Fortunately, Charlotte Custard was also a swordsman. At the very least, he should know more than Mousse, a complete outsider, about the last question... right?
"You're asking about the standards that distinguish swordsmen, swordmasters, and Grand Swordmasters? I don't think anyone deliberately draws such distinctions. Usually, if you've made a bit of a name for yourself, you're a swordsman. If your reputation is greater, you're a swordmaster. Only someone famous throughout the world is a Grand Swordmaster." Charlotte Custard's answer disappointed Mousse greatly.
But just as Mousse was about to set the matter aside for the moment, a heavenly voice came from outside. "Who says there are no standards? You've never focused on the way of the sword. You learn this and practice that, so of course you wouldn't know!"
The speaker was Charlotte Amande, who had returned after leaving because she had something else to do. She had gone farther down the path of the sword than her younger brother and naturally understood it more deeply. "Once a swordsman's strength, speed, and technique reach a certain level, they qualify as a swordsman. There is no universally accepted standard, but at the very least, they must be able to defeat an ordinary soldier carrying a gun. The standard for a swordmaster is very clear. First, they must be able to perform Iron Cutting—that is, cut through steel no less durable than the sword they wield. Second, they must be able to unleash Flying Slashes. If they can do both proficiently, they are a swordmaster. As for a Grand Swordmaster..."
Charlotte Amande paused slightly, raising Mousse's curiosity even further. But her next answer nearly made him topple over. "Actually, I don't know either."
Still, every swordmaster had, at the very least, once harbored the ambition to become a Grand Swordmaster. Thus,