It was a slash I'd performed hundreds, thousands of times.
The level of mastery was different.
“What's important isn't the swordsmanship. Let me teach you something. If you want to become strong, carve this into your bones.”
“That can't be! There's no way some commoner could be stronger than perfect meee!”
Perfect, my ass.
I lightly gripped my sword and stabbed him in the shoulder.
Thuk!
“One. Your shoulder's too raised. Relax and release some of the tension.”
“Y-you son of a—”
Whack!
“Two. Spread your stance wider. You'll fall.”
“Gah! It hurts!”
The bastard staggered after taking a blow from the wooden sword to the thigh.
I didn't miss the opening and gripped the blade with my hand.
My target was the mouth he'd thrust out and run off at.
I swung with all my strength.
Crack!
How many times had I hit him?
“I-I have to run. Run…”
He crawled away on all fours, as if he'd really turned into a toad.
“Booooo!”
Jeers filled the training grounds.
I slowly approached him and knocked his sword away.
Whoosh!
Thud.
“Eek!”
It landed precisely in the sand right in front of his eyes.
Step. Step.
The closer I got, the more fear filled his eyes.
The difference between us was overwhelming.
Faced with it, even the mouth that had been running nonstop stopped functioning.
I looked down at him coldly and opened my mouth.
“Three. Never insult House Helleim again.”
Whoosh!
“Gyaaaaaah!”
“Stop!”
Just before the wooden sword shattered both of his arms, the head of the swordsmanship department shouted.
“Arthur Graham, your victory is undeniable.”
I looked down at the toad for a moment.
His body trembled as tears, snot, even blood and spit streamed down his face.
I wanted to finish him off completely, but since the head of the swordsmanship department had ordered me to stop, it was better to let him save face.
I straightened.
I withdrew my wooden sword and bowed.
“Thank you.”
After a brief silence—
“Waaaaaah!”
Cheers rang out.
“Arthur! Arthur, your junior here! You have to remember me!”
“See you at the academy! Arthur!”
They were second-year students.
Even though a professor had ordered them out, they must have somehow snuck back in.
Looking closely, I saw that the professor was cheering right alongside them.
“Waaaaah! House Helleim is the best!”
He must have gotten caught up in my match while trying to chase the second-years out.
“Congratulations, Arthur Graham.”
The professor overseeing the match flashed me a broad grin.
He had switched from formal speech to casual speech.
It was an honor, really—the meaning was that he now regarded me as an academy student.
“Thank you.”
“Those who passed the test may leave first. …The Duke did not oversee the test himself. He'll be waiting, so go on.”
“Yes.”
Just as the professor had said, the Duke was waiting at the entrance to the training grounds.
“Congratulations. Your training has paid off.”
“Yes.”
“Your results will be sent to the estate tomorrow in a letter. Let's go home and wait for them.”
“Understood.”
Inside the carriage bound for the estate, the Duke wore a bright smile the entire way.
Rattle—
The carriage shook as it rolled over a stone in the road.
Suddenly, I remembered what the toad had said about House Helleim's swordsmanship.
‘Swordsmanship you'll never be able to obtain, you adopted bastard!’
But I quickly shook my head and pushed the thought away.
I already knew why the Duke hadn't taught me the house's swordsmanship.
‘Do you know why my master was so special?’
‘Because he's the continent's only Grand Swordmaster?’
‘That's right. But there's one more thing. And that is—’
He had no special swordsmanship.
That was what the Duke expected from me.
Still, sometimes I found myself wondering.
If my grandfather had possessed some special technique like the house's swordsmanship, wouldn't he have become even stronger than that?
Just a thought.
“What are you thinking so hard about?”
“...Swordsmanship.”
“Can't you defeat an enemy with basic swordsmanship?”
“No.”
“Swordsmanship is a facade. Or a bag of tricks. At the same time, it's a vessel. It makes you strong easily, but it ultimately determines your shape and size.”
The Duke's eyes looked full of lingering regret as he spoke.
Swordsmanship was a facade, a bag of tricks, and a vessel.
I felt as though I was beginning to grasp something, yet I was still confused.
“On the other hand, my master was the sea itself.”
Ah.
My mouth fell open at the explanation that followed.
The sharpest sword wasn't the strongest.
The heaviest sword wasn't the strongest, either.
The same went for a duel, he said.
What mattered wasn't swordsmanship mastery or the amount of aura one possessed.
It was will and conviction.
The one with the greater, straighter conviction was the one who won.
“The sea?”
“That's what my master was, anyway. You need to find what belongs to you. For example, I am a sharp blade that cuts through anything in its path. Leonhardt, on the other hand, is a shield.”
His words carried a deeper meaning.
As far as I knew, Leonhardt used a greatsword.
So the shield he was talking about couldn't be a literal shield.
It must have represented his inner nature.
“My master didn't have any of that. It was like everyone else was playing rock-paper-scissors while he was the only one throwing a fist. Haha. Matchups and all that meant nothing to him.”
“He sounds terrifying.”
“That was your grandfather. Your blood. You can do it, too. So don't get hung up on swordsmanship as a vessel.”
“Understood.”
Rattle—
The carriage shook once more.
The fortress of House Helleim came into view through the carriage window.
We had arrived before I knew it, carried along by our conversation.
“Let's get out.”
When we entered the estate, the servants were waiting to greet us.
“Welcome back.”
It was the head butler who had thanked me before.
“Hmm. Has everything been peaceful?”
“Yes. His Grace laid such a solid foundation that there wasn't much left for this old man to do.”
“Good to hear. I'll be teaching at the academy until Arthur graduates, so take good care of him. I'll make sure you're well compensated.”
The head butler bowed deeply.
“I'm already grateful simply to have been allowed to spend my life serving as the head butler of House Helleim. I must respectfully decline the compensation, Your Grace.”
“That won't do. I won't accept any objections. Arthur has had a long day, so he should rest.”
“Yes.”
The head butler looked toward me and smiled warmly.
“Congratulations, young master.”
“Thank you.”
“I've instructed the maids to prepare your bath.”
I bowed in thanks as well, then headed toward Lucy.
I had something to tell her, and I wanted to hear what she thought of today.
As I approached the servants' lounge, I heard voices chatting inside.
“The young master was so amazing.”
“I know. It was so satisfying to watch. Lucy's been grinning all day, too.”
“She can't help it. The young master's opponent was that person from before, right?”
“Ah, Lucy's going to fall for the young master all over again. I'm so jealous. I wish I could receive the young master's favor, too.”
...Favor?
They seemed to have gotten the wrong idea about something.
I could see inside through the open door. A crystal magic device was glowing in midair at the center of the room.
It was a device mages had modified so that even non-mages could use clairvoyance magic.
The maids were seated in front of it, squealing, while the screen repeatedly showed me beating the toad senseless.
Lucy wasn't there.
Ahem.
They still hadn't noticed me entering, so I cleared my throat.
“Oh! Young master!”
The maids hurriedly straightened their clothes the moment they spotted me.