Chapter 372

Klaus’s swordsmanship was excellent. Even I had to be careful not to get injured if I let my guard down.

But if being skilled in swordsmanship alone made one the strongest, then Klaus would have been the Empire’s greatest swordsman instead of Valenstein.

As I gradually increased my strength and speed, Klaus began to be pushed back.

If I had been completely ignorant of swordsmanship, the difference in skill between Klaus and me might not have been enough to overcome the gap in physical ability.

“So… this is how it’s done?”

I aimed my half-tilted longsword at the tip of Klaus’s sword, which was thrusting toward my chest like an arrow.

I relaxed my wrist, and as the blades touched, I flipped the blade with my left hand.

Then, I twisted my elbow, shoulder, waist, and knee in succession.

The added elasticity at each joint perfectly twisted the direction of the force.

Finally, using my left foot as a pivot, I spun my body halfway around—

“Huh?!”

With a single cry of astonishment, Klaus was flung backward and crashed behind me.

[Hmm, this technique seems quite useful.]

Hersela muttered in admiration.

Yes. The technique I just tried was a defensive move demonstrated by Valenstein and Klaus.

It was more akin to a martial art than swordsmanship, redirecting the opponent’s force and throwing them aside.

When Valenstein used it, it was so sudden that I couldn’t even grasp the principle, but after experiencing it a few times with Klaus, I began to understand the trick.

It turned out to be more useful than I thought.

“Truly the Empire’s greatest swordsman…!”

Klaus quickly got up, pulling his sword to his side and taking a defensive stance.

His steps were slow and cautious, his guard even higher than before.

Might as well test that too.

“Like a turtle crawling!”

I dashed toward Klaus, kicking off the ground roughly.

With my right hand gripping the longsword, I charged and swung a powerful slash.

In boxing terms, it would be like a telephone punch.

An attack so obvious that anyone could see where it was aimed.

Of course, Klaus saw through it immediately and tried to counter.

“Ha!”

His longsword swung decisively.

At an angle that could redirect my attack and allow him to press forward.

If I continued to swing my sword, I would be counterattacked and suffer a fatal blow.

If I continued, that is.

I twisted my ankle and stepped forward as if pushing off.

My heel dug deep into the ground, and a wave of dust rose like a rough tide.

“Stopped…?!”

My body came to an abrupt halt.

Klaus’s attack sliced through the air in front of me.

Following that, my longsword, swung a moment later, aimed diagonally at his shoulder.

Just as Klaus’s sword had missed, my blade also fell short of reaching him.

If I had swung it as is, it would have been a slash that only cut through the air.

But Klaus, sensing something ominous, tried to lean back in a hurry.

“Too late!”

The hilt of my longsword slid smoothly through my lightly opened hand.

The reach extended by about 30 cm in an instant.

My right hand, sliding along the hilt, firmly grasped the weighted end.

Realizing what this meant, Klaus’s expression was filled with shock.

His eyes widened as if they would tear, and his trembling pupils swam within the whites of his eyes.

– Crunch!

The extended blade struck Klaus’s shoulder armor, crushing it.

The steel pauldron crumpled like clay.

“Ugh…!”

Klaus let out a sharp groan and staggered.

If not for the armor, the blow would have split his upper body in half.

It was an injury that would leave him unable to use his shoulder again without a healing miracle.

“Is this…! Did you really just copy my technique after seeing it once?!”

Perhaps the psychological shock was greater than the pain in his shoulder, as Klaus stared at me in a daze.

His technique was correct. This was a simple trick that was easy to mimic.

Though even if Klaus used this technique himself, he wouldn’t be able to produce this level of power.

Since it involved gripping the end of the hilt and swinging, attacking a hard part could cause the attacker’s wrist to fail to withstand the recoil, risking dropping the sword.

In fact, Klaus had aimed for my unarmored flesh.

But my strength was more than enough to handle the recoil from a hard part.

What would have been a sneak attack technique for Klaus became a devastating slash in my hands, capable of even crushing armor.

Thanks for the great technique. I’ll make good use of it from now on.

[To copy a technique after seeing it just once, you’re quite the genius at stealing others’ skills.]

‘That’s harsh. It’s not stealing, it’s learning.’

Just because I use this technique doesn’t mean Klaus can’t use it anymore, right?

So it’s not stealing. Agreed?

“Your swordsmanship is impressive, but techniques are something anyone can replicate once they understand the principle. Maybe you should work on improving your overall ability.”

“Thank you for the advice…”

I tossed the bent sword aside and offered some light advice to Klaus, who had been rendered unable to fight due to his shoulder injury.

The reason he lost was ultimately due to the difference in strength and speed.

If I had gone all out, he would have lost his head before even getting a chance to use his swordsmanship.

In the face of overwhelming power, the superiority of technique means little.

[You say that so easily. To think you can replicate something just by seeing it, you’re quite the swordsmanship thief.]

Well, there might be others like me. I haven’t seen any, though.

—

After sparring with three people, I returned to my room and soaked in the bathtub.

There were no major injuries, but my body was covered in sweat and dirt.

“Phew…”

The bathwater, filled with bubbles from the bath salts, emitted a faint rose scent.

I leaned back in the tub, closed my eyes, and enjoyed the warmth while smoking a cigarette.

The heat from the bathwater made my head feel light.

“Ha-shal-leur unnie, can I join you?”

About five minutes later, Rana called from outside the bathroom.

She had just finished treating Bertrand, Karim, and Klaus and had returned.

“Rana, you want to take a bath now? At this hour?”

For me, it was necessary since I was drenched in sweat, but Rana hadn’t even broken a sweat.

Wouldn’t it be better to wash before bed?

“Yes. I got a lot of dust on me. I was watching your sparring, unnie. It must have gotten on me then.”

“Ah, that makes sense. Just a moment.”

I got up and stepped out of the tub.

The bath foam clinging to my collarbone slowly slid down my chest.

I roughly wiped it off to keep it from falling on the bathroom floor and then dissolved it back into the tub. I walked to the window and opened it wide.

The bathroom, filled with cigarette smoke, didn’t seem like a good environment for Rana.

Since it was already autumn, the outside air was quite chilly, but compared to the north, this level of cold was nothing.

“Alright. Come in.”

I got back into the tub and gave Rana permission to enter.

“Yes!”

After some rustling outside the door, Rana slightly opened the bathroom door and stepped inside.

She had apparently left her usual Shaulite nun’s habit outside the bathroom.

“Then, excuse me…!”

Rana scooped some water from the tub and splashed it on herself a few times before gently stepping into the tub.

The tub, befitting a marquis’s residence, was spacious enough for two people, but Rana deliberately leaned close to me, almost like she was being affectionate.

Uh, isn’t this a bit too close?

Is this normal between sisters? I was a bit flustered.

It felt awkward to push her away…

“Rana, did something happen while you were with Priestess Lilliez?”

I rested my chin lightly on Rana’s head and asked softly.

“Lilliez? No, nothing in particular. Why?”

It’s just that you’ve been sticking to me a lot more lately.

I was wondering if it was some kind of separation anxiety.

From her calm expression, it didn’t seem like she had been bullied or anything in my absence.

“It’s nothing, just that you’ve been sticking close to me a lot recently, so I wondered if something happened.”

“Ah, that. Was it uncomfortable…? I’m sorry…!”

Rana asked cautiously, pulling away slightly.

“No, it wasn’t uncomfortable, so there’s no need to apologize. I was just curious.”

Seeing her dejected puppy-like face, I couldn’t say it was uncomfortable.

Well, it wasn’t really unpleasant.

If it were a boy, maybe, but there’s no reason to be uncomfortable with a girl several years younger than me clinging to me.

If anything, it’s just cute.

“I’m glad…!”

Rana smiled brightly and leaned back against me.

Rana and I left the tub about thirty minutes later.

—

After washing up, I watched Minea training in swordsmanship in the marquis’s courtyard.

Following Nigel’s advice that it would be inefficient for me to train her directly, one of the marquis’s knights was in charge of teaching Minea imperial swordsmanship.

He would probably be much better at teaching than me.

He wasn’t wrong.

Yesterday was the first day, so I tried teaching her myself, but I must have said, “Why can’t you do this?” about eighty times.

“Um, Ha-shal-leur. It’s normal to struggle like this when first learning imperial swordsmanship. I was no different on my first day.”

Nigel, unable to watch, said as much.