Honestly speaking, I’ve been feeling a bit smug lately.
I didn’t face all 2,000 of them, but in the end, I fought 2,000 to 1 and drove them back.
While I outwardly act like it’s no big deal, inside, I find myself thinking, “Aren’t I kind of strong?”
Even though its just lip service, I heard that I would soon surpass Trie, so my confidence was at an all-time high.
I might not win every match, but if I fought ten times, I figured I could win a couple.
And with that bold mindset, the result was—
*Gaaah… Argh… My ribs… It feels like my ribs are broken…*
I had to get hit like a dog in the rain in all ten matches.
I started with dual swords but ended up using just one sword again because it wasn’t working, yet there was no sign of breaking through Trie’s defense.
In the south, I surely had at least a chance for a draw at some point.
If I used to see a glimmer of hope for victory, now it felt like even the slightest possibility was gone.
But what was most embarrassing was—
“Uh… Are you okay, Hainkel?”
“Ugh… Not okay…”
Emilia had been watching the whole time.
I let her in because she mentioned she wanted to observe the duel…
To be honest, I didn’t think I’d get wrecked this badly.
Perhaps Trie was particularly serious today…?
“I-I’ll heal you. Is it here? The 6th rib?”
“I’m not sure if it’s the 6th… Ouch! That’s the spot…”
After checking my ribs once, Emilia began to draw a spell.
Healing spell…
Healing invisible fractures inside the body is quite an advanced task.
I decided not to question how a common maid like Emilia learned such knowledge that a med student would know.
“Phhhew. All done. But just to be safe, don’t overdo it today.”
“Attendant, it’s okay. Just speak comfortably.”
“Yes?”
“You can talk like I’m not here, as if you’re alone with Schlus. I won’t go around spreading rumors or anything.”
“Ah…”
As Trie smiled faintly, Emilia’s face flushed.
I thought she’d be too embarrassed to stick around.
“Is this how it always is?”
“Yes?”
“Is the duel with your brother always like this?”
“Well, today is pretty similar, right?”
“So does your brother get hurt like this every day?!”
“Not every day, but… let’s say it feels like that. But what’s the problem with that?”
“Well, the purpose of a duel is to improve skills, not to injure someone! But to me, it seems like you’re fixating on targeting your brother’s weak points and delivering fatal blows—”
“Emilia.”
Before I realized it, Emilia was getting all worked up and I had to intervene quickly.
“In real combat, no one holds back, Emilia. Duels are training to prepare for real battles, so it’s only natural.”
“I-I see… I apologize.”
“Don’t worry about it. It’s nice to see how much you care for Schlus.”
“…”
Emilia hung her head in shame, and Trie laughed with a dismissive wave of her hand.
However, there was something unusual about Trie’s tone today; it felt prickly.
“Well, we’ll wrap it up for today—”
“Where do you think you’re going? You need to give me feedback first.”
“Feedback?”
You quit after a few rounds, right?
Trie would mumble her way through my problems and improvements daily, but eventually gave up on it completely.
There were quite a few days she would skip, but why today?
Did something finally click in her mind?
“To be honest, I felt this already while out in the battlefield. Back then, since the war was intense, I couldn’t say anything for fear of lowering morale.”
“What do you mean? Just say it.”
“I’ll be straightforward. At this rate, you have no chances. You won’t just fall short of surpassing me; you won’t even be the Empire’s strongest sword.”
“…”
While I was surprised by the harsh words, I also found it a bit ridiculous.
I’ve never thought about exceeding you, nor have I thought about becoming the Empire’s strongest sword…
It seems like Trie has been overestimating my talents.
“Looks like you’ve come to terms with reality after overrating me. I’ve never aimed for the Empire’s strongest sword.”
“Then what’s your goal?”
“To be strong enough to protect myself and those close to me…?”
“With that kind of mindset, I won’t teach you anymore. Your goal should always be the peak. I can’t have a disciple who settles for the middle ground. Understand?”
“I understand…”
That was quite a painful statement.
Right. As long as I’m training, aiming for the top is indeed the correct mindset.
Compromising with half-hearted goals is an insult to those swordsmen who dedicate themselves to training with painstaking efforts.
“And secondly. There’s no emotion in your sword. This is partly my fault for not teaching you deeply enough… but it’s natural for emotions to blend in when you swing a sword. However, you show none of that. I didn’t feel any anger or willpower until I shattered in 10 matches.”
This critique felt slightly unfair.
How could I possibly feel anger when being battered by a monster like you?
Who gets angry when swept away by a natural disaster?
All I felt was emptiness.
No matter how I thought about it, this felt like a forced insult.
“Lack of emotion might actually be a good thing. Emotions can cloud your mind and hinder rational thought. In that sense, it could be seen as a strength.”
“Sure, excessive emotion can mislead judgment. But you need to have an understanding of emotions to control power. When you kill an enemy, you must have a murderous intent. Bring the same feelings when you duel.”
“Hmm…?”
“Schlus, you’re not suggesting… that you’ve killed without any emotion, right?”
“…”
Trie’s expression turned strange.
Surely it would seem odd to others.
Killing without any intention is not that I’m a psychopathic killer or skilled at murder.
It’s just that I don’t see the people of this world as people.
“That’s really serious, Schlus. It might be okay for now. As you said, it might actually function as a strength. Of course, that’s only when fighting weaker opponents. But when facing stronger opponents, in situations where you’re on the defensive and losing your surroundings, can you really remain rational?”
“It would probably be difficult…”
“That’s why you need to infuse emotion into your sword from now on. You need to learn how to control your emotions. Otherwise, when your emotions explode, you won’t be able to hold back and will completely crumble.”
“…”
That was an absolutely perfect diagnosis, without a single part I could refute.
Sure enough, I had only fought weaklings until now.
I only engaged in battles I was sure to win.
However, there may come a time when I need to start fights while at a disadvantage in the future.
If I get brutally crushed by a strong foe then, my fragile mentality could shatter into pieces.
Trie was worried about that, hence her advice to learn how to handle emotions.
“I’ll take it to heart.”
“Good. Then starting tomorrow, I’ll dive deep into teaching you how to imbue emotion, so keep that in mind.”
“I understand. But Trie.”
Trie was putting her sword back in its scabbard and was about to stride past me.
I grabbed her wrist to halt her movement.
Today, she seemed a bit too cold.
I couldn’t help but wonder if I had inadvertently upset her.
“Did I do something wrong?”
“Huh? Me? What did I do?”
“I’m asking you that…”
“No, not really. Why?”
“Then that’s fine.”
As Trie seemed flustered, I released her wrist.
So what’s up with today?
Just as I was perplexed, I suddenly heard *hidididadada* from behind, and Emilia seized my hand tightly.
The hand that had grasped Trie’s wrist.
“Are you heading back now, Trie?”
“Ah, yes. Attendant, I will be leaving now.”
“You seem to have sweated a lot. You’re welcome to use the bath.”
“No, it’s okay. I’ll just go.”
With a stiff tone, Trie turned her back.
Could it be that she’s in a bad mood today?
I wondered if it was because I won too many magic tug-of-war games under the pretense of magic lessons on the way to the carriage.
But she didn’t seem like the petty type to take out her frustrations like that.
It was strange.
Could it be some hormonal issue that women periodically experience, which she couldn’t overcome with mental willpower?
“They’re gone.”
“True. Why’s she so prickly today…?”
“Forget about that, brother. Ugh…”
The moment the door slammed shut, Emilia jumped on me from behind.
Then she started rubbing her face against my back.
“Get off. I’m all sweaty.”
“Nope. I’m staying like this.”
“I’m going to take off my clothes and wash up.”
“Go ahead and try.”
“Why? You offering to wash me?”
“W-What? Are you crazy?”
That was just a joke.
Emilia jumped back in surprise, startled.
Effective, indeed.
I undid my belt and set down the heavy scabbard.
My shirt was soaking with sweat.
There was an option to change into comfortable clothes for the duel, but I intentionally wore this outfit to prepare for battle.
If caught off-guard, I would fight in this attire.
“So, how was it? The south?”
Once I reached the bathroom, I tossed my clothes aside, and Emilia asked with her back turned.
“What do you mean? What are you talking about?”
“Just about various things… food, or the weather there.”
“I don’t know much about the food. I only got to eat military rations. The weather was great, though. The vast plains were amazing, right? It felt like the long wall of the Great Forest was lined on one side while the rest were just wide plains. It was my first time seeing the Great Forest up close, and it was fascinating.”
“Hmm… I see. How about the subhumans?”
“Subhumans? Um… they were strong. Better stamina and strength than humans. I had a tough time dealing with them.”
“Haaa…”
I heard a significant *sigh*.
What’s with that?
Did my answer not satisfy her?
“I’ll take your clothes and wash them. You need them again tomorrow, right?”
“Hey, wait. I haven’t taken off my pants yet.”
“Hurry up and take them off…”
“I’m trying!”
“Eh? Just a moment.”
At that moment, Emilia’s eyes widened, and she charged at me.
Then she grabbed my left arm and started examining it closely.
“This scar. Why’s this here? You didn’t have it before.”
“Ah…”
Oh right.
This scar was from the wooden wedge that pierced my arm when I saved Iris.
How did she notice such a small one?
Moreover, I thought she was looking the other way, so how did she see it?
Did she perhaps sneakily glance over?
“It’s nothing serious. It’s just a small injury that didn’t touch any bones or nerves, so there are no aftereffects.”
“That’s not the point! It’s ugly to have something like this on your body…!”
“I’m fine, really. Pelaine has bigger scars than this on her back. This isn’t anything at all.”
“Still… still… Oh, just a moment.”
“…?”
Emilia’s tearful eyes transformed suddenly.
I could feel the air growing colder.
Brought face-to-face with that deadly gaze, I instinctively looked down.
“You mean Pelaine, the Holy Knight Commander?”
“Y-yeah…”
“I believe the Holy Knight Commander is a woman.”
“Ah…”
“But if she has many scars on her back, how would you know? How did you happen to see her back?”
“…”
The moment Emilia raised her head and locked eyes with me, I felt a chill run down my spine.
With a faint smile, Emilia was now exuding clear murderous intent.
For some reason…
I felt like I was definitely screwed.
