Swordsmanship Training (2)
Beatrice diligently learned her swordsmanship. She could have given up at any point, but she never let go of her wooden sword until the end.
"You only impart impact at the moment of contact. If you make your body heavy from the start, you can't swing it fast enough."
Beatrice was an excellent student. She was passionate and quick on the uptake.
"This way, you can minimize mana consumption and increase speed, right?"
"Ah..."
Three days into swordsmanship training, Beatrice had grasped the method of increasing the mass of her body.
"Now it feels a bit heavier."
Sisilia was thoroughly satisfied. And so, on the fourth day, she judged that Beatrice was ready to move on to the next stage.
Beatrice, who had passed out and woken up only to try dodging the wooden sword right away, saw Sisilia still sitting there.
"No beating today."
"R-Really?"
Beatrice, wrapped head to toe in bandages from all the hits she'd taken, spoke with evident anxiety.
"Yeah. Today we're doing a spar without strikes."
"...A spar?"
"I've gotten a good grasp on your swordsmanship, Betty, so I figured I'd point out the issues."
"Y-You're really not going to hit me? You're not gonna smack me on the head out of nowhere and say, 'You think demons won't hit you just 'cause they said they wouldn't?' right?"
"..."
Sisilia looked at Beatrice with utterly cold eyes.
Do I really look like a sadist to her...?
Of course, her tastes leaned more that way than masochism.
"Betty, you seem to use defensive swordsmanship. Is there a reason for that?"
"Well, the Light Blessing is a support type, so..."
It was to drag things out with pure defense, layering on as many buffs as possible.
Sisilia sighed. Beatrice was cute and lovable, but this was the problem.
"Let me use the example of a saintess from the Holy Nation."
"Yes, got it."
"What's the most suitable weapon for a saintess?"
"Huh?"
Did saintesses even use weapons...? Beatrice answered ambiguously.
"A shield...?"
"No!"
Sisilia was starting to get a little annoyed.
"It's a massive mace."
"A mace?"
"She heals while swinging that mace until the enemy drops dead."
"..."
"Trying to survive as long as possible to be useful is a good mindset. But that has clear limits."
How cool is a physical saintess?
Sisilia couldn't understand giving up that role.
"I taught you how to bulk up your frame, and you're just using that bulked-up body to block my attacks."
"B-But..."
Beatrice felt understandably wronged. Her swordsmanship style was indeed defensive. But she didn't only defend. Of course she'd attack if she saw an opening. But Sisilia didn't give her a moment to breathe. Thinking about offense in that situation was impossible.
"You thought I wasn't giving you any openings to attack, right?"
Beatrice hiccuped.
Sisilia tilted her head.
"That's weird. Doesn't that mean I'm the perfect style you're aiming for? I didn't let you attack at all."
"...!"
Beatrice's eyes widened. She hadn't considered that.
"Same goes for your Blessing. Why do you think the Light Blessing can only be used for buffs?"
"Because... light has no mass, right?"
The common view on which Blessing was better boiled down to overwhelming mass. It wasn't entirely wrong, but judging Blessings solely by mass overlooked too many exceptions. Even light and darkness, which Sisilia rated S-rank, had no mass.
Blessings are manifestations of imagery. Without the conviction that your image is strong, it can't be strong.
If she asked modern people, "Is the Light Blessing good?" most would say yes. Nothing's faster than the speed of light—a famous fact—and in countless stories, light powers were overwhelmingly strong.
But to medieval folk, it was different. They saw the Light Blessing as good, but not strong. Even Beatrice was just spamming buffs with it, like a total newbie who'd shoved a sword in their helmet slot at the start of the game.
"Right, light has no mass. So, what's the ultimate buff you can make with that light?"
The problem is I can't explain it scientifically.
Regardless of her limited scientific knowledge, bringing modern info into this world was taboo.
Someone might suspect I'm not an NPC.
A major issue! Using modern knowledge too soon would spawn rumors like, "She's gotta be a User!" Extremely troublesome. Sisilia couldn't risk that.
But she wanted Beatrice to grow stronger. She had the potential to be an outstanding graduate student(?).
So Sisilia planned to guide her subtly.
"The ultimate buff..."
"Kill them all yourself."
Beatrice stared at Sisilia blankly.
"P-Pardon?"
"Kill them all with your swordsmanship."
First, let's change cute little Betty's mindset.
Every Blessing user spent their life pondering how to best wield it. Beatrice fixated solely on buffs for her Light Blessing, so of course that's all she thought of. Time to shatter that loser's mentality.
If she figured it out herself, full marks. If she got lost, Sisilia would drop hints.
Someday she might even pull off a neutron star explosion?
Hee hee. Sisilia stood, envisioning a bright future.
"What I'm about to teach you now—"
Beatrice swallowed hard.
"Is swordsmanship for killing people."
"...!"
"One Flash."
It meant slicing through an enemy in a single stroke. Perfect for Beatrice, wielder of the Light Blessing.
It's actually mine, but I hardly use it anyway.
And it was a technique Sisilia had devised. The Wind Blessing suited One Flash too. She rarely used it because it was too powerful. Imagining "it cuts through everything" made fine power control impossible. But pure swordsmanship One Flash without a Blessing allowed moderation.
"I'll leave how to infuse it with your Blessing as an exercise for you. I'm really looking forward to your creativity."
Sisilia grinned mischievously. She could already picture at least fifty variations. Betty crackling like Pikachu. Betty yelling "Thunder Flash!" and slashing at light speed. Betty sheathing her sword with a breath at the end. Total coolness overload!
Sisilia had somehow donned a monocle and rested her hand on her hip.
"...S-Sisilia?"
"Professor Sisilia."
"Huh?"
Sisilia whipped her head around. Beatrice called a few more times to no avail, then tried tentatively.
"...Professor Sisilia?"
"Yes."
That monocle really doesn't suit her.
A thought that would devastate Sisilia if overheard. Beatrice asked earnestly.
"You said it's swordsmanship for killing people... but aren't we knights who cut down demons?"
"Humans are easier than demons."
Killing demons wasn't much different from killing humans. Slash the neck. Pierce the heart. Choke the breath. Burst the body. The key was imagery. Which was easier to imagine? Humans, hands down. Master it on humans, and it works on demons too.
"And sometimes you have to kill people."
"..."
Sisilia said no more. Beatrice didn't pry. She just steeled herself and nodded.
"One Flash is simple."
Sisilia lowered into stance. Her wooden sword rested at her left hip, positioned as if half-drawn.
"The image you imagine: 'I will definitely cut whatever's in front of me.' No matter what it is."
Beatrice watched, entranced.
"Pivot on your right foot."
Boom—.
The floor cracked. Immense mana gathered at Sisilia's right foot.
"Use your entire body's weight as the center. Step forward with your left foot, load mass into your hips, and rotate."
The key point here.
"Finally, the instant your sword accelerates, pour all your mana into it. And voice it aloud to manifest the image."
Shwick—!
Sisilia swung through empty air as described.
"One Flash."
Beatrice's eyes couldn't follow. Only a faint afterimage lingered. In that split second, as Sisilia's sword returned to her hip—
The result of One Flash appeared.
Rumble—!
"Wh-Wha."
Beatrice looked up in panic. A diagonal crack split the ceiling. And then—
BOOM!
It cleaved in half and collapsed. The space directly above Beatrice and Sisilia remained untouched.
Sisilia looked at the trembling Beatrice.
"You can do it, right?"
"Professor, you're going too fast..."
Tears streamed down Beatrice's face.
**
"You taught her One Flash?"
Chiron rubbed his aching head. He sighed down at Sisilia, who was utterly deflated from the scolding.
"You could've taught her something else."
"But it suits Betty the best."
The warehouse they'd spectacularly demolished. Plus five fine trees outside sliced clean in half. That wasn't a big deal. Kids practicing swordsmanship? He'd praise them. The cuts were impeccably clean, right up Chiron's alley.
But the technique itself was the issue.
"One Flash is a secret technique worthy of passing down through the generations. Who casually teaches that away?"
Secrets had to stay secret to mean anything. An unaware demon would get wrecked. That's why he'd earnestly warned Beatrice: never reveal it, no matter what.
"But, but."
Sisilia looked on the verge of tears. She'd expected praise, but got scolded instead.
Chiron couldn't bear to say more and sighed deeply.
"The demons' movements are unusual."
Sisilia peeked up.
It's starting soon, huh?
The war's beginning. But one that would end almost immediately.
"Her Majesty the Queen will have heard about this by now. You're the Sword Princess, but cleaving the training hall with just a wooden sword and no Blessing isn't easy."
"..."
"Please, try not to stand out."
Worry, concern. Chiron's gaze held those emotions. It burned him inside. His capable daughter. Instead of honoring her feats, he had to hide them. But he had to block Vice-Captain Edward's schemes and the Queen's pressure to throw her into ever more dangerous missions.
"...When vacation ends, I'll take a mission with Betty."
"I'll give you a safe one."
"Send me to the front lines."
Chiron's eyes turned fierce.
"Sisilia. Do you not understand my words?"
"But."
Sisilia glanced sideways as she spoke.
To kill the Demon King, I need to get close. Can't just vanish suddenly either.
"I'm cute and pretty, after all."
"..."
"I think the vice-captain and Her Majesty can't help themselves."
A flimsy excuse. But to Chiron, it rang different. A needle in a bag—true talent shines through no matter what. Do you really have to do this, Sisilia?
Her words at this timing meant she wouldn't hide. She'd face any trial. Chiron's role was clear: trust her.
It tore him up, but no parent outdid their child.
"...Very well."
Yes! Quick Demon King takedown, then lots of fun with Betty.
Sisilia beamed, dreaming of frolicking days ahead. Blissfully unaware she'd just kicked away the chance herself.