About half a koku had passed since we left the mining city of Kise.
Translator’s Note
Koku (刻) is an old Japanese unit of time, roughly equal to 2 hours.
I was bewildered by an unexpected request.
“Katia-san, would you be willing to spar with me?”
…Why, at this moment, of all times?
“May I ask the reason?”
“There’s something I’ve been thinking about, and I want to see how far my strengths will take me. Please!”
“Ah, a mock battle? Of course, that’s fine.”
Whew, that startled me. He had such a serious expression, I thought he was challenging me to a life-or-death duel.
Neil looked like he’d been caught off guard. What’s wrong?
“Somehow, I didn’t think you’d fight me. Because the difference in our strength is too great.”
That’s not true. I think Neil is severely underestimating himself. If anything, I was the one who wanted to ask him.
“I’m always up for training. But before that, why haven’t you asked me until now?”
“Eh, is that so!? I-Is that so…”
“Neil, your face is getting slack,”
Training together would be more efficient, and with an opponent like Neil, it would be a very worthwhile training session. He didn’t need to be so reserved.
“Th-Then let’s do it!”
“Yes. One round is fine?”
“Yess!”
“Both of you, do your best. Just make sure it doesn’t interfere with our travel plans.”
It’s good to have ambition. I’m still inexperienced myself, so I’ll put my heart into being his opponent.
We both drew our swords and took our stances. Since it was a person-to-person fight, I drew both of mine.
“Then, I’ll go first!”
Neil approached, enveloped in a large aura. The flow of his aura was rough, but the sheer amount gave off the pressure of a large monster bearing down on me. His weapon was the Damascus sword he’d just obtained.
A slash was coming. It was a kesagiri with an unwavering trajectory.
Translator’s Note
Kesagiri (袈裟斬り) is a diagonal downward cut from the shoulder, named after the Buddhist kesa robe.
I parried it with my main-gauche—whoa, heavy!
My arm went numb from the heavy blow, but I managed to deflect it. Neil’s body swayed. Now’s my chance!
“Uwooooh!”
Neil shouted.
“!”
Instead of regaining his balance, Neil rolled away to disengage. His reaction was good; if he’d been even a little slower, it would have been over. I’d missed my opportunity.
“It’s too early to end it, one more time!”
He’s coming again. That amount of aura and power is troublesome. This time… a gyakukaze!
Translator’s Note
Gyakukaze (逆風) literally “reverse wind,” refers to an upward slash from below, in this case, rising from between the legs.
It’s a counter to parrying; it certainly makes it harder to break his posture. I immediately dropped my main-gauche to the ground and gripped my black sword with both hands to receive the blow. As I thought, it’s heavy—!
If I take too many hits, my arms won’t hold out. Then, should I try to end it quickly? I let the momentum of Neil’s strike carry me into the air. From his perspective, it probably looked like I was being blown away clumsily.
“! An opening!”
Of course, this was a feint. I spun in the air to regain my balance and landed, thrusting my sword at Neil’s throat, who was completely off guard. Neil’s sword was still raised above his head.
“Wow, Katia-chan is like an acrobat…”
“You’re too predictable, Neil.”
I lowered my thrusting sword. I retrieved the main-gauche I’d dropped and sheathed it.
“It was no good after all…”
Neil was dejected. I wonder if there was something he was hoping to achieve. But, his power was even greater than I’d imagined.
“No, it was a very heavy strike. My arm went numb.”
“Really!? If that’s the case against Katia-san’s extreme-grade aura, then…!”
Neil’s demeanor suddenly brightened. …Hmm. I wonder if he’s struggling with his fighting style. Then, should I analyze our fight and give him some pointers?
“I noticed a few things, would you like me to tell you?”
“Please do!”
He seems eager to hear. Well then, let’s exchange some opinions.
After Neil and Van had some kind of secret talk, he became more proactive about swords. I wonder what they talked about.
“Well, first of all, despite your high aura level…”
“Yes.”
“Your control is sloppy, so there’s wasted energy. You should focus more on controlling it.”
“I see! It’s true that I’m not good at controlling my aura.”
With that level of control and that kind of strike, I can’t imagine what it would be like when he perfects it. I doubt I’d be able to withstand it with my arm strength. Well, if that happens, there are ways to deal with it.
“Also, your stepping speed. It needs to be a little faster, or it’s easy to avoid.”
“But, didn’t Katia-chan block Neil’s sword?”
“From Neil’s tone, it seemed like he wanted to confirm something, so I intentionally did that.”
“So, that means?”
“I could have dodged it if I wanted to.”
“…Huh, I see. It seems I have a long way to go.”
A long way? What is Neil aiming for? Anyway, the issue with his stepping speed also stems from his rough aura control. If he can control it down to his toes, it should improve.
“But, I see the direction I should take! A fast step followed by a full-powered blow, that’s the form I’m aiming for!”
“Neil, is it really okay to say that?”
“It’s fine, Fii-nee, if I become so fast that it can’t be avoided even if they know it’s coming, it’s all good!”
Oh, a muscle-brain approach. But, in a way, isn’t it rational? It’s similar to Jigen-ryū in my previous life, I think.
Translator’s Note
Jigen-ryū (示現流) is a traditional Japanese sword-fighting style known for its emphasis on a single, decisive strike.
It might suit Neil, who tends to create openings when exchanging blows. As for his aura level, it goes without saying, but if he perfects it, wouldn’t there be no enemy he couldn’t crush? It’s the “no need for a second strike” kind of thing.
“Katia-san, thank you very much!”
“No, I’m sorry for pointing out so many things so presumptuously.”
“Not at all! Alright, all that’s left is to train, let’s do it!”
He’s full of enthusiasm. I don’t know what he was struggling with that made him search for a new fighting style, but it’s probably a good thing.
“What exactly are you going to train?”
Fina, who is a complete novice when it comes to swords, asked.
“I think most of the problems will be solved if he trains his aura control.”
“Aura control… Katia-san, do you know any effective training methods?”
“Hmm, I don’t know much. In my case, it was just repeated mock battles with my grandfather and actual combat against monsters.”
Aura training methods haven’t been established. To be precise, there are many methods, but they vary in suitability from person to person. It’s because everyone’s senses are different. One thing they all have in common is that it seems you need to accumulate a lot of experience. By the way, the order of training is sword technique first, then aura. This is because if you rely on aura, your sword technique won’t develop sufficiently. The roughness of Neil’s aura might be due to that. Because he’s serious, he probably didn’t train his aura until his sword technique was reasonably good.
“All I can say is that it’s pointless unless you train with a method that suits you, Neil.”
“I guess so… I guess I’ll have to wait until I get to the royal capital to research it in the library…”
“Why don’t you ask around to people who might know?”
People who might know…? I wonder if Fina has someone in mind.
“Do you have someone in mind, Fina-san?”
“No, not specifically, but if we slightly deviate from our next destination…”
Fina’s long, slender fingers traced the map. Ah, I see.
“Tobal, the town of martial arts. That might be a good idea.”
There should be dojos there, and there should be people who are good at teaching and assessing people’s aptitudes. “Town of martial arts” is a nickname, not the official name, but it’s so widespread that everyone calls it that.
“Is it okay? To change our plans for me?”
“It won’t make much difference in the number of days it takes to reach the royal capital, so it’s fine. Besides, it would be very reassuring if Neil became even stronger.”
“K-Katia-san…! I’ll do my best!”
“So happy… Well then, next we’re heading to Tobal.”
Fina concluded by declaring our destination. I hope Neil’s ability enhancement goes well.