Ch.372Sparring and Rest

Klaus’s swordsmanship was excellent. Even I would have to risk injury if I let my guard down.

However, if superior swordsmanship alone made one powerful, he would be the Empire’s First Sword instead of Valenstein.

As I gradually increased my strength and speed, Klaus began to be pushed onto the defensive.

Unless I was completely ignorant of swordsmanship, the difference in skill between Klaus and me wasn’t enough to overcome the gap in our physical abilities.

“So… is this how it’s done?”

As Klaus’s sword tip lunged toward my solar plexus like an arrow, I extended my half-lowered longsword to intercept it.

I relaxed my wrist, and the moment the blades met, I flipped my sword with my left hand.

Then, I twisted my elbow, shoulder, waist, and knee in succession.

The momentum added at each joint perfectly redirected the force.

Finally, using my left foot as a pivot, I turned my body halfway—

“Huh…!”

With a short cry of shock, Klaus was sent flying behind me.

[Hmm, this technique could be quite useful.]

Hersella muttered admiringly.

Yes. The technique I just attempted was the defensive move that Valenstein and Klaus had demonstrated.

A technique closer to jujitsu than swordsmanship, redirecting an opponent’s force to throw them aside.

When Valenstein used it on me, it happened so suddenly that I could barely grasp the principle, but after experiencing it a few times against Klaus, I began to understand the technique.

Using it myself, it proved more effective than I’d expected.

“As expected of the Empire’s First Sword…!”

Klaus jumped to his feet and pulled his sword to eye level in a defensive stance.

His steps were slow and cautious. He was clearly more wary than before.

While I’m at it, should I try that too?

“Stop crawling like a turtle!”

I charged toward Klaus, kicking the ground roughly.

Gripping the longsword in my right hand, I rushed forward with a great slashing attack.

In boxing terms, it would be like a telegraph punch.

It was an attack with such obvious intent.

Naturally, Klaus immediately saw through it and moved to counter.

“Haah!”

His longsword swung decisively.

At an angle that would deflect my attack while simultaneously allowing him to close in.

If I continued forward and swung my sword, I would be the one taking a fatal counterattack.

If I continued, that is.

I stepped forward with my ankle bent upward, pushing off.

My heel dug deep into the ground. Sand dust rose like a rough wave.

“He stopped…?!”

My body came to an abrupt halt.

Klaus’s attack sliced through the empty air in front of me.

Following that, my delayed longsword lunged diagonally toward his shoulder.

Just as Klaus’s sword had missed harmlessly, my blade too was slightly short of reaching him.

If I had simply swung it as is, it would have cut nothing but air like his attack.

But Klaus, sensing something ominous, desperately tried to lean backward.

“Too late!”

The hilt of my longsword slid through my loosely opened hand.

The reach instantly extended by about 30cm.

My right hand, sliding along the hilt, firmly grasped the weight at the end.

Klaus’s face filled with shock as he realized what this meant.

His eyes widened to the point of tearing. His trembling pupils swam within the whites of his eyes.

– Crack!

The extended blade struck Klaus’s shoulder armor, crushing it.

The steel pauldron crumpled like clay.

“Kuhek…!”

Klaus let out a pained groan and staggered.

A strike that would have split his upper body in half had it not been for the armor.

An injury severe enough that he would never use that shoulder again without a healing miracle.

“This…! Could it be, you copied my technique after seeing it just once?!”

Perhaps the mental shock was greater than the physical pain, as Klaus stared at me blankly.

It is indeed his technique. This one had a simple trick that made it easy to imitate.

Though Klaus himself probably couldn’t generate this much power with the same technique.

Since it ultimately involves grasping the end of the hilt to swing, there’s a high risk of losing grip from the recoil when striking hard surfaces.

In fact, Klaus had aimed for my exposed flesh rather than my armor.

But my strength was more than enough to withstand any recoil, whether from hard surfaces or otherwise.

A technique that in Klaus’s hands could at best surprise and cut bare skin became a devastating strike in mine that could even deform armor.

Thanks for the good technique. I’ll make good use of it.

[To copy a technique after seeing it just once—you’re quite the genius at stealing from others.]

‘That’s harsh. I didn’t steal it, I learned it.’

It’s not like Klaus can’t use the same technique anymore just because I used it, right?

So it can’t be called stealing, can it?

“Your swordsmanship is impressive, but techniques can be reproduced by anyone who observes and understands the principle, right? Maybe you should focus more on building your capabilities?”

“Thank you for the advice…”

I offered some light advice to Klaus, who had thrown his bent practice sword into a corner, now incapacitated with his injured shoulder.

After all, the reason for his defeat ultimately lay in the difference in strength and speed.

Even this much was only because I held back; if I had fought at full power, his head would have been severed before he could even use any swordsmanship.

In the face of overwhelming capability, technical superiority means little.

[You speak so casually. Saying you can reproduce something just by seeing it—there are few sword thieves like you who can do such a thing.]

Well, I think there might be others if you look around. Though I’ve never met any.

—-

After finishing the sparring sessions with the three, I returned to my room and soaked in the bathtub.

There were no major injuries, but my body was covered in sweat and dust.

“Phew…”

The bathwater, full of bubbles from the bath salts, released a subtle rose fragrance.

I leaned against the inside of the tub, closed my eyes, and smoked a cigarette, savoring the warm comfort.

Perhaps due to the heat of the bathwater, my head felt slightly light.

“Sister Haschal, may I come in too?”

After about five minutes, Lena called from outside the bathroom.

It seemed she had just returned after finishing the treatment of Bertrand, Karim, and Klaus.

“Lena, you’re taking a bath too? At this hour?”

For me it was unavoidable since I was drenched in sweat, but Lena hadn’t even broken a sweat.

Wouldn’t it be better to wash before bed?

“Yes. I got quite a bit of dust on me. I was watching your sparring from the side, remember? I must have gotten dirty then.”

“Ah, I suppose that makes sense. Just a moment.”

I rose and stepped out of the tub.

Bath bubbles that had been at my collarbone slowly ran down my chest.

I quickly gathered them to prevent them from dripping onto the bathroom floor, put them back in the tub, and went to the bathroom window to open it wide.

The bathroom was full of cigarette smoke, which probably wouldn’t be a good environment for Lena.

Now that autumn had arrived, the outside air was quite chilly, but this level of cold was nothing compared to the north.

“Alright. Come in.”

I got back into the tub and gave Lena permission to enter.

“Yes!”

After rustling around outside the door for a while, Lena slightly opened the bathroom door and came in.

It seemed she had left her usual Saulite nun’s habit at the bathroom door.

“Excuse me then…!”

Lena scooped some water from the tub and poured it over herself a few times before gently entering the tub.

Befitting a marquis’s bathroom, the tub was spacious enough for two people to fit comfortably, but Lena deliberately came close to me and leaned against me affectionately.

Huh, isn’t this too close?

Is this normal between sisters? It was a bit awkward.

It would be odd to push her away though…

“Lena, did something happen while you were with Priestess Lilliez?”

I rested my chin lightly on Lena’s crown and asked quietly.

“Lilliez? No, nothing in particular. Why?”

You’ve been especially clingy since then.

I’m almost suspicious it might be some kind of separation anxiety.

Judging by her calm expression, it doesn’t seem like she was bullied while I was away.

“It’s nothing, just that you’ve been sticking especially close lately, so I wondered if something happened.”

“Oh, that. Was it uncomfortable for you…? I’m sorry…!”

Lena asked cautiously, pulling away in surprise.

“No, I wasn’t particularly uncomfortable, so you don’t need to apologize. I was just curious.”

I couldn’t bring myself to say it was uncomfortable when she looked like a dejected puppy.

Besides, I wasn’t really bothered by it.

If it were a boy, maybe, but why would I be uncomfortable with a girl three or four years younger than me clinging to me?

If anything, it’s cute.

“That’s a relief…!”

Lena smiled brightly with relief and leaned back against me.

It was about thirty minutes later when Lena and I finally got out of the tub.

—-

After bathing, I watched Minea training swordsmanship in the inner courtyard of the marquis’s castle.

Following Nigel’s advice that it would be inefficient for me to train her directly, one of the marquis’s knights was in charge of teaching Minea Imperial swordsmanship.

Apparently, he would be much better than me at teaching.

That wasn’t wrong.

Yesterday, being the first day, I tried teaching her myself, but I had to say “Why can’t you do this?” about eighty times.

“Um, Lady Haschal… everyone is like this when first learning Imperial swordsmanship. I wasn’t much different on my first day.”

Nigel had to intervene with those words.