Chapter 6
Alben paused for a moment while gripping the sword.
‘Is he Nervous?’
It wasn’t unreasonable.
A man holding a sword isn’t something you see every day, and more importantly, there’s a vast difference between imagining wielding a sword and actually doing it.
But a sword is a sword.
It’s a weapon that can cut down others’ lives or even take your own.
No matter how fragile Alben may seem as a man, there’s no leniency.
Someone who can’t resolve themselves to this extent shouldn’t pick up a sword.
Rather, those who hold a sword with a vague determination are the first to lose their lives.
They get their necks slashed and their hearts pierced by the very sword they once dreamt of wielding.
‘For Alben’s sake…’
I won’t mix in a single bit of favouritism in this lesson.
Ornica made a firm resolution and drew her wooden training sword.
“When you’re ready, please lift your sword.”
“Uh… what?”
“The first lesson will be a simple spar with me.”
It was a spar conducted without learning the basics, such as proper sword gripping or balance.
It may seem unfair, but there’s no better way to judge ‘Aptitude’ and ‘Talent.’
“Don’t worry. Even though it’s a spar, I’ll only be defending. It’s just a process to check Alben’s swordsmanship aptitude.”
A blank slate—someone with no prior knowledge of swordsmanship.
When such a person swings a sword, their natural inclination becomes visible.
It could reveal something as specific as which sword style suits them, or as broad as their character and instincts.
‘And their talent too.’
Though it’s incredibly rare, some people can grasp swordsmanship just by holding a sword.
The first emperor, Aldeina, did it. So did the mythical heroes.
Of course, those stories are likely exaggerated, but Ornica also believed that the ‘first swing’ could measure talent.
All the prodigies categorized as ‘super rookies’ within the Guardian Knights had shown a unique presence during their ‘first swing.’
Although Alben is a man, which lowered her expectations, she couldn’t skip this step once she decided not to hold back.
“Come at me. Just swing the sword however you like.”
Upon Ornica’s signal, Alben carefully lifted his sword.
His thin arms trembled slightly, seemingly struggling even with the weight of the wooden sword.
“Uh, here I come…?”
“Go for it!”
“Do your best!”
Encouraged by Erina and Galli from the sidelines, Alben unleashed his ‘first swing.’
Swish!
“—!”
It was a simple, basic ‘swing.’
A diagonal slash from the lower right upward, crossing to the left.
The problem was—
It was over before I could even blink.
‘What… what’s going on…?’
Ornica, who blocked it with some seriousness, felt a chill run down her spine.
“I’m going to continue.”
Whether he noticed Ornica’s confusion or not, Alben swung his sword again.
‘Fast and heavy…!’
He had the clumsy movements typical of someone who had never learned swordsmanship.
But if you removed that flaw, everything else was perfect swordsmanship.
Speed, power, and the trajectory that guided each strike toward a vulnerable point.
Every stroke drawn through the air was lethal.
“Ugh…!”
It’s said that defending is harder than attacking with a sword.
Even so, defending felt unexpectedly challenging.
Swish! Crack!
“…Huh?”
“What’s that?”
“Crazy…”
The onlookers, who were watching the lesson, were left speechless.
Everyone here knew what they were witnessing.
It was overwhelming talent.
The kind of brilliance that could captivate anyone who held a sword.
It was the realm of a breathtaking genius.
Thump thump!
Ornica’s heart pounded wildly.
‘…I want him.’
If you walk the path of the sword, it’s only natural to be curious.
About the highest peak that someone with such talent can reach.
‘I want him.’
Greed, greed, greed.
Deep as a swamp and sticky as tar, greed gradually wrapped around her heart.
She wanted to nurture Alben.
She wanted to keep him by her side, watching him grow day by day.
Eventually, she wanted to witness the limits of his talent with her own eyes and engrave it into her soul.
She wanted to possess him.
***
For a first attempt, I think I did pretty well.
Even though I couldn’t land a single hit.
‘Landing a hit would have been a miracle in itself.’
It’s similar to a newbie in a game scoring a kill against a professional player right after starting.
“Great work today!”
As I caught my breath, Erina brought me a towel and some iced water.
“Thank you.”
“Wow… Alben, you were really amazing. Was that truly your first time holding a sword?”
“Pffft. Thanks for the compliment, even if it’s just flattery.”
No matter how exceptional my talent is or how I acquire skills just by looking at swords—
The lack of experience is fatal.
My swordsmanship probably looked like child’s play to them.
“I’m not flattering you! I, Erina, am sincerely amazed! It’s the first time I’ve seen a man handle a sword so well!”
“Ah, it’s fine. There’s no point in flattering me when I have nowhere to fall from.”
“No, I’m serious. I was truly impressed by your swordsmanship.”
Corinne slid next to me and sat down.
“…Was it really your first time?”
“Well, I’m not sure. I might have held a sword before losing my memory.”
“Aha, that’s possible.”
The amnesia setting is just too convenient.
No wonder it’s such a popular choice for possession and reincarnation stories.
“Hmph. Alben, have you ever thought about trying a Greatsword…?”
“A Greatsword?”
“Yes, seeing you today, I felt like you had a knack for using Greatswords too. If you want to learn, just say the word anytime.”
“Galli, you fool… How can Alben handle a heavy Greatsword?”
“Hey, hey! These days, there are Greatswords with enchantments that make them lighter!”
“If a Greatsword is light, what’s the point of using it?”
“Ugh…”
As Galli fell silent, the other two took the opportunity to make their sales pitch.
“More than that, Alben, are you interested in sword-and-shield techniques? It’s a style that neutralizes the opponent’s attacks and focuses on destabilizing their stance with thrusts. It’s a defensive style that many beginners choose…”
“No way! Sword-and-shield? Alben! The real charm lies in dual-wielding! Watching enemies get overwhelmed by attacks from two swords—Alben, you’d understand the appeal of dual-wielding once you try it!”
Greatsword, Sword-and-Shield, Dual-Wielding.
It’s a bit embarrassing to see them so eager, but I can already handle those three styles to some extent.
「Basic Dual-Wielding Swordsmanship」
「Basic Sword-and-Shield Technique」
「Basic Greatsword Technique」
Still, if I can master the [Scarlet Moon Style], it wouldn’t be a bad idea to train these styles as well.
If I end up going for the “Sword Master” build, I’ll need to level up all sword styles to at least the ‘Mastery’ level.
…Well, that’s a concern for the future.
For now, I should wash up and get some rest.
I slipped away from those engaged in a debate about “Which sword style should Alben learn?” and headed to the stream.
“Urgh, ugh, ugh…”
Every joint creaked with each movement, and my muscles screamed in agony.
“Damn [Small Stature]…”
The sensation of using the 「Basic Swordsmanship」 skill was peculiar.
It was as if a navigator had appeared in my mind.
I instinctively knew which direction to swing the sword, how to distribute power, and where to place my feet.
All these passive movements flowed naturally.
“If only I had executed them perfectly, I could’ve landed at least three hits…”
Right now, to put it simply, ‘my body isn’t keeping up with my talent.’
Wondering what kind of nonsense that is?
‘It’s like having a top-of-the-line CPU in an old computer.’
The calculations are processed quickly, but it takes forever for the output.
Because of that, my body is struggling to keep up with the demands of my talent, causing a heavy strain.
Sweat poured down like a waterfall.
The good news was that there was a very simple solution to this.
If the performance doesn’t match, just adjust it accordingly.
‘Now, it’s all about exercise.’
Training my body to match the level of my talent.
‘I’ll become the hardware that suits my software.’
Grinning, I arrived at the stream.
My head had been spinning from the heat radiating both inside and outside my body for a while now.
“If I soak in cold water for a bit, I should feel better.”
I quickly threw off my clothes and entered the water.
Splash!
“Ahhh—”
The cold surged up my spine, tingling with refreshing sensation.
It felt like diving into an ice bath after being in a steam room.
‘Ah… That’s good.’
The heat washed away with the sweat.
I wanted to float freely like this and just drift away….
“Alben?”
I snapped back to reality at the sound of a voice.
Barely managing to keep my trembling head steady, I turned slowly.
And there she was.
“O-Ornica…?!”
Ornica was half-submerged in the stream, wearing only her lower garments.
No wonder she disappeared right after the class ended.
‘Well, she must have been sweating too!’
And no one likes walking around all sticky and sweaty.
It was only natural to assume that she’d come to the stream to wash up.
And dammit, I failed to consider that.
‘Oh… Oh wow…’
Ornica had removed her top, leaving her lower body clothed.
Her skin was so white it was nearly transparent, with elegant curves adorning her entire body.
Her small face was wet and glistening, and below, two soft peaks rose on her chest…!
‘No!’
I desperately covered my eyes.
It was too stimulating.
If I “transformed” here, it would be an utter disaster.
“R-Really, I’m so sorry! I didn’t know you were here!”
I didn’t forget to apologize frantically at the same time.
Unfortunately, this is a medieval fantasy world.
Their moral compass is stuck in medieval times, too. Seeing a woman completely naked without permission is a huge problem.
-‘You saw me naked and you’re not going to marry me? Are you trying to make me a prostitute?!’
That’s pretty much the mentality here.
Because of that, I ended up marrying female NPCs I didn’t want to marry more than ten times.
So, this isn’t just about being considered a pervert or a molester.
I was sincerely apologizing as best as I could.
…No.
I was going to apologize.
“Ahh…! I’m sorry! I’m really, really sorry! I know it’s shameless, but please forgive me…!”
Until I saw Ornica kneel down and apologize.
“…What?”
—
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