[Translator - Peptobismal]
[Proofreader - Max]
Chapter 65: Ancient Dungeon (1)
Under the dim sky, the sharp sound of steel resonated.
"You need to put more strength in your wrist."
"Like this, sir?"
Following Daniel's guidance, Hal stiffened his wrist.
But Daniel firmly shook his head and pushed back against the interlocked swords.
"No."
Clang!
With the tallic sound, Hal was pushed back.
He shook his hand, his wrist throbbing from receiving the blow.
"That just strains your wrist. It's because you're taking the full force of the blow with just your wrist."
"This is difficult."
Hal muttered calmly.
It was the second day of their journey to Sturnhelm.
Hal was camping in a forest a little distance from the road. After their al, with so free ti, Hal was training with Daniel.
More accurately, he was receiving swordsmanship instruction. The difference in their swordsmanship skills was significant.
"Let's try again."
Just as Hal was readjusting his sword...
"Um..."
Rupert, who had been watching their training with a curious gaze, approached hesitantly and asked,
"Lord Hal, may I join you?"
"I'm fine with it, as long as Sir Daniel is okay with it."
Since he was the one receiving the instruction, Hal deferred the answer to Daniel.
Rupert suddenly asked with a puzzled expression,
"Isn't Sir Daniel your knight? Why do you need his permission...?"
"No. Sir Daniel is my colleague and swordsmanship teacher, before he is my knight."
At Hal's firm answer, Rupert flinched and slowly nodded.
Then he turned to Daniel and asked,
"I would like to ask for your guidance as well. May I join you?"
"Hmm..."
Daniel crossed his arms and looked at Rupert, a playful expression on his face. Hal, watching Daniel, subtly shook his head.
Rupert was soone more accustod to giving orders than asking for favors.
He probably had never asked for anything in his life from soone he considered beneath him.
Even this much was quite an improvent.
Perhaps understanding Hal's aning, Daniel chuckled and nodded.
"Alright."
"...Thank you!"
Rupert, genuinely pleased, picked up his sword and stood beside Hal.
As Hal thought, Rupert didn't seem arrogant or malicious. He was simply inexperienced.
'He's like a child.'
It wasn't an impression one would usually have of soone older, but it was quite common for Hal, who was often called an old soul.
"Then let explain again. What we're going to learn now is parrying. Have you heard of it?"
At Daniel's question, Rupert nodded confidently.
"Of course. That's basic, isn't it?"
Parrying was a technique to deflect an opponent's attack.
It was fundantally perford with a two-handed sword and a shield, and there were even auxiliary daggers designed for parrying.
It was a technique learned by anyone who wielded a sword.
"Oh, it's basic, is it?"
Daniel's lips curled into a smile for a mont, then...
Whoosh
He swung his sword towards Rupert.
"...!"
Startled, Rupert couldn't even scream, and gritted his teeth as he blocked the attack.
He managed to block the attack by a hair's breadth, but stumbled and fell backwards.
The next mont...
Swish!
Daniel's sword was held to the fallen Rupert's neck.
"Seems like you're not very good at it."
"Ugh... What's the point of doing that without warning? Parrying is all about timing..."
"Yes, timing is the most crucial aspect of the technique."
Daniel cut off Rupert, who was red-faced and shouting in anger.
Then he coldly retorted,
"But what kind of lunatic would announce their attack before striking?"
"..."
Rupert was speechless. Daniel shrugged and continued.
"If the term 'parrying' seems simple, let rephrase it. What I'm going to teach you is my unique technique called 'Grafting'. And that is..."
As Daniel continued his explanation, Hal swung his sword.
Without even looking, Daniel extended his own sword.
Clink!
It wasn't the sound of swords clashing. It was like the sound of a glass bead rolling on a steel plate that echoed in their ears.
As a result, Hal was forced to swing his sword in a completely different direction than he initially intended.
And...
Daniel's sword, having deflected Hal's, was now pointed at Hal's neck.
"I can counterattack anyti, in any situation."
"...!"
Rupert's jaw dropped at the display of such high-level skill.
He quickly approached Daniel and pleaded,
"Quickly, teach that!"
"Oh, co on."
Daniel was dumbfounded for a mont.
"First, you need to observe your opponent's movents. To do that..."
Daniel began to teach Rupert the detailed techniques.
How much ti had passed since the lesson began?
Clink!
The sound of a glass bead rolling.
The sa sound that ca from Daniel's sword now ca from Rupert's.
"I did it!"
He succeeded in perfectly deflecting the attack.
Although he was told when the attack was coming, it was by no ans an easy task.
"That's fast. You have talent."
"...!!"
Daniel smiled, offering genuine praise.
Rupert struggled to contain his grin. He seed very pleased to be acknowledged.
"On the other hand, Hal..."
Daniel turned and swung his sword towards Hal.
Clang!
With a harsh tallic sound, Hal was pushed back.
"You still have a long way to go."
"...I see."
Hal slowly nodded.
He had the least experience in swordsmanship among the three of them, so it couldn't be helped.
"I'm done for today. I'm getting tired."
"Thank you for your ti. I'll continue practicing."
Hal nodded and adjusted his sword. He then assud his stance and continued practicing.
Rupert stood beside him, watching Hal's training for a long ti.
Then, before he knew it, Rupert muttered,
"Ah, you shouldn't do it like that..."
"...?"
Hearing that, Hal stopped his sword with a flinch and looked back at Rupert.
Rupert blushed and hurriedly waved his hands.
"No... that is. I apologize, Lord Hal. I didn't an to give you unsolicited advice, it's just..."
Rupert was embarrassed.
Hadn't he witnessed Hal's strength firsthand in Lonely Ridge? If Hal fought seriously, he could defeat Rupert in the blink of an eye.
But now, he was acting as if he knew better just because he had learned one new sword technique.
How ridiculous he must seem.
As Rupert was berating himself for his hastiness, Hal tilted his head and asked,
"Then how should I do it?"
It was a pure question, devoid of any emotion.
Flustered, Rupert asked...
"Um... well, doesn't that bother you?"
"...?"
Hal looked at Rupert with an expression that showed he had no idea what Rupert was talking about.
"I'm weaker than you, and..."
"Is that a problem?"
Rupert couldn't answer Hal's question.
The attitude of seeking knowledge from soone weaker than oneself.
No, whether soone is weak or strong isn't important in the first place.
Whether it's a beggar on the street or a renowned scholar of the Empire, if there's sothing to learn, one should learn it.
There's no sha in asking soone for knowledge.
Sha lies in looking down on soone and refusing to learn despite recognizing your own shortcomings.
Rupert was deeply impressed. He wanted to be even more like the man in front of him.
Hal, who had been quietly observing Rupert, shrugged and said,
"So, how should I do it?"
"Ah, well..."
Rupert, delighted, approached Hal and began to teach him about the sword.
The training continued late into the night.
Despite that, Hal, who couldn't master Grafting, finally put down his sword.
The moon had already risen high in the sky.
Looking at the moon, which was now tilting towards the west, Hal shook his head.
"Let's rest now. Thank you for your help."
"It was my honor."
Rupert had taught Hal swordsmanship, but he had learned sothing even more valuable.
As Rupert smiled with satisfaction...
Rustle!
There was a sound of movent in the bushes in the distance.
Hal seed to have already noticed it and was readjusting his grip on his sword.
"Help... ."
A rough breathing sound and a voice pleading for help could be heard.
Hal and Rupert slowly approached the direction of the voice.
There, they found a wounded man.
A man in armor, wounded in the side, was moving while clutching his wound with his hand.
Seeing this, Hal imdiately approached him and used Azure Fla.
The Azure fla healed the man's wound.
The man's eyes widened in surprise.
"...A priest?"
"Yes, I am a priest. And who are..."
Hal couldn't finish his sentence.
The man suddenly drew a dagger from his bosom and lunged at him.
Caught off guard by the sudden attack, Rupert couldn't react.
But Hal was different.
Clink!
The dagger, drawn in an instant, smoothly deflected the man's dagger.
With the sound of a glass bead rolling, the man's dagger stabbed at the air.
It was the perfect Grafting , just like what Daniel had shown him earlier.
And the next mont...
Crack!
Hal's elbow, moving like a slide, struck the man's nose.
"...Ugh!"
The man's nose seed to break and bend, blood gushing out.
Unable to withstand the pain, he dropped his dagger and fell.
Seeing that, Rupert breathed a sigh of relief.
To think that Hal succeeded in Grafting in actual combat, even though he couldn't master it during practice.
It was truly amazing.
But the admiration was short-lived, as a question suddenly arose in Rupert's mind.
'That was fortunate. But...'
Could he have blocked that surprise attack himself?
No, it would have been difficult.
Rupert suddenly felt anxious about the gap that had widened between him and Hal in such a short ti. Inferiority complex crept in.
'As I thought, I...'
Just as such negative thoughts were filling his mind...
"Sir Rupert, could you please bring so rope from the campsite..."
Hal was about to speak, twisting the man's arm to restrain him, when...
"...God is great."
The man muttered solemnly and bit down on sothing with a crunching sound.
Gulp!
Then, he suddenly vomited black blood and slumped down, his head hanging low.
"..."
Hal checked the man's pulse.
Then, he slowly shook his head and said,
"...We won't need the rope."
The man had bitten a poison capsule and taken his own life.
***
"This is..."
Hal trailed off as he examined the man's body.
The beast's mark engraved on his neck.
It was the sa mark that David had.
After a mont of contemplation, Hal seed to have organized his thoughts and raised his head.
"Let's retrace the path this man took."
"Hmm."
"Alright."
Daniel and Lena nodded as always.
Ono, as usual, raised an objection.
"Do we really have to? I think getting to Sturnhelm is more urgent right now."
"No. We ca all the way here following David's trail in the first place."
Hal had made up his mind.
Now that the mark had been found, they needed to investigate the situation before moving on.
The more impatient they were, the more they needed to take a detour.
A stone tower built carefully, step by step, wouldn't crumble.
"Sir Rupert..."
"I'll go with you!"
Rupert quickly replied to Hal's words.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes!"
Rupert also felt the need to understand what this mark signified.
After quickly packing up their campsite, Hal and his party began their pursuit.
It was a dark night, but tracking wasn't difficult.
The man had bled all the way here.
Relying on the faint moonlight, they followed the blood trail up the mountain for quite a while.
"Why is there sothing like this here...?"
Hal muttered under his breath.
A steep rocky cliff.
Hidden beneath it, among the bushes and trees, was a small door.
And there, a palm print stained with still-fresh blood.
"Do you know what this is?"
Daniel asked. Hal, who had been silently examining the door, muttered with a strange expression,
"This is a workshop... no, a dungeon."
[Translator - Peptobismal]
[Proofreader - Max]
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