Chapter 33: The Good, the Bad, and the Weird Sage (1)

I took a book and went into my room, pulling out a sheet of stationery.

It was to write a letter to Duke Helpion, following Senior Giselle’s advice.

What should I write?

I always ended up writing things that sounded like romance novels when relaying the Duke’s words, so my hand felt a bit stiff, and my mood was somewhat strange.

Well, it’s probably best to keep it as simple as possible—just briefly outlining the situation in the Squaret Duchy and stating the matter at hand.

[……The story of the apprentice knight Amin was a valuable lesson. I had been focusing solely on swinging my sword, without understanding what body balance truly is or the balance of power contained within it.
So……]

Ah, shoot.

After writing for a while, I came to my senses and realized I had filled five pages of the stationery just talking about the sword.

At this rate, I’m no different from Duke Helpion, the sword-obsessed fool.

I composed myself again.

Of course, I wouldn’t erase what I had already written—it was too precious—but I’d send it as is.

Right. Talking about my body is important too.

The reason I came to the Squaret Duchy was to recover and rest my body.

What if what I realized was a mistaken insight and it only ends up damaging me?

So maybe I could write a bit more detail?

I added about three more pages elaborating on my realization, then wrote down the situation in the Squaret Duchy.

[Although I understand that Duke Helpion’s territory is currently hectic with preparations for war, considering various circumstances, I ask that you dispatch some skilled warriors for the safety of Lady Titania. I’ve heard rumors that Lumpen Hound has reached Intermediate Swordmaster level, so if possible, please send someone with at least that level of skill……]

I flinched and stopped writing again.

An Intermediate Swordmaster’s skill is about that of a Chamberlain.

Is there someone like that in our territory?

Maybe the Head Chef or the Housekeeper?

But they’d probably be busy with the war preparations.

Ah, forget it.

If Duke Helpion just refuses to send troops even though Lady Titania is in danger, what can I do?

If it’s urgent, he should come running here himself and then leave.

With a “come what may” attitude, I finished the letter and entrusted it to Mary.

Last night.

I couldn’t just brush off the subtle unease I felt from Amin’s words.

If I had known it would come to this…

After finishing my work, I arrived at the Training Ground, but Amin’s usual thin, cheerful voice was absent.

Something felt off, so I looked around the Training Ground, and there was Amin, drenched in sweat and tense, standing at attention. Next to her, with his back turned, stood a burly man.

“Relax your stance, won’t you?”

“No, sir!”

“Uh……”

“Oh, you’re here.”

That lion’s mane of hair.

Muscles that looked like they might burst through the armor.

And that awkward, clipped way of speaking.

The person waiting for me was Second Order of Knights Captain Sir Albert.

He’s quite the heavyweight to be here.

“Count Raward. I think we need to have a talk.”

Why do I get the feeling this is like a father visiting his daughter?

I’m pretty nervous.

Well, I have to hear him out.

“Hahaha, Captain Albert, good evening. What brings you to the Training Ground at this hour? I was just doing some training.”

He looked down at me steadily.

“Amin’s sword has changed.”

If it’s about that, I can confidently talk!

“Amin’s talent is amazing! I only watched her train a few times, and her skill shot up like crazy.”

I saw it.

When I praised Amin, Captain Albert’s face visibly softened for a moment.

Good, the dad role fits him after all!

“So that’s why you’re here. I wasn’t doing anything else, just a little training.”

“Training… alone, at night?”

“Haha, that might look bad to outsiders, but we’re just doing swordsmanship sparring.”

“Yes, sir!”

Albert glared at Amin, who suddenly interrupted, and she quickly averted her eyes with a small gasp.

“Go stand facing the wall over there.”

“That’s bullying.”

“Kneel down.”

“I can stand for a long time.”

Having distanced Amin, Albert came closer to me and lowered his voice.

“As the Count said, Amin has a lot of talent. So we teach her the basics. Swordsmanship develops from solid fundamentals. But Amin’s started to rely on tricks. She’s obsessed with winning.”

“I’m sorry…”

That’s true.

Amin always stressed the importance of the basics to me.

But it would be a problem if I ended up ruining her fundamentals.

“I understand. From now on, I’ll focus on basic physical training and fundamental Sword Forms when training with Amin……”

“That’s not it!”

But Captain Albert didn’t want that.

He cut me off loudly with a stern look.

He even seemed a bit angry.

“So…?”

“So, Amin’s training is a problem. Alone at night… got it?”

Albert, looking frustrated, glanced at Amin, then stared intently at me.

Ah, no way.

Could it be…

“Um… Captain Albert, then how about this? Instead of me sparring one-on-one with Amin, you and I spar, and then you explain and break down what happened to Amin afterwards…”

“Good!”

His bright answer and cheerful expression made our previous tension seem meaningless.

And then there was Albert’s sideways glance at the end.

So it wasn’t the dad role… it was unrequited love.

But wait.

Albert and Amin have a pretty big age gap, don’t they?

“Captain Albert, if you don’t mind me asking, how old are you?”

“I came to the Squaret Duchy when I was ten. Now I’m twenty-three.”

Twenty… what?

This furry guy is three years younger than me?

I looked at Captain Albert’s face in disbelief.

The guided sparring for Amin.

Swinging swords, blocking, then explaining the process.

No, that was how it was until three days ago.

A child-sized fist flew at my skull, ready to smash it.

Bang!

My sword met the punch with a sharp clang.

Beyond the sword’s edge, Albert’s sharp teeth appeared as he launched his attack with full force.

His target was my neck.

I can’t block this!

I hurriedly ducked, and the sword passed right where my neck had been with a whooshing sound.

Man, take it easy! The scholar’s gonna die!

“Wow, amazing! How did you dodge that?”

If I hadn’t, I wouldn’t still be here.

Anyway, Amin, thanks for cheering me on and admiring me, but right now…

“Ahem. I’m swinging the sword less sharply. I lacked strength. I’ll go harder.”

“No, wait. You just barely dodged that! Isn’t that because I did well…? Wait! Let me speak!”

Every time you compliment, Sir Albert goes berserk!

I barely dodged Albert’s sword as it flew at me like it was going to chop off my arms and legs.

“Wow, a master! Truly amazing! You dodged it by a hair’s breadth! Is that exceptional eyesight?”

“Please keep your mouth shut! Ouch, Sir Albert, that kick hit my bone, bone!”

“Silence is golden.”

Our guided sparring turned into a practical lesson in how to efficiently dissect me.

Ugh, is this really sparring? Or is it just bullying disguised as secret training with Amin?

Still, thanks to this sparring, my stamina is gradually improving, and I seem to endure a little longer each day.

“I… I can’t hold on anymore.”

But it feels like the only thing increasing is the minutes I endure the bullying.

Panting, I collapsed on the ground, and Captain Albert approached me with a disappointed expression, sword in hand.

At least my sword isn’t completely useless—there were beads of sweat on Albert’s beard too.

“Count, where did you learn to use your sword?”

“Me? I learned at Delphi Academy.”

“There’s no knight department there.”

“I, uh… self-taught.”

Ugh.

Even I don’t quite believe that myself.

Does he not believe me?

Watching his expression, Albert finally nodded decisively.

“I see, so.”

“You believe me?”

“Count’s swordsmanship has no form. No flow in the movements. Swordmasters talk about the Natural Realm. But you’re not at that level. You said you’re from Administrative Studies, so I believe you taught yourself.”

Albert spat as if dissatisfied.

This guy…

“Genius. Unlucky.”

“Wait, what did you say?”

“Didn’t you hear? You’re a genius. Lack of stamina is because you haven’t trained long. Flattering compliments are a bad habit. Fix it.”

“Ohhh, Count, you’re a genius swordsman! No wonder I’ve never beaten you!”

Wait, Amin. If you chime in now, this brief truce will immediately end!

Look at that.

Albert’s eyes are blazing again.

Better calm things down.

“Captain Albert’s swordsmanship is amazing too, isn’t it?”

Albert narrowed his eyes at the sudden remark, looking at me as if he couldn’t understand.

“You said Albert is from the Northern Sea, right? It seems like he tries to embody the Northern Sea with his sword! Creating a vast snowy plain with his body, where wolves can suddenly burst out—that’s his swordsmanship, isn’t it?”

“You can see that?”

Albert’s eyes narrowed in wonder.

“How could I see such things? That’s just the imagination of someone who studied literature.”

“Fascinating. I thought scholars couldn’t understand swordsmanship.”

He didn’t show it much, so I hadn’t been sure, but Albert is a civilian too.

Considering how he talks about civilians sometimes.

“When I think like that, the swordsmanship seems to resemble a wolf.”

“A wolf, huh. So that’s what my sword looks like.”

“A noble creature. It hides its presence by lowering its body among rocks or grass, always prepared to pounce with its sharp fangs.”

“A wolf……”

Albert looked at his sword and fist as if seeing them anew.

“Especially since Albert’s hometown is the Northern Sea, let me extend the imagination. How about a white wolf? On a snowy plain, the wolf blends into the landscape naturally and poses a threat without trying. It exists always within nature without needing to hide or radiate its presence.”

A danger hidden in nature.

That’s exactly how Albert’s sword felt to me.

“Albert’s feet and fists reminded me of that snowy landscape. Amid natural, rough wrestling, the sword appears suddenly and chillingly, like a blizzard…… huh?”

I was so absorbed in expanding my imagination and complimenting him that I was slow to notice.

His half-open eyes lost focus, drifting into the air.

He muttered something unintelligible under his breath, and a strange surge of energy began boiling from the center of his body.

I feel like I’ve seen this several times recently……

“Captain, have you awakened?!”

This isn’t the time to just admire him, young lady!

I quickly grabbed Amin by the back of her neck and ran outside the Training Ground.

At that moment, a burst of energy exploded from Albert’s body.

Sigh.

With so many people achieving enlightenment nearby, I guess this counts as training too.