Chapter 26
"Get going already."
I was smacked hard on the rear and sent stumbling forward. Damn it, just you wait, you lean, muscular tsundere beastman...
"Oh? So you're a party member of the 'Greatshield.'"
When Josef-san said that, the muddy, sweat-soaked boys and girls some distance away began to murmur.
——A party member of the "Hard-Silver Greatshield"!? A kid like that!?
——He might be a master swordsman, for all we know.
"Well, um... I suppose you could say I'm just tagging along."
"Interesting."
"I don't think it's interesting."
"I'll see what you're made of with a sword. Come at me."
Yep. Baldy was the type who didn't listen to what people said.
I looked to Dantes-san for help, but all he did was nod with a smile and say, "Since we're here, why don't you take him up on the offer? It'll be good experience for you."
"I-I understand... But just so you know, I'm an amateur..."
I borrowed a wooden sword from one of the boys. It was quite heavy for my body, but thanks to the 【Arm Strengthening】 I had learned, I could hold it with both hands. I further enhanced my body's movements with 【Support Magic】. Just a little. If I overdid it, I'd run out of magic power...
I put some distance between us and faced Josef-san.
...Wait, huh? What do I do from here?
If I remembered correctly, when we'd practiced kendo in physical education class...
"Oh? That's a respectable stance."
I took a middle guard stance with both hands.
Then I edged closer with sliding steps... and raised my wooden sword.
(——Huh?)
The moment I raised it, my body seemed to move on its own. Was this the influence of 【Swordsmanship】?
"Haaaaaaah!"
The blow I brought straight down was so sharp that even at sixteen, I could never have unleashed anything like it. Arm strength, leg strength, back strength, abdominal strength—all of them came together in a tremendous rush toward Josef-san's face——because at my height, I couldn't reach his head.
But that blow never reached Josef-san.
"Hnnngh!"
It felt as though I had slammed my wooden sword into a boulder. With an effortless sweep, Josef-san knocked my wooden sword flying. It spun through the air, struck the ceiling, and came fluttering down amid a shower of dust. It hit the hard ground with a foolish-sounding kooong and bounced.
"Ow... ow ow ow ow ow."
My hand was tingling all over. Being forcibly knocked away had left my palm and wrist aching.
"That was quite a blow! But your sword path is far too straight, and you're letting your Talent toss you around!"
As I put on a serious face and secretly used Healing Magic to mend my injured wrist,
"Talent..."
Dantes-san stood there dumbfounded. He had probably thought I didn't possess any Talents at all.
I would have to come up with an excuse later.
"I'd like to put you through a bit more..."
Eep.
"But unfortunately, it looks like our time is up. It's time for the veterans to train."
Phew...
"Yes. Thank you very much."
Whew, what a relief.
I escaped to where Rikila-san was, rotating my wrist with a creak. The Healing Magic had already taken away the pain, but the stares of the teenage boys and girls still hurt.
——What the hell was that sword? Could a kid really wield a sword like that?
——The instructor said so too, but could it be a Skill?
——You have a Rare Skill? Lucky...
The part about me having a Rare Skill is true, but it's probably not what they're imagining.
Meanwhile, a stream of adventurers who were clearly older—people in their twenties and thirties—came filing into the training ground.
"Uuugh, what a drag."
"Make sure you warm up properly. You'll be outside the city for a week starting tomorrow."
"Three days? Or was it four since I last held a sword?"
Apparently, they were adventurers who had accepted escort and gathering requests, and had been taking a break in the domain capital for a while.
They were probably going to work their bodies in the training ground to regain their feel for things.
"You're pretty good."
Rikila-san merely smirked.
Dantes-san, who had returned as well, said,
"——Are you staying to watch?"
That was all he asked.
"Um, yes. ...Is that okay?"
"No, that's fine. There's a lot you can learn by watching. ...Rikila-san and I are heading out; is that all right? We'll come pick you up later. Since it's inside the guild, nothing should happen."
"Thank you very much."
"All right. Rikila, let's go. We need to carry the supplies Non-san and the others bought."
"Yeah, yeah."
The two of them left——Dantes-san hadn't asked me anything. He was probably waiting for me to open up... He was too good a person. It almost hurt.
I was left alone in the training ground. It was my first time setting foot there, but I didn't feel lonely.
I was far more interested in seeing how high-ranked adventurers fought and what kinds of Talents they possessed.
I still felt a little guilty about using 【All Creation】 to learn from other people's hard work, as though I were stealing it. But it was absolutely indispensable for me to survive—and, more importantly, I realized that a Talent was only worth anything if you mastered it. The real challenge began after obtaining one.
That was what Josef-san had drummed into the boys and girls over and over.
Being granted a Talent could make you strong all at once. But if you let it control you, you could suffer a serious injury in no time.
If you were an adventurer, bad luck could get you killed.
(Now is the time to learn.)
I stared intently.
A chance like this was extremely rare.
I had to learn as much as possible——
−【Leg Strengthening★】【Hearing Enhancement★】【Grip Strengthening★】【Flexibility Enhancement★】【Explosive Strengthening★】
−【Swordsmanship★★】【Spearmanship★★】【Axemanship★★】【Archery★★】【Daggersmanship★★】【Hand-to-Hand Combat★★】【Kickfighting★★】【Shieldsmanship★★】【Sprint★★】【Hardening★★】
−【Support Magic★★】
−【Curved Shooting★★★】【Dancing Swordsmanship★★★】
I figured these were the ones I had managed to learn. The three-star Talents were ones I already knew about. There might even have been advanced Talents with one more star added, but unfortunately, I couldn't tell for sure.
These were probably the ones I'd already learned.
−【Visual Enhancement★】【Arm Strengthening★】【Back Strengthening★】【Abdominal Strengthening★】【Hand Dexterity★】【Magic Power Control★】【Magic Power Enhancement★】【Magic Affinity Enhancement★】【Stamina Enhancement★】
−【Household Magic★】
−【Prayer Art★】
−【Immunity Enhancement★★】
−【Greatswordsmanship★★】
−【Fire Magic★★】【Flower Magic★★】【Earth Magic★★】【Healing Magic★★】
Prayer Art occupied a peculiar position: although it was a Skill in the "Art" category, it only had one star.
"I have to master these Talents... Otherwise, there's no point..."
I continued observing with complete concentration.