Allen stared silently at the tip of the sword barely an inch from his eyeball.
Paul squinted, gripping his sword with both hands, shoulders dropped, body leaning to one side, standing firmly in a horse stance with a thrusting posture directly in front of Allen.
Their shadows on the ground remained completely still.
"I won! Father wins. Ugh!"
In the distance, Rudeus was just about to leap into the air in celebration when Senis abruptly yanked him down and covered his mouth with her hand.
She caught her breath anxiously and looked down at Rudeus.
"Rudeus, don't shout and disturb your father!"
Rudeus looked surprised but tried to play innocent.
"Ah? But Father already won! He even stopped early — otherwise, he would've stabbed that kid right through the head!"
At that moment, Lilia also gasped in awe. She unconsciously rubbed the sweat on her palms and turned to whisper to Rudeus.
"Young master, if you look closely, it's actually the master who's at a disadvantage. His offensive moves were seen through by the opponent. That opening exchange was brilliant. That boy may be young, but his swordsmanship is remarkable."
"Seen through? What does that mean?"
Rudeus quickly turned his gaze toward the courtyard.
A strange sound drifted on the wind — the sharp rasp of metal against metal.
He widened his eyes at the stance of the two men in the courtyard.
The sun had dipped a little lower, causing the shadows to shift.
In the shadow cast beneath Paul's shoulder, a gleam of light appeared between their bodies.
It was a thin blade flashing coldly, extending from the hands of the disheveled pervert, stabbing straight into the hilt of Paul's sword, perfectly wedged within the hollow inverted triangle cutout on the hilt.
The blade trembled slightly as the fine scraping sound of metal against metal rang out at the point of contact.
Paul hadn't stopped his attack — he was simply blocked by the blade.
The outcome was still undecided.
—
Paul pressed forward with his grip on the sword's hilt, exerting force, while Allen silently wrapped his arm in dōki (fighting spirit energy), applying strength to block the thrust.
Paul smiled.
"Kenshin-ryū — Wan-otoshi. Realizing that I had already taken the initiative with a Kenshin-ryū quick attack, which was unavoidable, he instantly reacted with a Wan-otoshi (wrist drop) to stab at my wrist, forcing me to block with the hilt — a beautiful technique that turns defense into offense."
Allen followed the line of Paul's sword to his face.
"Kenshin-ryū quick attack? Not Hokushin-ryū?"
Paul narrowed his eyes dangerously.
"Oh? Are you saying I'm sneaking an attack?"
"Hardly."
Before Allen could finish the word, Paul's right leg, blurred by residual motion, shot straight toward his chest. Allen's pupils constricted; his wrist twisted instantly, guiding the blade to stay pressed against Paul's sword sheath. He flipped the blade outward and stepped sideways, perfectly shielding his chest behind the back of the sword.
Their blades connected between their bodies, the force of their struggle forming a natural steel barrier.
The next moment,
Paul's foot hovered steadily in front of Allen's blade.
Then, bending his knees, he leapt back several meters, sheathing his sword.
Allen shifted his blade aside and took a step back, returning to his original chūdan no kamae stance, as if he had never moved.
He looked at Paul's beaming face, curled his lips, and finally spoke the words he had held back.
"Isn't that right? From start to finish, it's all trickery. Even the opening jōdan stance was a feint. If you'd thought it was a downward slash and reacted hastily, the thrust that followed would have decided the fight."
On the surface, Paul acted disdainful toward Hokushin-ryū, but he was actually quite skilled in it — no wonder he once served in the same squad as Giren, and managed to succeed during the orc mating season. Didn't Elina and Rige catch him in the act? Yet he still managed to complete a 'group game'...
The Black Wolf's Fang has only three female members, one being Senis — Paul's current wife. The cunning of Hokushin-ryū was ingrained in his instincts, from swordsmanship to seizing the right moment with women...
Paul chuckled, no trace of irritation from their fight earlier, clearly having staged that anger to cover his next move.
"Very good. Perfect academic-style Suijin-ryū defensive stance, with precise sensing of killing intent. You're truly an excellent Suijin-ryū swordsman. Since that's the case..."
Allen wasn't about to reply and instead just stared at Paul's sword hand.
Unexpectedly, Paul declared:
"You're hired. Of course, there'll be a seven-day probation period. Come with me, I'll pick out a room for you."
With that, he turned and walked toward the house's entrance.
Allen blinked in surprise, sheathing his sword.
"Just like that? My body's not even warmed up yet? Damn, I should've gone all-out with Hokushin-ryū or Kenshin-ryū from the start — that was no fun at all."
Allen watched as the first and second households welcomed Paul back like a returning hero, while Rudeus, noticing Allen's gaze, immediately turned his head stiffly and went back inside.
The tutoring began abruptly and ended even more abruptly. Rudeus's sword lessons started with an odd kind of smoothness...
After pondering for a moment, a smile appeared at the corner of Allen's mouth as he walked toward Senis, who was signaling him over.
The dust in the air settled.
[Jobless Reincarnation Major Event Participation Rating Increased.]
[Current Stage: Childhood; Total Participation Rating: 35 points.]
[Pending Immediate Task: Gain Rudeus's Favor.]
[Rudeus: Countdown 79:13:21]
The task prompt reappeared.
—
"Your name is Allen, right?"
"Yes, ma'am."
Senis stopped before a bedroom door, opened it, and gestured for Allen to look inside.
"You don't look very old. Would you mind telling me your age?"
Allen looked at the familiar layout of the room and smiled.
This was the very room where Roxy had once stayed.
"Nine years and four months."
Senis was momentarily stunned, then turned to look at Allen with surprise.
"Wow, I really wouldn't have guessed — you're much taller than others your age. And you're already an adventurer at such a young age? That's impressive."
Though, of course, not quite like your precious son, who was already gallivanting across the Demon Continent with girls at ten years old.
Allen glanced up at Senis, who stood about half a head taller than him. Her praise was sincere, her eyelashes fluttering with a delicate, feminine kindness and understanding.
You could tell she'd been through some tough times herself.
Paul, oh Paul... you really deserve to die.
"You flatter me, ma'am. A poor child learns to take responsibility early," Allen replied.
Senis smiled and pointed toward the end of the corridor behind them.
"Paul asked me to tell you to put your luggage away and then come find him in the study. I have to get dinner ready."
"Thank you for your hard work, ma'am."
Allen smiled and watched Senis leave. He then pulled the map, compass, and other items from the pockets of his swordsman's uniform, placing them carefully on the table beside his longsword. Turning, he looked down the other corridor.
Suddenly, a small head quickly retreated back into a room, followed by the sharp click of a door closing.