episode_0094

After Ethan confidently suggested looking forward to today’s sparring and ended up miserably defeated, things took a turn.

As I expected, instead of tidying up the training ground and immediately heading back, Ethan stayed behind to start practicing his swordsmanship alone.

Rather than going up to the private waiting room first, I quietly observed Ethan practicing his swordsmanship.

– Swish! Swish! Swish!

Precise form, smooth trajectory, and each strike being fast yet substantial.

From vertical cuts to horizontal cuts, diagonal cuts, and even blocking a sword and counterattacking seamlessly.

Watching Ethan swing his sword, even to a third party observer, it was a clean and polished movement without any unnecessary flourishes.

He wasn’t at the level of a Sword Master, of course, but seeing Ethan’s refined skills, it seemed like he could be considered quite skilled among nobles of a similar age.

…Which made me feel even more regretful as I recalled Ethan and Harold’s sparring just now.

Honestly, if I were Ethan’s father, I might have let him win at least once, just by looking at his wit. Even if he was sincere about swordsmanship, if you can’t properly motivate a child…

‘Wait, what am I thinking?’

Come to think of it, Ethan shouldn’t have won against Harold.

The sparring just now was so disappointing that I momentarily forgot what was at stake between them.

And if he had actually succeeded and won, I even thought it wouldn’t have been bad to let him touch it once.

No, honestly, that’s how it is. Even if it’s a mock sparring, facing a Sword Master?

And Ethan hadn’t even entered the academy yet. Including the period when his physical growth was halted due to a curse, he wasn’t even in his late teens, let alone his twenties.

It’s not that I don’t care if Ethan touches my chest, but if he really won under those unfavorable conditions, I could endure the embarrassment.

Even if his motivation was impure, he grew up with the determination to touch my chest at least once, so to be honest, I feel like I played a part in his growth.

If only his final gaze had been perfect, he could have landed a blow for sure, and Ethan himself would have been deeply disappointed.

Moreover, since the fake strategy failed once, it couldn’t be used again. So practically, Ethan wouldn’t have another chance to touch my chest.

‘It’s good for me, but…’

– Swish! Swish! Swish!

Seeing Ethan work so hard swinging his sword, there was still a sense of pity that couldn’t be helped.

At the very least, even just comparing what I saw with my own eyes, his effort was on a different level than the determination in the game.

With only the buffs of bloodline and release, he had never seen Ethan fight with two swords, even though in the game, Ethan was a fanatic for dual swords to the point where he never used any other weapon.

And looking back at Ethan’s abilities in the game, using two swords would have been much more efficient than using one.

‘Could it be… he just can’t bring himself to use them?’

I didn’t necessarily think one sword style was better than the other, but generally, there was a fixed idea that authentic swordsmanship was one sword style.

Especially since my father, Sword Master Harold, was almost the strongest in the one sword style.

If Ethan had learned almost nothing from Harold, who was his father, and just swung his sword as he pleased, he would naturally stick to the one sword style.

On the other hand, in the original work, Ethan had hardly learned swordsmanship from Harold, so he probably settled on the two sword style because it suited him.

If the Ethan in front of me now was the same as the character Ethan in the game, then using two swords would have been much more efficient for him than using one.

With a slight difference in strength from swinging with both hands, he had a body well-suited for wielding two swords.

In fact, the mid-boss Ethan in the game wielding two swords was not weak at all.

‘Should I tell him?’

And now that he was familiar with the one sword style, there was no guarantee that practicing the two sword style now would lead to explosive changes.

But staying silent and not saying anything… feels a bit uncomfortable.

For no reason at all, not telling me felt like desperately fishing for fear that I might touch Edan’s heart.

Therefore, with my own determination, I quietly approached Edan, who was practicing swinging his sword.

To subtly suggest trying out the two-handed sword technique.

“Lord Edan.”

“…Sorry, maid. Watching me swing my sword is boring, isn’t it? If you’re tired, you can rest until dinner.”

“I didn’t feel that way, but… may I dare offer you one piece of advice, Lord?”

“…A maid giving advice?”

“Would you consider trying to swing your sword with just one hand as a test?”

“…With just one hand?”

“Yes, Lord.”

“….”

With a slightly puzzled expression at my words, Edan obediently held the sword with his right hand as instructed.

And in that state, he began swinging the sword in various directions, just as before.

“Is this enough, maid?”

“Yes. Would you now try holding the sword in the opposite hand and swinging it?”

“…The opposite hand too?”

“Yes, Lord.”

“….”

Still skeptical, this time Edan awkwardly swung the sword in various directions with his left hand.

Although the form looked slightly better with his right hand, the power felt stronger in his left hand.

Having unique body abilities with similar power when swinging the sword with both hands, but each hand having slightly different characteristics.

Edan truly had a physique specialized for learning dual swordsmanship.

“It seems that Lord Edan’s power is similar when swinging the sword with his right hand as well as with his left hand.”

“…There is a tendency for that. After all, I am ambidextrous.”

“Many swordsmen have two reasons for swinging the sword with only one hand. Either one side lacks strength, causing imbalance when swinging with both hands, or one hand’s power is too strong, making it pointless to hold the sword with the other hand.”

“…What are you suddenly talking about?”

“On the contrary, Lord Edan… there seems to be no reason why you shouldn’t swing the sword with both hands.”

“I see.”

“Of course, I am just a maid with limited knowledge of swordsmanship. If you choose to ignore my advice as the ramblings of an ignorant servant, I will not mind.”

“….”

“I remembered something I need to do, so I will go up first.”

“…Alright. Go ahead, maid.”

“Good luck with your training, Lord Edan.”

With a final sarcastic remark, I quietly left the scene.

I had said enough, and hopefully, he would understand.

It was a fairly straightforward piece of advice, so he probably got the message. If he still couldn’t understand and continued swinging his sword aimlessly, there was nothing more I could do.

I didn’t want to force him to use two swords just because I was watching, so I excused myself under the pretext of having something to do.

After hiding behind the corner of the mansion for a while, I listened quietly to the sound of Edan training.

-Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

-Swish! Swish! Swish!

Although a bit out of sync, the distinct sound of two swords cutting through the air.

He seemed to be trying out swinging the dual swords as a test, following my advice.

I wondered if Edan would continue his training properly as I suggested.

That moment, however slight, was one I was looking forward to.

And as time passed, two weeks later in the morning.

“Lord Edan, it’s morning.”

“Oh, yeah… Good morning, maid…”

Responding as usual to the morning greeting, Edan seemed to have accumulated some fatigue, as there were faint dark circles under his eyes.

I wondered if he hadn’t been sleeping well at night, which was a bit concerning.

By the way, my advice on dual swordsmanship was ultimately not accepted.

Perhaps he was too accustomed to fighting with just one sword, or maybe the idea of using dual swords against Harold bothered him for some reason.

Anyway, my advice was akin to suggesting trying out a different swordsmanship to counter his father’s teachings.

I didn’t feel disappointed or regretful. Considering Edan’s progress so far, this was a natural choice.

It might have been a blow to his pride to be advised to try a different swordsmanship instead of what he had learned so far in a single morning.

After all, why would Edan take seriously the words of a maid with little knowledge of swordsmanship?

Without a doubt, Ethan didn’t take my advice, but I wasn’t particularly upset about it.

I’m really not upset at all. Seriously.

With that thought in mind, Ethan left the clothes he would change into on the edge of the bed as usual, then opened the curtains to let the morning sunlight into the room.

As he was about to leave the room after changing his clothes, intending to tidy up the bedroom, he hesitated at the door.

Just as he was about to call out to me, having just woken up from sleep, his voice calling me softly reached my ears.

“Maid.”

“Yes, young master.”

“…Today is the day of the swordsmanship duel between me and father, does the maid know about it as well?”

“Of course, I am aware. Today is the sixth day, is it not?”

“…Make sure to come watch today as well. I think I might be able to pull off a valid hit against father today.”

Ah.

He’s setting up another flag.