Today was set aside for interrogating the river bandits and organizing the gathered information. That meant no exploring the dungeon. Unfortunately, that would give the slave traders a moment to breathe —but there was no way we could just charge into that dungeon unprepared and blind. That much was clear.
“Right.”
Even so, there were still things I could do.
In the courtyard of the Odis Temple, there was a space set aside for training. Given the size of the town, it had probably once served as a base for a knightly order or a warrior’s guild.
I gripped the short wooden sword in my hand and gave it a sharp swing before taking my stance.
My gaze locked onto the training dummy before me, and in my mind, I replayed the movements of the sahagin I’d seen yesterday—and the spells cast by the overseer.
“Hah.”
I closed in on my target, shifting my weight—feet coiling like springs, ready to change direction at any moment.
The wooden blade struck the training dummy with a sharp crack—just as I felt a gaze on me.
“Diligent of you, reviewing your moves already.”
It was Nils-san. His golden hair swayed gently in the breeze, his finely shaped face calm and unreadable. But his eyes were focused, watching my every movement with quiet intensity. He was probably here at the temple to exchange information with the warrior corps.
“Uhm…”
I began, turning toward him My chest grew warm, and before I realized it, words slipped from my mouth. The memory of yesterday’s battle flickered in my mind. I hadn’t seen anyone wield a sword like that since my father. Not even the town’s warrior corps could match Nils-san’s skill.
For a moment, standing there in the training yard, I felt as though something long lost had returned—like the training I once shared with my father had somehow begun anew.
“I get it.”
Nils nodded before I could even finish my words.
“For some reason… I was thinking the same thing.”
He walked over to the corner of the training area and picked up a wooden sword of his own.
“Let’s spar, Rion.”
We took our positions, about two meters apart, facing each other.
A quiet breath slipped from between my lips as I steadied myself. I raised my wooden short sword and fixed my gaze straight ahead.
It was only practice—not a real fight.
And yet, my heartbeat quickened far faster than it had even when I’d faced monsters. Part of that tension came from the difference in reach.
My weapon was a thirty-centimeter wooden blade, modeled after a short sword. Nils-san, on the other hand, held a wooden longsword over a meter in length.
To be honest, I wasn’t without confidence. After all, training against opponents with longer blades was one of the things I’d practiced the most.
“…Haa.”
I let out a slow breath.
With his sword held at mid-guard, Nils-san stood as if carved from iron—unyielding, without a single opening.
A soft breeze brushed past. Somewhere nearby, a bird called out.
But between us, the air was anything but peaceful.
Then, Nils-san shifted his stance. The blade of his wooden sword rose from mid-level to beside his face, the tip angling straight toward me. That moment—when the guard changes—is supposed to be when the body is most vulnerable.
Every instinct in me screamed to move. My mind’s alarm bells rang loud and clear. And yet, focused on the tension of the duel, I had only one choice left—to dive in.
“—!”
A thrust came—I dodged. If I could slip into his guard, the range would favor my short blade. My smaller build even gave me the advantage of striking upward from below. But the next instant, the world spun.
I hit the ground hard, staring up at the sky.
Instinct kicked in and I rolled to soften the fall. A dull ache spread through my leg—he’d hit me there. Not with the blade, but cleanly, efficiently, knocking me off balance. Even without being cut, I had scraped myself from my own momentum.
“Leg sweep…?”
Nils-san hadn’t even moved much from where he started.
He looked down at me with that same calm, piercing gaze.
“Is that the end of it?”
“Not yet!”
I shouted, forcing myself back to my feet.
That exchange told me everything. He’d baited me—deliberately changing his stance, drawing me in. I thought I had seized an opening, but in truth, I walked straight into the trap.
“Use your skill.”
Nils-san spoke, his wooden sword meeting mine with a sharp crack.
“But—!”
“There are things you’ll never understand unless you fight at full strength.”
His presence was overwhelming—like standing before a towering wall. The way he moved, the quiet authority in every motion… it reminded me so much of my father that my heart began to pound in my chest.
Then fine. I’ll give it everything I’ve got!
Golden flames burst forth, wrapping around my body. It was the “Golden Flame”—a skill I rarely used outside the dungeon, and almost never against another person.
Nils-san shifted his stance once more. At first glance, it looked utterly relaxed—his arms hung loosely at his sides, the blade angled downward, his left hand resting lightly on the hilt.
A stance that said, come at me from anywhere.
『Rion—』
『Quiet, Solana. A warrior has chosen his fight.』
I drove my foot into the ground, launching forward.
Our timing aligned perfectly—his upward strike met my blade as I twisted, turning the blow aside.
The wooden swords groaned under the pressure, a sharp creak echoing through the courtyard.
For the first time, I thought I saw Nils-san’s eyes widen slightly..
“Here I come!”
I darted around him—then leapt, sliding low to strike from below.
The temple courtyard suddenly felt far too small for the strength coursing through me.
“…Impressive skill.”
Nils-sa met every one of my blows head-on.
Each strike was deflected so precisely that it didn’t even feel like he was blocking me. It was as if my blade was being guided—drawn harmlessly into the flow of his sword.
Our wooden weapons clashed against each other, the sound sharp and grating.
“Twin Scatter Strike!”
My opponent unleashed a skill of his own.
Twin strikes swept toward me from left and right—so perfectly timed they seemed to close in like jaws. I caught the left one, just a fraction slower, and knocked it aside, leaping back to open the distance.
Sweat burst from my skin, trickling down my neck.
“Your swordsmanship is… straightforward.”
Nils-san uttered softly.
He reset his stance, blade held steady at mid-guard. Not a drop of sweat marked his calm, unshaken face.
“To deceive, to mislead—to strike where your foe least expects. You lack that instinct. It was the same with the river bandits. You can’t yet bring yourself to be cold to your enemy.”
The wooden sword he leveled at me might as well have been a real blade—sharp enough to pierce straight through my chest.
“Kindness without resolve is no different from weakness.”
Was that Nils-san’s way of giving me advice?
The moment he called it “weakness,” I stepped toward him again. A few swift strides brought me into striking range. His wooden sword came down in a sharp arc, and I met it with my dagger.
The weapons splintered on impact, shattering into fragments that left us both unarmed. More shards flew toward him than me, and Nils-san winced, shutting one eye against the spray.
I felt a pulse of light awaken in my chest— a brown radiance, reminiscent of the Blessing of the God of Hunting.
—Circle around him!
If it were my father, perhaps he might have said something like that.
But he was gone before he could ever teach me the art of strategy. Even so, I wanted to face this man head-on—no tricks, no hesitation.
“Why do you waver? An enemy shows no mercy.”
He moved first.
In an instant, he seized my outstretched arm and hurled me off my feet. The world spun—sky, ground, sky again. If there had been spectators, they might have called it a flawless throw, almost beautiful in its precision.
Through the dizzy blur, I caught a glimpse of Nils-san’s startled face as he realized what he’d done.
“S-sorry!”
My back slammed hard against the cobblestone with a dull thud.
Nils-san rushed over and reached out his right hand, pulling me up with a firm, apologetic grip.
“.…I went too far. And I said more than I should have. For someone my level…. that was downright childish.”
He really did look regretful.
Rubbing my aching lower back, I took a moment to think.
“I’ll make it up to you later.”
“In that case—”
Before he could say anything more, I dashed to the corner of the training yard. I came back carrying two fresh wooden swords.
“Please, teach me again.”
For a moment, Nils-san just blinked at me. He was caught off guard this time for real.
Then, as if unable to help himself, he let out a small, rueful laugh.
“You’re a serious one.”
Nils-san said with a faint smile.
“This is part of strategy too, isn’t it?”
I made a point of smiling—brightly, well, deliberately. And somehow, in that moment, I understood why Luu always smiled at me that way.
“I want to become stronger. No…. I have to.”
Nils-san gave me a slow, approving nod.
“Very well, then I’ll train with you, boy.”
It had been a long time since I spent time with a swordsman like my father.
That day, I devoted nearly all my training hours to Nils-san.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.
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