Chapter 40
Chapter 40
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 40
Chapter Title: Acandus Paern
-----------------------------------------------------------------
A week had passed since Julius left the domain.
Even after his departure for the capital, Allen acted as if nothing had happened, carrying on with his usual routine.
In the morning, he learned swordsmanship from Vestla, and in the late morning, he practiced musical instruments as a hobby.
In the afternoon, he was educated on the knowledge required of a family heir and researched magic in the small workshop set up in the mansion.
In between, he had tea time with his mother and secretly checked on the progress of the task he had given to Inellia.
Allen’s daily life was full, and no one would have found it strange.
Even Gaiel, who had been quietly observing him, lost interest after a week passed with no movement from Allen.
And so, the morning of the eighth day began.
“You seem so meticulous in everything, yet your fundamentals are surprisingly sloppy. That’s probably because you’ve never been properly taught the sword.”
It was time for his swordsmanship lesson with Vestla.
“I don’t think that’s a bad thing. In fact, I see it as a good thing.”
When he expressed his confusion, Vestla spoke simply, as if teaching a basic concept.
“The fundamental premise of swordsmanship is ‘to attack without being hit.’”
She and Allen were in the training grounds reserved for the direct family line.
“A sword is shorter than a spear, right? If you’re both swinging from a distance, it’s only natural that the sword is at an absolute disadvantage.”
As Allen listened intently, Vestla actively took the lead in his instruction.
“That’s why you have no choice but to dodge well and attack within the sword’s reach. But…”
She immediately negated the premise she had just mentioned.
“That doesn’t apply to ‘us.’”
*Swish!* Vestla’s blade grazed Allen’s skin.
“Why do we dodge a sword? Obviously, to avoid injury. Because the blade cuts the skin. But what about us?”
The beads of blood that had welled up on Allen’s skin vanished in an instant, as if nothing had happened.
“See? We regenerate quickly, and ordinary blades can’t even pierce our skin. If it wasn’t me, you wouldn’t have even been scratched, right?”
Allen had to agree with her on that.
Ever since his body had changed, he hadn’t suffered a single minor scrape.
“It means we don’t have to care about getting hit by most attacks.”
Vestla stated this to Allen as a certainty.
“So you don’t need to worry so much about technique.”
“…Still, isn’t technique important?”
Allen asked, unable to understand as he recalled the sparring matches between the family knights. But she scoffed and countered.
“Can you deflect an ogre’s fist?”
“If I keep learning swordsmanship, maybe someday…”
“Wouldn’t it be better to just dodge the fist and aim for an opening?”
“Well…”
“With a body like yours, you could just take the hit and counterattack, right?”
Allen was at a loss for words.
Vestla explained patiently, as if teaching a child.
“Allen, technique only works against opponents with similar strength. It’s all useless in the face of overwhelming power, you know?”
Vestla deliberately made her sword grow in size for Allen to see.
As the massive sword swung, he felt a pressure like a pillar flying toward him. The blade was so enormous it filled his entire field of vision, making any kind of technique seem futile.
“Even among humans, strength varies, and each race has different levels of power. If you were an ordinary knight, your body would be crushed before you could even deflect an ogre’s arm.”
Vestla stopped her attack and returned the sword to its original size.
“If all living beings had the same physical conditions, swordsmanship might have evolved to be technique-focused, but… that’s not the case, is it?”
Allen nodded blankly. After circling him a few times, she returned to stand before him.
“Therefore, there’s only one thing you need to think about: ‘power.’”
“Power…”
Allen repeated the word over and over.
The swordsmanship he was learning from Vestla was different from what he had vaguely imagined.
It was simpler, more concise.
“Your body is exceptionally superior, so you don’t even need to dodge attacks. Just ignore most strikes and return them with a powerful blow from a precise stance.”
Ignore minor wounds. They will heal.
The same goes for attacks. If you can endure it, don’t mind it.
‘A sword that crushes everything with nothing but overwhelming power.’
“That is the Giant’s Sword you will learn from me.”
Learning from her, Allen became certain. He had made the right choice in bringing Vestla.
‘If I had left her behind, I wouldn’t have been able to properly utilize this changed body.’
Though he had only learned from her for a short time, he could feel that she possessed an immense understanding of the sword.
As he listened to her explanation, a question came to mind, and Allen voiced it.
“In that case… are there no proper techniques at all?”
There were hundreds of swordsmanship manuals circulating in the market.
While those might not have any special characteristics, the swordsmanship of noble families was on a different level.
“I’m not talking about something that calls down lightning from the sky with a single swing, but a secret art that can at least project sword aura.”
The secret arts of noble families could create whirlwinds and conjure flames.
With esoteric techniques that rivaled magic itself, could it be that the swordsmanship of the giants had none?
At his question, Vestla paused before speaking.
“Actually, I do want to teach you a proper secret art, but…”
She trailed off hesitantly, but unable to withstand Allen’s persistent gaze, she continued.
“Do you remember? When we got out of the sewers.”
“The sewers? Back then…”
He remembered; it was the day they had fought off a group of bandits in the underground waterways right after returning to the city.
“I asked you if you had time back then.”
“You did.”
Hadn’t she been vague when he asked what was going on?
“Actually, since then, I’ve been modifying my secret arts to be exclusively for you, so you can use them. But…”
“But?”
“It’s just so difficult. Your body size is fundamentally different from ours. I’m sorry, but it’s going to take more time to fix it so you can use it properly.”
She spoke apologetically, but Allen didn’t think much of it.
‘Just helping me realize how to use my body is enough.’
Anything more was just her goodwill; it wasn’t something he could demand.
‘Is it even possible to modify an existing technique based on need?’
Even to Allen, who knew little about swordsmanship, it was clear how tricky and complex her task was.
‘Was she telling the truth when she boasted about being a genius?’
No matter how much of a genius she was, he didn’t think she could overhaul it exclusively for him in just a few days.
Even if what she said was true, it wasn’t something that could be resolved in a short amount of time.
“It’s fine.”
Therefore, Allen did not rush her.
“There’s no hurry, anyway.”
There would be no battles until Julius returned from the capital.
‘I wonder if he’s saved the fleeing young lady by now.’
On his way to the capital, that man would happen to save the young lady of a court noble from a dangerous situation.
After that, he would return to the capital, get involved in the noble family’s succession issues, help her, and establish her as the heir.
‘And after that, he’ll fight an enemy who infiltrated an auction house, get caught up in the black market’s power struggles, and meet a disguised princess…’
So, it would be at least another month before that man returned to the domain.
“I won’t rush you, so please, take your time.”
“Wow! I was struggling to modify it, so thank you!”
As she expressed her gratitude with a bright smile, Allen smiled faintly and picked up the training sword he had laid on the ground.
“Well then, let’s begin our training.”
Then, a sudden question came to his lips.
“Ah, by the way, what’s the name of the secret art I’ll be learning?”
“The name of the art is Jötunnsverd. It’s a sword style composed of a total of nine secret techniques.”
***
In this way, Allen came to learn many things from Vestla.
He learned to unconsciously adopt stances in response to an opponent’s attack and developed the courage to ignore blows that landed on his body. He was no longer hesitant to launch the kind of aggressive attacks he once was.
As he was moving his body frantically, someone knocked on the training ground door.
*Knock, knock—*
“Young Master, it is time.”
“Already?”
When he called out for her to enter, Inellia approached him with what were now graceful steps.
“You’ve worked hard, Young Master.”
Allen took the waterskin she offered and accepted her touch as she wiped his face and neck with a familiar expression.
The moment she had knocked on the door, Vestla had returned to Allen’s hand, remaining perfectly silent.
“What is Linbelle doing?”
Inellia replied, trying her best to hide the dark expression on her face.
“…She has been dedicating herself to training since her return. If you call for her, Young Master, she will come at once…”
Allen shook his head.
“No, it’s fine.”
It was Allen who had given her free time. Having confirmed her training results on Mount Nicaea, he had been able to make a quick decision.
‘Her swordsmanship is improving at a steep rate.’
If they were to fight purely with swordsmanship, Allen might even lose.
Therefore, Allen had judged that it was better for her to grow stronger than to follow him around.
‘…Though she seemed to be in shock from her first kill.’
She would overcome something like that soon enough.
Regardless of her current state, the image of her from his past life was so strongly ingrained in Allen’s mind that he trusted that version of her more than his own judgment.
That was why he wasn’t worried about her.
He didn’t think she would break over something so trivial.
What worried Allen was something else.
‘The question is… will Linbelle be able to awaken to Prana in this life too?’
Prana was a special power.
Rarer than mana, it was a noble power, and those who possessed it were praised as true knights.
‘I’ll have to wait and see until we go to the academy.’
If it were up to him, he would want to wait until she awakened to Prana on her own, but if there was no progress by the time he had to leave, he would have to make her able to use mana at least.
Her growth was essential to achieving what Allen aimed for at the academy.
‘I’ve prepared several plans, but…’
Her becoming stronger on her own was the best-case scenario.
“Linbelle will overcome it on her own, so there is no need to worry so much.”
“…Do you think so? Perhaps if you just met with her once, Young Master… No, never mind. I’ve overstepped. My apologies.”
Allen encouraged the overly worried woman and spoke.
“She’ll be fine. Linbelle won’t break over something like that. Still… if you’re worried, I’ll check on her.”
“…If you would, may I ask you to do so?”
“Of course. It’s only natural for a parent to worry about their child. By the way…”
Allen encouraged her, her concern for her daughter etched deep in her eyes, as he spread the perception of his heart wide.
‘Good, no one is around.’
Confirming that there was no one near the training grounds, Allen leaned in and spoke.
“How did that go?”
At Allen’s question, Inellia wiped the smile from her lips, quietly approached, and whispered in his ear.
“The investigation of the ‘target’ you mentioned is complete.”
Allen replied with a cautious expression.
“What is the scale of their group? What is he doing now, and where is he?”
Inellia couldn’t understand why the Young Master wanted to meet him. However, it was a maid’s duty to obey her master’s words.
She completed the task he had given her perfectly, without question.
“On the surface, it appeared to be nothing more than a gathering of city thugs… but the truth was different. You can confirm the details in the report.”
She handed him a neatly rolled parchment.
“Furthermore, he has been staying at the same tavern for several days, so if you depart now, you should be able to meet him within three days.”
‘So he hasn’t started his real preparations yet.’ The timing is perfect.
“Shall I prepare the carriage?”
Allen thought of the person he was about to meet and replied immediately.
“Prepare it at once.”
The man who would serve as the vanguard of Julius’s revenge.
One of the many who had opposed him in his past life, and the spokesperson for the avengers.
A man who had lost everything to that bastard and now dreamed of revenge once more.
‘Acandus Paern.’
It was time to meet him.