Lord Balkan's Teaching (1)
Lord Vulcan's Teaching (1)
"Draw your sword."
At Sir Balkan's command, I immediately unsheathed the bastard sword.
At the same time, I followed him as he walked to a secluded clearing.
Once the distance had closed somewhat, he stopped right there.
"No need for long-winded talk. Come at me."
Sir Balkan, with his hands behind his back, gestured with his chin.
It probably meant, 'Show me what you've got.'
Knights communicate with their swords.
This method is more comfortable for me too.
"...I'm coming."
With a customary announcement to signal the start, I kicked off the ground and charged at him.
Sir Balkan was unarmed, but there was no need to hesitate.
After all, a knight would be able to subdue someone like me with just a single finger.
I closed the distance in an instant and swung my sword at him in a diagonal slash.
A murderous wind sound rang out, but all that was torn was the empty air.
Sir Balkan merely twisted his shoulder slightly and easily evaded my strike.
"A well-trained body, I see. Impeccable physical balance."
Hearing his evaluation, I swung my sword again.
Vertical and horizontal downward slashes, unorthodox upward strikes, thrusts aimed at vital points.
I unleashed my own sword style, forged through countless slaughters.
"However, your movements are truly pathetic."
Despite my all-out assault, Sir Balkan remained expressionless with his hands still behind his back.
The sight of him dodging every single one of my relentless sword strikes with only the minimum necessary movement.
I felt a wall.
"Too much unnecessary motion. Is this truly your best?"
I continued my fierce offensive for several minutes, but I couldn't even graze the hem of his clothes, let alone land an effective hit.
A miserable result. I couldn't end the test like this.
I used Recovery on my arm muscles, which were already getting tired.
When it comes to stamina, I'm second to none.
The moment I tried to thrust my sword in again.
Sir Balkan took a step towards me.
"That's enough."
Just a single step.
Yet, the fighting spirit that surged forth in that instant made my body stiffen rigidly.
An overwhelming pressure that made me stop instinctively, utterly dominated.
"Not much of a talent. Doesn't seem like teaching you will be very enjoyable."
So it's a failure after all. A disappointing result, but it was something I had already prepared for.
My skills are far too lacking to meet the standards of a knight, no less.
As I was blaming myself and sheathing my sword, Sir Balkan spoke again.
"...However."
A voice that had sounded monotonous until now.
For the first time, I felt some emotion in that rigid tone.
I unconsciously raised my head and saw Sir Balkan staring intently at me.
"But those burning eyes of yours are quite interesting."
Piercing pupils that seemed to observe and see right through me.
I couldn't even think of daring to avert my gaze and stood stiffly, tensing my body.
"What is it that burns within you so? It doesn't seem like mere ambition for improvement."
I don't know if it's an old man's insight or a knight's intuition.
The important thing is that my innermost thoughts were seen through.
He had read the hatred and resentment I had hidden deep inside.
"...I must have my revenge."
There was no reason to hide it.
At my quiet declaration, Sir Balkan finally withdrew his gaze.
Looking up at the sky, he muttered as if satisfied for some reason.
"Revenge. A splendid motive."
Sir Balkan, having undone his hands from behind his back, looked at me with a changed atmosphere.
Had he perhaps changed his mind?
I might be getting my hopes up for nothing, but an uncontrollable sense of expectation welled up.
"Rene, was it? Today, we must build from the basics."
"Does that mean...?"
"It wouldn't be bad to have a little pastime in my later years."
In other words, he was permitting me to receive his swordsmanship instruction. Success.
I came here with a mindset closer to gambling, yet I achieved such a result.
Was it because I had a clear reason like revenge?
"Don't get too excited. If I deem your learning too slow, I will dismiss you without mercy."
"...I will keep that in mind."
I steeled my heart at Sir Balkan's warning.
It's too early to rejoice already.
I must internalize his teachings and make them my own for it to be considered a true achievement.
"You don't have any separate schedule, do you? Assuming that, I'll begin the instruction right away. The basics I mentioned refer to footwork. That is, it means Footwork."
The teaching began immediately without any long drawn-out process.
I listened attentively to Sir Balkan's words with a focused attitude.
"The most important thing in close combat is the distance between me and the enemy. How you move your feet allows you to control that distance."
Saying that, Sir Balkan took a stance with his right foot forward and left foot pulled back.
His upper body was slightly bent, and his knees were slightly flexed.
"This stance is the foundation. It's effective for both advance and retreat, not just for attack but also for defense."
Looking out of the corner of my eye, I awkwardly attempted the stance myself.
Indeed, the center of gravity was low, and the balance wasn't skewed to any one side, making my body feel stable.
"I'll show you the advance first. Watch carefully and try to follow."
Sir Balkan moved his leg.
A short step, followed by a stride forward as his foot landed lightly on the ground.
It didn't even seem like he used much force, yet he had already advanced three steps further than me.
"Short Step and Long Step. You could say all footwork is performed based on these two."
When I tried to follow along immediately, it was indeed different.
A stance that could instantly connect to slashing, thrusting, blocking, and evading.
It was a simple yet restrained movement, imbued with the subtleties of a swordsman.
"Once you master the advance, the rest is similar. There are only differences in movement direction, power control, and slight posture variations. Like this."
After finishing his explanation, Sir Balkan used Short Step and Long Step to move quickly forward, backward, left, and right.
Brilliant and agile footwork as if performing a dance.
Yet, it was surprising that not a speck of dust was kicked up.
"How is it? Getting a feel for it?"
"...Yes. I understand."
Theoretically, I had grasped it.
I had already memorized all the movements in my head.
But could I, someone notoriously uncoordinated, actually pull this off in practice?
Worry came before even trying.
"The order doesn't matter. Successfully performing footwork eight times in a row without interruption, meaning going around the four directions twice consecutively as just shown."
Mastery of footwork. Then the next step would naturally be swordsmanship, right?
This is the teaching of a knight, no less.
I must not let this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity slip away just because I got scared.
Recalling Sir Balkan's movements, I boldly moved my feet.
A short Short Step and a somewhat long Long Step forward.
The advance went smoothly.
Then, attempting to step back to retreat, my foot momentarily twisted and got tangled.
My body lost balance, wobbled, and flailed in the air.
It was already too late to recover.
I ended up falling disgracefully and planting my face on the ground.
"...You have a long way to go. Try hard."
With those words, Sir Balkan's presence faded away.
I had already shown him an embarrassing sight right from the start.
A sense of self-loathing welled up, but I stubbornly got back on my feet.
After all, my stamina is infinite.
There was no specific deadline for the task, so I just needed to overcome it with effort.
It was too early to be discouraged.
I brushed off the dust and assumed the stance.
First, I tried advancing, retreating, and moving left and right once each.
The individual movements weren't that difficult. The problem was linking them together.
When I tried to retreat again after advancing, my feet got tangled again and I fell.
Now I didn't even have time to feel upset. Ignoring it, I performed the footwork again.
I spent a good while rolling on the ground, getting covered in dirt.
It was only after the moon rose that I barely managed to succeed with 2 consecutive footwork sequences.
I think I had been immersed in this alone for over 12 hours since morning.
As much as I wanted to practice more, I decided to stop for today.
It had already been days since I last had a man.
My crotch was itching so much that I couldn't focus on the footwork at all.
Since I had reached my limit of endurance, I hurried back to the shop.
After taking a couple of customers to relieve my sexual desires, I forced myself to sleep.
I probably slept for about three or four hours.
The moment my eyes opened, I headed straight to the clearing behind the shop.
Dawn, while darkness still lingered.
Becoming one with the shadows, I devoted myself endlessly to the footwork.
I didn't stop even when the sun rose.
In the empty clearing, I moved only my feet and legs.
From not stopping at 2 consecutive, to 3 consecutive, past 4 consecutive, and finally reaching 8 consecutive.
On the fifth day of continuing training, putting everything else aside.
Effort finally bore fruit.
I had succeeded in performing 8 consecutive footwork sequences, hitting all four directions twice.
My footwork skills were definitely quicker and more proficient compared to a few days ago.
Some dust was kicked up, but the movement itself was incredibly smooth and effortless.
Surely this should be more than enough to pass, right?
I wanted to show my results to Sir Balkan immediately, but I returned to the shop first.
Repeating only sleep and training had left my clothes thoroughly soaked with sweat.
I did use Recovery from time to time to remove bodily waste.
Even so, there's nothing I can do about the sweat that soaks into the clothes.
Moreover, I was covered in dirt, making a change of clothes even more necessary.
As I headed to my room to change, I suddenly saw Madam Rosalia.
For some reason, she was pacing the corridor with a troubled expression.
Wondering if something was wrong, I approached her.
"Madam. Good morning."
"Huh? Rene, good morning. Perfect timing. Are you free by any chance?"
"I have nothing but free time."
For the Madam, I could spare as much time as needed.
It was essentially thanks to her that I received instruction from Sir Balkan.
I had expressed my gratitude numerous times, but this was a debt that couldn't be repaid with mere words.
"One of our VIPs made a sudden reservation, you see. But it's still morning, so the 3rd Floor ladies haven't come to work yet. Could you spare some time, Rene?"
"Of course."
There was no need to even think about it.
Dealing with high-ranking people is bothersome, but it's not something I can't do.
If I act politely and with proper manners, it can even be an opportunity to earn silver coins.
"Oh my, thank you. It'll take a little while for him to arrive, so rest until then."
"Yes. Is there anything specific I should know about the distinguished guest?"
Grace of the Rose VIPs are treated beyond mere regulars.
They were likely members of wealthy families, influential clans, or nobility.
As such, I needed to gather information about them beforehand.
"Hmm. It's Councilor Verduci, one of the city's executives. His personality isn't particularly difficult. Just act as you usually do. Ah, there is one peculiarity though."
Mid-sentence, Rosalia leaned in slightly and lowered her voice.
I got nervous for no reason and brought my face closer, and she whispered secretly.
"Rumor has it he's incredibly well-endowed? I heard Anethsa fainted and even lost consciousness once."
"What? That Anethsa..."
That provocative and experienced Anethsa fainted and lost consciousness?
It's rare for even me to be broken that badly.
It must not just be about size; his technique must be considerable too.
"Anyway, be careful. If even Anethsa was done in like that, that says it all. Plus, his stamina is amazing too; I heard he does it several times in a row."
"Wow..."
I'm starting to feel afraid.
Contrary to my feelings, my aroused body was already heating up with anticipation.
My lower abdomen throbbed, and my crotch grew damp and tingled.
I could feel the copious love juices flowing down my thighs.
I know it can't be helped, but this body is really something else.
Anyway, it was now time to work.
After parting with the Madam, I changed clothes in my room.
Of course, I didn't forget to use Recovery to clean my entire body.
After sitting on the bed in pure white négligée for a short while.
A light knock was heard, and I stood up in a polite posture.
Sweat formed on my palms from tension, and my throat felt dry for no reason.
The incredibly well-endowed and virile VIP Councilor Verduci.
The door opened, and finally, he entered my room.