65

Under the dim sky, a sharp clanging of metal rang out.

“You need to put more strength into your wrist.”

“Like this?”

Under Daniel’s guidance, Hamel held his wrist stiffly.

Daniel, however, shook his head firmly and shoved the meeting blades hard as he spoke.

“No.”

─Clang!

With the metallic sound, Hamel’s body was pushed back sharply.

He then shook his hand as if the wrist that received the blow throbbed.

“Wouldn’t that just strain the wrist? That’s because you’re taking the force entirely on the wrist.”

“It’s difficult.”

Hamel muttered calmly.

It had been two days since they set out for Sturnhelm.

Hamel camped in a forest a short distance from the main road.

After the meal, with some free time, Hamel practiced swordsmanship with Daniel.

To be precise, he was receiving sword instruction.

There was a considerable difference in depth of skill between the two.

“Let’s try again.”

Just as Hamel adjusted his sword.

“Um.”

Rupert, who had been glancing at the practice for some reason, approached hesitantly and asked.

“Lord Hamel. May I join as well?”

“I’d be glad to if Sir Daniel doesn’t mind.”

Since he was the one receiving instruction, Hamel deferred the answer to Daniel.

Rupert suddenly asked with a puzzled expression.

“Isn’t Sir Daniel your knight? You don’t really need to ask permission…”

“No. Sir Daniel is, before being my knight, a comrade and my sword instructor.”

Startled by Hamel’s firm answer, Rupert flinched and slowly nodded.

He then turned to Daniel and asked.

“I would also ask for instructions. May I join?”

“Hmm…”

Daniel crossed his arms and looked at Rupert.

He wore an expression as if he wanted to play a prank.

Hamel watched Daniel and subtly shook his head.

Rupert was someone more accustomed to commanding than asking.

He probably believed he never had to plead for anything unless it was to someone ranked above him.

This alone was quite a big improvement.

Perhaps Daniel understood that.

Daniel snorted softly and nodded.

“Alright.”

“…Thank you!”

Rupert, genuinely pleased, took up his sword and stood beside Hamel.

He didn’t come across as arrogant or malicious after all.

He merely lacked experience.

‘He’s childish.’

It wasn’t the sort of impression one would have of someone older than them, but Hamel, often called an old soul, experienced this fairly often.

“Then I’ll teach again. This time you’ll learn parrying. Have you heard of it?”

Rupert nodded confidently at Daniel’s question.

“Of course. Isn’t that basic?”

Parrying referred to the technique of deflecting an opponent’s attack.

It was basic with a two-handed sword and shield, and there were even auxiliary daggers designed for parrying.

Any swordsman would learn it as a fundamental skill.

“Ho, basic, huh.”

Daniel’s mouth twitched into a slight smile for a moment.

─Whoosh

He lunged the sword he held toward Rupert.

“…!”

Startled, Rupert bit his lip and managed to block the attack without a cry.

Having barely parried the blow, Rupert staggered and fell back.

The next moment.

─Sss

Daniel’s blade hovered at Rupert’s fallen throat.

“I don’t think you’re very good.”

“Ugh… Who does that without saying anything? Parrying is all about timing…”

“Yes, timing is the most important part of the technique.”

Daniel cut Rupert off, who was reddening with anger.

He then said coldly.

“But who on earth tells you they’re going to attack before they attack?”

“…”

Rupert could not answer.

Daniel shrugged and said.

“If the word parry sounded easy to you, let’s put it differently. What I’ll teach is my unique technique, foundation. And it is…”

As Daniel continued speaking at length.

Hamel swung his sword.

But Daniel extended his blade without even looking.

─Srrr

It wasn’t the sound of blade against blade.

It sounded like a glass marble rolling across an iron plate.

As a result, Hamel had to swing his sword at a completely different place than the Daniel he had aimed for.

And then…

Daniel’s blade, having guided Hamel’s away, was aimed at Hamel’s throat.

“You can launch a counterattack at any time, in any situation.”

“…!”

Awed by the high skill, Rupert’s mouth hung open.

After a moment, he hurried to Daniel and asked pleadingly.

“Come on, tell me too!”

“Oh dear.”

Daniel was briefly amused by the sight.

“First, you watch your opponent’s movement. For that…”

Daniel began to teach Rupert the detailed techniques.

How much time passed as the instruction continued?

─Srrr

The sound like a glass marble rolling.

The same sound came from Rupert’s blade.

“There!”

He had succeeded in perfectly deflecting the blade.

Although the timing of the attack had been indicated beforehand, it was by no means easy.

“Quick huh. You’ve got talent.”

“…!!”

Daniel honestly praised him with a smile.

Rupert had to exert himself to hold back a laugh.

He seemed very pleased to be acknowledged.

“Meanwhile, Hamel…”

Daniel turned and swung his blade at Hamel.

─Clang!

With a harsh metallic ring, Hamel was pushed back.

“You’re still far from it.”

“…I see.”

Hamel nodded slowly.

He had the shallowest depth of swordsmanship among the three from the start, so it was inevitable.

“I’ll stop here. I’m getting tired.”

“Thank you. I’ll practice a bit more.”

Hamel nodded and readjusted his sword.

He then took his stance and continued practicing.

Rupert stood beside him and watched Hamel’s training for a long while.

Then, Rupert unconsciously murmured.

“Ah, you shouldn’t do it like that…”

“…?”

Hamel, hearing that, flinched, halted his blade, and looked back at Rupert.

Rupert blushed and hurriedly waved his hands.

“No… it’s just. I’m sorry, Lord Hamel. I didn’t mean to give unsolicited advice, I just…”

Rupert felt embarrassed.

Hadn’t he seen Hamel’s strength firsthand at Lonelybirch?

If Hamel put his heart into it, he could fell someone like Rupert in the blink of an eye.

Yet he had just pretended to know more because he’d learned one more bit of swordplay.

How foolish must he have looked.

As Rupert chastised his haste.

“Then what should I do?”

Hamel tilted his head and asked back.

A purely innocent question with no emotion.

Rupert, flustered, asked.

“Um… I mean, are you not offended?”

“…?”

Hamel looked at Rupert with an expression that showed he couldn’t imagine why.

“I’m weaker than you, Lord, and…”

“Is that a problem?”

Rupert could not answer Hamel’s question.

The attitude of asking to learn from someone weaker than oneself.

No, whether someone is weak or not is irrelevant.

Whether a beggar in the street or a famous figure of the empire, if there’s something to learn, you must learn it.

Asking someone for instruction is never shameful.

What’s shameful is knowing your own shortcomings but looking down on others and refusing to learn.

Rupert was greatly impressed.

He wanted to become more like the man before him.

Hamel, watching Rupert quietly, shrugged his shoulders and said.

“So what should you do?”

“Ah. Well…”

Brightening, Rupert stepped up to Hamel and began to instruct him with the sword.

Thus the training continued late into the night.

Still, Hamel, unable to master the Wood Graft in the end, put his sword down.

The moon had already risen overhead.

Hamel shook his head as he looked at the moon beginning to slope toward setting.

“Let’s rest here. Thank you for your help.”

“It was my honor.”

Rupert had taught Hamel sword techniques, but he learned something far more valuable.

Just as Rupert smiled with pride.

─Rustle

A sound came from the distant underbrush.

Hamel, already alert, adjusted his grip on his sword.

“Please… help me.”

Rough breathing and a pleading voice called out.

Hamel and Rupert slowly approached the direction of the voice.

There, a wounded man lay.

The armored man, wounded in the side, was moving while clutching the wound with his hand.

Seeing this, Hamel immediately approached and used Azure Flame.

The blue flame mended the man’s wound.

The man, seeing it, widened his eyes in surprise.

“…A priest?”

“Yes, a priest. And you are…”

Hamel could not finish his sentence.

The man had suddenly drawn a dagger from his chest and rushed him.

Rupert was unable to react to the surprise attack.

However.

Hamel was different.

─Srrr

The dagger he had drawn somehow slid smoothly across the opponent’s dagger.

With the sound like a rolling marble, the opponent’s dagger stabbed at empty air.

A perfect Wood Graft, just like the one Daniel had demonstrated earlier.

And the next moment.

─Crack

Hamel’s elbow slid through and struck the man’s nose.

“…Ugh!”

The nose bent as if broken and blood spurted out.

Unable to bear the pain, the man dropped the dagger and collapsed.

Seeing that, Rupert breathed a sigh of relief.

To have succeeded in the technique in actual combat though he hadn’t fully mastered it.

He could only marvel.

But the wonder lasted only a moment before a sudden question arose.

‘Thank goodness. But…’

Could he himself have stopped that ambush?

No, it would have been difficult.

Rupert suddenly felt anxious at how quickly Hamel had closed the distance.

A quietly rising inferiority complex.

‘As I thought, I’m…’

It was at that moment, as such negative thoughts filled him.

“Sir Rupert. Please take care of securing the camp…”

Just as Hamel subdued the man and began to speak while twisting his arm.

“…God is great.”

The man muttered grimly and began to chew something with a crunch.

─Drip

Then he suddenly vomited black blood and dropped his head forward.

“…”

Hamel checked the man’s pulse.

Then he slowly shook his head and said.

“…There will be no need to bind him.”

The man had chewed poison and taken his own life.

---

“This is…”

Hamel, inspecting the man’s body, trailed off.

The beast’s brand engraved on his neck.

It was identical to the mark David had left.

After a moment’s thought, Hamel straightened his thoughts and looked up.

“I’ll trace back the direction the man came from.”

“Hmm.”

“Agreed.”

Daniel and Rena nodded as always.

Ono, too, raised an objection as usual.

“Do we have to? It seems more urgent to head to Sturnhelm now.”

“No. We originally came here following David’s trail.”

Hamel steeled his mind.

Now that the brand had been found, they needed to investigate the situation before leaving.

The more hurried the heart, the more one must go back.

A carefully stacked tower of stones won’t collapse easily.

“Sir Rupert…”

“I’ll come along too!”

Rupert answered promptly to Hamel’s words.

“Are you really alright with that?”

“Yes!”

Rupert also felt the need to confirm whether it was indeed that brand.

After quickly breaking camp, Hamel’s party began the pursuit.

Although the night was dark, tracking was not difficult.

Because the man had bled his way to this spot.

They followed the bloodstains up the mountain by faint moonlight for some time.

“Why would there be something like this here…”

Hamel murmured under his breath.

A steep rocky cliff.

Below, hidden by undergrowth and trees, was a small door.

And there were handprints stained with blood that had not yet darkened.

“Do you know what this is?”

At Daniel’s question, Hamel fell silent for a moment while examining the door, then murmured with a strange expression.

“This is a workshop… no, a dungeon.”