Chapter 3 3

Chapter 3

After breakfast, Henry left quickly to attend to clan affairs. Leila followed soon after, saying she would make some arrangements regarding the magic army. Since Marisa, as a Spear Saint, did not have much to do, and Akira, as the lady of the Fei Clan, had more free time than expected, they accompanied Alvaro as he took Nicholas to the courtyard to demonstrate some movements.

Akira was nervous; her son hadn't picked up a weapon for a long time, and even if he were talented, his skill could easily be lost if he didn't practice. Following Alvaro and Nicholas, she kept an eye on Nicholas from behind. After a while, the long corridor ended, and they passed through the wide gate to reach the sunlit courtyard.

The courtyard, located inside the building, had a diameter of 100 meters and was surrounded by trees. Grass and flowers filled the area except for the 20-meter diameter stone training area in the center. Except for the stone path they used to walk to the circle, there was nothing to spoil the view. Thanks to Akira's passion for plants, this courtyard had emerged, and everyone who visited the Fei Clan talked about how magnificent it was.

Today, it was going to be used by Alvaro to show Nicholas some techniques. The group walked slowly toward the stone circle, but only Nicholas and Alvaro entered the stone area. Akira and Marisa watched them from the end of the stone path.

Alvaro looked at Nicholas with a smile; he had wanted to take Nicholas as an apprentice for a long time, and only now had it become possible. He looked more excited than Nicholas, who remained extremely calm, standing before him with a serious expression.

Alvaro began his first lesson as a Master. Instead of taking the sword at his waist, he raised his hand and stroked the metallic ring on his finger. After the ring shimmered, two metal swords appeared and fell to the ground with a sharp sound. No one was surprised, but Marisa sighed with envy from afar.

This was a Storage Ring, an extremely rare item. Alvaro was an expert who had passed the age of 40, while Marisa was only 25. Although their titles were similar, there was a 15-year experience gap. If they were the same age, Marisa would undoubtedly be at a higher level, but they were not.

Alvaro had earned this ring from the Fai Kingdom for his outstanding service. It was an extremely difficult object to find on the market, containing a three-cubic-meter space, and could only be made by rare dimensional mages who had reached the Grandmaster stage.

Alvaro bent down and picked up the swords, holding their wooden hilts. The moment the sword touched his hand, his aura became much more serious. The title of Sword Saint was not for show; his sword skill was close to perfection, and he continued to improve himself day by day.

He lifted the sword and extended it to Nicholas. Nicholas bowed his head respectfully and accepted it. The scene was not foreign to him; he had trained with Alvaro in the same way for years. After handing the sword over, Alvaro took three steps back to increase the distance.

Nicholas, out of habit, took three steps back as well. The distance between them was now exactly six meters. Alvaro's eyes flickered slightly. He hadn't thought Nicholas would move at the exact same time as him. This was not something an inexperienced person would do.

Akira and Marisa also reacted with astonishment. But it didn't take long for them to accept it as a coincidence; after all, everyone knew Nicholas was a bit of a coward. They assumed he stepped back so Alvaro's sword wouldn't accidentally harm him.

Yet, there was no frightened look on Nicholas's face. In fact, he was calmer than usual, despite being extremely serious. His calmness was like that of a General who had been in countless battles.

"Can a person change so much just by deciding to change in one night?" This was the first thing that came to Akira's mind. Since she couldn't explain it, she pushed the thought aside. Alvaro didn't question it, either; he just started speaking.

"The first thing you need to learn to use a sword is that the sword is not a limb of yours. The sword is metal, meaning it is a solid object, and this limits you in some areas. Therefore, to use a sword, you must first learn the most suitable movement patterns for the sword."

He looked into Nicholas's eyes to see if he understood, but Nicholas's gaze was as still as a lake. Nicholas had heard similar sentences countless times, so he didn't need to ponder the meaning. To show he understood, he quickly nodded.

"Very well, let's get to practice. Let's start with the basics of Sword Arts. This section is divided into several parts, and after mastering all of them, you need to discover your own style. You need to sequence the movements you've learned in the way most suitable for you and make them a reflex."

Nicholas nodded once more. Alvaro hesitated before continuing. He knew Nicholas's understanding was high, but he hadn't expected him to grasp everything the first time. He wondered to himself, "Am I explaining it well, or is his understanding better than I expected?"

Alvaro slowly raised his sword. "First move: parallel cut," he said, swinging the sword horizontally. The speed was so fast that the sword whistled as it cut through the air. Nicholas watched without blinking, and the moment Alvaro finished, he raised his own sword and swung it almost perfectly parallel to the ground.

His speed was not as high as Alvaro's, and his sword had a slight tilt, but it was magnificent for someone imitating the move for the first time. Alvaro looked at Nicholas with wide eyes. Akira and Marisa's mouths were left wide open.

"He saw it only once and did almost the same thing..." the same thought echoed in all their minds. The adaptation speed and parity were so high that all their hairs stood on end.

"Have you learned the basics of the sword before?" Alvaro couldn't help but ask. If Nicholas grasped it this quickly, he could be as good as him in just a few months. What he didn't know was that Nicholas had trained with an older, more perfected version of Alvaro.

"Yes, master, I practiced sword arts while practicing on my own," Nicholas said. He wanted to pass this section quickly because there was nothing to learn from Alvaro's current level. In this life, he didn't want to be the apprentice of a man who died for nothing; he wanted to elevate Alvaro as his master.

His answer caused astonishment once again. Nicholas was someone who spent his life chasing women and running away from practice. If it weren't for what he had just shown, his words would have been nothing but a bad joke.

"Was my son actually never a scoundrel?" Akira wondered. Marisa muttered to herself, "Little scoundrel! He fooled us all!" Alvaro smiled with satisfaction. "No wonder he's much better than I expected; if he only learned the basics on his own, it will take much less time for him to reach my level."

"Since you know some things, show me your basics so I can determine your level and we can move on to the next stage immediately." The moment Alvaro finished, Nicholas took his position.

He held his sword with both hands, made a side cut, took one hand off, made an upward cut, and quickly grabbed the sword again to bring it straight down. As he pulled the sword back with his shoulder, he controlled it with one hand. Taking advantage of the momentum, he drew a 180-degree semicircle, the sword whistling parallel to the ground.

He didn't stop there. Nicholas bent his knee, and the sword tilted forward, gliding diagonally downward. It was an undeniably good move; if an opponent had been there, they would certainly have been wounded.

He pushed himself back, did a backflip, and thrust the sword forward in one move as if swinging at an enemy. He placed his other hand on the pommel, pushed, and made a stabbing motion. With a flick of his wrist, he rotated the sword on its axis.

Using the power from his back foot, he pushed himself forward. If the sword had been real, this move would have pierced an enemy's body. He quickly brought his hand back to the hilt and pulled the sword back in one fluid motion.

With his left foot forward and slightly bent, and his right foot straight and diagonal behind, he swung the sword from right next to his chin, performing a diagonal downward finishing move.

Alvaro, Akira, and Marisa stood frozen. With mouths agape and trembling eyes, they watched Nicholas fighting with all his might against an invisible enemy.