episode_0003

“You take up your sword first. I’ll keep an eye on your posture until the Duchess returns.”

I held the wooden sword tightly with both hands and raised it forward, just as I had practiced. I was confident.

“No, no.”

Harryba shook his head. Did he already find something he didn’t like? He hadn’t even shown me how to swing it yet.

“You have to lead the interception team, right? And to get into the interception team, you have to do well in the upcoming hunting competition. Right?”

My teacher strangely knew my situation well.

“A two-handed sword of this ambiguous length is meaningless. You don’t want to be a champion of the arena, do you? Riding a horse and wielding a two-handed sword is ridiculous.”

“Ah.”

“What you need to learn is cavalry.”

“Cavalry, are you talking about sabers…?”

“Yes. Let’s start by getting both feet on the ground and handling the cavalry sword.”

In fact, I didn’t really understand it. However, since the curriculum was under the teacher’s authority, I shouldn’t complain. At least, that was how it was when I was learning about astronomy and rhetoric.

“Well, I guess you don’t understand what I’m saying. Okay, let me explain. Whether it’s hunting or interception, you have to ride a horse. So what’s the most basic thing to do on horseback?”

“Horseback fencing…is.”

“Yes. To handle the horse sword. After practicing the basics on the ground, that is, after understanding the center of gravity and the tricks of the sword, I plan to train on horseback. Does that make sense now?”

“Oh, yes, that’s right.”

“If you have any questions at any time, don’t just make a puzzled face and ask right away. I’ll convince you right away.”

“That… Yes! I understand, Master.”

The swordsmanship teacher was definitely different from other teachers I had seen before.

“Now, pick up this cavalry sword and swing it around as you wish. Strike from below and upward.”

The saber held in one hand felt heavier than I had thought. I raised the sword upward, putting strength into my right shoulder and back. It was definitely heavy. My whole body swayed. With my small body, it felt like a weight that was too much to handle.

“It’s poor. But it’s good for a first time. Weight is not important. What’s important is the movement of the center. If you can find the center, you should be able to handle a one-handed sword of this mass with one hand, as its name suggests. You have to swing it until you realize that. With the right posture. Bring your elbows closer. ”

He swung his sword again from below. It staggered.

“If you can’t handle it properly even with both feet on the ground, it’ll be even harder on horseback. That’s why you need to understand how to shift your weight. Got it?”

“Yes, yes!”

He answered with difficulty and raised his sword again.

“You, did you make all that firewood yesterday? Judging from the cross-section of the wood, it looks like you made it in one day.”

“Yes! That’s right.”

“You have guts. Swing with that guts. Until you understand it yourself.”

It was hard. But I could endure it. I focused on the movement of the tip of the sword one by one and handled it. I felt like I could understand something, almost touching it.

‘If you try a little more, you might be able to understand what the concept of ‘center shift’ is… .’

While I was training so hard.

“Oh, there, the lady is back.”

“Ugh. Haa… Ha… Do, I’ve arrived… .”

Before I knew it, my mother had returned.

My mother was breathing hard, her hands on her knees, letting out a strange breathing sound.

My mother was wearing a long, shaggy robe that covered her entire body. I was secretly looking forward to seeing her, so I couldn’t help but swallow my saliva and wonder what she was wearing underneath that robe.

“So, Madam, are you planning on wrapping that robe around yourself and swinging your sword?”

“Oh, no. No. ”

At the teacher’s urging, the mother slowly began to untie the strings around her robe’s waist with trembling hands.

Slurp-

A long robe flows to the floor, and the clothes my mother is wearing are clearly visible under the clear sky.

Underneath her robe, her mother was wearing a very short one-piece dress. It was a lavender sleeveless dress that reached mid-thigh and was held up by thin straps at the shoulders.

But if you look closely, it wasn’t just a sleeveless, short one-piece dress.

It was a negligee.

It seemed like she had changed into the pajamas her mother wears when she sleeps.

“I need this in a hurry because this is the only short-sleeved, comfortable outfit I have… .”

Mother kept talking as if making excuses.

Under the bright sunlight, the inside of the translucent negligee was clearly visible.

The mother’s lower abdomen was clearly exposed, with a bra with ornate embroidery and underwear that covered her buttocks in the form of shorts.

In addition, the shoes were leather boots that did not match the negligee. They were hunting boots that came up just below the knees. There was no way my mother would have such active boots.

Negligees were usually my mother’s nightgown, but I had never seen those boots before.

‘Where did you get that?’

“Hmm, well. Okay. I guess it won’t interfere with your exercise.”

Is the teacher saying that clothes like that are okay? If anything, it looks like it would be harder to exercise in than the clothes I was wearing before.

“Um… What should I do first? Sir?”

“First, would you like to try holding the sword?”

The master also gave a saber to the mother.

“읏.”

It certainly looked heavy to my mother. It was a cavalryman’s sword that had to be handled with one hand, but it looked a bit difficult for her.

The tip of the sword fell sharply to the floor.

“This is, ugh. It’s heavier than I thought… .”

“Should I consider this a difference between men and women? The wife may weigh more, but there is a clear difference in muscle strength.”

“Ah! Che, please don’t talk about weight!”

“Oh, yes. Sorry, ma’am.”

Did I touch my mother’s sensitive spot? The teacher was also embarrassed and apologized.

“And you can talk to me comfortably. Just like you would to Louis. I’m like a disciple to you… .”

It was a suggestion from a mother who was starting to feel a little more confident.

“Oh, that’s not easy. It’s actually my first time taking on a woman as a disciple, and it’s also my first time teaching an old woman like this.”

“Me, old…? Ugh, ugh.”

Could it be that I have touched another sore spot?

“Ugh… Don’t worry about that and speak informally! Be comfortable with me! This is an order from your employer.”

“Ah. Order, is that right?”

Harry Bar shook his head with an expression that said he had been given a really difficult request.

“That’s good. That’s good. There’s no way it won’t work.”

“Ah!”

My mother seemed secretly happy. Was it really that good to be treated as a disciple like me? I had no way of knowing her feelings in terms of age.

Classes resumed immediately.

“From top to bottom, swing it around.”

“Oh my.”

As expected, it didn’t work. It was just a matter of raising the sword unsteadily. My mother’s strength itself was a bit lacking.

“You’re really in bad shape. It seems like you’ve never exercised before. There’s no answer if your body gets fat like a sow.”

“… Huh? Huh?”

It was abusive language that made me doubt my ears. I told him to speak freely, but that didn’t mean it was okay to insult him like this.

“What, what did you say?”

Mother seemed surprised too.

“Well, what I’m saying is that you need to lose some weight. Didn’t that hit you right away?”

“Hwa, it definitely hits home… .”

“Give me back that sword.”

My mother returned the saber quietly. She looked slightly dumbfounded. It was probably the first time in her life that she had heard such abusive language.

“Run. You are not yet worthy to wield this sword.”

“Running…? Where?”

“Run here. Run around this yard, run along the inside of the walls.”

“… Ah, uh, how many laps should I do?”

“Until I say it’s time. No, are you usually that talkative?”

“Okay, yes, no. I’ll run.”

My mother began to walk toward the wall with a slightly unsteady gait. She seemed more in mental shock than in physical pain.

“Even her running posture is awkward. Isn’t she just born with an obscene appearance to please men?”

The teacher never forgot to tease, or even praise, his mother’s body from time to time.

“Why did you stop? Keep swinging. No, my left leg is weak. Always keep your abdominal pressure. Push the ground with your feet and focus on your breathing.”

“Yes!”

It was a surprisingly fulfilling class.

But I felt sorry for the teacher, but I couldn’t concentrate on the class.

I kept seeing my mother running over there, panting and breathing hard. My eyes were stolen by the sight of her running with her eyes slightly open, her mouth slightly open, her hot breath coming out, and her attractive body in control.

Even that kind of appearance was attractive to my mother.

And I wasn’t the only one watching. The guards on their weekly patrol on the inner wall were looking down, pointing at my mother, and talking. It was extremely disrespectful. It was obvious that disrespectful rumors about my mother would spread in an instant.

I swing my sword diligently as I have learned, and then I speak to my master first.

“… Teacher, you were too harsh with your words to my mother.”

“Oh, I see. I see, now that I think about it, I wasn’t aware of it… .”

As expected, the teacher coolly admitted that it was his mistake.

“I tend to teach my disciples a bit harshly. But no matter what, I guess I was a bit rude to call a lady a sow. I’ll have to apologize later.”

“You’re not being strict with me.”

“You are the most talented student I have ever taught. I don’t need to motivate you with harsh words.”

“Oh, ah… Is that right, am I that bad?”

I felt good for some reason. I was excited.

“Good! Class is over! Practice what you learned today on your own. You can go now. Hey, you bastard! No, no, you bastard! I have something to say.”

After the teacher finished the class, saying that he had nothing more to teach us today, he called out to his mother, who was still running in the distance.

I was so curious about what would happen next that I couldn’t move.