An Old Man from the Countryside Becomes a Swords Saint: I Was Just a Rural Sword Teacher, But My Successful Students Won't Leave Me Alone! Chapter 83

Published at 9th of August 2022 07:02:34 AM

“I don't mind, but… what's the point of this?” I asked.

Alexia is the Captain of the Knight Order and a leader, but before all that, she was a knight. It was natural that she had the desire to practice.

However, I've got some doubts as to why she wants to do it now.

“It's just that the Supheniardvania Delegation is near, and I thought I should swing my sword before they arrive,” Alexia said.

“I see,” I replied.

Her attitude remains unbroken in a good way. She has a soft smile on her neat face 1, as if a statue had just begun to move.

Because such a beautiful woman is the most skilled knight in the Kingdom of Rebelis, it seems Heaven has given her two gifts or three. I even feel a bit out of place.

“Well then, do you want to do it right away?” I asked.

“Yes, only if you're alright with it, Master,” Alexia said as she hands me one of the wooden training swords.

Well, it's been the first time in years since she's been in the dojo that I've dueled with Alexia.

She had been excellent and strong then, but it has been quite a while since those times. So, she must have been further refining her technique. If she was weak, to begin with, she cannot be the Captain of the Knights of Rebelio.

“Henblitz,” Alexia said. “I'd like to ask you to signal the start.”

“Ma'am, roger!” Henblitz replied.

At the center of the training ground, we take a distance from each other and hold up our wooden swords.

Before I knew it, the knights around us stopped training, their gazes were overwhelming. Well, it's a duel between the Special Instructor and the Captain. I don't know who wouldn't want to see it with their eyes.

My feelings are half excited and half tense.

I'm sure Alexia's growth is a concern, but I'm afraid she'll prove I'm an awkward opponent. Now that I haven't seen her fight in so long, I can't tell how much better she's gotten since then.

I should be more focused than usual.

“Are you both ready?” Henblitz asked.

“We may begin,” Alexia said.

“Yeah, I don't mind,” I said.

After giving our mutual consent, I keep my eyes straight.

Strangely, her style is straight down the middle of the road. It was an orthodox basic combat stance that could be turned into both offensive and defensive maneuvers.

“Then—” Henblitz said.

The training ground, which had been echoing in the hustle and bustle of training earlier, is now surrounded by silence except for Henblitz.

It's good, this unique tension. Even though it is a training duel, it's not easy to make such an intense yet cool atmosphere. This alone shows the power of Alexia.

“Begin!” Henblitz cried.

“–!”

Alexia doesn't move right away. With a wooden sword held in the center, it seems like I have to watch how she'll attack–

――And before I knew it, a wooden sword was coming right for my face.

“Woaahh!?” I yelled.

I parried her wooden sword in a panic.

Wait, wait, wait, wait a minute.

What happened just now?

A cold, unpleasant sweat flows down my back.

Are you serious? I could hardly see anything. I thought I was ready, but the next moment, a sword was right before my eyes.

“That was as expected,” Alexia said. “I wanted to get in at least one hit…”

“No, I don't think I can give that easily…!” I said.

I managed to make a comeback, but it was in the span of a heartbeat.

It's not like magic or tricks, as expected. However, this is a little unexpected. I really don't know what angle that sword approached from. However, a wooden sword suddenly appeared in front of my face, so I hurriedly parried it. That's all I did.

“… Tsu!?”

–I see it again. This time, up the middle.

Also, Alexia's wooden sword came flying out when she should have just been holding it up.

I deflect the wooden sword to the side and in a panic, I take a distance of two or three steps.

“… Huff…!”

Something's strange.

When she attacks, there's almost no “wind-up”. It's at a level where you could convince me if you said the sword suddenly appeared from nowhere. What's going on?

“Hm-hm,” Alexia chuckled. “It's the first time I've been blocked twice.”

“I'm honored by the compliment…!”I said.

No, no, this is a little crazy, isn't it?

It's not a good idea to prolong this. I'm not confident that I'll be able to keep parrying that sword. Even if I could block it twice, it was almost a miracle.

“Shi…!”

“Hah…!”

In that case, I have no choice but to attack from here.

After we clash in the middle, I rotate my sword up and then rotate back down.

Clclack! The dry sounds of wooden swords clashing echo in the training ground. Alexia was knocking down my sword with minimal movement.

“Hmm!”

Then, she continued with another turn and slash down. Next, Alexia thrusts, but the former is parried and the latter is dodged with a step or two.

Damn it, I feel like lately there are a lot of scenarios where I'm forced to go on the offensive.

“Hm-hmm… Master. Do you know what I'm called on the streets?” Alexia said as we disengage and put some distance between us.

“… No, I don't think I've ever heard it,” I said.

By the way, Selena was called “Dragon Blade”. Does Alexia also have a title?

“It's 'God Speed'. I think it's a bit excessive,” Alexia said.

“… At least, I think it's not a bad title… toh!” I cried.

The offense and defense switch here, and again her sword attacks are appropriate for Alexia's title, “God Speed”.

I managed to parry this time, probably because we were a little farther than before. Still, if I want to attack my opponent with the length of this wooden sword, I have to be within two steps.

It's a great feat for her as she can do it so naturally like breathing, and the sword can reach me without even taking a breath.

“Fuh!”

She slashes at an angle on my backswing, but Alexia is already out of time.

Her sword speed is, of course, ridiculously fast, but her overall dexterity is lighter than that.

And above all, she has good eyes.

I see.

Unlike our first clash, I had little time to spare, so now I knew a little bit about it.

Henblitz is far superior in terms of a single strike's impact.

Also, in terms of raw speed, Selena is probably better.

However, Alexia's attacks are different from any of them. You could say it's foreign to me.

She controls her body movements with a momentum that exceeds normal limits, she accelerates from a standing stance all at once. The rate at which she gets to top speed is better than any other.

It is her well-trained legs that make this possible. Especially her knees. Her knees are extremely flexible.

She's really good at maneuvering with just them, so there's almost no stepping motion. That's why I felt like she was suddenly moving from nothing.

And yet, I can't attack her because of her good defense. With excellent eyes and core, she can choose the best response for any attack.

I'm in trouble, I can't find an opening. And it doesn't match well with my style.

From the perspective of a swordsman, she was almost in perfect form.

If this was a duel of only two people, I would have been fine with losing. But there's also the eyes of the other Knights here.

Above all, from an outsider's perspective, I'm a Special Instructor brought in by Alexia. If I appear to be weaker than her, it could jeopardize not only me but her reputation as well. That's an undesirable result for me and Alexia both.

""

… Okay, I've decided. Let's go with this.

“Hoh!”

Step in completely, slash from a good position, and then thrust. I briefly grip the hilt with one hand, aiming for CQC.

Alexia responded brilliantly to my attack and handled everything with precision. I don't know how much time has passed, the sound of wooden swords colliding with each other echoes.

This match required commitment. A halfhearted attack wouldn't even be allowed to hit, let alone hit.

“Heave-ho,” I said.

“Huh–?”

But, despite that:

If you follow the textbook, it's perfect for any situation. But beyond that, it's just a textbook, not an actual battle.

My free left hand grabbed the edge of Alexia's clothes.

I don't miss the gap of Alexia tensing up for a moment, and then I yank her with the left hand already holding onto her. Alexia's body can't deal with the unexpected force from the side, she stumbles a few steps.

“One,” I said.

“Ow.”

I pulled her in with another jerk, tapped the hilt of the wooden sword on her head, and confirmed my hit.

It was my victory.

“… You've got me,” Alexia said.

“There is also this way of fighting,” I said. “It's good to remember that.”

Alexia gave a bitter smile, but I couldn't see any feelings of cowardice or slyness.

As a person who puts herself on the battlefield, she must be prepared for that. it's a good thing.

There is no one here who takes grappling and hand-to-hand techniques lightly. If it's just a duel, that's fine, but the Knights' motto is to know the ever-evolving battlefield. Although not a knight, Selena knows a lot about fighting and used a lot of kicks when she fought me. 2

“The Captain… lost…!?”

“Seriously… I knew Sir Beryl would be amazing…”

I hear the chatter from the rest of the Knights.

Well, the Captain was the apex of this group. Even though it's mock combat, Alexia losing would be such a shock.

“… This is the first time I've ever seen the Captain get one up over her,” Henblitz said.

“Hahaha,” I laughed. “Henblitz, you should learn not only how to use the sword but also how to use the body like this. From the swordsman's point of view, it's not smart to ignore it.”

“I'll keep it in mind,” Henblitz said.

I would like to add some guidance to the opinion that Henblitz just muttered.

Naturally, people are stronger if they can treat their bodies as weapons as well. Henblitz also has good muscles, so I want him to absorb various things and become stronger than he is now.

“Muh,” Alexia grumbled. “Have you been resorting to dirty tricks since we last met, Master?”

“That's a terrible thing to say, Alexia. Your swordplay is very beautiful. But, it's a little too beautiful.”

I dodged Alexia's not-insignificant complaint.

There is no guarantee that your opponent will always play fair.

I don't even know what kind of dirty tricks they'll use. She can overwhelm most with her sword skills, but the world is a wide place, and it won't work on all opponents.

To put it the other way around, if I didn't use that kind of dirty move, my chances of victory would have been extremely thin. It is quite difficult for a swordsman to beat her in a straightforward fight. Who made her so strong? She wasn't up to this point when she was in my dojo, so I'm not it.

However, that is just the face of it.

If you take various measures, there are a few ways to win other than the clothes grabbing I mentioned earlier. If it includes really dirty tricks, it will increase a little more.

Well, this may be a place where it can't be helped if you are in an organization called the Knight Order of Rebelio. I feel like they're too accustomed to aesthetics and fairness, so I hope they will continue to grow as they take combat in as a whole.

“I think strength is everywhere, even if it's not the sword,” I said.

“Yes, that's right,” Alexia said.

Let's put it like that, and take some time to instruct.

That said, it's my true intention to hold swordsmanship to a higher level than just wielding swords. If anyone can become stronger just by swinging the sword, no one will have a hard time, unfortunately.

“Then, thank you for your continued guidance,” Alexia said.

“Oh, as long as I can.”

Now then, my liver is cold, but my body is warming up, so I wonder if I can continue with everyone's instruction.

I just hope that the second or third Knight like Alexia will come out of this batch. No, it's okay for her to stand alone. It would be out of control if there were many people like that.

Chapter end