Chapter 25

Having graduated from street fighting, I am now practicing with weapons seriously with Shrigan. It's been a year, hasn't it?

"Your Highness! You've got some good muscle! It's impressive!"

"There's no way! Stop flattering me!"

Up! Down! Up! Down!

First, we practice the one-handed sword forms! We coordinate our strikes like in fencing!

"Kids always want to learn more amazing techniques or secret moves!"

Clang! Clank! Clang! Clank!

When a sword is swung low, I block it low; when it's swung high, I block it high!

Forward! Back! Forward! Back!

"You always want to do these kinds of things! You hate form practice!"

Pant, pant, wheeze, wheeze. Time for a break.

"But Your Highness has been doing this for a whole year without a single complaint."

"I can't do anything if I don't have the basics down..."

"That's what makes you amazing."

"Okay, okay, you don't have to praise me just because Cerea is watching."

Today, Cerea is watching us practice. She's reading a book for her lessons while doing so. Since we keep doing the same thing over and over, I wonder if she's getting bored?

When I sit down and collapse, she brings me a water bottle and hands it to me. As I drink it, she puts a towel on my head and wipes my sweat. She's so kind. My hair is all messy now.

"In battle, you don't have time to think. Your body has to move on its own without thinking, or you'll lose. You're fighting opponents who do just that."

"Does Shrigan fight without thinking?"

"Yeah, I do."

I don't think that's a good idea... But maybe that's the secret to Shrigan's strength. He's like a wild animal. Can I mimic that?

"The sword attacks come in a continuous stream without a moment's pause. If you try to think during a fight, your body needs to move on its own, or you'll get hit."

"That makes sense."

"So, someone like Your Highness, who wants to use their head in battle, needs to train their body to move without thinking. There are twenty forms for the one-handed sword. Once you can do those, we'll move on to the two-handed sword."

"Understood."

"Shrigan, what's that?"

Cerea points at the self-defense tool on Shrigan's belt.

"It's a truncheon, a self-defense tool."

"Can you show it to me?"

"It's just a plain iron rod. I always carry it, even when you two go out."

"I remember, Shrigan, you don't carry a sword when you go out in disguise."

"If I carried a sword, everyone would know I'm guarding a noble. So, I just carry this. I tuck it into my pants so it's not visible. Didn't you notice?"

Cerea takes the iron rod and looks at it, surprised.

"This is a jutte."

"A jutte?"

"Yes, it's an old weapon. It appears in the stories I know... from my past life."

Cerea is referring to her 'past life knowledge' here.

It's about the length of your forearm, with a hook-like metal piece extending from the grip in an L-shape.

"A jutte, huh? I call it a hook truncheon. Why is it called a jutte?"

Cerea giggles.

I ask, "Did you come up with this, Shrigan?"

"Iron rods of this length have existed for hundreds of years. I just had a metal piece added to make it easier to carry in my pants."

Cerea points at the hook part of the truncheon.

"You can do more than just hit with it. You can block, twist, and pin down swords with this hook. There are ten ways to use it, which is why it's called a jutte. It's used by people who patrol the city to subdue troublemakers and catch criminals."

Shrigan is impressed.

"I've actually used this to arrest a few hooligans. It seems like it can be used that way."

Shrigan takes the truncheon back and examines it.

"The hook is made sturdy and large to block swords. Yeah, I can see how this could work!"

"That's cool. I want to learn how to use it."

"I want you to learn how to use it, Shin. It's a weapon used by those who uphold justice to subdue criminals!"

When Cerea says this, I really want to learn it too!

"Most boys think swords are cooler, but you're different, Your Highness."

"But with a sword, you might hurt the other person. If I can subdue someone without a sword, that's better."

"I don't want you to kill anyone either."

"Don't get ahead of yourself. You need to be three times stronger than a common bandit before you can even think about that. How can you read your opponent's moves when you can't even handle your own sword? Let's continue the practice!"

"Okay."

We're going out for a rare day off. We go on a date in the town below the castle about once a month.

Right now, the annual council meeting is being held in the capital, where nobles from all over the country gather. So, we're taking a break from our lessons at the palace.

Since we'd just be in the way at the palace, we decided to go out. Cerea's father, Duke Colette, is staying in his mansion in the capital during the meeting. I haven't seen him in a while...

He knows we're already married, so he asks, "Do you have any children yet?" Please stop joking. We're only twelve, you know?

Even at twelve, Shrigan and Bell still come with us on dates. They keep a proper distance now and don't interfere with our date.

"Today, we're going to the bookstore, the general store... and a concert!"

"I'm looking forward to it!"

It's something we both really wanted to do. It's nice to share the same interests.

"Shin..."

Cerea tugs at my sleeve. I see a girl crying on the street corner. A suspicious-looking man is standing in front of her, trying to calm her down. It doesn't feel safe.

"What's going on?"

When we approach and ask, both of them look at us. The girl looks to be about our age. She has light brown hair with curly waves, and she's quite cute.

"Your... Your Highness..."

The man almost calls me 'Your Highness' but I quickly put a finger to my lips to silence him. I recognize him; he's a member of the royal guard.

Shrigan and Bell approach discreetly.

"What's wrong, Schwaltz?"

"Ah, Squad Leader..."

Shrigan's presence surprises Schwaltz, who then whispers, "We have a bit of a problem."

Schwaltz and I have a quiet conversation. Bell is comforting the girl, but she's still crying.

"What were you doing?"

"I'm sorry..."

"Explain."

Schwaltz explains reluctantly.

"We do guard duty even on our days off when asked. Today, I was assigned to guide the son of Viscount Wyls and his fiancée, Silfa."

It sounds like we're doing the same thing.

"But the son of Viscount Wyls left the scene on his own, and since I was the only guard, I couldn't leave Silfa alone to search for him. I was at a loss..."

That's a tough situation!

"I'm sorry."

"No, it's not your fault. It's unexpected when the person you're guarding leaves on their own. It's understandable."

Shrigan is right. There are rules for both the guards and the people they protect. If you leave the guard, you're putting them in a difficult position. If something happens, the guard will be blamed. It's not right for a noble's child to act so irresponsibly.

"Let's search for him. What does he look like?"

"He's dressed differently from a commoner, wearing a navy blazer, short pants, long socks, a red scarf, and a checkered hat. He has black hair and is twelve years old."

"Let's go, Shrigan, Schwaltz."

"Okay."

"Yes, Your Highness!"

"Here, no 'Your Highness'!"

The three of us search the lower town. We find him surprisingly quickly. He was eating fried chicken at a café.

"Hey, kid."

He glares at us from his seat. He has a noble's refined features, but he looks down on us in a way that's unpleasant.

"What do you want?"

"What are you doing, leaving the girl behind?"

"It's none of your business."

"It is. Silfa was crying. Go back to her."

"Shut up. Who are you?"

He flips his chair and stands up. He's a bit taller than me.

"Do you think you can talk to me like that?"

"I do. You're a lowlife for making a girl cry."

"You!"

He grabs my collar. In this situation, I push his hands away with both of mine and jump up, causing my jacket buttons to fly off.

Surprised by my resistance, I kick his legs and make him fall. I don't kick his groin, of course, as that could cause serious problems later.

"You bastard!"

He gets up and tries to punch me. I dodge with a sway.

He's in a boxing stance, but that's a working-class fighting style. I don't know where he learned it, but punches don't kill people. It's not a useful technique in battle.

I grab his arm, throw him over my shoulder, and slam him onto the cobblestones. It's more effective on a hard surface like this. I could break his neck if I threw him from a height, but I don't do that.

"You scum!"

He kicks me from the ground. Throwing techniques aren't very effective between children because of the lack of height. It's a bit disappointing.

I grab his kicking leg, spin around, and flip him onto his stomach, then lean back to apply a reverse scorpion hold.

"Ow! Damn it! Let me go!"

"Give up!"

"Never! Hey! Guard! Take care of this guy!"

He yells at Schwaltz, who has been watching the whole time. Schwaltz, looking pale, is held by Shrigan.

"Boy, throughout history, adults don't interfere in children's fights..."

Shrigan grins, and the boy turns pale. He looks like he's met a demon or a monster.

"Give up!"

"Ah! I give up! I give up! Let me go!"

When I let him go, the townspeople who had gathered around applaud. He doesn't seem like he'll try to fight again. The fight is over.

"Your Highness, you're too good at fighting."

Schwaltz says this, and Shrigan, with a matter-of-fact look, replies:

"The first thing I taught my little brother was how to fight."

"What did you teach him, Squad Leader?"

Schwaltz looks exasperated. It's not something a prince should do, I guess.

Thank you for always reporting typos. I appreciate your help, as I often miss them even after multiple readings.

Regarding the jutte in the story, I know the correct pronunciation is "jitte" or "jittei" (from the works of Yumio Naga and Masahiro Ide). However, "jutte" is more commonly used in period dramas, and many viewers wouldn't understand "jitte." Also, since Cerea, a child who learned from period dramas, would find "jitte" strange, I will use "jutte" consistently in the story.

Next: "25. Double Date"