Chapter 28
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 28
Chapter Title: The Reason for Distrust (1)
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As soon as they arrived in the backyard, Nellis cut in before Kalt could suggest a sparring match.
"Kalt! Please watch me swing my sword! Let me know if anything looks off!"
'This way, I can show Kalt my skills and get corrections without actually sparring with him!'
"Got it. Give it a swing."
"Yes!"
Nellis immediately drew her sword, took her stance, and swung.
Whoosh! Whoosh! She put everything she had into each swing.
As smoothly as possible, making sure Kalt could see every bit of it.
In the midst of her vigorous swings, Kalt called out to her.
"Nellis, can you stop for a sec?"
"Yes!"
Nellis lowered her sword and looked at Kalt, her heart pounding.
What kind of feedback would he give?
As long as it wasn't pitiful, she'd be okay.
Maybe it'd even be surprisingly good?
A whirlwind of thoughts swirled in Nellis's head.
"Your swings looked awkward. The flow broke off several times midway."
"Ugh…!"
But reality was harsh.
'Right! Of course he wouldn't say anything nice right away! Kalt's way stronger than me! I'm still got a long way to go compared to him! Yeah! That's it!'
Nellis tried to accept the painful truth as positively as she could, comforting herself.
"How should I fix it?"
"First, we need to pinpoint the cause. I'll mimic the movements you just did, so watch closely."
"Yes! Kalt!"
'Wow, Kalt's so kind!'
Not just talking about it—he was demonstrating her own movements to help her understand.
Nellis was purely thrilled with Kalt's approach.
But that joy didn't last long.
Even to her own eyes, Kalt's recreation of her movements looked awkward.
It started off fine.
The swings were smooth and unhesitating.
But then something went wrong midway.
Suddenly the rhythm broke, her foot nearly tangled but caught itself reflexively—she could see it all.
Just when it seemed to improve, her arm extended uselessly into the air before pulling back.
In disbelief, Nellis turned to Scarlet and Aria.
"D-Did I really move like that?"
"Yeah."
"It was exactly like the movements we saw from you earlier…"
"Kalt's really good at mimicking, too!"
"Urk!"
Lunia chimed in with praise for Kalt without even being asked, stabbing straight into Nellis's heart.
After finishing the demonstration, Kalt approached Nellis.
"That's exactly what you were doing."
"Yeah, I get how pathetic I looked now…"
Kalt placed a gentle hand on Nellis's slumped shoulder and spoke softly.
"No need to get too down about it, Nellis. Once you spot the issues and fix them, you're good. Honestly, I think it's natural for problems like this to show up with you."
"W-Was my skill that lacking?"
"No, it's because of your fighting style. That's what's causing these mistakes. I'll explain now."
Kalt pointed out why her movements had turned so awkward.
The biggest culprit was her usual combat style.
Just like when fighting kobolds, Nellis relied on her Blessing to block enemy attacks with her body as she advanced.
So even when her stance started off solid, her habit of defending against monster strikes kicked in, throwing off her timing mid-swing.
That disrupted rhythm made her foot tangle, and her defensive instincts made her arm lash out unconsciously.
"Try swinging more relaxed."
"Yes!"
Taking Kalt's advice, Nellis gripped her sword again and repeated to herself.
'No need to defend, no need to defend, no need to defend!'
She swung again.
Keeping in mind there was no opponent to block, she swung freely at the empty air as if slicing through an enemy.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Her swings flowed without pause, rhythm unbroken.
"Good. That's enough."
"H-How was it this time?"
'Please don't say I messed up again. That'd be so embarrassing…!'
"Looks good. The basics are there. No major issues."
"R-Really?!"
"Yeah. Of course, there's still room to improve."
"Oh…"
"This isn't me criticizing. These are the kinds of flaws you wouldn't notice without someone pointing them out."
Kalt had gone through a phase where his fundamentals were solid, but finer details were lacking.
But traveling with a hero party and doing good deeds wherever they went had led to positive encounters.
One was when he helped a retired old adventurer's grandson, forging a connection that earned him some guidance.
The old adventurer had stepped away from active duty due to declining stamina with age.
But his experience and sharp eye remained undiminished, so he corrected Kalt's form and taught him key points to watch when swinging a sword.
That old adventurer's lessons proved invaluable in real combat, so Kalt had hypnotized himself to etch them permanently into his mind.
And now, he was passing those teachings from the old adventurer to himself, and from himself to Nellis.
"Alright, swing like that again. I'll point out what needs fixing."
"Yes! Kalt!"
Nellis swung once more.
This time, Kalt corrected her on the spot with each swing.
"Your hips twisted too far."
"Yes!"
"Your feet are too wide apart—bring them closer."
"Yes!"
"Your butt stuck out back."
"Eek! Y-Yes!"
With every swing, Kalt pointed out improvements.
Stances where she needed to relax more.
Stances requiring more tension.
Movements that overextended and scattered power—he patiently guided her form.
And then.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
'Whoa, it all clicks perfectly!'
Absorbing the corrections holistically and swinging again.
Nellis felt firsthand just how effective Kalt's guidance was.
Swinging the sword felt smoother than before.
Eliminating wasted motions, easing excess tension, channeling power precisely—her fatigue dropped.
Above all, every swing felt satisfying, pleasant.
It was like that rare moment when a perfectly efficient strike landed critically on a monster.
'Amazing! If I can keep this up…'
Every single strike would be a critical hit.
'So this is the swordplay Kalt's been wielding all along?'
Nellis finally understood why Kalt dispatched kobolds so effortlessly.
He was far more skilled than her now, and with swings this satisfying every time, kobolds wouldn't stand a chance.
'Master this swordplay, and I won't stall at kobold level anymore… I can take on higher-grade monsters!'
Finding a path to growth after a long plateau, Nellis's heart raced.
'Alright! Absorb Kalt's teachings without messing up!'
"Yah!"
"Too much force."
"Ah."
Scarlet was alone in her room.
Nellis had spent an hour with Kalt correcting her form, then practiced on her own without further pointers, taking breaks when tired. Kalt had left with Aria to head back to the inn for her mental counseling.
When Kalt entered, Lunia lost interest and left to meet friends.
Scarlet, the last one remaining, had watched Nellis swing for about ten minutes, told her she was heading in, and gone to her room.
Now alone, Scarlet thought about Kalt.
'Not for nothing was he in Mabel's party.'
She already knew he was highly skilled and capable in many ways.
But watching him teach Nellis today made his competence hit even harder.
Scarlet could feel it.
Ever since Kalt joined, the party was heading in a better direction.
Monster hunts, once a stretch for Nellis's group, were now effortless with his overwhelming strength.
Aria was taking steps to fix her own issues.
Nellis was actively growing under Kalt's guidance.
He wasn't prickly, respected their obviously inferior party, and cooked well too.
She understood why Aria wanted counseling from him, and even after such a short time, why Nellis looked up to him.
But.
'I'll never let my guard down.'
Scarlet knew.
No matter how kindly they acted.
No matter how deep the bond felt.
People betrayed easily.
Even mentors who taught her.
Even close friends.
Even siblings raised together.
Even parents who nurtured her.
People changed easily.
So she couldn't trust.
So she couldn't rely.
So she couldn't relax.
If there was anyone she could relax around.
It would only be those who bared their own flaws and weaknesses, who knew the pain of despair like she did.
Like Nellis and Aria.
That's why Scarlet couldn't easily trust Kalt.
She didn't see him as someone to truly open up to.
He seemed flawless, utterly capable.
He could survive fine alone, and ditching them wouldn't cost him much.
'I'll never let my guard down.'
If real progress showed in solving Aria's issues.
And then Nellis's problems resolved too.
She'd confide her own troubles to Kalt and seek solutions together.
If they got fixed, she'd be grateful.
She'd think they could keep being a good party.
But if after that, Kalt betrayed them.
If he made Nellis and Aria taste betrayal's pain.
Scarlet vowed never to forgive him.
She'd make him pay with the power she'd gained on her own.
She alone would endure to the end.
'I won't open my heart. So I can retaliate the instant I'm betrayed.'