Ch. 9 Learning Swordsmanship
by AfuhfuihgsChapter 9 – Learning Swordsmanship
When morning came, I woke up naturally. The warm sunlight streaming in tempted me to stay in bed, but realizing I wasn’t in my own bed, I quickly sat up.
“Ugh…”
But I was still so sleepy. Despite sitting up, I buried my face back into the blanket and stayed still for a while. The warm sunlight and cozy bed were enough to make anyone lazy.
Still, I had to get up. I couldn’t show Andreina such a lazy side of me.
“Yawn…”
I stretched and yawned, tears welling up in my eyes. I rubbed them away with my hands and looked around, still groggy.
“Andreina…”
Where had she gone? The lack of warmth beside me suggested she had left long before I woke up. I yawned again and finally got out of bed.
First, I needed to wake up… Struggling to keep my head from nodding off, I headed to the bathroom. The sink was a bit higher than the one in my house, but I could manage by standing on my tiptoes.
I held onto the sink with one hand for balance and splashed cold water on my face with the other.
“Ah, it’s cold…”
The icy water jolted me awake. After finishing my quick wash, I noticed my messy hair in the mirror.
I couldn’t possibly show up like this, even if it was morning. I wet my hands slightly and smoothed down my hair.
In the past, I would have felt a sharp pain and yelped as my hair got caught, but strangely, since becoming this body, I hadn’t experienced that.
Is it because I’m in a child’s body? Still, I wish I were a bit taller. Being short was inconvenient in so many ways. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that I lost to the rabbit because of this small frame.
At least with my old body, I wouldn’t have lost so pathetically.
Thinking about it again, losing to a rabbit was still so humiliating.
“This should do.”
Next time, I’ll definitely win. As I continued to tidy up, my messy hair calmed down. I turned my face from side to side, looking in the mirror.
Even with just a little touch-up, I looked far from someone who had just woken up. My skin was flawless, and my bright eyes and cute appearance made me look good from any angle.
If only the person inside wasn’t a grown man, I might have been adored by everyone. With a bitter smile, I pulled up the corners of my lips.
“Was I really smiling like this…?”
I had known since Andreina showed me in the mirror yesterday, but seeing it again was shocking.
The slightly raised corners of my lips trembled, and my eyes darted around, unsure where to look.
The cute girl from earlier was gone, replaced by a visibly anxious girl in the mirror.
I thought I was smiling properly… I forced myself to stop smiling and let out a long sigh.
If I looked like this now, I must have been even weirder as a man. No wonder people always thought I was strange.
The corners of my lips drooped, and my expression turned pitiful. It suited my current appearance better—a look that evoked a protective instinct.
Of course, I wasn’t at an age where I needed to be protected. I needed to pull myself together. Just because I looked like an elementary schooler didn’t mean I should act like one.
I slapped my cheeks to psych myself up and raised my head.
The girl with reddened cheeks looked at me with a determined expression.
–
Of course, that determination didn’t last long.
“Long time no see.”
“Ah…”
A swishing tail, a pair of pointed ears on his head, and piercing eyes that looked like they could kill without hesitation. His face was familiar, but his threatening appearance made me instinctively hide behind Andreina.
“Mari?”
“What? Why are you hiding? Don’t you remember me?”
His panicked voice was somewhat familiar, but I decided not to think about it.
Why was Andreina with this intimidating man…? Terrified, I clung to Andreina’s habit and trembled. A stiff voice came from above.
“…Ulrika? You didn’t do anything bad to Mari, did you—?”
“No, no! Andreina, you know I wouldn’t do that!”
Ulrika? At the man’s indignant voice, I mustered some courage and peeked out. I forced myself to look past his scary eyes and slowly recognized his face.
U.P., right? About a week ago, the elf—no, dryad?—Yuika, who had come and made me a meal, was with this scary man.
It had only been a few days, so I didn’t remember immediately, but now it came back to me.
As I thought this, Ulrika, who had been flusteredly explaining to Andreina, suddenly pointed at me and shouted.
“Hey, kid! You know me, right? We met with Yuika and introduced ourselves! How can you act like this?!”
“Eek!”
“Ulrika?”
“Ah, no! I just got carried away…”
Andreina looked back and forth between Ulrika and me, then sighed and pushed me forward. Suddenly face-to-face with Ulrika, my body stiffened involuntarily.
“Now, Mari. You should greet him. It’s not your first meeting.”
I know in my head, but my body won’t move. As I remained silent, avoiding eye contact, Ulrika scratched his head and waved his hand.
“Let’s skip the greetings. It’s probably better if the kid just listens for now.”
“But… Alright. Mari, come here.”
Andreina muttered with slight disapproval but nodded and pulled me back. I could breathe again, but I also felt a deep sense of shame.
I had just vowed not to act like an elementary schooler, but here I was, frozen like a cornered mouse in front of someone with a scary face. I wanted to hide in a hole.
As I covered my face in shame, Ulrika cleared his throat and spoke.
“The reason I’m here is because Andreina asked me to. She wanted me to teach you some basic swordsmanship.”
“S-Swordsmanship…?”
But I’m a Doll Master. Even though I don’t have any dolls right now, my specialty is doll-making, not swordsmanship. Besides, holding a sword is scary, so I don’t really want to learn…
As I thought this, Ulrika continued.
“You starved to death because you couldn’t afford food, right?”
“H-How do you know…?”
“Andreina told me.”
“Andreina…?”
I asked in a trembling voice, and Andreina slightly turned her head.
“…It was for your sake, Mari.”
A sound like a stone dropping echoed in my head. I had trusted Andreina completely, but to think she would share my shame with others…!
As I floundered in shock, Ulrika shrugged and spoke.
“Honestly, I never thought someone would starve to death here. In the beginning, everyone had 100,000 gold, and the rabbits in the forest dungeon were enough to cover a meal. But to think someone actually died like that—”
With each word, I felt like an invisible sword was piercing me. My tear ducts were stimulated, and I started to sniffle. Sensing my state, Andreina placed a hand on my shoulder.
“Ulrika.”
“Huh? Ah, I got carried away. That’s not the point.”
“Sniff…”
“…? Wait, kid, are you crying?!”
Don’t ask someone who’s sniffling if they’re crying, you inconsiderate jerk. Stubbornly, I bit my lip and tried to hold back my tears, but Ulrika panicked and stammered.
“Ah, no! I didn’t mean to tease you, I was just curious—”
“Waaah…!”
“Ah?! Why are you crying more?!”
Yeah… I’m just a fool who can’t even catch a rabbit and is too timid to ask for help. But you didn’t have to point it out… Overwhelmed by sadness, I burst into tears, and Andreina wrapped her arms around my head, patting me.
At the same time, she glared at Ulrika and spoke in a cold voice.
“Ulrika… Didn’t I tell you? Mari is very sensitive, so you need to be careful with your words. I thought you understood that.”
“Ah, no. I didn’t think it would be this bad…”
“Sigh… Didn’t I tell you before? You’re too careless with your words.”
“I’ll reflect on it…”
“Apologize to Mari. She’s the one who’s most hurt.”
At Andreina’s words, Ulrika awkwardly bowed his head to me.
“Come to think of it, I started with an apology the last time we met too. Sorry. I’ll really be more careful this time.”
I didn’t want to open my mouth and risk crying again, so I just nodded, sniffling.
…I’ve really become a child, haven’t I? Crying over such a lighthearted joke. Who would believe I was once an adult?
As I hung my head in defeat, I felt Andreina’s hand gently stroking my head. It was somewhat comforting.
“By the way, how do you plan to teach Mari?”
“Well, Andreina, you just want her to not starve, right?”
“Yes, as long as she doesn’t starve to death again…”
“Then I know an effective method.”
An effective method? Slightly calmed, I looked at Ulrika with Andreina, both of us curious.
“Trust me. I’ll make sure the kid can live like a normal person in just one day.”
Ulrika answered with a confident smile.
–
When I came to my senses, I was holding a dagger, facing a rabbit.
Why?
Author Note
A/N (Author’s note):
Apparently she is going to learn swordsmanship?
Translator Note
T/N (Translator’s note):
The best training for all, Spartan Training!If she fails, she dies and resurrects and gets put back in brutally until she succeeds!
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