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Early in the morning, close to dawn, I woke up. My eyes met with Yuli, who had been staring at me as the first to rise. Seeing Yuli smiling brightly in front of me jolted my drowsy mind awake.

“Ell, did you sleep well?”

“…Good morning.”

I could barely greet her as I calmed my racing heart. It seemed that Yuli didn’t think much of it since she was quiet.

“It’s not time for morning training yet, right?”

“Yeah. We have time, so we can get ready slowly. It’s probably just a few particularly diligent knights who’ve gone out to the training grounds.”

Despite being the one receiving guidance, I didn’t want to show laziness in someone else’s house, so I returned to my room, washed my face simply, and changed into comfortable clothes. I put on a long-sleeved shirt and pants that allowed for good movement, tying my hair back carelessly to avoid it blowing everywhere. When I grabbed the sword I had stored away and stepped into the hallway, Yuli was already waiting by the door, fully prepared.

“Did you wait a long time?”

“Nope. We were getting ready at the same time, so it wasn’t long. Ready to head down?”

“Yeah. After eating, playing, and sleeping all day yesterday, my body already feels heavy. Let’s go quickly.”

I walked with Yuli towards the training grounds. The closer we got to the training area, the more shouts of focus we could hear. However, since everyone seemed to be shouting differently, it appeared they were still in individual training, just as Yuli had said.

“Lady, you have arrived.”

As we entered the training grounds, one of the knights closest to us greeted Yuli. He looked like he had quite a bit of age on him.

“Good morning, Sir Lupin.”

After exchanging simple greetings, the knight named Lupin returned to his personal training. Yuli and I did some stretches to loosen our muscles before starting our training and began jogging around the training grounds. Since it was the Marquis’s mansion, the training area was quite spacious. After a few laps, I felt I had worked up just the right amount of sweat.

“Assembly!”

Just then, Lupin shouted loudly, and the scattered knights lined up in orderly rows. Instead of standing in line with them, Yuli and I positioned ourselves slightly apart, side by side.

After waiting a moment, Marquis Craig slowly walked into the training grounds and stopped in front of Lupin.

“Did you sleep well last night, my lord?”

Instead of going overboard with formalities, Lupin welcomed Craig with a brief greeting. Craig seemed unbothered by it, lightly nodding in acknowledgment.

“Looks like you were the first one here again, Sir Lupin.”

“Haha, it’s just that with age, I’ve lost my ability to sleep in.”

“Then as usual, we’ll leave today’s training in your capable hands, Sir Lupin.”

“Yes, don’t worry about it.”

Receiving Craig’s command, Lupin shouted out commands to the knights and began the training with a flair of efficiency. From a glance, it looked like they were engaging in tactical training together rather than individual drills.

“You all, come this way.”

After entrusting the knights to Lupin, Craig led us to one side of the training ground. Even though it was a more isolated area in the training grounds, it was still vast enough for the three of us to move around comfortably.

“Hm… Since neither of you can show your true skills in a match against one another, we’ll do it separately. First, Yuli, draw your sword.”

“Yes.”

Following Craig’s words, Yuli drew her sword from her waist. It was the same stance I had seen her display multiple times throughout the semester.

“Now, show me what you can do.”

On the other hand, Craig didn’t adopt any stance or even draw his sword; he just stood there casually. Yuli, however, paid no mind to Craig and swung her sword with all her might.

Whoosh!

Naturally, Craig easily deflected Yuli’s attack.

Whoosh, whoosh!

Yuli swung her sword multiple times, but not a single attack even grazed Craig’s sleeve. As her futile attempts continued, Yuli’s breathing began to grow heavy.

“Huff, huff.”

Eventually, exhausted, she came to a stop, her sword quivering as it struggled to stay steady. Only then did Craig speak.

“The attacks are blunt, the flow is choppy, and the feints are clumsy. It seems you haven’t learned anything at the Academy.”

Despite the harsh criticism, Yuli bit her lip slightly, knowing all too well that it was true; she offered no excuses, merely absorbing his words in silence.

“…Still, your stamina has improved compared to before. You may rest.”

As soon as Craig’s permission was granted, Yuli sheathed her sword. Her hands were shaking, and after a few attempts, she finally managed to put it away.

“Then let’s continue right away. Elysia, draw your sword.”

Instead of Yuli, I drew my sword this time. It was, naturally, a real sword, but I didn’t worry too much. Since Craig was a Sword Master, he wouldn’t get hurt by my blade, and even if he did, would he really hold a grudge against his daughter’s friend?

Seeing me draw my sword, Craig raised one eyebrow and pulled out his own sword, which had been hidden in its sheath until now.

And then, he assumed a stance. The way Craig stood with his sword was familiar to me; it resembled Yuli’s stance perfectly. After all, I had seen it continuously during the first semester. But while the stance was similar, the energy behind it was utterly different.

Normally, the difference in aura would be daunting, but I remained steady. If I were to compare feelings of pressure, it was far less than when I had faced the demonic race. Back then was filled with magic and intent to kill; this, by comparison, felt like standing in the summer sun without a shade. It was tough, but not unbearable.

“Hmm. Your spirit isn’t bad. Get ready and we’ll begin.”

Since there wasn’t much to prepare, I dashed toward him the moment Craig finished speaking.

Clang!

As expected, my attack was blocked. The impact shook my hand, but I gripped the sword even tighter.

I swung again at Craig, who stood firm in place with minimal effort, easily deflecting my strike once more.

Clink!

This time, I tried to angle my sword to bounce his away, but I did my best to cling to it, using all my strength to prevent it from dropping.

Using both hands, I attempted to push Craig’s sword aside, trying to find an opening. However, the overwhelming strength in Craig’s one hand was far greater than all I could muster with both. It wasn’t just a muscle difference; the sheer discrepancy of aura-enhanced physical strength was that staggering. I never imagined that my full effort with both hands would be less than Craig’s casual hold with one hand. I should have known I was confronting a Sword Master.

Ultimately, finding myself unable to move, I tried to break free by bouncing Craig’s sword away, but this time, he did not loosen his grip; instead, he moved in tandem with my movements, maintaining his distance perfectly.

I twisted and swung my sword desperately in an attempt to escape, but Craig’s sword moved with an astoundingly fluid grace, negating all my efforts.

In a bid to turn the tide, I quickly shifted my gaze toward Craig’s foot and stealthily readied to step on it. However, just before my foot landed, Craig retracted it and kicked my foot away as it came down.

Normally, maintaining balance on one foot shouldn’t be difficult, but at the same moment of the kick, Craig’s sword effortlessly shattered my equilibrium.

I removed one hand from the sword I was holding to stabilize my body as it leaned, quickly trying to roll away and rise, but Craig’s sword was already aimed directly at me.

“Hm… Not bad. Considering your age… No, even disregarding age, excellent. Your sword swings, awareness, and ability to seek openings, far exceeds that of ordinary knights.”

As Craig retrieved his sword, I brushed myself off and stood up.

“However, your swordsmanship lacks form. It could be said your approach is free; in the end, it means you have no foundation. You haven’t mastered the form to break from it; rather, there seems to have been no form at all from the beginning. If I had to say, it’s thoroughly practical.”

With just a few exchanges, Craig had seen through my swordsmanship. My technique was nowhere near advanced enough to even be considered proper swordsmanship. If it were, then the Guild Master would have made the Assassin Guild a Swordman’s Guild instead.

“Fortunately, you have great talent. With your talent, it’s more beneficial for you to wield the sword by instinct rather than trying to learn proper swordsmanship. There are clear signs that someone has tried to correct your form, but they likely knew not to interfere too much. Even I’d have made a mess if I tried to interfere haphazardly now.”

He was probably referring to Selian. Could it be that Selian’s viewpoint as an instructor is equal to that of Craig, the Sword Master?

“Thank you.”

Not wanting to sit silently after receiving such praise and advice, I expressed my gratitude. However, instead of replying, Craig turned and called out to Lupin, who was leading the knights in the distance.

“Did you call?”

Lupin quickly approached at Craig’s summons.

“From here on, delegate the training to someone else or switch to free training. You’ll be sparring daily with Elysia from today. It will surely benefit you both.”

“Yes, understood.”

Despite looking at me, who was much younger, Lupin didn’t express any doubts and returned to instructing the knights.

“Elysia. You will spar with me every morning from now on, and afterwards, continually spar with Lupin. Your sword relies on instinct, so just a bit of guidance and experience will help you improve greatly.”

“Yes, understood.”

Those were the words of a Sword Master. There was no need for doubts.

“And Yuli. I’ll watch you every day from now on. Don’t slack off.”

With that succinct summary, Craig finished. Having already sparred with Craig, I then spent the rest of the day sparring with Lupin, concluding my training session.