## Chapter 593 – The Scent of Spring

After Eliza left, there wasn’t much to do.

I’d show my face at the church, go out to meet Liztina, and other than going to the market, I spent my days at home just lazing around and training with Karin.

—Paaat!

I kicked off the ground and charged towards Karin, bringing my sword down.

—Chaeng!

Her training longsword clashed against my Hwalin Sword, and a clear metallic sound echoed. Of course, the first strike was blocked. —Kadeudeuk! I tried to push her blade away, wrapping my sword around Karin’s to unleash a series of attacks.

Fierce and violent, yet executing a highly technical offensive in rapid succession, completing both offense and defense as one.

That was the foundation of swordsmanship that Karin had taught me.

“Hoo, not bad. You’re getting better and better.”

The entangled blades would eventually aim for each other’s vital points, depending on their respective strengths. Of course, my sword would never reach Karin.

Karin received all my attacks while slowly retreating.

“Hold it right there for a second.”
“Hmm? Why?”

While we were in the middle of it, Karin stopped.
Was there something she wanted to point out?

“Okay, so right now we’re this close, right?”
“Yeah, we’re close. What are you going to show me?”
“Watch carefully.”

While in close proximity to me, Karin reached out and grabbed my collar.

“When you’re this close and it’s hard to get an attack in, you do this.”

—Hoo-uk!

“Ugh!!”

Then, she lifted me up by my collar.

In that instant, her immense strength lifted both my feet off the ground, suspending me in the air.

Even though Karin had a very feminine physique, her strength was monstrous. Lifting me with one hand was no problem for her.

“You can lift your opponent up and then stab them with your sword.”
“Lift them up?”
“Like I said, swordsmanship isn’t just about swinging a sword.”

Karin put me down and continued.

“If you can’t subdue them with swordplay, you have to use your hands or feet. Honest swordsmanship is just for show. What I’m teaching you is, after all, a way to kill.”

A way to kill the opponent, while ensuring your own safety.

That was Karin’s swordsmanship.

To put it extremely, poisoning the enemy’s food could also be considered Karin-style swordsmanship. If Karin were to shoot an arrow from afar, that would also be swordsmanship.

“My husband already possesses strength that’s on a completely different level from ordinary humans. That’s what mana is. Your body itself has been strengthened. So, from now on, the most important task is to incorporate that increased strength into your swordsmanship, wouldn’t you say?”

I nodded involuntarily.

“That’s right. That’s the most important thing.”

Karin was right.

It was obvious, but the physical abilities of an ordinary person and a superhuman with mana were completely different.

Strength, stamina, endurance, agility, dexterity. Durability.

All of that surpassed ordinary humans.

It was a fundamentally different concept from pumping up muscles with doping on Earth. Even without extreme muscles, the mana infused in the bones and muscles allowed for greater strength to be exerted.

What Karin was saying was that I needed to utilize that enhanced strength.

“Okay, again. Get into the same stance as before.”
“Understood.”

As instructed, I took the same stance I had been in when Karin and I had been clashing blades.

“Let’s say you’re in this position after sword fighting, close to the enemy.”

It was a situation where you were about to get entangled with the opponent in close combat.

“Of course, killing the opponent with a sword is the fastest and easiest way. But when you’re fighting, there are plenty of times when the situation isn’t favorable, right? That’s what real combat is like. Situations where it’s difficult to deflect the opponent’s sword, like now.”
“Of course.”
“That’s when you can lift the opponent up like I just did, or, if you’re skilled enough, like this.”

—Tuk.

Karin reached out and grabbed my chest.

“It’s really easy to kill someone by punching their heart with your fist.”
“Punch their heart?”

Karin, who had grabbed my chest, began to knead my flesh.

“You punch a hole in their chest. Or you could just rip their heart out. If you’re caught off guard, you’re just dead.”
“Damn, that’s terrifying.”

In other words, while sword fighting, you suddenly slam an Asura Exploding Blood Fist into the enemy’s chest.

“If you can control mana well, you can exert more force even in close range than just hitting with all your might. This is just one way to finish them off when the enemy is focused on your sword. Do you understand?”
“I understand.”
“Aigoo, look at this solid flesh.”

Karin smiled brightly and continued to knead my chest.

“Ticklish.”

The ticklish sensation felt pretty good.
It was to relieve my tension.

“Well, I can shatter armor with my punches and do that kind of thing, but I don’t think my husband can do it yet, so bear with it and try it on guys wearing regular clothes. But don’t get too hung up on it, just use it when you think you can pull it off. It works surprisingly well when your skills are similar, okay?”
“I’ll keep it in mind. If I get a chance to use it, I’ll try it and let you know, right?”
“Yeah.”

Karin took her hand off my chest, took her stance again, and then kicked my leg a few times with her foot.

“If they’re wearing chest armor, it’s okay to just kick their leg. Stomp on their thigh with your knee. By the way, if I stomp like that, their leg will just break.”

I imagined Karin delivering a surprise low kick to an enemy swordsman.

—Hwirik!

The swordsman, with both legs severed, spun like a joke and crashed into the ground.

“Kyahehe, I had some fun with that.”

Karin laughed as if it was amusing.
Sis is scary…!

“That’s really brutal…!”
“This is an advanced course. I’m telling you because it looks like you’re getting there. Now, my husband needs to know how to properly use his increased strength rather than just techniques to improve his skills.”

If it was an advanced course, it meant it was getting serious from now on.

Karin was trying to teach me her essence right now.

“Originally, you have to achieve a certain level on your own. That’s why I’ve only been teaching you basic swordsmanship and sending you out. Of course, that’s not useless? Even if a person gets stronger with mana, it’s not like they grow extra arms and legs, so the basic framework of swordsmanship is shared.”

Karin explained that as if she was having fun.

“Hehehe, thanks, Karin! I’ll just do whatever you tell me!”

No matter what, I just had to follow Karin’s curriculum.

“Kyahehe, good. You’re pretty when you listen well, my cute womanizer.”
“Hey, womanizer?”

—Chak chak.

Karin, saying that, smiled and gently tapped my cheek.

“Then, let’s start training how to use your strength from today.”
“Yes! Karin, Sis!”

Anyway, Karin began to intensively teach me the same thing she had just explained, techniques to subdue the opponent by using unconventional fist and leg techniques while sword fighting.

Karin was a superhuman who could freely control the power of mana. Wasn’t she skilled enough to destroy a building with just one sword? I had no doubt that I would one day become such a superhuman, so I gritted my teeth and moved my body as Karin instructed.

Of course, it wasn’t like I didn’t know anything about these techniques at all.

This was the same method I had used to crush the heretical swordsman last time, using the Heavenly Demon Advent Steps in close range to shatter his legs.

That bastard was quite strong, but after allowing me that attack, he had his life taken away in vain.

—Physical attacks using mana are stronger than swinging a blunt weapon with all your might.

You can exert that much power even if you don’t have the distance. The mana condensed and exploded in the body is like the firing of a gun.

Using it freely at any time and in any situation.

This could be said to be the entrance to superhuman combat.

“Aigoo, you worked hard today.”
“Hoo… Sis, I feel like I’m going to die.”

I finished training until I was drenched in sweat and put down my sword.

I had used up all my stamina not only by using mana throughout my body, but also by taking various stances and receiving Karin’s attacks.

It was really damn hard.

“Stop exaggerating. Then, as a reward for working hard, should I give you sex? How about ten rounds on the cheap? Huh?”

Karin, who was hugging me from behind, licked my ear and whispered lewdly in a coquettish tone.

Hearing these words gave me some strength.

“Hehehe, you’re going to pass out in ten minutes again. Where’s this sis’s bluff coming from?”
“What did you say? Hey. I’m going to be on top today. Whoever finishes first has to do whatever the other says, okay?”
“Sis… Even if I lose in sword fighting, I can’t lose in bed. Don’t cry and beg me to stop again, just lie still.”
“Kya, my womanizer is getting too cocky these days. Huh?”
“Ack!”

Karin bit my ear, letting out an exclamation.

“If I win, no ejaculation for two days.”
“Heh, if I win, I won’t stop even if you beg me while crying.”
“Augh… Such harsh words. Anyway, should we shower together?”
“Hehehe, yeah, yeah.”

After cooling down a bit by getting some fresh air, we went back inside.

“Ah, but I was thinking, you should ask that bitch Liztina to teach you something too.”
“Liztina?”
“Yeah. She’s a guild leader in her own right. She might be able to teach you some useful techniques. Since your sperm is being taken anyway, shouldn’t my husband take something from her too?”

That sounded like a good idea.
I’d have to mention it to her next time.

“Father, is your training over?”
“Yeah, it’s done.”

When I went to the living room on the first floor, Alaune greeted me with a bright smile.

She was folding clothes with Winnie right now.

“That damn ‘Father’ thing, really. You worked hard, Darkie. Are you going to shower with Karin, Sis, now?”
“That’s the plan. Were you folding clothes with Alaune?”
“Even if I make her do it, I have to do it with her where I can see her. I have to teach her how to sort underwear too.”
“Hehehe, that’s nice to see.”

Well, even though Alaune did all the laundry and cleaning, that wasn’t all there was to housework. Each of us had our own tasks. I mainly took care of scrubbing the bathroom and taking out the trash.

“Hmm, well. She’s cute when she listens well. It’s hard to imagine she’s a monster, to be honest.”

Karin put her hand on top of Alaune’s head and stroked it.

“…”

Alaune stared at me without any particular reaction.
When Karin took her hand away, Alaune said.

“…Please stroke me too, Father.”
“This little…”

As soon as I went closer and stroked her head, Alaune smiled brightly and hugged my leg.

“Hehehe, Father. I was folding clothes diligently. Please praise me.”
“Yeah, yeah, good job. If you do a good job, I’ll give you pocket money, so save it up.”

For now, I was giving her 25 coppers a day for pocket money.

Now, no matter what anyone said, she was a member of our household.

Feeding her, putting her to sleep, buying her clothes.

As the head of the household and an elder, I had a duty to provide her with such basic necessities, as well as pocket money. Actually, I was giving it to her because I was using her as a maid of sorts, but I was giving her a high daily wage compared to the work she did.

25 coppers was the reward for an E-class quest.

I didn’t know how she would turn out, but she looked just like a human, so she would be able to live a social life in her own way later on. She would need money then.

I had to start taking care of her from now on.

Treating a monster as an individual was a very controversial issue. But Alaune was now a member of my household. Then, it was only right to treat her as an individual.

—Responsibility was like this.

Once you decided to take care of her, it was common sense to do all of that.

This was beyond fusion Confucianism, it was the most basic thing.

Making her do housework could also be said to be part of her education.

“Yes. I’ll save it all up.”
“Good thinking.”

I continued to stroke Alaune’s head.

I had scolded her harshly once before, but she still listened well, and maybe because I had hugged her, the frequency with which she acted cute had increased.

I didn’t really reject her acting cute anymore.
I had hardened my heart to take responsibility last time.

If she had been someone else’s child, I wouldn’t have scolded her last time.

“Hee… I really like Father so much.”
“I like you too.”
“Really?”
“Did you only live listening to lies?”
“I haven’t lived very long.”
“That’s true.”

I didn’t consider myself a father, but yeah. I was a guardian or a person in charge. Only then did Alaune become an existence living together with us in our house.

“Ugh… You really like Darkie to death. Darkie, you know you can’t drag her into bed, right?”
“Why would I drag her in when she calls me Father?”
“Does that mean you would drag her in if she was another woman?”

Winnie glared at me for a moment.

“Aigoo, Winnie. Should we shower together?”
“No thanks. I’ll do it at night.”
“I want to do it now?”
“Do it with Karin, Sis. I’m going to do this and study.”

Too bad.

I took off my clothes and went into the bathroom with Karin.