Chapter 17: A disciple I didn’t know came to visit. (2)

Despite her seemingly foolish behavior, Victoria’s reaction was swift.

Clang!

“Ah! What is this! Could it be that the teaching has already started?”

“From now on, you’d better move your sword faster than your mouth!”

Even though she was surprised, Victoria was able to properly block my strike.

Her posture was awkward, but she withstood the pressure I was applying.

Despite her slender physique, she had incredible strength.

‘Of course, if I applied more force, I could overpower her—’

But then, there would be no chance to see what she’s really capable of.

I slid the blades apart, meeting her cross guard, and spun my sword, knocking hers away.

It was a technique designed to disarm her opponent!

But Victoria’s response was impressive.

“Ah!”

She spun with the sword, leaping into the air.

And, in the momentum of her spin, she threw her cloak at me.

‘Good judgment.’

I used my hand that wasn’t holding the sword to shoot my scabbard at the cloak, tossing it away.

The scabbard brushed past Victoria and struck the wall with a force that made it slam in place.

Seeing the power of that, Victoria, her resolve strengthened, shouted,

“Alright! Then let me show you my skills as your student!”

Victoria lowered her stance dramatically and charged at me with the speed of a beast!

Her movements were like those of a four-legged predator!

I made no effort to dodge or counter and stood my ground, facing her head-on.

Victoria moved to my left, striking fiercely.

She aimed her attack at my unarmed side, where my prosthetic limb was.

Without hesitation, she aimed for my weakness, and a smile curled at the corner of my mouth.

‘She really is like a carnivorous beast.’

I didn’t dodge and instead chose to meet her strikes with my sword.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

Her successive strikes were as fast as the speed at which she charged!

Just like when I first faced her sword, her attacks were powerful and quick.

If I tried to parry with an unrefined technique, I’d be crushed by her strength.

But, on the flip side, that was all she had.

‘She said she hadn’t learned swordsmanship, right?’

With that kind of strength and speed, she would be at the top tier for a Silver-ranked adventurer.

No, if we’re being honest, even some Gold-ranked adventurers would struggle against her.

The only person who comes to mind who could possibly outmatch Victoria in a test of strength is Gatos!

‘But fighting is about more than just strength.’

In the face of overwhelming physical power, technique becomes meaningless.

This is proven by the fact that even people trained in martial arts avoid fighting opponents who are two weight classes above them.

However, this fact is turned upside down the moment weapons come into play.

No matter how strong or fast you are, if a blade strikes, you’re just as likely to die.

So much so that world-class martial arts champions advise running away from someone wielding a weapon!

That’s why, from Silver-ranked adventurers onward, those who have learned at least basic combat techniques rise to the top.

Without that, someone who has honed specialized combat skills would have no chance but death in a fight.

‘There must be something more.’

For her to survive and aim for a Gold rank, there must be something else in her arsenal.

Could it be the sword energy that the branch manager mentioned?

Or could it be a hidden move that no one else knows?

I poured my rising curiosity into my sword and knocked Victoria’s blade away.

Victoria’s expression changed as she continued her attack.

“Hmm?!”

In a hurry, she retracted her sword and increased the distance between us.

She checked her blade and then exclaimed with admiration in her voice.

“Did you keep striking the same part of the blade?!”

“You caught on faster than I expected. If it had gone on a little longer, your sword would have been shattered.”

“The sound and feel were different! Truly, such a technique exists! I’ve learned something!”

The sound and feel?

To realize that amidst such a fierce exchange—it was truly an extraordinary sense of perception.

She was truly someone who could be believed to be a beast wearing human skin.

She flipped her blade, gripped it again, and charged at me.

As I blocked her strike, I couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Look at that.”

This girl is using the exact technique I just showed her?

As I subtly twisted my sword to defend, Victoria again exclaimed in admiration.

“It doesn’t work! As expected, you’re my master!”

“There’s no fool who gets caught by their own technique!”

“No! There are many who fall just by having their own technique turned against them! But, of course, you’re different, Master!”

“So, you really can copy techniques just by seeing them?”

If that’s true, then her claim of “I didn’t learn directly, but I learned” isn’t a lie.

However, Victoria shook her head at my words.

“That’s not it! I saw what you did, but I couldn’t imitate it!”

“What did you see?”

“I saw your fight! Your fighting style has this beastly ferocity, and I was completely captivated by it!”

Victoria slipped her blade and attempted to knock mine away with a counterstrike.

This was another move I had shown her.

I didn’t fall for it and instead wrapped my sword around hers in a sword wrestling maneuver.

Victoria gazed at me with sparkling eyes, like stars.

“But Master, you’ve changed! Your sword style now is like that of a refined city noble! It’s still impressive in its own way! I might be captivated again!”

“So, is this all?”

“Of course not! All of your fighting techniques are amazing, but the best one is this!”

Dā Dā Dā Dā Dā Dā Dā—

With Victoria’s words, her sword began to resonate.

It felt like a rapid vibration spreading out from the blade!

The vibrations gradually grew stronger, and soon, what had been simple vibrations transformed into a faint, hazy light.

I felt a sense of bewilderment as I watched.

‘This is…’

It’s not sword energy, is it?

What kind of technique is this?

Could the heat generated by vibrating the sword with her internal mana be causing it to glow?

As I watched closely, analyzing the technique, I noticed that the blade of my own sword was gradually dulling.

Engrossed in the unfamiliar technique, I suddenly realized.

‘I can’t break this!’

If I get hurt, fine, but this sword cannot be damaged!

What would I even say to Martina!

I instinctively twisted my sword to protect it and disrupted Victoria’s balance, then kicked her with my prosthetic leg.

Although Victoria reacted to my attack, she was focused on creating something similar to sword energy, so her response was slow.

In the end, she was hit by my kick while in an awkward posture and tumbled to the ground.

Crash!

“Cough!”

Victoria fell helplessly to the floor.

I was more surprised by the extravagant roll than I expected, so I hurriedly sheathed my sword and helped her up.

“Are you okay?”

“Ugh… My side hurts… If I hadn’t been wearing armor, my bones would have been broken.”

“I’m sorry. I haven’t fought since I got the prosthetic leg. I must have misjudged my strength.”

Fortunately, it seemed she wasn’t seriously hurt. She took off her armor and, rubbing her side, spoke cheerfully.

“I’m fine! It’s something that happens while receiving teachings! And, to be honest, I’m kind of happy about it!”

“Happy?”

“I’ve always imagined receiving teachings like this! Just thinking about receiving more in the future makes my heart race!”

“Well, I’m glad you’re not injured.”

Victoria smiled brightly at my words.

Then, I poured cold water on that smile.

“By the way, I don’t plan on teaching you.”

“W-What! Why not?”

“I’ve already retired, and I’m busy running the restaurant. When would I teach you?”

“Then, after you close the restaurant, would you teach me?”

“I don’t have time for that.”

This isn’t an excuse; it’s the truth.

Running a restaurant, even when it’s closed, is a job with too many things to do.

Between cleaning the kitchen and preparing ingredients, there’s hardly any time left to spare.

It’s no wonder Selly said she felt like she was going to die.

If it weren’t for Staren helping, wouldn’t it have been hard to keep the business going?

Victoria proudly shouted at my words.

“Then I’ll help with the restaurant work!”

“Can you cook?”

“Hehe, there’s nothing to hide. Actually, I’m great at cooking! My parents praise me all the time!”

“Oh, really?”

“Yes! My parents always said I might get kidnapped and forced to cook, so they told me never to cook outside… But, I guess it’ll be fine in front of you, Master!”

“Your parents sure know how to make their praise hard to understand?”

“Yeah, they can be like that!”

Now, I understand exactly where Victoria’s way of speaking comes from.

But aside from that, it was a decent offer.

‘It’d be nice to have another kitchen assistant.’

If we get an extra person in the kitchen, the speed of serving food will increase, and the restaurant’s turnover will rise.

And if the turnover increases and the waiting line shortens, there might be fewer complaints, right?

I accepted Victoria’s offer and took her to the kitchen.

It was her first time seeing a restaurant kitchen, so her mouth hung open as she looked around, taking in the sights.

“This kitchen is huge! What is this?”

“It’s a refrigerator. We store ingredients in here.”

I opened the refrigerator, showed her the ingredients inside, and said to her:

“Use these ingredients and make the dish you’re most confident in. If I like it, I’ll accept you as my formal disciple.”

“Really? Thank you so much!”

“I said I’ll accept you if I like it, so there’s no need to thank me yet.”

“Well, let’s get started.”

At my words, Victoria moved around the kitchen busily and began to cook.

And after a while…

After checking the dish she brought out, I asked her:

“…What is this?”

“It’s chicken stew! Haven’t you tried it before?”

“No. I’ve had it before, but…”

Why is the stew black?

And the smell is really unusual.

It smells like I won’t be able to do anything for at least a day if I eat this…

I quickly made a decision.

‘I can’t eat this.’

But since I told her I would test it, I couldn’t just refuse to eat it.

Instead of picking up a spoon, I shouted toward the second floor.

“Staren! Come down for a moment!”

Since Staren is a dragon, he should be fine even if he eats it.

Probably.