As Ethan let go of Arthur's hand, the system's cheerful voice rang out in his mind.
"Host, you should ask him to teach you swordsmanship!"
Ethan blinked, caught off guard. "Why would he teach swordsmanship?"
"Because he's a protagonist!"
Ethan's expression twitched. "Will you stop with that? It's really not funny anymore."
"But Host, I'm serious!" the system insisted.
Ethan rolled his eyes. "Whatever."
Arthur, noticing Ethan's odd expression, raised an eyebrow. "Is sothing wrong?"
Ethan shook his head, about to say no, but he hesitated.
Now that he thought about it... it wasn't actually a bad idea.
He had no clue who the assassin was working with, but there was no doubt that soone inside the mansion was involved. The assassin had managed to slip into his room without alarming a single guard—that wasn't normal. Moreover, the assassin had seen him use OmniMark. Next ti, they wouldn't be caught off guard. They'd be prepared.
Ethan was certain this wouldn't be the last assassination attempt. His gut told him so.
And when it ca to situations like this, he always trusted his gut.
Furthermore, while Saka was his pri suspect, there was a chance the insider could be soone else. Heck, it could even be the forr knight commander, Ralf. He doubted it, but nothing in this world was absolute.
Arthur's voice pulled him out of his thoughts.
"Hey, you sure you're okay?"
Snapping back to reality, Ethan quickly responded, "No, it's nothing... but actually..."
He trailed off, looking at Arthur.
Earlier today, Arthur had sliced through a guard's spear with absurd ease. His movents had been so fast that no one had even been able to react.
If there was anyone who could teach him swordsmanship, Arthur was the perfect candidate.
Ethan's gaze beca serious.
"Well... I do have sothing I want to ask of you."
Arthur tilted his head slightly, his expression shifting to one of curiosity. "What is it?"
His mind imdiately jumped to a possibility. Is he going to ask to be his bodyguard?
But Ethan's next words caught him completely off guard.
"Can you teach swordsmanship?"
Arthur blinked. "What...?"
His reaction was almost comical, as if this was the last thing he had expected to hear.
"Why would you want to teach you? Don't you have knights for that?"
"Well..." Ethan scratched the back of his head, leaning against the alley wall.
He hesitated for a mont before speaking in a more serious tone.
"Actually... I think soone in the mansion is involved in the assassination attempt on my life. And I don't know who it is, so..." Ethan exhaled, rubbing his neck. "I can't really trust them."
Arthur's expression darkened slightly. He brought a hand to his chin, deep in thought.
"Well, you're right. If there really is an insider, then asking the knights for swordsmanship training would be risky. Who knows what they might teach you?"
But then, Arthur's brows furrowed as he looked at Ethan with confusion.
"I get that you don't trust them, but... why ? You can't trust either, right? We just t."
Ethan hesitated. His gaze flickered to the side, and a faint shade of red dusted his cheeks.
"Umm... well..." He scratched his cheek, looking a little embarrassed. "I don't really know. For so reason, I just have a feeling I can trust you."
Arthur stared at him.
Now he was the one feeling awkward.
After a mont, he let out a small chuckle, rubbing the back of his neck. "Well... I would teach you, but there's a problem."
Ethan narrowed his eyes slightly. "You're not allowed to teach ?"
Arthur shook his head. "No, actually, it's the opposite."
He sighed, his expression turning helpless.
"My master told that if anyone ever wanted to learn, I could teach them."
Ethan's eyes widened. "Really?"
From the original Ethan's mories, he knew that sword styles weren't just handed out to anyone who asked. They were usually kept secret, and people had to pass strict tests or find willing masters to even have a chance at learning them.
When he had asked Arthur, he had expected him to agree to teach him so basic swordsmanship. But from the way Arthur was talking, it seed like he was referring to an actual sword style.
Arthur sighed again and crossed his arms.
"Yeah, but the problem is..." He gave Ethan a strange look. "No one seems to be able to learn it. No matter how much they try."
Ethan frowned. "What do you an?"
Arthur rubbed his forehead, looking slightly frustrated.
"I've actually tried to teach it to others before... but for so reason, no one has ever been able to learn it."
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