professor is here.”

“You came, sir.”

“…”

Greetings from Ihelm, Epherene, and Louina respectively met me. The three of them were sitting at the living room table, eating and having a drink.

“The red moon is up. It seems like this will be the last time we drink and chat.”

Ihelm tipped a bottle at me. Epherene, a glass of wine in hand, grinned.

“Ah~, drinking this makes me a bit dizzy.”

“You can’t even speak properly.”

“I’m fine.”

Epherene forced her eyes to open wide.

“Where did the merchants end up?”

“They were put in the dorms. Everyone seemed to be quite nervous.”

Louina answered.

“…Right.”

“What’s wrong?”

I looked out the window, thinking about the guys I met today. Forty mercenaries and merchants, in total.

“Tsk.”

A laugh of disdain suddenly left me.

“…That’s stupid.”

I didn’t even get angry with this. Rather, this wretched brain was too ridiculous. Were they looking down on me, or was this deliberate provocation?

“What? What’s going on?”

Ihelm posed the question, but I turned to Louina instead.

“Louina.”