Chapter 31
“Oh, was that you?”
“Yes, it was.”
Blair answered calmly. It would be unreasonable to hope not to catch the professor’s eye after causing such a commotion. Professor Plienta carefully examined the remains of the dummy.
“I see. Blair Monetery. You’re certainly impressive in many ways. Is House Monetery trying to produce the empire’s finest knight in this generation?”
Professor Plienta laughed heartily as he slapped Blair’s shoulders. It was the hand of a large, sturdy knight. The immature young body staggered slightly from the powerful impact.
“The business side is my sister’s domain. In our household, those who don’t work don’t eat, so one must devise ways to survive.”
Blair, who had regained his balance, threw out an appropriate joke and smiled slightly. If Professor Plienta was willing to engage with him, Blair would certainly not decline. From the beginning, he had somewhat intended to provoke the professor with his excessive display of skill. Since returning to the past, he hadn’t had many opportunities to use a sword as before. His hands were simply itching. He wanted to get a taste of what they called “the feel of the sword.”
In the past, when Blair was the Grand General, he quite enjoyed having a good spar with young knights. When he crossed swords with five or six knights, his mind would clear. Indeed, a person needed to move their body.
“That’s a good idea.”
Professor Plienta, who had been carefully examining the cross-section Blair had cut, laughed heartily. It was a flawless, smooth cross-section. It was a trace exactly like what he had done himself.
“Good, your grade for Swordsmanship Theory this semester is perfect.”
“What?”
While Blair, the actual person involved, wasn’t surprised at all, Aaron fell backward in shock. It was a typical reaction from Aaron, who had never received an A in any physical education subject in his entire life.
“Why? What’s strange about that? I already said that the final exam would evaluate how well you cut this wooden dummy. If you want me to see it again at the exam site, well, I won’t stop you, but I don’t see what meaning it would have at this point. It would just be a waste of time.”
Professor Plienta grinned and handed his sheathed sword to Blair.
“Would you spar with me once?”
“I would be grateful to learn from you.”
Blair wouldn’t miss the opportunity to spar with Professor Plienta. It was something he had been hoping for. After bowing respectfully, Blair took three steps back. People gathered in a circle around the two.
“I’ll give you the first move. Come on.”
Professor Plienta, who had drawn his sword, flicked his wrist.
“Then I won’t hesitate.”
Blair, who had drawn his sword, instantly rushed toward the professor. His usually calm face now showed a hint of excitement. Finally, he looked like the sixteen-year-old he was.
Blair thrust his blade at the professor’s throat. It was a slow and direct approach that anyone could see and predict the path. The trajectory of the sword was clearly visible. Though Blair couldn’t accurately gauge Professor Plienta’s current skill level, he was bound to lose this spar a hundred times out of a hundred. There was a physical difference to begin with. Of course, both Blair and Professor Plienta knew this fact.
Professor Plienta lightly raised his sword to block Blair’s thrust towards his neck. A clang! echoed through the training grounds again.
“Did you see that? That’s a proper thrust. It’s the basics of swordsmanship. A very good thrust without any unnecessary movement. Take note of it.”
Though he raised his voice to speak to the students, the professor’s gaze remained fixed precisely on Blair. Blair, whose first move had been foiled, naturally backed away before leaping into the professor’s zone again. Since he had expected the professor to block like that, his next move was swift. This time, it was a slash. From left to right. Blair’s sword swung smoothly horizontally.
Professor Plienta, who hadn’t moved a single step earlier, moved to the left to avoid Blair’s sword. Blair’s sword, which had been swinging outward to the right, instantly changed direction and thrust toward the center of the chest.
It was a clean movement targeting only vital points. The throat and chest. Places that could cause immediate death if injured.
‘I don’t know who taught him, but he was taught well.’
It was swordsmanship that precisely aligned with the basics of swordsmanship that Professor Plienta had just mentioned. Thrust and cut. No unnecessary formalities needed. Swordsmanship is fundamentally about harming people, and one must aim for vital points and places where blood vessels pass.
This time, it wasn’t just about moving. Professor Plienta also had to raise his sword to block Blair’s. He couldn’t easily expose the center of his body like that.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
The swords, which clashed diagonally, precisely changed direction four times, making the blades cross noisily. Both Blair and Professor Plienta swung their swords at straightforward targets. Shoulder, waist, forearm, chest. It was a slow and direct sword path that anyone could see the next move, but it was perfect swordsmanship. Professor Plienta inwardly admired it. It certainly wasn’t swordsmanship that a young student could execute. His swordsmanship was like that of a veteran knight.
When Blair thrust from one side, the professor would pull his body back slightly, turn, and deflect the blade. Even when he was a mercenary on the battlefield, it was rare to encounter someone who used such smooth swordsmanship that was faithful to the basics.
Clang! Sparks flew from the tips of the swords.
After clashing like that several times, Blair lunged for the ear, thrusting towards the side of the face. Professor Plienta twisted his body to avoid the sword. One leg left the ground as he turned to the left. Not missing that opportunity, Blair raised his left knee to strike the opponent’s body.
‘Huh?’
It was unexpected. He had thought the boy was just trained by some noble knight who went on about chivalry, but the child’s swordsmanship was quite efficient the more he saw it. Yes, the movements were closer to those of a soldier than a knight. There was no flashy movement that would unnecessarily draw attention. It was swordsmanship perfectly suited for actual combat. Trying to strike with elbows, knees, and shins instead of relying solely on the sword was a good idea. The human body and bones can be surprisingly powerful weapons.
‘Did he learn from a wandering mercenary or something?’
It was swordsmanship of such high quality that even Professor Plienta himself would have been surprised if the boy had only learned theoretical swordsmanship from a noble swordsman. But he too had lived as a wanderer for a long time. He too was someone who hadn’t been settled in one place for long.
Blair mercilessly kicked the professor’s side with his shin. However, the attack didn’t have much impact on Professor Plienta, who deflected it by slightly twisting his body. Of course, if he looked a few days later, there would be a bluish bruise, but not right now. Blair Monetery was still small and thin, with barely any muscle. In terms of physique, he was a child who would be lucky to be half of the professor’s size. He wasn’t yet an opponent who could pose a threat.
Blair, who had been pushed back, took a running start and jumped. Rising higher than Professor Plienta, Blair brought his sword down from the crown of the head, putting his weight into it. With his foot, he was precisely kicking the triangle between the collarbone and shoulder. It was a perfect vital point.
‘Yikes.’
Since the attack was coming from two directions, his attention was divided. He had to give up one of them. Of course, since he had to block the sword’s thrust, the area he had to give up was naturally the shoulder.
CLANG!
A sound of a different dimension from before rang out. Even Blair’s hands, which had swung the sword with both hands, were tingling from the vibration. Of course, Professor Plienta wasn’t in the best shape either, having received a severe kick to the shoulder.
In the past, there were few people who could withstand Blair Gladius’s strike that brought a sword down from the head. The airborne time was long enough for anyone to see what he was doing, so naturally, anyone could deal with it. However, there weren’t many people who could withstand the force of Blair’s strike with full strength and weight. Most would drop their swords, unable to withstand the impact.
But Professor Plienta blocked Blair’s two-handed sword swing with just one hand. It must be because Blair’s body was still light and lacked strength. He was starting to get out of breath. How many times had he swung the sword? Blair clicked his tongue at his own weakened body. Though it wasn’t that heavy a sword, his right arm was starting to tingle. He would probably suffer from muscle pain later today.
Indeed, his stamina was still far from sufficient. Although he had built some muscle through horseback riding posture and strength training, it was far from enough to use in actual combat.
Blair swung his sword briefly, aiming for the chest. For Professor Plienta, who had intended to explain the basics of swordsmanship through Blair’s movements, his calculations had gone awry. This student wasn’t someone to be taken lightly. In such a situation, he couldn’t take his eyes off and lose focus. He could be embarrassed. His right arm was tingling. Professor Plienta switched the sword to his left hand. The child was more skilled than he had thought.
The professor raised his sword to receive Blair’s in a diagonal shape. This time, there was no loud sound. A spark flew as the swords and blades collided with a crackling sound. The two swords pushed against each other, creating a balance of power.
Blair’s expression, who was pushing the sword with all his might, changed moment by moment.
If this standoff continued, Blair’s chance of winning was zero. Of course, it was already small, but as time passed, even that small probability would be rapidly reduced. There was only one thing that the current Blair had over Professor Plienta compared to the past Blair. Speed, benefiting from a light body with barely any fat or muscle. A body not yet strengthened was as light as a sheet of paper. Blair, who had twisted his body to deflect the sword, moved far back.
Blair, who staggered backward due to the force remaining in the sword, stuck his sword into the ground. He couldn’t be pushed back any further. He used his free hand to touch the ground, maintaining his balance to prevent his body from rolling. He jumped forward, putting strength into his bent left leg, and thrust for the side.
“Where do you think you’re aiming!”
By this point, Professor Plienta was also serious. No sooner had he pulled back his waist to avoid his side than Blair’s sword moved irregularly, aiming for his throat. It was an extremely flexible way of thinking. He hurriedly twisted the sword he had been swinging backward to deflect Blair’s. However, Blair’s sword moved like a snake, wickedly and smoothly, wrapping around his sword.
The child in front of him was too serious for a light-hearted spar, and the child’s skill was excellent to the point that even adult knights would find it hard to keep up.
[To be continued in the next episode…]
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
