The Weapon Is Finished (2)
We all watched as Kathe’s mom, Thea, tested out her weapon.
Kathe’s dad’s weapon looked like a spear and an axe combined. Was it called a halberd? Maybe the reason Kathe trained with a spear was because of her dad.
Her brother’s weapon was the type of sword commonly called a one-handed sword. It was long, double-edged, and the tip was sharpened into a triangle.
Maybe a smaller person would use it as a two-handed sword, but her brother was a macho guy, so he just lifted it easily with one hand.
And then there was the slender beauty, Thea. Was that what they called a greatsword? It was about the same size as that huge sword the spiky blond protagonist carried in that final fantasy series.
"Dad, what’s that big sword called?"
"It's sometimes called a longsword, but a blade that thick, one that's more about smashin' than cuttin', is called a bastard sword."
So it’s not a buster sword, huh?
What is it about someone who looks like they’d fight with a bow or maybe even a whip, holding the kind of weapon that looks like they’d charge into the front lines first? It feels like I’m about to open a very dangerous door.
She gripped the handle of the bastard sword resting on her back, and the moment I thought she had drawn it, the target had already been pulverized.
"S-so coooooool~~~~!!!!"
"Mom, that was amazing! Vio, you thought so too, right? Mom looked really cool, didn’t she!"
"Oh my? Hearing that from you two isn’t so bad."
She even gave us a wink over her shoulder! Thank you very much! Big sis, I’ll follow you for life!
"Giren, I’d like a little more weight toward the tip. The grip feels just right though. Please adjust it."
"Yeah, yeah. I’m relieved to see you haven’t gotten rusty."
Giren was giving a wry smile while cleaning up the shattered target. They seemed pretty close.
Next up for testing was Kathe. Just like in her martial training, it seemed she would use a spear as her weapon, and her dad looked like he’d spar with her using a wooden staff.
"Dad, if it’s just a wooden stick, won’t it get cut in half?"
"If the one swingin’ it lacked skill, sure. But with Kathe’s current level, she still ain’t gonna be a match for her opponent."
Kathe’s spear had a blade, so if she swung it sideways it should be able to slice through. But her dad said even a plain stick wouldn’t be cut.
So I watched quietly after hearing that, and sure enough, whether she thrust, swept, or raised it to strike, every move was deflected.
"Now, now. If you come straight at me like that from the front… there you go!"
Even when she tried to attack with rapid thrusts, he simply tapped the shaft of the spear lightly with the tip of the wooden stick, and not once did Kathe even graze Taddy.
Kathe’s movements were pretty fast, but Taddy avoided them easily with one hand, almost playfully, no, more like he was teasing her.
So this is Gold rank…
"There now, how many times have I cut your legs like that? Didn’t I tell you not to neglect your footing?"
Kathe gradually got more and more stubborn, and her movements became increasingly repetitive. The wooden stick kept smacking her thighs and calves.
Just like Dad’s training… adventurer elite training is pretty hardcore.
In the end, Kathe couldn’t land even a single hit, and the match ended when she ran out of stamina.
Taddy picked up Kathe, who had collapsed flat on her back, carried her over to a chair by the wall, and set her down. Then he happily placed her on his lap.
"Vio."
"Oh! Right, I’m next. Dad, I’m going!"
I had been watching Kathe and the others when Dad called out to me, and I suddenly remembered it was my turn. When I ran over to Giren, he showed me the sword inside a box.
"I made the blades a little different in size between the right and left. Make sure you check that too."
"Wow, it’s amazing! It looks so cool! Thank you, Mr. Giren!"
The dagger he had shown me at the shop before was triangular, basically a symmetrical pointed blade. But the one I asked for was a single-edged curved dagger.
Just the blade itself was probably around ten centimeters long.
The handle had a grip attached so my hand wouldn’t slip off.
I held a dagger in each hand and checked the grip.
Yeah. Easy to hold.
Next I tried some practice swings.
He said the weight was slightly different between the two, but it didn’t feel strange. The right one had a slightly thicker tip.
Alright, next I’ll try it on the target…
Just as I was about to move, someone stopped me.
"Since we’ve got the chance, and it’s a rare kind of weapon… my son here’s got nothing better to do. How about using him as the target and trying a spar instead?"
"What? Dad, what are you saying to such a tiny kid? That’d be cruel."
Gars, the older brother who’d suddenly been nominated, looked shocked. But Giren and Thea were both nodding, so I looked at Dad, wondering what I should do.
"Hah, well now, I reckon it’ll be fine. Vio, just make sure ya keep your reinforcement and armor up while you try.
It’ll be more fun for ya than swingin’ at a still target, too. Long as Gars don’t mind, I’d appreciate it if he’d spar with ya. But remember, Vio ain’t done weapon sparrin’ before, though her physical ability’s pretty high, so don’t you go lettin’ your guard down."
Dad had given his approval.
Well, he’s a Silver rank adventurer. I doubt someone like me could even scratch him. I’ll gladly borrow your chest!
"Wha… seriously? You’re Vio-chan, right? I’ll use a wooden stick, but I’ll be aiming for your arms and legs. If it feels like too much, declare ‘I give up’ right away, okay?"
"Yes! Gars, please take care of me!"
Seeing that none of the adults were on his side, Gars reluctantly agreed.
Apparently, if I declare defeat, it ends. But like with Kathe, if I run out of stamina and collapse, that counts as the end too. What a muscle-brain style of training this is.
Standing in the center of the yard, Gars picked up a stick about the same length as the sword he usually used. He held it loosely in his right hand and told me to come anytime.
I raised my daggers in both hands, cast reinforcement magic on my arms and legs, and wrapped my whole body in barrier armor.
"Oh?"
"Hoh."
Gars was an adult. He was smaller than Dad but still tall, around 180 centimeters. Meanwhile I was just a little over 110 centimeters.
I didn’t even need to crouch to make myself smaller, so I dashed straight toward his feet in a leap.
"Huh?"
I swung my daggers right and left, aiming for his legs, but Gars jumped back and deflected them with the wooden stick.
"You’ve gotta be kidding me."
It seemed he had gotten serious. Mana overflowed from his body. Probably body reinforcement magic? The type that hardens your skin? If that’s the case, then even if the blade hits him a little, it’ll be fine, right?
Since he’d jumped back, I quickly regained my stance and swung again.
Right, left, right…
Clang. Clang. Clang.
Even though it was just a wooden stick, he kept deflecting my slashes. Hmm.
Gars also tried to sweep my legs with the stick, but I jumped to avoid it.
After we exchanged several blows like that, Gars suddenly spun around.
And then his tail came sweeping sideways toward me.
I rolled away instinctively, dodging to the opposite side.
"Oh!"
"What?! You dodged that too?"
From where I landed, I moved behind Gars, reinforced my legs, and leaped into the air, swinging both daggers down from above his head.
"I give up!"
He declared it just as I raised my arms. I switched to crossing the blades in front of my chest before landing.
Whew. That was close.
"Gars, thank you very much! Dad, how was it?"
"Looked like all that trainin’ without weapons paid off, didn’t it? That last jumpin’ strike might be risky against monsters though, so you’ll need to judge the situation carefully."
Ahh, that’s true. My front would’ve been completely open. I’ll be careful.
"Hey Gars, that was downright pathetic."
"Dad, don’t be ridiculous. Is that girl really five? She’s not some dwarf who hasn’t reached adulthood yet or something?"
There it was again, the dwarf suspicion. Taddy was teasing him, but even though Gars couldn’t land a single hit on me, he still got called pathetic. Gold rank Spartan training is brutal.
"Vio, how about your other weapon?"
While everyone was chatting with their families, Giren called out to me.
Huh?
Wait… don’t tell me the other one, does that mean the whip is finished too?
What do you think about this chapter?
