Leticiel had circled around Hilmes’s back before he even knew it. It happened so suddenly that he could feel the blood draining from his face at the sensation of the cold wooden sword against his skin. If this were an actual battle, he would be dead.
“You win.” Leticiel came back to her senses when Hilmes raised both hands in a sign of surrender. She’d been applying a little pressure to the wooden sword at his throat.
“I-I’m sorry. Are you all right?” She immediately withdrew her sword and held out a hand to Hilmes, who had fallen on his rear. Hilmes had been a better opponent than she had expected. She had been so caught up in the thrill of it, she started taking the match seriously partway through.
“What a total defeat. You’re amazing, Miss Drossell!” Hilmes said as he grabbed her hand to pull himself up. Though he sounded frustrated, he didn’t look upset at all.
“How can a woman who was raised to be a proper lady win against a nobleman who has trained in swordsmanship?” Mirandalette wondered.
“I’ve never seen such advanced techniques before,” Zeke added. Both he and Mirandalette were dumbfounded. “Where did you get such extraordinary power?”
Leticiel shook her head while repairing the damage to her wooden sword. “It’s nothing special. Though…I may have used a little too much force. But this much is normal.”
In the time period she had lived in, self-defense meant being able to quickly and accurately defeat an enemy with as little skill as possible. It wasn’t uncommon for people to use their power to cut down others, so it was natural for everyone, commoners and nobles alike, to at least be able to do that much. Those who had diligently trained in the military were on a completely different level.
There’s no way that was normal, the other three thought at the same time. Leticiel saw nothing wrong with her swordsmanship.
Things were different in this era. People weren’t familiar with martial arts unless they were part of the military, and that level of skill wasn’t required in such a peaceful world. The martial art echelons of this world and her former world were on different levels; they were barely comparable.
“In any case, I was impressed with your skills, Hilmes,” Leticiel said.
“Really?!”
“Yes. If you were to train, you could become a fine swordsman.”
“So you’ll train me? Thank you!
“…Huh?”
Leticiel certainly recognized Hilmes’s skills and believed that he would become much stronger with more training. But how in the world had he ended up with that conclusion?
“Please wait. I said that you have potential as a talented swordsman, but I never said anything about teaching—”
“I’m looking forward to working with you, Master!” Hilmes blasted her with a full grin, not bothering to listen to her finish. If he had a tail, it’d be wagging. Apparently, he had already decided that Leticiel would be teaching him swordsmanship.
“…Fine. But please don’t expect too much.” Sighing, Leticiel gave in to the innocent twinkle in his eyes.
“I won’t!”
First Nicole, now Hilmes. Perhaps she really was a pushover.
Handing Hilmes, who was still sitting on the ground, some water, Leticiel asked him, “Hilmes, how long have you been training with a sword?”
After taking a swig, Hilmes excitedly started explaining as if he’d been eagerly awaiting her question. “Since I can remember!”
“That’s amazing. Are your parents familiar with the sword, as well?”
“That’s right! I’m the eldest of three boys, but we’re all knightlings!”
Leticiel tilted her head at the unfamiliar term. “Knightlings? Really?”
“Leif’s family, the Guerres, are a family of martial artists who have produced knights for generations,” Mirandalette explained exasperatedly in Hilmes’s place. Apparently, knightlings were the children of a knight’s family.
“But there’s a rule that noblemen’s heirs must attend Lucrezia Academy…”
“Yeah, but I was able to meet the amazing Miss Drossell here, so I’m fine with that!” Hilmes gushed.
“What are you saying? Not that long ago, you were moaning about how you wanted to go to Heingel Academy!”
“Th-Th-Th-That’s all in the past!” Hilmes stammered. For some reason, he was flustered, trying to deny the accusation, but Leticiel was more intrigued by something else that had been mentioned.
“Heingel Academy?” She tilted her head, never having heard of the academy before. She had thought the word “academy” was synonymous with Lucrezia Academy, but apparently there was more than one.
“That’s right! It’s an academy that’s also in the capital, Nirvaan. But it’s what you would call a military academy,” Hilmes answered, immediately recovering from his discomfort. Standing up, he made a fist with his right hand and explained, “It was originally established by the warrior god Heingel to train elite soldiers. But after Dietrich’s death, the country reorganized it into an institution to train soldiers and knights who would defend the kingdom, and it was named after him to honor his lifetime achievements. Marquis Horacio, Viscount Cairn, Count Beta… All of the members of prestigious warrior families graduate from there! It has also produced numerous other talented knights and soldiers!”
Hilmes’s words shot out like high-speed bullets. Hmm, I see. If Lucrezia Academy is a place to gain knowledge, Heingel Academy is a place to learn martial arts.
“Plus, Heingel Academy has a general course and a special course! Since the special course trains you on how to fight by magically enhancing your sword, it’s an elite course that you can only take if you have a certain amount of magical power! After all, being able to use magic and your sword together is the bare minimum for making a name for yourself. But using both magic and swordsmanship is suuuper hard, so there are very few families there; the Cairns, for example, have had members in the special program for generations! I’m so jealous. If I had magical power too, I could, like…have a super cool K.O. technique of my own!”
“O-Oh, I see.” Noble families’ heirs were required to enroll at the Lucrezia Academy in order to gain the knowledge they would need to succeed their families’ titles, but apparently, that rule didn’t apply to the families’ other sons. Hilmes’s younger brothers would be attending Heingel Academy, just as they wished. “You’re extremely well-versed in it. You must like Heingel Academy very much, Hilmes.”
“Ah!” The boy finally realized how much he’d let slip. Leticiel smiled wryly; he was a chaotic person, but she found it hard to dislike him. “B-But Lucrezia Academy has the Azure Lion! I don’t regret coming here! I have a lot of respect for him!”
“The Azure Lion?” Leticiel parroted. It had to be a nickname. She thought it was an innocent question, but she was met by astonished looks from the others.
“Wait, Miss Drossell, you don’t know the Azure Lion?!” Hilmes shrieked.
“No, I don’t. He’s here at the academy?”
“Of course he is. He’s the headmaster,” Zeke said. Leticiel blinked.
“…The headmaster?”
“Yes. He fought on the front lines of the war eleven years ago. His heroic achievements gained him the title ‘the Azure Lion.’”
Leticiel had never heard that before. Apparently, the Azure Lion had retired from the army due to the wounds he’d sustained during the war and been tasked with raising the future generations at the Lucrezia Academy.