Sword control

After a peaceful, pleasant lunch, Mare Mare took Zhao Si to find Eleonora. Helena stayed behind to chat with Malenia. Malenia had little fondness for people affiliated with the Fingers, but she could not withstand Helena's enthusiasm.

Malenia, who rarely cared to speak with outsiders, found herself drawn into conversation by Helena, chatting about this and that. Yes, just idle chatter, setting aside all the rotten business in the Lands Between and her own tragedy to talk about things that mattered to girls.

The two women, both living with disabilities, quickly grew closer, and Malenia felt a little warmth in her heart. Her status and Miquella's had severely limited her opportunities to make friends. Godwyn, however, was as warm as the sun and willing to accept them, and Miquella got along quite well with him.

It was easier for two men to spend time together, but Malenia could hardly see Godwyn so often. Being half-siblings with the same mother but different fathers felt a little strange.

On the side of Rennala, the Full Moon Queen, there was Ranni, whom she could call her elder sister, but Radagon's poor handling of matters had made it difficult for the two families to associate.

Besides, Malenia was devoted to martial pursuits and usually suppressed her girlish side, partly so her elder brother would not have to worry too much.

Speaking with Helena as an equal made Malenia feel at ease.

Meanwhile, back with Zhao Si.

Mare Mare led Zhao Si to a cottage. In its yard, a tall, powerfully built man was chopping wood, bare to the waist.

The man swung his axe, bringing it down on the wood again and again. Sweat poured off him, and every muscle in his body displayed its full strength.

"This is Eleonora, the Shaded Castle's acting executioner. He knows Ohega's Dancing Blade," Mare Mare said, introducing the man before them.

He had dark skin, rugged features, and short hair. He stood a full head taller than Mare Mare, and even Zhao Si had to tilt his head up slightly to look at him. Eleonora, the infamous Bell Bearing Hunter from the base game, wielded his executioner's sword with considerable skill in Ohega's Dancing Blade.

He was quite a headache for new players encountering him for the first time.

"What is it, Mare?" Eleonora looked at Mare Mare and Zhao Si in confusion.

Mare Mare said, "This is Goddess Milia's junior fellow disciple. He wants to learn Ohega's Dancing Blade. Sorry for the trouble, but teach him."

He was not making a request. He was giving an order.

Eleonora frowned. "Why should I teach him?"

"Because he agreed to help me woo my goddess!" Mare Mare looked so anxious he was practically bouncing on the spot.

Eleonora could not make sense of Mare Mare's logic. "What does him helping you woo Milia have to do with me?"

"His condition is that he gets to learn Ohega's Dancing Blade before he'll help me." Mare Mare looked at Eleonora as though he were an idiot. "Why don't you understand?"

Eleonora grew agitated at that. "Ohega's Dancing Blade is the last thing left to remember Eochaid by. It isn't something to trade away, much less something to use to chase girls."

"Eochaid is long gone!" Mare Mare was getting worked up too. "What good does it do for you to hoard Ohega's Dancing Blade? If you ask me, you'd be better off spreading it and teaching more people. Wouldn't that mean more people could commemorate Eochaid through Ohega's Dancing Blade?"

Those words made Zhao Si see Mare Mare in a new light. He had never expected this lovesick invalid to say something so insightful.

Eleonora, it's not like you're Murong Fu.

Zhao Si thought rather little of Eleonora. He could hardly muster any respect for a killer who specifically targeted teachers and merchants. Still, to learn Ohega's Dancing Blade, he would have to swallow what he must.

"Even so, Ohega's Dancing Blade isn't something just anyone can learn because they want to." Eleonora began to relent.

"Don't tell me we have to fight. I just ate, and I don't want another fight." Zhao Si shook his head like a rattle drum.

Having to fight over everything was far too exhausting. Humans had brains and mouths, and they had invented language and writing to use them. Not everything had to come to blows.

Eleonora agreed with that much. "Beating you up won't tell me whether you're qualified to learn Ohega's Dancing Blade, either. Let's test you with something simple."

He grabbed a piece of firewood and tossed it into the air, then reached for the axe with his right hand from a distance. The axe embedded in the chopping block trembled twice and rose into the air. Following the movements of his right hand, it traced an arc through the air and split the wood in two. The axe landed in the dirt and lay still.

"Infuse a weapon with your own qi and control it, and you can master Ohega's Dancing Blade." Eleonora pointed at the firewood. "If you can also throw the axe and split a piece of wood in midair, I'll teach you Ohega's Dancing Blade."

"Qi?" Zhao Si froze for a moment. He could not recall Elden Ring having such an Eastern-style concept.

He patted himself down. "Where does a person get qi?"

Even calling it magic power would fit the setting better than qi.

Try as he might, Zhao Si could not recall anything about qi.

"Hmph." Eleonora snorted. "Mediocrities like you wouldn't understand, of course."

"Hey, hey, hey. Talk all you want, but leave out the personal attacks." Zhao Si pursed his lips. "It's just chopping wood, isn't it?"

He picked through the wood and selected a piece of moderate thickness and average length. After examining it carefully for a while, he said, "Let me give it a try first."

"Try all you like." Eleonora sat on a nearby pile of firewood and quietly watched Zhao Si. Mare Mare stopped standing around as well and sat beside Eleonora.

"Isn't your test a bit too difficult?" Mare Mare sounded a little worried. "Who could possibly do something like that?"

"Didn't you say he was impressive? Then let him show some real skill." Eleonora spoke indifferently. He knew, too, that it was almost impossible.

The axe was merely an ordinary tool, not some divine weapon. Wood was tough and would not split easily. Besides, the axe's edge was ill-suited to this sort of trick. Zhao Si set the wood on the chopping block, picked up the axe, and felt its somewhat dull edge.

Sure enough, Ohega's Dancing Blade was no ordinary sword technique. Controlling a sword with qi had a distinctly Force-like feel to it. He aimed at the wood and chopped down hard, splitting it in two. Striking a stationary target with all his strength was still quite easy.

"That doesn't count," Eleonora said.

"I know." Zhao Si picked up another piece of wood of similar quality. "I wonder if my Flowing Sword would work."

By ordinary logic, a piece of wood struck by an axe in midair would only be knocked away, not split open. But supernatural power existed to defy ordinary logic. That was true of Ohega's Dancing Blade, and equally true of the Flowing Sword.

If Malenia were doing this, it probably would not be very difficult. Zhao Si, however, was not quite up to it, so he planned to try another approach. His Ghostflame mark flashed, another supernatural power at his disposal.

Having made up his mind, he hurled

the piece of wood into the air with all his strength. It flew straight upward while Zhao Si gripped the axe handle on the ground, drawing his arm back to gather force.

Just as the wood reached its highest point and was about to fall, Zhao Si threw the axe into the air.

Hit it, hit it, please hit it!

An icy blue light flashed across the rust-covered axe blade as it struck the wood squarely. Sure enough, the axe sank halfway into it, pushing it farther upward.

Eleonora let out a scornful laugh at the sight. "Just as I-"

Before he could finish, the piece of wood suddenly burst apart in midair. The axe fell, and Zhao Si caught it in his hand as fragments of wood scattered at his feet.

Cold air rose from the broken surfaces. Ghostflame had entered the wood and burned inside it, freezing it so rapidly that it cracked apart.

"Does that count?" Zhao Si was very afraid Eleonora would insist, "You didn't split it in two." If he did, Zhao Si would have to have a proper discussion with him using the axe in his hand.

He had clearly said "split it open," not specified what shape it had to be split into. In any case, the wood was open.

Mare Mare looked at the two of them and spoke first. "Of course it counts. The wood's in pieces now, anyway. Just let him pass."

Eleonora frowned and was about to say something more, but Mare Mare cut him off again.

Mare Mare spoke like a rapid-fire barrage. "Stop being stubborn. You said to split it open, and now he's done it. You can't go back on your word, can you? If you do, I'll take back the executioner's sword."

Hearing that his executioner's sword might be taken back, Eleonora panicked. "If you take back the executioner's sword, who's going to serve as executioner? Surely you won't take the job yourself."

Mare Mare pointed at Zhao Si. "Look, he can chop heads off too, can't he? If you don't want him taking your business, hurry up and teach him Ohega's Dancing Blade so we can send him on his way."

Zhao Si had not expected Mare Mare to be this shrewd. Apparently, when he was not being lovesick, he had quite the bearing of a family head.

Eleonora felt that he had been tricked, but he could only swallow the loss. Dejected, he said, "Fine... I'll teach you. But whether you can learn it is up to you."

"As long as it isn't magic, I learn fast." Zhao Si was very confident about that.