Chapter 71: Instruction (2)

In the afternoon training ground, the princess, with her long hair tied up in a ponytail, was warming up.

Even in casual training attire, she still looked quite elegant.

The weather was good. The sky, clear of clouds, was perfect except for the lack of wind.

Kalin, while the princess was warming up, gripped and swung his sword a few times.

The balance was slightly off. It wasn't bad, but it couldn't be called high quality.

Since a blunt sword had to be used when instructing the royal family, it wasn't a finely crafted weapon.

Well, it was a kind of formality.

A swordsman capable of teaching the royal family wouldn't be constrained by such a sword. The princess picked up a real sword.

"This should be enough."

"First, I need to see how well Your Highness can handle a sword. Try attacking me with ease."

There was no worry about the instruction. Having learned from Marhan, he knew how to do it.

Teaching and learning are different talents, but for now, the basics would suffice.

Nodding, the princess kicked off the ground. She felt her movements were unfamiliar.

It had been a long time since she held a sword. Even when she went to the northeast, she didn't engage in direct combat.

She tried to recall her past memories.

Having learned diligently under Emitter, her body moved on its own more than her mind.

Kalin deflected her thrusting sword with a slight twist of his wrist. Stepping back, the princess attacked again.

The same thing happened afterward. Kalin deflected her attacks with a twist of his wrist.

'The talent itself is quite good.'

For someone who hadn't practiced in a long time, her stance was well-formed. This was thanks to Emitter's thorough teaching.

However, Kalin felt her method was wrong.

Perhaps because of her gender, her sword style was more about striking and retreating safely.

While aiming for the opponent's weaknesses.

In fact, it was the orthodox way.

Even with magic power assisting physical strength, the physically stronger side would win in a close match.

'She could be a bit sharper.'

Kalin thought her current swordsmanship was restraining her nature.

She could be more aggressive, but she had been taught to stay within certain limits.

Kalin stopped moving back and forth and defended in place.

The princess seemed confused. She didn't know how to react.

Her foot slightly stumbled.

A probing thrust. Kalin knocked her sword down with a tap.

"Huh?"

Her sword, unable to recover, pointed at the ground. The inertia caused the princess to lean forward.

Kalin grabbed her shoulder with his other hand.

Their eyes met closely. After helping her regain her balance, Kalin stepped back.

"That's enough. Please forgive my rudeness."

The princess waved her hand to indicate she was fine and took a deep breath. She started to feel a slight strain in her muscles.

She had used magic power, but the lack of control in her movements had taken a toll.

"Since you have the basics, we can move on. However, the direction from here on out is up to Your Highness."

"Direction?"

"Your current swordsmanship focuses on safety. I think a more aggressive approach would suit you better."

The princess widened her eyes. She had occasionally felt stifled.

She just couldn't progress by following what she had learned.

"Amazing. It feels like you read my mind."

"Is that so? There are pros and cons. I believe a swordsman's heart should align with their sword, but it is a riskier path."

"Regardless of the reason, I will follow your advice."

The competition for the imperial throne. The princess had already chosen a path far from safety.

Choosing a better way was the only option.

Kalin led the princess to a training dummy and began the corrections.

"Here, it's better to pull the opposite shoulder."

"Like this?"

"Yes, that's correct."

It's harder to change what someone knows than to teach someone who knows nothing.

However, the princess followed exceptionally well. It was the right method for her, as Kalin had judged.

"The movements feel natural. Even though it's the first time, it feels familiar."

"That's good to hear."

"I didn't expect much. You always surprise me."

The princess couldn't believe the fake knight in front of her was only 18 years old.

Kalin had shown exceptional skill in every area she had seen.

"Thank you for the compliment. It's more about Your Highness's ability than mine."

"Don't be modest."

"I'm serious. The same swordsmanship can vary based on the person's body. Your Highness quickly found the optimal stance."

Indeed, the princess had talent.

The princess's arm, drenched in sweat, trembled slightly. Seeing this, Kalin thought it was time to stop.

She wouldn't want to admit it out of pride.

"That's enough for today."

Nodding, the princess sat on a chair in the corner of the training ground. A maid brought water at her gesture.

Kalin stood beside her.

The princess drank the water gracefully. A drop of sweat trickled down her neck.

'Well, a little breeze should be fine.'

Soon, a gentle breeze blew from somewhere.

The princess's ponytail swayed first, followed by Kalin's bangs.

"Good. Seeing the wind blow when it wasn't supposed to, it seems we stopped at the right time."

Saying this, the princess closed her eyes and felt the wind. Her lips curved slightly.

After a long time of exercise, the gentle breeze made her feel refreshed.

A moment of silence. Kalin, observing, spoke up.

"Your Highness."

"What is it?"

"I want to recruit Duke Ryurik. Is that acceptable?"

"Duke Ryurik? I've heard she's a good person, but will she come under your command? I heard she didn't yield to the princes' offers."

The princess tilted her head.

The Duchess of the southwestern empire was famous for her character and skills despite her young age.

She was a beauty who had never married, and many noble men pursued her.

However, she found it bothersome and never attended banquets.

"Perhaps she didn't like the third prince, or she might genuinely want to remain neutral."

"Is there a plan?"

"I have an idea, but I can't guarantee success."

A figure who thought only of the empire. That was the image of the duchess in the game Kalin remembered.

Thus, he couldn't be certain.

However, he couldn't not bring it up. The duchess was the top candidate for recruitment.

If possible, he needed to talk to her before the war with the west broke out.

"Alright. It's better than doing nothing. Try it. Do you need any help?"

"First, I'll meet her. It wouldn't be proper for Your Highness to make the first move."

"The distance is considerable. When do you plan to meet her? You know the duchess rarely comes to the capital."

Kalin, as the princess's bodyguard, couldn't leave the capital easily, hence his question.

"She will come to the capital soon. The war with the west is imminent."

He had already confirmed this through Haisen. The duke had already set off for the capital at the emperor's summons.

With the war with the west approaching, powerful nobles were secretly gathering in the capital.

* * *

Even on a rest day, I couldn't relax at night.

After the princess declared her intentions, visits from minor nobles increased.

Most were nobles I had never heard of, so I had to examine each one carefully.

Honestly, it was a waste of time.

'Those who weren't chosen by the princes.'

People with something to protect don't attach themselves to the princess.

The risk of being implicated if things go wrong is too high.

In other words, there aren't many useful people.

However, I couldn't ignore them all. Some were relatively good.

'It's inconvenient not being able to act first, even when I know.'

Despite earning merit in the previous suppression, the princess's chances were objectively low.

Even if I wanted to recruit good people from the game, they wouldn't come over.

Few people would invest effort in a place that seems hopeless.

If they choose the princess, they would pick a prince with a better chance who aligns with their goals.

Erendil needed to show his abilities and establish his position a few more times.

In fact, many of the candidates I chose had already joined the princes.

'Interfering isn't easy either.'

Even with Haisen's help, there were limits to deterring the princes' approaches.

Non-noble talents were a different kind of headache.

I knew their names but not what they were doing.

Even if I did, I couldn't just recruit them without any reason.

'If I were the intelligence chief, I would have already scouted and recruited them.'

It's a regrettable but unavoidable situation. However, I identified one person I must recruit.

He is currently at the capital's university. It's just hard to approach him right now.

It would be good to have a reason to invite him, but he hasn't published any papers yet.

I plan to keep an eye on him and quickly recruit him when the opportunity arises.

'Hmm?'

Suddenly, a familiar presence appeared. Phiri had arrived at the agreed location.

"Duchess Ryurik has arrived."

-Confirmed.

I thought she would arrive in three days, but she was much faster.

It seemed she had traveled almost non-stop.

I couldn't approach her immediately. It would be strange if I knew she had arrived so quickly.

The princes would also try to reach her.

I hadn't decided how to approach her yet, as I didn't know her schedule.

I planned to observe the situation and find a positive opportunity to meet her. If not, I would have to visit her residence.

The next morning.

As usual, I entered the castle gate earlier than the shift change, and a guard approached after saluting.

"Sir Kalin Schurtaffen."

"What is it?"

"Sir Ludern is looking for you. He said to go to the 1st training ground as soon as you arrive."

The 1st training ground was used only by the emperor and his bodyguards. The emperor wouldn't suddenly call me.

It was probably because of the sparring I mentioned before. I was a bit surprised by the sudden request.

We had met a few times, but it had been a while since we spoke, so I thought it was just a casual remark.

He didn't even urge me. There was no reason to act clueless and make a bad impression.

'And it happens to be the day Duke Ryurik arrives.'

It seemed coincidental. It wasn't necessarily bad, as it was before the shift change.

There was plenty of time to spar before lunch.

It was my first time sparring with a Sword Master, so I was excited and looking forward to it.

"Schurtaffen, it's been a while."

At the training ground, Ludern greeted me with a smile and scratched his cheek, looking a bit embarrassed.

"It's been a while since I mentioned it. I'm sorry. I've been busy and couldn't get a day off."

Ludern wasn't wrong. There were only seven officially recognized Sword Masters on the continent.

Three were in the empire, and two were the emperor's bodyguards. They were always with the emperor, making it hard to take a break.

Of course, the delay was also due to Ludern's personality.

I was grateful he called me. Sparring with a Sword Master was a great opportunity.

"No, it's an honor to be called here."

"Right. Since we don't have much time, let's get started quickly."

Ludern drew his sword. The blue blade was revealed.

The famous sword, Qinghai. It was the Sword Master's sword I had only seen in the game. I gripped the handle of my sword, Yueming.