The Water Magician

It has probably been about a year since Ryo was knocked unconscious underwater.

Even now, the “Blood Freezing” has not succeeded.

It is unlikely that it would be successful in just about a year...

Still, I have not missed my daily training in magical control.

By the way, as of now, the frozen meat that Michael (alias) prepared can be thawed in an instant.

However, Ryo has been going to a certain place almost every night for the past few months.

That place is by the lake in the center of the Great Wetland, beyond the Northern Forest.

It appears around the time the moon reaches its zenith.

A headless knight called a dullahan rides on a headless horse.

This dullahan is not holding its head with its left hand.

Why is there a headless knight in the Forest of Rondo?

Could it be that there was once a thriving kingdom in the Forest of Rondo?

However, there are no signs that people ever lived there, nor have I seen a single human-made artifact.

The original dullahan in Earth’s folklore is a fairy from Ireland, so it is certainly not a ghostly knight...

Thinking of that, Ryo casually considered that perhaps it is a fairy that flowed into this Forest of Rondo from somewhere that once had people.

For Ryo, the existence of this dullahan holds value as a sword master.

Of course, since it has no head, it doesn’t speak.

However, when I take up my sword—which is a bokken coated in ice for durability—the dullahan also prepares its stance.

It somehow gives off a feeling of, "Here we go again... what a troublesome fellow."

Of course, since it has no head, that is all speculation on Ryo's part.

And the sword fight begins.

In the first place, dullahans are not listed in the “Monsters Encyclopedia: Beginner Edition.”

This means it is either “not a monster” or “not at a beginner level.”

From the perspective of whether Ryo could defeat this dullahan, it would probably be impossible at his current level.

It doesn’t use magic. So, Ryo refrains from using it as well. The only thing he wears is the “ice armor” to protect his body.

However, even with just sword techniques, it is quite strong.

Moreover, it looks down on him.

“I’ll give you some practice.”

That’s what it feels like it is saying... of course, it has no head, so that’s just imagination.

This dullahan, after successfully delivering what seems to be three fatal blows to Ryo, then turns away.

As if to say, “Come back after you’ve improved.”

What would happen if Ryo were to deal three fatal blows? That remains unknown.

After all, he has never dealt any damage at all...

Still, recently the duration of their battles has significantly increased.

In the beginning, it was truly a matter of seconds, but these days, the fights last about an hour.

Of course, there are various complaints.

In the first place, improvement in interpersonal combat, whether in martial arts or even in games, requires repeatedly engaging in actual combat to gain experience and knowledge, and to develop the way one moves their body.

In that sense, for Ryo, who always practices alone, this is an incredibly valuable experience, but the opponent is still a dullahan.

Once one begins to understand interpersonal combat to a certain degree, they inevitably hear the saying:

“Breathing is important.”

This is said because it is essential to both regulate one’s own breathing and to read the opponent’s breathing.

However, dullahans do not breathe... or rather, they have no head!

Thus, Ryo is unable to gain experience in “reading the opponent’s breath.”

And then there’s footwork, also known as foot movement.

Foot movement is something crucial in any combat.

In interpersonal combat, it can provide vital information for predicting the opponent's movements.

That’s why, in kendo or kenjutsu, practitioners wear hakama.

When wearing hakama, the foot movements are not visible to the opponent, providing a considerable advantageous situation.

Therefore, Ryo wants to learn that aspect from the dullahan, but… the gap in combat power is so vast that the dullahan hardly moves from its spot...