Proper Training

"All right, two adventurers will be joining today's training. They're skilled fighters who cleared that poison labyrinth. This is a rare opportunity, so I want each and every one of you to learn something from them."

Moomya introduced us like that, and I bowed to the soldiers alongside Alexia-san.

It felt like a bit of an overstatement, but interrupting to be modest seemed worse, so I just went with it.

Alexia-san, for her part, stood tall with total composure.

She was wearing her usual dress armor, though she'd added a thin coat over it, probably to keep her skin from being exposed.

All eyes were on us.

The soldiers' reactions were mixed.

Some looked at us with suspicion, while others seemed entirely uninterested.

On the whole, though, they seemed accepting enough.

Or maybe they were just looking down on us because we were women and young.

"All right, let's begin. We'll start with a run to warm up. Azu, you two come along."

"Understood."

"Sure. These clothes aren't exactly made for running, but it's been a while."

The running course took us outside the city walls, following along them.

An hour of running in one direction, then turn around and another hour back.

The pace wasn't particularly fast, but there were no breaks either.

It wasn't grueling, but I gradually worked up a sweat.

Alexia-san looked completely unfazed.

Most of the soldiers seemed fine too, with a few exceptions.

A handful were gasping for breath, probably lacking the stamina.

Running like this felt better than I'd expected, though.

All the unnecessary thoughts faded away, and the breeze brought a sense of freedom.

By the time we got back to the training grounds, I actually wished I could keep going.

After that, we took a short break for water and to catch our breath.

Ramiza-san and Elza-san had prepared sports drinks for us.

The male soldiers were fawning all over the two of them.

I quenched my thirst with the sweet, refreshing drink.

"All right, everyone's warmed up and the drowsiness is gone, yes?! Grab a wooden sword. Pair up and spar, nonstop."

"Um."

Apparently we were supposed to just find a partner and fight.

Being told to find someone on the spot was a bit much. There wouldn't be any point in sparring with Alexia-san here, so…

While I was thinking that, a large man approached me.

"I'd like a match."

"Of course."

"Also, sorry about yesterday. That was unavoidable."

"Yesterday…? Oh, you were the other knight."

"That's right."

I hadn't recognized his face, but his build was the same as the knight from yesterday, so it clicked.

Well, that incident had been a little embarrassing, but I'd had a towel wrapped around me, so what he might have seen was limited. I wasn't that angry about it.

Still, this was a sparring match, so I'd settle the score by making him hurt a little.

"Let's do this, then."

"En garde."

The knight's weapon was an oversized wooden sword.

A power fighter, just as he looked.

I closed the distance using the Ash King's stance.

Sword raised above the shoulder, tip pointed at my opponent.

"Hm."

The knight looked surprised when he saw my stance.

He must have assumed an adventurer wouldn't have any formal training.

He'd probably expected me to wield some self-taught style picked up through real combat.

And that wasn't entirely wrong.

I'd received guidance from my companions Alexia-san and Finn, but I'd never had anyone formally instruct me in swordsmanship.

But the first time I saw the Ash King fight, I was simply overwhelmed.

I wanted to be that strong, so I burned those movements into my eyes and kept imitating them.

And that imitation was honed relentlessly in my battles against the Blood Knight.

Stripping away the waste, finding the optimal movements through actual combat. That was when I made this sword style my own.

Of course, the difference in physique meant it had changed quite a bit from the original.

With a sharp whoosh, the wooden sword came rushing in.

Block or dodge.

Instinct told me to block.

Because I could tell, clear as day, that he expected me to dodge.

I believe combat is about exceeding your opponent's expectations.

Moving in ways that throw them off, that break their timing.

I struck back against the diagonal downward slash.

"Ngh!"

A heavy shock ran through my arms.

A pure contest of strength would put me at a clear disadvantage, so after absorbing the impact, I went limp and leaned slightly backward.

He pressed forward, trying to overpower me, which left him off-balance. After his swing followed through, he was wide open. I could hit him anywhere.

I struck his shoulder with moderate force.

How to avoid causing injury while still making it sting. That was something I'd learned from Finn.

She was very good at that sort of thing.

"Ugh… You win."

"Not at all."

"To be not just defeated but shown mercy… a complete loss on my part. Your skill is impressive. I thought that no matter how strong you might be, a knight's bladework would surely surpass an adventurer's… Clearly I need more training."

He bowed to me and walked away.

Moments later, he'd already grabbed a nearby soldier and started another bout.

Tough guy. That hit must have really stung.

Alexia-san had drawn quite the crowd.

Apparently she'd been dropping opponents in a single blow.

Was it just me, or did the soldiers she'd beaten look… happy?

"U-um."

"Yes?"

"Please, spar with me!"

A young soldier had requested a match.

He was clearly a fresh recruit, thin and slight.

Compared to the knight from before, the contrast was stark.

I'd have to hold back to avoid injuring him.

Even his stance betrayed a lack of confidence.

I readied my sword, closed the distance in a single step, and gently struck his torso.

"Ugh."

He barely reacted, clutching his stomach as he sank to the ground.

"Are you all right? I held back quite a bit, but if you think you might be hurt…"

"N-no, I'm fine. One more time, please."

"Well…"

This I hadn't expected.

If he said he was fine, it wasn't really my place to argue, but…

Using his wooden sword as a crutch, the young man stood and assumed his stance.

"Come on, please!"

"I don't mind, but are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine!"

His strikes looked almost frozen in place to me.

Straight, predictable, and slow.

I exploited the openings, tapping his shoulder and legs again and again.

"Ah…"

I accidentally caught him in the head, and he passed out.

The unconscious recruit was carried off to the infirmary.

Maybe I'd gone a little too far.

"Quite the popular girl, Azu-chan."

"That's not what this is. Please don't say things like that."

I shut down Elza-san's comment immediately.

Since we'd proved too strong, it ended up with me and Alexia-san standing at the front while the soldiers lined up to take turns striking at us.

That was incredibly demanding.

With opponents coming nonstop, fatigue built whether I liked it or not, and I was pushed to my limits.

But it was good training.

Toward the end, my hands went a bit numb and my grip weakened.

Even Alexia-san had been pushed hard by this, drenched in sweat.

"Training is over for today! Good work, everyone!"

Moomya's call finally signaled the end.

I dropped to the ground without caring about dirtying my pants.

It took a while to get my breathing under control, but the sweat streaming down felt good.

Still, I was glad to be an adventurer.

Doing this every day would be rough.

"Oh my, are you worn out, Azu?"

"How are you not worn out, Alexia-san?"

"Daily training. It's been a while since I've had a good sweat like this. You don't get this from labyrinths or fighting monsters. Here."

She held out her hand, and I grabbed it, letting her pull me up.

Standing, I brushed the dirt off my backside.

We were supposed to meet the viscount after this, if I remembered right.

But I couldn't very well show up drenched in sweat like this.