Chapter 93

"Haahaaaaaah!"

The long wooden sword, as large as a great katana, was brought down. If it were to hit, even a wooden sword could be fatal.

The one who unleashed it was a tall man, over two meters in height, the instructor of the Kugenshinryu Zanpo-Go kata, Kusaba Shuzo.

I countered his powerful strike, which aimed to crush me from above, by swinging my wooden sword simultaneously.

Zanpo -- Soft Kata, Ryusui.

Kusaba seemed to be trying to break through my Ryusui, but by slightly altering the angle, I could deflect it.

That single strike slipped sideways, stopping without hitting the floor.

Previously, he had broken the floorboards with the momentum, and received a stern warning. It seems he has learned from that experience.

In a real fight, the tip of the sword would be striking the ground, and if the ground were hard, the sword might break.

Shuzo immediately followed up with a horizontal slash, but this was rather what I hoped for.

I raised my wooden sword and stepped forward, pressing it with my handguard.

Zanpo -- Soft Kata, Ryusui-Fubu.

Riding the momentum of Shuzo's strike, I moved behind him.

Sticking closely to him, it would be difficult for others to interfere.

And then—

Houpo -- Bashan.

With a power restrained enough not to crack the floor, I delivered a shock through his left shoulder.

At that moment, Shuzo's massive body flew forward in a ridiculous manner.

"Doahaaaaaaaah!?"

"Ku—!?"

Houpo -- Resshin.

As I fell forward, I leaped out, following Shuzo.

This way, I was about to collide with Shuzo, who had been blown away, and another person who barely avoided the impact—my niece, the instructor of the naginata, Kugenshinryu Kozono Yuko.

"Ah, Onii—"

"—Too slow."

Zanpo -- Hard Kata, Takebetsu.

With a sweeping strike from below, I knocked the handle of Yuko's naginata, sending it flying.

She had tried to deflect it with Ryusui, but with her stance off-balance, she couldn't deflect my strike.

Yuko, with her arms flung up, was slightly leaning back. I approached her further, stepping behind her and striking the handle of my raised blade.

Houpo -- Tokkin.

"Ugh!?"

Struck lightly on the forehead with the butt of the handle, Yuko fell backward.

Though she managed to take a defensive position, the pain in her forehead made it difficult for her to get up.

Knowing I would be scolded later, I swung my wooden sword horizontally.

Zanpo -- Soft Kata, Haikiri.

The sweeping strike, as I turned around, was intercepted by a short wooden sword—just then, my strike was deflected, and it changed course to target the shoulder of the man who had attacked me, the instructor of the Soft Kata, Mizunoge Renji.

Renji, who was about to attack me with his other small katana, stopped to defend himself.

At that moment, I put more force into my blade.

Zanpo -- Hard Kata, Takebetsu.

"Gu, oh…!"

About to be overwhelmed by my strike, Renji hastily blocked it with his other wooden sword.

Though he intercepted my strike with his crossed small katana, he couldn't withstand the force and his knees buckled.

Stepping forward to crush his feet—two presences approached.

"Nun…!"

"Haahaaaah!"

It was Asuka and the instructor of the Houpo, Shido Gentai, who were about to strike me as I stopped.

They had been waiting for the moment I paused.

Renji could stop me, so they timed their attack.

Indeed, it was a good judgment—though there was a slight doubt, which made them a beat late.

"Yoh!"

"What!?"

"Choh—"

I kicked off the ground, using the wooden sword that was being held as a pivot, and rotated over Renji's head.

Asuka's attack, which was about to hit Renji, was abruptly stopped—causing a slight pause in their movement.

Just before landing, I kicked Renji's back, and with a sweeping turn, I deflected Asuka's wooden sword.

Then, I pointed the tip of my wooden sword at Gentai, who stumbled and collided with Renji, and stepped on Renji's foot, stopping all movement.

"Huh… Alright, that's enough."

"Ugh… Instructor, did I go a bit too far?"

"You're tough. It's fine to go a bit more serious, right?"

Shuzo, who had been blown away by Bashan and hit the wall, protested, holding his face.

I lightly tapped my shoulder with the wooden sword and told him, and Shuzo sighed deeply, dropping his shoulders.

Well, he himself doesn't hold back when performing the Hard Kata.

Even if I was a bit rough, I doubt I'll be punished.

"Alright, that's the end of today's free sparring. Each of you, find your weaknesses and improve for next time."

"Understood, Instructor. But… it seems your skills have improved recently."

"Hmm? No, I don't think so… though I do feel like I'm regaining my old instincts."

"Old instincts? That is…"

In response to my answer, Renji narrowed his eyes—his gaze was directed at Asuka.

Noticing this, the other instructors also focused their gaze on Asuka.

As for Asuka, her expression tensed, and she hurriedly approached me, pushing me forcefully.

"Come on, Mr. Instructor! We have things to do today!"

"Huh? Oh, right, we do… Well, don't slack off, you guys."

Guided by Asuka, who was pushing my back, we left the training hall.

However, the instructors' gazes followed us until we disappeared from the door.

* * * * *

Upon logging in, I felt a more relaxed atmosphere—essentially, the kind of atmosphere you feel during a festival.

The city had been successfully defended from the demon invasion. It's understandable that the locals are celebrating, and the event results are of interest to the foreigners as well.

As a result, the situation has developed into something like a half-festival.

"…I can't help but feel there's something behind this."

Thinking of Eleonora, who has become a close friend, I called out Lumin using the familiar crystal.

Given Eleonora's business-savvy nature, she's probably using this situation to hold a sale.

It's just a guess, but it's hard to imagine Eleonora doing nothing in this situation.

I could go to the 'Eleonora Guild' to check, but there's not much time before the results are announced. I should put it off for now.

"Father, it feels very bright, doesn't it?"

"It's because of the victory. Observe well, this is part of what you have protected."

"…I did?"

"By slaying the demons, you saved people. Understand this well."

The mindset of standing on the battlefield is not an easy one.

I, too, have gone through many struggles to reach this point. I have also considered a life of looking back and finding value in it.

However, that life was not for me.

Glancing at Lumin, she seemed to be observing the surroundings with a faint smile.

It seems she had some thoughts.

"…I could do something, too."

"You have chosen to do what you want and have come this far. But the results of your actions don't just affect you. They can be good or bad. That's why you must think carefully."

"Yes, thank you, Father."

By evolving into a Valkyrie and fighting, Lumin has achieved a kind of goal.

Enchanted by my sword and choosing the path of the sword, the answer she found is just the beginning of her journey.

There is still much to learn. I need to teach her more than just combat techniques.

Though Lumin is not my disciple in the strict sense, as Oakes said, I need to look after her.

Smiling at Lumin, who was looking around with narrowed eyes, I turned my gaze to the approaching presence.

"Sorry, Mr. Instructor. Did I keep you waiting?"

"It's not much time, don't worry… but we don't have much time to spare."

"True… let's hurry."

The results will be announced in front of the castle, the center of the city.

It's designed for the king to give a speech, so it has a large space and is well-suited for addressing a crowd.

However, it's impossible to fit all the players within the grounds.

Those who can't enter the square will be able to watch via a live stream.

We have already taken care of that, so we can walk leisurely. I asked Fushin, who was walking beside me.

"So, Fushin. What are the criteria for the results announcement?"

"Well… the awards are divided into individual, party, and clan categories, and the main evaluation criteria are the number of enemies defeated and the protection of the locals."

"Protection of the locals… the eastern side didn't receive any attacks, right?"

"In that case, a large bonus is given to the overall score. There are also prizes for the top performers."

I wonder how the suppression of the demons will be counted.

We can't calculate it ourselves, and the formula is beyond our control.

However, if the number of defeats is included in the calculation, I should have a good score.

I'm confident that my individual defeat count is top-class.

Thinking about it, I'm somewhat looking forward to this announcement.

"By the way, Mr. Instructor. You said you have a seat reserved…"

"Yes, I was invited by Eleonora when I went to request equipment repairs. They should have no trouble securing seats."

"True. I also want to pick up the repaired equipment later."

Weapons that were almost broken can be restored to like-new condition by Fino.

However, the white steel katana that Fushin used and broke will need to be remade.

Breaking it due to a mistake is a bit of a problem, but I've already given her a lecture about it.

"Ah, Father, there are people from the guild over there."

"Oh, well done, Lumin."

With more people around, the view was obstructed, but Lumin, who had flown up a bit with her wings, spotted the 'Eleonora Guild' members.

Lumin, with her shining wings, was noticeable, and they waved back.

It seems Eleonora herself has come.

"Hey, are you off work today?"

"Well, it's a game, but… I guess it's work, too… Anyway, I finished the parts that can't run without me yesterday, so it's fine."

Anyway, she seems busy, but she can spare the time.

I wonder if she needs to be so busy even in the game… but in Eleonora's case, the organization wouldn't function without her.

Perhaps it's a side effect of her high abilities… I can't help but feel she has a workaholic tendency.

"The seats are already reserved. Let's go."

"Sure, thanks for the help."

The announcement will start in a few