A Week of Training

"What is this?"

Baek Rim-i tilted her head as she took the book from my hands.

Since footwork was a technique I had established myself, it was bound to be unfamiliar to her.

"It's my personal technique."

"I'm sorry, what? This is Your Majesty's technique?!"

At my words, Baek Rim-i burst out laughing. She'd watched my battles from up close, so she knew exactly how powerful my techniques were — that was the only explanation for the reaction.

"As written there, the book contains the foundation of my technique."

"The foundation of Your Majesty's technique..."

"And it's also what you'll all be learning from now on."

"...What?"

This time Baek Rim-i's eyes went wide, and she shot me a look that clearly asked, 'Are you serious?'

"You are my royal guard. Which means I don't tolerate weakness."

"Weak? Us?"

"Granted, you may be stronger than the average person, but in my eyes, you're all still weak."

"......"

No one else offered any objection to my words — because they were true. They all knew they were stronger than your typical knight (awakened one). But they also knew they couldn't ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠stand against knights above a certain level.

'Baek Rim-i alone would be that kind of existence to them, after all.'

She'd pushed all three of them back at three-to-one odds, so there was nothing they could say.

"So from now on, I'll be training you myself."

"Y-you, personally, Your Majesty?"

"Yes. Do you have a problem with that?"

"N-no, not at all! It's just... I was thinking that someone like Your Majesty shouldn't be wasting time on us..."

The confidence that had filled their eyes just moments ago was gone; now there was a flicker of fear in them.

"Let me make one thing clear. Unless you reach the level I demand, none of you will be stepping away from training."

I hammered the nail in early, before any such complaints could surface later.

'If you're worried about taking up my time, then get strong faster.'

"Now then, let's start with a simple test."

"A test?"

"Yes. All six of you — attack me, starting now."

I swiftly shifted Heukbaek into its sword form, Heuk. Then, without drawing any other weapon, I folded my hands behind my back.

"I'll take you all on with my feet alone."

"With your feet only?"

"Even for Your Majesty, surely that's asking too much?"

"You'd best not underestimate us too much."

My words lit a fire in three of them — the same three who'd been chewed out by Baek Rim-i earlier.

'Ignorance is courage, is it?'

At this moment, those three were veritable saints of mercy, brimming with blind confidence. They seemed to believe Baek Rim-i was the sole exception, and that against anyone else they wouldn't lose.

'Best to put the fear of god into them now.'

Those three certainly had talent. The problem was that they trusted that talent far too much. This was as good a time as any to teach them that there was always a higher mountain to climb.

And if they learned that lesson and broke down, never rising again — then that was their limit, plain and simple.

'Compared to that, those three over there...'

Baek Rim-i and the other two from before. The three of them said nothing, simply gripping their weapons and watching me with tense, wary eyes.

'At least they seem to know where they stand.'

That alone meant those three could keep moving forward.

"Whether you come at me together or alone doesn't matter. But... use your full strength."

"Gulp."

Under the weight of my pressure, no one said a word — the only sound that carried was someone nervously swallowing.

"Hraaah!"

The first to charge was the swordsman.

'Hanbyeol, was it?'

WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

Every swing of Hanbyeol's sword carved nothing but air — because I kept sidestepping, just out of reach each time.

'His fundamentals seem decent enough... but his stamina is a problem.'

He'd only swung his sword a handful of times, and already he was gasping for breath.

"Hah—hah—why won't you get hit?!"

Clearly frustrated, he let out a battle cry and swung again. But once more, nothing landed.

WHOOSH!

"Your swordwork is genuinely good, but your stamina is trash. Work harder."

THWACK!

I kicked him and sent him flying into the wall.

CRASH!

The wall crumbled a bit, but that could be fixed with repairs later.

"Next."

I called out flatly, but nobody dared step forward. Even the ones who'd been so confident earlier now fidgeted nervously with their weapons.

"If you won't come to me... then I'll come to you."

BOOM!

I moved fast. I hadn't used my footwork, but my movements were still far beyond what their eyes could follow.

"One down."

THWACK!

I closed in on Hansol, who stood frozen in fear nearby, and drove a kick at him. Apparently he and the downed Hanbyeol were twin brothers.

'And his weapon is a saber, too.'

Hanbyeol's primary weapon was a sword. Like brothers, they'd chosen similar weapons.

But the difference between the two was plain to see.

'This one... blocked my attack?'

Where Hanbyeol had been reckless, Hansol was calmly responding to everything I threw at him. The twins' personalities were complete opposites.

'They could make a good pair.'

Hansol had reacted to my attack, but the gap in our stats was something he couldn't overcome, and he blacked out.

'Still, those two show promise.'

Just then, an arrow came flying at my back. I reacted instantly and dodged it.

'That one was... Sara, was it?'

She'd fought bare-handed against Baek Rim-i earlier, but her true weapon was clearly the bow.

'She shoots well, no question.'

Koreans are famously called a nation of archers. Put an ordinary foreigner beside an ordinary Korean, and the Korean would outshoot them every time.

'Is she one of the exceptionally gifted, then?'

Judging by her skill with the bow alone, she'd rank in the top five of every archer I'd ever seen.

'But she's still green.'

I kicked off the ground and closed the distance to her, moving my legs — and then I murmured by her ear.

"Your choice of position is sloppy."

Her eyes flew open wide at my words, and she joined the first two in unconsciousness.

"Now then, what will you three do?"

I turned to the three who hadn't moved at all. The first three had charged blindly, ignorant of the gap between us. These three knew the gap existed — and that was exactly why they wouldn't attack.

"But both are problems."

So I murmured, and kicked off the ground.

Attacking out of ignorance. Not attacking because you're not ignorant. On paper, the latter sounds like the wiser course.

But I didn't care for either.

'The former grows by colliding, over and over.'

The problem, of course, was when you charged at someone whose level was so far beyond yours — not a reasonable, comparable opponent.

'The latter suppresses their own growth.'

Refusing to act because you know your limits is no different from drawing your own ceiling and sealing your growth beneath it. In that sense, the former might actually be better.

'At least when it comes to training.'

Standing frozen because of a difference in level is exactly the same as not being ready to grow at all.

THWACK! THWACK! THWACK!

My legs, moving in a blink, struck all three of them in the stomach.

One difference from the first three: these had all reacted, however clumsily.

"I told you to attack me."

"But how could I possibly dare raise a hand against Your Majesty?"

A plausible excuse. But it didn't work on me.

"Then will you just stand there? While those three grow past you?"

"...!"

Their eyes widened at my words.

"I told you to attack me so I could train you. And if either of you offers one more excuse, you're expelled from the royal guard."

The atmosphere around the three of them changed. But there was still fight in them.

"Looks like you're ready. Come."

I stood still and beckoned them on. All three swallowed their pride this time and came at me with a coordinated assault from the start.

"Hraaap!"

Baek Rim-i swung her spear first, and as I blocked it, another's dagger came slicing in. At the same moment, the shield-bearer charged from the front.

'So they're going for basic link-ups.'

Of course, it wasn't a good tactic. Without a 'you die, I die' commitment, it's a tactic you can't even attempt. Block one, and the other two press in; block two, and the last one strikes. Trade flesh to take bone.

"But against an opponent far beyond your level, it doesn't work."

I shifted my body, evading Baek Rim-i's spear, then hooked my leg around ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the spear shaft to block the dagger.

CLANG!

"Uwaak!"

"Ack!"

The sudden collision rattled both of them. I swung the spear shaft again, lining the two of up straight with the shield-bearer, and shoved hard with my foot.

"Kuheak!"

"Kack!"

"Keck!"

shoved by ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠my strike, the three of them collapsed just like the first three had. Six guards lined up side by side, all unconscious — quite the sight.

"I've got a decent read on everyone's level, so let's draw up a training schedule."

And with that, I smiled.

A week had already passed since training began.

During that time, the six of them had thrown themselves into their respective basic training. They'd started laying the groundwork needed to learn footwork.

"Your Majesty, someone named Song ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Baek-hwa has come to seek an audience with you."

"Show her to the reception room."

And so, a week later, someone from the village had come. I had her brought straight to the reception room.

"Your Majesty, it's been a week since we last met."

"You came quickly."

I extended a hand toward Song Baek-hwa. She had been kneeling on one knee; she rose and took my hand.

"Did everyone come?"

"Yes. I've come to the royal castle as their representative, and the others are waiting outside the castle walls."

As the village's leader, she had naturally come to pay her respects to me.

"Then I hereby appoint Song Baek-hwa as the lord of the territory."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

She had governed an entire village. The rank of Count was more than fitting.

"A territory... and even a title... I hardly know what to do with myself."

"There's no need for such formality."

"But still..."

"If it makes you uncomfortable, then just help with the work here at the castle."

In history books and novels alike, nobles often stayed at the capital while a regent managed their lands. Baek Hyuk had already been grumbling about being short-handed, so someone of her caliber struck me as the perfect extra pair of hands.

"Then I shall follow your command."

"Oh? You're accepting that rather readily, aren't you?"

"Well, I am a noble of this country now, too."

When she accepted so readily, something in the corner of my heart stung a little — but I forced myself to ignore it.

And so, a capable civil official joined our ranks.