First Kill

The time had come.


"Alright Taitaku Hyouma. We have exactly nineteen days to make you a swordsman."

No ? 

"Just kidding. Well, half joking actually. Because in these nineteen days before my next deployment, I want you to be able to hold your ground against five of my attacks, that is the goal I've set for you."

What was disconcerting about that statement wasn't the absolute confidence she must have had about her skills with a sword to say it, it was that I never once believed I would be able to do it.


"Okay first off, I'll have you pick out the sword of your choice from this display."

We were in the old training grounds, now turned into the place where they put the laundry to dry. The sky was cloudy but with no signs of incoming rain and the temperature was ideal for being outside.

Now as she instructed, I stepped towards the weapon stand she had brought from the warehouse.

On it stood four different swords. One was what I assumed to be the classic model; average length with a fine blade. One was clearly a two-handed sword, the likes she seemed she would use; with a long and large blade and a larger hilt. One was a rapier, a sword with a thin blade made for thrusting. And lastly there was a curved sword. Its blade was mostly straight but around fifteen centimeters from its tip down, it curved inwards.

Now if I had to pick based on my preferences, I would probably have gone with the rapier. However, with how heavy the two-handed sword looked and with magic to take into consideration as well, I figured the rapier would be too difficult to learn to use when I had to worry about self-defense. So I went with the basic sword.

"Interesting choice. I had a feeling you'd have prefered the curved one or the rapier, something light and elegant. I guess my intuition won't work as conveniently on otherworlders, heh."

No your intuition works just fine actually, and it is pretty frightening to me. I mean, how do you come to this kind of conclusion when the person in question has never held a sword in their life. No only that, but you've only met me recently. Honestly scary.

"I simply chose something that looked sturdy enough and that I should be able to handle within the time limit we have to set for ourselves."

"I see, so you are the type to take this sort of stuff into account huh, that's good to know."

I don't know how I feel about giving her more intel to help figuring me out, with how perceptive she already is but...

"That said, this is not how you should choose your weapon."

"What do you mean ?"

"Some people say that 'a weapon chooses its owner' but, while it holds true in the case of magic gear, obviously, it won't happen with a regular weapon. However we as intelligent lifeforms, can also rely on feelings and sensations. So there are weapons that will feel right in our hands, and ones that won't."

Yeah that makes sense, when I choose a new mouse for gaming I actually base my decision on how one feels to hold. So I guess it's the same with weapons then. Now let's see.

"Yes, so I want you to try holding each for a few minutes and to tell me about the sensations you experience. No need for an elaborate analysis by the way, just the words that pop into your head like, 'it's too heavy', 'feels right' etc."


Instinctively, I started with the rapier. And as expected, it felt just right.
The guard was on the larger side which meant more protection for my hand and against disarming techniques, the blade was light but sharp enough to cut or pierce through the strawy target dummy, so overall great sensation. 

I also pictured myself using it as a wand in case I learned strong enough magic to use in combat, which spoke to the excitement I felt with simply holding and playing around with it.
Which must have showed on my face too since after some more flailing around I spotted Xenia watching over my antics with a self-satisfied grin.

Cough cough

Hmm n-not so bad I guess, but I'd still prefer something sturdier I think. Because no matter how much I were to improve with something like this, I know I'll always fear the bigger swords and weapons in general, as well as magic, and I can't have that.

"The blade feels a little too light, and while it is satisfying to be able to thrust so effortlessly through a soft surface, I simply can't imagine how I would be able to pierce armor or fell monsters with it."

Come to think of it, the 1st Prince does use a rapier. I wonder how he does it.

"Is that so ? Okay, move on then."

Next I picked up the massive two handed sword which I had to quickly put back down because of its sheer weight.

Not even a valuable sample..How the hell does she swing something like that around seemingly so effortlessly ? Heck, how does she even manage to move around with it tied on her back like that ?

Even as she did not intend to use it for my training, Xenia had come to the training ground with her signature greatsword. She also had two regular swords at each side of her waist and yet, she had come strolling as though on her way to a picnic.

At least she isn't wearing her full armor set on top of all that.

It seems that for these lessons either she did not intend for there to be sparring matches, or that she thought she would hardly risk any sort of injury.
She wore black skinny pants, small leather boots, and a brown t-shirt with a simple leather breastplate.
Her arms were fully exposed, only her hands were somewhat protected thanks to her black leather gloves.

"Now try the curved blade and tell me how that goes."

Ooh !

I was stumped. It did not feel as evident as the rapier had, but the sensation was just as great, albeit in a different manner.
With this one my imagination went wild; I could see myself grabbing a fleeing enemy by the neck with the curve, disarming an opponent during a dead lock between our blades, catching the rope of a wooden bridge to save myself from falling off, and so on.

And after moving around and experimenting with the curve, I suddenly felt a shiver down my spine, so I turned my panting shoulders and whole body like the poorly oiled gears of a clock, only to be met with the triumphant expression of my master.
One even more pronounced than when she watched me try the rapier.

Crap I messed up again !

"Yeah well, it does seem sturdier than the rapier at least but.. I don't know, it just seems rather complicated to use and less reliable than the straight sword."

"I see. Then last, try to swing around the basic one for a while and tell me."

Following her instructions I made my way to the stand and picked up the regular straight sword.

What is this ?

It felt awful.

Acting on my bewilderment I inspected the sword under multiple angles to make sure of its condition, which in hindsight must have been quite the disrespectful thing to do. Especially in front of the person who took the time out of their busy schedule and while they should be resting, to teach me swordplay.

I don't get it, how can a sword with basically the same handle as the curved one feel so different ?

"What's wrong Taitaku Hyouma ? Is there some sort of issue with the sword ?"

"O-oh, n-no not at all. I-in fact it feels like the perfect balance between the curved one and the rapier, I was simply amazed !"

"'That so ? This one is heavier than both of those though."

Huh ? Is that why it feels so wrong ?

"A-ah I never realized since it feels so much better to hold ha ha ha.."

She looked at me with a mix of skepticism and light shock but quickly regained her composure and squinted her eyes slightly as if gauging me.

"Y-yeah, I think I'll go with the straight sword after all. It feels best to use, and it is the coolest in my opinion !"

The safest, rather. But I don't want to say that after she went out of her way to present me with so many options, including something she must have known I would never be able to wield.

"Understood. Then let's begin."

I still felt uneasy but since I was already here and that I made her go along with my stupid vow, I decided to take a few deep breaths and to turn my full attention towards training.


"Okay first, show me how you hold it."

I unsheathed the sword and held it in my dominant hand, the left, and held it so the tip could trace a line to my own neck.
Not parallel to the ground but not upright like a western soldier would back in my world.
I tried to find a balance bewteen the examples I was familiar with and that felt genuine or were rooted in tradition at the very least.

"Wrong."

So next I held it upright, the flat of the blade reflecting my face.

"No, not the position, the handle."

Should my grip be closer to the guard then ?

"Okay I see. Have you ever held a sword back in your world ?"

"Yes, once."

"How heavy was it compared to this one ?"

Ah ! 

"You got it. Despite how it looks, this is also a two-handed sword. So first of all you should be using both of your hands. Then, since you are left-handed, the hand closest to the guard should be this one. And your right goes below."

This feels much better to hold now.

"Now question. What part of the body should you try to use first to perform a swing ?"

I was swinging around without much thought earlier, but since she is asking me I guess it's not arms first, so then..

"My waist ?"

"Close enough, it's your legs."

"You need to plant your feet on the ground and strike a good balance before you take position, like this."

With one of the swords at her waist, she struck a pose with her blade in the same position I had initially managed, this time holding her weapon with her two hands, and with her left leg about a step ahead of her right leg.

"This is the standard for a left-handed hold. Try it."

Yeah ok, it feels great and the weight is no longer as much of a problem.

"The rest will come with repetition and experience but for now this'll do. So next, you need to decide where to aim your swing."

She walked up to about a meter and a half away from the targed dummy and hit the same stance as before.

"Once you've decided how you want to swing, this is where it requires technique."

Then after breathing in and holding it in for a moment, she released it with a shout and swung the blade in a beautiful arc from above-head which cleaved the dummy in two.

Even as a total beginner I can tell just how refined her form is. Truly awe-inspiring.

"Did you understand something from just watching or do you prefer if I put it into words directly ?"

"I think I would rather you told me, please."

"Okay. So first I took a deep breath right ? It was to make my upper body tense up. Then as I released it, I relaxed my chest and my arms and only strengthened the grip on my sword. Finally, I let the weight of my sword trace the arc I meant to produce and took one step with each foot to close the gap and to complete the movement."

"..."

"The most important aspect when attacking with a sword and which will be the goal of the first part of your regimen, is managing your breathing. And your nerves by extension."

"A swordsman without focus is just a monley flailing about with a stick. So first off, we will improve your lungs' capacity"

Which could only mean one thing, stamina training. 

                                                                       ______________

After about two hours of hiking in a nearby mountain –snowy mountain to boot since Ispron is in the northernmost region on this continent– she suddenly stopped in her tracks and gestured for me to join her, crouched behind a bush.

"See these ? They are Blue-Padded Monkeys." She explained in a low voice.

"This is the most common monster in the area. Their individual strength is nothing to write home about but since they are more intelligent than the regular monkey or any wild beast, they use numbers to hunt and to attack."

So the blue pads are basically their butts and their noses. They could be cousins with the ones who enjoy the open-aired baths back in Japan actually.

"Oh and they will also be the subject of our final test at the end of those nineteen days. So make sure to study them when you come here to train or when you go to the library."

"I will have to fight one ?"

"Yeah."

Is this really fine ? I mean, they are basically my height and I'm one eighty centimeter tall !

"Don't worry they are the least dangerous species of monster recorder by the guild. And despite them having mana cores like all monsters, they cannot use magic."

I'm not entirely convinced but, I guess I can always just fail her test if I don't feel confident on the day of. Not like it'll impact my future or dictate whether or not I can keep on learning the way of the sword.


After spending about an hour on the way back home, I was finally dismissed for the day.

"Ahhhh... I'm pooped..."

Nothing beats a hot bath after a good workout.

Suddenly though, someone came knocking at the bath's doors.

"Yes ?!"

"It is Shimka, Hyouma-sama. May I enter ?"

What do you mean enter ??

"I thought that maybe you would be too sore to wash your back so I planned to offer you my services, would you like it ?"

Huh ?  Why would I not ?

"Of course, it would be very much appreciated. Thank you."

"Of course."

Once I granted her the authorization, Shimka made her way in.

Wow, maid bikini, the frills are cute ! Just a shame she will use gloves to do the scrubbing, even if I appreciate the consideration behind their usage.

"How does it feel Master ?"

M-master ?! It's the first time she's used it to refer to me, is this okay ? Am I dreaming ?

"Yeah it feels great, thank you Shimka."

"Not at all."


After a while, feeling refreshed –yet still overheating in some places– I thanked her again for her services and let her return to her duties.

After a good night sleep would come another day of gruelling training.


                                                                     ______________

With that, two and a half weeks had gone by in the blink of an eye.

We were then three days away from Xenia's next deployment and it looked like this infernal rythme would soon come to an end.

"Alright that's good enough for a warm up so let's get this final test going, you lead the way."

During the past three weeks, she had been able to teach me the basics in what she called 'the swordsman's trinity'.

A solid stance, a solid shell and a solid edge.

To a swordsman, those were the fundamentals. And while it spoke of a shell, what it actually meant was that with enough skill, the protection that a sword provided was comparable to that of a shell. With enough agility, technique, and force, one could cover basically any spot on his body with only a sword. 

So I learned to parry.

By the way, I ended up enduring her five consecutive blows without much issue at all despite my misgivings. And all she had to say to that was that it was to be expected as long as I was sparring with a regular swordsman, or rather swordswoman in this case. But it still gave me confidence.

Now onto the plan I envisioned for today.

As my master had instructed, that day I would take the lead and have her judge firsthand how I handled defeating a monster on my own.

The target was of course the blue-padded monkeys and I had to kill two. Thankfully, after learning more about them, I crafted a plan.

First, spot your targets. Then wait for nighttime to come by the small lake closest to their settlement. And finally, once they return home after a good soak, wait for them to fall asleep outside and strike.

Through observation and research, I learnt that these monkeys had something of a routine.
They would copulate or laze around in the morning, hunt in the afternoon, and then find a water source to clean themselves after nighfall before falling asleep outside of their lair and remain there until morning.

Apparently, the crevices in which they lived were only for females to inhabit. The males were only permitted inside in case of harsh weather, after a hunt, or when the females were in heat.

This is the middle of the year so it's a few months still before they want to reproduce.

It wasn't very heroic or spectacular, but that was the plan I came up with to claim my first life.



It wasn't long until nighttime came. Between climbing, surveying, and eating, time had flown by in a quick and uneventful manner. Or the latter at least was what I figured to be my master's impression.

Okay it's time.

As I spotted my targets coming back from the lake, I set to untie the leather boots I wore and started checking the path I would use to sneak up on them.

Nothing that should crack under my weight, nothing dangerous in sight either, alright let's go.

After treading carefully along the path I prepared, I was then closing in on the sleeping monkeys, when–

"Hyah !"

W-wow what ??

One of the monkeys suddenly screamed and flailed his arms around in a fluster.

Thankfully however, it must have been dreaming since neither woke up to the ruckus. 

You little– Testing my nerves here, ain'tcha ?

Fright having given way to irritation, I was then more than ready to carry out the deed, and so I did.

With one thrust in each of their throats, they only regained consciousness for a brief instant before they stopped moving altogether. And so my test was conclued.

Then naturally, it was time for the verdict.
And as I braced myself on my way back to Xenia still crouching at the edge of the trail I had come from, she gave me her evaluation.

"It's definitely not how a knight would have gone about it, but it was swift, efficient, well prepared, and decently carried out. You pass."


And this is how I, swordsman apprentice Taitaku Hyouma, claimed my first lives. 

Which, against my better judgement, would only end up being two of too many more yet to come.