Kays Translations

Chapter 5: A Missing Aptitude

The proposal did not fill Ren with excitement.

(…I am not interested at all.)

Even he was surprised by how little the idea appealed to him. The visitors were Imperial Knights, and their party included an officer capable of commanding them. That was certainly noteworthy. Yet Ren already received occasional sword instruction from Weiss, so the prospect of being taught merely because the visitors belonged to the national military did not seem especially valuable.

Weiss stared at his expression.

“Hm… I did not expect you to look quite so uninterested.”

Ren realized he had allowed his thoughts to show too plainly and cleared his throat.

“As I have said before, I am only the son of a rural knight.”

Weiss laughed and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Then why not watch the young lady receive instruction? Even if you do not participate, you may still learn something.”

“That would be worthwhile.”

Observation cost him nothing, and a different teacher might provide a useful perspective. Ren also wondered why the Imperial Knights had come to examine Licia’s swordsmanship in the first place.

Weiss explained that Lessard had been arranging such an opportunity for some time. The Imperial Knight detachment happened to be conducting an expedition nearby, so its commander had agreed to visit Clausel and instruct Licia.

“Is he a famous swordsman?” Ren asked as they walked toward the garden.

“He is accomplished enough to command Imperial Knights. I am told his school is the Sacred Sword Style. Have you heard of it?”

Ren nodded. “It was founded by Hero Loren, if I remember correctly. It is also one of the styles most commonly learned by knights.”

“Excellent. You have studied well.”

Knights generally learned fundamental swordsmanship first, then pursued a style suited to their nature and duties. The Sacred Sword Style was particularly popular. Its association with Hero Loren gave it prestige across every political faction.

In Legend of the Seven Heroes, proficient practitioners could also acquire Arts—combat techniques powered by mana. For people born without an innate skill, Arts were one of the most important ways to obtain supernatural combat abilities. Ren still remembered many of their stances and movements from the games.

(Could I reproduce an Art merely by copying the movement? No, surely not.)

“I hope both you and the young lady gain something from today’s visit,” Weiss said. “I learned only Imperial Swordsmanship. Other styles did not suit me, so I devoted myself to it.”

“Imperial Swordsmanship is dependable,” Ren replied. “It is versatile and especially strong on defense. That makes it valuable for a knight protecting someone.”

The style was the standard foundation taught throughout Leomel’s military. Its defensive focus made it ideal for escorts, though it did not neglect offense.

“If you are willing, I shall teach it to you,” Weiss said.

“Truly? I would be grateful.”

“Hah! With that reaction, teaching you will be a pleasure.”

Ren’s enthusiasm improved Weiss’s mood.

In the games, Licia had possessed extraordinary talent for the Sacred Sword Style. She ultimately reached the rank of Sword Saint, only one grade below the highest title.

Every recognized school shared a broad ranking system. At its summit stood the five Sword Kings, the strongest swordsmen in the world. The God of War ranked those five in what was called the Sword King Rankings.

Those people rarely affected the main story directly. Ren had therefore considered them distant figures unrelated to his life.

“Which other style did you once attempt to learn?” Ren asked.

“The Mighty Sword Style.”

“Oh… I see.”

“You know of that as well. Then you know why its users are so rare. The style cannot be learned without a particular inborn aptitude, and I did not possess it.”

Weiss gave a rueful smile. Ren answered with a dry one of his own.

The Mighty Sword Style had been founded by the Lion King, the founding ruler of Leomel. In the games, it was used almost exclusively by enemies associated with the Imperial Faction. Its practitioners possessed outrageous offensive and defensive power.

Because sword styles were distinct from innate skills, New Game Plus did not allow players to acquire it. Nor had the story ever offered a teacher. Players had resented the style for two separate reasons: they could not use it, and they were forced to fight it.

Ren remembered destroyed equipment, permanent reductions to character statistics, and nearly unavoidable attacks that inflicted almost fatal damage.

(That brings back unpleasant memories.)

The Sacred Sword Style was praised as an all-rounder. The Mighty Sword Style was closer to a specialist built purely for battle.

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

By the time Ren and Weiss reached the garden, Licia was already receiving instruction from the Imperial Knight commander. Several Imperial Knights, Clausel knights, and household servants watched from the edges of the training ground.

“Like this?” Licia asked.

“Yes. You understand very quickly, my lady.”

After correcting her stance and footwork, the commander invited her to a light practice bout.

Ren had crossed swords with Licia and Weiss many times, but the commander’s technique looked different. His footwork, timing, and blade control were clean and direct. Each movement was honest in form, yet sharp enough to punish the smallest error.

(This is swordsmanship I have never seen firsthand.)

Despite his earlier indifference, Ren became absorbed in watching.

When Licia paused to rest, she noticed him.

“Ren!”

She wiped the sweat from her face, ran over, and took his hand.

“Come and practice with us.”

“I do not think we should decide that ourselves. I only came to observe.”

The commander had been watching them.

“If you are willing, please join us.”

Refusing an invitation from the instructor himself would have been rude. Ren and Licia approached him, and the commander explained his interest.

“The saint tells me you are stronger than she is and that even Knight Commander Weiss has acknowledged your talent.”

“She exaggerates.”

“I have also heard that you are a promising young knight. I would like to see your ability for myself.”

Ren could no longer decline. He accepted a training sword and moved onto the practice ground while Licia stepped back with an expectant smile.

“We shall begin with light strikes,” the commander said.

Ren treated the exercise as a warm-up. He repeated measured swings and combinations, gradually loosening his body while imagining that he was borrowing the commander’s chest as a target.

The watching Imperial Knights fell silent. Even during a basic drill, Ren’s sword drew their attention.

After observing him for a while, the commander said, “Let us proceed to a practice bout.”

“With pleasure.”

The commander adopted a defensive stance and limited the strength of his counters. Their physical difference was too great for him to fight an eleven-year-old at full force.

Training swords met with dull impacts. The weapons were harmless compared with sharpened steel, but the exchange itself was severe. Ren’s flashes of movement shook the grass with the pressure of his swings.

“I am impressed,” the commander said. “I did not expect this degree of ability.”

“Thank you.”

“There is no need for modesty. However…”

Ren could feel the gulf between them. The commander’s polished technique revealed no opening, and his superior strength prevented Ren from forcing one. Even so, Ren began to enjoy the challenge. Every failed attack made him consider a different angle.

The commander suddenly stepped back.

“Fight more naturally. You need not imitate our swordsmanship.”

“Imitate it?”

Ren tilted his head. Then he remembered that he had been thinking about Sacred Sword Style Arts before entering the garden. He might have unconsciously copied movements he recalled from the games.

“Move in whatever manner feels most natural to you,” the commander said. “Do not hold back out of consideration for me.”

If the instructor told him to stop imitating, that too was instruction.

Ren changed his approach. He recalled the sword Roy had taught him, the instincts refined in the forest, and the growth won through his battle with Yelquq. Without relying on a magic sword’s special power, how would he fight using only the blade in his hands?

“Then, once again—please.”

The presence surrounding him transformed.

It resembled the pressure of a powerful monster.

“So my suspicion was correct…!”

The commander’s expression sharpened, and he increased the force behind his sword. Ren’s natural movements were nothing like his earlier imitation. They were aggressive, relentless, and so severe that the commander nearly surrendered a point after a moment’s carelessness.

“Here I come!”

The commander finally brought his sword down with enough strength to break Ren’s guard.

“Ghh…!”

“What? You stopped it?”

Ren caught the blow with his sword held horizontally. He endured the strength of a grown man without dropping to one knee and immediately watched for a chance to counter.

(I knew it.)

The commander nodded to himself.

They exchanged several more blows before he abruptly withdrew his pressure and lowered his weapon.

“May I ask your name?”

Ren realized that the bout had begun before he had formally introduced himself.

“My apologies. I am Ren Ashton.”

“Then, Ren.”

The commander exhaled, came closer, and lowered himself to one knee so that their eyes were level.

“I am sorry, but I cannot instruct you in the Sacred Sword Style.”

“…What?”

Ren had never intended to request serious training, and the bout itself had occurred only through circumstance. Nevertheless, the sudden declaration silenced him.

The commander’s next words astonished everyone except Ren.

“You are unquestionably strong. But you decisively lack the aptitude required for the Sacred Sword Style.”

There was no malice in his voice. Even so, the spectators struggled to accept that a boy who had displayed such extraordinary ability could be described as lacking talent.

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