Chapter 129 – Speak With the Sword. -2-

“Pull out your sword right now. Then swing it at the instructor.”

Seeing-

At Roman’s words, Chloe reflexively pulled out her longsword as if struggling to escape the pressure that was weighing her down.

“Whoops!”

As soon as the sheath of the crude longsword fell to the floor, he stretched out one foot forward and stepped on it as if to break the floor, stabbing at the same time.

Peeing!

Stomping and thrusting into one breath.

With standard swordsmanship, he increased the range in an instant and aimed at the opponent’s face without hesitation.

The tip of the longsword sliced ​​through the air at the opponent’s nimbleness.

Don’t panic because it’s an expected result.

Now, he wields his sword according to the sword techniques he has memorized into his body to the extent that he can wield it even after waking up.

Jjaeng-! Crack!

“Kuh! Heh…”

In the middle, Roman gives a snap to the wrist, giving Chloe a tingling pain with the momentum to tear Chloe’s palm holding the sword with just a quick throw attack.

The attack that Roman throws in class has destructive power and speed that Chloe can barely block if she concentrates properly.

On the contrary, from the moment you lose concentration, even defense is not allowed, so your spirit and stamina are quickly eaten up as if you were sprinting.

…

The exchange of exchanges takes about 3 minutes. If it’s short, it’s short, and it’s a very long time to give all your heart.

Roman didn’t move from his place without breaking a sweat, but Chloe’s gray bangs were wet with sweat and his hands trembled as his grip was exhausted from holding on to the attack.

“Whoop-! Whoo…!”

Chloe’s mouth was dry, and I let out a breath.

I don’t want to show off that I’m tired, but I can’t seem to get my breathing in order.

“Okay. Let’s go here for now.”

Pak!

When Roman slammed his longsword into the ground, the workshop abruptly stopped.

As Pommel headed towards the sky, tapped with his finger, Roman asked Chloe a question.

“Has the cadet ever thought deeply about what it means to visualize mana and use auras?”

“…?”

He maintained a defensive stance, fearing that the attack might start again if he loosened his stance and was careless.

Chloe thought over the meaning of Roman’s question, but she couldn’t understand what the point of the sentence was.

“That’s what the instructor said. I think the explanation that Aura is simply a process of understanding the framework of the mysterious energy called mana is insufficient.”

“Sir, Instructor. I’m sorry… Whoa! I understand what you’re trying to say…”

Roman, who had been scratching his chin at Chloe’s words that he did not understand while spitting out of disordered breathing, went back to the original story.

“Mana can come to those who use weapons like us, but it can also become fire for wizards… And become a lump of stone. Is the instructor right?”

“Yes… That’s right…”

Chloe finally gave an affirmative answer to her obvious words.

“To put mana in its simplest form, it is energy that expresses will. Then, compared to before using aura, those who use aura are closer to the understanding and core of mana, so the power to express their will is stronger. It’s only natural to say that. Did you understand this far?”

Chloe nodded at the explanation of the step-by-step climb.

Ugh

On that day when the night fell over the mansion – the familiar movement of mana that Chloe felt in her study enveloped the two and created a desolate space.

Roman spoke to Chloe in a softer voice than just before.

“Chloe. Throw away Eclair’s shadow from the sword.”

“…!”

“I’ve had a strange feeling before, but it was too late for me to notice. Since I’m using the senses I developed while dealing with Auras and the ability to apply mana to imitate Eclairs… The feeling of awkwardness intensified.”

Like wearing shoes that don’t fit and clothes that don’t fit. However, as the act became somewhat proficient and accustomed to the whole body over a long period of time, it hardly gave others a sense of incongruity.

To manifest an aura that makes mana visible means that the expression of her will using mana will greatly advance.

If you sincerely have the will to follow someone, this will also appear stronger than before using the aura.

If Roman had not had the experience of learning about Eclair’s sword in Limno, he would not have been able to accurately pinpoint Chloe’s problems today, even though he sensed them.

Chloe, hit to the point, trembled her father’s lips and then dropped her head.

“I-I…”

*****

“I-I…”

Is it the swordsman that I want to be like my older sister? No. Not just the sword, everything.

The strong military force that jumped into the front line at a younger age than he is now and accomplished feats, and the steel-like will and mental strength that endured while carrying the family’s expectations and weight.

In an aristocratic society where ability and talent are important, a benevolent heart that sincerely loves and cares for an infinitely ugly younger brother who refuses to marry and insists on becoming a knight.

Because Chloe herself knew that even if she had the same strength as her sister, she would not be able to face a front line crowded with savage and strong people and bloody ankles.

I didn’t feel a single bit of jealousy towards my blood relatives who were evaluated for their extraordinary talent.

Only her pure admiration and admiration for her sister filled her heart…Even though she knew she could never be her sister.

In order not to be ashamed of the name Eclairdrit my sister, I followed her older sister, who looked as small as a dot in the distance.

‘As expected…Something like me…’

That’s why her older brother’s words not to imitate her older sister were thunderous.

The shame and shame of having been caught clumsily copying makes us speechless and once again look back at the cold reality.

No matter how much she imitates herself, she can’t become someone like her sister.

“I’m sorry…”

Her voice was so moist that she was about to burst into tears, but her brother asked in a voice that she couldn’t understand.

“Why are you apologizing? I’m not scolding you for being wrong for following Eclair.”

When he raised his head at his words of turning off the faucet of tears that he could not control, his older brother scratched his chin with a slightly embarrassed face and continued.

“I may have misunderstood Chloe because of my extreme choice of words.”

“No, like that…”

Throwing away the feeling of being an instructor, the older brother called himself by a name other than his cadet and asked with a smile resembling his older sister.

“Chloe. Do you like eclairs that much?”

“··Yes··.”

I couldn’t deny it even though I felt ashamed because I felt that it was immature to affirm her obvious question about whether I like my sister.

“It’s good to imitate people you admire, but you don’t have to copy everything.”

“…”

“Especially in the direction of dealing with weapons. You may remember what I said during the outdoor class… But do you remember mentioning the sentence ‘I speak with a sword’?”

“I remember…”

I will never forget the day when her aura bloomed and she opened up about her with her sister. It was that day that was clearer than a few days ago, when nothing special happened right away.

“The emotions and feelings that Chloe’s sword gives to the opponent right now… It’s like imitating Eclair’s vocal cords toward the opponent. Her skills aren’t too bad, but it’ll be difficult to overcome this barrier. If your physical abilities and mana increase, There might be a difference.”

“…Is it because my talent is lacking?”

Chloe’s deep-seated hatred for herself ran up her throat.

I spat out words full of negative emotions at my dear brother, and when I raised my head again to apologize, my brother blocked his words by showing a large palm.

“There are certainly people who use imitation as their strength. But the temperament of such people is generally… Rather than angular, they are stubborn and brazen. This is not a matter of talent with a sword, so you need to have a natural nature.”

My brother explained it in lengthy and detailed terms so as not to hurt himself as much as possible, but there was only one conclusion.

Still, it wasn’t easy to accept. There are only lame excuses for the reason for imitating them.

“I’m lacking in everything compared to my sister… I want to become a better person…”

“Chloe.”

“Yes··?”

“There is no need to become someone else in the first place, apart from being a bad person.”

“What is Chloe’s criteria for being a better person?”

“That···.”

I said I wanted to become a better person, but there was no clear standard.

I couldn’t answer and kept silent, so my brother asked again.

“Does only the strength of force represent the value of a human being? If there is a man with a lot of mana and can split a rock with one blow, is he unconditionally worthwhile and better than a powerless girl working in a bakery?”

“No. That’s not it.”

Because I know that no matter how desolate the world is, that can’t be the case. Without thinking, Chloe quickly denied it, and her brother gave her a satisfied smile.

“Um! To be able to answer that without hesitation in this day and age is really great.”

“…”

Chloe, who did not understand where this was such a great thing to be praised, stood still without expressing her gratitude, so Roman smiled and continued talking.

“It’s not that I can’t understand the impatience of not being able to produce results right away. Isn’t the sword the only thing Eclair can truly imitate? Rather, the sword has so many great points that it can be said to be secondary.”

Chloe nodded his head in agreement with the last words.

I was grateful to my older brother for recognizing her sister’s real strengths, not just her powerlessness and appearance, and I was glad that I had a comrade.

“Okay. If you know and understand that, let’s talk about it again.”

“Yes··?”

“The fundamentals of swordsmanship that I have learned so far are pillars and floors in terms of architecture. I don’t need to talk about the importance. What expresses the building’s personality the most is the exterior seen before entering and the interior seen after entering.”

Chloe listened to the free and unique analogy that she had never heard of while learning from numerous knights in her family.

“Put your thoughts into it and imagine that each time you swing your sword, you build a brick with your own characteristics. It may be square or triangular. But if you want to imitate someone, the bricks will be of various shapes. If your nature is brazen enough to ignore such a thing, it might somehow form and pile up, but—”

If square bricks are piled up one after another and star-shaped or round bricks are placed in the middle, the balance cannot be maintained.

I just go back to the section I built up exactly. In the end, it is said that you have to build up your individuality faithfully in a standard way.

– If you continue to wield Dritna’s basic sword technique, you will leave your defensive personality and see your own sword.

As she listened to her older brother’s explanation, she heard the advice her older sister gave overlapping at the same time.

And various thoughts passed coolly in a row in her head.

As she reestablishes what she has been learning, she sees a clear but narrow path to traverse.

“Chloe. You’ve got a great expression.”

As soon as her thoughts were over, I heard her voice and realized that her mind had cleared up a little.

“…Older brother, can I swing the sword one more time?”

“Of course.”

At the same time, she felt the mana that had been surrounding her until now dissipate.

Chloe’s mouth opened hastily at an incident that came to her head with her familiarity.

“Ah…! That, and…!”

“Hmm?”

“Next time, I-I want to treat you to a meal. I have something to tell you…”

My brother, who pulled out a longsor stuck in the floor, replied with a cool smile.

“Whenever.”

…

Chloe, who exhausted her body’s strength and stamina in one more sparring match, was able to move around the classroom with the help of Seria and Rike after the practical class.