Chapter 98
Chapter 98
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 34
Chapter Title: Visit (1)
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Vena clutched the hammer-transformed Fillione tightly in both hands, her face scrunched up in distress.
"A-Are you serious?"
"You think I'm joking?"
Jamie brushed off her words as he manipulated Gremia.
Hidden by invisibility, Gremia was currently transforming the mansion's rooftop into a training ground.
He had no intention of settling for mere lessons from Hamilton. With the Orb of Life, he had plenty of stamina to spare anyway.
'Even if I tire out, I recover faster than most.'
It would be a waste not to make use of such a privilege.
Sword training with him would start tomorrow, but before that, he planned to work his body a bit to get accustomed to it.
And he intended to put Vena through hell training as well.
He had thought her Valkyrie powers had fully awakened in Uptown, but it turned out to be only temporary.
To make real use of them later, she needed to fully claim the Valkyrie's power.
Thus, the interior of Gremia was now divided into two types of training grounds.
One was Jamie's, riddled with all sorts of traps. The other was Vena's, incorporating Fillione's suggestions.
Once the setup was perfect, Jamie turned to Vena.
"Remember what I told you before?"
"Yes......"
On the way back from Uptown, Jamie had spoken to Vena privately.
"The world is going to change rapidly. And we might end up right at the center of it."
Whether it was war with the Zenith Church or facing the 12 Gods as a whole.
Survival wouldn't come easy.
So they had to grow stronger by any means until that day came.
No one knew if it would be years, decades, or even tomorrow.
"You chose to follow me, and inevitably, the day will come when you must accept that fate."
"I know."
"Any regrets?"
"No."
Jamie smirked at Vena's resolute answer.
"Then it's hell training."
At Jamie's words, Fillione shouted excitedly.
Vena's face fell again. She had steeled herself, but the "hell" qualifier made her suddenly terrified of just how intense it would be.
"Let's go in."
The night was still young.
The next day arrived.
Hamilton asked the punctual trainee Jamie,
"Disappointed that your main instructor won't be teaching you the sword?"
Yesterday, he had shown some respect as the young heir, but today, he switched to blunt informal speech without mercy.
Having been warned in advance, Jamie replied without complaint.
"No, sir!"
"You look disappointed."
"No, sir!"
"A golden opportunity to learn from a Sword Master, and now some mere Expert is teaching you—bet that stings."
"No, sir!"
"Your face says otherwise."
Jamie currently looked utterly exhausted.
Hamilton couldn't have missed it.
Jamie had nothing to say. He just sighed inwardly, recalling last night.
The Gremia training ground he had created himself exceeded his expectations. Without using mana, it was incredibly tough to clear.
With mana, it would be easy—but that wasn't the training Jamie wanted.
He failed several times.
In the process, he realized anew how helpless he was without mana. The problem was that his competitive spirit had ignited.
It wasn't a problem per se, but with training scheduled the next day, he should have paced himself. Instead, he kept at it all night until he cleared it.
Thanks to that, he hadn't slept properly, and his mind was foggy. He should have managed his condition better—this was a big mistake.
"Sorry, sir!"
At a loss for words, Jamie shouted with all his might.
Hamilton thought to himself as he watched Jamie.
'Must've been tough yesterday.'
Unaware of Jamie's Orb of Life or his solo night training, Hamilton felt inwardly satisfied.
'He really gave it his all yesterday.'
An heir who never gave up.
True to the son of the lord he loyally served, he had shown an impressive display. There had been a slight oddity at the end, but it didn't matter.
For a moment, Hamilton felt honored to be Jamie's instructor. No matter how he looked at it, the boy was future Sword Master material.
'A bit early to judge, though.'
Becoming a Sword Master wasn't just about stamina, strength, or mental fortitude.
If it were, Hamilton himself would have become one long ago.
What mattered was how well one wielded the sword.
He didn't expect perfection from the start, but some expectations had formed regardless.
Normally, he'd teach the absolute basics.
'But today is a test.'
Hamilton adjusted his sunglasses and tossed a wooden sword to Jamie.
"Grab it."
"Ugh!"
Jamie felt the hefty weight of the wooden sword filling his small hands.
He had held real swords before, but this was his first time gripping one to properly learn, and it thrilled him a little.
"The sword fundamentally involves slashes and thrusts."
Hamilton gave a brief explanation while demonstrating with his wooden sword.
"For slashes, there are frontal slashes, upward from front, downward, side to side, horizontal, and so on."
Jamie let out a small gasp of admiration at the flawless, seamless motions. He also found himself gaping at the sharp whoosh of wind they produced.
He was surely far inferior to Bayril or Sable, but as the student, Hamilton's swordsmanship seemed profoundly impressive.
"Now thrusts."
Thrusts were the same.
There were all sorts of thrusting techniques, and Hamilton demonstrated them near-perfectly.
These were essential basics that anyone learning swordsmanship from foundational stances had to master.
Hamilton sheathed his wooden sword and asked Jamie,
"What did you think of the instructor's demonstration just now?"
"Hm...... Cool?"
"You know I didn't ask for a half-baked answer like that."
Hamilton knew Jamie was sharp.
He must have noticed something in the demonstration.
After pondering, Jamie answered.
"Feet?"
"What about the feet?"
"Steps, right? They connected all the movements smoothly."
Though hidden by sunglasses, Hamilton's eyes widened considerably.
And Jamie wasn't done.
"The muscle movements were impressive too. Swinging the sword with minimal force, but using muscles efficiently—it looked like the destructive power increased...... Right?"
Hamilton was speechless.
The steps were the answer he had hoped for. He had even thought the boy's eyesight was remarkable for noticing that.
But discerning muscle movements? That subtle difference was beyond a beginner.
'Incredible.'
Jamie chuckled inwardly at his stunned instructor.
To put it bluntly, over long years on battlefields, he had rolled with and slain countless swordsmen with these hands.
And though he still couldn't recall the name, a comrade from his sword-wielding past had a habit of saying,
—All movement starts from the feet.
'Helpful guy.'
Dead for over 60,000 years, but popping into his head often now—how could he not be grateful?
Jamie called to the still-silent Hamilton.
"Instructor?"
"Ah. Right."
Snapping back, Hamilton cleared his throat a few times before replying.
"Excellent. You've got sharp eyes."
It was beyond "good," but he held back praise to avoid making the trainee complacent.
"Anyway. Today's training is simple."
"What is it?"
"Replicate the demonstration I showed you—a thousand times."
"......Yes, sir?"
"Your response is supposed to be 'Yes, sir!'"
"Ah, yes, sir!"
Not just basic slashes, but the full linked motions—a thousand times.
Jamie grimaced but began swinging the sword.
Hamilton leaned against the wall, watching Jamie diligently mimic the demonstration.
It was clumsy, but after just one showing, he was trying his utmost.
'And he's steadily improving.'
How to plant his feet, move his waist, shoulders, wrists.
It was advanced linked motion for a beginner.
Normally, Hamilton wouldn't demand a thousand reps of that.
Usually, he'd start with basic slashes and teach movements separately.
He had skipped the entire process.
The reason was simple.
'I figured the young heir could handle it.'
The remarkable physical prowess from yesterday, the keen eyesight today, plus his high intelligence as a mage.
Jamie was already beyond beginner level.
Worth of Welton blood. Hamilton was continuously amazed in real time.
'By the thousandth rep.'
Each motion brought progress for Jamie.
As reps accumulated, his exceptional sense guided him to the correct form.
Not sponge-like absorption.
Jamie was self-teaching from a single demonstration.
'They said the same about his magic.'
His talent allowed realms to rise just by leaving him be.
His sword talent wasn't quite that, but it was similarly insane.
'I planned a year of basics.'
Now, a year seemed too long.
Six months. Maybe two or three.
That should suffice for the current Jamie.
Hamilton stood and approached Jamie.
Lost in practice trance, Jamie didn't notice.
"Trainee Jamie."
"Huff, huff—"
"Trainee!"
"Ah. Yes, sir!"
He only turned at a raised voice.
Jamie panted, looking up at Hamilton.
"What is it, Instructor?"
"This instructor will now step away. I won't return until you've finished your thousand reps."
"You have business?"
"Yes. So no slacking—focus. You know what I mean."
No cutting corners or loafing, or he'd be merciless if caught.
Jamie had no such intentions anyway, so he barked, "Yes, sir!"
Hamilton knew Jamie wasn't the slacking type, so he left with peace of mind.
"Phew. Finally, a breather."
He hadn't noticed while focused, but once there was a lull, he felt Hamilton's piercing gaze like it would bore through him.
Everything about Hamilton was fine, except those intense eyes—they were burdensome.
So thinking, Jamie resumed swinging.
He could feel his movements growing more natural with each rep.
'Fun.'
And somehow, it seemed combinable with magic.
Magic swordsmen existed, but they were mediocre at both.
He had ignored them until now, but he was different.
He had reached magic's pinnacle before, and he would again this life. Now adding sword.
'More aggressively, intimately, sharply.'
Fluid footwork, powered waist and shoulders, straight-extended arms, thrusting wooden sword.
It was just the beginning.
Magic and sword. Whether they could fully merge—who knew.
"But maybe it'll lead me to a new realm."
Perhaps far in the future.
"Exciting."
Jamie swung diligently, savoring long-lost enjoyment for the first time in ages.