Ais's Training

The next day, just after Liber finished washing up, he heard someone knocking.

When Liber opened the door, he saw Loki standing outside with an annoyed look on her face.

Looking at Liber, who had just opened the door, Loki said indignantly,

"Yesterday, I asked the other members, and someone specifically asked to train you. Starting today, go to the courtyard every morning. Someone will be there to train you."

"Someone's going to train me? Who?" Liber asked in confusion.

Loki said resentfully, "You'll find out when you get there, you little brat."

"Behave yourself during training. If you bully her, I won't let you off."

After leaving him with that warning, Loki walked away in a huff.

Liber was left standing at his door, utterly confused.

"Her? Who exactly is going to train me?"

"This is so strange."

Muttering to himself, Liber straightened his clothes and left his room, heading for the courtyard.

As he drew closer, he heard the sound of something cutting through the air from the courtyard.

A thought suddenly came to him. It couldn't be her, could it?

With that question in mind, Liber headed straight for the courtyard.

There, he saw the same beautiful, agile figure as yesterday.

She was swinging a slender sword in the courtyard, her golden hair glimmering in the sunlight.

Liber seemed to confirm his suspicions and sighed. Then he stood beside the courtyard, watching the figure practice her swordplay with complete focus.

He wasn't sure whether he should speak up and interrupt her practice to ask.

Liber hesitated, then held back and simply watched Ais swing her sword, admiring her skill.

Gradually, Ais stopped moving and lowered her sword.

She sheathed it, then turned to look silently at Liber. The atmosphere grew awkward.

Liber gradually found the prolonged awkward silence unbearable and spoke up.

"May I ask if you're the one who'll be giving me combat training today, Miss Ais?"

"Yes." Ais fell silent for a moment, then nodded.

Liber opened his mouth and asked, "Why? Miss Ais, you don't seem used to training people."

Ais shook her head. "...The captain is busy, and the others aren't suitable." Her voice grew quieter.

Liber looked at Ais's usually impassive face. Now, it showed a hint of hesitation, as if she were hiding something.

He thought it over, but decided not to pry.

Liber said calmly, "All right, then. I look forward to learning from you."

At his words, Ais nodded and took hold of the slender sword hanging at her waist.

Liber said to Ais, "Um, I don't know if Loki told you, but I asked for training because I need to take part in intense battles. I'm hoping to get some instruction in close-quarters combat, along with regular training against opponents."

Ais nodded quickly. After listening to Liber, she drew the slender sword at her side.

Holding the hilt in one hand, she pointed the tip diagonally upward toward Liber's face and said, "All right. We can begin."

Seeing how quickly Ais had gotten into position, Liber froze for a moment.

Then he nodded solemnly. Ripples spread through the space beside him, and the hilt of a greatsword emerged.

Liber gripped the hilt and drew the greatsword out of space. Holding it in his right hand, he settled into a stance and squared off against Ais.

Liber fixed his gaze on Ais's steady stance.

Suddenly, the slender sword, which had been motionless, seemed to flicker. A strong gust seemed to rush toward Liber, stinging his eyes.

He narrowed his eyes slightly, and a straight, slender sword appeared right in front of him. Only then did his ears catch the sharp sound of it cutting through the air.

Looking at the sword that had appeared before he could even react, Liber lowered his greatsword and said to Ais with a troubled expression,

"Sorry, I can't react to that speed. It's too fast—I couldn't see it clearly."

Ais looked a little embarrassed, and a faint blush rose to her cheeks. She said softly, "Sorry. I'll adjust. Let's try again. You attack first this time."

Liber nodded. Ais had already withdrawn her slender sword. He resumed his stance, straightened up, and prepared to attack.

The two of them faced off, watching each other intently.

A moment later, Liber suddenly called out, "Here I come." He gripped the greatsword in his right hand and swung it diagonally down toward Ais's left shoulder.

With a sharp clang, metal struck metal.

Liber's swinging greatsword was blocked by Ais's slender sword.

As Liber held his sword against hers, he felt tremendous force coming from the slender blade. Ais then knocked him away with her sword. After blocking and batting his greatsword aside, she let her slender sword drop, then thrust it straight upward toward Liber's chest.

While in midair, Liber held his greatsword vertically in front of his chest. The flat of the blade stopped the thrusting sword.

Then his body shot backward, propelled by the force of the thrust.

Suddenly, his speed in midair began to slow. After traveling a short distance, Liber came to a stop in the air, then slowly descended to the ground.

After a brief pause, Liber recalled the strength and speed Ais had displayed in their brief exchange.

He couldn't help but marvel inwardly.

Her strength and speed are right within my limits. She's controlling her power incredibly well.

Looking at the girl, who was about his age, Liber felt his unwillingness stir after their brief exchange. Once he had steadied himself,

he lowered his body into a stance, holding his greatsword beside him.

Ais had also settled back into a ready stance. Liber suddenly sprang forward and charged at her.

As he neared Ais, he abruptly changed his posture and straightened up.

He brought the greatsword from his right side to the front of his chest, holding it upright. He turned his wrist outward, angled the tip slightly toward Ais, then thrust straight upward toward her head.

Ais watched Liber charge at her and suddenly thrust. Her expression didn't change; she remained serious and focused.

She kept her lower body still and leaned her upper body back slightly at the waist, evading the greatsword thrusting toward her. Her eyes followed the blade as it passed.

Ais reacted swiftly, turning the hilt of the slender sword in her right hand around and gripping it firmly. Then she swung it straight at Liber's forehead.

Seeing the hilt coming at him, Liber raised his left hand, which had been guarding his waist, to block it.

He caught the hilt, then felt the force behind it and bent his body to absorb the impact.

Liber prepared to swing his greatsword, which had missed its mark, straight down at Ais's right hand.

Ais reacted swiftly. She drew her left arm in slightly and struck Liber in the ribs with her elbow.

Liber grunted in pain and stepped back to put some distance between them. He bent forward slightly and rubbed his left hand over the spot to ease the mild ache, then straightened up again.

He felt the slight pain in his body.

Liber knew that Ais had already slowed down and weakened her attacks to train him.

Still, he didn't like being suppressed—especially by a girl who seemed about his age.

Liber used magic to summon the greatsword from space and make it weightless, then held it in his left hand. He also used magic to hold the greatsword in his right hand. He said to Ais,

"I'm going to use as much of my strength as I can now. I doubt it'll do much against you, but I still want to see just how big the gap between us is."

Ais looked at Liber holding two weapons of different sizes, nodded, and maintained her stance.

Then Liber turned the flat of the greatsword in his left hand toward himself and brought his left wrist to his waist, angling the blade across his upper body. He rested the tip of the greatsword in his right hand against the other blade.

He spread his legs slightly, lowered his hips, and crouched with his knees bent.

Liber let out a quiet breath and calmed himself. Then, with a loud shout, he hurled the greatsword in his right hand toward Ais's face.

Then, gripping the greatsword with both hands, he held it horizontally at his waist and slashed toward Ais's waist.

The hurled greatsword spun through the air, rapidly closing in on Ais.

Ais watched Liber charge straight at her behind the spinning greatsword, swinging his own greatsword in a horizontal slash.

Her expression was serious, and the image of the incoming greatsword grew larger and larger in her eyes.