Chapter 5
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 5
Chapter Title: Ability Verification (1)
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It was truly an astonishing sensation.
When I swung my sword after watching Gillek's movements right in front of me, recalling them brought them back so vividly, as if he were swinging again before my eyes.
And I naturally understood exactly how to replicate those movements.
After about ten swings, Gillek asked me in surprise, but all I could say was...
"Huh? It just worked when I did it?"
That was it.
I could sense intuitively how to do it, to the point where I couldn't comprehend why I hadn't understood it before.
'This is the Supreme Physique.'
At the same time, confidence surged within me that with this perk's power, I could achieve whatever I set my mind to.
And for the next few days, I learned swordsmanship from Gillek while exercising alongside it.
The result?
Clang!
In just a week, I could spar evenly with the knights of my own order.
"That's enough!"
At Gillek's command, I sheathed the training sword I was holding.
"Thanks for sparring with me."
"It's an honor to be Your Highness's practice partner."
One of the five knights in my order bowed his head politely.
But I knew.
I knew that this knight in front of me, and the others watching the spar, were looking on with an air of resignation.
Their eyes had given up judging my daily transformations against their own standards of common sense.
After first learning the sword from Gillek, I corrected my swordsmanship form bit by bit.
The next day, I called the knights and had them spar with me one by one.
Their main duties were estate security and patrols, but since the area where I lived was inherently peaceful with little to do, assigning them this as something resembling actual work drew no issues.
"From now on, you'll take turns as His Highness's sparring partners! Understood?"
"Yes, Captain!"
The first knight to face me smiled softly and said,
"Please go easy on me, Your Highness."
"Sure."
Of course, just improving my form didn't mean I could beat imperial knights.
From the start, I approached it with the intent to learn by observing their movements.
Each time I finished a bout with a knight, I began to intuitively grasp the "feel" of it.
Like how to move better, or how to swing the sword to make it land more effectively.
Moreover, I felt like I could pick up on patterns in the knights' movements—their habits—after a few more spars.
For reference, we settled on one spar per day, rotating partners.
When I asked Gillek why,
"First and foremost, Your Highness's top priority is perfecting your body. Your body is changing rapidly right now. It's hard to learn swordsmanship suited to you in that state."
"Makes sense."
"And..."
"And?"
"I'll explain to the men later, but... they need time to accept it, don't you think?"
Gillek wasn't wrong.
In truth, my body was improving dramatically, and I could feel my overall strength increasing.
Not just strength—my eyesight had sharpened too, letting me see distant things more clearly.
"Did you see His Highness's body? It's getting better every day, right?"
"Ridel attends him every day and even helps him change clothes. I'm jealous. I want to see it up close too."
"Shh, if Lady Ridel hears you, you're done for."
I could even clearly hear the maids whispering secretly as I walked down the hall.
With my body changing so quickly, it seemed better to stabilize those changes first rather than obsessing over personalized swordsmanship right away.
And as my body transformed, the knights' reactions during our daily spars shifted day by day.
On the first day, it was like watching a novice who'd barely grasped the basics swing wildly.
But as I honed my feel day after day and my skills grew...
"Huh?"
"What's going on? Have my skills rusted?"
"Hey, spar with me later."
On the second day, they looked puzzled.
"No way, how is this..."
"What's happening here?"
On the third day, they reacted like their minds had blanked out after the spar.
"Is this the blood of royalty?"
"Did he just awaken now?"
"How long did it take you to reach His Highness's level?"
"Five years."
From the fourth day, laughter bloomed among them.
"Hahaha! Even better than yesterday, Your Highness! Truly advancing by leaps and bounds!"
"Incredible! How is this even possible?"
"'It just works'? Amazing! Hahaha!"
I understood why Gillek said they needed time to accept it.
The knights in my order at this estate weren't mediocre by any means.
Though they followed me here, they had all been part of the imperial knight order in the capital.
The imperial knights were a place only for true elites among elites.
It was me who was abnormal for reaching a level to spar evenly with them in just a week.
"Man, I can't wait to see how much Your Highness grows tomorrow!"
"If you surpass us, we'll beg you for spars instead!"
"If you want to learn techniques, just say the word anytime!"
"Thanks."
Seeing the knights reach a state of total surrender and just enjoying it made me feel sorry instead.
But I couldn't stop.
If I, with this absurd perk, didn't grow strong enough to defeat the Mad Witch, not only would I meet the worst end, but so would Ridel and everyone in this estate.
In the game, all the monsters were in an insane state, so it was presumed they'd all fallen to the Mad Witch.
Of course, it wasn't just about endless training—I needed to test my skills too.
"Ridel."
"Yes, Aren."
As Ridel helped me change clothes in the morning, I said,
"I've changed a lot, haven't I?"
"Yes. You've truly transformed since that day."
Ridel had changed too.
The difference? When she helped me change, the time between removing my clothes and putting on new ones had slowed a bit.
"I can even hold my own against our knights now, right?"
"Lately, our knights are all smiles. Everyone's thrilled about your growth, Aren."
"Should I bump up this month's pay?"
"It would certainly soothe their wounded hearts."
If even frugal Ridel said that much, the knights' states must have looked pretty rough in her eyes too.
"Ridel, I think it's about time to test myself outside."
"What do you mean?"
"If I can spar evenly with our knights, I should be fine against nearby magical beasts, don't you think? Of course, I'll bring Gillek and you along."
I'd gotten a feel for humans through spars with the knights, but now I needed to face non-humans too.
In Savior of World, there were more inhuman magical beasts than humanoids anyway.
"If that's your will, Your Highness, we'll follow. But you should consult Sir Gillek first."
"Yeah, of course. Oh, but Ridel."
"Yes."
"Could you hurry up and dress me?"
Stop staring at my abs and chest so much.
It's getting kinda embarrassing if you keep looking.
"Understood. When do you plan to depart, Your Highness?"
Gillek neither opposed my idea nor bowed his head like last time—he just accepted it outright.
When I asked why,
"With Your Highness's current skill, I guarantee those nearby magical beasts are no issue. If there's even a hint of danger, my sword and Lady Ridel's magic will protect you."
"Reliable as ever."
"I am Your Highness's sword. It's a knight's duty to give you that trust."
"Then let's head out right after lunch today. We can take a request from the Hunter Guild..."
"You plan to go through the guild?"
"Yeah, and check out the village while we're at it. Oh, but I need a hunter license, right? Might not work."
In Savior of World, there were hunters—basically adventurers.
Originally, they took requests to hunt magical beasts or handle odd jobs, like fixers.
But in this already chaotic world, they'd either survived with great power or gone mad, becoming no different from monsters.
"I'll handle that, so don't worry."
"Got it. Leave that to you, Gillek. Hmm, should I disguise myself?"
"No one will recognize Your Highness's face."
True—only someone like the guild master even knew I lived in this estate.
Even if I went around with Gillek and Ridel, they'd probably just think I was some young master from a fine family out for fun.
No one would imagine an actual prince stepping out.
Fortunately, my prediction held true.
But...
"Hey, young master. Don't do anything risky, yeah? You don't know your own limits, and if that pretty face gets messed up, it'll be a tragedy, right? Puhahaha!"
I hadn't expected someone to pick a fight like this.