Chapter 32

It was simply amazing, and there was no other way to describe it.

Rio stared in shock at the knights swinging their swords.

Having seen the Ox-style swordsmanship taught by Rakudoi and various other styles of knightly swordsmanship and mercenary sword techniques shown by Kari, Rio had some knowledge of group combat and sword swinging. It was precisely because of this knowledge that he could recognize the abnormality in the knights' movements when compared to his own.

Rio had fought monkeys in the village. Although he had won decisively, it had been a real battle.

What was unfolding before his eyes was not a battle. It couldn't even be called a massacre. Like a clear stream carrying leaves, there was only the beauty of swordsmanship without any waste.

The monkeys, which were supposed to attack the knights, were being instantly killed without any resistance. The monkeys couldn't even react to the knights' swords.

The knights were swinging their swords with full force, compensating for each other's blind spots and gaps. There were probably forms, but because they were freely combined, the patterns were completely incomprehensible.

When one knight swung his sword low to cut the monkey's legs, another knight's sword struck the monkey's head from the exposed position above.

Another knight appeared smoothly in front of the two who had just swung their swords and pushed back the approaching monkeys with a series of thrusts.

It was amazing, and at the same time, Rio understood.

He realized that he had no talent for knightly swordsmanship.

Sometimes, he had to deflect attacks from his comrades, and without the strength to do so, it was impossible to wield group swordsmanship. To coordinate with his comrades, he couldn't be too far away, and he needed to conserve his strength and move in sync with his allies.

Rio's self-taught swordsmanship, which was geared towards short, decisive battles, was the complete opposite.

He had known this intellectually, but it was only now that he truly understood it.

"I can't do it..."

As he muttered, he also gained confidence that the direction of his self-taught swordsmanship was not wrong.

If there was anything to learn from, it would be from the monkeys on the east side, who were throwing mud balls from the trees.

Even though the knights were lightly armored for walking in the mountains, it was impossible for them to climb the trees.

When he thought about how they would attack, the knights, in groups of three, had two of them dedicated to blocking the mud balls while the third picked up the stones mixed in with the mud and threw them with enhanced strength, accurately piercing the monkeys' heads.

"Swordsmanship is..."

Hearing Rio's mutter, Rasmor shrugged.

"Because they are knights. They use not only swords but also throwing and spears. Can you reach those monkeys with your sword, Rio?"

"...Probably, I can."

The monkeys in the trees, however, were not on very high branches because the branches that could support their large bodies were limited. With enhanced strength, it was possible to approach using the tree trunk as a shield, cut the branches, and then finish them off.

Of course, this was only possible with Rio's agility.

Rasmor, realizing that Rio had a clear path to cutting the monkeys, watched him with great interest.

"Hmm, I'd like to see it, but it seems they will be finished without needing to be cut down. They managed to climb the branches, but they have no way to get down while dodging the stones."

"The knights' throwing skills and power were unexpected."

"Well, the knights here are among the elite of our household."

The monkeys were annihilated without any chance to escape or resist.

The knights suffered no damage, with only a bit of mud on their armor and not a single scratch.

Rasmor and his deputy exchanged glances and called out to Baldo and the others.

"You guys, I'm sorry, but you'll have to divide up and carry the dead monkeys. We can't leave them for the beasts to eat, as we need to investigate."

It was an order from the future lord. They couldn't refuse.

The dead monkeys, being large, were extremely heavy. Even with enhanced strength, they could only carry one at a time.

Regretting not bringing a backpack, they worked together with the knights to carry all the dead monkeys.

Rio carried a relatively small dead monkey on his back, wincing. The hard wooden board he used as armor was making his back hurt.

"Hey, why do we have to carry all of them? Even if they are needed for investigation, there are dead monkeys from the village attack..."

"There were no females among the monkeys that attacked the village."

"...What?"

Rio had never paid attention to the gender of the monkeys, but it was unlikely that a group of this size would have no females.

Realizing what Rasmor was concerned about, Rio looked up at the mountain peak.

"Is there a nest somewhere where these monkeys keep their females?"

"We suspect so. However, it's also possible that these monkeys are hard to distinguish by gender. For now, we will secure the bodies and conduct an autopsy."

It made sense when he heard the reason.

With the heavy load of the bodies, they didn't return to the village until the sun had set.

The village chief and Baldo watched as the knights gathered the bodies and began their inspection. They needed someone familiar with the local flora and fauna to examine the contents of the monkeys' stomachs and other aspects of their biology.

"You can go home, Rio. Have your dinner first. You can't eat in front of the future lord."

Following Baldo's words, Rio was allowed to go home quickly.

While walking the dark path back, Rio repeatedly replayed the knights' movements in his mind.

Was there anything he could apply to his own swordsmanship? What would he do if he faced them?

Even the way they swung and gripped their swords was full of hints, given that they were elite knights.

He couldn't help but smile.

"I should thank Lord Rasmor."

Grateful for the learning opportunity provided by Rasmor, he entered his house.

"I'm home—"

The moment he called out, Shiraha tackled him with a headbutt-like force.

"What!?"

"...You're late."

Confused by Shiraha's resentful glare, Rio looked at his mother in the kitchen.

His mother, smiling wryly, stopped cutting vegetables and answered Rio's question.

"Didn't you hear from Remini that you were safe?"

"Even if you were safe in the back, I didn't know how the front battle went. Well, I did get a message, but with you going into the mountains with the knights today, I was worried too."

"I see. Anyway, both my father and I are fine. And, Shiraha, can you let go—this is strong! Don't use body enhancement at a time like this!"

"...I won't let go."

"I've been walking in the mountains all day, so I'm sweaty. I want to wash!"

"I'll wash too."

"Don't try to naturally go to the bath together! Don't get any funny ideas!"

Seeing Rio and Shiraha playfully bickering, his mother laughed.

At this moment, every household in the village was probably filled with a brighter atmosphere than usual.

To put last night's chaos behind them.