Chapter 5
I stepped out onto the training grounds with my former instructor, who had once served as nothing more than a chair. Of course, she was no longer a chair now. She was dressed properly in her uniform and equipment, every bit the dignified instructor of a prestigious family.
Even after seeing that earlier scene… she was still unmistakably Carna.
‘Her presence is no joke.’
I was probably over 180 centimeters tall here. Yet she stood more than a handspan taller than me, which put her close to 200 centimeters. Her skin was also far paler than that of an ordinary human.
“······.”
When she kept her mouth shut, she gave off the impression of some snow demon from a far northern land. Pure white skin, snow-white hair, and those crimson eyes staring down at you were enough to crush anyone’s spirit.
‘It’s not exactly a bad taste, though…’
Her overwhelming presence was undeniable, yet her feminine allure existed in a violently aggressive form. Breasts that went far beyond merely large to the realm of massive, paired with abs and shoulders carved entirely from muscle rather than fat. It was rare to see someone wearing bikini armor and feel intimidation before sex appeal.
‘Wow… seeing her like this again is actually scary.’
I could understand why every family had rejected her, fearing even the slightest tarnish to their reputation. Bringing someone like her into a household could shake the very pride of the family itself.
‘She’s still terrifying.’
It was hard to believe this was the same woman who had been panting desperately as a chair just moments ago. The aura she radiated was on a completely different level.
“It’s been several years, hasn’t it?”
“Well… yeah, it has.”
Her expression barely changed, but her gaze drifted slightly away. After all, the first thing her former student had witnessed upon their reunion was her being punished.
“I feel a little sorry if I’ve interfered with your important marriage arrangement.”
At those words, her skin flushed a deeper shade of red. Her naturally pale complexion made the blush stand out even more.
“I-It’s fine. The preparations were already underway, so nothing has really changed.”
“I see.”
“And… while I’m training you like this, they’ve temporarily stopped applying the climax-denial aphrodisiac, so……”
Her body trembled faintly at the mention. No matter how strong she was, she had been perfectly broken as a female in this world.
“Anyway, there shouldn’t be any major problems with sparring.”
“Right.”
Carna drew her greatsword. Now that I was meeting her as an adult… was her sword actually bigger than mine?
“That sword is almost as tall as I am.”
“The opponent you’re trying to face is probably much stronger than you, isn’t he?”
“That’s true.”
BOOM!
Simply slamming the sword down sent dust flying everywhere.
“Sorry to say this, but you’ve grown quite a bit too. Our raw strength is probably almost equal now.”
“Is that so?”
“However, I still have the size advantage.”
Even with equal strength, differences in height and build still mattered. The advantage of being a full handspan taller than me couldn’t be ignored. That meant she still held the upper hand in power.
“Alright then. Just like old times, let’s settle this with a match.”
“Yes.”
I deliberately lowered my stance. It was a tactic used by those smaller than their opponent.
“At least you haven’t forgotten the basics.”
Then—
SWOOSH!
‘Here it comes!’
The greatsword came crashing down from above, demanding a head-on clash.
‘I’ll take it straight on.’
CLANG!
SWOOSH!
The shockwave was strong enough to crack the ground around us.
‘I can hold it…!’
My judgment wasn’t wrong. It was certainly a powerful strike, but not at a level I couldn’t—
CRACK!
Something felt wrong for a split second. It seemed my sword was the problem. The blade I had used to block hers snapped cleanly in two.
‘Danger—!’
Right after, my instructor pulled her sword back. The moment my blade broke, if she had continued the downward strike, the match would have ended then and there. My skull would have been split open along with it.
“Looks like my win.”
“…You’re right. It’s been too long, so I couldn’t react properly.”
“Have you become arrogant from only facing opponents weaker than or equal to you?”
“That might be the case.”
My instructor demonstrated the proper form herself. Even the way she held her sword slightly angled upward radiated perfect discipline. Honestly, if this world were different, she probably would have been an imperial guard protecting the Emperor.
“Even if you were confident in your strength, you should have thought about tilting the blade slightly to disperse the force.”
“My senses are still lacking.”
I brushed the dust off myself and stood up from where I had fallen.
“And since your goal is the Empress, I suppose I can give you a bit more advice.”
“I’ve actually faced that Empress before.”
“Really?”
This was an unexpected variable.
“And she is incomparably stronger than you.”
“What?”
“It’s not about technique. Even in pure physical strength, I wouldn’t be able to match her even with my size advantage.”
At some point, my instructor had brought over the entire sword rack. She drew a longsword from the basket full of blades as easily as pulling out a dagger. She tossed me another sword.
“So while your strength is good, you need to learn proper technique first.”
“You want me to fight again right away?”
“You’re not tired yet, are you?”
Wow, she really hadn’t changed at all.
“In that insane training of yours, I was the only student who lasted until the end, you know.”
“That’s why I taught you even more diligently.”
Carna gripped her greatsword once more.
“Learning through experience is important too. So let’s learn by getting hit.”
“Wait, at least let me check my basic form first—!”
WHIRL!
I twisted my upper body and barely dodged the incoming projectile.
‘What the hell just flew at me?’
Did she just throw her greatsword?
THUD.
In the brief opening, I saw her dash forward, snatch the flying greatsword out of the air, and swing it again.
“You crazy—!”
BOOM!
Just as she had instructed, I angled my blade to deflect the attack. Sweat poured down like rain in an instant.
“If this is all you’ve got, I’m actually disappointed.”
“…I’ve been slacking off a bit, you see.”
“It’s fine. People adapt quickly.”
Her crimson eyes burned with even greater intensity. In a word, they were overflowing with killing intent.
“People are similar to scrap iron in a forge.”
“If you hammer them just right, they naturally become as hard as steel.”
It was still the same insane philosophy, backed by overwhelming power. My wrists were tingling.
“Is my defensive stance wrong right now?”
“Slightly. It wasn’t bad, but you need to know exactly how much and in which direction to twist when the attack comes down.”
She raised the greatsword high above her head once more.
“Then, since it’s been a while, shall we spend today just practicing this stance lightly?”
“My wrist is going to break.”
It wasn’t a figure of speech. It really would break. I had memories of training ending almost every day with at least one broken bone…
‘I always complained like this, but…’
This woman was truly an excellent instructor.
I reset my stance.
BOOM!
Ughhhhhh!!!!
It felt like my entire body was sinking under the weight of gravity magic.
“It’s hard to deflect a perfectly centered strike, isn’t it?”
“Ugh…”
Carna pulled her greatsword back again.
“Then, next one.”
THUD!
This time it was slightly off to the right. I quickly shifted into a receiving stance.
SCREEEEECH!!!
The overwhelming force caused my sword to screech horribly as it was shaved down.
BOOM!
I succeeded in dropping the sword exactly where I intended.
“Got it!”
“Oh…?”
But I had no time to prepare for the next attack.
THWACK!
“Oops. Did I put too much strength into it?”
Getting hit in the head with the flat of that massive blade left me incredibly dizzy. I had thought it was a light blow, but seeing how I had collapsed to the ground, it clearly hadn’t been that weak.
“Take a short break.”
“Still, you passed one part.”
“Isn’t it too harsh to move straight to the next stage?”
“Have you already forgotten what my training is like?”
The slightly wicked smile on her face showed that her instructor personality hadn’t changed one bit.
Thud.
From what I could tell, my instructor had misjudged her strength control and nearly knocked me unconscious, so she was simply giving me a break.
‘Ah… my head is spinning…’
My eyes gradually closed.
“Mmm…”
I woke up. I was still lying on the dirt floor, but after fainting and coming to, this sturdy body seemed to have recovered some energy.
“Instructor?”
“Hm?”
“Why are you sweating so much?”
“Ah, that’s… A maid came by during the break earlier.”
“Ah…”
It was that aphrodisiac application. She was stronger than most warriors, yet she trembled at the touch of a maid’s small brush. It was a strangely amusing sight.
······.
But it must have been an enormous burden for her personally.
‘Well, of course. Being painted with aphrodisiac and itching powder while climax is forbidden…’
“Anyway, shall we continue practicing?”
“Yes, but only until the sun sets.”
“In the old days you would have said let’s train all night. Is there a problem?”
“Ah, I have a marriage meeting tomorrow.”
A marriage meeting. In reality, it would be a desperate proposal to be taken even as a concubine.
‘Well, no noble of this era would ever accept her.’
I pushed the thought aside and raised my sword again.
‘When it comes to the sword, there’s no talent like hers.’
Before I knew it, I found myself staring at the sky again. The sun had nearly set, and the sky was darkening from twilight into night.
“Instructor? Are our strengths really equal?”
“They are. Since I have the larger build, the same power probably feels different to you. And—”
She handed me a light hydration and fatigue recovery potion.
“I also know far more techniques than you do.”
“I see.”
“Today’s training ends here.”
Tomorrow was her marriage meeting, so I would probably have to train alone.
“Instructor?”
“What?”
“…Good luck.”
…
At those words, Carna’s pale skin flushed even redder. It seemed she was still ashamed of being such a problematic prospect.
‘And while I told her good luck…’
Deep down, I was hoping she would fail. No, she was definitely going to fail.
And exactly one week later.
The result of that marriage meeting I had witnessed was delivered to me as well.
We sincerely apologize for disappointing you by declining such a valuable proposal from the Valteron family.
I had expected this. Which meant it was now my turn to become Carna’s marriage prospect.