Ten minutes later, the sun was just rising over the training ground.
Eris stood shoulder to shoulder with her bodyguard, the "Sword King" Ghislaine.
Eris had changed into a practical swordswoman's outfit, but her eyes still wandered, and she didn't dare look Rudeus in the face.
"Eris, I believe you've polished your basic sword techniques and physical conditioning quite thoroughly during this time."
"Starting today, it's time for some real combat training!"
Rudeus folded his arms, his expression turning serious.
"All right! I finally don't have to spend all day swinging a sword at a wooden post!"
Eris cheered excitedly and jumped into the air, her earlier embarrassment instantly swept away by her desire to fight.
"Now then, for safety's sake, I'll make a few simple preparations."
Rudeus remained calm as he brought his hands together without warning.
In an instant-
A dazzling green magic circle thundered into existence beneath his feet, covering a hundred-meter radius. A rich aura of life instantly filled the entire training ground.
"Rudeus! What's this green stuff?"
Eris stamped curiously on the ground.
"This is the Saint Rank Healing Barrier Technique."
"Inside this barrier, any injury will rapidly regenerate within seconds, as long as you aren't killed instantly."
"So during the training that follows, you can swing your sword at me without holding back."
"Amazing..." Eris marveled.
Beside her, Ghislaine folded her arms and widened her beastlike eyes slightly as she stared at the magic circle beneath her feet, clicking her tongue in wonder.
No matter how many times she saw Voiceless Incantation of Saint Rank magic, it still felt like witnessing a miracle.
Rudeus casually pulled two specially made hardwood swords from the Magic Pocket at his waist and tossed one to Eris.
Eris caught the wooden sword, but frowned.
"Rudeus, if you've already put up a healing barrier, why are we using these soft wooden swords? Let's use real swords!"
Rudeus smiled mysteriously.
"Why, to train your control over Touki, of course."
"Besides, do you think a wooden sword can't kill in the hands of a true master?"
"Come on, Eris. Attack me and show me what you're capable of!"
"Don't blame me if I do!"
Without any reservations, Eris's gaze sharpened, and the sandy ground exploded beneath her feet, leaving a crater.
Her body became a red afterimage as she raised her sword and thrust straight at him.
The thrust embodied the Sword God Style's essence of speed, precision, and ferocity, splitting the air with a piercing sound.
Faced with the ferocious attack, Rudeus remained unhurried.
He stood where he was and raised his hand for an equally ordinary swing-
Crack-
A sharp, brittle snap rang out.
The moment the swords met, the wooden sword in Eris's hand broke into several pieces like fragile tofu.
Yet the wooden sword in Rudeus's hand was completely unharmed.
"Huh?" Eris froze.
Without a change in expression, Rudeus casually pulled another wooden sword from his pocket and tossed it to her.
Eris stared at the broken hilt in her hand in disbelief.
"Th-this is impossible! The wooden sword you gave me must have been defective! I don't care, I want the one you're using!"
"Heh~ Stubborn as ever, milady. Fine, have it your way."
Rudeus chuckled, and the two of them tossed their wooden swords into the air at the same time.
The swords crossed in midair, and then their hands closed around each other's hilt again almost simultaneously.
The next second, Eris launched a fierce attack the moment she caught the sword!
Using the momentum of her landing, she flipped and leaped. This time, she forcibly channeled the violent magic power within her onto the blade, trailing a startlingly vivid red glow!
Crack-!!
History had a way of repeating itself.
Another sharp snap rang out, and the wooden sword in Eris's hand shattered again, sending wood chips flying everywhere.
"Aaah!! Why?! I even reinforced it with magic power this time!!"
Eris stamped her feet in anger, on the verge of losing her mind.
Rudeus rested his wooden sword on his shoulder and patiently guided her.
"Eris, you're just squandering your power by brute force."
"Try closing your eyes. Don't use magic power to meet force with force; feel the Touki inside you."
"Guide it out like flowing water and wrap it around the blade."
"No... I can't do it. I can't get hold of it at all..."
Eris gritted her teeth, looking somewhat dejected.
"No, you can definitely do it."
Rudeus's voice was gentle but firm.
"You're wearing the Witness to the Sword Bearer's Ascension to Godhood."
"That legendary equipment doesn't just strengthen your body. It also gradually increases your total magic power and refines the strength of your Touki."
"Focus on the warmth flowing through your meridians... I believe in you, Eris."
As he spoke, a faint blue light appeared around Rudeus.
Hearing the words "I believe in you," Eris's body trembled violently.
She took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down.
In that silent world, she finally grasped the mysterious power within her that had already made some progress but had always been overlooked.
In Rudeus's perception, a wisp of light, so faint it was almost transparent yet incomparably condensed, slowly emerged from Eris's body.
That power was no longer violent, but like docile silk.
It spread along her arm and finally wrapped perfectly around the wooden sword.
"I did it!"
Immediately afterward, Eris's eyes flew open, a sharp glint of sword light flashing through their formerly clear depths!
She lowered herself into the stance for the Sword God's killing move-
Sword God Style · Silent Longsword!
Whoosh-!
Eris instantly turned into an afterimage, the air around her seeming to warp as though frames were being skipped because of her extreme acceleration.
To an ordinary person, she appeared in front of Rudeus out of nowhere, almost as if she had teleported.
By the time he reacted, the wooden sword wrapped in pure white Touki was already chopping fiercely toward his face, carrying destructive wind pressure!
"Hmph-I'm glad I kept something in reserve."
The corners of Rudeus's mouth rose.
With Speed Boost enhancing him, the Touki around his body strengthened to its limit in an instant.
Clang-boom!!!
The two swords clashed again, and this time, neither wooden sword broke!
A shock wave visible to the naked eye burst through the air, kicking up clouds of sand and dust.
The two terrifying forces remained locked in a deadlock in midair, grinding against each other with a piercing creak.
"Very well done, Eris. What an enviable talent you have~"
Rudeus even had enough leeway to tease her.
"Ru... de... us... how are you... so strong too...?"
Eris clenched her teeth, forcing even her words out through the gaps between them, her entire face flushed red with exertion.
Hum-
A faint layer of red light flashed across the surface of Rudeus's skin.
"If I weren't strong, how could I qualify to be your teacher, milady~?"
Before he finished speaking, Rudeus put more strength into his arm and swung sharply with a deft application of force!
"Aah!"
Eris cried out as the irresistible force sent her flying, her backside hitting the ground.
She slid backward several meters across the sand, her little butt carving two deep furrows into it.
"Ow! Mmph... ooh... my butt... it hurts, waaah..."
Eris sat in the sandy crater with tears in her eyes, both hands covering her backside.
She looked like a pitiful victim of bullying, as aggrieved as could be.
Rudeus, however, merely stood opposite her with his arms folded, wearing a dead-eyed expression that said he could see through everything.
Heh, after falling for it so many times, would I still fall for your tricks, you little tigress?
That lousy acting-you're definitely trying to trick me into coming over to comfort you again, then take the chance to pin me to the ground and beat me up!
"All right, Eris, stop pretending."
"Look around you. The green light from the Saint Rank healing barrier is pouring onto you."
"Those little scrapes were completely healed the instant you felt the pain~"
Caught out on the spot, Eris jumped to her feet in a fury, brushed the sand off herself, and shouted:
"You! Don't you know how to treat a lady gently at all?! Would it kill you to comfort me a little?!"
"Oh? You actually know what 'treat a lady gently' means, milady?"
Rudeus spread his hands and raised an eyebrow teasingly.
"Then why didn't you know to be a little gentler with me when you used me as a body pillow last night and nearly strangled me?"
At those words, the "Sword King" Ghislaine, who had been standing nearby with her arms folded and thoroughly enjoying the spectacle, suddenly twitched an ear and fixed Eris with a suspicious, subtle look.
"Y-y-you! Don't talk nonsense!"
Eris's face instantly turned so red it looked ready to bleed, and smoke seemed to rise from the top of her head.
"I-I-I... when did I ever hug you?!"
"You were the one who... who shamelessly lay down in my bed!"
"Come on, my tsundere milady, that was my damn room, all right?!"
Rudeus rolled his eyes in exasperation.
Eris completely short-circuited. Overwhelmed by shame and anger, she was on the verge of going berserk.
"Ha, well, well~ That's enough teasing you for today."
"You did very well. Keep it up~"
Rudeus knew when to stop. He waved his hand coolly and turned around.
"Your teacher has used up too much energy today, so now I'm going to have an in-depth discussion with the lovely maids about the profound academic question of 'how to soften hardware.' Bye-bye~"
"Wait! We're not done yet! Get back here, Rudeus!!"
Eris's furious roar rang out behind him.
"Ghislaine!! Help me stop this huge pervert-!!"