Mizuho-san led me to a room in the instructor’s dormitory, located next to the dojo.
It seemed to be a room usually used for guests. As I was organizing my luggage, I felt Mizuho-san’s intense gaze on me…
When I turned to face her, her expression was practically screaming, “I have something I want to ask!”
“…Mizuho-san, is there something you wanted to ask?”
I had no choice but to give her an opening.
“Yes, yes! Katia-san! How did you get the Great Master to agree to this? He usually absolutely refuses to teach anyone!”
She was calling me by my first name because we had already introduced ourselves on the way here.
Just then, Fina-san, who had finished organizing her luggage, joined the conversation.
“Well, you see. That old man fell for Katia-chan.”
“Eh? The Great Master is interested in women?”
“Yup, yup. He was practically devouring Katia-chan’s lower body with his eyes.”
“Whoa, is this the adult world?”
“Fina-san, you’re being mean.”
She was teasing me by deliberately phrasing it in a way that would cause misunderstandings.
“He was impressed by my swordsmanship. He apparently noticed me from the way my lower body muscles are and how I walk. He said he wanted to have a match, and when I was reluctant, he offered a trade, something in exchange. So I asked for him to train Neil-san in Aura.”
However, now that I put it into words, his observational skills are a bit perverted. To be able to identify martial artists from among a crowd in the town… Unless the target is openly emitting killing intent, that’s a feat I could never imitate. Or maybe it’s something you become able to do after meeting many strong people?
“Aww, and here I thought the Great Master was finally interested in something other than fighting.”
I wonder if he’s single.
“But, to get him to agree to those terms, you must be really strong!”
“Katia-san is strong! Ridiculously strong!”
That was Neil-san, who had finished changing.
He was wearing light clothing, probably to make it easier to train. Naturally, he was staying in a separate room, but he came in after we finished changing. However, “ridiculously”… That’s not usually used as a compliment, but knowing Neil-san, he probably didn’t mean anything by it.
“And not only that, that sword—”
“Neil-san, that’s enough…”
“—Ah, right. Sorry.”
I mean, it’s fine if people who know or have heard about it talk about it, but I want to avoid unnecessarily spreading around that I’m the Sword Saint’s disciple.
I don’t want people to think I’m using Grandpa’s name to get my way. Besides, some people might not have a good impression of it. Neil-san seems to have understood. Well, even if I left it alone, the intelligence department would probably spread it around anyway.
“? I don’t really get it, but— after Neil-san’s training is over, Katia-san is going to fight the Great Master, right?”
“That’s the plan.”
“Then, can I tell the other students? It’s a big deal that the Great Master offered a trade just to fight you!”
“If possible, I’d like to have the fight quietly and be done with it.”
I don’t want to stand out.
“No way, Katia-chan. You know it’s better for you if a lot of people watch, right?”
I was stopped. I get it, I get it. More than that, I’m scared that both Neil-san and Fina-san are talking as if I’m going to win. What will they do if I lose?
“Heehee. Then I’ll go tell everyone. I’m looking forward to it!”
Ah, she’s gone. She seems like the type who enjoys watching battles; she must be a martial arts enthusiast, despite her appearance.
When I finished organizing my luggage and returned to the dojo, the number of crestfallen students had increased.
Oh, right, they were still having matches… Besides that, I could hear whispers when they saw me.
“That person? It’s not the man, right?”
“They said it was the person with red hair, so it must be her.”
“She doesn’t look that strong.”
“She is pretty.”
“Big.”
“Big” means my height, right? I’m never going to get used to being the center of attention. And Mizuho-chan is fast, spreading rumors! The students here have already heard that I’m going to fight Lyall-san. Moreover, the fact that I can’t see Mizuho-chan anymore means that she’s spreading the word to people who aren’t here…?
“Oh, you’re here. Well then, let’s get started.”
“Yes, please take care of us.”
Lyall-san, who had noticed us, declared the start of training. Fina-san and I moved to a corner to observe.
“Well, for starters, show me your Aura.”
“Yes sir.”
Neil-san released his Aura. Yeah, it’s the usual impressive amount of Aura. The students watching around also let out cries of admiration. But Lyall-san alone had a dissatisfied expression.
“Hoh, that’s no ordinary amount of Aura. But… may I point out some flaws?”
“Yes, please tell me everything. I’m well aware of my own immaturity.”
“Is that so? Then I won’t hold back. First, what’s with that Aura you’re just letting flow out? Almost none of it is staying on your body, what a waste. Also, the unevenness of your Aura is terrible. There are many areas where your defense is paper-thin. Anyone who can see it will target those as weak points. And—”
Whoa. Lyall-san’s criticisms continued. It’s true that Neil-san’s Aura control is sloppy. Until now, for better or worse, he’d been able to get by with the sheer amount of Aura he had. But what was surprising was that Neil-san listened to all of the criticisms without showing any signs of being upset. Is that how much he wants to get stronger?
“Neil’s making a rare serious face… I wonder whose fault that is, hmm? Hmm?”
“What is it, Fina-san? Please don’t poke me.”
“Your cheeks are so soft~”
Just then, Lyall-san’s voice finally stopped.
“That’s about it. Do you understand what you can’t do, what you’re lacking? Can you acknowledge it?”
“…Yes. I’ll keep your words in mind.”
Oh, Neil-san looks reliable. He’s unusually manly.
“Hey, Katia, Fina, come here.”
Lyall-san called us. What is it?
“What is it, Old Man? Do you need us for Neil’s training?”
“Yeah, I want to know what he’s usually like from someone else’s perspective. Neil, step aside for a moment.”
“Yes sir.”
Neil-san moved to where we had been sitting. The other students, who had been watching us, went back to their own training, seeing that we were just talking and there wasn’t likely to be any action for a while.
Now then.
“What do you want to ask?”
“Point-blank, I want to know about his concentration. Have you fought Neil, Katia?”
“Just recently, once.”
“And, how was it?”
“How was it… Well, he made some surprising moves at the beginning.”
“Hmm.”
“He was easy to break down in the latter half. When I deliberately showed an opening, he easily let his guard down.”
“I see. Fina, what about you?”
“Well, ever since he was little, whether it’s studying or anything else, he gets tired quickly, maybe because he concentrates too much or puts too much effort into it. I don’t think he’s the type to get bored easily, though.”
“So, he can concentrate deeply for a short period of time. Okay… Neil, come back!”
Lyall-san seemed to have made up his mind and called Neil-san back.
“You said earlier that your ideal is a one-hit kill using your Aura, right?”
That was the strategy Neil-san had come up with the other day. So he had told him about that.
“Yes sir.”
“Then one more point. You’re not thinking about what happens if you miss or if it doesn’t work, are you? After you unleash that one hit, always disengage, put some distance between you and your opponent. No matter what state your opponent is in.”
It’s obvious when you think about it, but it’s extremely dangerous to always go all-in with no plan B. He could have just talked about Aura, but he even gave him advice on how to improve his fighting style. This person doesn’t seem to compromise at all when it comes to combat. That’s very helpful.
“I’ll thoroughly drill Aura control into you until you can do that. Is that okay for fulfilling the conditions?”
“Yes, please!”
The policy was decided.
“Listen, this is my theory. There are stages to Aura training.”
Lyall-san’s stages of Aura training are as follows:
- Draw out enough Aura to be able to fight.
- Cover your entire body evenly with Aura.
- Suppress the wasteful release of Aura.
- Increase the density of Aura.
- Change the distribution of Aura according to your movements.
“That’s about it. Neil, do you know where you’re stumbling?”
“Um… the second one, I think.”
“That’s right. This time, if you can do that and the third one, that’s the bare minimum. Conversely, in your case, even if you can’t do four and five, you’ll be able to manage to some extent.”
“Why is that?”
“Your one and only greatest strength, your enormous amount of Aura, will compensate for them. Listen, this is something that’s normally unthinkable.”
That is also proof of how exceptional it is. Neil-san gulped. And at the same time, he looks a little happy. He’d been getting a barrage of criticisms until just now…
“But, no matter how great a power is, it’s meaningless if you can’t control it. Now, as for the training method—”
Lyall-san’s Aura theory was very easy to understand and convincing. Could it be because he’s always thinking deeply about how to become stronger? He doesn’t seem to have any intention of doing so, but he might actually be suited to be an instructor.
“—Whoa!? Seriously…”
“Are you serious? That method…”
Ah, I missed the important part. What is it? They both seem shaken.
“Fina-san, what did Lyall-san just say?”
“Didn’t you hear, Katia-chan? Well, he said—”
“…Eh!?”
The training method Lyall-san proposed was astonishing.