Chapter 52

Leaving Bergsardi with the two of them, we head northeast.

Our destination is a fortress said to be located to the northeast. Among the places I've heard of, it's the one that seems most likely to have people.

Well, they might have already retreated, but I wanted to check it out at least once.

There's also supposed to be a Tower of the Sacred Flame, but getting close to it weakens monsters. Personally, it wasn't a place that particularly interested me.

The one accompanying me is, as usual, Lumina, and from now on, Hima, who will be joining our party.

This disciple seems unusually cheerful and is taking particularly good care of Lumina.

"So, teacher. It's okay for me to teach her, right?"

"Yeah. If you say something strange, I'll step in, but do your best, okay?"

"Umm... That puts a lot of pressure on me. But—"

Hima observes Lumina, who has finally started walking properly on the ground thanks to the tabi she got, intently.

Observing her from head to toe, Hima speaks up.

"She seems pretty easy to teach, this one."

"Hmm, you can tell?"

"Yes. She's like a blank page. Her body and movements are almost entirely natural, with no bad habits. There's hardly any need for correction."

I nod with a smile at Hima's words, which are spoken with a sense of wonder.

Perhaps because she was a fairy until she evolved, Lumina's body has almost no unnecessary elements.

Additionally, because she hardly ever walked before, she has no bad habits in her gait.

Now, if I correct her movements lightly, she can absorb them naturally.

Her body is like that of a baby transformed into a girl. Honestly, there's no one easier to teach.

"That's why she's perfect for your first student. Come on, you have something to teach her, right?"

"Okay, okay... Lumina, let's start over. I'm Hima, the only disciple of Teacher—Quon. From now on, I'll be teaching you the techniques of the Kuzen Shintō-ryū."

"Hi, I'm Lumina."

"Yes, nice to meet you. Well then... Let's start with an explanation of the Kuzen Shintō-ryū."

First, we need to explain the foundation of the Kuzen Shintō-ryū.

It's important to understand the principles on which our sword techniques are based.

As we step out of the town to the east, guiding Lumina with her small steps, Hima continues her explanation.

"The Kuzen Shintō-ryū is a martial art developed and nurtured on the battlefield. Its history can be traced back over six hundred years."

"Battlefield?"

"A place with many enemies, you could say. The Kuzen Shintō-ryū is a martial art designed to deal with many—moreover, heavily armored enemies."

I nod silently at Hima's explanation.

The Kuzen Shintō-ryū began when a swordsman, who survived many battles, passed on his techniques to others.

Holding the small sword, Kogarasumaru, he stood in many battles and never died.

The principles of this art are said to be the foundation of the Kuzen Shintō-ryū.

"That's why the principles of the Kuzen Shintō-ryū are focused on dealing with multiple opponents, opponents who are well-defended, and striking their weaknesses to kill them in one blow."

"Hmm...?"

"For example, the technique of deflecting attacks, Ryūsui, which Teacher often uses. The purpose is to deflect the opponent's attack without stopping, so you can immediately take action. The goal is to keep moving and strike the opponent's weakness, or to strike from above their defense... In short, to keep moving and take down the opponent in one blow. Remember this as the fundamental principle."

Lumina nods energetically, seeming to understand the last part.

Well, the fundamental principle is more of an ideal.

It's easy to say, but not so easy to achieve.

Even I can't claim to have fully realized it.

"Based on this principle, the Kuzen Shintō-ryū has four main techniques. These are the Cutting Techniques—Hard Form, Cutting Techniques—Soft Form, Striking Techniques, and Footwork... Teacher has mastered all of them."

"Wow, Dad!"

"Indeed. He's really beyond human..."

"Stop being so impressed, idiot."

I've worked hard to get to this point. While I may no longer be in the realm of ordinary humans, I need this disciple to eventually reach that level too.

It's a long road, but maybe it's time to show her one of the secret techniques.

The problem is, there aren't many opponents for that technique. We ended up fighting demons in different places, so it's not easy.

"Anyway—Lumina, do you understand the fundamentals of the Kuzen Shintō-ryū?"

"Um... To defeat many and tough opponents!"

"Rough, but... I guess that's enough for now."

I shrug at Hima's words.

Ideally, I'd like to delve deeper, but Lumina's mind is still that of a child.

Trying to explain the complex principles in detail would be like pushing against a closed door.

So, for now, this is fine. As long as she doesn't misunderstand the basics, she won't go too far off track.

"Well, with that in mind—show her a bit, Hima."

"Understood, Teacher."

As we move away from the road, as expected, monsters appear.

They are a group of goblins, the same ones that appeared during the carriage escort.

Leading them is a large, pig-faced monster.

■Goblin Fighter

Type: Monster

Level: 15

Status: Active

Attribute: None

Battle Position: Ground

■Orc

Type: Monster

Level: 19

Status: Active

Attribute: None

Battle Position: Ground

The opponents are three Goblin Fighters and one Orc.

Responding to the Orc's shrill cries, the goblins run towards us.

Hima steps forward a few paces to meet them.

Holding her sword in a ready stance, she closes the distance with sliding steps, hardly changing her posture.

Footwork—Shukuchi.

"Hmm, I see. You can use it for that distance now."

It's only a few meters, but she's using the technique properly.

Her execution is impressive—so much so that the goblins, suddenly seeing Hima in front of them, are taken aback and stop moving.

This plays right into Hima's hands. Once the goblins are disoriented by the footwork, the next move is a swift, fatal strike.

Hima slashes one goblin diagonally, and before it falls, she strikes the next one.

Cutting Technique—Hard Form, Shōrō.

The lightning-fast upward swing, powered by a knee kick, catches the goblin off guard.

The goblin screams as it takes the blow.

Of course, it doesn't stop there; the follow-up strike kills the second goblin.

"Look, Lumina. She's not stopping, right?"

"Yes, she's always moving!"

"Always keep moving and maintain a favorable position. Do you understand why?"

"Um... If there are many enemies, you might get surrounded?"

"Yes, exactly. And to keep moving, you need to take down opponents with as few moves as possible—"

Seeing the goblins fall so quickly, the Orc, shaking its massive body, charges with a roar.

However, with the distance so wide, there's little point in trying to stop it.

Hima, who has already dispatched the remaining goblin, turns her sword towards the Orc.

The Orc swings its large axe at Hima—

Cutting Technique—Soft Form, Ryūsui.

Hima's blade deflects the attack, throwing the Orc off balance.

Taking advantage of this, Hima moves to the side—

"—and this is how you deflect the attack without stopping and immediately counterattack."

Cutting Technique—Soft and Hard Intersection, Senkazero.

A sharp thrust from close range, powered by upper body movement alone.

A rather unconventional attack in the Kuzen Shintō-ryū, combining the principles of both the Soft and Hard Forms.

Naturally, it's difficult, and even a senior disciple can't handle all the techniques.

For Hima to execute it so flawlessly, even if it's just one, is a testament to her skill.

The thrust from Hima's low stance penetrates the gap between the Orc's ribs, destroying its heart.

The humanoid monster can't withstand the blow and dies instantly.

Hima pulls her sword out, wipes the blood, and turns back with a bright smile.

"Hehe, how was that, Teacher!"

"You're still a kid. But yeah, it was a good execution. A good example."

Except for Senkazero, the techniques were visually clear.

In terms of being a teaching example for Lumina, it was a good job.

Of course, from an efficiency standpoint, using just Ryūsui there wasn't ideal.

If she had used a derivative of Ryūsui, she could have killed the Orc more efficiently.

But since the purpose was to show Lumina an example, I won't nitpick.

"For now... Lumina will learn to fight like this."

"However, you don't need to give up magic. Since you can use it, make the most of it."

I have no interest in that, but there's no need to deny a useful skill.

Lumina, being a sprite, is naturally adept at magic.

She even has a skill to enhance it, so it would be a waste to discard it.

"Hmm... But how do I do that?"

"Well, let's start with how to hold the sword."

Hima takes out the wakizashi I gave her and hands it to Lumina.

Hold the right hand at the top, gripping strongly with the pinky, but loosely with the index finger.

Hold the left hand at the bottom, without hooking the pinky on the handle wrap.

Beginners tend to grip too tightly, but a sword shouldn't be held that way.

It's important to maintain a relaxed grip and tighten it only at the moment of attack.

In the Kuzen Shintō-ryū, the grip—known as 'te-no-uchi'—is closer to the tsuba, which is useful for thrusts and makes it easier to apply Ryūsui.

"Basic things are manageable, but the challenge is how to teach the principles."

Teaching footwork and stances shouldn't be too difficult.

But the real challenge is the principles of the Kuzen Shintō-ryū.

Without mastering them, one can't call themselves a Kuzen Shintō-ryū swordsman.

However, with Lumina's current build, attempting to execute them would likely end in failure.

So, for now—

"—we'll do observation training."

I shrug and murmur.

Our destination is the fortress to the northeast. How much I can show her before we get there—

I smile slightly, strategizing in my head.

■Avatar Name: Quon

■Gender: Male

■Race: Human

■Level: 16

■Status (Remaining Status Points: 0)

STR: 19

VIT: 14

INT: 19

MND: 14

AGI: 12

DEX: 12

■Skills

Weapon Skill: 《Sword: Lv.16》

Magic Skill: 《Enhancement Magic: Lv.12》

Set Skills: 《Dead Point Strike: Lv.13》

《MP Auto Recovery: Lv.7》

《Plundering Sword: Lv.9》

《Identification: Lv.12》

《Sword of Life: Lv.11》

《Sword of Demon Slaying: Lv.5》

《Tame: Lv.5》

《HP Auto Recovery: Lv.6》

Sub Skills: 《Mining: Lv.1》

Title Skill: 《Blessing of the Fairy》

■Current SP: 14

■Avatar Name: Hima

■Gender: Female

■Race: Human

■Level: 20

■Status (Remaining Status Points: 0)

STR: 21

VIT: 14

INT: 18

MND: 17

AGI: 14

DEX: 14

■Skills

Weapon Skill: 《Sword: Lv.20》

Magic Skill: 《Fire Magic: Lv.14》

Set Skills: 《Ki: Lv.15》

《Spell Charge: Lv.8》

《Fire Attribute Enhancement: Lv.11》

《Healing Proficiency: Lv.8》

《Identification: Lv.11》

《Dead Point Strike: Lv.11》

《Combat: Lv.13》

《Battle Skills: Lv.14》

《Endurance: Lv.12》

Sub Skills: 《Gathering: Lv.7》

《Mining: Lv.4》

Title Skill: 《Scarlet Sword Princess》

■Current SP: 18

■Monster Name: Lumina

■Gender: Female

■Race: Sprite

■Level: 3

■Status (Remaining Status Points: 0)

STR: 11

VIT: 10

INT: 27

MND: 19

AGI: 15

DEX: 13

■Skills

Weapon Skill: None

Magic Skill: 《Light Magic》

Skills: 《Light Attribute Enhancement》

《Flight》

《High Magic Resistance》

《Low Physical Resistance》

《MP Auto Mega Recovery》

《Wind Magic》

Title Skill: 《Servant of the Spirit King》