Speaking of which, let's go over the reactions of the other members of this household after hearing what happened and what's 'about' to happen.
First, Philip. He seemed quite pleased. However, he also clapped me on the shoulder and gave me a 'friendly' warning:
"Try not to get hurt too badly. My father quite likes you, so if anything happens to you, it'll be hard for me to explain."
"Can't you just say I was being stupid and got myself hurt?"
"That won't help."
I'm starting to understand where Eris gets her unreasonable nature from.
As for Lord Sauros, luckily, he was busy inspecting the territories to survey the new planting season, so he wasn't at the mansion. If he knew I'd beaten his granddaughter to the point of her running away in tears, I think my corpse would be hanging on the city walls.
That also means I have only one day to solve the problem named Eris Boreas Greyrat.
And finally, the person I discussed the entire plan with was my knight, Ken—in my private room after dinner.
"I think you have a real talent for causing trouble and making powerful people want you dead."
Of course, I was greeted with his usual sarcastic remark.
"If you don't have anything helpful to say, please don't be so bitter."
"Here's my advice: go to the young lady's room, kneel, beg for forgiveness, and promise to be her servant."
"Are you kidding?"
"Would you rather be crippled by a Sword King?"
Come to think of it, compared to being crippled by a Sword King, that's not so bad. Even if I lose face, I won't be maimed for life.
But then again, just a year ago, I dueled a Saint-rank swordswoman. A little before that, I clashed with enemies as strong as or stronger than Advanced-rank. Now, I'm preparing to fight a Sword King—meaning someone a whole rank stronger than Isolde. At this rate, maybe next year I'll offend a North Emperor. Then, by some twist of fate, I'll be forced to fight Master Reida. And finally, I'll be hunted by one of the Seven Great Powers, and that'll complete the modern shounen plot.
"Don't worry, don't worry. It's all part of the plan."
This wasn't just for Ken's benefit; it was also to reassure myself.
I have a plan.
I hope it succeeds.
No. IT MUST SUCCESS.
In any case, if I lose this bet, the Water God will have my head anyway, so there's no turning back. This situation is no different from how Lord Nobunaga led the Oda army into the Battle of Okehazama: putting himself in a position with no retreat, forcing a desperate and creative battle to win.
Luckily, my training over the past period has been in the exact direction that tomorrow's match can use.
Right now, I have a 1% chance of winning! But my confidence is 200%!
"You look confident, huh? Have you realized that every time you're confident about facing a stronger opponent, you lose?"
"..."
And just like that, my confidence dropped to 0%.
...
The next morning, as soon as the sun peeked over the horizon, I was at the training ground. Even though I swear I'd eaten, my stomach felt strangely queasy. A light breeze made me shiver as if it were mid-winter, even though it's... ah, right, it *is* winter. It's just because I took off my extra layers of clothes today that I'm not used to it.
Come to think of it, it's not this cold in Milbotts or the Royal Capital at this time. Maybe monsoons or latitude differences still exist in this world.
I think Roa is further north.
After gradually getting used to the cold, I took a long, light breath and got into a defensive stance, calmly directing my gaze at the person opposite me.
My heart was pounding, *thump-thump, thump-thump*, like a drum. My freezing body was gradually getting hotter. If the person opposite me was a girl in a beautiful dress holding a school bag, this would have been a romantic winter confession scene. But unfortunately, that person is holding a sword, calmly standing in a battle stance.
I hope she doesn't send me to my next life with one slash.
I and Ghislaine—the tall Sword King opposite me—have a plan. Although on the outside this will be an intense sword fight, my proposal is for it to be a dramatic play.
In short, the conversation yesterday went like this.
"I plan to use my determination and persistence to perform a miracle, like using a secret art to block one of Ms. Ghislaine's killing blows. That way, the young lady will be curious and come to me. After that, I'll tell her it's because I live with courtesy and know etiquette that I was able to do it."
"I don't think noble etiquette is helpful in swordsmanship."
"Well... I'll just use it as bait. In any case, learning etiquette helps one to be calmer, and when calm, one can fight more effectively, right?"
"I don't understand what you're saying, but fine."
Great! I've convinced the Sword King!
However, instead of nodding in agreement, Ghislaine crossed her arms, nodding her head with that deep, alluring voice (to me).
"Even so, I will not go easy on you. Even if the purpose is good, I don't want to deceive the young lady."
"Of course not! That's why I said you should use *'almost'* all your strength. It has to be that way to look real. Then, when you feel the time is right, just 'go easy' for a split second!"
"In that case, I will test you, kid. If I see you're capable, I'll go along with the plan. However, whether you can block it or use a secret art is up to your own ability."
"That's... good enough."
...
Now, back to the current situation.
Even though she said that, the Sword King's 'not using all her strength' was still far beyond my expectations.
The moment Ken's "Begin!" was called, I saw my two lifetimes flash before my consciousness.
Every cell in my body was vibrating, warning me of an impending attack. A blow so fast that a normal person's reflexes couldn't react. All I could feel was that if I didn't dodge—
*Swoosh!*
"Ack..."
I don't know when or how, but Ghislaine was already behind me. And I saw a gash cut across my elbow.
Too dangerous. If I hadn't reacted in time, she would have sent my sword flying.
But this speed is formidable. Is this the Longsword of Light?
No, if I was able to react, it must have just been the Longsword of Silence.
I had researched the skills of the Sword God Style in the days preparing to leave, to be able to deal with my challenge. Among them, besides the Longsword of Light—a skill that can cut as fast as light—they also have the Longsword of Silence, a skill that can cut faster than sound. Just now, even though I was hit, I could still see Ghislaine's movements.
They were simple movements, but the speed was terrifying. So this is the true Sword God Style.
A direct confrontation is definitely not an option.
I quickly put distance between myself and Ghislaine and used healing magic to heal my wound.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Ghislaine seemed to have relaxed her whole body. She placed her sword on her shoulder and commented nonchalantly.
"Intentionally not using defensive battle aura to turn the blow into a cut instead of a broken bone. Smart."
"Hehe." I scratched my head and chuckled.
That's right, that was my plan. I'd rather be cut to ribbons than have my bones broken. For over half a year after the fight with Isolde, I had learned to use chantless healing magic after reading dozens of books on human anatomy. Plus, I had started to learn how to control my battle aura (as Ken had predicted), so I could turn my defensive battle aura on or off, transform it, or strengthen it at will.
I also took off all the extra layers of clothes, leaving only one set, so that I'd rather be wounded in the flesh and be able to heal with chantless magic, and pour all my battle aura into other things like speed and perception.
I'm turning myself into a true glass cannon with maxed-out reflexes to dodge. Just one hit and I'll be reincarnated again (maybe).
And so the confrontation continued.
Sword King Ghislaine, in her 'not at full strength' state, was still terrifyingly strong. Her every basic slash, not even a special skill, was still incredibly fast. Every swing created a perfect, beautiful arc that whistled as if it wanted to cut space itself.
I moved continuously, all my senses focused to their utmost to observe and react. The muscles all over my body were pushed to their highest limit to create explosive reactions.
I absolutely could not block with my sword.
Or rather, I tried, but the Sword King's strength was too monstrous. If it weren't for 'Flow,' I'd have a broken bone from the recoil.
When my breathing and heart rate reached their limit, Ghislaine suddenly stopped and took a step back, breaking her chain of attacks.
"You lasted two minutes. Not bad, kid."
Only two minutes? I thought I'd been fighting for two days.
"Hah..." I didn't answer, just took a step back and tried to hold my stance.
"Your name is Atur, right?" Ghislaine asked. I could feel the recognition in her voice. "What dojo did you train at?"
"Hah... at the Water God Style headquarters... under Master Reida."
"So, a disciple of the Water God."
It seems Ghislaine knows the Water God. I'm not that surprised. People who are influential in any field seem to know each other, one way or another.
"I heard the Water God has a genius disciple who reached Saint-rank at only 10. Is that you?"
She must have mentioned Isolde.
"No... I'm just Beginner-rank."
"You don't look like a Beginner-rank swordsman."
Ghislaine's assessment is understandable. Because as I've researched, each sword style ranks strength according to its own system.
I'm still a Beginner-rank Water God swordsman because I can't use 'Flow' proficiently, even if my stats are probably all at the Intermediate level.
Meanwhile, for the Sword God Style, they don't have secret arts to differentiate ranks. Instead, they use strength and speed to determine who is stronger. A Sword Saint earns the title by being able to use the Longsword of Light. A Sword King is when the Sword God deems a Sword Saint strong enough and grants them the title. A Sword Emperor is a title given to a Sword King who has defeated another Sword King while the Sword God witnesses the match. And finally, Sword God—a position that can only be obtained by defeating the current Sword God or by becoming the strongest Sword God Style swordsman after the current one dies.
In short, they put strength above all else, not how many secret arts one has grasped like the Water God Style. So in theory, Sword King Ghislaine and I are of the same rank (if I had accepted the title), but in reality, she is worlds apart from me.
Good thing she's not using her full strength.
Until...
"Alright, now I'll use the Longsword of Light."
WHY!????
That *was* my plan, to use Perfect Reverse on the strongest move of the Sword God Style. But I don't even dare to block Ghislaine's normal attacks, let alone use a secret art on that terrifying move! I know I underestimated the Sword King but please don't…
"W-Wait!"
Before I could even protest, a terrifyingly strong pressure slammed into me.
And all I could see was a singular darkness.
That was the first time I had faced the Longsword of Light.
...
No need to explain further. When I woke up in bed, I already knew what had happened. I was "one-shot" and erased with a single attack from the Black Wolf Sword King. To be honest, I'm more surprised I'm not dead than that I lost so easily.
"Hmph! You failure!"
But even more surprising, that red-haired girl was in my room, legs spread, arms crossed, her face tilted up arrogantly.
"So the Water God Style is only that much! Before the Longsword of Light, no one is a match! They all lose to the Sword God Style!" Then she skipped off.
"..."
What the fuck just happened?
"How long was I out?" I rubbed my head, looking at the other person in the room—Ken.
"Two hours."
"Oh? Shorter than I thought."
I thought I'd be out for a few days. Ghislaine really did go easy on me. Still hurts like hell, though. Times like this, I wish I knew Intermediate or Advanced healing magic.
"I think you've succeeded."
I was wondering what to do next when Ken spoke up, making me turn to him. "What? Succeeded in what?"
"Your plan to get her attention," Ken replied. "When the lady heard you were knocked unconscious by the Sword King Ghislaine, Lady Eris eagerly followed. After that, she stood here waiting for two hours for you to wake up, just to say that."
"Heh."
Yeah right. She sure seems happy, doesn't she? A complete contrast to the kid who ran away crying yesterday. As expected, a kid's memory isn't as long as I thought. And here I was, worried she'd hold a grudge or be depressed for a month.
But this is good. It seems I've sacrificed my honor by getting beaten up so that Eris can feel better. It was worth it.
Now *I'm* happy. But not because I'm an M like Henry who likes to be insulted. It's because it seems the first step of my plan has been a complete success. Even though getting beaten and losing miserably wasn't the plan, I now have a Plan B—a plan I definitely didn't just come up with in the last ten seconds!
It seems I failed to impress Eris by defeating Ghislaine. But at least this young lady has shown a 'special interest' in me. Her actions just now clearly showed that.
So now, what I need to do is to take full advantage of that 'interest' before it's gone.
"I'm going back to the training ground."
And my plan is: Continue to fight Ghislaine to get Eris's attention!
...
A week passed in a flash. Not a single day went by that I wasn't beaten black and blue by Ghislaine. Needless to say, Eris was delighted. She now decided to follow me everywhere so she could laugh at me whenever I failed. To the point where she didn't even have time to beat people up without reason or pick fights with anyone else (because all her attention was on me).
Sounds like a good development, right?
Not at all.
Imagine being scrutinized in everything you do. On top of that, Eris is always rambling on about the Sword King's achievements and accomplishments, as a way to show me how weak I am.
Like right now, in the middle of the training ground, I was lying on the ground after being knocked out of my senses by the Longsword of Silence again. Eris scampered over, her face beaming.
"My Ghislaine is a legendary S-rank adventurer, you know!" Eris declared proudly, even though I didn't ask. "A pampered Water God Style brat like you wouldn't even dare to step into the adventurer's guild, so how can you compare?"
I looked at Eris.
With a smirk, I slowly took out a card with my name on it and the words 'E-rank Adventurer' emblazoned on it.
Eris took the card. I thought she would immediately blush or scream because she lost to me again, but everything was different from my expectations.
"What the hell is this?"
I almost fell and hit my head on the ground.
"That's an adventurer card, you idiot! Can't you read?"
"Hmph! I don't need to know how to read. I just need to know how to swing a sword as strong as Ghislaine!"
"And what about later, when you need to read something? Like if someone sends you a letter, are you going to cut it with your sword?"
"I'll just hire a servant who can read."
She's so unreasonable, I give up.
Though I don't want to admit it, it seems my relationship with Eris has suddenly gotten a lot better. At least she doesn't try to attack or glare at me every time she sees me like in the first few days. From a certain perspective, the two of us look almost like a pair of friends who became close after a good fight.
Though, come to think of it, I don't think we've fought again since, have we?
"Hey, red gorilla."
"What did you call me!?" Eris immediately bristled, hissing like a feral cat. Even though I don't want to admit it, I quite like this kind of reaction.
"Want to spar?"
She immediately brightened up, her angry eyes suddenly becoming cheerful. I think this kid has bipolar disorder or something. "Sure!"
And so, Eris and I fought again.
The result was that I once again gave Eris a sound beating.
And unlike last time, this time Eris didn't cry and run away. She just pointed her sword at me, shouting stubbornly:
"Why do you keep dodging!? Stand still and fight, you cowardly rat!"
"Hehe. You'll have to hit me first, red gorilla."
"Who are you calling a gorilla!?"
And so Eris charged in to attack again, and I continued to dodge artfully.
This continued until she ran out of energy and lay sprawled on the ground.
I think this is a good opportunity to 'make my move,' hehehe.
Not in a perverted way, mind you.
"Hey." I walked over and squatted next to Eris, who was lying flat on her back, grinning. "Want to know how to dodge as well as I do?"
Eris glanced at me, shooting me a look full of anger. "I'm not interested in those cowardly tricks."
"Hey. You're misunderstanding, silly lady." I dodged to the side to avoid Eris's kick. Even lying exhausted on the ground, she's still dangerous. "To defeat an opponent, sometimes you have to know their moves to know how to counter."
"Learn to... counter?"
"That's right." I crossed my arms and nodded. "Just like how I learned to counter the Sword God Style's moves, which is why I can easily break your attacks. Otherwise, I would have been knocked out."
Even though I've never really *learned* to counter the Sword God Style, it's true that the experience of occasionally fighting Henry in the past has helped me a little.
"Hmph! Of course. I know you're clearly weaker than me!"
Wow, I just sugar-coated it a little, and look at her getting all smug.
"So I'm sure this gorilla doesn't want to keep losing to a kid who's weaker than her, right?"
"Hmph!"
Even though she puffed up her cheeks and turned away, I knew the fish had taken the bait. Now I just need to reel her in a little more...
"Atur is right, Eris. To become stronger, sometimes you need to know your opponent's strength."
But beyond my expectations, Ghislaine spoke up. As expected of the woman who stole my heart, she's so reliable.
"But... but I don't want to learn those despicable tricks!" Eris thrashed on the ground.
"In battle, there is no despicable or not. And in comparison, Atur's evasive footwork is still much tamer than the tricks of the North God Style."
Yep yep. I haven't even used the nasty tricks I used on Isolde. I'm still a gentleman, you know.
"That's right, mighty Lady Eris." I had changed my form of address from 'gorilla' to 'lady' and my tone to one of sweet seduction. I probably just need a pair of horns to look exactly like a demon making a deal for a soul. "Learning my footwork will help you deal with many things in the future. Like, if you encounter a fast magical beast? Like those Assault Dogs or Red Wolves. It'll be more effective when you become an adventurer later, too."
I swear Eris's ears perked up when she heard me name the magical beasts.
"Hmph! That sounds reasonable." Eris stood up straight and pointed down at me - still squatting. "Then from now on, I order you to teach me your way of fighting!"
"Hehe, with pleasure."
And so, I became the (fake) swordsmanship instructor for the red-haired young lady.
Now I just have to figure out how to combine swordsmanship with etiquette so she'll actually learn it properly.
...
NAME: "Eris Boreas Greyrat"
OCCUPATION: Granddaughter of Fittoa's liege lord
PERSONALITY: Fierce
DOESN'T: Listen to what people say
READING/WRITING: Can write her own name
ARITHMETIC: Can add single digit numbers
MAGIC: No clue
FENCING: Sword God Style – Beginner-tier
ETIQUETTE: Can do the Boreas-style greeting
PEOPLE SHE LIKES: Grandfather, Ghislaine
PEOPLE SHE WANTS TO DEFEAT: Atur