The Talent of Learning, Part 2

Standing in the front yard of the mansion, I couldn't hide my dumbfounded expression.

"Bwahaha! It has been a long time, Young Master Yeong-sik! I am Isaac, the former Knight Commander of the Russell Territory!"

"...Hello."

Isaac, who was said to be an old friend of my father, Liam, looked incredibly soft. With his half-bald head and bulging belly, he was undoubtedly Liam's best friend.

"It seems you really don't remember me."

"I'm sorry."

"Bwahaha! There is absolutely no need to apologize. It was quite a long time ago, but I did briefly teach you the sword, young master."

Isaac placed his hands on his hips, looking proud.

"Really? Did you?"

This was news to me. The original owner of this body had learned swordsmanship? Maybe the muscle memory was still there.

"How was my skill back then...?"

"Hmm. I hate to say this, but I was the one who advised you to give up."

"..."

I was a fool to have even a shred of hope.

Currently, my right hand held a typical longsword, and my left arm bore a round shield that covered half of my upper body. I was told it was a weapon Oliver used to use.

There was no grand reason for choosing a sword and shield. What did someone who knew nothing about martial arts know about other weapons? It was simply the best choice for blocking well and attacking well.

"Young master, may I ask you one thing before we begin?"

"Huh? What is it?"

"What made you decide to pick up the sword again?"

"...Ah."

I gulped and hesitated. Saying ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I wanted to save Ruesellon or simply get stronger would only invite laughter. Still, I needed to show him I was serious. As I racked my brain for a moment—

"Is it... to avenge Lady Chloe?"

"Pardon?"

"Ah, to pick up the sword again when you lacked so much talent. It would be impossible without an extraordinary resolve."

"..."

"Lady Chloe would surely be deeply moved... *sniff*."

Seriously, is jumping to conclusions a hobby for the people in this world? And why is everyone so prone to crying?

"I swear on Lady Chloe's name! I will teach you with everything I have! Even though you were the slowest learner among all the disciples I've ever seen, I will never give up on you this time."

"Ah... Yes, I'll work hard."

Man, the more I heard it, the more it felt like a backhanded insult. But whatever, if he was going to teach me diligently, it wasn't a bad deal for me.

"Then let us begin immediately."

"Yes, sir!"

I answered spiritedly, adjusting my grip on the sword in my right hand.

"The foundation of swordsmanship is, of course, the slash. I will demonstrate first, so why don't you try to follow along?"

"Understood."

Matching my one-handed sword, Isaac also gripped his sword with one hand. He then swung it in a clean diagonal line from the upper right to the lower left.

Whoosh—wobble.

The sword cut sharply through the air, and the recoil sent Isaac's belly fat wobbling. It looked incredibly uncool.

"How was it? Did you hear the sound of my sword? Can you feel the aura of someone who has refined his blade for decades?"

"Y-yes, indeed. That was amazing..."

"Bwahaha! My skills haven't rusted one bit! Now, young master, would you like to give it a try?"

"Yes."

I followed his lead and swung the sword diagonally.

Swish—wobble.

"Oh... Not bad for your first try. Your posture is more stable than I expected. Still, you have a long way to go. Keep repeating it until you make the same sound as me!"

"Understood."

The same swing was repeated. Isaac swung first, and I followed. I silently copied his movements.

Whoosh—wobble. Swish—wobble.

Whoosh—wobble. Swish—wobble.

Whoosh—wobble. Whoosh—wobble.

Whoosh—wobble. Whoosh—wobble.

"...W-what?"

Isaac suddenly stopped swinging and spoke with wide eyes. Huh? What was wrong with him?

"Y-young master. Could you swing it one more time?"

"Huh? Yes, of course!"

Whoosh—wobble.

"...T-this is impossible."

"What's wrong?"

"J-just once more."

"...?"

Tilting my head, I swung the sword, keeping the memory of his posture in mind.

Whoosh—wobble.

"This is...!"

"...?"

"P-please wait here for a moment, young master! I will bring something else right away!"

Leaving the training session halfway, Isaac suddenly rushed out of the estate. I stood there, utterly dumbfounded.

Why is he acting like that?

Did I do something wrong? Isaac's behavior was completely unpredictable.

Well, putting that aside...

This swordsmanship thing is actually pretty fun.

How long had it been since I last did strength training? The aftereffects of my morning jog were still lingering. Every muscle in my body screamed in pain, but swinging the sword was still quite enjoyable.

The thrilling sensation of cutting through the wind. I felt like I could get addicted to this.

Whoosh—wobble. Whoosh—wobble.

I kept repeating the swing until Isaac returned. Sweat poured down like rain in no time, but just like this morning, I had no intention of stopping.

After about twenty minutes, Isaac, who had gone outside, returned.

"Whew, pant, pant... Oh my, getting old and fat makes even walking down there exhausting. *Sigh*."

...Can I really trust this guy?

In Isaac's arms was a bundle of straw that looked like a scarecrow. Without a word, he began planting the scarecrow in the yard.

"Hup! All done, young master. Could you come over here?"

"Yes."

Straw tightly wrapped around a cross-shaped wooden stick. It was clearly a tool for practicing swordsmanship.

"This time, we will swing the sword against this target. Can you try swinging it like you did earlier?"

"Understood."

I swung the sword at the straw target as instructed.

Thud!

"Ugh."

A sharp pain shot through my fingertips. Even though I swung with all my might, the straw absorbed the entire impact without being cut or broken.

"Haha, you shouldn't try to solve everything with raw strength."

Only then did Isaac smile with satisfaction.

"T-then how?"

"A sword exists to cut down the opponent. Therefore, what matters is the angle of the blade, the direction, and above all, a straight posture."

It sounded a bit like a proper teacher's advice. However, I still had no idea how to actually do it.

"Hmm... It's difficult."

"There is no need to rush. Your posture is already excellent. I take back what I said about you being the slowest learner."

"...Really?"

"Yes, you definitely have a talent for the sword."

"Talent...!"

I-I was praised! To think I had talent. It was the first time in my life I had ever heard those words. That I could actually be good at something...?

"I have taught countless young men, including the knights of the Russell family. You can believe my words."

"Yes, Master!"

"Haha, are you finally acknowledging me as your master? Then let me show you first!"

Isaac positioned himself in front of another straw target. Readjusting his grip on the sword with one hand, he slowly raised his arm.

His eyes were different now. With a target in front of him, his gaze locked intensely onto a single spot.

And then—

Slash! Wobble.

That damn belly fat ruined any coolness the move had. In contrast, the straw was cleanly cut. The severed surface revealed a smooth cross-section along the diagonal path of the blade.

"Did you see that? What matters is not power and speed, but the path of the sword."

"I-is that so?"

"Try it again, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠young master. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠With the posture you had earlier, you will surely be able to cut it before the day is over."

"Yes, I'll do my best."

Encouraged by Isaac's praise, I stared at the target before me. I aimed for the intersection of the wooden cross. Mimicking Isaac's gaze, I copied his posture.

Whew...

After calming my breathing, I raised the sword diagonally. A bit straighter, a bit sharper. I adjusted my grip, sensing the minute differences.

The word "talent," heard for the first time in my life. Thanks to it, a desire to do well welled up from the depths of my heart.

Remembering all the power, speed, and trajectory of Isaac's sword, I swung down. I had no intention of allowing even a millimeter of deviation. A straight, sharp diagonal movement.

I felt the sensation of cutting through the wind.

Slash—wobble.

The sound of cleanly slicing through the straw. I had achieved the exact same result as Isaac. Even down to the wobble at the end.

"I did it...!"

A thrill of ecstasy surged through my entire body. Turning my head in joy to look at Isaac, I saw him standing there with his mouth agape.

"Wh-wha... buh... huh..."

Isaac pointed his finger at me, stammering incoherently.

"Master, I succeeded, right?"

"Y-y-yes, indeed..."

"Yes!!"

I pumped my fist and cheered at Isaac's confirmation. It was just cutting straw, but the sense of accomplishment I felt was unlike anything else.

In my past twenty-seven years of life, I had rarely succeeded at anything. At best, it was winning a ticket to a Rosemary fan signing event.

So the joy of succeeding and having it recognized was beyond words.

"Master! What's next? What's next?"

"Pardon...? Ah, please wait a moment. I will prepare the next step right away."

The overflowing adrenaline showed no signs of cooling down my burning passion. Right now, I just wanted to learn the sword as quickly as possible.

The swordsmanship lesson with Isaac continued past dinner. By now, we were even practicing blocking and counterattacking using the shield.

Thud!

After blocking Isaac's wooden sword aimed at my lower body with the shield, I shouted at him.

"How was that? Didn't I block it well?"

"Haha. Your reflexes have certainly improved in no time."

"Alright! One more time, please!"

"An excellent posture."

It was then.

A small message window popped up in my line of sight. Only then did a thought cross my mind.

Right, I can view status windows, can't I?

Seeing Isaac taking an offensive stance again, I hurriedly shouted.

"W-wait a moment, Master!"

"What is the matter?"

"Could you give me a moment? Something urgent just came to mind!"

"Yes, of course."

After confirming that Isaac had lowered his wooden sword, I recalled the status window in my mind.

My stats had definitely risen across the board. Perhaps because of that, the strength in my hand holding the sword felt stronger than before.

Then, what about Master...?

I looked at Isaac, who was staring blankly at me.

His Strength and Defense were more than double mine. It seemed the claim that he was a former Knight Commander wasn't a lie.

But still... Stamina 5? How is it lower than mine?

Looking at his body, however, it was a perfectly understandable number. Isaac tilted his head at my deeply disappointed gaze.

"What are you thinking about so deeply?"

"It's nothing. Master, just in case... are you not tired?"

"Ha! What are you talking about? I may look like this, but I am a former Knight Commander. I am at least more energetic than you, young master."

Despite his words, Isaac was still panting heavily. Of course, the same went for me.

"However, as you said, you look very exhausted, young master. Let's call it a day. *Sigh*..."

What a blatant lie. I clearly ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠saw him let out a sigh of relief at the end.

"...Understood. If it's alright with you, please guide me tomorrow as well."

"It is my honor. I had no idea you possessed such talent for the sword, young master. I only regret not teaching you sooner."

"I-is that so?"

The corners of my mouth twitched upward again at Isaac's praise. Looking at me, Isaac added one more thing.

"By the Lord's order, I will come at dawn tomorrow."

"Huh? Why?"

"I heard you are going for a morning walk. Starting tomorrow, I, Isaac, will escort you."

"..."

My eyes narrowed once again as I looked at him.