Chapter 39

The two of us walked down a deserted path in the darkness, stopping at a place where the tent was barely visible and there was enough space to swing a sword.

"【Lighting】"

My magic activates.

A ball of fire floats and illuminates the surroundings. It’s a simple but useful spell.

I turn to Anne, who, focused on sword training, is much more tense than usual.

"Out of the blue, but I want to tell you about your biggest problem. We can’t move forward without addressing it."

"Problem? Isn’t it just inexperience?"

"Yeah, but it’s a problem that goes beyond inexperience."

The moment she heard my words, she must have been quite shocked. Her expression stiffened pitifully.

Anne’s sword had a fatal flaw. Everything starts with confronting it.

"It’s better to feel it than to just hear it. Swing your sword. Use your most proficient form."

"Alright."

Anne draws her sword from her waist. A tense atmosphere envelops the area. I can see her nerves flowing into the sword.

She takes a shallow breath... steps forward, and swings her sword down.

It’s a beautiful form, flawless. The result of thousands, perhaps tens of thousands of repetitions, ingrained in her body. It’s clear how much she has achieved in the Oclair family.

That’s why it’s no good.

"Let me try next. 【Silver Magic: Form Two, Sword Slash】"

I use 【Silver Magic】 to transform mithril into a one-handed sword.

Then, I step forward and perform a diagonal slash.

"My sword is much faster. There’s no magical enhancement. It’s a pure downward swing, and there’s a difference in strength. Even with that, it’s better than mine."

"Do you understand why this happens?"

"No, I don’t. Could you show me your sword swing again?"

"Of course."

I respond to her request and demonstrate the diagonal slash again.

The most efficient movement derived from studying and calculating my body’s structure. That’s why my sword is swift.

"I understand now. Thank you. I’ll try it again."

Anne swings her sword again.

Her movements clearly mimic mine. She tries to trace the sword swings I showed her.

As a result, her sword is clearly less sharp than before.

"Why, even though I’m mimicking you, Master?"

Indeed, her movements are similar to mine. She managed to mimic them well after seeing them only twice.

But that’s why it’s no good.

"Anne, my sword is tailored to my bone structure, muscle distribution, joint range of motion, arm length, and flexibility. It’s the optimal solution for me. I created it for myself. What’s the point of Anne mimicking it? And Anne’s sword is something the Oclair family has developed over a long history. It’s a sword that anyone can use to a certain extent with some training. That’s why you can swing it better than mimicking my sword."

You see, every human body is different. My sword is designed specifically for me.

The Oclair sword is designed to be used by many people, and with a certain amount of training, anyone can use it.

If I swing it, my sword is naturally better. For anyone else, the latter is better.

"Mimicking me won’t do you any good. And the Oclair sword, which is designed to be usable by anyone, can make you pretty strong, but you won’t reach the top. Besides, it’s a technique for men. The difference in body structure between men and women is too great. It’s not suitable for Anne."

Even the Oclair sword, which is designed to be usable by anyone to a certain extent, is not designed for women.

If she had noticed this flaw earlier, she might have given up.

But her sword talent and extraordinary effort have brought her to the level of a top-class swordsman.

The limit of what can be achieved through effort. As a result, she became a competent swordsman without realizing the mistake. But beyond that, there’s no way to reach the next level. It’s a dead end. She can’t get any stronger.

"You’re saying that as a woman, I can’t become a top-class swordsman."

Anne said, biting her lip. Her reaction is because she understands the truth in my words.

"Are you going to give up, Anne?"

"I can’t give up. I’m an Oclair."

Despite having everything she’s done being negated, she still says she will stand up.

I can’t help but smile. This is why I invited her to be my companion.

"Then, I’ll teach you how to get stronger. Anne, the first and most important thing is this: If you want to get stronger, don’t just mimic forms. Understand the philosophy behind them."

Forms are not a shortcut to becoming strong by simply mimicking them.

They are the basic philosophy of the school. Each form has a meaning.

"Once you understand the philosophy behind the form, you can listen to your body and adapt it to suit you."

I read the meaning and philosophy behind the Oclair form that Anne showed me, break it down, and adapt it to my body.

After swinging the sword, the sound of cutting through the air echoes.

My sword, at first glance, looks completely different from Anne’s. But it is a genuine Oclair sword.

"This is what it means to master the sword."

Anne’s face momentarily shows confusion, then her cheeks flush with embarrassment. She’s reacting to realizing her mistakes and immaturity.

"Master, I feel so ashamed. I thought that following my father’s teachings and doing exactly what I was told was the shortcut to becoming strong. But that’s not enough. I’ve engraved Master’s words in my heart. Understanding the philosophy and building on it... that’s what it means to master the sword."

I’m relieved by her quick understanding.

Ordinary people often can’t accept reality. The more they have achieved, the more they resist accepting my words. But Anne accepted them. And she’s looking forward to getting stronger.

Then, I can push her forward.

"Anne, I’ll help you a little."

I embrace her from behind.

"Master, what are you doing?"

Anne is bewildered and sounds embarrassed. Her earlobes are red.

"I’m going to use magic to help you hear your body’s voice."

"What do you mean by that..."

Before she finishes speaking, I channel magic into her body.

Through the magic, I can feel everything about Anne. I use this information to create a spell.

It’s a continuous series of electrical signals that deceive the body.

Muscles contract in response to electrical signals from the brain. If I can do the same from the outside, I can control the body.

That’s why I embraced her from behind.

"Here we go, Anne."

"Wait, Master, wait a moment."

Anne’s body moves on its own, performing a perfect diagonal slash. It’s a smooth, natural movement, and the sword accelerates naturally with almost no effort.

Without a doubt, it’s faster than any sword Anne has ever swung.

Anne stands there, stunned after the swing.

"This is my sword... it feels so good."

"Right, this is the sword that listens to your body. A sword that suits you feels good. Don’t forget this feeling."

"I won’t forget. I’ll never forget this feeling. I’ll make it my own no matter what."

Anne says this and starts practicing the form repeatedly, trying to engrain the single strike into her body.

That’s what she needs to do right now.

She starts before I even tell her to.

I watch her swing her sword until she can no longer do it.

Anne swings her sword continuously until she collapses from exhaustion. I carry her back to the tent. Anne’s expression is purely joyful.

It’s probably because she has hope that she can become even stronger.