Acquiring the First Skill

Time passed, and Saturday arrived — but with incidents involving ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠demons flooding into Cumul Territory like a tide, the butler was sent out in Alice's place to handle the reports. And so it was that I found myself standing at the training grounds, face to face with him.

"Good day to you, Young Master. I have come in Lady Alice's stead."

"Yes. I look forward to training with you today."

Right before my eyes, the butler demonstrated in the flesh what a middle-aged man in his prime looked like. He served as Vice Commander of the Azure Scale Knights, the order over which Alice presided as Commander.

Curious about Edgar's abilities, I opened my Status Window and stole a glance at his stats.

His base stats were higher than Alice's — yet it seemed Alice covered the difference with pure swordsmanship. Even with stats twenty points above hers, Edgar was only the Vice Commander. Of course, there was likely another reason her father had asked him to serve the household. Still, knowing I would be learning everything from this man today — including the forms of the Imperial Sword Style — worry got ahead of me.

'He's not going to teach me while beating me half to death, is he?'

As I thought this and looked at him, Edgar met my gaze and spoke.

"Today you will learn the First Form of the Imperial Sword Style's seven forms — Flying Slash. Let us begin by correcting your stance."

"First, spread your legs shoulder-width apart. Extend your dominant foot forward and balance yourself on the trailing one."

At his instruction, I stepped my right foot forward and drew my left back, settling into position. Somehow my stance didn't match his, but the butler carried on with his explanation as if that could wait.

"After that, use your right foot as the axis of rotation, spin through a full turn, and swing the sword along with your body. That is the First Form of the Imperial Sword Style ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠— Flying Slash."

'So... it's basically a spinning slash, isn't it?'

Whether it was because I had understood him precisely, or because the butler had explained Flying Slash in such detail, the Status Window responded.

Along with the unfamiliar messages, a rough sense of how to use the technique took root in my mind.

'Like this...?'

Legs shoulder-width apart, right foot planted forward, left foot braced behind for balance — and the moment I gripped the sword and began to turn, the blade's weight dragged my center of gravity off to one side, and down I went.

"Everyone falls their way into learning at first. Get up. Today, we practice Flying Slash and nothing else — until you succeed."

At the butler's words, darkness closed in before my eyes.

'He's not hitting me, at least... The problem is that he's working me to death...'

How long had I been practicing like that? My right leg was steadily approaching its limit.

"Ugh..! Argh...!"

I could see Flying Slash's proficiency climbing through the Status Window, but the butler's corrections left me no time to read it.

"No, Young ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Master! Put more force into your right ankle as you rotate!"

"Young Master — if you feel yourself about to fall, grip the sword in reverse instead. Your weapon is a short sword, so that should serve you well."

"Reverse grip...? You mean like this?"

At my demonstration, the butler gave a quiet nod. Following his advice, I gripped the short sword inverted and spun my body as before.

'This is so much easier than before. This is the answer!'

The more I practiced, the more naturally the technique seemed to flow into place.

"Rather — lead with your left foot and balance on the right. Your left foot is throwing off your equilibrium."

How much time had passed? My stance had come to mirror the one the butler had shown me almost exactly. And just as I was drilling Flying Slash, he suddenly led me off to a place packed with training dummies, pulled one iron dummy in front of me, and said:

"Cutting down this dummy is your final assignment."

I stared at the butler, utterly dumbfounded.

"If you have mastered the skill, you will be capable of it."

'That makes no sense...'

And yet I turned my body and threw myself back into practice all the same.

How many days had passed since then? After roughly three days, I finally stood before the dummy again — this time to see Flying Slash's full power for myself.

At first I thought I couldn't do it. But something was different now. A sudden confidence rose in me — a certainty that I could cut it — and I gripped the sword in reverse, leveled it, and unleashed Flying Slash.

Using my left foot as the axis of rotation, I spun in a form much like the roundhouse kick I had seen in my past life, and with the rotational force my spinning body generated, I brought the reverse-gripped sword down across the dummy.

Swish—! CRACK!

"You have succeeded."

I had cut the dummy clean through — and I couldn't find my voice, because the ground behind it had been torn open as well. Seeing that, the butler declared it a success, and as if to back him up, the Status Window proved it.

"Magnificent. To think you would master Flying Slash this quickly. Even having watched it with my own eyes, I am astonished."

"Thank goodness. I honestly thought I might never manage it."

As the butler watched Hyun speak with a look of relief on his face, he came to a realization — the boy harbored an extraordinary talent.

The seven forms of the Imperial Sword Style were not easily mastered even by the Empire's regular knights. The First Form was said to be the easiest of the seven, and still the majority of trainees struggled with it — yet this young boy had demonstrated it in a remarkably short time, as if it were nothing at all.

'Incredible talent... If I brought him into our knightly order, he would become a tremendous asset. So it was no coincidence that he wounded Lady Alice's shoulder...'

Because the butler was smiling warmly at me, I braced myself in case he had another task in mind — but none came. Edgar simply patted my shoulder, told me to rest well, and started back toward the manor.

I would learn this much later, but at that moment, the butler had been quietly overjoyed that a gifted young boy had come through the household's doors.

'Still — gaining a means of attack is a pretty big win.'

Having a way to attack meant that, given a weapon, I now had the means to protect my own body. On top of that, acquiring a skill gave me a sense of accomplishment as a bonus, and I could feel myself moving one step closer to survival — so I decided to simply savor the joy.

Just as Hyun was rejoicing, the Status Window displayed a new message before his eyes.

There it was on the quest window, waiting for me as a matter of course — as if telling me to go grind myself into the dirt.

Even though I had only just mastered Flying Slash, I was still out at the training grounds drilling it. But the completion reward was nothing to scoff at, so gritting my teeth, I resolved to clear the quest whether I liked it or not.

As I trained, Edgar approached slowly and handed me a waterskin.

"Still practicing Flying Slash, I see."

Watching him gently offer water to me — sprawled out and exhausted from training — I was genuinely moved.

'I'm an idiot for briefly suspecting a butler like this of working me to the bone...'

That thought lasted only a moment before I explained to him why I had come out to the training grounds at all.

"I can use Flying Slash now, but... I'd like to practice it more."

The butler smiled at my answer.

"Diligent, aren't you. But do not push yourself too far. There is nothing more foolish than an injury born of overexertion."

"I'll keep that in mind."

"I shall retire ahead of you, then."

As the butler turned and walked back toward the manor, the corners of his mouth were lifted in a smile.

He had been the most promising talent the household had produced since the current lord, and so Edgar could not hide his joy. Hyun, of course, was too absorbed in the quest window and the information on Flying Slash to notice any of it.

The twelfth Flying Slash marked the end of my training for the day.

My muscles were protesting — what on earth are you doing to us? — with aches welling up from every corner of my body, and my legs, the most abused of all, had achieved something like enlightenment and refused to move.

"Let's call it here. Ha... I'm exhausted..."

Just as I was groaning like that, Alice emerged from the manor in full plate armor. She was not the sort to march out in heavy armament unless something serious was afoot — so why was she armored up like this?

Instantly ignoring the protest of my aching muscles, I hurried over to her.

"Hyun. You were training."

"My lady, where are you going?"

"Into the forest, briefly. A knight reported traces of a demon, so I'm leading the knights to investigate. I'll be late, so go to bed without me."

At those words, the Sword of the Azure Sky flashed through my mind. According to the strategy guide, the Sword of the Azure Sky slept within the largest cave in Cumul Territory, and the story began when a hunter resting in that cave came out possessed by murderous madness.

But the place Alice was heading was not the cave. It was that forest — the very forest where she had first found me.

My heart should have settled, and it didn't. Why? I felt as though I were missing something, something just out of reach.

I hastily opened the quest window, but it yielded nothing more — and in the end, I could only leave it to heaven.

Please come back safe.

"Promise me. That you'll come back in one piece."

Of course, I said it because if she was ever driven into a corner and took up the Sword of the Azure Sky as her last resort, Cumul Territory would be thrown into chaos — and I would die from the quest failure besides. But to Alice, it must have sounded like nothing more than worry for her sake.

Naturally so — she was gazing at me with a warm, gentle smile.

"I know. I'll come back safe and sound."

Answering my worry, she slipped off one gauntlet for a moment, reached down, and ruffled my hair. Then she drew the gauntlet back on, swung lightly into the saddle, and looked down at me.

"Don't worry — go inside and sleep. Shuris, Gii. Follow me."

At Alice's call, the two regular knights mounted their horses, and following behind her, they rode out of the manor grounds.

"Yes, Commander!"

And so Alice rode off toward the forest alongside two other knights.

Watching her retreating back, I felt that unease gnaw at me all over again. But I had only just barely learned Flying Slash — I couldn't ask to be taken along. All that remained to me was the anxiety, and a growing sense of my own helplessness.