Travel - 2
They said Sowol could wield sword aura, but next to Lyla she still came up short. A difference in experience. No matter how brilliant her talent, closing that gap in a single bound was surely too much to ask. While the rest of us hurriedly laid our bets, Sowol and Lyla began closing the distance between each other—and everyone watching held their breath.
—CLANG!!
Blade met blade in midair. Sowol had her sword aura blazing from the very first exchange; Lyla's wasn't true sword aura, but steel reinforced with aura channeled through it. Naturally, it was Lyla's sword that gave way. Clumsy though it might be, sword aura was still sword aura.
"Ugh...!!"
But experience, it seemed, was not to be underestimated. Spinning her body without breaking her recoiling stance, Lyla unleashed a rapid spinning slash. Sowol's sword was dragged along as though sucked into the motion, and the instant she barely caught it on her hilt, Lyla's foot lashed up into her stomach.
—WHAM!!
"Kgh!!"
The distance between them blew wide in an instant. Without either needing to claim first move, Sowol and Lyla hurled themselves at each other all over again, and before long a blinding flurry of sword strikes filled the air.
"Whoa..."
"To think milady was this good...?"
"I'd heard she was studying properly under this Master of hers, but I never imagined she'd be this skilled..."
Not that I could claim my teaching played no part, but that level of skill was forged by her overflowing talent. Teach her one thing and she'd master two or three more on her own, as a matter of course. You have no idea how easy that makes a teacher's life.
"Haaahp!"
"Hyaaahp!!"
Master and servant, childhood friends—it was as if none of those ties mattered in the slightest, the two of them trading furious blows at full tilt. And it ended when Sowol's blade came to a stop just short of Lyla's chest.
"...A draw, it seems."
One of the onlookers murmured as the scene played out. Small wonder, really—Lyla's sword was leveled at Sowol's chest as well. A strike to either spot would have meant a fatal wound, so calling it a draw was no stretch at all.
...Yes! Just as I called it! I was worried I'd guessed wrong—what a relief.
"Yeehaw!!!"
"Oi oi! I believed in you!"
These guys. They should keep their faces blank like me. That's the only way to land a proper teabag, after all. Watching those who'd followed my lead and bet on the draw erupt into cheers, I weighed my winnings.
At the sight of them grumbling as they handed over their coin, Sowol and Lyla stood dumbstruck for a moment before crying out as though something in them had finally snapped.
"What?! You were betting on us?!"
"...I never dreamed even you would do such a thing, Master."
"That's half the joy of traveling. I won plenty, so once we reach Robein City, I'll buy you something delicious."
I patted the head of Sowol, whose cheeks had puffed out in a pout, while giving my pouch a once-over. The silver and copper coins jangling away in there were quite the haul. Betting really is the way to profit, I tell you.
"What angers me more, Master, is that you didn't bet on me to win."
"The winning side is always our side—surely you know the rule. If it stings, you should have been stronger."
"Grrrrr..."
Slap someone with facts and they truly have nothing left to say. Sowol balled her fists and trembled, then started pummeling me with soft little pats, and while she was busy with that, Lyla came strolling over. A rather bright smile hung on her face.
"Wow~! Honestly! That was incredible! Who knew milady's skills had grown this much? It's all thanks to this Master teaching you so well, isn't it!?"
"Her talent deserves its share of the credit too. More importantly, Lyla—when you swing your sword, I've noticed you drift a little to the right."
"Huh? Do I?"
I raised my sword for Lyla, who tilted her head. The swordsmanship she'd used earlier was the Rodveer style, an aggressive school built around offense. It serves well enough early on, but by the mid and late stages it becomes a free meal for counter-style fencers, so teaching her the corrections now would pay off down the road.
"It's probably because you're right-handed that you lean right. You'd be better off learning to wield a sword in your left hand as well. And while you're at it, carrying a short sword or a dagger in that hand would be an even bigger gain."
"You mean I would need to wield two sword styles at once?"
"Exactly. Right hand attacks, left hand defends—hold that thought and you'll be fine. And if you can manage it, learning Terisen-style dagger techniques would serve you well."
"Ooh... thank you for the guidance."
It was a few words of advice, nothing worth making a fuss over. I waved a hand lightly and turned my gaze to Sowol.
"Now then... you're up next. Nothing in particular to scold, really. Your sword aura is just far too weak."
"Urk."
"Make meditation part of your daily routine."
"Yes, Master..."
"And... why didn't you use Moonlight Wave?"
"I felt my training was still lacking..."
Good thinking. Fighting on fundamentals alone was far better than fumbling through a half-learned technique and baring an opening.
"Right. Well done."
"Then will you give me a Praise Sticker?"
"You didn't win, though."
Wins earn stickers. Those are the rules.
I kept the sparring going for the rest of the journey to Robein City. After that first-day draw, Sowol lost every single match. But that was no bad thing—there were lessons hidden in defeat. Proof enough: the day before we reached Robein City, she logged another draw.
"If we do this again, I might actually lose."
Replaying the results of the match, Lyla grumbled in dissatisfaction. Sowol's expression, by contrast, was none too bright. She seemed sore at having never won a single time.
"Let's spar again tomorrow!"
"Haha. Starting tomorrow I have work to do, so..."
"There's that—and if you stop by the Swordsman's Guild in Robein City, you can pick up the basics of Terisen-style dagger techniques. Learn it there, then come challenge me again."
"Then won't I just end up losing again?"
"Probably?"
"Grrrr..."
I gave Sowol's puffed-up cheek a poke. With a pfft of escaping air, she deflated and glared daggers at me—but I had weathered far too much in my time to be cowed by a look like that.
"More importantly, Master—once we arrive in Robein City, will you be moving together with us?"
"No. I have business of my own to see to. You'll move with Sowol."
"Understood. Even so, should anything come up, please send word to the Rogen Merchant Guild."
I didn't imagine anything would come up. But there was no reason to turn down the goodwill, was there? I gave a loose nod to the warrior who'd spoken up.
"Ah. We're almost there."
As we talked, the city walls came into view—walls several times larger than those of any ordinary territory. Robein City. One of the great cities that appeared in the game as well.
"By the way, Master, what business brings you to Robein City?"
"Didn't I tell you? There's something I need to get my hands on."
"You never told us what that something was, Master."
"You'll understand when you see it. Besides, this will be good experience for you too, so come along quietly like a good girl."
"Mm. Understood. How much money should I bring?"
She had more than enough to cover the materials. But money, by its nature, is a thing where the more you have, the better—and she seemed to have received quite the allowance from So Jung-yang, so I figured she might as well bring all she could carry.
"Will this much do?"
"That's a lot!"
How much allowance did he give his own daughter?!
I'd known So Jung-yang was a fool for his daughter, but I hadn't realized it ran this deep. I fished exactly five gold coins out of the pouch stuffed full of them, then tossed the pouch to Lyla.
"Huh? This is..."
"You all worked hard training on the road. Buy yourselves a round with that."
"Ooooh!! Thank you!"
"But this is the money Father gave me to look after you properly, Master..."
"This is plenty to be looked after with, so stop worrying."
By the time the words left my mouth, we had arrived at the entrance to Robein City. The guild had wagons and all manner of goods awaiting inspection, so it was best we go on ahead separately.
"We'll go on ahead."
"See you there~!"
As Sowol and I made for the gate, the soldiers began checking our belongings. We carried nothing out of the ordinary, so we passed the inspection with ease and stepped inside.
"Wow... it's so big."
True to its rank as a major city, the first thing we saw past the gate was a beautifully paved road, hardly any different from what I remembered from the game. Leading along that paved road with Sowol marveling and gawking at everything in sight, we soon arrived at our first destination.
"This place is..."
"An herbalist's."
Befitting a major city, the herbalist's shop sprawled through an entire large building. There we bought pouchfuls of basic medicinal herbs, antidote herbs, and a grab bag of other low-grade herbs besides.
"Now, listen up."
"You came all this way to buy herbs like these? But we could source herbs like these through the Eastern Merchant Guild as well..."
"These are merely supplies."
The real prize lay elsewhere. Sowol and I set off once more, and after a long stretch of walking, we arrived at—
"...Master."
A back alley.
The moment we stepped into that back alley, thick with thugs even at a glance, puzzled stares fixed on us. Only natural—neither my clothes nor Sowol's exactly belonged in a place like this.
"Why on earth would you come here?"
"Because there's something I have to do here."
I spread a leather mat over a nice sunny patch of ground, sat down, and shouted.
"O ye sick! O ye ailing! Come unto me! I shall deliver you all!"
Now come help me rack up some treatment points.