107. Special training in the underground temple (1)

Lucia answered with a puzzled expression.

“You have… something to ask me?”

“To be honest, Lucia-ssi’s swordsmanship is terrible. So I’m curious about how you learned swordsmanship. I want to know that.”

Lucia was momentarily taken aback by those words. But knowing that the person in front of her was Yulian’s sword and the Holy Sword, Siertia, she held back.

“I learned my swordsmanship from a wandering swordsman named James. But that’s probably an alias. Swordsmanship learned from an unknown swordsman. But his sword is definitely not as terrible as mine!”

Unable to hide her emotions, her voice rose against Erti.

James. He was the one who protected her mother in the slums, her mother’s lover, and Lucia’s teacher.

Of course, Lucia just followed him around calling him her teacher. In reality, he didn’t properly teach Lucia swordsmanship.

‘He said he would protect mother, so I didn’t need such swordsmanship.’

However, from the day she learned the secret of her birth, Lucia harbored a deep hatred for her biological father, Duke Pedro.

So she wanted to learn swordsmanship. She wanted to surpass her biological father, a Grand Master, with a sword.

‘Even if it’s impossible. I couldn’t forgive that bastard.’

Lucia’s mother, until the moment she died. She couldn’t forget Duke Pedro. Her mother and James were somewhat like lovers, but.

James and Lucia both knew that her mother was always longing for Duke Pedro.

And her mother, who stopped eating and drinking because of that longing, eventually died. After the day her mother passed away, Lucia’s purpose in life was solely revenge on Duke Pedro.

‘If that cursed man hadn’t played with my mother’s heart. My mother wouldn’t have died so early.’

Of course, that desire for revenge had been growing even before her mother passed away.

So, to persuade James, who wouldn’t teach her swordsmanship. Lucia, along with Leister, attacked James every night with wooden swords.

‘Of course, we were easily subdued.’

But Lucia and Leister both had remarkably better observational skills than other children their age. Every night’s attack. Just being unilaterally defeated by James like that. The two of them grew stronger.

After a year of nightly attacks. Eventually, James reluctantly taught the two of them a single sword form.

No, he didn’t directly teach them. He simply used the ‘Lightning Flash’ strike against the two of them.

And Lucia and Leister desperately tried to follow and master that strike from that day on.

Just as she was thinking about that sword form. Erti continued speaking.

“Did you really learn it properly? I’m not disregarding your teacher. Because the sword form you unleash is definitely threatening. But it’s somehow clumsy. It’s not like you directly received the secrets of that sword form… I only get the feeling that you’re instinctively imitating it.”

Lucia was startled by those words. That Erti had accurately seen through the origin of her swordsmanship.

“How… did you know that…?”

“To reach one form in any swordsmanship, you have to gradually go through the stages from the previous forms. But your sword form is hmm… the forms that are the basis of that sword form, all the basic sword strikes, are omitted. Or, should I say, it’s like they’re clumsily patched together.”

Erti’s words were correct.

Lucia only entered Pantheon with that sword form she stole with her eyes. Lightning Flash.

After her mother died, Baron Mei, a vassal of Duke Pedro, took her in as his adopted daughter.

The Mei family is not a martial family. So, teaching her the basic qualities of a noble lady was a higher priority for her, who came from the slums.

‘So the current swordsmanship is… continued by applying the Imperial swordsmanship learned at Pantheon.’

Of course, the first sparring session with Yulian. Through that sparring session, she was able to abandon her obsession with standard swordsmanship and find her inherent speed sword, but.

Lucia’s speed sword is still just a sword unleashed by the instincts and intuition of her body, far ahead of her thoughts.

‘Still, that speed sword and Yulian-nim’s fusion style… Lucia style combined to produce great results…’

However, it was natural that her patchwork swordsmanship would not be satisfactory to the renowned Holy Sword in front of her. Lucia became anxious at that fact.

‘The swordsmanship that Erti-nim shows… Lionheart Sword. It’s definitely much more elaborate than that Uriel-kyung. In terms of swordsmanship alone… it’s better than Yulian-nim.’

Uriel. The genius female knight of Essenmund.

And she had often secretly watched her, who was Yulian’s escort knight, practicing swordsmanship alone in the training hall of Roia Hall after the second-year opening.

It was on a different level from herself, who believed in and wielded only the swordsmanship she had learned by stealing glances. The strikes and paths created by the Knight of the White Nights were as enchanting as watching a beautiful play.

‘As expected… because I lack the basics. Is it impossible to follow that Uriel-kyung no matter what I do?’

The escort knight that Yulian had personally chosen. And that female knight, who was not only skilled in swordsmanship but also very beautiful.

Even if Lucia were lucky enough to join the White Nights Knights. It was obvious that she would be of no help to Yulian with her current shoddy swordsmanship.

“Huh? Why are you making such a serious face?”

Erti said, widening her light green eyes. Lucia couldn’t answer, feeling like her inner thoughts had been exposed.

“Aha. I see. Did you get discouraged because I said your swordsmanship was terrible?”

She hit the nail on the head. But Lucia was a swordsman before she was a woman. So she quickly answered.

“No! I haven’t been able to land a proper strike against Erti-nim. It’s only natural to hear such words…”

“No. You’re misunderstanding something. The swordsmanship I use is Lionheart Sword. That’s also the sword form that Atlin used. You’re still standing and enduring against me? That’s something to be praised.”

Lucia momentarily made a puzzled expression at those words.

“Praise?”

“And there’s still more I want to ask. Lucia-ssi. You’re definitely born of human blood, right?”

“Huh? What are you suddenly saying…”

Erti, who had been making an expression far from serious until now. Became serious at that moment.

“Even if you’re a terrifying hybrid like Yulian… Heu-hum. It’s absolutely not common sense that you, who have never properly learned swordsmanship like this, are facing me. And recently, you fought against the Demon Spirit and magical beasts of the Imperial Palace to the same extent as the High Knights, right?”

At those strangely powerful words. Lucia unconsciously nodded. Erti continued speaking.

“So there’s only one conclusion. Lucia-ssi. You have a very special talent or body. On the same level as the womanizer Yulian.”

Lucia was flustered by Erti’s words.

But before she could react, Erti hugged Lucia’s body.

“Shall we check it out?”

I swung my sword against Leister almost without rest.

It was Leister’s first battle since regaining her self-awareness, so at first, the way she swung her sleeves was awkward, but.

Soon, she began to move instinctively according to my Lionheart Sword. Leister’s sword, which had become trance-like, was much more threatening than I had thought.

‘It was similar to the sword form that Lucia uses, but it felt completely different.’

The sword form that Lucia uses is called Lightning Flash.

It is a very high-level speed sword in which all the sword paths are completed even before the body’s recognition is achieved.

Leister’s Lightning Flash is slower in speed than Lucia’s, but. She overcame that deficiency with the transformation of her sword strikes.

And unlike Lucia, who relatively lacks practical experience.

The practical experience gained in the elite Chusaldae of the Bairea Mercenary Corps. That practical experience must have been an experience of bloody slaughter.

‘She was more like a magical beast than a person.’

So the only swordsman I was facing was Leister, but. That irregular, instinctive sword form contained numerous changes.

‘It’s like facing a multitude of swordsmen.’

I couldn’t let my guard down even for a moment while facing all those strikes. But rather, because it was such a versatile swordsmanship, it was a great help to me.

I had to compete directly with a large number of students at the end-of-term ceremony. I ended my sparring with her.

“Haa… haa… haa…”

Leister collapsed to the floor. Leister, who had already lost her body and only had her soul left like Erti. Erti took Leister’s soul, which was no different from being dead, into the ring.

‘The sword strikes are terribly sharp, but. I don’t feel the Demon Spirit energy like I did then.’

Siertia is Zedin’s Holy Sword. It seemed that the Holy Sword had also purified Leister’s soul, which had been contaminated by Demon Spirit energy.

I didn’t have many conversations while sparring, but. The current Leister was more like a human than a magical beast.

I put the Imperial Sword into its scabbard. Just as I was standing there, reviewing the sparring with Leister.

Someone approached me.

“Oh my. Leister is exhausted and has fallen. Seeing her breathing so roughly… did you send her to climax with your giant club?”

“I only sparred with swords. Erti. I have no intention of doing that with Leister.”

“Heu-hum. So you want to swing your lower body at me and Lucia-ssi?”

“Not Erti, even if it’s Lucia. It’s not common sense to stick it in a sword.”

Erti made a shocked expression at those words.

“T-To say such a low thing!”

But Erti also had something to talk to me about. She didn’t continue the usual banter.

“Anyway, how was it facing Leister?”

“Leister? She was a great opponent. She’s good enough as a sparring partner for me. She’s also an opponent who can use a speed sword similar to her sword form… to prepare for Lucia’s speed sword.”

“That’s right. I heard that Leister and Lucia-ssi have the same swordsmanship teacher.”

Saying that, Erti looked around for a moment. I said to her.

“By the way, where is Lucia?”

“Ah. Lucia-ssi… I used my body to send her to climax. So she’s lying on the floor, intoxicated by the afterglow, like Leister over there.”

It meant that Erti had properly faced her with swordsmanship. I didn’t say anything.

“But you know. I realized it by facing her directly. Lucia-ssi’s body is very unique.”

“Unique, huh. Then is it as we talked about with Erti last time?”

“Yes. If she inherited the blood of the Orha family, it would be a special lineage like you have the blood of Reinhardt, but. It’s different from that.”

“Could you tell me more details?”

“Heu-hum. To put it simply, Lucia-ssi is human, but the feeling of her body is closer to that of a demon. A demon with a special body that overcomes poorly learned swordsmanship with overwhelming physical abilities.”

Erti’s explanation continued. And there was a word in those words that I couldn’t just pass over.

“Demons are creatures blessed by Yunir. And I, Zedin’s Holy Sword, can tell. Lucia’s body is very sensitive to Yunir’s divine power.”

Yunir’s divine power is soon magic. The moment I heard those words. I couldn’t help but think about the quest to find out the truth of this underground 6th shrine.

‘That final main quest might be related to Lucia.’

My mother’s future prediction. In the prediction that borrowed the format of the Demon King Slayer game. Lucia had a special destiny to appear as another protagonist.

Yunir’s Star, which must be acquired through the final main quest. And the truth of the 6th shrine. Lucia’s role in that quest would be very important. Erti and I came to that conclusion.

“So, Yulian. This is the 6th underground shrine, so it’s a great place for Lucia-ssi to unleash her potential.”

And the corners of Erti’s mouth went up.

“So, would you like to entrust her to me tonight? I’ll find her true self!”

It was a look full of ulterior motives. I nodded for now.