Swordsmanship Class (2)
Before the swordsmanship class began.
In the middle of Ramielli Academy's empty training ground, Zeke touched his lips.
‘Tsk, I get that she's happy to be feeling better, but to suddenly kiss me…?’
He had gotten closer to check on Iriel’s condition, only to have his lips stolen.
She was about to collapse, so he caught her.
Then, she started feeling his face as if she were blind, trying to make out his features.
He wondered if her eyesight had gotten worse, so he tilted his head slightly to check on her, and suddenly, she grabbed his face and kissed him.
It was a passionate kiss, just like in a romance fantasy novel.
Of course, he’d managed to stop her tongue from slipping in, but still…
‘Haah, it’s not right for a student and a teacher to be doing this…’
Of course, if he wanted to, he could have turned his face away or pushed her onto the bed right there and then, but Iriel was in a serious condition, and her life force was so drained that even her automatic defense wasn't working properly.
‘Yeah, well, maybe the patient was just out of it. It could happen, but…’
Before Zeke could say anything, Selena yelled in a fury, and for some reason, Soi Spoon muttered something about how ‘she’ was the one who healed her, her eyes filled with betrayal.
He’d missed his chance to speak.
Zeke regained his composure.
“Selena, Elise. Calm down for now. She’s a patient, isn’t she? It was an unintentional accident that happened while she wasn't in her right mind.”
Selena was still biting her lip and glaring, and Soi Spoon couldn't hide her frustration, but Zeke needed to check on Iriel first.
“Iriel, are you alright?”
“…….”
She tried to speak, but her voice wouldn't come out properly, probably because she had been screaming earlier.
‘Hmm, recovery isn't my forte… But at least her muscles aren't too damaged. It’s just that her life force is completely drained.’
It seemed her mental state had quickly deteriorated and affected her physical body, but her physical body itself didn't seem to be that damaged.
If a Saintess had been there, she probably could have healed her with a single finger.
Zeke placed his hand on Iriel’s forehead and activated the tattoo on his right hand, channeling his mana of the attribute she’d lost into her body.
That alone seemed to revitalize her, and her complexion brightened in an instant.
Iriel looked at her body in wonder.
“Can you speak now?”
“……Yes.”
“It's fortunate that your body wasn't damaged any further. The initial response was good. You should thank Elise here.”
“……Zeke.”
“It should only take a day for your body to fully recover. I'll see you in class tomorrow.”
With that, Zeke rattled off his piece and turned away.
Iriel reached out to Zeke's back, but he left her room without hesitation, walking at a brisk pace.
Class would start soon.
‘Oh… Shit, how am I supposed to face her…?’
It was a trivial concern, coming from a hero who had saved people for 10 years straight.
But he couldn't help it.
Even in his previous life, Zeke had never been immune to this kind of thing.
As a hero who saved people and even held the title of ‘Hero,’ there was always a mountain of women approaching him.
But every time, the Saintess would intervene and interfere.
Or, if he felt something was off and looked into it, he’d find out that they weren't really interested in him, that they were just trying to use him.
In other words, most of them were honey traps.
As the days went by, his distrust only grew deeper.
And as he lived a life of cutting down monsters and people, his bloodlust only intensified, making contact with women all the more impossible.
Zeke kept touching his lips.
Touching and touching them until they burned!
If Eustia found out, it would be a huge pain.
Of course, Selena and Soi wouldn't go around blabbing about it, but he couldn't help but feel uneasy.
Anyway, it was almost time for class.
It was a class that came around at the usual time, but with so much happening in a row, from the Yustia Banquet to his sudden release, Selena's family visit, and Iriel’s treatment, it felt like it had been a very long time since Zeke had taught a class.
“What are you thinking about?”
Zeke quickly lowered the hand that had been touching his lips as if nothing had happened at the sound of the voice beside him.
He felt like he hadn't seen this guy in a long time either.
It was Eric, who had been ordered by the Headmaster to keep an eye on him.
“Hmm? Oh, it’s nothing. So, are you ready with what I asked you to prepare?”
“……Yes. I’m ready, but what in the world is this…?”
“Stick those iron skewers into the ground in pairs, with just enough space for a single sword to fit between them. Five sets in total.”
“Y-yes, sir…”
“And once you’re done with that, tie two sandbags to the end of each wooden sword.”
“Yes, sir…”
As he gave instructions and waited, students began to gather for class one by one.
Among them was Iriel, her face still a little pale, as if she hadn't fully recovered yet.
Zeke consciously pushed away the thought of the kiss.
‘I need to focus on teaching them swordsmanship now.’
It had been almost two months.
All they’d done was physical training.
He looked at the students' stances.
It had only been a short time, but their efforts had not been in vain.
Their stances had a refined air about them.
‘I did smack them with baguettes while stimulating their muscles with mana, and corrected their bad habits.’
One way or another, the five who had gathered here were the ones who had followed his grueling basic training without a single complaint.
They were more than qualified to learn the sword.
‘It’s a little early, but I suppose it’ll be fine.’
Zeke nodded in satisfaction.
The students were all gathered, their eyes fixed on him.
They seemed nervous, wondering what kind of hell he would unleash on them today.
“I'm going to cut your basic training time in half from now on. You can do the rest of your training at home.”
“D-does that mean…!”
Rosnante exclaimed excitedly.
Zeke nodded.
“Yes, I'm going to teach you how to use a sword now.”
“……!”
The other students’ eyes lit up.
Selena, in particular, gazed at him with a burning passion that was almost palpable.
“However, I don’t have enough time to teach all of you at once, so I’ll only be able to see two students a day. You each need to train in different swordsmanship styles, so it can’t be helped.”
“What will the rest of us do while you’re doing that?”
Selena asked.
“You will train your basics.”
*
A wooden sword and iron skewers placed very close together were placed in front of each student.
And tied tightly to the end of each wooden sword were the sandbags that had tormented them so much.
“While I teach two students, the rest of you will practice your downward strikes. Rosnante!”
“Yes, sir!”
“Take your wooden sword and try a downward strike between those iron skewers.”
At Zeke’s call, Rosnante lifted the wooden sword with stiff movements.
‘Instructor Zeke Clayman is going to watch over me first!’
Being pushed to the back of the line, having to use an enormous amount of magic stones for his mana road work…
The days of frustration flashed through his mind.
But that was all over now.
Perhaps Zeke had been impressed by his performance at the Eustia Banquet after all.
‘He wasn’t lying when he said he would support me!’
This was his chance.
This was his chance to show Zeke that he had what it took to be his follower.
Rosnante’s determination was extraordinary, even if he was just being used as a teaching tool.
‘It’s been a while since I’ve felt this cold, heavy feeling.’
It might only be a wooden sword, but still.
‘Whoosh-’
Rosnante gripped the wooden sword with both hands and raised it above his head.
And then, he swung it down with all his might!
‘Clang! Crack! Thud!’
Rosnante's wooden sword struck the ground, scraping mercilessly against the iron skewers.
A cloud of dust rose from the impact.
“Cough! Cough!”
Rosnante coughed and looked at Zeke with anticipation.
Zeke nodded.
Rosnante clenched his fist.
“Yes, that was a great demonstration of how ‘not’ to do it. Well done, Rosnante.”
“……”
Rosnante’s lips twitched at the backhanded compliment.
The iron skewers in front of Zeke were spread much wider than those in front of the other students.
And there were ten sandbags tied to the end of his baguette.
‘Does that baguette have iron bars in it or something?’
‘How can bread even support the weight of those sandbags?’
They were used to Zeke’s eccentricities by now, but they couldn't help but wonder.
However, as if he had no intention of answering their questions, Zeke lifted the baguette with an indifferent expression.
Unlike Rosnante, the tip of Zeke’s baguette did not waver.
‘What the…?’
A heavy silence fell.
Soi’s eyes widened as she watched him.
‘Huh? When did he… Up to his shoulder…?’
His movements were so silent and fluid that he almost seemed to be standing still.
But at some point the baguette had slipped between the iron skewers and was now pointing down towards his chest. And then, it was at his waist, and then, somehow, it was down by his knees.
In a single, smooth motion.
The tip of Zeke's baguette was almost touching the ground, but not quite.
He turned to Rosnante.
“Do you see the difference?”
“……Yes.”
“What’s the difference?”
“My sword was fast… and Instructor’s sword was slow.”
Zeke shook his head.
“No. That’s not what’s important.”
“Then what ‘is’ important?”
Zeke turned to face the students.
“I only moved slowly to show you the form more clearly. It doesn’t matter if you move fast. But speed is premature for those of you who haven’t even mastered the basics of handling a sword yet. The important thing is to eliminate unnecessary movements from your form.”
Zeke placed the tip of the baguette between the iron skewers.
“The starting point of a sword is essentially a dot. And the trajectory of the sword is the line that connects those dots. In swordsmanship, the cleaner you can make your sword trajectory, the more skilled you are as a swordsman.”
‘Whoosh-’
He swung the baguette downwards again, but it moved up and down freely between the narrow gap of the iron skewers.
It was a stark contrast to Rosnante's sword, which had scraped against the skewers and met with resistance.
“The perfection of this swordsmanship begins with the elimination of unnecessary movements in the trajectory of the sword.”
‘Thud.’
Zeke struck the ground with the baguette.
A cloud of dust, even larger than the one Rosnante had created, rose into the air, proving that the weight of the sandbags was no joke.
“Ten minutes for one downward strike. Focus on swinging the sword down without touching the skewers on either side. If you touch them, immediately raise your sword and start again.”
Zeke’s words made the students gulp.
They were confident in their strength now, but they realized what this training meant.
If they didn’t succeed, they wouldn't be able to lower their arms until they did.
And the more tired their arms got, the harder it would be, so the key was to succeed quickly, at the beginning.
“Once you’ve managed to do it once, you can finish class for the day and go home. Eric.”
“Yes, sir.”
“You’re in charge of supervising them.”
“Understood.”
“Alright, keep practicing your basics… Now, I need to choose the two I’ll be teaching today…”
Selena and Rosnante’s eyes sparkled with anticipation.
“Elise, and Iriel. Come with me.”
Soi Spoon, who hadn't expected to be called first, and Iriel, who was feeling dejected because she thought Zeke was avoiding her, both widened their eyes in surprise.
Of course, Selena and Rosnante pouted and glared at them with displeasure.
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