episode_0057

When we returned to the mansion, we once again experienced a peaceful daily life.

After something like that, there was no way we could ever go to a resort or go out of the city again, so we had to spend all our time inside the mansion or in Lakenwood.

So how did you spend most of that time?

What is that… I would say it’s different for everyone, but if I were to tell you my story.

“Hey, let’s stick together.”

“… … .”

I mainly sparred with Ethan.

“… Again?”

“You have nothing to do anyway.”

“… That’s right.”

Although I looked shocked, I eventually drew my sword and faced Ethan.

After returning to the mansion, much of my daily life was occupied by sparring with Ethan.

Of course, it is not a fierce fight like when we first met, but only at a moderate level without using magical power.

It was a natural thing.

It was a self-evident fact that if two Ten Sword-level warriors sparred using full-scale magical power, the Bluenoa family mansion would be devastated.

Since the superhuman strength shown by martial artists is usually exerted through magical power, it is easy to imagine a boring picture of sparring without using magical power, but a superhuman who has reached the level of intention is different from an ordinary martial artist even in simple physical abilities, so it is not boring. The situation didn’t turn out that well.

Kang! Kagang!

A few sparkling sword strikes were exchanged.

“Thank you for your hard work.”

Another sparring has ended.

“Really, you’re such a ridiculous guy, you are.”

Ethan shook his head, as if he was truly fed up.

“They say a true genius grows every day… It seems like you are growing by the second, not by the day.”

“… That’s too much praise.”

I shook my head.

Ethan is not a great person to make empty remarks, so it would be nice to see that as a sincere compliment, but rather than just being happy, I found it difficult to react.

“After a while, I won’t even be able to win.”

Ethan grumbled.

“For all that, you win well.”

To that grumble, I added quietly.

In fact, most of the sparring that took place after returning to the mansion ended with Ethan winning.

“That’s it, man, I should definitely win. Even when I swing a sword, I’ve swung it 20 years longer than you.”

Ethan frowned when he heard what I said.

Well, if you think about it, it’s natural.

As he said, he has spent about 20 more years on martial arts than me, so it is inevitable that his swordsmanship is better.

Additionally, although he doesn’t use magical power, he is clearly superior in physical ability.

“But that won’t last long. I’ll catch up in a few months.”

“You are exaggerating greatly.”

Ethan kept talking in an absurd tone, but I didn’t have anything to say either.

It is certainly true that my progress is fast.

When we first sparred, we were overwhelmingly pushed back, but now we have reached a level where a fight can still take place.

However, growth was not just limited to me.

Ethan was also growing through sparring.

And that too, at a speed that is noticeable.

He also has a talent given by heaven.

Ethan himself is probably referring to the genius who grows every day as he mentioned earlier.

“That’s it, that’s it. Stop giving lip service.”

Ethan, who dismissed my slightly resentful complaint with a few waves of his hand, turned his head to the side.

“Okay, did you learn anything?”

Then, he looked in a direction other than me and asked.

“… … .”

“… … .”

Standing there were two familiar faces, Aira and Cedric.

***

After returning to the mansion, sparring wasn’t the only thing that was added to Ethan and I’s daily routine.

At some point, teaching Aira and Cedric became part of my daily routine.

It started with Cedric.

Not long after returning to the mansion, Cedric came to see me and said.

Let’s spar sometime.

I expected some kind of reaction since they discovered my skills, but I was worried because I didn’t know that they would ask me to spar.

However, considering Cedric’s personality, it was obvious that he would be a bother if I didn’t accept it, so I ultimately accepted Cedric’s request.

The result goes without saying.

Since my skills were discovered, there was no need to hide them anymore, and I didn’t think Cedric himself would want that, so I didn’t let him see it.

As a result, Cedric was cruelly defeated.

To be exact, helplessly… Would that be more appropriate?

First of all, I gave up the player as he was superior in skill, but Cedric’s all-out attack was completely blocked, and the moment it ended, my sword was draped in front of Cedric’s neck.

With that, the sparring ended.

Cedric was defeated so cruelly.

“… … .”

He looked at me blankly and left.

I looked at his back as he walked away with slightly worried eyes.

“There is nothing to worry about.”

It was Ethan who broke my thoughts.

“Because he’s not that soft. I will overcome and stand up.”

“… … .”

He seemed to know right away what I was worried about.

I was worried that the character of Cedric Allenhart might break down.

He has been called a genius since he was born, and has an outstanding talent that he has never seen in his generation who is better than him.

I thought that he might feel a wall between me and despair.

However, I quickly nodded.

I thought that if Ethan spoke with such confidence, I could trust him.

Ethan’s eyes on people are the same, but he knows Cedric better than I do.

From what I heard, Ethan and Cedric had been friends for quite some time.

To be exact, Ethan and Cedric’s teacher, the Sword Saint, were close friends, but while Ethan was going to meet the Sword Saint, he became acquainted with Cedric, and they met face to face quite frequently.

Perhaps because we hadn’t seen each other for a few years, I didn’t recognize him right away when we met again at the lake, but it was clear that he knew more about Cedric than I did.

So, I decided to believe him and wait.

In the end, the wait wasn’t that long.

The very next day, the sound of swords clashing violently echoed throughout the mansion.

Sure enough, the main characters of that voice were Cedric and Aira.

Cedric was performing the sparring he had become accustomed to, with sharper and fiercer force than usual.

“Look. I told you there was nothing to worry about.”

Ethan, who suddenly appeared with a grin, said.

As I said, my worries were for nothing.

Cedric was not a man who could be easily defeated.

From that day on, an unexpected craze for water lilies swept through Bluenoa Mansion.

It wasn’t just Cedric. Aira, perhaps inspired by Cedric, began training with more enthusiasm than before.

From around that time, Ethan and I’s sparring also changed slightly.

Because the sparring that was originally just between the two of us now had an audience.

Although it is a sparring that does not even use magical power, it is still a sparring between warriors who have reached the state of will.

Aira and Cedric, who are still lacking in skill, may not be able to recognize everything, but we decided that we could recognize and learn some of their talents, so we willingly decided to open up the sparring to them.

Not only that, they also provided direct help.

Ethan mainly to Cedric, and I mainly to Ira.

Considering Cedric’s pride, I thought he would not want to learn from me no matter how different the level was, and Ethan seemed to have guessed that as well and took charge of Cedric.

Cedric also seemed to recognize Ethan, and accepted Ethan’s teachings obediently.

Originally, I had planned to entrust Ira to Ethan as well, but for some reason, Ira herself actively asked me to teach her, so naturally Ira became my charge.

“Um, over there… Mr. Wade… There’s something I’d like you to teach me… … .”

“Ah, yes.”

It was like that today too.

After finishing sparring with Cedric, Aira came straight to me and asked for guidance.

Of course, there was no reason to refuse, so I immediately answered her questions.

At the same time, she also told us about things that stood out during the sparring, areas that could be mainly improved, and things that would be good to think about on her own.

As someone with exceptional talent, she immediately understood what I was saying, absorbed it like a sponge absorbs water, and made it her own.

but.

Even she sometimes got stuck in unexpected places.

Is “ doing it like this…? ?”

“No, it would be better to twist a little more there.”

For example, it still is.

I gave her advice on postures that felt a little awkward, and she was adjusting them here and there according to my advice, but unlike her usual behavior, her progress was slow.

“, like this… ?”

Aira tried to adjust her posture again, but even that posture was somewhat sloppy.

After seeing her, I even tried to demonstrate it myself, but she just couldn’t get the hang of it.

… hmm. If this is the feeling, it will be difficult to correct it by simply showing it.

I came to that conclusion.

“Excuse me for a moment.”

I went behind her back, grabbed her body, and began to guide her posture to my liking.

Perhaps because of her small stature, she fit into my arms, and thanks to that, I was able to easily adjust her posture to the shape I wanted.

“Like this, swing your arms without applying too much force… … .”

I move her body as if I were moving my own body.

It is difficult to unfold it perfectly since it is not my body, but it is not difficult to capture the trick.

In that way, I unfolded the movements I wanted to teach her through her body.

“Do you understand?”

Then, I asked her.

“Yes, yes… !”

To this, Aira gave a somewhat powerful answer that she rarely gave normally.

I felt a little puzzled by that, but I was about to move on to the next move, thinking that it meant that I was concentrating on this.

“What you are doing is very clever.”

A familiar voice interrupted, stopping my movements.

“… You came out.”

It was none other than Estelle.

She suddenly appeared and was looking at Aira with eyes that were truly disapproving.

She didn’t respond to my greeting and just stared at Aira in my arms, but then she turned her gaze towards me and said,

“You need to learn to doubt.”

“Yes?”

What does this mean all of a sudden?

“The animal you think is a dog may be a fox.”

“Uh… What do you mean?”

I couldn’t understand what she meant at all.

“Ha… Well, I can’t rely on you for this part.”

At my answer, Estelle shook her head with an expression of disgust.

Then, her eyes moved again.

Towards Aira in my arms.

“If you put on an innocent face, you’re just a fox on the inside.”

“… … .”

It seemed clear that the words were directed at Aira, but Aira made no reply.

“… Well, that’s it. Please enjoy today to the fullest.”

Estelle, who had been glaring at Aira for a while, said something incomprehensible and left.

I tilted my head. Because I couldn’t understand everything Estel said from beginning to end.

“… You too are really annoying.”

At that time, Ethan suddenly intervened.

He was also looking at me with a tired look in his eyes.

“Why are you suddenly acting like this again, Ethan?”

“I don’t think I can say that now… No, it’s done.”

“If you have something to say, please say it calmly.”

It’s not like Ethan who usually doesn’t know what to say.

Why is this guy like this again?

However.

Ethan just shook his head and said nothing more.

I was looking in that direction with a feeling of disapproval at that fact.

“… … .”

Even Cedric, who was standing behind Ethan, looked at me and shook his head.

… Why are these people like this today?

Doubt filled my heart, but no one seemed interested in teaching me, so I returned to teaching Ira and another day ended.

And the next day.

I went out to the backyard to spar, which has now become a daily routine.

“… Why has the number of people increased so much?”

For some reason, the audience had increased significantly compared to yesterday.

Estelle disappeared after leaving behind a strange remark, Rachel with her eyes wide open for some reason, Mary with an embarrassed face, Alexis only looking at Mary, and finally Del, who looked at this scene with distant eyes.

“It’s the seed you sowed, man.”

Ethan said those words with an air of annoyance.

I felt aggrieved because I couldn’t even guess why this was my fault, but the looks in my companion’s eyes also seemed to blame me for some reason, so I couldn’t say anything.