Ch.8484. At the Training Ground (5)

I glanced sideways.

I saw my startled face as Diolia’s sword passed by my head.

I turned my head to look at Diolia again.

“Hmm.”

She was intrigued.

By my reaction speed that had deflected her sword which had aimed for my throat in a split second, targeting a single point.

I gritted my teeth at her expression.

From her widely known reputation in the County and from my journey to the Marquisate of Feiosha. Until now, I had thought Diolia was a knight with an upright character who could be trusted.

But that wasn’t the case.

Someone with an upright character wouldn’t have tried to stab their sword into the neck of a man like me, who is conventionally considered weaker than women.

I suppressed my rising anger and said:

“That was dangerous.”

“Of course, I was planning to stop the sword before it reached your neck. But—”

Diolia retrieved her sword and said:

“I didn’t expect you to deflect it so easily.”

Easily, she says.

That’s not quite right.

Diolia wouldn’t know how much my heart raced as I deflected the sword just in time.

“Perhaps it’s because you’ve awakened your Mana… your perception and reaction seem far superior to ordinary men.”

Diolia nodded to herself, seemingly satisfied with her own conclusion.

I asked her in a detached voice:

“Is there a reason you aimed for my neck from the start?”

“Of course.”

I wondered what reason she could possibly have for creating such a heart-stopping situation.

I steadied my breathing and waited for her answer.

“Lady Siabel tends to take the initiative with quick thrusts like this about seven times out of ten as soon as a duel begins.”

“……”

“Take your stance. There’s much more I need to teach you.”

Diolia planted the tip of her sword in the ground and waited for me to correct my posture.

Her composed demeanor seemed irritating, but what could I do?

I calmed my rapidly beating heart and took a middle stance.

“Then let’s continue.”

Whoosh!

Cutting through the air, Diolia’s long sword came at my head again.

“Hup!”

Clang!

Tssssss.

The collision of swords wielded with pure physical strength, without the aid of Mana.

This time, I diverted the trajectory of Diolia’s sword more stably, without the urgency of before.

Her long sword continued forward along the path I had twisted it.

The cold singing of the blade lingered in my ears.

Then, I began to feel Diolia’s heavy interference from our connected swords.

‘Where do you think…!’

The twisted blade straightened and aimed for my neck.

She would probably tilt and twist her sword to instantly pressure my neck.

Thinking this, I put strength in both legs and gripped my sword more firmly to prevent her blade from getting closer to my neck.

Tsssss!!

Instead of suddenly changing course to dig into my neck…

Diolia raised her sword.

“Your front is open.”

Diolia suddenly dove into my space.

Thud!

She lightly rammed her shoulder into me, disrupting my balance.

Swish!

Not missing the momentary opening I created, she pressed in even harder.

‘Would you look at that?’

Clean but surprising movements.

Thinking I’d be in trouble if I remained casual, I raised my fighting spirit.

“Your spirit has changed. Shall we continue?”

“Please.”

Diolia and I engaged in an intense mental battle with our swords.

Since this was a duel of pure swordsmanship, without bodies enhanced by Mana or swords imbued with aura.

Unlike what I had seen earlier, there were no continuous exchanges of large, flashy movements while controlling the repulsive forces created by the collision of Mana against Mana.

Yet it was equally taxing on the mind.

“The swordsmanship of House Sianella creates openings and penetrates more demonically than demons themselves to subjugate them. Like this…!”

“Lady Siabel transitions to hand-to-hand combat without hesitation during duels. You should prepare for that as well.”

“Sometimes she retreats, but if an opportunity arises, she’ll certainly pursue relentlessly. Be careful not to show any openings.”

Diolia’s numerous pieces of advice echoed in my ears.

But most of her words scattered and disappeared before reaching me.

I focused on the sword.

I wielded my sword while drawing out the maximum capability of my weakened body.

Twisting and evading, thrusting my sword into occasional openings, and preemptively blocking anticipated attacks.

As we quietly exchanged sword strikes,

Diolia too fell silent, focusing entirely on the present situation.

She was vicious. Sometimes infinitely cunning and petty, other times insanely violent.

The swordsmanship of Siabel that Diolia displayed changed so rapidly it felt dizzying.

The moment I lost track of the flow, she would strangle me as if she had been waiting for it.

But I couldn’t just let her have her way.

Our connected swords separated, and we stood again at a distance.

I was getting out of breath, and it seemed physically challenging to continue.

I concentrated, thinking I’d land one final blow.

Whoosh!

Diolia’s long sword descended vertically.

A downward strike.

Intending to end it in one breath, I raised my hand gripping the handle above my head.

“Hup!”

I created a diagonal line dropping from right to left, blocking the strike coming toward my head.

Clang!!

With a sharp sound, the metal vibration enveloped my hand.

With my wrist ringing, I thought it would be best to avoid any more major collisions.

I pushed aside her tilted sword and moved into her space.

Nimbly yet aggressively, I stepped forward so she couldn’t easily respond.

Lowering my hand back to a middle stance,

The blunt blade found its place in front of Diolia’s neck, along with my body that had somehow penetrated her guard.

It was just a moment. At least that’s how I felt.

“Whew……”

My whole body ached from moving too much.

Well, it’s only natural that a body meant to be shooting arrows from the rear line would struggle when wielding a sword.

“Thank you for your effort.”

Having no confidence in wielding the sword in a more humane manner, I declared the end of the duel.

I lowered the sword that had been pointing at Diolia’s neck.

I could feel intense gazes from around us, but well.

I was already known in the County as the male knight who defeated an Arachne alone.

I could just consider this as showing a proper male knight’s appearance and move on.

Whoosh.

A cool breeze blew.

“…Not bad.”

The cold air touching my skin cooled the heat.

That wasn’t all.

The wind that brushed past my face also reached Diolia, loosening her loosely tied hair.

Her long hair, the color of the bright night sky, swayed with the breeze.

“You’re impressive. The nickname ‘male knight’ wasn’t given for nothing.”

Diolia nodded with satisfaction as she continued to praise me.

“Then let’s meet again tomorrow around this time.”

“Pardon? Tomorrow?”

“Wouldn’t it be good to cross swords with me until the day before your duel with Lady Siabel? Lady Siabel also said she would have difficulty coming to the training ground for about a week… so it wouldn’t be bad to exchange swords with you during that time.”

“Ah…..”

“I look forward to tomorrow as well.”

I shook Diolia’s outstretched hand and made a resolution.

Although I’m holding a sword now…

I must not forget.

I am an archer.

* * *

“Ray, you don’t look well…”

“Don’t worry. I’m just a bit tired from… an intense duel with Lady Diolia.”

“Hmm…”

Sione stared at me with concerned eyes.

Then she took my hand, sat me down in a chair, and said:

“Wait just a moment!”

Sione gently patted my head and ran out of the room.

I closed my eyes and waited for Sione to return.

How long had I been waiting for my master?

Creak.

The door opened again and Sione appeared.

“May I ask where you went?”

“To the kitchen! They say you should eat something sweet when you’re tired, don’t they?”

Sione showed me a plate full of cookies she had brought.

She placed the cookie plate on the table in front of the chair where I was sitting.

“…Haven’t you brought too many?”

“This much will be gone quickly if we share them. I’ll eat whatever’s left, so don’t worry about it.”

“Ah, yes…”

Sione smiled brightly.

She picked up a round cookie small enough to fit in one’s mouth and held it out to me.

“Here… brother… have one…”

I smiled at how she couldn’t look up, embarrassed by her own words.

I took the cookie from her and ate it.

The cookie was sweeter than I expected. Almost overwhelmingly so.

At this point, I briefly thought about asking Sione to bring some bitter tea.

“…How does it taste?”

But thinking it wouldn’t be bad to fully enjoy something this sweet for once, I smiled slightly.

“It’s sweet. Delicious.”

Only then did she show a bright smile and started eating cookies with me.

And eventually.

Sione, who had been putting cookies into her mouth without pause, ended up devouring the mountain of cookies.

“……”

I only managed to eat 4.

Her cookie-eating habits haven’t changed a bit even after a year.