Chapter 65

4/15 3 PM - Resubmission

I messed up with the scheduled post again... This is the official version.

"───Then, let's go."

"Yeah, please."

Three months had passed in the blink of an eye.

Since then, Gilbert has been accompanying me in my training every day.

"Dragon Extermination Extreme Flash Thrust"

From a distance where his voice could barely be heard, Gilbert's spear thrusts instantly reach before my eyes.

I gauge the sharp tip and strike it with the black sword in my hand.

"Clang"

Instantly, a fierce friction occurs between the sword and the spear, and golden sparks scatter around.

By striking the tip with my sword, Gilbert's golden spear's trajectory is slightly altered, grazing the side of my neck instead of reaching my throat.

"Please, one more time."

"───Damn, can't help it... Next time, it won't be like this, okay?"

"Yeah, please."

What I do every day is to gauge and deflect Gilbert's attacks, which come at an incredibly fast speed.

He never misses a day of this monotonous training, never complains, and just keeps accompanying me.

Gilbert's attacks are sharp.

Moreover, each attack becomes progressively faster and sharper with each repetition.

It seems he adjusts the speed to match my growth, but each attack is still a matter of life and death for me.

───Absolutely, no room for error.

Training in a nearly extreme situation where death is always on my mind.

He has been giving me such days.

"Dragon Extermination Extreme Flash Thrust"

Gilbert's spear becomes sharper day by day.

I have to adjust my movements accordingly every day.

Therefore, the way I use my sword to deflect the spear has gradually changed.

At first, I was striking the "black sword" with all my might.

Rather, I had no time to think about anything else and could only deflect with all my strength.

───But now, it's a bit different.

Instead of striking the spear with all my might, I just touch the tip.

I don't resist the force coming towards me but let it flow like a caress.

Since I mastered this, I feel my ability to respond to direct attacks has improved significantly.

All of this is thanks to Gilbert, who always accompanies me in training.

Gilbert's attacks are fast.

They close the distance in an instant, faster than the blink of an eye, aiming for my throat.

If it were the old me, I would have surely lost my life without even being able to see his spear.

But───

"Clang"

That's all in the past now.

Now, I can somehow deflect his incredibly fast spear.

Of course, it's only because he has been so patient and persistent in training with me.

Sometimes, when I strike the sword with all my might, his golden spear even broke.

I thought I had done something wrong, but he laughed and forgave me.

Apparently, his spear has a mysterious power called "imbued," which allows it to return to its original state after a day.

Indeed, this man is───not only incredibly strong but also broad-minded and kind.

As I feel a renewed sense of respect for the man before me, Gilbert lowers his spear.

"I'm sorry, but that's it for today. I have something to do now."

"Alright. Thanks for today. I appreciate it."

"Hey…… Do you really mean that?

……Well, it's fine.

By the way, I accidentally told a friend about this place the other day…… Your master wants to come, he said."

"Master? Who is that?"

"You'll know when you meet him. You know him."

"Alright. Thanks for today. For accompanying me."

"Well, it's mutual, I guess. If you really mean it, though."

"……Alright, it's nice to hear that."

"Still, I don't feel like we're having a proper conversation…… I'm off then.

……Ah, my whole body hurts…… I need to get it healed before work."

Gilbert said this, shouldered his spear, and left.

Not long after, the sound of someone walking towards this place could be heard.

I waited for the sound to get closer, and then I saw a familiar face walking towards me.

It was the sword instructor who took care of me when I was a child.

"Instructor, why are you here?"

"……I heard about this place from Gilbert."

As he said this, the instructor took out a sword from the white, glowing sheath he was carrying and handed it to me.

"It's a holy silver sword. There are two.

Before you leave for Misra, I want to have a practice match with you."

"……Instructor and me?

That's a rare request, but I already have a sword."

"Sorry, but that sword is too special. I want to do this on equal terms with the same sword."

"Alright."

I put down the black sword as instructed and took the sword he offered.

At that moment───the instructor's slash came flying.

I immediately drew the sword I had just received and deflected it.

The silver swords clashed, and small sparks scattered.

"───This sword is surprisingly light."

"Compared to what you usually carry. Try swinging it a bit more."

"Alright."

I leaned the sheath of the sword I had received against the root of a nearby tree and tried kicking up a small branch at my feet, then cut it with the silver sword I had been given.

The blade was unexpectedly sharp, and the branch was cut into pieces without any resistance.

───I can't feel the weight of the sword at all.

It feels like I'm swinging a bird's feather.

I only feel a sense of discomfort.

……Maybe I've gotten too used to the heavy sword.

"Are you used to it?"

"No, I still feel uncomfortable."

The sword is too light, making me feel uneasy.

"You'll get used to it soon."

Again, the instructor's slash came flying.

This time, from above and both sides, three directions at once.

I deflected them with one swing, and a large spark scattered.

───Still, the lightness is uncomfortable.

It feels like my hands are floating.

But, by sparring like this, I feel like I'm getting used to it.

"Right, I feel like I'm starting to get a sense of it."

"───Alright. Let's continue for a while."

"Please."

Without even getting into a stance, dozens of slashes came from the right and left, almost simultaneously.

I focused my attention and deflected each one with minimal movement.

"Clang"

Again, sparks scattered.

We continued sparring for a while.

As I repeated this, I gradually got used to the light sword.

"Maybe I'm getting used to it a bit."

"Alright. Let's increase the number of attacks."

The moment the instructor finished speaking, slashes came from above and behind, almost simultaneously.

There was no time to think about how to deflect them.

I just deflected them one by one as they came into view.

───It's truly astonishing.

Slashes came from all directions at an incredible speed, leaving no time to catch my breath.

But, this is probably not even the instructor's full strength.

He probably considers this just a warm-up.

……The instructor hasn't even used his [Skill] yet.

"───Then, let's start."

The instructor finally got into a stance.

───The atmosphere has clearly changed.

The air around us felt heavy and tense, as if it could cut through my body just by standing there.

"Noel. I'm going to swing my sword seriously. Be prepared."

The instructor spoke to me calmly, but his words barely registered.

Just standing there, I felt tense, and my heart was racing.

Am I feeling the danger to my life right now?

Just by facing the instructor.

"……But, this isn't a fight to the death. Let's make it a rule that the one who moves from this spot loses."

"Alright, that's fine."

"Then───I'll use [Skill] from here. Are you ready?"

───[Skill].

The technique I saw demonstrated during my training days, where a thousand slashes are delivered in an instant.

The instructor is going to use it.

Logically, it would be reckless for me to face such a technique.

But───I want to see it.

I want to experience it myself, not just watch.

I agreed out of pure curiosity.

"Alright, please."

───I've done it.

"Then───let's go."

In an instant───the sword disappeared.

"[Thousand Blades]"

───Before I knew it, thousands of sword shadows were dancing around me.

"Clang"

By the time I realized it, I had already deflected them.

There was no time to think; my body reacted to the slashes on its own.

Fortunately, the sword in my hand was light.

Thanks to that, I barely managed to deflect them in time.

───Thousands of sparks scattered instantly.

Each time the swords clashed, the blades were worn down and emitted flashes of light.

With each clash, I could feel the blade slightly chipping away.

Hundreds, thousands of collisions occurred in the blink of an eye, and I could feel the sword wearing down in an instant.

───It's fast.

Too fast.

While I was still in shock, the instructor's sword strikes accelerated even more.

───I can't keep up with the counterattacks.

"───It's really amazing."

Then───ten thousand sparks scattered before my eyes.

This is───the [Skill] I've always admired since I was a child.

The skill of a being far above me.

Each time the swords clashed, the blades wore down and heated up, feeling as if they were melting.

Without even needing to confirm with my eyes, I could feel the swords thinning.

───The sword is about to break.

The instructor continued to strike without any regard for this.

He just kept delivering slashes relentlessly.

───An overwhelming and terrifying presence, and an incredible level of skill.

A storm of sword strikes came from all directions, simultaneously attacking me.

The quantity and speed were far beyond what I could follow with my eyes.

But───

"Clang"

Trained with Gilbert's spear, I somehow managed to catch the rain of slashes with the corner of my eye and deflected them one by one carefully.

Sparks scattered even more intensely, and the entire area was enveloped in countless flashes of light, making me feel like I was a ball of fire.

The blade of the silver sword in my hand quickly wore down and disappeared.

It could break at any moment.

But if I miss even one, my entire body will be cut to pieces.

Such is the intensity of the slashes.

The opponent doesn't even allow a moment's rest.

I can't even blink.

I forget to breathe and just keep sparring.

This went on for what felt like an eternity.

I thought I had become a bit stronger through training with Gilbert.

I had gained some confidence that I could handle it if I encountered the "Goblin Emperor."

But───it's so different.

The instructor's strength was several levels beyond what I had imagined.

The real thing was much, much stronger than I had imagined.

Both Gilbert and this instructor, the people in this country───are truly beyond my comprehension.

───I can't help but realize this.

"[Thousand Blades]"

"Clang"

───Snap.

The sword, having reached its limit, broke and flew into the air.

The two swords, each breaking neatly in half, rotated and flew high into the sky before deeply piercing the ground.

"───That's it, then."

After seeing the broken swords pierce the ground, the instructor lowered his stance and declared the end of the practice.

"I'm sorry for making you go along with my whim.

But, seeing your growth───I really feel good about it."

"Yeah, I also enjoyed seeing the instructor's skills up close.

……I almost died, though."

"Alright."

Holding the broken swords, we laughed together.

By the time we realized, the sun was setting, and the surroundings were dyed red by the sunset.

───It feels nostalgic.

I remember practicing with the instructor until the sun set, just like this, fifteen years ago.

"───Noel.

Protect Lady Linneburg, Ines, and Lolo.

If anything happens, you can rely on you."

"Yeah, of course…… I'll do my best within my capabilities."

Well, they are incredibly strong, and I don't usually have a role to play.

But if something happens, I'll do my best.

That's why I've been training with Gilbert.

"───Hearing that is enough."

The instructor smiled happily, put the broken swords back into their sheaths, and quietly left the scene.