Top Instructor of a Third-Rate Academy

018

I sat and stared up at Bridget.

Tall. Red hair. And a strong build with a firm, angular face even at a young age.

If it weren't for his characteristic delinquent vibe, he would have a face that could be described as manly.

"You want to learn swordsmanship?"

He averted his gaze, his face slightly flushed.

It wasn't shyness, but rather what you would call embarrassment.

His pride seemed a little hurt too, and he had an expression as if he didn't really know what he was saying.

"No, never mind, I was just saying! No, I didn't say it..."

"Alright."

It seemed like Bridget was about to leave at any moment, so I answered.

The teasing should stop here.

I dusted myself off and stood up.

"Let's go."

"Uh, where?"

"You asked me to teach you. The training ground."

"Now?"

"Then when did you plan on learning?"

"...Uh, n-now?"

This kid, he just came here vaguely asking to be taught, without really thinking about it.

Somehow, that seemed just like Bridget.

But it was okay.

For the past week.

Bridget had been training harder than anyone else.

Because I already knew where he was stuck.

'Good timing. Let's put him against that kid.'

We returned to the school like that.

The time when the sun sets.

The students who finished their classes scattered in small groups, each engrossed in what they liked to do.

Some students stayed in their dorms, reading or sleeping, while others focused on training or playing.

Among them, Pan was the type who was engrossed in training.

"Pan."

"Instructor!"

After finishing his Class A lesson, Pan would come to the Class C training ground every single day to swing his sword.

For the past week, I had often been unable to pay attention to Pan because I was focused on the lessons with Freutche.

Nevertheless, Pan silently swung his sword and stayed.

"How was class?"

"It's fine. He doesn't point out much, but he does give advice from time to time."

When I asked Pan, he said that Avril's teaching wasn't bad.

"He's popular with the students. He always brings this much paperwork..."

He based his lessons on data.

He quantified the individual abilities of the students and designed a teaching method that fit those numbers.

It was a little different from me, who pursued a universal teaching method, but it was still a fairly systematic education system.

Moreover, Avril's teaching was not just composed of lessons.

"There's a lot of support, from nutritious meals."

It seemed that the Class A students were provided with a light level of elixir.

It was a common medicinal herb that could be found at the local herb shop, but it wasn't cheap.

Because they received such medicinal herbs, the skills of the Class A students were said to be growing day by day.

'As expected, it was right to raise the level and prepare.'

And there was someone who was constantly watching Pan.

It was Yuria.

She sat on one side and stared at Pan's training as if she were watching the scenery.

Since her eyes were somewhat dead, it was hard to tell if she was really watching Pan or something else.

Yuria watched Pan's lesson for a long time like that, then went to her room to sleep.

"Yuria, come here."

And now it was time to teach these two students.

The three of them sat in a row with awkward expressions.

It was an unlikely combination.

"Today, let's learn how to ask questions through Bridget."

At my declaration, Yuria's eyes sparkled.

She had been wanting to find out about this method for a few days, so she seemed interested.

"M-me?"

"Now. Then, Bridget. What are you curious about?"

At my words, Bridget's expression hardened.

He was nervous.

"Uh, that, um."

Bridget was a delinquent.

He relied on his backing and didn't focus on class.

He had some talent, so his grades were decent even without attending class.

'But that's about it.'

The fourth son of the family.

The youngest who had failed in all competitions.

That's why he wasn't competing with his brothers in the empire, but was pushed to an academy in a rural kingdom like this.

He seemed to know his situation well, as he spent his time as a hooligan.

There was no way such a student could properly check his own condition and ask questions.

"You don't know, do you? Then let's ask one by one. When did you want to ask a question?"

"...When I used the Vürhelm swordsmanship."

"What was the first thing you were curious about then? Not to me, but to yourself."

"Why is it the Vürhelm swordsmanship, but it connects so naturally with my own? And the defense..."

Once I threw him a topic, Bridget began to speak haltingly.

"Do you have an answer to your question that you came up with yourself?"

"...Because we're from the same empire?"

"That's a simple answer. In that case, you have to verify the answer. So you ask if all the swordsmanships of the empire will connect with the Vürhelm swordsmanship."

I picked up a branch and drew a picture on the ground.

"The basic stance of Vürhelm is to relax the body so that it can spring in any direction, and to create a center as a basis. It's not biased to one side, and there is no basic stance that follows the trajectory of the swordsmanship."

"Doesn't that reduce the speed?"

"But you can move your body as needed."

I smiled and drew a picture on the ground.

"You're right too, Bridget. You can perform most swordsmanships, but since it's different from the stance that naturally fits your body, the links are broken. Among the swordsmanships you used, probably... about three stances won't connect."

Bridget's eyes widened in surprise and he just nodded.

As expected.

The swordsmanship of Bridget's family is centered on sword fighting based on strong power.

As a result, if the Vürhelm swordsmanship, which emits the trajectory of power concisely, strongly, and straight, is transplanted, the power is bound to drop a little.

The problem is that if the power drops like this, Bridget's existing swordsmanship won't connect.

'It was a foolish method of filling the gap between swordsmanships by using excessive power to pull the speed.'

If there is a problem, finding an answer is easy.

'But today's class is not about finding the answer right away.'

I waited to see what kind of question Bridget would ask.

As I waited for his statement without saying a word, Bridget's lips moved a few times before he opened his mouth.

"I like the basic essence of the Vürhelm swordsmanship. So is there a way to add more power without ruining this swordsmanship?"

"Good question."

Not just asking a vague question, but moving on to having a purpose that can lead to a new answer by combining what is right and what is wrong.

It was a good attitude for asking questions.

"The basis is ultimately elasticity."

Does a short and concise movement really lack power?

No.

Even when throwing a punch, you could exert optimal efficiency without having to move your posture excessively.

For that, the elasticity and rhythm of contracting and extending the body were important.

"I happen to be organizing the way to step."

Rozalin called this 'footwork'.

It was an accurate name.

I brought Pan to explain to Bridget.

"What, this is just Pan..."

"You've never properly seen his swordsmanship, have you?"

"..."

14 years old.

Because he was young, if he had a good physique, he could easily overcome a gap of one or two levels in swordsmanship.

That's why Bridget was able to bully Pan.

But what if he becomes a graduating student?

No, it would be different in just two years, at the level of the promotion class.

"Watch carefully."

Pan met my gaze and nodded slightly.

Then he took his basic stance and took a step.

"Ah."

He's a pretty quick-witted kid.

He had only taken five or six steps, but a gasp came from Bridget's mouth.

There is a rhythm to Pan's steps.

And according to that rhythm, his whole body moved with a single purpose.

A concise flow with a purpose within it.

But the important thing was not the regular rhythm.

It was the off-beat in the middle.

"Huh?"

He swings his sword by changing the rhythm from the stepping rhythm to the swinging of his arm.

A variation that a person accustomed to the same rhythm and attack is bound to fall for.

And what made that possible was elasticity.

"And if this goes to a more extreme level, it becomes a variety of variations."

The rhythm of the feet becomes a heavy center, and from the body to the shoulders. All parts move according to different rhythms.

That discord will create unpredictable feints.

It was a technique that was still difficult for Pan to succeed at, but if completed, he would be able to land a variable, effective hit on Sordian.

I watched Pan's movements with my arms crossed.

Thump!

Stomping the ground hard is not just about hitting the ground, but about pulling the power of the ground up from the tips of the toes, through the legs, knees, and waist, in time with the rhythm.

And that flow is twisted at the knees and waist with a very subtle off-beat.

The shoulders, the arms, and the wrists and hands.

If you string them together and swing the sword as if brushing past.

Swish!

A swordsmanship with a strange rhythm is created, like, this, but.

Huh.

"Ah."

Why did that work?

I stared at Pan.

It was a technique he couldn't grasp at all until yesterday.

Pan also had a face as if he couldn't believe what he had just succeeded in.

"I-instructor! It's amazing!"

Me?

"Just as you said, instructor, I think I found the answer when I asked myself what I needed right now!"

I blinked and searched my memory.

No, wait. You didn't ask any questions, did you?

But Pan's eyes sparkled as if he understood.

"The important thing wasn't to break the rhythm, but to coordinate the movement to the rhythm!"

It's good that he solved his problem from a macroscopic perspective.

But what does that have to do with me...

"As expected of the Great Master."

Yuria exclaimed in admiration from the side, out of context.

Because of her characteristic expression, it was hard to tell if she was being sincere or teasing me.

"Tsk."

Bridget was looking at Pan, burning with some kind of enthusiasm.

Of course, I had put Pan and Bridget together with the intention of making Bridget acknowledge Pan and treat him a little more favorably.

But now, it felt like he had burned away any favorability and was now burning with some kind of hostility.

'Did this go wrong?'

I hurriedly tried to resolve the situation.

"Now, now! Then shall we practice swordsmanship based on what you just learned?"

"You mean I should first ask myself. Then I ask, where do humans in this world come from, where do they flow to, and for what do they live? In a situation without God, do humans have a meaning beyond that of a pathetic existence thrown into this world?"

"Instructor, you're amazing! Really, I get it now!"

"Tsk."

It failed.

In the end, that night, I could only manage to turn around the messed-up atmosphere.

Rozalin, who heard the story, burst out laughing.

[Puh-heh-heh, instructor. It seems like the only one who doesn't know your value there is you.]

"Value..."

[Ah, this is going to be fun. I should go and establish some discipline while the kids there are still in A and C.]

"Aren't you supposed to have arrived at Vürhelm by now?"

[Of course, I arrived. And I've taken care of things.]

"Taken care of things..."

[Te-hee? Secret?]

It was a somehow unsettling report.

But Rozalin didn't seem to want to talk about that matter and immediately changed the subject.

[The work will be over soon. I've also prepared a present for you, so I'll be there soon~ When did you say the evaluation was?]

"Next week. Next Monday."

[Really? I might barely make it by then? This is fun. I'll get to see how the juniors fight.]

I could hear chuckles from the other side of the scroll.

For some reason, it sounded like 'just you wait,' but it must be my imagination.

And a week passed quickly.

With the help of Instructor Freutche, the students' training proceeded steadily.

Of course, only five of the students were able to imitate the basic stance of the Vürhelm ducal family's swordsmanship.

Still, at this rate, they should be able to withstand the opponent's swordsmanship, right?

'And I have Bridget.'

He stayed behind every day and trained his swordsmanship.

Since he was originally talented and quick to understand, he grew differently day by day.

He quickly understood how to apply force when swinging his sword to get results, and he succeeded in naturally connecting the swordsmanships that hadn't connected before.

So much so that Instructor Freutche, who was sparring with him, was amazed.

'I just need to beat one person from Class A.'

Bridget would surely be able to beat Taylor.

Or so I thought.

* * *

"Who will you choose as your opponent?"

Bridget's finger extended and pointed at his opponent.

"Pan. Come out."

...Huh, this is different from my calculations.