Extra Story:
Young Seleiyu
I COULD NEVER FORGET the smile on the face of my mother’s murderer as he said those words to me.
He said he would come for me once I turned sixteen.
To this day, I still do not know whether it was real. Yet I would have dreams about him occasionally, as if to remind me of his smile and his threat. It was happening a lot more as of late.
Maybe that was because my sixteenth birthday was drawing near.
At the time when I was still young, I asked my father for permission to learn how to use a sword. He then assigned an instructor to me.
I couldn’t even swing a sword back then. I began training by running about our estate to build stamina. I was told that if I didn’t have the strength to run, I wouldn’t be able to wield a sword. My father and instructor had both believed I would give up at this stage.
At the start I could only run a single lap. I gasped for breath and my legs trembled. I was hardly running properly by the end of the trek. But I never gave up. I ran through the heat and in the rain, every single day.
As I continued to run every day, I gradually built my stamina and could run two, even three laps. Increased physical strength came with this, and I was allowed to wield a wooden sword the size of a knife. After that I continued to run to build strength and was instructed in how to handle the knife. My father seemed to have given up, so he didn’t try to stop me as long as I did not do anything reckless.
Around the time I turned nine, I was stronger and larger, so I graduated from a knife to a small sword.
When I was done with my own daily training, I would go and watch the knights. Their swords clashed against each other, not the small swords that I had been training with, but large ones. I worried whether I could wield one of them before the man showed up. There was still time before I turned sixteen. I still had time to grow.
Unless I built muscle, my blows would be parried. I wasn’t strong yet. All I could do for now was continue onward, one step at a time.
As I faced my own future, I watched the knights train and noticed a certain one in particular. Rather than directly blocking his opponent’s blows, he would parry them and dodge. I thought it could be a model for how I should fight. I came back day after day to watch that knight train.
“Young miss, you’ve done nothing but stare at me,” he said.
“The way you fight is perfect for someone weak, like me.”
“I’m not strong enough to block a sword, so all I can do is evade the blows.”
I wasn’t strong either. So if I could parry my opponent’s sword and dodge just like this knight...
“Could I do that?”
“Well...”
The knight looked troubled. Someone else approached us.
“This man would indeed be a perfect role model for such a bright young lady.” The man addressing us was the captain. “He’s smart and has a good eye.”
One must have a quick eye to keep track of the quick movements of a sword. They could move in all sorts of ways. If you did not keep track of them, mounting a defense or avoiding a blow was impossible.
“I understand why one needs good eyesight, but how is intelligence relevant to sword fighting?”
“You must be smart to win a fight. Of course, there are some whose bodies move faster than their brains…but generally speaking, knights can’t win without a good head on their shoulders.”
“Can’t they still win through sheer force?”
I had been running every single day to build up my strength.
“That’s a factor, young lady. But think about it. If two people of equal strength, power, and technique fought, who do you think would win?”
“If they’re the same, wouldn’t it come down to luck?”
The knight captain shook his head. “It’s who is smarter that really matters.”
“Really?”
“That’s right. No one can swing a sword forever. You understand, right?”
I nodded. When I swung my wooden sword over and over, my arms would become heavier and heavier, until I couldn’t continue.
“A smart knight uses his head when he fights. They swing with less force. Then, as their opponent puts all their strength into a strike, the smart one dodges instead of blocking. In this way, they fight using their head, sapping an opponent’s strength while their own on the way to a win.”
Of course, if all other factors were the same, the person who fought smarter would win.
“This is complicated.”
“Strength and stamina are necessary to grow stronger. But I think smarts are more important for winning a fight. This man is exceptional in that regard.”
The captain looked at the knight.
“That’s right. This guy fights indirectly, like a coward. Really gets on your nerves.”
Another knight came up and lightly rapped on the guy’s head.
“Yeah, no matter what I throw at him, he always dodges. Wish you’d try to block every once in a while.”
“Is that really what you all think of me?” the knight asked.
“It’s good to practice against knights who have different fighting styles.”
I could see from watching their training that not all of the knights fought the same way. That was why I felt that this knight’s fighting style would suit me, and I focused in on him.
“Young lady, don’t just passively observe but imagine taking his place when you watch.”
“Taking his place?” I repeated.
“Yeah. When his opponent strikes, imagine in your mind how you would dodge. If you do that, I think you’ll be able to learn his fighting style.”
When I didn’t reply, he kept speaking.
“And that’s not the only thing. As you observe his opponent, you’ll gradually be able to tell if they’re putting their full strength into a blow or preparing a feint.”
“I can do that just by watching?”
“No one knows. If it were easy we wouldn’t still be practicing it. The more skilled you become, the better you get at feints, at tricking your opponent.”
“That seems difficult.”
“It’s not dissimilar from building up your physique. You have to do it with steady work. If you don’t, you won’t be able to grow. Only a handful of geniuses can do that without hard work.”
“Are there really people like that?”
“There are. No matter what attacks gets thrown at them, they dodge or block. It’s like they can read your mind.”
“That’s amazing.”
“There aren’t that many of them, though.”
“Are there any here?”
I looked at the knights, yet everyone averted their gaze.
“Unfortunately, none of us are geniuses here. Everyone has to put in the hard work.”
I wasn’t a genius either, so I had to put in effort like everyone else. I felt as if I had found my path.
From that day on, I watched them more closely. To my delight, I found I had good eyes. I could follow my opponent’s movements. It may have been because I had watched the knights train from such a young age.
I also worked on my decision making. In the ideal scenario, I would learn to think with all I had so that I could predict every move my opponent would make in order to counter. That was something learned only through experience.
I crossed swords with many people. They went easy on me, of course, as I lacked even the skill of a new recruit. I simply had to keep moving forward one step at a time.
Once I turned ten, I started practicing magic. My father gave me permission, albeit reluctantly, even though it was standard for nobles with magical ability to study magic for self-defense.
My father seemed to be worried I would try something dangerous. He gave me his permission, but there were conditions. I must also study etiquette for a young noblewoman, subjects that would encompass table manners, how to walk, how to greet people, common courtesies, dancing, and tea parties. I would study all of that as I was learning magic.
There are two general methods of magical studies. The first was to study the elemental magic you had a natural affinity for and nothing else. The advantage of this is that you could focus all your time on one element, making that magic much stronger. The downside was that if your magic was ineffective against an opponent, there wasn’t anything you could do about it.
The other method was to study all types of magic equally. The benefit was that you could become versatile. If your strongest magic was ineffective, you could use a different type instead. The downside was that, since you spread your study time, you wouldn’t be as strong as someone who was more focused.
The amount of magic you could use in a single day was fixed. If you spent your mana practicing fire magic for a day, your ability to handle fire magic would improve. But if you practiced the basics of fire, water, wind, and earth magic, then your fire magic would only improve by a quarter compared to someone who only focused on fire.
I decided to focus on versatility. I thought it would be better if I could respond using any type of magic when the man who murdered my mother appeared before me.
As I studied to become a proper lady, I never neglected practicing magic and swordplay to ensure I remained in top form. From time to time, I would even join the knights in their training without getting in their way.
Soon, I grew to be fifteen.
Only one more year remained.
I didn’t know if that man would actually appear, but either way, it would all be over one year from now. The days ticked by as I attended the academy.