Chapter 47

Good morning from room 0701 of building 4. It's 2:55 AM on January 5th. I'm Herman. I'm currently waiting for the lecture of the Genkuen School. I'm the only one attending the lecture. If it's about the method of collecting materials, I could probably go back right away, but what can one person teach? Oh, the teacher is here.

"Hmm, just one person. Have you read this book?"

"Let me see it. ---I read it at the Alchemy Guild."

"Then that's fine. The lecture is over. See you."

...He went back. There's nothing I can do. I'll go back too. Back to embroidery. I wonder if this lecture has any meaning. I don't think there are any commoners who don't go to the Demon Realm or spirit grounds. They need to collect materials to earn living expenses and tuition. Even nobles go to collect materials at their noble schools, right? Some people don't go, so they have these lectures, I guess. Well, it's over, so it's fine. It's close to the Meisui Dormitory, so I don't feel like I wasted too much time. Tolerance is important.

So, I did embroidery until after 6 PM and now I'm at the training ground. The teacher is already here and is full of energy. I have my broadsword ready. Rapier? You can use it with talent, so it's okay, okay. Well, you can use a broadsword with talent too. The problem is that you might need to go beyond talent to master certain techniques. We probably won't get that far in this lecture, but I'm sure I'll learn something. ...It won't be like the Genkuen School where you can use it and then it's over. Well, it's time. There are six of us. I wonder what we'll do.

"Hmm, all six of you today. Alright, draw your swords! Swing them! Swing them! Swing them endlessly!"

I swing as the teacher of the Tekigei School says. I swing my sword following my talent. I know that the visible sword lines sometimes deviate. It's not a mistake, but after swinging, there's a gap. I keep choosing the sword lines that don't leave gaps. The broadsword is about three times wider than a rapier. Even though I know it's three times heavier, my arms are already getting tired after only about ten minutes. If it were a rapier, I could swing it longer. There doesn't seem to be a break, so I just keep swinging.

"Those with talent, listen to the talk about talent. Those without talent, just swing, swing, and swing. It will become muscle, and it will surely become your strength. Those with talent, listen to the talk about talent. I'll say it again, listen to the talk about talent. When you're tired, that's the path to conversation. Keep swinging until you can talk."

Isn't that different from relying on talent? Well, anyway, I'll just keep swinging. Choosing one from three options, one from two options, and repeating that. Just swinging endlessly, sweating profusely.

"Hmm, some of you are already talking. Good, good. You, you seem to be able to converse with your talent. Is that right?"

"Converse! I don't! Understand! But! By! Relying! On! Myself! The! Sword! Lines! Are! Visible!"

"Then that's fine. Next, choose the sword line before it appears. To master techniques, you must go beyond your talent. Don't stop chasing your talent; surpass it, and that's the gateway to techniques."

"I understand!"

Saying that, it's not that easy to chase my talent. My tired arms feel heavy, and my sword lines start to wobble. I try to correct them while swinging. The teacher keeps encouraging the students.

"Don't lower your sword just because you're tired! Monsters won't wait for you! Swing with the will to die! If you don't, you'll die! Don't set your limits! Your body will tell you when you reach your limit!"

It's a mental thing, but I keep swinging, swinging, swinging. My sword lines wobble frequently, but sometimes I surpass my talent. ...How long have I been swinging? I don't know. I just keep swinging, swinging, swinging. I use magic to enhance my body while swinging, swinging, swinging. Time keeps passing.

When I realize it, I've fainted. My body feels heavy. I remember that I was swinging with willpower at the end, but I don't remember when I fainted.

"You're a commoner, aren't you? For a commoner, you swung well. Nobles already have training experience. You swung for 1 hour and 10 minutes. First, get used to swinging for 3 hours like the other nobles. Using magic to enhance your body is good, but it's too early. Don't rely on body enhancement when you can still swing with your body. None of the nobles this time could converse with their talent like you. However, they had the stamina to stand until the end on the battlefield. What you lack is stamina. Continue the Tekigei School's combat training. You need to be able to swing for at least 3 hours to survive in the Demon Realm. You might have to fight continuously. You can't avoid enemies to advance. It's sad to have no stamina when you have a goal. I'll be waiting for you in class as many times as you need. Combat training will continue until the end of March. Get used to it now. That's all. The lecture time is over, so take a good shower, eat a proper meal, and sleep well. What, it's rare for a commoner to swing for 3 hours. You have time. Try your best."

"...Yes."

The teacher left after saying that. ...The nobles could swing for 3 hours. They must have worked hard. I can't be swallowed by arrogance here. I want to be active in the Demon Realm too. I'll come to the training ground at 7 AM every day from tomorrow to be able to swing for 3 hours. It's 10:15 PM now. I must have been unconscious for quite a while. ...First, I'll take a shower. ...There's no showerhead, though. My stamina hasn't fully recovered, but I mustered the willpower to return to the dorm.

Well, after taking a good shower, eating a meal, and relaxing a bit, I'm doing embroidery again. ...I think I'll finish it tomorrow. But I need to start proper embroidery too. It seems like embroidery will follow me throughout my time at the academy. However, I was told to sleep well, not to rest, so I'm okay with that. Otherwise, I won't finish my embroidery. Well, it was a short day with many things happening, but I'll try a bit more before going to bed.

Whether you found it interesting or not, I don't mind.

I would appreciate it if you could include an evaluation.

If you could point out things in your review, I think I can reflect them in my writing.

...Probably.