Chapter 50

Seeing Milia smiling warmly, I couldn’t help but fidget with the corner of my mouth.

Before getting to the main point, I asked a light-hearted question to break the ice… but the response I got was heavier than I expected.

In the end, I realized that what I knew about her was only a fraction of the whole.

When I thought about it, just knowing some game settings doesn’t mean I truly understand her, does it?

No way.

How arrogant of me.

The settings only provided fragmented information.

That she was Damien’s childhood friend, that she admired him and aspired to be a knight.

That she struggled due to her lack of skill, her expression darkening every time Damien’s party grew… until she ultimately fell.

And the fact that she was actually more talented with a bow than a sword. That was it.

It was far from enough to say I understood her.

Her kind nature, the depth of her admiration for Damien.

Her longing to become a knight.

It was only after meeting her and talking with her that I truly understood.

I felt a slight pang of conscience… something akin to guilt.

Well, it’s understandable, since in the game, I often used her suicide charge to quickly clear the early stages.

Sacrificing one low-level character to reduce a later boss and give the protagonist an early experience boost.

I subtly avoided Milia’s gaze.

It was awkward in many ways.

Still, that was just a game, and it’s in the past, so let’s move on…

But now, I had to beat up Damien, whom she admired, in a sparring match, and advise her to pick up a bow instead of a sword.

Listening to all this, what on earth should I say?

Something light like “You suit a bow more than a sword” would be impossible to say, even if my mouth were torn.

“Ha-shal-leur?”

When I remained silent for a while, Milia looked at me again.

“Uh… good story. So, you want to be a knight fighting alongside Damien, right?”

“Yeah. I’m still far behind Damien, but if I work hard, I can do it, right?”

No, you can’t.

This isn’t a game, so maybe there’s a way to truly become strong with a sword, but at least I don’t know it.

Still, I can’t just tell her straight to her smiling face that it’s impossible.

Let’s go with the next best option.

“Hmm… If that’s the case, maybe I can help. How about it?”

“Ha-shal-leur, you? How?”

Pick up a bow.

That’s the only way I know.

“Well… a knight is essentially a warrior of the Empire, right? So, it makes sense to first master the qualities of a warrior.”

Good. A convincing method flashed through my mind.

“The qualities of a warrior…?”

“To be recognized as a warrior in Ka`har, you must master three things: martial arts, horsemanship, and archery. Riding a horse and shooting a bow is our basic tactic, so it’s something every warrior must learn. So, Milia, how about you try practicing archery? You might have a hidden talent.”

“Archery…”

Milia looked a bit hesitant. Well, Empire knights don’t really practice archery.

They leave the bow shooting to the archers and spend their time honing their martial arts.

“It won’t hurt to learn. Mastering archery will expand your combat capabilities and tactical options. You never know what kind of enemies you’ll face while traveling with Damien. It could be quite helpful.”

I shrugged slightly as I continued.

To make sure she understood I wasn’t forcing her.

“I’m not saying you should focus on it, just that it’s good to learn.”

Once she picks up the bow, it’s up to her to decide.

Whether she’ll struggle with just swordsmanship or explore her talent.

I had no intention of interfering with that choice.

It’s her life, so whatever she chooses is her freedom.

Even if she ends up not becoming strong with just swordsmanship…

I’ll protect her. So she doesn’t die or go astray.

It might be a bit tough, though.

“If Ha-shal-leur says so… alright. I’ll think about it.”

Milia nodded. She’ll think about it, huh?

Not bad. If she’s willing to consider it, I can have her try a bow during the next combat training.

Trying it now would be pointless since my bow would probably be too heavy for her strength.

“Alright. And don’t worry, I’ll help with your swordsmanship too.”

“Okay. Thanks.”

It’s a relief that Milia is the understanding type.

I plan to help with her swordsmanship by pointing out her weaknesses during sparring.

Teaching her Empire swordsmanship is tricky since it’s based on longsword techniques, which don’t quite match her short sword.

“What were you two talking about?”

Damien, who had just finished sparring, looked at us curiously.

“Just this and that. Like how warriors should learn archery.”

“Milia, archery? Hmm… not a bad idea. Since both Milia and I are frontliners, we lack ways to deal with distant enemies.”

Well said, Damien. Truly a hero’s worthy assistance.

This probably increased Milia’s chances of practicing archery by five times.

I glanced over and saw her already nodding.

Well, it makes sense that the words of someone she likes would be more effective than a friend’s persuasion.

It seems like Milia’s persuasion was mostly successful, and next is Damien.

“By the way, Damien.”

“Yeah?”

You need to step up your game.

If you’re going to stick with a greatsword, you need to overwhelm with skill.

“Since it’s free sparring in the afternoon, let’s have a match. You haven’t already picked an opponent, right?”

“Uh, Ha-shal-leur…?”

The sparring request was made to Damien, but it was Milia who ended up being the most surprised.

“Me, with you, Ha-shal-leur? …I don’t think I can win.”

Damien chuckled awkwardly.

Well, of course, you can’t win. Did you really think you could beat me? You don’t even have a holy sword yet, and you’re not even at the level of a master, let alone a hero.

If I lost to someone like you, wouldn’t all the blood and sweat I’ve shed so far be in vain?

“So you only want to fight opponents you can beat? How are you going to improve like that? You need to fight even those you can’t beat.”

“That makes sense… Alright.”

Damien nodded.

Milia looked back and forth between me and Damien with a worried expression, mostly focusing on Damien.

“Um, Ha-shal-leur… You’re not going to do it like last time, right?”

I guess the incident from our first sparring, where I caused four serious injuries and one critical injury, is still on her mind.

Of course, I don’t plan to go that far this time.

Back then, I had to make a strong impression without revealing my full strength, so I went a bit overboard. But there’s no need for that now. It wouldn’t have the same effect anyway.

At this point, everyone’s experienced fighting kobolds and trolls, where it’s kill or be killed, so they’re used to bloodshed.

Now it’s time to prove my strength properly.

Train Damien and prove my own strength. Two birds with one stone.

“Don’t worry. I’ll just give him a light beating.”

Damien is a man of steel.

The more you hammer him, the stronger he gets.

It’s time for some hammering.

—

After finishing the morning lecture, I returned to the special quarters and had lunch.

Since the magic department student who was supposed to be my opponent was replaced by Damien, I ended up being excluded from the morning sparring.

Not that there was anyone left who could really match me anyway.

Freide, who was sitting in the dining hall, glanced at me but then ignored me and continued eating.

Still, her attitude seems a bit better than before.

I spent the rest of the time looking for Asha.

I needed to talk to her about silver plating.

“Silver plating? Well, if you have the silver, it’s easy enough, but why the sudden interest?”

“I heard silver is effective against Suin and monsters. Wouldn’t it be helpful to have it plated?”

“Are you planning to fight those things?”

Asha tilted her head but her eyes lit up at the mention of combat.

“Hmm… Probably not until after the second year, but I want to be prepared just in case.”

“You’re preparing for that already?”

I knew she’d ask.

From a common-sense perspective, there’s no need to prepare now for something you’ll only need next year.

But I already had a decent excuse ready.

“…This is just speculation, but I think the price of silver will skyrocket around that time.”

“That’s quite interesting… Why would the price of silver go up?”

I raised my index finger and brought it close to my lips, as if to say this is top-secret information just for her.

“When I was in the east, I heard some things at the palace about the Suin. The Ka`har are also quite concerned about the movements in the northern snowfields.”

It’s not a lie that the Ka`har are concerned about the Suin.

If the Suin become active, the Empire’s attention usually shifts north, making it easier for the Ka`har to expand their influence.

“From what I’ve heard, the Suin’s momentum has been unusual lately, and they might attempt a large-scale invasion soon. I can’t be sure, but if that happens, the demand for silver will skyrocket, and the price will go through the roof.”

“Uh… If that’s true, it’s quite valuable information… Hmm… Silver hoarding… Hmm…”

Asha muttered to herself, probably calculating the costs in her head.

I hope she’s not planning to dump her entire fortune into buying silver.

“Alright. It’s not that difficult, so if you bring the silver or cover the material costs, I’ll do it for you.”

I got her agreement.

The remaining problem is that I don’t have enough money to buy silver in bulk…

I wonder if there’s a generous fool out there who’d lend me money without asking too many questions.

—

After finishing my conversation with Asha, I returned to the training grounds.

Unlike before, most of the participants had expressed their willingness to join the free sparring, so Damien and I had to wait our turn.

Even though their skills are still questionable, it’s a good thing if they’re all motivated to get stronger, even if just a little.

That “little” might be the difference between life and death later.

After a while, it was finally our turn.

I applied hardening slime to the Black Iron Sword to dull the edge and walked to the center of the training grounds.

I could hear the murmurs around me, but I didn’t feel the same intense emotions as before.

Whether it was contempt or fear, it seems like everyone’s become a bit numb to it.

Well, now it’s time to make them feel awe.