Published: July 4, 2025
Three weeks have passed since the retreat palace attack incident.
The capital, Johnjohn, was peaceful.
It would not be an exaggeration to say that the Sue Koo residence was at its center.
“Pierce through! icicle lance 16!”
The sound of Ryo’s chant echoed through the garden.
The sound of everything being deflected by a sword.
“Not yet! Pierce through again! icicle lance 32!”
The sound of ice spears, doubled in number, being deflected again by a sword.
“Impressive. Let’s take a short break.”
“Yes… thank you…”
Mifa replied, breathless, to Ryo's words.
This was a training scene of Mifa, slightly altered.
“It’s not bad at all that Ryo can deflect thirty-two of those ice spears.”
“Thank you!”
Abel praised her, and although Mifa could not hide her fatigue, she bowed her head happily.
“Not bad at all! You would rank in the top three of the elite Run knight order! If you insist on using a one-handed sword, techniques like parrying, deflecting, and redirecting are essential.”
“To rank among the top three of the elite Run knight order!”
Abel nodded happily at Ryo's words.
The growth of his disciple was the most rewarding thing for a master.
“Um, what exactly is the Run knight order…?”
Mifa asked while sitting down in a chair, trying to recover from her fatigue.
“They are one of the most powerful knight orders in our Naitorei Kingdom. A knight order is… well, it’s a combat group.”
“They are people who train daily to defeat enemies on the battlefield using swords, spears, and shields. They are professionals at fighting, even more than adventurers,” Ryo and Abel explained.
Since Mifa had almost no knowledge of the Central Nations, she learned about knights from them.
“Can I really become strong enough to compare to such people…?”
Mifa asked anxiously.
“Yes, absolutely!”
Ryo assured her with a thumbs up.
After giving her a thumbs up, Ryo looked closely at Mifa’s one-handed sword.
He gazed intently.
“Um, Ryo-san?”
“Hey Ryo, Mifa looks a bit unsettled.”
Mifa and Abel spoke to Ryo, who was staring at Mifa's sword.
“Oh… is it because Mifa insists on using a one-handed sword because, in Darwei, one-handed swords are mainstream?”
“Eh…”
Mifa was surprised by Ryo's observation.
“No, when we spoke at the Censorate, Boffo-san mentioned that one-handed swords are mainstream in Darwei. Mifa, you’re going to the court there as a maid to the princess, right? If a brawl breaks out and you have to fight with an enemy's weapon, you’ll end up fighting with a one-handed sword… so it would be better to get used to handling one from now on, right?”
“Yes, that’s exactly right.”
With even wider eyes filled with surprise than before, Mifa nodded, affirming Ryo’s deduction.
Ryo nodded several times, but then stopped when he looked at Abel.
“Abel doesn’t seem surprised at all; did you happen to know?”
“I didn’t know for sure, but I had guessed it might be for that reason.”
“Ugh… is that why you’re acting so superior!”
“I’m not acting superior at all.”
For some reason, Ryo said with regret, causing Abel to smile wryly.
“I’ve heard that in the area around Darwei… what the Central Nations call the ‘Eastern Lands,’ one-handed swords are mainstream. So, I just thought that might be the reason.”
“The power of education… is quite terrifying.”
“Well, I could grip it with both hands if I really wanted to, but compared to a bastard sword, it’s too short.”
“The length of the sword and the length of the grip are determined by how it is used. There’s always a reason behind it. Weapons carry the weight of life. Your own life, the life of those you must protect, and… the life of your enemies. The length, weight, thickness, and all of that is the pinnacle of functionality. That’s what I believe shapes weapons.”
Both Ryo and Abel use swords.
However, the shapes of their swords are different.
The length, weight, center of gravity, and of course, the length of the grip they hold are all distinct.