Chapter 4

Stepping on several circles drawn on the ground, Rio thrust at a log that he had set up as an enemy with his wooden sword. While paying attention to his center of gravity, he mixed in decisive steps within his light footwork to increase the momentum of his thrusts. After a few days of developing his own style of swordsmanship, this thrust had finally taken shape. The log, which he had set up as an enemy, had multiple spots gouged out by his wooden sword, and the depth of these gouges was increasing day by day.

Rio's precise and sharp thrusts allowed him to quickly switch to a step to either maintain distance or close in after an attack. However, without any practical combat experience, he wasn't sure if this would work in a real fight.

"The most frightening thing is the counterattack."

Murmuring this, he lowered his wooden sword and did some light stretching to loosen his muscles.

"...Practicing on your own?"

Hearing a familiar voice, Rio turned his head over his shoulder. Kalil was looking at him with interest, holding a bottle of alcohol in his hand.

"Kalil, what do you need?"

"It's work. Is your father at home, or in the fields?"

"He's already back home today."

"That's good. If he went to the fields with his drunk legs, he'd slip and fall into the ditch."

Kalil let out a cheerful laugh, perhaps helped along by the alcohol. However, his eyes were observing Rio's wooden sword, the log, and the circles drawn on the ground.

"You're not just practicing on your own, are you? The footwork is different from the village kids' swordsmanship. The sword is shorter, and the angle of the thrusts is odd. Is this your own style?"

"Can you tell?"

"Anyone who has studied swordsmanship can tell. The underlying philosophy is completely different. The village kids' style is knightly, but yours is that of an adventurer or a thug. It's a personal technique that doesn't count anyone else as part of your fighting force."

"Come to think of it, you used to be an adventurer, didn't you?"

"Yeah. Do you want to hear the ramblings of a one-armed nobody?"

Kalil laughed self-deprecatingly and shook the bottle of alcohol in his right hand.

"Do you have any advice?"

"...What, you want to hear it? You're throwing me off."

Kalil shrugged as if disappointed and pointed at Rio's feet with the bottle of alcohol.

"Use your feet and kicks without relying too much on your sword."

"...I see."

Rio, who had only been thinking about how to handle his sword, nodded in agreement with Kalil's words. Seeing this, Kalil smiled wryly.

"I think I understand why you're the only one who doesn't go to the dojo. You're the only honest kid, while the others are brats."

"From the dojo kids' perspective, I'm probably the brat."

"It depends on the point of view."

As Kalil was about to end the conversation and looked towards Rio's house, Baldur came out of the house. He must have heard their conversation, as he called out to Kalil without any surprise.

"What's up?"

"I came to ask about the evil beast ape. Was this the first time you saw it?"

Kalil asked casually, shaking the bottle to check the remaining alcohol. Baldur frowned at the bottle in Kalil's hand.

"Drinking in the middle of the day? I saw the evil beast ape for the first time."

"Let me ask this just to be sure, did you see any other evil beasts around Rio's height?"

"...Wait, what do you mean?"

Kalil's question hinted at the existence of another evil beast. He laughed and waved his hand holding the bottle.

"Just to be sure, just to be sure. Well, let me explain. There was a wound on the back of the evil beast ape. It was a fresh wound, made by a sharp blade from above. From the depth and angle of the wound, I think the person who inflicted it was about Rio's height. By the way, it wasn't an axe wound."

"Can you tell all that from a wound?"

"If I couldn't, I wouldn't have been given this job. Any experienced scout could do this. However, the healing speed of evil beasts varies, so I can't tell when or where the wound was inflicted."

"Is there really another evil beast?"

"That's just a guess. It might have been an adventurer who got away after a single strike. If there's no one in the village who fits the description, the guild will send out a report and look for the bumbling adventurer. If they can't find anyone, an investigation request will be issued."

Hearing Kalil's answer, Rio and Baldur looked back at the mountain with serious expressions.

"I thought the number of evil beasts was decreasing."

"They might have come from deeper in the mountains. In any case, it's best not to enter the forest for a while. The kids here won't listen to me, so you'll have to handle it."

"The dojo has a plan to teach the kids how to walk in the mountains."

"Cancel it. It's impossible for kids to fight evil beasts in the mountains. If they can't judge when to retreat, they'll die. Besides, they're not coordinated enough to work together in the mountains."

"Even so, there's Rio to consider. It might have the opposite effect on the dojo kids. Talk to the village chief."

"Damn, I guess I have no choice."

With Baldur and Kalil looking at him, Rio turned away.

"Refusing to listen to advice is their responsibility, not mine. Don't blame me for the kids' failure to see the value in what I say."

"That's the problem. You're good with words, but you don't understand how society works. You lack the self-awareness to recognize that you're in your rebellious phase..."

"Being a parent is tough. It's good material for drinking. Serves you right."

"...You bastard."

Kalil's teasing made Baldur smile wryly, as if they were surprisingly close.

"Talk to the village chief. I'll conduct interviews with the villagers this afternoon and report back to Kalil's house."

"Got it. I don't think it's a villager based on the height, so I'll prepare a letter to the guild."

After seeing Baldur off as he headed to the village chief's house, Rio began to think about how to incorporate footwork into his swordsmanship. Feeling a gaze, he turned to see Kalil looking at him with a bottle of alcohol in his hand.

"What?"

"When you thrust and retreat, don't raise the tip of your sword. Lower it. Evil beasts are basically quadrupeds. If you raise the tip, it won't serve as a deterrent, and you might be flanked or have your legs bitten."

"What if they aim for your face?"

"Dodge with your footwork, parry with the hilt, or evade. Also, your posture after a thrust is wrong. The first thing to move should be your feet, not your sword."

"Why?"

"Your swordsmanship prioritizes disrupting movement, right? Whether you're fleeing or counterattacking, the starting point of your actions is your feet. You might want to pull back your sword first to avoid losing it due to lack of strength, but the key is your feet. Don't let that waver. Unlike your sword, you can't replace your feet."

After listening to the logical explanation, Rio thrust at the log with his wooden sword, consciously pulling back his feet before returning the sword. He turned to Kalil for confirmation, and Kalil nodded.

"That's the idea. Your movements are still slow, but with repetition, you'll be able to do it without thinking."

"Thanks. It was helpful."

"You're either bratty or honest. I can't tell at your age."

Kalil laughed and tilted his bottle of alcohol. At that moment, a group of students from the dojo, who seemed to have just finished a marathon, passed by the two of them. The students glanced at them, and the looks they gave were not particularly friendly. Among them, Yudo and two others openly mocked Rio and Kalil.

"Two losers hanging out together."

"Defeated Rio and the returned Kalil, you two are a perfect match."

"Keep up the stick play."

After the group passed, Rio and Kalil looked at each other.

"That's why I don't fit in with the dojo's approach."

"Doesn't Rakuoi even warn them? Does he lack the awareness of teaching martial arts?"

The two of them, with exasperated expressions, shook their heads in unison.