New Swordsmanship
The three of them had secured the best room at the Moonlight Sailfish Inn and now lay sprawled across the bed in perfect thoughtlessness. To be precise, the king-size bed and its inexplicably plush mattress seemed to carry some kind of thought-erasing magic, wiping away every idle notion. If they stayed like this, they might drift off before dinner was even served.
They had reached the inn just as the sun was setting, so it was still early evening with no calls for meals echoing through the halls yet. Sally and Arien had no need to wash up after arriving at the room. As a spirit, Sally never grew dirty by nature, and Arien could transform into slime to dissolve every foreign particle across her body, maintaining flawless cleanliness. That left only Bagan in need of a shower.
Fortunately, the room justified its premium cost with an attached bathroom and shower stall. For all De Marinda’s fame as a tourist destination, Bagan hadn’t expected such modern facilities.
‘Did dwarves craft this? A bathtub that generates hot water on its own.’
In a world that should not possess this level of technology, it was unmistakably an artifact. Bagan enjoyed a refreshingly clean wash thanks to its power.
“Do either of you have anything you want to do? We’ll be staying in De Marinda for a while so I can oversee Selena’s training,” Bagan asked as drowsiness crept over him. Truthfully, sightseeing appealed to him most, but the idea was too vague. If the others had preferences, he would prioritize them.
Arien spoke first in answer to his question.
“Arien would like to visit an alchemy workshop, or any shop that sells medicinal herbs. While Arien was in the dungeon with Selena, no hippocute herb containing courage-enhancing components existed within her body, preventing the creation of the necessary drug. If the opportunity arises, Arien would also like to analyze other ingredients to produce various medications.”
Her words brought to mind the outrageously effective drugs she had created before—like distilling the very essence of an essence. Hadn’t she used the calming properties of mira herb to help Selena regain her composure? Ordinary medicine could never achieve such a feat. Even the most potent calming agents would only temporarily restore breathing at best. To recover enough to overcome that dire situation was something Bagan had never heard of. It spoke volumes about the sheer brilliance of Arien’s abilities.
“Sounds good. We’ll look into it when we can. Sally?”
“Hmm, a library would suit me nicely.”
It seemed Sally had no particular requests. Since they could visit a library anytime, Bagan nodded in understanding.
Then one thought flickered across Sally’s mind.
“Ah, if possible, it would be good to look into some games. We have not been able to visit Spia often lately, so she must be feeling bored.”
Bagan readily accepted Sally’s suggestion. After all, she had told him that Spia was quite taken with the games he had recommended.
The world was vast, and entertainment could arise in countless forms. In other words, beyond what Bagan already knew, there could easily be thousands or even tens of thousands of other games.
“That’s a good idea.”
With those words, silence settled over them again. This time it was because Bagan had something on his mind.
‘So does that mean De Marinda never had an underworld to begin with?’
It was a question that had lingered with him for some time. He supposed it was possible. The city was exceptionally peaceful, its systems well-ordered and without any obvious flaws.
‘I don’t know. Sally didn’t sense any further sins, either.’
Unless they were trivial offenses born of ordinary human mistakes, Sally would not detect them. Bagan decided to drop the matter entirely and abandon any lingering attachment to dealing with De Marinda’s underworld.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
“Your special meal for three is ready! Please come down to the first floor!”
The announcement that would soothe their empty stomachs finally arrived from outside.
‘It’s been a while since I’ve had raw fish. I can’t help but look forward to this.’
With that thought, Bagan and the others headed downstairs.
Upon seeing the prepared feast, Bagan could not hide his astonishment. An enormous fish—one not commonly seen—had been expertly sliced into sashimi. The sheer volume threatened to collapse the table. Forcing back the drool that threatened to spill, he took his first bite.
‘The flesh is firm and subtly sweet.’
It carried that flavor with no sauce at all. He grew curious about what kind of fish it was, but he did not ask.
‘It’s not as if I particularly like sashimi.’
Despite how much he was enjoying it, Bagan was not especially fond of raw fish. He ate it now because it was his first time encountering it in this world; normally he preferred the sharp kick of chojang sauce. In that sense, he missed both the fermented chili paste and the wasabi soy sauce. They had at least sprinkled a sour juice over the slices to provide some flavor, but it could not replace the stimulating punch of those signature condiments.
After finishing the deeply satisfying meal, they paid at the table. Being a special course, the three portions came to one gold and five silver. Bagan, who had long since lost any reluctance about spending money, felt content as they returned to their room.
Once inside, he promptly fell fast asleep. He had been exhausted, and the full stomach made sleep inevitable. With Bagan out cold, Sally and Arien soon followed, breathing softly. The sight of three people sharing one bed and sleeping peacefully was a heartwarming scene to behold.
The next morning, Bagan rose early, skipped breakfast, and made his way to De Marinda Castle. He had promised Selena he would oversee her training, so he headed straight for the training grounds.
Although Selena was the commander-in-chief and could have kept a private residence, she chose to live in the military barracks inside the castle for some reason. When the curious Bagan asked why, she answered:
“It’s close, so commuting is convenient, and I can protect Lady Razetta from the nearest position. I saw no need to find a separate house. Lady Razetta did offer to arrange one, but I declined.”
Considering her personality, it was not difficult to understand. She was a soldier to the bone, so living in barracks or aboard a ship simply felt more natural to her.
When they met at the training ground, Selena had changed out of her uniform into comfortable training clothes and carried only what she needed. Bagan had specifically asked her to dress this way.
“So what exactly are you going to teach me?”
She asked because Bagan had also arrived in loose clothing and was stretching to loosen his muscles.
“First, how to properly use your blessing.”
Blessing. The power they knew as a trait was called a blessing by the people of this world. Selena’s blessing was—
‘Sword Dance. A trait that grants tremendous advantages in swordsmanship movements.’
In other words, Selena needed to devise various motions and learn how to link them together in order to activate her blessing more fully. Bagan still remembered clearly how she had overwhelmed her enemies with endlessly connected, fluid movements that resembled a dance, even if he himself knew little about actual dancing.
“Having a blessing already puts us one step ahead of everyone else. But if we stop there, we cannot make full use of that advantage.”
“I suppose that’s true.”
Selena’s response carried a slightly sour tone.
“Why the face?”
“I have never once mentioned that I possess a blessing, yet you knew from the very beginning.”
‘Now that she mentions it…’
Bagan recalled their first meeting.
‘She’s right. I was too careless.’
What he knew about her came only from her status as a famous NPC in the game.
‘No wonder she’s looking at me like that.’
Some blessings revealed their effects outwardly while others did not.
‘For example, Gion’s Intimidation (B) is immediately noticeable to anyone, while Selena’s Sword Dance (B) is not.’
It was only natural that Selena would be suspicious. To clear up the misunderstanding, Bagan had no choice but to tell a small lie.
“I have my ways of knowing.”
“Is that even possible?”
Seeing that she remained unconvinced, Bagan offered more detail.
“Selena’s blessing—Sword Dance. It makes your sword movements smoother and reduces stamina consumption, correct?”
“You! Peeking at someone else’s blessing without permission!”
“The fact that you’re angry tells me I’m right.”
“Ugh!”
Selena puffed her cheeks in annoyance, but Bagan simply crossed his arms.
“This is exactly why I offered to oversee your training. In my opinion, you’re not using your blessing properly.”
“What? You’re going to put it like that? How unfair! Then tell me about your own blessing!”
“Still on that? Fine. Want to attack me?”
“Attack?”
“Yeah.”
Bagan had no intention of hiding it anyway. Besides, this would be an important part of the training to come.
“Very well. Prepare yourself.”
Selena’s expression burned with clear frustration. It served as fair warning that the coming attack would be troublesome. And sure enough, even her preparation was far from ordinary. She spun the practice wooden sword that resembled her scimitar in intricate patterns.
"Hoo~"
"Siren's Dance!"
⟨ Sword Dance ⟩
Whoosh!
Sliding across the ground as though gliding on water, Selena unleashed a spinning attack that carried the full force of her rotation. Once her dance steps joined the motion, the wooden sword in her hand was no longer mere wood.
Crash!
In an instant the blade surged toward his face. However—
Absorption
Bagan completely absorbed the incoming attack.
Grab!
Bagan caught the wooden sword with his bare hand.
“H-how is that possible!”
“My blessing is Absorption. I absorbed your attack, Selena. And—”
Release
The stored impact was released back into the wooden sword.
Bang!
The practice sword exploded from the inside out. Selena dropped it in surprise at the unexpected shock.
“Release. That’s the trait I possess.”
There were others, but he showed only these two for now.
‘They’re also the ones I’ve mastered most thoroughly.’
The decisive reason for revealing both traits was precisely that.
“……I understand. That much is sufficient.”
Selena nodded in acknowledgment and stepped back.
“So what exactly are you telling me to do? I’m weak. Are you saying I should just dance?”
Her self-esteem had hit rock bottom once again.
“Forget it. I don’t want to continue. There’s no way I can become strong like you anyway.”
“……You want to become strong like me?”
“Do you realize how arrogant that sounds?”
“It’s simply a fact that I’m strong.”
“Fine. I want to become strong like you.”
Bagan flicked her forehead with a sharp thump.
“Ow! What was that for!”
“Wake up. Dreams should be grand. You don’t waste them on things that can never come true.”
“……”
“Becoming as strong as me is impossible. Even if you were reborn.”
Bagan’s tone was resolute. Selena stared at him with an exasperated look.
“I acknowledge it.”
She shook her head from side to side.
“Your face says the complete opposite.”
“Enough. Just finish what you were going to teach me.”
Bagan felt relieved that her fighting spirit had returned and continued.
“All right. Then tell me how you’ve been using Sword Dance until now.”
“Hmm… the dances I performed to control seawater, or the swimming motions I used to move earlier?”
Bagan immediately spotted the problem in her answer.
“So you’ve been viewing everything purely as dance?”
“Well, it is called Sword Dance.”
“That’s the mistake.”
The Selena in Bagan’s memories had been closer to technique than actual dance. The dance-like appearance was merely a side effect; she had not been dancing in the literal sense.
“It seems we need to move away from the concept of dance. How about focusing on swordsmanship training instead?”
“Swordsmanship? You mean the style used by our navy?”
Bagan shook his head. With a low hum, he retrieved a large number of swordsmanship manuals from his subspace—texts he had collected alongside Sally during their library visits.
“W-what is all this?”
“Swordsmanship manuals.”
“You want me to learn an entirely new sword style from scratch?”
Selena’s shock was understandable.
“Do you even realize how long it takes to master a single sword style?”
“Of course I know…”
“And yet you still recommend this approach?”
She was visibly flustered. However, Bagan had not taken out all those manuals for that reason. Selena was badly misunderstanding his intention.
“Do you think I’m crazy enough to teach every single one? There aren’t even that many I’ve mastered completely. Besides, you don’t need to learn every technique in order to achieve the right movements.”
That was Bagan’s true aim.
“Simply understanding what constitutes efficient, uncluttered motion, which movements connect well between styles, and which techniques suit a scimitar will already be a great help.”
“Ah~”
Selena let out a relieved sigh of understanding.
After that, Bagan pulled the manual she truly needed from his subspace.
“I’m not telling you to merely skim it for a week.”
The cover of the book he handed her read Anilova Style Swordsmanship. Anilova was the family name of a clan from the Koirangbaru Kingdom, a nation located far to the east. Their territory lay near the desert region of Palpon, so they favored light clothing and the light curved blade known as the kukri. Although the kukri was a machete-type weapon, it shared the curved characteristics of a saber.
“Over the next week, you’re going to learn this sword style as thoroughly as possible.”
“Anilova style…”
“Care to read it first?”
Selena nodded and opened the manual. The training ground fell into a silence reminiscent of a library. After some time had passed and she had read it with great concentration, Selena looked up at Bagan with a serious expression.
“Have you finished? What kind of pinnacle was the Anilova family pursuing?”
He was not merely checking whether she had read it properly. The Anilova sword style possessed a clear, distinct image, and he wanted her to envision it.
“A sandstorm that tears flesh from bone.”
It seemed she had read the manual with care and grasped its essence.
“Correct. Using flexible movements with the kukri, it devours the opponent like a sandstorm.”
Given that they were a desert-territory family who wielded kukris, it made sense that their style had evolved in a direction specialized for cutting. The more Bagan thought about it, the more convinced he became that this sword style was a perfect match for Selena.
And without waiting for Bagan to instruct her, Selena picked up her saber and began imitating the first movement depicted in the manual. She seemed quite intrigued by the new sword style.