Chapter 177: Starting New Training (2)
As they moved to the Training Grounds, the Knights pouted.
What could the Lord always be so busy with?
We could take it a little slower.
“Ugh, I don’t think my body has fully recovered yet.”
“Ouch, it hurts too much!”
Some Knights played up their injuries, but Ghislaine pretended not to hear as he moved toward the Training Grounds.
Even without his intervention, Gillian was back there scowling and shoving the Knights forward anyway.
When the Knights arrived at the Training Grounds, they wore puzzled expressions.
Dozens of platforms, each about the height of a person, were set up, but they had no idea what kind of training apparatus it was.
Just to quench the Knights’ curiosity, Ghislaine stepped onto the central platform and announced, “From now on, we’ll be conducting falling technique training.”
The Knights looked even more bewildered.
Most of them had learned a few falling techniques here and there. It made sense since they were mercenaries who had only ever fought, despite not knowing the Mana Circulation Method.
The Knights chuckled and opened their mouths.
“We know how to do falling techniques!”
“Hey, don’t underestimate us.”
“We can do all the basics, you know.”
But Ghislaine shook his head and continued speaking.
“From now on, you must master everything I teach you. No backtalk, just follow along.”
Without waiting for a response, Ghislaine jumped off the platform and demonstrated.
He landed on one arm and shoulder, rolling his body to dissipate the shock— a type of side falling technique.
The Knights watched, snickering.
“Eh, we can use mana now, and that’s how we do it? So lame!”
“That’s right. It looks too pathetic. I don’t think we’ll ever use that, right?”
“A Knight rolling around on the ground without any dignity… That feels a bit off?”
“Can you teach us something else? Aren’t there cooler versions of the side falling technique?”
Having become Knights had inflated their egos, and they all voiced their complaints in unison.
Now that they had even learned mana, they wanted to show off a bit, but here they were being taught some silly-looking technique.
It looked funny, and it seemed unlikely they’d ever have to use such a flimsy technique.
To the Knights hesitatingly protesting, Ghislaine casually replied, “The techniques that will actually keep you alive don’t look pretty. Efficiency comes first. Everyone, give it a try.”
Since the movement itself wasn’t too difficult, the Knights followed along easily.
The platform was only about the height of a person, so it posed no real danger. They figured it was just basic training and approached it casually.
Ghislaine walked around, checking the Knights’ postures, correcting those who did it wrong himself.
Checking the knights’ postures as they moved around, Ghislaine corrected anyone who was off balance personally.
Thanks to their former bodies and knowledge of different falling techniques, they quickly adapted to the new method.
“Hmm, good. Everyone’s picked it up quickly.”
The knights laughed heartily at Ghislaine’s comment. This was the kind of training suited for total beginners.
“My lord, this can hardly be called training. Is there any training that takes less than a day?”
“Oh, our lord must be bored. Just say it outright.”
“Shall we have a drink after this?”
Most of them were mercenaries, so even after becoming knights, their carefree attitude didn’t change easily.
As Gillian frowned and was about to step forward, Ghislaine waved his hand with a laugh.
“That’s enough. We can play later. Practice so you can get more used to this. You’ll need it often from now on.”
The knights looked puzzled and asked,
“What on earth do we use this for? The impact on the arms is a bit much for a falling technique. Aren’t you going to teach us any other postures?”
There are various kinds of falling techniques. When fighting, how one falls or tumbles is purely down to chance.
Among the techniques Ghislaine taught, this one didn’t seem overly effective.
However, Ghislaine shook his head and replied,
“This is the only one I’ll teach you. The rest, you’ll have to figure out what you want to use.”
The knights couldn’t understand why he was teaching such a mediocre falling technique or why he wouldn’t teach any others, but they didn’t ask further.
They merely guessed that since they were still recovering, he probably wouldn’t push them too hard in their training.
Soon growing accustomed to the practice, the knights started to tumble off the platform awkwardly.
Watching them, Ghislaine spoke to the waiting servants.
“Raise the platform a bit higher.”
It seemed they’d been prepared for this, as a low wooden platform was placed atop the original one.
Though it had risen a tad, it still wasn’t at a threatening height. The knights succeeded easily once again.
In fact, some thought it was more fun with the height increased.
Knowing their spirits, Ghislaine added,
“Raise it a little more.”
It definitely became more entertaining than before. The knights, having been bored from idleness, engaged happily in their training.
Yet, moments later, the same request continued.
“Let’s raise it a bit higher.”
“One more time.”
“That’s right, just a little more.”
“Just raise it a lot higher.”
At some point, the height became such that they couldn’t endure without using mana.
Staring up at the towering platforms, the knights gulped.
At first, they grabbed onto the platform to climb up, then midway, they used a short ladder. But now, they needed a long ladder just to reach the top.
For an average person without mana, falling from this height would definitely mean shattered limbs.
“……”
Various questions swirled in the knights’ minds.
Why on earth did they have to fall from such a high place? Was there any point to technique when falling from that height?
As they all stood still, Ghislaine urged them.
“What are you doing? You should be training. Why are you just watching?”
One knight hesitantly asked,
“Umm… my lord, this doesn’t seem like a height that can be resolved with a falling technique.”
“What do you mean? You all can use mana now. This height is still safe.”
“If protecting ourselves with mana is a prerequisite, what’s the point of a falling technique…?”
“It’s necessary to withstand the fall. Concentrate all your mana on the arm and shoulder that’ll hit the ground first. Strengthening specific parts with mana is also part of this practice.”
“That’s why you need to endure. Focus all your mana into the arm and shoulder that will touch the ground when you fall. Strengthening specific parts with mana is also part of the practice.”
One sharp-eyed knight hesitantly asked, “So… does that mean we don’t need any other falling techniques…?”
Ghislaine nodded appreciatively at the knight. “If you fall from a high place, other methods are meaningless. But if you use the technique I’ve taught you, only one arm might get smashed, and you can stand up and fight with your sword.”
Gordon, who couldn’t stand feeling wronged, jumped up and shouted, “Why do we need this training?! We’re not even fighting giants!”
“It’s not about using it in a duel,” Ghislaine replied.
“Then what is it about?”
“It’s training to prepare for jumping or falling from the castle walls.”
“…….”
You climb the castle walls to defend them, not to jump off them.
Whether it’s falling techniques or whatever, jumping from the walls will most likely get you surrounded by enemies and dead.
It seems the lord thought that just because he jumped a few times in past wars, everyone else could do it too.
“Do we really have to?! Is there a chance we’ll fall from a high place?”
Ghislaine nodded as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. “No one knows what might happen in a fight. That’s why we train for such situations. If you want to improve your survival chances even a little, it’s better to practice in advance.”
“Ugh….”
The knights couldn’t refute Ghislaine’s words and one by one began to step onto the platform. Their faces all looked grim.
They couldn’t smile and train leisurely like before anymore.
One wrong move could not only break an arm but also cause other injuries.
Screams of falling knights echoed everywhere.
“Ahhh! Somebody hug me!”
“This hurts so much!”
“We’re just beginner knights!”
Even though they could use mana, there was a limit to how high these beginner knights could endure falls.
Plus, due to the nature of the mana techniques they’d learned, if they used all their mana, they would throw up blood. They could only use it briefly right before hitting the ground.
Thanks to that, their mana management skills were improving quickly, but conversely, their bodies and spirits were getting drained again.
“My arm is turning purple.”
“Is this really effective? Or is the plan just to push us all off the walls?”
The knights continued their training, groaning. They had long had one arm bruised. Those who made mistakes in falling techniques had their whole bodies turning blue.
At least because it wasn’t a real battle, Ghislaine managed to control the height to the point where it only ended in bruises.
After rolling around for several days, the knights finally mastered the ‘survive with only one broken arm’ technique.
But that wasn’t the end.
“We’re moving onto the next training. A bit closer to real combat.”
“Excuse me?”
The place Ghislaine led them to had a really high platform.
This height was not just a regular castle wall; it was as high as the walls of the royal capital, Kardenia.
The knights looked up at the platform, realizing without a doubt that they would definitely die if they fell from here.
Naturally, intense reactions erupted.
“My Lord! We won’t survive a fall from here, no matter the technique!”
“We’re all going to die!!”
“What’s bothering you now?!”
Ghislaine spoke gently, as if to say not to worry.
He spoke softly as if to say not to decide.
“It’s okay. How can you just jump down from there? I’m not that reckless. I’ll lower a rope, so practice coming down quickly using it.”
“Oh, I see.”
Only then did the knights feel a little relieved. Climbing up and down the castle wall with a rope was a common yet important training, so no one doubted Ghislaine.
Ghislaine placed a long platform on the highest level of the platform and skillfully tied a long rope to it, letting it dangle down.
“Okay, go down one by one.”
Since they had done it a few times on the Penris castle wall, it wasn’t too difficult for the knights.
The only difference was that they were hanging from a single rope in midair, with no place to step on, and it was a bit scary because it was too high.
The first knight called gripped the rope and began to descend quickly.
It wasn’t that he was familiar with it; it was more an intention to finish the frightening thing as soon as possible.
As he was descending, the knight suddenly stopped moving and broke into a cold sweat.
‘The rope… is short? Why is it short? It shouldn’t be short!’
He still had quite a way to go before reaching the ground, but the rope was indeed a bit short.
Quickly climbing back up, he shouted, “My Lord! The rope is short! I think there’s a problem!”
Ghislaine’s voice came from above.
“Yep, no problem. That’s the way it should be. When you get to the end of the rope, jump down as you learned.”
They say lions roll their cubs off cliffs to raise them strong. However, the knight had no desire to become a lion at all.
“I don’t want to! How can I jump down from here? Why are we even doing this training?!”
“Because it’s all necessary. Hey, what’s up with you? Climbing back up? Not going to jump?”
Ghislaine swiftly drew his sword from his waist because the knight was climbing up too quickly for someone who had just learned a few things.
Swish!
As Ghislaine swung his sword, the rope snapped, and the knight who was climbing up fell down.
“Ahhh! This is really f*ed up!”
While cursing, the knight instinctively took a falling position thanks to the hellish training they had gone through.
In a crisis, his body moved on its own… Honestly, the training was annoying, but the effectiveness was undeniably real.
He concentrated all his mana in his arms with all his might, as if he might really die otherwise. Finding himself in a life-or-death situation, he even gained a small realization.
Wooooosh!
The knight experienced a phenomenon where time seemed to slow as he focused his mind intensely.
Boom!
“Ugh!”
The moment he collided with the ground, he rolled to diminish the shock as much as possible.
To survive, appearances didn’t matter at all. Annoyingly, Ghislaine’s words were correct.
The pain was tremendous, but his arm wasn’t broken. The training really did help.
“I-I survived! I survived! Hahaha! cough”
As the knight erupted in joyful laughter, he collapsed, spitting blood.
Even if his arm wasn’t broken, the impact from hitting the ground was still there.
To fully dissipate the shock would require more mana and delicate technique, but that was a tough task for a beginner knight.
Ghislaine looked back at the knights waiting behind and smiled.
“See? You can all do it, right? Next.”
The knights, shedding tears, grabbed the newly tied rope and descended again.
Doing such abnormal training in this territory… they really shouldn’t have done that.
Thus, the knights began their blood-spitting training once more.
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