Blood Oath (2)
After the incident in the Underground Relic Vault, the Sword Princess Iris seemed to be preparing to head straight north to the location of the relic I'd told her about.
"Today's lesson is self-study."
"Oh, again today...? Did I do something to upset you—"
"No, nothing like that."
With no more reason to stay in the Brace Dukedom, she was ready to abandon Sara too.
'Can't be helped. It must be urgent.'
Her backstory was that she was chasing the Resurrection Stone to revive her dead younger brother.
'Well, time for me to get moving too.'
By now, in the early stages of my diet, I'd slimmed down quickly to just over 100kg. It was about time to fix my dantian.
As soon as dawn broke, I snuck up to the secluded back mountain and sat in the lotus position. Then I chewed and swallowed the elixir I'd stolen from the underground relic vault a month ago.
"Tastes like a calming pill but bitter as hell."
Shuuu—.
I could feel an unfamiliar energy coursing through my body. Mana, probably.
From here on, I'd have to confine it to the dantian near my heart.
"Meditating so defenselessly... You really have no fear of the world, do you?"
Then, out of the darkness, a familiar voice suddenly spoke up.
"......What brings you here at this hour?"
"Before I prepare to leave for the place you told me about, I thought I'd lend you a hand."
Iris approached with soft footsteps in response to my puzzled question, stopping right in front of me.
"You know so much, young master, so you must know what I'm about to do."
She slipped behind me and whispered lowly, then abruptly pulled my shirt halfway off.
Swoosh—.
I felt her cool hand on my bare back. A lewd thought flashed through my mind for a second, but I quickly realized what she was doing and regained my composure.
'...This.'
Mana sharing. In Eastern terms, jingi doin—a high-level practitioner infusing mana into a lower one to aid meditation.
A Swordmaster, as expected. The mana flowing in now was leagues denser than what I'd felt before, thick and steady without a flicker.
The mana transferred from my back began filling the empty space beside my heart. And then—
Crack, craaack!
"...Holy shit."
Something dull formed near my heart. The frame of the dantian.
What would've taken half a day of focus had formed in just five minutes.
"Heh. You're the first I've ever shared my mana with. Be proud."
"Th-thank you... But why?"
"Rebuilding a dantian is something I've never even heard of, but it must be incredibly difficult. I don't want a man who might become my eternal husband dying pathetically from qi deviation."
"......"
Husband? Suddenly, an immense pressure hit me.
"Ahem, the mana settled faster than expected. I owe you my life. Well, I should head back... Gotta check if the boiled chicken breast I ordered for breakfast arrived fresh."
I hurriedly fixed my clothes and stood, not wanting to get more entangled.
But then.
"Ah......"
Iris suddenly staggered, clutching her forehead. Her footsteps wobbled unsteadily as she leaned toward my shoulder.
"Oh dear... Did I overdo the mana output? My head's spinning all of a sudden."
"......"
I stared down at her in a daze. Where was the overwhelming presence that had rebuilt my dantian in five minutes? Now there was just a pitiful woman on the verge of collapse.
'......What a load of bullshit.'
A curse slipped out involuntarily. If you're gonna scam, at least make it convincing.
Ariel's number two in martial prowess. A 10-Star Realm Swordmaster. And she gets dizzy from helping with a newbie's dantian frame?
'Even if my dantian was shattered, to a Swordmaster, that's like a teaspoon from their mana reserves.'
I glanced around, but it was just us in the empty dawn mountain. Ignoring her felt wrong after her huge favor... With a sigh, I asked as politely as I could.
"So, what can I do to help with that dizziness, Sword Princess?"
At my question, Iris lowered her hand from her forehead as if she'd been waiting, flashing a seductive smile.
"To forget the dizziness, some movement might help. And I'm curious how that changed look in your eyes shifts in real combat."
She tossed me one of the two wooden swords at her waist and continued.
"Let's see your skills. I'll yield the first move."
"......"
I picked up the wooden sword that fell at my feet on reflex. Gripping it, I flexed my hand and licked my dry lips.
"Just so you know, I have no real skill with the sword."
"Already laying the groundwork? A future husband shouldn't have such low self-esteem."
"Just stating facts."
In 10,000 hours of playing Ariel, I'd swung swords endlessly in VR. I'd even beaten Iris a few times.
'But this is reality.'
My current body was a 100kg-plus severely obese frame, barely past the basics of dieting. Swinging a real sword with this heavy flesh was no joke.
Defeat was inevitable, but...
'I can at least avoid getting hurt.'
"Here I come."
"Whenever you're ready."
Iris smiled leisurely, holding her wooden sword at a slant.
I kicked off the ground and charged. Jiggle.
My flab shook, body sinking heavily. Nothing like the nimble image in my head—just a fat oaf's clumsy rush.
But I knew Iris's sword path and defensive habits perfectly.
'A head-on clash with that monster is suicide.'
I raised my wooden sword at her front, then twisted the trajectory forcibly on the downswing—aiming for her unique gap. When she blocked low, she'd unconsciously flick her sword outward just a hair.
I thrust into that split-second blind spot.
Clang—!
A sharp whoosh, then numbing pain tore through my grip.
"Ugh......!"
What I'd thought was a perfect strike was effortlessly blocked. She deflected it lightly; even with my weight behind it, she didn't budge an inch.
Theory alone couldn't overcome raw physique.
But.
"......!"
Iris's eyes, which had blocked me casually, widened ever so slightly. Her neat brows furrowed faintly, like she'd seen something odd—a habit she only showed unconsciously.
She'd instinctively realized I'd hit her exact weakness.
'Shit.'
Did I probe too sharply just to avoid injury? This would raise suspicions. I quickly tensed my shoulders, faking a balance loss with wobbly legs—like a clumsy beginner whose fat body luckily aligned the swing.
Swoosh—.
But before my amateur recovery finished, her wooden sword vanished from my sight for a split second.
"Guhk!"
A heavy blow I couldn't even track slammed my side. My 100kg bulk flew like a leaf, slicing through the air.
Thud crash—!
"Kuhuhuk......!"
Fuck... That hurt like hell. Wooden sword or not, no broken bones, but my brain felt rattled. I groaned like a beast, unable to speak.
A cold shadow fell over me.
"Young master."
"Kuhk, heuk! Y-yes...?"
"...How did you know?"
I'm screwed. Swallowing the pain, I forced the most innocent, wronged expression imaginable. Tears welled from the hurt, perfecting the idiot charm.
"Pardon? W-what do you mean... Ugh, what did I know? I just swung and my heavy body slipped......"
"......"
At my desperate denial, Iris leaned in close, breath nearly touching. Her calm, deep eyes pierced mine intently.
'......If she catches on, I'm fucked for real.'
Cold sweat poured internally, but I held the blank, clueless gaze stubbornly. I'm a thoughtless fatty. Ariel newbie. Swordmaster? What's that?
How long had I kept up the hypnosis-level acting?
"Haa."
Finally, Iris sighed shortly and pulled back. The choking tension released at once.
"You really are a mysterious person, young master."
"W-what do you...?"
I clutched my throbbing side and quietly stood, covered in dirt.
She gave me an inscrutable look and said,
"Come to the training grounds every morning from now on."
"Pardon?"
"I'll teach you from the basics. Learn my sword."
Clutching my bruised side, I blinked dumbly.
"Um, Sword Princess? Didn't you say you were preparing to leave for the north...?"
"No need to rush."
She suddenly massaged my bruised arm, gazing down with that seductive smile.
"A future husband can't go tumbling after one exchange. I'll stay by your side and train you properly before heading north. Don't be late tomorrow morning."
"......"
"Oh, and refusal means punishment."
"Wh-what—"
Iris didn't answer, vanishing leisurely into the dawn mist with soft footsteps. Her shadow faded completely from view.
'Seemed like she bought it...'
The morning breeze chilled the cold sweat on my back.