Chapter 5
The day after the Red Moon set.
After working my body hard for the first time in a while, I was sore all over.
A secluded corner of the guild's first floor.
I went to the place that had practically become my designated seat, sat down, and folded my arms.
As soon as I sat down, Jeina brought me a beer.
"Thanks."
"...Yes?"
Jeina fled with a stiff expression, as if I might eat her alive.
It couldn't be helped.
That was the normal reaction to Eck, after all.
'I must have misspoken while half-asleep.'
Though I was still myself, I hadn't forgotten that, for the time being, I was Eck.
Gulp.
I tilted the glass.
The cheap beer went down thick and bitter.
As it seeped into my body, a single mouthful soothed the thirst that had rasped at my throat until last night.
Alcoholism.
Eck's body craved alcohol. To think my hands trembled and my joints ached just because I had gone a single day without drinking. It was laughable.
It wasn't until I emptied my second glass that my head finally started working.
'What should I teach Elena?'
I had confidently promised to teach her swordsmanship, but I hadn't decided on anything yet.
Eck was surprisingly well versed in basic swordsmanship, having achieved his proficiency by stealing a battered swordsmanship manual from a back alley.
He had never learned from anyone, much less ever taught anyone else.
Even so, I couldn't teach her just anything.
"Yaaawn."
I still hadn't completely shaken off my drowsiness.
It was a serious dilemma.
Basic swordsmanship alone wasn't enough for Elena's training goal.
If I considered the game's mechanics, Elena's development needed a plan that would carry her all the way to the ending.
The first step was important.
'What's the most efficient approach?'
In the game, Elena's development could be directed in a variety of ways.
Swordsmanship, magic, martial arts, spirit arts, summoning, mercenary tactics, and so on—the adult game had implemented a wide variety of development systems, and they had once caused quite a stir.
All that in an adult game, of all things.
Anyway, Elena's development goals could be broadly divided into three types.
The first was the burst-damage type.
It was a build with such absurd burst damage that even boss monsters could be killed in one or two hits.
Since it was plastered with buff skills, magic, equipment, and consumables available in the game, this was really a matter of preparation rather than skill.
In Eck's experience, this method was nothing short of insane, life-shortening madness.
The second was versatility.
A hybrid that mixed swordsmanship and magic. Its versatility made it convenient for hunting both boss monsters and regular mobs.
However, because it was easy to become mediocre at both, it wasn't recommended unless it was a second playthrough.
And then there was the basic type.
It was a build that firmly established survivability through footwork and evasion.
'Are the basics the best choice after all?'
But that was the best choice by my standards.
For an ordinary person, having too many cards in hand would only leave them flustered.
But by the midpoint of the game, the protagonist became a master who could conquer the continent with swordsmanship alone.
Elena was a genius.
Once she had a basic foundation, she would grow rapidly on her own even if all I did was give her a little luck.
'All I can do is push her from behind so she keeps working hard.'
But would I be satisfied with that? If I were, I would be nothing more than one of the stops Elena would briefly pass through before moving on.
Greed whispered to me from deep within my heart.
What a waste.
"Hmm..."
It was still extremely early in the game.
Judging by how quickly each day passed, I still had plenty of time to think.
"Eck! Big brother!"
Then irritation suddenly welled up inside me.
Darko.
The guild-affiliated swordsmanship instructor was waving broadly from the guild entrance.
On his way over, he pestered Jeina, laying a hand on her hip as if his arm were wrapped around her waist.
"Jeina, two beers."
"Go wait over there."
After smacking Jeina on the butt and sending her off, he dragged over the chair across from me and plopped down.
"Big brother Eck, are you still drinking alone here? I told you to call me if you were going to drink."
When Jeina brought the beers, Darko lifted his glass and took a sip. He smacked his lips, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, and narrowed his eyes into crescents.
"Why don't we go look at women together today? There's a new girl who arrived recently. She's young and has a slim waist, exactly your type."
"Forget it."
"Aw, why? I've been telling you, you're not very sociable these days. You just sit around drinking. You've even started spacing out more often. You used to ask me to go before I even called you. Where did the old you go?"
I tilted my glass.
I wasn't interested, so I didn't bother replying.
Darko tilted his head.
"Ah, could it be because of that?"
"Because of what."
"What do you mean, what? The girl you've been taking around lately."
The hand lowering my glass paused.
"The newbie who goes around wearing a robe. Everyone already knows that you've been buying her meals, buying her a sword, and taking her around."
"Who told you?"
"Those bastards over there, and Bordeaux told me too."
My every move was being reported.
Darko smacked his lips.
He raised his eyes lecherously.
"Be honest. You haven't had her yet, have you? It's the first time I've seen you put that much effort into someone."
"...."
"Aw, no way, really? Hahaha! So you're a closet romantic after all."
I brought the glass to my lips.
I swallowed a mouthful of liquor and waited for Darko to run out of things to say.
But this bastard had no brakes on his mouth.
"I'll give you some advice from experience."
Darko leaned forward and lowered his voice. He held up a hand like a wall, wearing an expression that suggested he was about to impart a secret.
"There's a trick to keep a woman from ever leaving your side. Two things are all it takes."
"...."
To be honest, that piqued my interest.
Still, I shouldn't have let my interest show.
"First, just pounce on her and have your way with her. Once you sleep together, you'll develop a physical attachment, you know? Even better if she's a virgin. If it's her first time, the effect is guaranteed. A woman can't easily leave the first man who holds her."
Darko grinned broadly as he raised his second finger.
"Then use that as leverage. If she's a virgin, ask her whether it's okay to tell everyone in town that you took her virginity. Virgins care a lot about that sort of thing, you know? That way, any woman will have no choice but to become obedient to you."
Darko smiled slyly.
"Try it on that newbie too. If you can't manage it, I'll take her first. Then you can pick up what I throw away. You know what's great about that? She'll become even more dependent on you and never be able to escape."
"...."
"Just say the word. I'll tear that girl's heart to shreds for you."
Tap.
I set down my glass.
What the hell did he just say about Elena?
"Hey."
"Yeah?"
"You could use a beating."
"What? Why all of a sudden... Kgh!"
My fist shot out.
I thrust the hand still gripping my glass upward, striking Darko in the chin.
Crash!
The table toppled when my body shoved into it.
Darko's chair also fell backward, slamming his back into the floor.
"Kugh...!"
I staggered to my feet.
The alcohol made my arms and legs heavy, but I lunged at the fallen Darko, mounted him, and grabbed him by the collar, hauling him up.
Blood streamed from Darko's nose.
"Y-you crazy bastard...! Why'd you hit me all of a sudden...!"
"Because bastards like you exist... She's the easy mark I've got dibs on. How dare a piece of shit like you set your sights on her?"
Thud!
"Kgh!"
My fist slammed into Darko's face. Everyone in the guild turned to look this way, but no one dared intervene.
Darko resisted and wriggled free of my mount.
He grabbed a chair and swung it at me, but I easily dodged it and threw a punch.
I caught the hand he tried to knock mine away with, reversed the hold, and slammed it into the floor.
Knowledge from Earth.
Eck naturally reproduced the martial arts and restraint techniques I knew.
"Darko's getting his ass kicked?"
"So that's what they mean by A-rank being A-rank."
"He's damn strong. He's drunk, and Darko's still no match for him?"
Darko gritted his teeth, then shouted.
"I-I surrender!"
"Promise you won't say anything like that again."
"I-I promise."
"She's mine. If you lay a hand on her, don't think I'll let you off next time."
"O-okay, I said I got it...!"
I let go of Darko's arm.
He clutched the arm that had been twisted behind his back, his face flushed with humiliation, and left the guild under everyone's gaze.
"Fuck."
I righted the fallen table and chair.
"Sorry about that."
"Y-yes?"
"Jeina, take this."
I tossed her a silver coin.
"You've worked hard up to now."
"N-no, why are you giving me this?"
"You'll have to work hard from now on, too."
"...."
I left the spilled beer for her to clean up and headed for the guild entrance.
Creak.
Just then, the guild door opened.
Elena entered.
She looked around and noticed the tense atmosphere.
"W-what happened?"
"You don't need to know. Come on."
I grabbed her shoulder, spun her 180 degrees, and led her outside the guild.
"Where are we going?"
"I told you I'd teach you swordsmanship."
***
It was the backyard of my lodgings.
Eck's lodgings were in a five-story building not far from the guild.
The backyard was an empty lot with just a clothesline strung across it. Since no one passed through there, it was suitable enough for a training ground.
"We're doing it here?"
Elena looked around.
"Draw your sword first."
Elena drew her sword from its scabbard.
The straight sword reflected the sunlight.
"We'll start with the basics. Swordsmanship has three pillars."
I folded my fingers one by one.
"Cutting, thrusting, and deflecting."
Elena nodded and focused.
"But something takes precedence over these. Do you know what it is?"
"...."
"You wouldn't know. It's difficult to realize unless someone points it out to you."
I lightly tapped the ground with my foot.
The sound of my footsteps drew her attention.
"It's footwork."
"Footwork?"
"Footwork means moving your feet. It's the foundation of every martial art, supporting your body so you can maintain your balance in the optimal posture at any time. If you don't understand it, anything you learn will be a fortress built on sand."
I set my feet apart and assumed a stance.
Elena followed my example and assumed the same stance.
"Depending on where you place your feet, you can get a feel for how to swing your sword, can't you?"
"I think I can."
"Move forward like this, and retreat backward too. Maintaining your balance—that's the most important principle of footwork."
Elena repeated the movements I had shown her.
I raised the sheathed sword toward the nape of her neck and gave it a light vertical swing.
Startled by the sword, she twisted one foot and brought her feet together. With the minimum movement necessary, she slipped out of the sword's path.
"You're good."
"You startled me. If that had hit me, I'd have gotten a lump on my head!"
"I knew you could dodge."
Her ability to learn was excellent, just as I'd expected—no, it was even better than that.