Chapter 166: Smiling Suits You Better…
At Karinal’s serious expression I ended up making a troubled face.
Glancing at Elvin’s face, he still had his arms crossed with a sour expression.
The fact that a strict man was not stopping it meant he must know something.
Yet as long as there was a possibility of embarrassing Elvin in front of Karinal I could not ask him; if I wanted to hear the reason I had no choice but to ask Karinal herself.
Still wearing a troubled expression I let out a small breath and asked Karinal, who was looking at me with a beautifully ordered face and straightforward eyes.
"I’m sorry, but may I hear the reason?"
"...Ever since Uncle returned from the war, whenever he has alcohol he only praises Lord Raide and his unit. Is there anything strange about me taking an interest in a man whom my strict uncle praises that much?"
"...Certainly, true enough."
Glancing only with my eyes at Elvin’s face, Elvin clearly averted his face.
Hey, isn’t this the old man’s fault... But with this the mystery was solved.
Originally what should have been talked about at drinking occasions was stories of the hero.
Following that theory, Karinal’s line in the game—"To Sir Roy, the hero’s son..."—fits perfectly.
I began acting together with Elvin after rescuing the princesses; in other words I myself had generated... no, changed the event.
In that case I must take responsibility.
Thinking positively, I can regard it as having been given a chance to avoid the event.
I removed my outer garment, handed it to the surprised-looking Felica, and spoke to Karinal while smiling troubledly.
"Understood. Let’s spar. However, as a condition, if I win I would like you to hear one request. I will swear to Sir Elvin that I will not request anything that harms your body."
"...Understood. If you defeat me I shall listen."
Karinal emphasized the part "if you defeat me," looked at me with a glaring gaze, turned around, and walked toward an open space.
I smiled wryly, let out a small sigh, and spoke to Roy who, like Felica, was wearing a surprised face.
"Roy, steal everything you can steal by watching others, all right?"
"Instructor Raide... yes!"
"Raide..."
"Felica, I’m going."
Placing one hand on the shoulder of the worried-looking Felica and smiling, I began walking toward Karinal who was looking this way and waiting.
When passing beside Elvin I said "Please treat me to a drink, okay?", and Elvin made an apologetic face and said "Sorry."
What Karinal gripped in her hand was a greatsword, the same as in the game.
A double-edged blade the size of an open palm, its length reaching about to Karinal’s shoulder.
Normally one would feel intimidated, yet I let out a small breath of relief that it had not changed from the game.
If that point is the same as the game there is a way to deal with it, and though it is unfair I am good at handling Karinal.
Because even her dark-fallen form could be faced in free play.
I stopped at the range of Karinal’s greatsword, smiled, and asked the dubious-looking Karinal.
"Before we begin the spar there is something I want to ask—is that all right?"
"...What is it?"
"Please tell me your name."
"I’m sorry, I had not introduced myself. I am Karinal Kind. Please take care of me."
"Please take care of me, Karinal... Now, let’s begin."
At my words Karinal lightly lifted the heavy-looking greatsword and assumed a stance as if resting it on her shoulder.
I held no weapon at all, opened my feet a little, and prepared for Karinal’s attacks in a natural stance.
...Good fighting spirit. In that alone she would not lose to Roy.
Karinal took a small breath in and stepped in toward me.
Felica watched the begun spar and remained unable to move with her eyes wide open.
It was not because of Karinal’s strength, but because of Raide’s movements.
It was the first time she had seen Raide’s fighting figure outside the academy, and its strangeness was something that could not be put into words.
She had heard that he did not use weapons, yet to truly not use them...
"Is this the first time Lady Felica has seen Raide fight?"
"Yes. I have seen the academy training scenes several times, but this is..."
"Nuhaha, strange?"
"Rather than strange, it is impossible. Why do her attacks not reach Raide..."
The spar unfolding right in front of them.
Her skill with the greatsword was tremendous; whether from brute strength or not, the recovery after swinging through was fast.
Against an opponent who would force one into a hard fight if one faced her oneself, Raide was avoiding everything with a calm expression.
Even when attacked he did not panic, and it even looked as though he had the composure to observe the opponent’s state without breaking his stance.
This was an impossible scene that made one doubt one’s own eyes.
"I understand because I was done in by it as well—that is frightening."
"You have sparred with Raide before?"
"Nu? ...Yes, only once. I thought him a child and intended to train him, but... well, the result was a draw."
"A draw with Sir Elvin!"
"Raide said that because I had alcohol in me it was his own loss. If I speak of my impression at that time, I thought I never wanted to face that fellow on the battlefield..."
Looking at the wryly smiling profile of Elvin, Felica returned her gaze to Raide and laughed as if exasperated.
If he had not been her lover, regretful feelings as a fellow warrior would have occupied her heart.
Yet what was filling Felica’s heart now was a sense of superiority and proud feelings.
Her own lover was acknowledged by a battle-hardened knight and moreover was fighting in an impossible manner.
If one did not feel proud of this one would not be a lover, Felica murmured in her heart.
It was probably the same for Roy, who was watching the spar intently with a serious expression as if having forgotten to blink.
...Truly, my lover never lets me grow bored.
Karinal, while breathing roughly, swung the greatsword toward me.
Just when I thought she had swung it down, the tip of the sword was swept sideways faster than it touched the ground.
A splendid way of training, a splendid way of fighting.
Being able to perform attacks that would make an ordinary person lose their stance over and over is truly admirable.
Yet Karinal has a weak point: when transitioning to the next action she has a habit of making a slightly awkward movement.
It seems that has not changed from the time of the game either.
Players had all attacked the awkward moment...
Into the gap when Karinal tried to swing sideways I closed in, suppressed the hilt of the greatsword, and spoke with a wry smile.
"Shall we leave it around here for today?"
"Haa haa... such, for me to..."
"Karinal, let’s leave the win and loss for later. First I want you to regulate your breathing."
Because Karinal made a tragic expression I interrupted her words and spoke.
Sorry, but I have no intention of talking about win and loss; I have no intention of making her fall to the dark side.
At my words Karinal nodded quietly and began regulating her breathing using the greatsword as support.
After a while the breathing-regulated Karinal looked at me with a dejected expression; seeing that I smiled wryly.
"Karinal, could you assume a stance with the greatsword?"
"...Like this?"
"Yes, thank you... As I thought. Because you are gripping the greatsword with the way one holds a longsword, the next action becomes awkward."
"Eh...?"
Because Karinal was gripping it as one grips a longsword, the gap between both hands was small.
The way of holding a greatsword differs from that of a longsword; one uses the hilt portion to the maximum so that one can brace.
If one cannot brace it takes time to put strength into it, and that was the true nature of Karinal’s awkward movements.
This is not the theory of the analysis team; it is the answer I understood from studying in this world.
Gently touching Karinal’s hands and spreading the grip for her, she made a slightly surprised expression and began swinging the greatsword with bun bun as if checking the sensation.
Separating far enough that the greatsword would not reach, I raised my voice so that it would not be drowned out by the sound of cutting the wind.
"Open your feet a little as well! You can keep your previous way of fighting, so be conscious of weight shifting!"
"...Yes!"
"If you feel a sense of incongruity in the movement try changing the place of the grip! You feel incongruity because strength does not enter! Be conscious of the position of your feet as well, okay? You’ll be targeted!"
"Yes!"
If the players saw my figure they would probably think I was sending salt to the enemy.
Yet by making Karinal stronger I will show that I can prevent the dark fall.
Originally the reason for the dark fall was an inferiority complex toward Roy and the desire to be acknowledged by Elvin.
In that case, if I fulfill both of those she should not fall.
Karinal has sufficient talent, so if I teach her to a certain extent she should grow stronger on her own.
After swinging the greatsword for a while Karinal smiled with a fulfilled expression, looked at me, and approached.
Different from the rigid-looking expression until a moment ago, to the beautifully smiling Karinal I returned a smile and spoke.
"You look prettier when you’re smiling."
"Eh... ah, yes, thank... you."
Karinal faintly dyed her cheeks red and began fidgeting with both hands on the hilt of the greatsword; at Karinal’s state I ended up tilting my head.
What? Could she be embarrassed?
I had completely thought she was used to being told such things...