Chapter 126: The Blacksmith and the Adventurer

In the material storage area of the craftsman district, Lutz and Ricardo stood facing each other with wooden swords. Iron plates were fastened to their foreheads with headbands.

While the headbands, called “bachi-kawa,” were essentially headbands with iron plates attached to the forehead, Lutz had insisted on using them and handed one to Ricardo, who reluctantly put it on. Although Ricardo complained about it since he wouldn’t be hit anyway, Lutz observed him with emotionless eyes.

Lutz firmly gripped a wooden sword with both hands, while Ricardo held a wooden sword in each hand.

“Are you sure you want to try this with an unfamiliar dual-wielding style?” 

“I suppose a handicap is necessary, right?”

Ricardo was aware that Lutz could hold his own in combat to a certain extent. He didn’t underestimate him, but he needed to demonstrate the difference in skill as a professional adventurer.

He couldn’t afford to be underestimated. For the sake of being an equal friend to this man.

“I see.”

With just that word, Lutz stepped forward, moving as if gliding over the ground.

Facing Lutz’s frontal attack, Ricardo positioned his right-hand wooden sword horizontally to adopt a defensive stance. Defend with one hand, attack with the free hand. That was the winning pattern for dual-wielding.

He won. The moment he felt sure, the world shook. A split-second delay, followed by a dull pain. Although it had only lasted a few seconds, such a lapse in concentration could be fatal in a battlefield situation.

By the time he realized it, Lutz had distanced himself, holding the wooden sword ready. It seemed as if he had returned to the starting point, not as if he had fought, but as if he had just finished some task.

Ricardo stared in disbelief at his right-hand wooden sword. He had definitely received an unremarkable overhead strike from the front. Yet, he couldn’t withstand it and was pushed back, causing his forehead to be struck.

In retrospect, it was only natural. He couldn’t expect to block a full-force blow from an opponent using a single hand. To realize the idealized form of dual-wielding—blocking with one hand, attacking with the other—he should have deflected the opponent’s attack rather than directly receiving it. However, achieving that with divided focus on both hands required far superior skill than his opponent.

While the concept of dual-wielding was widely known, only a few actually executed it. As far as Ricardo knew, among the top-ranking adventurers, none were proficient in dual-wielding.

Lutz’s words resurfaced in his mind. To master it, you needed extraordinary strength and skill beyond the norm. The frightening aspect of the swordsmanship world was that while few achieved it, it wasn’t impossible.

“…Is this my weakness?”

As Ricardo rubbed his forehead with the iron plate on it, he spoke. He didn’t think of it as fortunate that he didn’t bleed. He suppressed the humiliation of being spared by rationalizing the situation.

“No, what you experienced was the weakness of dual-wielding.”

There was more to it? Ricardo wanted to toss the wooden sword aside and storm out, swearing under his breath. The reason he didn’t was that Lutz’s face didn’t show any triumphant expression. He seemed genuinely determined to convey something.

At this point, it seemed unlikely that Lutz was lying about pointing out Ricardo’s weakness. Despite his pride as a top-notch adventurer, he had endured the humiliation of receiving swordsmanship training from a mere blacksmith.

“Sorry, can we make it best out of three?”

“I’ll give you credit for not saying ‘no can do.'”

With Lutz’s approval, Ricardo tossed aside one wooden sword and firmly grasped the remaining one with both hands.

The arrogance that he was stronger than Lutz based on his expression vanished from Ricardo’s face. While Ricardo might be superior in terms of sheer combat power, Lutz could see something in Ricardo that Ricardo himself couldn’t. That’s what made it terrifying.

Lutz confronted Ricardo with a level stance. They both watched for openings, unable to move. Their concentration heightened, and the bustling noise of midday receded, until they could hear nothing at all.

Lutz took a step forward. Now was the time. Ricardo stepped forward and swung.

Lutz deflected Ricardo’s powerful downward swing by angling his wooden sword. With enough strength and concentration on a single sword, he could effectively parry.

Parry, then immediately strike. It was Lutz’s forte, demonstrated during their battle against the princess kidnappers. Ricardo managed to block the fierce strike targeting his weakened posture with his inherent reflexes.

As Ricardo swung his wooden sword with all his might to repel and counterattack, he felt a light impact on his side.

“Huh…?”

It wasn’t much pain, just a minor impact. But Lutz’s wooden sword had indeed struck Ricardo’s side. Lutz went back to his original position, seeming as though he had accomplished a task rather than fought.

“If that had been a real blade, your intestines would have spilled out.”

“Yeah… Especially if it was a blade you made.”

He lost. It wasn’t carelessness, nor an unfamiliar stance. He had fought seriously and lost. He couldn’t understand—was there really a significant flaw in him?

It was scary to ask, but he had to ask.

“Tell me, what’s wrong with me?”

“Actually, this isn’t just about you, Ricardo. It’s true for all adventurers. Generally, we tend to over-extend our swings.”

Ricardo tilted his head, not understanding.

“You don’t need to cleave an opponent’s body in half to kill them. A few centimeters in with a cut, severing an important blood vessel, would be enough to incapacitate them. But with monsters, it’s not that simple.”

“They have incredible regenerative abilities. A minor wound can close up while you’re still fighting. That’s why you can’t feel safe unless you literally slice their bodies open. Ah, I see…”

“To opponents experienced in human combat, that over-extension is a glaring weakness.”

“But no one has ever told me anything like this before…”

Just as Ricardo began to say that, he fell silent. The downside of not having companions and primarily engaging in solo activities had become apparent.

He had initially thought about his experiences in one-on-one battles, having faced a dozen or so kidnappers. But he quickly reconsidered. At that time, he had scattered the curse-killing ability of the demonic sword “Tsubaki,” rather than engaging in direct face-to-face combat.

Seeing Ricardo downcast, Lutz spoke up.

“It’s simply a matter of compatibility; it doesn’t mean you’re weaker than me.”

“Cut the consolation crap.”

“I’m just stating facts. Do I look like the kind of person who’d comfort a bastard like you?”

“…Your persuasive skills are the worst.”

If he continued specializing in monster hunting, there would be no problem as things stood. Could he just accept that as how things were?

This wasn’t a joke.

By learning how to fight against humans, he had been shown the potential to become even stronger. It was an opportunity he appreciated.

He didn’t want to be someone who merely possessed a famous sword; he wanted to be a warrior deserving of it. He was the owner of Tsubaki, and he wouldn’t let anyone reduce him to merely being an accessory to it.

Ricardo chuckled defiantly and readjusted his wooden sword.

“Come to think of it, this was supposed to be a best-of-five, right!?”

“Eh? You’ve learned your weak points, so isn’t that enough…”

“You brought this up yourself; you’re going to see it through to the end!”

“And where does the end lie?”

“Until I get the hang of fighting against humans!”

If he were told that it was his idea in the first place, he couldn’t really argue. He couldn’t abandon a friend who was motivated, so in the end, he agreed to continue.

“Alright, fine. Let’s do best-of-five, but I start with two wins. And by the way, isn’t it a bit late to say this, but don’t use thrusting attacks, they’re dangerous.”

“I know that. Now, prepare yourself.”

And so, the two of them continued their mock battles. A best-of-five became a best-of-ten, and by the time the sun had set, both of them were covered in bruises.

Upon returning to the workshop, they received a scolding from Claudia.

“Do you two have any idea that we’re departing for the Allied Nations in a few days!?”

With no words to retort, Lutz and Ricardo could only apologize.

No matter how much swordsmanship training they underwent, it seemed they were no match for women.

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