Ch.342It’s Dangerous Outside (2)

I was shocked by the news that my father was coming to visit in person, but when I think about it carefully, it makes sense.

It’s not like I’m some distant relative—his son was nearly endangered by devil worshippers, and now wants to learn martial arts because of it. Who would refuse?

Especially since my father is naturally inclined toward combat and enjoys teaching martial arts. He only gave up on me when I was young because I was too weak, but he still consistently practices martial arts himself.

These reasons combined are why he rushed to the academy as soon as he heard the news. While avoiding the paperwork that piles up daily might be part of it, the above reasons are more significant.

Thanks to my consistent physical training until now, I don’t need separate conditioning. I just need to learn martial arts from my father.

I don’t need any grand enlightenment or the honor that comes with it. I just need to be able to offer minimal resistance when all shields are gone.

“I understand. So I should aim for vital points to subdue opponents.”

“What?”

But my father seems to have interpreted that resistance differently. I opened my eyes wide as I looked at my father, who had crossed his arms sternly.

Father came to the academy just one day after I sent my reply. This was possible because there was a magician stationed at our mansion.

After listening to my story seriously, that was what he said. To me, it sounds like being told to run before I can even walk.

No matter how much of a novice I am in martial arts, I know how much effort and talent it takes to accurately target vital points.

“Um… Father? I said resistance, not subduing.”

“If they’re targeting you, they won’t be easy opponents. Do you think resistance alone will be possible? It would be more efficient to aim for vital points to temporarily incapacitate them, or render them completely disabled.”

“…”

It hits harder coming from someone with experience. As my father says, those who target me will certainly be extraordinary individuals.

Like the devil worshipper who used magic at the academy, I could be ambushed in completely unexpected situations.

Even if they fail to ambush me, they’ll likely have superior basic combat abilities, and in the worst case, there might even be militant demons among them.

“…I understand. So you’re not teaching me our family’s martial arts, but literally self-defense techniques?”

“It’s far from self-defense. This is strictly military martial arts. I’d like to teach you our family’s secret techniques too, but…”

Father looked at me with genuinely regretful eyes. Golden pupils like looking at unrefined ore.

I could only respond with an embarrassed smile. Unlike my frail past self, now I have holy power, making my hardware knight-class.

If well-designed software were added to this, I could certainly become an excellent knight. But I have no immediate plans for that.

‘I’m a writer by nature.’

I exercise purely to survive and to satisfy the women I spend nights with.

They say distance in body leads to distance in heart, so I have to train to take responsibility for my choices until the end.

Besides this, I’m not inclined toward physical activities. Strictly speaking, I tend to avoid holding weapons and harming people.

Even the martial arts I’m learning now are only because of devil worshippers—an unavoidable reason. If not for them, I would have just exercised and left it at that.

“I’ll learn it when I get the chance later. It would be strange if I didn’t learn it, being your son.”

“Alright. Actually, there’s nothing special about our secret techniques. Just get a decent battle axe and swing it—that’s it. Axes are easier to use than swords from the start.”

That’s easy to say. Having watched father, Dave, and Nicole all this time, I know how ridiculous that statement is.

It’s true that axes are easier to use than bladed weapons, as father explained. The weight is concentrated on the blade, limiting usage methods and making operation patterns simple.

But that’s only when using it crudely like a barbarian—our family is different. We don’t just use weapons; we mix in body techniques to confuse opponents.

Moreover, when an opponent tries to “defend” against an axe’s powerful strike, it leads directly to victory. Even if they barely defend, the powerful blow makes them lose balance.

In other words, the moment opponents defend, they approach defeat, and they must dodge or deflect each attack while maintaining initiative.

If skilled swordsmen demonstrate “you’ll get hit if you don’t know,” our family shows “you’re dead if you block.” And they’re not slow at all—they’re fast.

“Anyway, before I teach you martial arts, remember this one thing. While Cross and other guards will protect you, if you ever find yourself alone, run away without hesitation. Don’t even think about fighting—trust your stamina and endurance and run as far as you can. That’s the best strategy for someone unfamiliar with martial arts.”

“Will I really be able to escape?”

“Complete escape might be difficult. But with luck, you might get away or find an opportunity for a surprise attack. Surprise attacks are highly effective even against skilled opponents.”

Before we began practicing, father gave me various pieces of advice. Perhaps because he was considering worst-case scenarios, each piece of advice was steeped in experience.

It’s a shame that these things should be learned through practice rather than advice, but circumstances don’t allow for that.

If I had known this future would come, I would have started much earlier. I didn’t expect The Biography of Xenon to become popular, let alone what might come next.

As I listened quietly, he taught me in detail where the vital points of a person are located.

Starting with commonly known areas and moving to places even I didn’t know about. Some spots could be life-threatening with just one proper hit.

And suddenly a question occurred to me, so I interrupted.

“Father, I have a question.”

“You can ask questions anytime. What is it?”

“Well…”

Before asking my question, I glanced at Adelia who was watching nearby. She was wearing comfortable workout clothes instead of her maid uniform.

Marie didn’t come today because she had something to do. When I asked what it was, she said she got a message from Cecilly.

As soon as Cecilly heard that I was threatened by devil worshippers, she immediately sent a message.

She said she wanted to rush over immediately but stayed put for my stability.

‘And I learned that Gartz was the one who shot the arrow.’

Anyway, I need to say what I need to say. I turned my gaze from Adelia and asked my father the question I wanted to ask.

“I don’t know if there’s some implicit rule, but it seems like targeting a man’s testicles isn’t common. Even a slight impact would be highly effective.”

“That’s an odd yet understandable question. I should add that this area is a vital point not just for men but for women too. It’s because the genitals have concentrated nerve endings.”

Father chuckled at my question and elaborated. Men experience more severe pain because their exposed area is larger than women’s.

“Targeting that area is surprisingly effective only in surprise situations. Due to instinct ingrained in people’s minds, when the genitals are targeted, they naturally back away. It might be better to use that in reverse and aim for the eyes instead.”

“I see.”

“Since we’re on the topic, if there’s dirt around, throw it at their eyes. It will temporarily blind them and create an opening. That can be quite useful.”

My father truly specializes in teaching ‘survival’ techniques. I carefully took notes while listening attentively to his explanations.

But as they say, seeing once is better than hearing a hundred times. Just listening won’t help if I can’t apply it in real situations.

Of course, actions like running away without looking back or throwing sand in someone’s eyes are easy enough. What I need to learn is how to accurately strike vital points.

Even the strongest individuals can be critically wounded if their vital points are hit, so I must master this.

“Before we begin practicing, Cross.”

“Yes.”

At my father’s call, Adelia approached us carrying something.

Eventually, I could see what she was carrying—something I’d often seen at the mansion, though in a different form.

“Are we practicing with this?”

“Yes. I’ll teach you basic martial arts using this.”

It was a wooden mannequin often used for martial arts training. At the mansion, we use straw-filled scarecrows, but the academy uses wooden mannequins.

They’re naturally more durable, and if they break, new ones can be quickly obtained. I’ve seen these a few times in the public training grounds.

“Through this, we’ll learn where the vital points are and which areas to attack with different weapons.”

“What about when I’m unarmed?”

“As I said earlier, in such situations, it’s best to run away. You can pick up a stone from the ground and strike with it, or if that’s not possible, use a branch as a blade. I’ll teach you basic body techniques too, but we need to maximize your chances however we can.”

Body techniques… from basic standing strikes to wrestling-like grappling techniques—it’s overwhelming to think about learning all this.

Wrestling in particular is almost essential, as there are few body techniques as practical as wrestling.

Not just in my previous life, but in this world too, knights learn wrestling as a basic body technique.

Thanks to mana, there are monsters who can cut through rocks and split trees, but even they are finished once they’re pinned to the ground.

However, due to the inevitable close contact, it’s not often used in actual combat, but considering worst-case scenarios, it’s a last resort.

“Before we start practicing, it’s good to decide on a weapon first. For self-defense, a dagger, hand axe, or mace would be suitable. Which do you prefer?”

A dagger would be best, wouldn’t it? Each has distinct advantages, but few weapons are as versatile as a dagger.

Just as I was about to say “dagger,” father seemed to realize he’d missed something and changed his mind.

“No. Rather than learning just one, it would be better to learn them all.”

“What?”

“To be precise, I’ll teach you daggers and blunt weapons. With these two, you could even use a stick you find lying around.”

“…”

Outside the blanket is dangerous. But one cannot hide under the blanket forever.

“This is all for your own good.”

“…I understand.”

My journey to step outside the blanket began today.

*****

As Isaac’s training began, Hawk first taught him how to use weapons.

While blunt weapons simply needed to be swung, daggers required specific gripping techniques, making explanation essential.

The dagger wasn’t a real blade but a wooden practice sword, ensuring safety. However, the problem came from Isaac himself.

In the past, Isaac had only received basic training and had never held a weapon. He was a nobleman who was closer to books than weapons, to his head than his body.

But Hawk had experienced many trials and errors while teaching Dave and Nicole. Moreover, daggers are easier to teach than longswords.

Because of this, Isaac was able to learn quickly, and before long, he could practice with the wooden mannequin.

The training involved developing body movements through repetitive actions—basic training to respond immediately in case of an ambush.

“Are you only going to teach him this?”

While Isaac was diligently striking the wooden mannequin, Adelia approached Hawk and quietly asked.

From Adelia’s perspective, it was sufficient self-defense for an “ordinary person,” but considering Isaac’s position, it seemed woefully inadequate.

The devil worshippers targeting Isaac were certainly not to be taken lightly. Last time, she had been distracted and couldn’t even detect them.

It was fortunate that quick follow-up measures were taken; if the mysterious person hadn’t been hit by the arrow, they could have been in danger.

“This is far from enough. Devil worshippers are not easy opponents. I plan to teach efficiently so he won’t be a burden at the very least.”

“How would you rate Isaac’s talent, Baron?”

“Maybe it’s because my standards are high, but it’s not particularly good. He has decent basic strength like his mother, but the rest isn’t especially noteworthy.”

The eldest son Dave inherited everything from Hawk, while the eldest daughter Nicole inherited Hawk’s talent and Annah’s beauty.

Finally, Isaac inherited Hawk’s physique but resembled Annah in all other aspects.

Of course, Annah also had strength far from ordinary, and as they say, “behind every great man is a great woman”—she became even stronger after marrying Hawk, making it difficult to call her an ordinary person.

Remember how she crushed fruit with her bare hands, without any physical enhancement? That’s certainly not ordinary strength.

But her talent related to martial arts was just that of an ordinary person. She couldn’t absorb techniques like a sponge, like Xenon, the protagonist of The Biography of Xenon.

“But he has concentration that can compensate for that. Moreover, in worst-case scenarios, one needs to use their head more than their body. So if taught well, there shouldn’t be a problem.”

“That’s a relief.”

“By the way, the devil worshipper who attacked you. Was he strong?”

When the topic of the devil worshipper came up, Adelia flinched. Despite being distracted by the unexpected situation, Isaac had nearly been seriously injured.

Because of this, she spoke with a genuinely apologetic expression.

“…He wasn’t strong. But I couldn’t detect his presence.”

“Seems he specialized in ambush.”

“I’m sorry. Because of my lack of ability…”

“No. There’s no need for self-blame. Use it as an opportunity to improve. Actually, one reason I came here was for you, not just Isaac’s request.”

Adelia silently nodded. She had suspected this after receiving his reply.

Unless devil worshippers openly start a war, it’s obvious they’ll send assassins like before.

While she could protect Isaac, she had no talent for detection. Hawk’s special training was essential to compensate for this.

“I’ll teach you a detection technique. It was useful during my active duty.”

“What is it?”

“I don’t know its name either. But it allows you to predict when, where, how, who, and what will happen. It’s a power I accidentally acquired during active duty. It’s also why I survived when my comrades were dying at the border.”

If Isaac had heard this, he might have thought, “Isn’t that Observation Haki?” The ability to sense presence and predict the future.

It sounded like an overpowered ability just from hearing about it, but Hawk continued to explain why he hadn’t taught it before.

“But the mental burden it imposes is problematic. Unless you take appropriate rest in between, I had no choice but to maintain it constantly as each day was a continuous battle for me. Even with predictions, I couldn’t prevent my comrades’ voices from disappearing. That’s also why I retired early.”

“…”

“I’m willing to teach you if you want. If you find it burdensome…”

“It doesn’t matter.”

Adelia cut Hawk off before he could finish. Hawk closed his mouth and slowly turned his head.

Her clear blue eyes were as calm as a lake. There was no trace of fear.

“What could be more painful than seeing Isaac die?”

“…That’s enough.”

Satisfied with her answer, Hawk patted Adelia’s shoulder a couple of times. With such a reliable guard, he could teach with confidence.

‘By the way…’

Hawk then shifted his gaze to Isaac, who was immersed in training.

He seemed so focused that he didn’t hear their conversation at all.

‘Is it really true that he wrote The Biography of Xenon purely as a hobby?’

It was a question that naturally arose as time passed. His wife, Annah, didn’t think much of it, but Hawk, with all his experiences, couldn’t help but think differently.

If all this was truly coincidental, why would even the gods elevate Isaac’s reputation?

Moreover, Isaac had shown mature and precocious aspects since childhood. At first, they dismissed it as a unique personality, but upon reflection, there were many suspicious aspects.

‘He hardly ever went outside, yet he knows about the world.’

It’s regrettable for a father to say this, but Isaac has rarely left the mansion. His social circle was not just narrow—it was practically non-existent.

How could such an isolated person create such an extensive story purely from imagination? No matter how much of a bookworm he is, it’s impossible.

‘Is he really from the future or something?’

Hawk’s suspicions deepened.

‘Yet he was insensitive to the devil worshippers. Or did he deliberately draw them in? He could gain information about the devil worshippers who harmed him.’

Though his direction was strange, he was gradually approaching an answer that wasn’t quite the answer.