Chapter 4 – Eliaernes Eustetia

On my way to the training grounds.

“Good morning, Miss Ellie!”

“Huh? It’s Yurasia?”

A female knight came running toward me, her golden hair fluttering in the wind. Yurasia was drenched in sweat as she greeted me.

Among the knights, Yurasia was the one I was closest to.

She’s the youngest in the order and, from what I’ve heard, the most talented.

From my perspective, though, she’s still a bit lacking.

She’s 17 years old, and the way she reacts so sharply whenever I tease her is quite adorable.

Anyway, I’m not sure where she spotted me from, but she showed up just in time.

Perfect. I’ll have her carry half of this stuff.

“Huff, huff… So, what brings you here, Miss—”

“Here.”

“Huh?”

What the hell is ‘huh’ supposed to mean?

“Take half of this.”

“U-Uh… Sure. Actually, just give it all to me. I’ll carry it.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. I’m going to use this, so why would you carry it all? Just take half.”

“Oh, uh… You brought this to use…? No, I mean… Yes, I’ll carry it!”

I handed Yurasia half the weapons I’d brought—wooden swords, axes, spears, hammers, and various other training tools—and observed her expression.

She was sweating profusely. Looks like she’d been training. But her session wasn’t over already, was it?

“Training?”

“Uh… No?”

No?

“So, you’re done?”

“N-No?”

“Then why are you sweating so much?”

“It’s… uh, just… hot!”

“Hot?”

“Yes!”

“You’re hot? In the middle of winter? Without training?”

I narrowed my eyes at her, and she flinched, turning her head away.

“The truth is… we were training.”

“So why did you lie?”

“Well, it’s just that, uh…”

She stammered under my barrage of questions, clearly struggling. It didn’t seem like she was lying on her own accord.

Whoever sent her must have told her to.

It’s not hard to guess why.

They sent Yurasia because she’s closest to me.

As for why they’re hiding something…

Maybe they didn’t want me to see them training so intensely in front of the duke’s only daughter?

Still, they should know by now, after five years of seeing me train, that there’s no need to go to such lengths.

…Something’s up.

I could probably squeeze the truth out of Yurasia if I pressed further.

What should I do?

If even someone like Yurasia, who holds a decent rank, is this nervous, then the order likely came from someone higher up.

Maybe… my father?

“Forget it. Don’t answer.”

I could extract the answer from Yurasia, but I could also just get it from one of the captains.

And if Yurasia spills the beans, it might end up backfiring on her.

I don’t want to make things hard for her over something like this.

“Let’s go.”

I started walking, deciding to scope things out once I got there.

As soon as I did—

“W-Wait! Miss Ellie!”

Yurasia hurried over, rushing to block my path.

I smoothly sidestepped her and kept walking.

“Huh?”

“What’s with the ‘huh’? Keep it up, and I’ll ask you every single question on my mind right now. Would you really lie to me, Yurasia? Would you?”

“I-I wouldn’t… It’s not that, it’s just…”

“Then just come along. You can lead me there slowly if you want.”

My words, sounding as though I understood the situation and was trying to be considerate, seemed to reassure her. She smiled awkwardly.

“Ahaha… Yes, then I’ll lead the way.”

She started walking in front of me, her steps heavy with reluctance.

After about ten minutes of stalling, Yurasia and I arrived at the training grounds.

It was so clean it would be believable if they hadn’t been training at all.

But…

“This is… too clean.”

For a training ground, there was a complete lack of equipment. No armor, no tools for weapon maintenance, not even an oil rag or a whetstone.

I was certain now.

They’d cleaned everything up as soon as they heard I was coming.

They must’ve done it in a rush.

I couldn’t help but feel a little hurt.

It felt like they were deliberately avoiding me.

I want to train with the knights too, to spar alongside them in drills.

Even if that’s not possible, can’t they at least show me what they’re doing?

It’s not like they’re hiding some secret techniques or anything.

…Right?

Even if they were, that would still be my business. If they built this family’s reputation on my name and legend, surely they’d have passed down my techniques.

Well… I guess I didn’t really have anything I’d call a technique back then.

But still, there were some moves that weren’t bad.

Now that I think about it, this is kind of ridiculous.

Geez.

“Haha! Yeah, we’re just really thorough with our cleaning!” Yurasia scratched her head, missing my point entirely.

“I see.”

I walked past her, heading for the center of the training grounds.

Once there, I dumped out the wooden equipment I had brought with me and picked up the most familiar weapon—a wooden sword.

Swish. Swish.

It was way too light for a proper workout.

Not satisfying, but what can I do?

My father shudders at the mere mention of giving me a real sword.

After swinging it a few more times to loosen up, I turned to Yurasia.

“What are you doing?”

“Uh? Me?”

Yurasia’s blue eyes darted around.

She was checking on the knights hiding nearby, trying to stay out of sight.

“Come here.”

“…Why?”

“I’ve heard people say you’re quite skilled with a sword, Yurasia.”

“…They said that? But… why do you ask…?”

“Show me. Let me see for myself.”

I need to confirm what kind of swordsmanship the Eustetia family uses.

For all I know, it might even be based on my techniques.

If that’s the case, I can fix any weird or lacking parts—after all, I’m the original! The founder of that swordsmanship!

“Uh… um…”

Once again, Yurasia’s eyes scanned the area before settling back on me.

“…Am I understanding this right? You… want to spar with me?”

“Yep.”

Yurasia’s face turned deathly pale.

Clack. Clack.

After thirty minutes of persuading (threatening), I finally got Yurasia to agree to a sparring session.

But.

Clack. Clack.

As I expected.

This is absurd.

I asked for a sparring match, but why does it feel like we’re playing house?

On top of that, she’s not even attacking—just endlessly parrying my wooden sword.

At this rate, there’s no point in watching her swordsmanship at all.

Sigh. That’s what happens when people grow soft during peaceful times.

Back in my day, sparring meant beating each other senseless, noble or not.

Clicking my tongue, I came to a stop.

“Miss Ellie? Are we done?”

Yurasia’s face brightened considerably as she asked the question.

Yeah, I get it.

Sparring against me, the daughter of Duke Eustetia, is probably putting her in a tough spot.

She’s desperate to get out of here as soon as possible.

After all, I’m the precious only daughter of the Eustetia family.

So, what now?

Well, there’s only one thing to do.

I need to call someone else.

Someone who’ll be less troubled by sparring with me.

Tug. Tug.

Rolling up my sleeves and pants, I noticed Yurasia’s jaw drop in shock.

Without paying her any attention, I removed all the sandbags tied to my arms and legs.

Thud.

“W-What is all this, Miss Ellie?!”

“Sandbags.”

Thud. Thud.

After removing the sandbags strapped to my torso and back, I exhaled and took a step forward.

“W-What?”

Yurasia, still in a state of confusion, maintained her stance, holding her sword firmly.

Originally, I’d planned to go easy and give the knights a chance to shine.

But if they keep acting like this, I won’t hold back.

Step. Step.

As I approached Yurasia, I swung my wooden sword, now sharpened with mana.

With a crack, both Yurasia’s sword and mine shattered into pieces.

Normally, only hers would break, but ever since I came back to life, my weapons keep breaking too.

I’m not pleased.

“W-What… just happened?”

Beyond shocked, Yurasia stared down at the remnants of her sword.

Her mouth opened and closed, and her hands twitched.

“Miss Ellie, what… how did you do that?”

Chuckling at her bewilderment, I turned to the knights hiding around the training grounds and shouted.

“If you don’t come out right now, I’m staying here overnight!”

My sharp voice echoed through the training grounds.

I sounded like a brat throwing a tantrum, but at this point, I had no choice.

If I didn’t do this, I had a feeling they really wouldn’t come out.

And, hey, I’m still 15.

Isn’t it okay to throw a little tantrum once in a while?

“If you don’t believe me, just watch. I’ll be here tonight with my blanket, finding a cozy spot to sleep.”

Leaving the stunned Yurasia behind, I turned back around.

“Three.”

I picked up another wooden sword from the pile.

“Two.”

With my body feeling light, I bounced on my feet a few times.

“One.”

“First Knight Captain Karon Kamelos! Reporting for duty on behalf of the First Knight Order, ready to heed Miss Eliaernes Eustetia’s command!”

“Second Knight Captain Galak Gomeros! Representing the Second Knight Order, ready to serve Miss Eliaernes Eustetia’s orders!”

“Third Knight Captain Orlak Einstal! Speaking for the Third Knight Order, ready to follow Miss Eliaernes Eustetia’s wishes!”

“Fourth Knight Captain—”

Suddenly, knights burst out from every direction, led by a massive man with slicked-back, graying hair.

See? If you had just come out earlier, we could’ve avoided this whole mess.

Not that I ever really asked nicely.

With my mood lightening, I looked up at Karon, who stood over two meters tall, and extended my hand.

“Long time no see, Sir Karon.”

“Indeed, it’s been a while, Miss Ellie.”

With a respectful response, Karon shook my hand.

His hands were massive, and covered in calluses.

His hand was so big that even if I tried, I couldn’t fully wrap my fingers around two of his.

Hmm, now how do I put this?

If I’m too blunt, it’ll make things awkward. Better to ease into it.

Ahem. Clearing my throat, I spoke.

“Every time I come, you’re never around, Sir Karon. You must be very busy. It must be exhausting.”

Where have you been hiding every time I come to train?

“Ahaha! I’ve heard about your visits, but my age is catching up with me. It’s getting harder to keep up with training.”

I knew you were coming, so I ran away.

“Come on now, Sir Karon. You’re the captain of the First Knight Order. You can’t be serious about letting age slow you down. That’s too much of a joke.”

Don’t lie.

“Haha! Well, I may not be lacking compared to others, but I’m still human. I can’t deny my age.”

I don’t want to lose my job because of this, so please stop pushing me.

“I’ve always wanted to see your swordsmanship, Sir Karon. It’s a shame. But I trust you’ll show me someday?”

So, you won’t spar with me today, right?

“Of course. I’ll show you someday. However, with the demon realm expedition coming up soon, it might not be possible in the near future. This old man needs to conserve his strength. Ho ho.”

Yes, please excuse me. Preferably forever.

“I understand.”

I nodded agreeably and looked around.

I focused on the knights wearing the shiniest armor.

They all looked pretty strong.

Good, good.

Smiling, I addressed the captains of the knight orders.

“In that case, I’m sure those younger than Sir Karon won’t have any issues?”

No one replied.

I took that as a yes.

Of course, that’s not what they meant.

But so what?

If they didn’t want to, they should’ve said something.

Not that I’d let them off the hook even if they had.

Grinning even wider, I spoke my final words with a sweet smile.

“Today, I’m going to ‘use’ every single one of these wooden weapons I brought. I trust you’ll help me with that?”

I’m not leaving until I’ve broken every last one of these, so brace yourselves.

Meanwhile…

Yurasia, who stood among the knights, stared at Ellie with a completely different look in her eyes.

The wooden sword that Ellie had been swinging so effortlessly.

The sword that felt light to her.

But Ellie had been carrying countless sandbags hidden under her clothes.

And despite that, without using any mana…

She had been moving so freely, relying solely on her physical strength.

That was something even Yurasia would struggle to do.

No, it was impossible for any knight here who wasn’t at the captain level.

Because that level of control over every muscle in one’s body was pure madness.

And then there was that final strike.

That attack, which had seemed like a child throwing a tantrum.

Sure, Yurasia could blame the shattering of her sword on being caught off guard. But if Ellie launched that strike again, could she stop it?

And even if she could block it, how?

No, that wasn’t an attack that could be blocked.

It was a technique designed solely to break weapons.

The path of the sword, the force behind it, and the concentrated power all focused on a single point.

A technique meant to destroy the opponent’s weapon, not to strike them.

It was almost as if Ellie had perfectly recreated the technique that Arisa Eustetia, the Weapon Master, had passed down.

A coincidence?

No. There’s no way it could be a coincidence.

The look in Ellie’s eyes when she executed that technique…

She had expected it to happen.

And she was certain it would.

Could it be that one of the knights secretly taught Miss Ellie this technique?

Or perhaps she had somehow spied on the knights’ training and learned it on her own?

But even if that were the case, it made no sense.

This isn’t a skill that you could just learn by watching or practicing a few times.

Which meant…

That Miss Ellie had figured it out herself.

As Yurasia’s thoughts reached this conclusion, she swallowed hard, clenching her bruised hands.

She glanced at Ellie, who was now scanning the area, looking for her next sparring partner.

Miss Ellie…

Could she be a genius who inherited all of Weapon Master Arisa Eustetia’s talents?

Or…

Could she actually be… the reincarnation of Arisa herself?