Ch.76Knight’s Haven (3)

Maria looked at Kain with eyes that seemed to say, “What’s this about?” Lily also appeared quite surprised by the sudden request.

“You want to spar? I’m fine with it anytime… but may I ask what your purpose is?”

“It’s because of the Knight of the Scabbard. His swordsmanship is strange. I thought something was off when he possessed that squire before, but after clashing with him directly, I’m certain there’s something bizarre about it. And this kind of swordplay is difficult to explain in words, isn’t it?”

“That’s true.” Lily pursed her lips with a thoughtful “hmm.”

“So I’ll demonstrate as best I can, from what I remember… and if anything stands out to you, I’d appreciate if you could tell me. For example, if a particular stance is characteristic of a certain country, or if a guard position belongs to a specific knightly order… that sort of thing, if there are any such features.”

“I understand what you mean. You’re trying to trace his origins or training through his swordsmanship.”

She had already known this wouldn’t be a sparring match in the purest sense. So Lily wasn’t particularly disappointed or hurt.

After all, the atrocities that man had committed in Emmaus were beyond tolerance. She too wanted to capture him and bring him to his knees as soon as possible.

If they were just leisurely going through documents, she might have enjoyed this final journey with Kain, but this wasn’t such a relaxed situation.

Thinking about how he was burrowing into the Empire’s darkness like mold, she couldn’t possibly remain idle.

“This is more of a reenactment than a sparring match.”

That’s why Lily calmly nodded at Maria’s words.

“After that, I’d like you to teach me how to use a sword.”

There was a loud thud as a knee hit the table. Dishes and plates collided, collectively protesting against Lily. Tears almost welled up in her eyes as she stammered in surprise.

“M-me? You want me to teach you?”

Judging by her changed speech pattern, she was genuinely shocked.

“Yes. It’s embarrassing to admit… but I’m frustrated. Last time, I was completely helpless, utterly defeated. I don’t want to make excuses like ‘it was an unfamiliar swordsmanship.'”

“It seems to have bothered you quite a bit.”

Lily murmured sympathetically. When Maria asked what had happened, Lily told her about the incident in Emmaus.

Though Kain hadn’t shown it, he had been troubled by what Huber, the genealogist from the White Blood Knights in Emmaus, had said: that if he obsessed over tricks without refining his fundamentals, he would eventually suffer a major defeat.

After hearing the story, Maria furrowed her brow.

“You. You don’t actually believe that if you had cut them all down with a sword, you could have saved Emmaus, do you?”

Maria seemed to interpret Kain’s desire to learn swordsmanship as a reaction to some sense of guilt. Kain understood her concern.

“I can’t say that’s not true. At the very least, if I had incapacitated him, even just tied him up, we wouldn’t have lost Arianne so pointlessly.

He’s probably wandering somewhere even as we speak, and I hate sitting around doing nothing.

Of course, I shouldn’t be hasty. First, we need to take care of ourselves and maintain optimal condition. If the heart races ahead while the body can’t keep up, we’ll fail.

After that, I want to prepare as thoroughly as possible. To do that, I need to become stronger than I am now. Can you teach me?”

Lily felt like she might hiccup, so she called over a passing servant. Only after downing a glass of beer could she calm down a bit.

“If that’s your reason, then I must decline.”

Now it was Maria and Kain’s turn to be surprised. Lily took another deliberate sip of her drink. Having gulped it down too quickly earlier, she now drank slowly, taking her time.

“It’s not that I don’t want to teach you. It’s that it wouldn’t serve your purpose. First of all, genealogists and all White Blood Knights, including myself, train for battlefield combat.

But the Imperial Security Bureau’s work isn’t like that. You deal with street fights, ambushes, surprise attacks, and defense. The fighting environments and situations are different. So even if I taught you the White Blood Knights’ swordsmanship, it wouldn’t be very useful.”

That made sense. But Kain asked anyway, just in case.

“Couldn’t you at least teach me some basic techniques?”

“You need to have confidence in your own weapon and technique. If you doubt yourself, your grip weakens, and you drop your weapon. Remember when I said your staff technique was elegant? That was the honest truth.

Of course, you can’t use a staff in direct combat. But it perfectly served the purpose of making arrests. And in terms of technical proficiency, you’re already quite exceptional.”

Maria, who had ordered and finished a beer, looked at Lily with great skepticism.

“Is that a professional opinion? Or a professional opinion mixed with personal feelings?”

“Of course it’s…” Whether her face reddened from the alcohol or embarrassment was unclear. Lily swallowed hard. “An unbiased opinion.”

“I’m curious. If you and Kain were to duel right now, who do you think would win?”

“I would win, of course.”

Maria quickly covered her mouth with a “heh!” as she laughed. Kain’s cheeks twitched in embarrassment.

“…Is that also a professional opinion?”

“That’s an opinion mixed with personal feelings,” Lily answered without a hint of humor.

“A duel is a matter of life and death. There’s no ‘I’ll do better next time’ because if you lose in a duel, there’s only death.

Objectively speaking, there is no superior swordsmanship or supreme sword technique. There can’t be. Even a Berserkr or Valkyrja can lose their life to a stray arrow, a sudden fall from a horse, or a single thrust from a training sword wielded by an apprentice.

The outcome is ultimately determined by life and death, and that’s in God’s domain. All a swordsman can do is fight with everything they have. And even giving everything isn’t enough. If you think to yourself, ‘I am weak, I need to learn more,’ you’re already fighting with an escape route in mind.

You must believe. Only then can you give your all. If you doubt yourself, you can’t put everything on the line. You must walk without thinking about a way back.

That’s why I say I would win.”

“Whoa, whoa. You’re really serious about this.”

Maria fanned herself, imitating a fussy noblewoman. Lily burst out laughing with a “pfft.”

“I understand what you’re saying. But Lily, according to your logic, what’s the point of sparring? I’ve practiced things like dagger techniques and how to walk quietly, and I’ve exchanged knowledge with others…”

“Now that I think about it, that’s strange. Where would a nun learn such things?”

In response to Kain’s question, Maria rested her chin on her arm with a look of disdain.

“There are thieves in Magdeburg too. Though they’re all small-time. I used to be quite notorious myself. Anyway, I want to hear what Lily thinks about sparring.”

Lily seemed hesitant. She appeared to regret having spoken. Finally, she lowered her head slightly, her face reddening. Though she did glance at Kain occasionally.

“Sparring… that is, what I think of as sparring, is a process of recognizing your own issues. While it might be necessary for apprentices or trainees, an already accomplished swordsman shouldn’t be tampered with carelessly. If you do, you might forget all your previous strengths.

That’s why sparring is even more necessary. Everyone has blind spots, things they miss. Through sparring and duels, you reflect on your weaknesses, strengths, and excesses.

Swordsmanship is ultimately self-expression. Even if someone else teaches you, you’ll eventually develop your own voice. That’s why sparring is… taught as a form of dialogue where you can truly see a person’s character.”

“The White Blood Knights are more grandiose than I thought. In some ways very direct, but in others quite poetic.”

At Maria’s compliment, Lily’s face reddened again. But Kain felt uneasy when he saw Maria’s slight smile. It was the expression she wore when she was up to mischief.

“But I think both of you are so serious that if you spar, someone’s arm or leg might break. Neither of you knows moderation. Is that an Imperial Security Bureau trait? So I was thinking, how about setting a wager or penalty? That might make things less serious.”

Kain felt a chill when he saw Lily nod so calmly. At times like this, Lily always said something strange…

“That’s simple. The loser grants one wish for the winner. That seems ordinary enough.”

“Oh…” Maria nudged Lily’s arm with her elbow, her eyes full of expectation.

“What is it? What wish will you make?”

Lily just smiled.

“I’ll whisper that to Kain tomorrow, right before our match.”

“Why?”

“Because… that will make you fight more desperately.”

“You’re not going to ask for something weird, are you? I’m telling you now, nothing truly strange.”

“It will be a rational and sensible request. It’s also a knightly order tradition.”

But Lily seemed quite pleased.

“I actually thought this was something that only happened to others. I never imagined I’d be making such a request. I’ll tell you the details tomorrow. If you really don’t like it, you can just defeat me, can’t you?”

Kain felt somewhat relieved at the mention of knightly tradition. Of course, he knew the White Blood Knights were a somewhat eccentric group, but she said it would be rational and sensible.

Though he was a bit afraid of what she meant by “something that only happened to others.” He just needed to win. And having come this far, he had no intention of holding back in front of Lily and Maria.

“Alright. But if I win, you have to follow my orders without question while we’re in this city. No moving around on your own.”

“Understood.”

“What’s that? So boring. Don’t you have anything more creative?”

Despite Maria’s jeering, Kain was quite earnest.

* * * * *

The next morning was essentially free time. Kain visited the Royal Guard Bureau branch disguised as an art dealer and wrote a letter requesting help from Anna.

Lily went around the city purchasing training wooden swords and protective gear. These were wooden blades covered in leather—cheap yet durable weapons that could be used frequently for sparring. While apprentice knights or trainees might use heavy iron swords without edges, Kain and Lily were already beyond that stage.

Maria, who had planned to idle away the entire morning, didn’t get proper rest. She was caught by a university student who approached nervously with writing materials.

The student made a pitiful plea: “If you tell me just one interesting story, I can earn my tuition, and your party can stay another day with good service.”

Because of this, Maria told him about some of her childhood misadventures, with slight exaggeration.

Maria was dressed in casual clothes with nothing identifying her as a nun, so the student wrote down her stories about how she climbed over whose walls at night and how abandoned children lived in the glittering nighttime streets of the city.

Shortly after lunch, Kain and Lily stood facing each other in a reed field by the lake, swords in hand.