Ch.16Toward the Imperial Capital

“Since the exile issue has been settled, let’s now begin discussing your academy admission in earnest.”

Lord Ludwig exhaled leisurely, releasing a cloud of smoke.

The hazy smoke filled the office.

Every time I see him, that mana herb never leaves his mouth. At this rate, he must have a serious mana herb addiction.

…Though I’m hardly one to talk.

Feeling a bit sheepish, I looked down at the mana herb I was holding.

The herb, already half-burned, was transmitting a subtle warmth to my fingertips.

Mana herb—the unfamiliar pronunciation rolled awkwardly on my tongue.

I’ve thought this every time, but the name really doesn’t sound right.

It’s not even a plant that contains mana or anything like that.

It’s just that mages frequently use it for its mind-clearing effects, and somewhere along the way, it started being called mana herb.

I’ll just call it a cigarette.

That word is much more familiar to me anyway.

“So, how much do you know about the academy and special admission?”

“Not much detail. I only know what I mentioned before.”

Thanks to the game, I have a general idea, but I can’t be sure if that information is accurate.

The settings I know are quite fragmentary and biased.

Well, it wasn’t exactly a game that was generous with setting explanations or world-building.

How could I have known that even monsters had such backstories?

“…Then this explanation will take some time.”

“Will that be okay? Shouldn’t we start preparing to leave soon? Honestly, I don’t know what I need to bring.”

“I anticipated that and already instructed the servants to prepare the necessary items. It will take them some time to finish, so I’ll explain in the meantime.”

His service is impeccable.

Meeting Lord Ludwig might be the greatest stroke of luck since my possession.

The biggest gamble in my plan was not knowing what kind of person the Margrave of Landenburg, the guardian of Wall of Berengaria, would be.

If he had been a violent man who would try to kill a Ka’har on sight, I would have had no choice but to abandon everything and somehow escape.

In that sense, Lord Ludwig was like hitting the jackpot in a bet where I’d wagered everything.

…Though I still don’t understand why he’s being so favorable toward me.

While maintaining a formal tone that emphasizes our official relationship, he occasionally teases me or makes light jokes.

He seems to coldly assess my usefulness, yet secretly takes responsibility and watches over me.

Even his warnings are more like advice than actual warnings.

Anyone would think I was his daughter or something.

Since all of his children were killed by the Ka’har, that’s probably not the case.

Lord Ludwig put down his mana herb and began his explanation.

I set aside my doubts and listened attentively to what the lord had to say.

—-

“We’re departing now, Haschal.”

Nigel, seated at the coachman’s bench, cracked the reins.

The two horses startled, pranced a bit, and gradually began pulling the carriage.

The lord’s horse was probably accustomed to pulling carriages, but the horse I had brought was likely doing this for the first time.

Yet, as if determined to show the pride of eastern horses, it was admirably pulling the heavy carriage without complaint.

The metal-rimmed carriage wheels rattled, shaking the carriage up and down.

The travel carriage, emblazoned with the House of Landenburg’s crest, gradually picked up speed as it traversed the wide road.

—-

The lavish interior of the carriage remained perfectly still despite the movement outside.

There were plush cushions, but cushions alone couldn’t provide this level of comfort.

Perhaps the carriage of a marquis’s family had some magical enhancements I wasn’t aware of.

I surrendered myself to the comforts of civilization, enjoying the serene tranquility.

Magic really is wonderful. The Ka’har will spend their lives riding horses, never knowing such comfort.

It would take just over ten days to reach the capital, I believe. That should give me enough time to study the imperial language.

I took out the book Nigel had given me and began reading.

I needed to overcome my illiteracy before arrival, at the very least.

“Remnant Academy… years ago, the first emperor Carlos the Great… military institution… nurturing talents… assigned to the imperial army…”

The book was titled “The History and Traditions of the Academy,” and it was terribly boring.

Moreover, most of it was information I already knew from the game settings or from what the marquis had told me.

But since I already knew the general content, it was perfect for practicing the imperial language by interpreting the words.

Fighting drowsiness, I mumbled the contents of the book as I turned the pages.

—-

“It seems you’ve fully recovered now.”

Five days later, in the morning, Nigel, who had been checking my injuries every morning, declared me healed.

Indeed, since last night, I’d been feeling more energetic, sensing that my body had returned to its pre-duel condition.

“Then, can I start learning imperial swordsmanship now?”

I was getting restless anyway.

Since I couldn’t show my face to people, I had been confined to the carriage for four days and nights.

When I absolutely had to go outside, we would stop the carriage in a secluded area, and while Nigel kept watch, I could briefly get some fresh air.

At night, there were hardly any travelers passing by, so I could stay out a bit longer.

To avoid potential problems, we didn’t visit even small villages or towns, camping outdoors and taking our meals inside the carriage.

Since it was a travel carriage designed for such purposes, it was much more comfortable than the Ka’har days of pitching tents and sleeping outdoors.

As a result, both Nigel and I had become quite disheveled compared to our neat appearance when we departed.

Whenever we spotted a secluded forest, we would enter and wash in streams overnight.

But usually, wiping down with a towel was all we could manage.

We didn’t even attempt to wash our clothes.

…Somehow, since my possession, I seem to have lost all connection with the concept of hygiene.

Nigel pondered for a moment, then nodded.

“Yes, I think that would be fine now. However, since excessive sweating would be problematic, it would be best to practice only the theory of swordsmanship and basic stances lightly during the night for now.”

“Hmm. Yes, that sounds good. Let’s do that. I know nothing about swordsmanship, so starting with the basics would be helpful.”

The academy probably has sword lessons, but there’s a world of difference between going in with some basic knowledge and going in completely ignorant.

“You said you don’t know swordsmanship? Then that fight was…?”

Nigel trailed off, seemingly surprised.

Well, considering what I showed him then, he probably couldn’t imagine that it was the movement of someone who knew nothing about swordsmanship.

But that truly wasn’t swordsmanship.

It was merely a fighting method that relied on instinctive reaction speed to dodge when necessary, attack when an opening appeared, and fiercely push forward with strength and speed.

Not swordsmanship, but a fighting method. To put it more formally, it was closer to the concept of martial arts.

It only looked like swordsmanship because I was holding a sword at the time, but there would have been no difference if I had been holding another weapon.

If I had no weapon, it would have looked like hand-to-hand combat.

“That was just fighting based on instinct and physical ability, going with the flow of my body. I don’t even know how to properly hold a sword. No one taught me.”

“…I see. Then in the evening, we should start with how to properly hold a sword.”

“Yes, please do.”

After sending Nigel back to the coachman’s bench, I took out the book again and continued reading.

“After the special admission system was established, there was ongoing discussion about whether to respect the relativity of these cultures… After much deliberation, the Empire decided to accept some of their demands… Therefore, special admission students maintain their racial attire even within the academy…”

Thanks to enduring headaches while continuously using the translation-enchanted necklace, I had become somewhat familiar with the imperial language.

The words implanted in my mind by the translation magic remained as residual effects even after the magic was dispelled, enhancing learning efficiency.

A learning method that transforms illiteracy into near-native fluency in just two weeks.

Truly something impossible without magic.

—-

After that, I learned about swordsmanship from Nigel every night.

As Nigel had said, since sweating profusely would be problematic, we focused on theory and posture correction, postponing actual practice for later.

“Yes, that’s the basic grip. If you want to precisely pierce an enemy’s armor, hold the blade with one hand…”

There were more ways to hold a sword than I expected.

Nigel explained in detail the situations for each grip, saying that one needed to change grips according to the circumstances.

“A sword is not something you swing like that! That’s why it breaks so quickly when you do!”

I learned the basic stances for swinging and thrusting a sword.

The path of the sword and the inclination of the blade must align precisely, like drawing a clean line without twisting.

In my case, I relied solely on strength and swung recklessly, causing the sword path to deviate, which put excessive force on the blade, making it break easily.

“The essence of imperial swordsmanship is to maximize the use of the crossguard, the part near the base of the blade. As I showed you before…”

I learned the basic principles of imperial swordsmanship.

The principle of leverage, they called it—when defending, use the base of the blade near the hilt to catch the tip of the opponent’s sword.

The crossguard and hilt can also be excellent weapons, he said.

…Indeed, he had targeted my left arm and head with the pommel.

“Body techniques using arms and legs are also important, not just the sword. You seem to use your left arm for defense and striking; having a secondary weapon would be useful. For instance, a dagger…”

I learned the basics of body techniques for attacking with limbs instead of a sword at close range.

Since Frosting seemed like an awkward weapon to use casually, having a dagger would indeed be convenient.

“Imperial swordsmanship is fundamentally designed for human opponents. When facing non-human enemies… in that case, just fight in your original way.”

I was advised not to use these techniques against non-human enemies.

Trying to deflect attacks would have limitations due to the vast difference in strength.

—-

Six days later, the silhouette of a massive city finally began to appear on the horizon.

The triple-layered city walls surrounding it glowed a reddish-gold in the evening sunset, displaying their majestic appearance.

This was Extrashafel, the capital of the Empire of Karl Las.