Posted bytheredsargeantJuly 20, 2020Posted inFun Territory Defense
Apparently, I am talented in swordsmanship.
Maybe it’s because I put up a decent fight against the boy soldiers, but a rumor seems to have spread among the house’s knights.
“Van-sama, may I ask you a question?”
A stern, bearded man took off his armor and asked me this. The middle-aged man, with his simple clothes soaked with sweat, is one of the strongest members of the Marquis family! He was Dee, the Deputy Commander of the Ferto Family’s Knightly Order.
You can see that his muscles are well built even through the black cloth clothing. Well, it’s partly because the clothes absorb sweat and stick to his body tightly. It’s bothering me that his clothes were originally gray, but the sweat is changing their color.
“What?”
I asked back as I took a drink of water, and Dee held out his hands with an extremely serious look on his face.
“I’d like to see your hands,”
“Okay? What are you doing?”
I held out one of my hands, slightly uneasy, and Dee respectfully grabbed my hand in both of his. Then he looked carefully at the palm of my hand.
“……..There’s no calluses. The skin is still soft. Mmm, your nails are growing.”
“Yikes, I’m sorry. I’m going to work out when I get older.”
Dee snorted with a difficult look on his face as he retracted his hands.
”I thought you were losing out to our apprentices and repeatedly training at night, but there’s no sign of that at all.”
“I’m having a hard time training. I’ll train harder when I can afford it, I can assure you I still like the sword.”
When I made such an excuse, thinking I was angry, Dee narrowed his eyes and looked up at the castle.
”……..Rumor has it that Lord Espada has instructed Van-sama to study three times as much as usual. I will always be open to you. If you want to learn more about the sword, I’ll make a direct appeal right away.”
“What? I thought it was odd that I was the only one who studied that much and I was the only one who did it from morning to night, so that’s why.”
Dee nodded deeply after receiving confirmation of the shocking story.
“That big-headed man is too devoted to classroom studies. For someone like me, who can judge people without bias, I believe Master Van should pursue the path of the sword. Master Van has a gift. First, you have to learn the forms and train your muscles. Then you must practice every day. I’ll make you the best swordsman in the kingdom,” he said.
Dee’s eyes were serious as he spoke forcefully. He is seriously stiff in the head. Or rather, Dee’s being hypocritical when he describes Espada as headstrong. He is exactly biased towards the path of the sword, just because his area of expertise is also swordsmanship.
“I like swords, but I also like studying. I’ll do my best in both areas.”
When I answered that, Dee’s mouth drooped down in a very, very disappointed way.
”……..Muguugu, there’s no way around it. At the very least, I’ll instruct you directly while you train with your sword. Is that alright?”
Even Dee, the deputy leader of the group, took it upon himself to teach, following Espada. Dee, whose face has become very close to mine, waits for my response, and I reply with tired half-smile.
”Ah, haha… teach me gently, okay?”
“Hahaha! Of course! I understand that Master Van is still just a child, you know.”
Dee was certainly in a good mood after hearing an affirmative response.
But he was spitting a downright lie.
“Now, come on, a hundred push-ups, a hundred sit-ups, a hundred jumping jacks, and a hundred thrusts! Let’s go!”(T.L. Note: Honestly not sure which exercises he is talking about here so I just inserted some common workout techniques)
“No, please, I need to rest……..we just ran……..”
“What do you mean, Master Van! You can take a break later! Now, together!”
He’s like an ogre.
I was sitting on a chair, resting after I’d completed the exercise, when Dee spoke, with a look on his face that said he’d come up with a great idea.
“Yes, yes. Master Van,” he said, with a look on his face, “I know. While you’re resting, you’re not busy! You must be anxious that you might simply be lazing around during rest periods. No need to worry, just remove your boring wooden chair and replace with an air chair! Work those midriffs!
I guess he was an idiot, not an ogre. You can rest on the air chair yourself, idiot. You’re a complete idiot.
I didn’t have the energy to complain, but tears dripped from my eyes as I thought about it.
And like that, one year passed.
I am now six years old, and the boy soldiers are no longer a challenge for me. The physique of a six-year-old and the physique of twelve or thirteen years old is different. The same is true for reach. This difference in physique means they possess a greater muscle mass. This means that their speed and their strength eclipses mine.
But their dynamic vision, reflexes, and knowledge are underdeveloped.
The boy soldiers have begun to follow my example and devise their own techniques, but they are still unpolished.
The knights don’t have much of an emphasis on the concept of feints, and their sword fights seem to focus on speed or power. It’s a good idea to have a fast swordsman defend the upper part of his body and quickly attack the side of his opponent’s body, while those who emphasize power have to stand firm to make a relentless attack. Their fighting style is incredibly predictable and stubborn.
So I pull back or use some evasive footwork when he shows signs of attacking me, attempting to create a weakness in my opponent.
If he strikes out, it’s a great opportunity. Children are not good at waiting, so patience is key when dealing with them.
Opponents who use rapid attacks often unconsciously calculate the recoil they will get from clashing swords with their opponent. Simply avoiding their sword for one or two strikes will cause them to completely mess up their rhythm.
The most important thing for an effective sword strike is timing and surprise. If you show an opponent an opening, they will attack with full force in a predictable trajectory, making it easy to dodge.
There are three main types of surprise attacks. A low sweeping attack for the feet, which not many people use. A rising strike from the feet to the torso. Finally, there is a simple strike from behind.
I’m small and nimble, so it’s quite difficult for my opponent to imitate my surprise attacks. The one-hit-rule was also working in my favor.
In the midst of this hellish day, Till opens her mouth, smiling as usual.
“It’s a good thing that Van-sama has grown so robust lately. With your genius and your understanding of swordsmanship… perhaps you could even secure the position of heir.”(T.N. Note: Should I keep the -sama or should I use “young master” instead?)
I inwardly gasped at Till’s sudden, absurd uttering.
As I had heard in Espada’s class, the world of the aristocracy is a world where the strong prey on the weak. Frighteningly, some families are said to be no exception, even among blood brothers.
To become the head of the family or not. The choice one makes here greatly influences the rest of one’s life.
Money, status, honor, power – all of it is the sole property of the newly appointed head of the family. There is no number two. If the lesser brothers are on good terms with the new head, they may support him as his subordinate, but most of the time they leave home.
This is especially true when the younger brother overtakes his older brother as the head of the family. The older brother who is ousted from his position will hold a grudge. Therefore, many young upstarts will kill the older brother in order to secure a more stable path to power.
Unfortunately, I don’t have many opportunities to talk to my brothers. Furthermore, when I see the second and third brothers they always avoid me. I wouldn’t say that we are close.
The eldest son often shows up at the soldier’s training camp, so we at least exchange greetings, but the future of our relationship is unknown.
In other words, whether I actually become the head of the family or not, if I stand out, the chances of me being killed go up.
This is bad. I’m definitely showing off too much, I’m practically drawing a target on my back.
Lately, when I’m walking around the castle, I’m warmly greeted by maids, butlers, and even guards.
I’m sure my brothers will think that I’m becoming a favorite among the subordinates of our house.
I have to do something about this…….!
“…Till…”
I call out, and Till replies with a smile.
“Yes, can I help you?”
“I need to go outside.”
“Huh?”
Be a playboy. Let’s play until level 20.(T.N. Note: No idea what the level 20 is referring to.)
I’ve made up my mind to do so.
Original Author’s Note: If you’re even a little bit curious about the rest of the story hit the stars at the bottom of the page to rate it!
It provides me with the motivation to keep writing!
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