Chapter 12. Attack with Your Eyes Open

“Hiyaaa!”

But my sword didn’t reach Johann’s.

A strange sound came out of my mouth as I swung mightily and missed.

“Careful.”

Johann supported my body with one arm as I lost balance and staggered, having nimbly avoided my sword just moments ago. Thanks to his muscular arm strength, I was able to regain my balance stably.

“Huh?”

As I straightened up, I was startled by how close Johann’s face was. His face reflected in my wide-open eyes. I thought he would have a relaxed eye-smile, but Johann also had surprised eyes like me.

Swoosh…

A gentle breeze brushed past my cheek.

It felt like every moment had slowed down.

And if I wasn’t mistaken…

‘Did our noses touch?’

Or not?

It was so faint, like barely touching down, that I wasn’t sure. Maybe it was just the wind.

While I was dazed with surprise, Johann removed his hand from my waist and took a step back. Then he smiled with his eyes as usual.

“So you don’t close your eyes only when purifying.”

“Ah…”

“You can barely hit your target with your eyes open, how do you expect to do it with them closed?”

As he spoke, Johann twirled his sword flamboyantly as if he was playing with a toy. It looked like a circus trick.

He asked in a playful tone.

“Does this Marseus look easy to you?”

“How could that be? It’s my first time swinging a sword at a person, so I closed my eyes without thinking.”

“You’re quite timid, aren’t you?”

Ugh.

I’ve been labeled a coward.

I had been inwardly confident that I would be better than Seraphina before the possession. But receiving the same evaluation stung my pride a bit.

“Hmm.”

Johann rolled his eyes up to the sky, lost in thought. Then he curled his index finger and tapped the tip of his nose with the middle knuckle.

Our noses were close earlier, weren’t they?

As I was thinking this while looking at him, Johann’s gaze shifted to me.

“Would you like to try again?”

Instead of answering, I readjusted my grip on the sword.

I tried to look determined, but Johann deflated me by chuckling.

What’s this?

Why are you laughing?

“How cute.”

“……?”

Did he eat something wrong?

While I was dumbfounded, he came closer to me. Then he stood next to me and corrected my sword-holding posture.

“If you grip the end like that, it’s easy to lose. Here, like this.”

“Y-Yes…”

The distance is too close.

Johann smelled nice, and I became awkwardly conscious of my breathing in and out.

Don’t teach me so kindly!

It feels like the knights are glaring at me even more!

I broke out in a cold sweat as I felt the glances that had been stealing looks turn into blatant stares. I didn’t notice that the knights’ gazes had changed from jealousy to a strange look.

“Good. Much better.”

“I’ll just swing it up and down a few times.”

I swung the sword up and down vigorously. I was just imitating something I had seen somewhere.

In books, don’t they start sword training by fiddling with wooden swords?

Swish swish!

After swinging the sword a few times powerfully, a strange, baseless confidence welled up. I felt like I could hit his sword.

“Alright. Here I come!”

Saying that as if I was making a declaration of war, I swung my sword towards Johann.

But this wasn’t a wooden sword, it was a real one.

When I started to swing, my heart skipped a beat. No, this isn’t something to be frustrated about. Those who have never swung a real sword shouldn’t speak.

It could actually cut someone.

And that someone is the Emperor.

I unconsciously closed my eyes tightly. Inwardly, screams of ‘What do I do, what do I do’ kept pouring out.

“Seraphina.”

Thud!

The sword stuck into the ground.

I sighed in relief, my sunken heart rising. Johann’s unharmed voice was proof that I hadn’t hurt him, and a wave of relief washed over me.

I slowly opened my eyelids. As I turned around slowly, Johann was looking down at me with a bored expression, having avoided my attack like a loach.

I straightened my back. Or rather, I tried to.

“Ugh. Your Majesty, the sword won’t come out.”

As I was struggling to pull out the sword stuck in the ground, Johann spoke in a displeased tone.

“Even if you attack with all your might, you won’t be able to touch a single hair on me.”

“No matter what, how could I attack Your Majesty…”

“Enchant.”

I flinched at the word that came out of Johann’s mouth then. His voice resonated strangely in the air as if from another world.

Johann’s sword seemed to be enveloped in a blue frenzy.

No way…!

“Bastard of Light Speed.”

Fwoosh!

“Aack!”

I covered my face with my arms protectively against the sudden gust of wind. It was as if a typhoon was raging around Johann.

This crazy bastard!

Suddenly using an enchant?

Boom!

An enormous roar shook the air.

I was so surprised that I screamed ‘Kyaaa!’ and fell to the ground. Even that scream was drowned out by the roar.

“What is this…”

After a tremendous force swept through, I lowered my arms and muttered blankly. Then I quickly came to my senses and turned to look at Johann.

“Your Majesty! The training ground almost flew away! Are you trying to blow up the entire palace?!”

I was so shocked that I blurted out words that Jesuf would consider disrespectful. But unlike my serious state, Johann was just calm.

He spoke in a composed voice.

“Don’t worry. There’s a huge dome-shaped barrier over the training ground.”

As he said this, he pointed with his chin at the knights pretending to train while stealing glances from across the way.

“So that knights who can use enchantments like me can train freely.”

“That’s…”

A dazed voice flowed from my mouth.

Enchant.

It was a special ability that occasionally appeared in talented knights.

When swordsmen reach a certain level, they can handle mana, and these are called ‘Masters’. Those who can not only freely handle mana but also create weapons with mana without actual weapons are called ‘Sword Masters’.

And…

Those who can wield magic-like powers with mana beyond that level are called ‘Enchanters’.

The ability Johann just used was that enchantment.

“Attack with your eyes open.”

“……”

“Your goal today is to graze my sword, even for a moment.”

I looked up at him.

Johann’s serious voice made me take this sparring seriously.

I got up, dusting off the dirt on my bottom. And I gripped the sword just like he had taught me earlier.

“If you succeed, we’ll end today’s training right away.”

“I’ll definitely succeed!”

Filled with hope that I could go in early and rest, I shouted with full spirit.

Johann laughed out loud, seemingly pleased.

“Then shall we have a proper match?”

“Haaaaaah!”

I swung my sword with all my might. This time I didn’t close my eyes. Johann lightly avoided my attack, and I immediately went into the next attack without pause.

I swung and swung again like that.

“Huff… huff…”

Soon the training ground was filled with my rough breathing.
The knights who had been training had all disappeared at some
point.

Before we knew it, only the two of us were left in the training ground.

Johann was right.

Even though I rested and charged at him again several times when my stamina was depleted, I could never touch his sword. No, I wasn’t even allowed to step on his shadow.

“This is too much… huff… huff…”

Finally, Johann smiled gently at me who was sprawled on the ground.

“Well done. Let’s stop here for today, and from tomorrow, Jesuf will guide your training again.”

Unlike me, who’s drenched in sweat all over, he hadn’t shed a single drop of sweat.

That made me even more frustrated.

* * *

The training intensified day by day.

While Jesuf took charge of training the basics with wooden swords, Johann came out about once a week to have real sword matches with me.

Honestly, I wondered what the point was in sparring with Johann since the skill difference was so great, but it didn’t seem to be entirely meaningless.

It greatly helped my reflexes and dynamic vision, you could say?

Tak! Tadak! Tak!

“Oh, Miss Seraphina!”

“Huff! Wow! Wow!”

As I was training with a wooden sword with Jesuf, I reached the level of effectively applying the techniques I had been learning for the first time.

Exclamations of admiration burst out of my mouth.

Even Jesuf, who had been displeased with me at first, seemed to feel proud as a teacher seeing me grow day by day.

“Just a little more! That’s it! That’s right!”

“Wow! Sir Jesuf! This, this technique…!”

I couldn’t finish my words properly.

Tadak! Tadak! Tak! Tak! Swaak. Tak!

“Even letting the sword flow…! Excellent!”

“Hehe.”

Having finished the final move without mistake, I didn’t know what to do with myself at the praise.

“Miss Seraphina, we’ll end early today as a special treat.”

“Thank you, Sir Jesuf!”

I knelt before him, clasping my hands together, overcome with emotion.

Oh my!

This guy knows how to use the carrot and stick properly!

I was truly happy over something so small.

Seeing me like this, Jesuf gave an even greater gift with a pleased voice.

“I’ll speak to His Majesty and arrange for you to rest until tomorrow.”

“Really? What day is it today? Why are you being so nice?”

At my excited reaction, Jesuf smiled slightly as if to say ‘Don’t you really know?’

“Isn’t it your first payday today?”

“……!”

Gasp!

How could I forget this?!

How long have I been waiting for this day!

It seems my mind had run away somewhere due to the hard training.

As I stood there dazed, shocked by this realization, Jesuf smiled gently as if to say ‘What are you dawdling for?’

“Go out and have fun to your heart’s content for once.”