Published: July 5, 2025
"Peace is the best, isn't it?"
"That's for sure."
Normally, Abel would argue with Ryo's statements, but today he seems to accept them.
"Hey, Ryo."
"What is it, Abel? Are you planning to confess a sin?"
"What do you mean, confess a sin?"
"You know, saying something like 'I did something bad, please forgive me.' It's a confession."
"Yeah, that makes no sense."
Abel shakes his head slightly.
"Don't tell me you secretly ate my cake or something..."
"Ryo would notice that, right?"
"...That's true."
Ryo thinks for a moment and nods.
There’s no way he wouldn’t notice.
"So, what is it then? Is there anything else you have to apologize for?"
"Is cake the only important thing? No, the fact that I have to apologize is the real mistake."
"Abel, you really aren't honest, are you?"
"Well, I don't distort the truth as much as you do."
Saying that, Abel shakes his head once more.
"Ryo, you fought against that phantom being... what was her name, Marie, right? You had a duel with her using the sword drawing technique, didn't you?"
"Yes, I did. You were watching while I quickly defeated Orenju."
"Ah. The sword drawing technique is the technique of drawing the sword quickly and cutting the opponent in one motion, right?"
"Yes, yes. You’re correct on that."
Since his logic isn’t wrong, Ryo affirms it.
It's hard to understand why that technique is powerful or fast unless you actually try it.
"In the Eastern Nations, Ryo fought without putting the sword in the sheath. But this time, you went so far as to create an Ice Sheath and mimicked Marie's stance and movements."
"That's correct."
"I don't think drawing the sword from the sheath can be faster than swinging the sword while it's unsheathed..."
Abel poses a straightforward question.
It's a natural and common sense conclusion.
It should be faster to swing the sword without the hindrance of the sheath... Ryo thinks it's natural for anyone who wields a sword to feel that way.
However, for someone who has mastered the sword drawing technique or iai technique to a high degree, it's different.
They are fast.
This could be partly due to the curved nature of the Japanese sword.
There’s also the skill of moving the sheath with the left arm, not just the right arm that swings the sword.
But those techniques are hard to convey through words.
More than anything, Ryo is aware that he doesn’t understand the sword drawing technique well enough to explain it.
"It might be better to think there's a school of swordsmanship that focuses on that."
"A school of swordsmanship?"
"Well, Abel, you seem to follow the Hume school or whatever it is, right? Something along those lines."
"Oh... a school based on the sword drawing technique. So, swords wielded by those practitioners would be faster if drawn from the sheath. I'll remember that."
Abel seems to have interpreted and understood it in his way. He nods several times.
Perhaps because of that conversation, Ryo recalls the battle earlier.
At that time, he had his arms cut off, so he used his ice arm to attack.
That's why, in a sense, he was able to exert himself.
If it had been his real arm, Ryo's unrefined sword drawing technique might not have been able to contend with Marie...
"I need to acquire powers that don't solely rely on the sword drawing technique, along with my research on it."
Ryo mutters and nods repeatedly.
The Skizblaznil, carrying the party from Naitorei Kingdom, is heading west offshore from the Northern Shore of the Dark Continent.
"Your majesty, our next port of call is in three days."
Captain Paulina explains the docking schedule.
"The port of call will be Jerdan Port in Jerdan Kingdom, which is also the capital."
"Jerdan... I'm sorry, that's a country I don't know."
Abel clearly states what he doesn't know.
"It's a country between the Eastern Provinces and the Western Nations, recognized as one of the buffer states by the Western Nations."
"A buffer state? I see."
Abel nods at Captain Paulina's explanation.
Hearing such a conversation, Ryo silently shakes his head slightly.
To place a country whose national power is kept so low that it can't oppose either of the great nations between them... is a political strategy that has existed for thousands of years even on Earth.