Why does Sylphi want to learn swordsmanship?

Rudy looked surprised for a moment.

"Huh?"

Sylphy also looked puzzled.

Rudy then seemed to understand something, turning to look at Sylphy.

"Magic, huh? That's not a bad idea. If we're not around, Sylphy can use magic to fight back if she gets bullied."

"I…"

Allen nodded repeatedly.

"Right, that's why it's more suitable for you to teach her, because I don't know any magic at all."

"That…"

"Ah, this is a bit troublesome… But since it's Allen's request, I'll reluctantly agree."

"…You… If I don't ask, you won't teach her?"

"? Why should I teach him magic? You should be the one teaching him…"

Sylphy failed to interject twice. She looked at Allen, then at Rudy, realizing they had no intention of listening to her, and couldn't help but get anxious.

"I—I want to learn swordsmanship!"

As they spoke, the group had already reached the large tree on the hillside.

The wind was gentle.

It carried away the tail end of Rudy's words, "It's better for you to teach him swordsmanship," scattering them into the air.

He blinked, a smile slowly blossoming on his face. He turned to look at Allen, who had a startled expression, and showed a mischievous grin.

Hehe, Lord Allen, it seems your little shota doesn't want to learn magic from me; instead, he wants to learn swordsmanship from you? What are you waiting for?! This is a perfect opportunity for training! Quickly agree to him!

Allen's mouth opened and closed like a goldfish, looking a bit dazed.

Huh? This butterfly effect is too much. You, a Laplace Factor carrier, want to learn swordsmanship? Are you kidding me?

"Why?"

Sylphy blinked.

Then she turned and extended her small hand, making a slashing motion towards Rudy, who was watching the show. As her pointed ears twitched in the air, her hand-chop adorably struck the air in front of her, accompanied by a synchronous whoosh sound from her mouth.

Rudy was unharmed, his mouth twitching.

Allen stumbled in place.

"No! Wait, you don't think the Fighting Spirit projection in swordsmanship is cool, do you?"

Sylphy and Rudy simultaneously showed a hint of surprise, tilting their heads upwards to look at Allen.

"Isn't it cool?"

They spoke in unison again.

Allen was startled for a moment, then his face fell.

Wait! This butterfly effect is a bit too obvious this time. In the original work, Rudy thought swordsmanship was good, but he didn't think it was "cool," right? And Sylphy is even more outrageous; she explicitly asked to learn hand-chop Fighting Spirit projection. No, you, a Healing Spell specialist without incantations, learning this isn't suitable, is it? What kind of healer charges into melee combat with a sword?

Sylphy looked at Allen's increasingly serious expression, her face showing some trepidation.

Rudy, on the other hand, put on an indifferent act, turning to the side to admire the wild calligraphy Allen had carved into the tree yesterday. But his occasionally twitching ears indicated he was still in a mischievous mood.

Sylphy looked at Allen, who hadn't spoken for a long time, and shrunk her neck, her gaze flickering.

Oh no, does Allen not like me learning swordsmanship?

"Th-that…"

"If Allen doesn't like it, then I'll learn magic from Rudy. That's… that's fine too. Magic… is okay. I can help Allen… blow… blow your hair…"

A gust of wind blew, messing up Allen's and Rudy's hair.

They both showed incredulous expressions, staring blankly at Sylphy.

"Huh?"

"So that's it, Sylphy has never actually shown offensive magic to anyone in earnest…"

After a moment of frantic realization, Allen suddenly discovered that Sylphy had never seen offensive magic. Her father, Rolls, was only good with a bow and arrow, completely ignorant about magic. Her mother was a typical domestic helper, skilled at sewing, cooking, and boiling water, but she didn't know magic.

So, compared to magic that was "just simply heating water and blowing hair," she preferred to learn Fighting Spirit, which could splatter mud on someone's face with a flick of the wrist.

The latter seemed more offensive.

This truly aligned with the values of a several-year-old child who is interested in whatever seems powerful.

Right, Rolls's mother, Eris, was also a swordswoman, so it's normal for him to have grown up without learning magic. And Sylphy is only five years old, in such a remote village; it's completely normal for her not to have seen magic.

Allen looked at Rudy, who was using Burning Hand + Wind Blow Magic to chase Sylphy around the tree, shouting something like, "Hurry up and learn it so you can blow your beloved Lord Allen's hair!" Allen helplessly rubbed his forehead.

What the heck is "blow your beloved Lord Allen's hair"?

"Rudy!"

Rudy chased after Sylphy, then turned to Allen.

"Huh?"

"Stop messing around. Since she's never seen proper offensive magic, you can demonstrate it for her."

Rudy's face fell.

"Can't she learn swordsmanship instead?"

Allen glanced at Sylphy, who was cautiously staring at him, and sighed silently.

"I've observed her. Her physical condition isn't suitable for swordsmanship. Swordsmanship relies heavily on talent. Don't let Old Man Paul's usual carefree demeanor fool you, as if he can achieve high sword mastery with just a little practice. In truth, he's a swordsmanship genius in the strict sense."

Rudy was stunned.

"Is that so…"

Allen looked at Rudy, the smile on his face gradually fading, as he suddenly realized that Rudy had already reached Saint-level in magic mastery.

"…Rudy, according to Lokkishi, your magical talent is terrifyingly high, and you can cast spells without incantation. You've even reached the level of a Water Saint-ranked Mage. Furthermore, you reached Water Saint-ranked because that's the highest level of magic she could master, not because Water Saint-ranked is your actual power limit."

As Rudy listened to Allen recount Lokkishi's praise of him, a smile gradually bloomed on his face.

However, the next sentence made his smile freeze.

"So, I'm curious, just how strong are you now? If we keep enough distance, who among us is stronger, you or me?"

Rudy looked at Allen's serious face and blurted out in surprise.

"What are you talking about? You're my swordsmanship teacher, so of course, you're stronger, Allen."

Allen looked at Rudy, expressionless.

"I mean, if my swordsmanship is pitted against your magic, who's stronger?"

Rudy's face fell even further.

"You can spar with Father, so of course, you're…"

"Do you really think so?"

Rudy gaped at Allen, unable to say anything for a long time.

With his gentle, non-aggressive personality, he felt utterly helpless about this unexpected turn of events. Even though Lokkishi had granted him the title of Water Saint-ranked Mage, he never truly felt it, much less engaged in combat with others. Even in the future, as an adventurer, he would be the type to avoid conflict whenever possible.

"Th-that's obvious, isn't it?"

"Use offensive magic against me with all your might, and let Sylphy witness the power of offensive magic in the process."

Rudy was utterly flustered, not even realizing that Allen had said "Sylphy" instead of "Sylph."

"…Are you kidding me?"

The next instant, Rudy felt a breeze brush past his cheek, and a cold, gleaming blade was already pressed against his neck.

Under the sunlight, the slender blade shimmered like a mirror.

Rudy saw his pale face reflected in the blade. Even though the blunt side of the blade was against his neck, he still felt a chilling cold emanating from it.

He swallowed, then looked up along the blade.

Allen, who had been several meters away a moment ago, was now right in front of him.

He lowered his head, squinted, and leaned in to stare directly into Rudy's surprised eyes.

"I said, treat me as your enemy, and use offensive magic against me."

Rudy stared blankly into Allen's eyes, realizing he was serious.