Chapter 12: Regeneration (4)

In the time when day and night intersect, seeing the training ground under the bright sun gave me a new feeling.

It was quite amusing to realize that a space that would have been dead without me and Shione comes alive when the sun rises.

However, that wasn’t the only source of amusement.

‘…It’s really crowded with women instead of men.’

It was hard to find even one man in the training ground.

That was quite a wonder in itself.

Whatever it may be, as long as an organism starts to accept mana and the body begins to adapt, physical abilities rise in a curve following the mana.

Men have already been unable to accept mana for a thousand years.

Thanks to that, the tendencies based on gender in the past and present have changed, so it seems that even the general soldiers, let alone knights, are all selected as women.

Even if I understood it in my head, it was hard to adapt when I saw it directly.

Among the many women filling the training ground, two women caught my attention.

“Lady Diolia and Sister Siabel. It looks like they are going to spar.”

The one who had met Diolia at dawn and Siabel, who had only seen a few times while passing near the dining hall, was the main character.

Siabel had her platinum hair tied back tightly, unlike usual.

After all, long hair would only be a hindrance when handling a sword, so it was useless.

I thought she might look like a sharpened version of Shione when she had lost weight.

If it’s the platinum hair of the Count Sianel family, there’s no doubt about who it is. I was a bit late to notice.

“Let’s just watch this and then head to the shooting range.”

Shione’s eyes never left her sister.

She must want to see what Shione had said about Siabel’s skill level and her talent for the Sianel sword.

As expected, Siabel was well-known for her swordsmanship.

I was curious to see how skilled she really was, so I started watching the spar.

“I’ll yield to you. Please go first.”

“This time will be different from just now.”

“I look forward to it.”

As they held their swords at the ready, keeping a proper distance.

Thud!

The moment Siabel planted her feet.

When her sword was close enough to touch Diolia, Siabel twisted her waist as she stomped the ground.

Then, in a clean diagonal line from the northeast to the southwest, Siabel’s sword slashed down.

Clang!!

It was a clean strike, but it was blocked by Diolia’s sword.

As their swords clashed, the gazes of Siabel and Diolia deepened. Measuring their distance, they twisted their swords and flowed into attacks and defenses.

As the green light began to rise like a haze from Siabel’s sword, the tip of her sword, which was aimed at the sky, suddenly bent to aim for Diolia’s neck.

Bang!!

Diolia, who was pushed back by the force of the ground, struck upwards with Siabel’s sword, causing a thunderous sound to erupt.

Siabel’s sword couldn’t withstand Diolia’s strength and drew a straight line upward.

Her weak point was now exposed to a counterattack.

“The speed of incorporating the aura blade into the sword was slow, which was quite disappointing.”

“It hasn’t been long since I learned to use the aura blade, so I’m still inexperienced. I’ll try my best to show a sword that meets your expectations as soon as possible.”

“Very well.”

Before I knew it, the swords of Siabel and Diolia were covered in aura blades.

Shione watched their movements intently, as if she wouldn’t miss a single moment.

“…The aura blade! You’ve truly become an Expert Knight.”

“Would you like to see more?”

“Now that the main attraction has finally appeared, wouldn’t it be a shame to leave immediately? Expert Knights fight powerfully and flamboyantly, so it should be quite enjoyable to watch.”

“I’m looking forward to it.”

The spar continued.

Siabel primarily took the offensive, while Diolia handled the defense.

However, if she saw a gap, Diolia would not miss the chance to counterattack.

Siabel would defend against it, then build momentum again and repeat.

Watching their spar, I could roughly gauge their levels.

Siabel had just stepped into the Expert rank and was still inexperienced in the Expert fighting style.

There were unstable areas trembling amidst the strong aura, and I could see places where the color was faint.

Her aura blade also hadn’t reached the level of a true Expert.

She showed that she couldn’t properly control the rebound of the swords when they clashed with each other.

On the other hand, Diolia was simply insane.

Thinking about aiming at someone like her sent chills down my spine again.

When swords wielded by users of the aura blade clashed, it was common for their swords to bounce off each other.

The weight and recoil imbued with their mana and sword strikes were that significant.

But Diolia?

“Diolia’s sword is always exceptionally marvelous.”

“That’s just as you said, Shione.”

Even a dullard could immediately recognize how extraordinary her skill was.

She received Siabel’s sword without flinching.

Not only that, but she pressed down while keeping their swords firmly pressed against each other, scraping the edges.

Her mana and control ability were several levels above Siabel’s, making it a visible skill.

Siabel also seemed to possess considerable talent.

However, it was still premature for her to surpass Diolia, who had swung her sword under the Count Sianel’s tutelage for a long time.

If I were to liken it to the Earth, Siabel would be like a newly promoted A-rank Hunter, while Diolia would be a seasoned A-rank Hunter.

That would be an appropriate comparison.

As I focused intently on their spar, I realized that their intense duel had come to an end without me noticing.

Siabel, wiping the sweat from her forehead, turned her body, and her eyes met with those of Shione, my superior.

“Oh? Shione? What brings you here?”

“I came personally to practice at the shooting range.”

I observed Shione’s demeanor.

When she had spoken with Zion, she exuded a vibe of annoyance as if she had stepped in dog poop.

However, her reaction to Siabel wasn’t bad, aside from her overly stiff speech.

“It seems you’ve stopped wielding your sword for a while now. Hmm, looking closely, you seem to have lost some weight… Have you started picking up a sword again?”

“I have long let go of my attachment to swords. The reason I came here is to practice archery.”

“Archery? Shione, you shoot arrows?”

“I heard rumors that a ghost appears at the shooting range every morning. Sister Siabel, have you heard about it?”

Siabel tilted her head, looking puzzled.

“I’ve heard that rumor too. Could it be that ghost…?”

Shione simply smiled faintly, not saying anything.

Siabel, reading her intentions in her smile, quietly nodded.

A few cliché lines were exchanged, and as it began to feel awkward.

The long conversation between the two sisters came to an end, and Shione’s gaze returned to me.

“Well, let’s go now.”

Slowly leading me, Shione and Diolia watched us from a distance.

I gave a small nod to Diolia, who smiled lightly at Shione, then followed her.

Upon reaching the shooting range, the archers at the entrance showed signs of confusion upon seeing Shione.

Their expressions varied, but the reason behind them was the same.

Huh? This guy shouldn’t be here, right?

One of the women, barely managing to conceal her obvious thoughts, asked, “Aren’t you… what brings you here…?” Shione replied, “What brings me here, you ask? Since I came to the shooting range, I have business to attend to, don’t I?”

“Yes?”

“Isn’t it obvious? Don’t ask such things and step aside. I want to enter the shooting range.”

“All, of!”

As the stunned woman stepped aside to open the entrance, Shione immediately entered the shooting range.

At the same time, eyes were drawn to her for a moment, then shifted to me, who followed closely behind.

The situation inside the shooting range was similar to that outside; although there were more women, there were still relatively more men than in the training ground.

As Shione swept her gaze across the shooting range, a woman who appeared to be an instructor hurried over. Her gaze briefly shifted from Shione’s face to her hair.

“Oh, um…?”

I understood the instructor’s reaction.

Who would expect that Shione Sianel would come to a shooting range?

She hadn’t informed anyone that she would shoot arrows, nor had she shown any signs of exercising hard in her room.

In fact, she was supposed to be in her corner, munching on snacks and bothering her servants.

“Staring at a man like that isn’t really polite, you know.”

“…Are you perhaps Lady Shione Sianel?”

“Do I look like Siabel Sianel or Zion Sianel?” I replied.

“Oh, no…!”

“Did you ask that knowing it was a no?”

“Um, well…”

Since only Siabel had visited the training ground, suddenly seeing Shione there with a new man in a sweat-soaked shooting range naturally drew interest.

The gazes of the archers inside the shooting range began to subtly shift towards us.

“May I ask why Lady Shione has come all the way here…?”

“Sigh.”

Shione sighed deeply, crossing her arms.

Her wrinkled expression revealed her irritation.

“Is there any reason other than arrows for me to come to the shooting range?”

Shione pointed her chin towards the display rack where the bows and arrows were kept.

“You guys need to hurry up and get the proper equipment. I’ll show you how to shoot.”

The instructor’s face paled in response to the command that came unexpectedly.

“Well… We should prepare as instructed, but what do you plan to shoot at, Lady Shione?”

“Are you asking that as if you’ve never seen an arrow fly before? Do you have any dummies to use?”

“Dummy? Ah, yes! There are quite a few around here, so we can set it up anywhere you prefer.”

The instructor turned around and ran towards the area behind the shooting range.

Looking at Shione again, she had been watching the instructor closely and seemed to have lost some tension.

“See? After all, you’re aiming to practice archery. There’s no need to be so stern with them.”

“Why not? Incompetence deserves to be scolded.”

“What kind of knowledge do you think you have that you can criticize them?”