The Melancholy of Lilith Rosewood (2)

Harold’s Magical Swordsmanship training class itself was decent enough.

Though to be honest, all we really did was spar with swords against students from either the Swordsmanship or Magic Departments.

Excluding the top four students from the Swordsmanship Department, the remaining members were reasonably matched against each other.

Of course, part of that was simply because my opponents were lower-ranked swordsmanship students.

Even though it was a joint class between the Swordsmanship and Magic Departments, since it focused on basic swordsmanship fundamentals, the enrollment rate from the Magic Department wasn’t high. As one of only about 10 magic students among 60 participants, I didn’t end up facing any top-ranked swordsmanship students on the first day.

With this win rate, I might get to spar against slightly higher-ranked opponents in the next class.

‘Honestly, I’d love to face Ethan or Natalie at least once.’

Of course, I’d obviously lose, but so what? Isn’t it natural for a man to want to challenge himself even in battles he knows he’ll lose?

I was curious about the mindset of characters who had faced Natalie’s sword head-on, or I wanted to experience firsthand the swordsmanship of Ethan, who had achieved rapid growth due to my story intervention. That wasn’t such a strange thought.

Though, given that they’re practically inhuman even among the Swordsmanship Department, and I’m just a magic student who happens to wield a sword decently, the chance to spar with them probably won’t come.

Aside from that, Harold’s class was surprisingly helpful for me too.

You might expect the teaching style of a legendary Sword Master to be rigid, but Harold turned out to be far more flexible in his approach than I anticipated.

One unexpected thing I learned about Harold today was that he didn’t care at all about what type of sword his students used.

In fact, he even went out of his way to share his knowledge with students who used unconventional swords.

“If you’re going to swing that heavy greatsword, think several times more than your opponent. And from now on, focus on building your abdominal muscles rather than just your arms.”

“Yes, Professor!”

“If you’re using an estoc, train more on thrusting than slashing. With that light blade, focusing your strikes on a single point will be far more lethal than trying to cut a wide area.”

“Understood!”

This was the advice Harold gave to Karaham and Natalie after observing their spar.

While Harold himself typically used a two-handed sword-the kind commonly seen in fantasy settings-and never wielded any other type of sword in the game except for the short sword he carried at his waist,

contrary to his seemingly rigid exterior, his knowledge of swords was remarkably broad. As long as a weapon maintained the basic form of a sword, he freely shared his expertise without bias.

He gave advice not only on Karaham’s massive greatsword and Natalie’s estoc but also on the various other swords wielded by ordinary students.

Naturally, I also received some advice regarding my dagger.

“Out of all these students, you’re the only one using a dagger, Lilith Rosewood. And you’re not even the only Magic Department student in this class.”

“…That’s correct.”

“Is there a particular reason you insist on using a dagger?”

Because equipping a dagger gives a +15 attack bonus-what a cheat.

I couldn’t say that outright, so I came up with a plausible excuse on the spot.

“The biggest reason is to induce the opponent’s carelessness.”

“…What do you mean?”

“It’s true that I’m learning magical swordsmanship based on daggers in this class, but my strongest ability is still my magic. The most important thing for a mage using swordsmanship is to avoid situations where swordsmanship is even necessary in the first place. I believe you… the Professor is aware of this as well.”

“…Go on.”

“But even if one doesn’t wish for it, there may come a time when you have to face an enemy up close. In such a situation, if you were the enemy who got close to that mage, what would you think if you saw a longsword hanging from their waist?”

“…I’d assume they were proficient in both magic and swordsmanship and remain cautious until the very end.”

“Then what if the mage had nothing at their waist but hid a dagger in their pocket instead?”

“…I’d still remain wary, but it would take me slightly longer to realize their hidden weapon was a dagger.”

“That’s exactly the part I’m aiming for.”

“Hoh…”

Harold stroked his chin and looked at me with a serious expression after my answer.

Since I had gone this far, I couldn’t back out with a half-baked excuse, so I did my best to complete the justification I had improvised.

“For a mage, a sidearm is just that-a backup. Once you allow the enemy to close the distance, the battle is already lost. In that situation, swinging a longsword won’t let you mount a proper defense.”

“……”

“But keeping this hidden until the last moment and stabbing an unsuspecting enemy in the heart-this dagger is perfect for that. At the very least, the attacker won’t realize I have a sidearm until the blade is close enough to see.”

“…A fairly convincing theory.”

Harold looked at me with an odd smile, as if my answer wasn’t too bad.

Then he took the silver dagger I had drawn during my explanation and held it in his right hand.

“There are two ways to hold a dagger: forward grip and reverse grip. The forward grip lets you swing the dagger freely and comfortably, but it also makes it easier for the opponent to predict your movements. The reverse grip has the opposite pros and cons.”

“Yes.”

“So if you’re going to use a dagger, you should at least learn how to switch between forward and reverse grip with one hand. …Like this.”

As he spoke, Harold effortlessly flipped the silver dagger in his hand, changing the blade’s direction.

I couldn’t help but be impressed by how easily he altered his grip on the blade mid-motion.

“Since you’ve finished today’s sparring, practice switching grips with this dagger until class ends. Feel free to ask if you have any questions.”

“Yes, thank you.”

“And take good care of Ethan from now on.”

“…Yes.”

With those oddly meaningful words, Harold walked away to observe another student’s swordsmanship.

Following his advice, I spent the rest of the class practicing how to switch dagger grips.

By the time class ended, I had grown somewhat accustomed to reversing the blade’s direction.

…Though the slight melancholy I had tried to shake off by focusing on class stubbornly refused to fade even after the lesson was over.

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

After the weekly shared class-Fundamentals of Magical Swordsmanship-between Ethan and Lilith had concluded,

Lilith returned to the dormitory and exuded a gloomy aura from head to toe.

“Haaaah…”

Perched halfway on the bed with her chin resting on her hand, Lilith let out a deep sigh.

Ethan and Isabel, seeing her like this, immediately sensed her foul mood.

After returning to the dormitory, they showered her with concern, trying to figure out what was wrong.

“Did something happen to Lilith at the academy today, Young Master?”

“…I’m not sure. I can’t think of anything in particular.”

One thing was certain-she had been like this ever since returning from their father’s Fundamentals of Magical Swordsmanship class.

At least until lunchtime today, Lilith hadn’t shown any signs of distress, so if something was troubling her, it must have happened during or after the swordsmanship class.

Yet Ethan couldn’t fathom what could have caused this reaction.

During the sparring matches in class, Lilith had won three times in a row.

After class, she had dinner at the dormitory cafeteria before returning straight to their room, so there was no reason for anything upsetting to have happened.

“Huuuaaah…”

But seeing Lilith slumped weakly on the bed, groaning as if drained of energy, it was clear something unpleasant had occurred.

Even if he couldn’t figure out the cause, Ethan at least wanted to lift her spirits.

…The problem was, he had no idea how to do that.

“Uuugh…”

“Lilith, are you hurt somewhere?”

“Nn, not really…”

“Is sharing a bed with Young Master Ethan making it hard to sleep? Do you want to sleep in my room tonight?”

“No, it’s fine… Just let me think for a bit…”

“Mmm, if you’re worried about something, don’t keep it to yourself, okay? Promise?”

“Yeah, thanks…”

Even the comfort of her closest friend Isabel didn’t seem to help, deepening Ethan’s concern.

He racked his brain, trying to think of a way to cheer her up.

‘What does Lilith like again…?’

Come to think of it, despite loving her so much, he actually knew very little about her preferences.

He knew she enjoyed spending time with her fellow maids like Isabel and Katarina, or that she found joy in using magic.

But she rarely showed any particular fondness for specific foods or objects, making it hard to figure out how to lift her mood now.

Closing his eyes, Ethan tried to recall the last time he had seen her genuinely happy.

The most recent memory of her smiling unreservedly in front of him was probably that moment…

‘Y-Young Master…! T-That place… Nngh, haaah…!’

‘…No, no. What am I thinking, remembering that now?’

Instead of recalling Lilith’s happy expression, his mind conjured an image of her moaning as he fondled her chest.

The dormant masculine desires in Ethan’s heart stirred faintly, but fortunately, he didn’t act irrationally on impulse.

Thanks to a year of training, he had learned to restrain his urges.

‘…Hhng, hah! Haaahhh…!!’

“……”

Yet despite his self-control, Lilith’s flushed face kept flashing in his mind.

From that fleeting imagination, Ethan found a small hint.

And he quietly began to consider one possible way to lift her spirits.