Chapter 281 (Bonus Chapter)
Ludwig was no slouch in terms of skill, and compared to the first semester, he had grown significantly, even when compared to the original work.
Saviolin Turner crossed swords with Ludwig five times in a row. As expected, she subdued him in a single bout.
Being the expert she was, she did not use any Magic Body Strengthening but relied solely on her technique to overpower him.
Indeed, she was different from Ellen.
With the bare minimum of movement necessary, she did not allow Ludwig even an inch of approach by merely pointing her sword at him.
It did not seem like she was using much strength either. She held the practice sword in her right hand and slightly tapped it, causing his sword to be pushed back and its trajectory disrupted.
At present, there was no one who could rival Saviolin Turner in close combat. It was only natural that there would be a significant difference in skill between her and Ellen, and even Olivia Lanze.
There was a saying about sky above sky.
If Ludwig and I were scraping by on the ground, then Ellen would be in the stratosphere, and perhaps Saviolin Turner was on the moon.
No, maybe she was from an entirely different star system. After all, she was able to summon an Aura Sword without a sword in hand.
An overwhelming wall.
Ludwig showed no signs of self-loathing or emptiness after being defeated so easily, scratching his head.
"I practiced a lot, but I'm still lacking, Turner."
"Call me 'teacher.' I am not here in my capacity as a knight."
"Yes, teacher!"
"..."
Saviolin Turner asked Ludwig to pick up his sword and assume a stance.
"Ludwig, your understanding of the sword is shallow. You've learned mechanically. You know the forms, but you don't understand why they are necessary. Without understanding, you put too much force into your movements. Swordsmanship does not require excessive force. The fundamental theories of swordsmanship assume that no Magic Body Strengthening is used. You need a deeper understanding of the techniques."
"Yes, teacher!"
"If you're curious about the details, come and ask me separately. That's enough. Next."
Ludwig, who had been unusually bright, stepped back, and Delfin stepped forward.
"Your name?"
"Delfin Izzard... Um, pleased to meet you."
Although Delfin Izzard was not as bright as Ludwig, he was still quite nervous. It was only proper to be so in front of someone of her caliber.
It was like having Einstein visit their class for gifted students in science. She was here to personally observe their study methods and provide advice.
The one who was not nervous, Ludwig, was the odd one.
Delfin lunged at Turner with his practice sword. Turner, as before, twisted Delfin's incoming blade with her own, pushing it away at an angle.
"Ah!"
Delfin lost control of his sword, his wrist twisted, and eventually dropped his weapon.
"Hmm."
Turner tilted her head as she watched Delfin, his face red, quickly pick up his practice sword.
"You're not a swordsmanship major."
"Ah, no..."
"Archery, then?"
"Yes? Oh... how did you...?"
"If there's such a callus between the thumb and index finger, that must be it."
At Turner's words, Delfin's face went pale as he stared at her in a daze. The natural callus formed from relentlessly handling the bowstring, it seemed Turner had noticed it.
"I have nothing to teach you. Next."
Turner dismissed Delfin without offering any advice on archery. Flustered and blushing, Delfin retreated as if fleeing the scene.
Come on, couldn't she have offered some advice? How merciless.
Next up was Scarlett.
Scarlett, too, was tense as she nervously licked her lips.
"I'm Scarlett... Please take care of me."
"Come forth."
"Yes."
Scarlett seemed to be cautiously probing Turner rather than thrusting her training sword.
She was looking for an opening to exploit.
In terms of pure skill, Scarlett was the best among us gathered here. My swordsmanship is exceptional due to various factors rather than just skill.
"If you're not coming, I'll come to you."
As Turner took a step forward, Scarlett retreated a step back with her sword aimed at her opponent. Did she think that the moment the sword touched her, she'd be completely suppressed?
Turner's steps were not hasty. For each step she took forward, Scarlett retreated one step.
But one couldn't keep retreating forever.
Turner's sword was not particularly fast. Rather, it seemed as if she was deliberately moving slowly.
Of course, she wouldn't do this in a real fight.
It was like posing a question.
How would you handle this sword stroke? With that feeling, she honestly swung her sword from above toward Scarlett.
Scarlett had seen that the moment the sword touched, it would wrap around and either deflect or be repelled.
Scarlett's choice was to evade.
In the moment she attempted to dodge, stepping to the side of the sword's path.
"!"
Turner pulled her descending sword toward her body and instantly changed it into a thrust.
The two actions were nearly simultaneous.
As if she knew beforehand that Scarlett would try to dodge, the moment Scarlett's body moved, Turner's sword had already transformed into a thrust.
However, it was not impossible to counter.
Scarlett pushed her own training sword toward Turner's transformed thrust.
Her sword was directed further inward.
If she pushed like this, Turner's sword would be forced away from Scarlett's body and onto an outer trajectory.
In this manner, Scarlett could stab Turner while Turner's sword would miss.
But as Scarlett's thrust and push simultaneously met Turner's sword—
-Whoosh!
Turner twisted her wrist, reversing the sword's direction.
She swiftly took control of the inside, effortlessly brushing aside Scarlett's training sword and aimed the blade at her throat.
If one were to judge by the face value, it was a single exchange.
Considering the previous actions, it ended in two exchanges.
"Hmm. Not bad."
Saviolin Turner seemed to nod in approval, more concerned with Scarlett's judgment and reflexes than the number of exchanges.
"Thank you."
Scarlett seemed not to understand why she received such praise after losing in just two moves.
After that, Turner sparred with Scarlett four more times.
Of course, not much was different.
If anything, unlike Ludwig, who relied solely on brute strength, Scarlett tried to play a psychological game, seeking the best move in urgent situations through quick reflexes.
Turner seemed to notice this aspect of Scarlett's technique.
"You're an excellent student; keep up the good work."
"Th-thank you."
"Next."
Turner moved on without further ado.
Shouldn't she properly teach something? Although, Scarlett was far superior to me in terms of pure swordsmanship.
However, it seemed that Scarlett did not need any specific feedback.
Her face flushed, she appeared both excited and pleased.
Naturally, Ludwig and Delfin looked on enviously, and Erich couldn't bring himself to look at Scarlett properly.
The continent's greatest swordsman had called her excellent.
What other words could be more motivating for a swordsmanship apprentice?
Those with great power and influence can change the lives of others with just a few words. Sabiollin Turner is one such person.
Scarlett would now use these words as motivation to work even harder.
Perhaps at that level, there's no need to teach in detail. Now, it was only Erich de Lafaeri and I left.
Erich hesitated.
"Go ahead."
"Uh, me?"
Scarlett had gone previously. Erich knew she was incomparable to Scarlett and probably didn't want to go next and be compared.
Why did you come here then?
The name Sabiollin Turner was enough to excite even Erich.
Erich wore an expression that said she didn't want to be embarrassed now.
"Can I go next?"
"No, no!"
Erich took a large step forward.
If she doesn't go now, she would be last.
I may be weaker than Scarlett in terms of skill, but my overall ability is definitely stronger.
"I'm Erich de Lafaeri from A-9, Royal Class, first-year."
"Royal Class?"
"Yes."
"..."
Turner looked at Erich, the tip of her practice sword touching the training ground floor.
'Hmm... she's nervous.'
'She looks clumsy...'
'Is this a student from the Royal Class?'
'Has the Royal Class standard declined to this level?'
'No, that girl earlier was fine.'
'What's going on?'
'Hmm...'
'I feel like I'm going to say something harsh to this one...'
Numerous thoughts danced beneath Sabiollin Turner's expressionless face.
"...I don't need to see you in action."
"Excuse me?"
"I don't want to embarrass you needlessly. You don't need to do this."
Sabiollin Turner spoke as if she had figured out Erich at first glance.
Um...
Isn't hearing that even more embarrassing?
"Next."
Sabiollin Turner now turned her gaze to me.
The last turn.
"I am Reinhardt."
"Alright."
I picked up my practice sword.
Officially, Turner and I had met briefly. We had crossed paths at the Royal Class sponsorship event, and I had received her support.
But beyond that, there was no relationship between us. The incident at the Spring Palace was a top-secret matter. So, although Turner knew me, we weren't particularly acquainted.
So... this was a bit strange.
"Well done. Good. It's impressive that you can deduce your opponent's swordplay from their shoulders and strides. It's a difficult sense to acquire. However, your finesse still needs work. Don't worry, though. That comes from a lack of experience. With continued training and study, you'll naturally improve."
"Good. But try a little more like this. Grip your sword more tightly... Just a bit more. A bit stronger. Ah, perhaps your strength isn't quite there yet. Hm. I see. That's understandable. You're still young."
"Excellent. To be able to do this already. However, it would've been better to do it like this. Look. Like this. Do you understand the feeling?"
"No, no. Not like that. Like this. Yes. That's it. That's it. You're a quick learner."
"A bit more, a bit more, no, one more time. Hm. You're gradually improving. Let's try it one more time."
This person...
She kept doing this with me.
No...
Why was she so blatantly favoring me?
Only now could I understand why Sabiollin Turner had agreed to teach the children swordsmanship.
It also seemed clear why she had casually passed over the others after just a few words.
She wanted to teach me something.
"Good. Good, Reinhardt. You're doing splendidly."
All the other children stared blankly at the overwhelming display of favoritism.
