Raising the Princess to Overcome Death Chapter 64

64. Engagement - Swordsmanship

After the intro video of crossing rugged mountains, Minseo became Leo Dexter in the snowstorm at Avril Castle.

Standing in the backyard of the two adjoining houses, Leo felt the cold wind brushing against his cheeks.

[ Achievement: '11th' Leo - The speed at which the player assimilates with Leo slightly increases. ]

Lena Ainar, standing beside him, turned around, her brittle straw-like hair blowing in the wind, just as before.

"Leo! Are you listening to me?"

Her beloved voice.

Her unwavering eyes, her prominent nose, her cheeks reddened by the cold wind, and her stance with the sword resting on her shoulder were all the same.

For some reason, Leo's nose tingled, but he sniffled to get rid of the ticklish feeling.

Leo, lost in sentiment, responded appropriately by recalling the conversation he had heard before.

Lena continued with the same stories he had heard before: "It's okay, I'll ask my dad," "The chief said so at the last festival," "When will the merchant come? I want to buy something."

His mind was a whirlwind of emotions.

Lena knew absolutely nothing about what had happened so far.

Although Leo knew these things from Minseo's memories rather than direct experience, what must have gone through this brave and quirky Lena's mind as she went to the battlefield alone?

Lena, who often fumbled but showed resourcefulness in times of crisis. How much had she suffered after losing her arm?

How devastated must she have been when she confessed to becoming knights together and getting married, only to see my head fly off...

And how many more tragedies must repeat?

Leo Dexter, who was exceptionally self-absorbed, just wanted to live happily with Lena. But Minseo, impatient, urged him on. Having done nothing in the last scenario, Minseo was restless, overwhelmed by the number '11/20' etched into his eyes.

With a wavering gaze, Leo chatted with Lena about trivial matters, then seemed to make up his mind, closing and opening his eyes resolutely.

"I'll be back in a bit."

"Skipping out? Where are you going?"

"It's a secret."

"Tsk, you'll tell me everything later anyway. Fine, go ahead."

Though he was so glad to see Lena that it was hard to look away, there was something urgent he needed to do.

This time, he had to avoid the {War} event at all costs. If he got dragged into the war, he'd meet the Swordmaster, and then he would surely die.

Despite his improved swordsmanship, Leo wasn't confident in blocking the sword of Count Hermann Forte, 'swung without warning.'

It wasn't just about the Swordmaster's technique, the Aura Blade.

It was simply... unblockable.

From the last scenario's reward, {Swordsmanship.3v: Bart Style}, Leo learned something.

Swordsmen who reached a certain level established their own swordsmanship styles, which varied greatly.

While it was difficult to categorize each unique swordsmanship style, they could broadly be divided into two types.

One had prominent weaknesses balanced by great strengths, while the other adhered to fundamentals, with no notable weaknesses but small, consistent advantages.

Katrina's swordsmanship was of the former type.

A style full of tricks and requiring abnormal movements. It was specialized for short battles but lacked endurance.

Previously, Leo and Lena had managed to defeat Katrina because she was already injured and greatly fatigued after fighting two squads.

Leo's father, Noel Dexter's swordsmanship, also had strengths and weaknesses but with an opposite purpose.

It was a cautious style that hid one crucial move, preparing for any situation. How one used that hidden move varied, but generally, his swordsmanship lacked explosive power.

Noel Dexter preferred a somewhat passive approach, steadily pressuring his opponent until they made a mistake, then capitalizing on it bit by bit.

In contrast, Count Herman Forte's swordsmanship was basic but thorough, hiding all preliminary movements.

Swordsmen usually predicted their opponent's moves before they swung their sword, but Count Forte focused on blocking such predictions.

His sword required the opponent to see and react to the actual movement, gaining a consistent advantage in timing.

This style had no apparent weaknesses and only strengths. Hiding preliminary movements was something all swordsmen aimed for, but it was a matter of skill.

With a difference in skill, opponents couldn't even recognize his movements, leading to their death as swiftly as Leo's in the past.

In some ways, it was incredibly strong against the weak and still practical in battles between similarly skilled fighters.

And the 'Bart' swordsmanship Leo acquired this time...

"What did you come to buy?"

Leo arrived at the blacksmith's shop.

"I'm not here to buy anything, but I have a favor to ask..."

He spent a long time persuading the blacksmith with a splendid beard.

After spending all his {Starting Funds}, Leo returned home. When he arrived, Lena and Noel Dexter were sparring lightly in the clearing.

"You're back."

His father, who ended the sparring by kicking Lena away, stood Leo before him as usual. Leo, facing his father, felt something unfamiliar from the sword.

After a brief probing exchange, Noel noticed the change in Leo's demeanor.

"...Hmm."

His son's bad habits were gone.

Leo, a right-hander, had a habit common among swordsmen where his sword would slightly tilt to the right.

It was a habit he had been nagged about for a long time but couldn't easily fix. However, now his balance was perfect from left to right.

Noel didn't know how his son had found such a perfect stance overnight, but he was proud of him and took the first attack.

- Clang!

Leo easily deflected his father's diagonal slash, lowering his body and spinning around.

A follow-up upward thrust after a knee slash.

Noel, as if predicting this, stepped back to avoid the slash and deflected the thrusting sword.

Then, intending to push his son’s abdomen with his foot, Noel lifted his leg, but Leo jumped off the ground.

‘Damn.’

Seeing his son’s sword coming down on him with the upward motion, Noel felt slightly flustered.

He had underestimated him.

Normally, Leo would be pushed by the kick, use a breath to regain his stance, and then be attacked by Noel. But this time, Leo's counter was excellent.

With his left foot slightly raised, Noel felt he had no choice but to confront the strong attack.

- Kaaang!

Noel responded with the same vertical slash, and the two swords clashed with a deafening sound.

Noel had been at a disadvantage.

Leo, attacking from above, had the upper hand and used it to charge forward.

In contrast, Noel had to endure his son's weight with just his lower back strength and had to take a half-step back to absorb the attack.

This was the first time he had been at a disadvantage against his son.

Noel Dexter laughed brightly, unable to suppress the rising amusement, and burst into laughter.

"Hahaha! My son! You've realized something!"

He brought his sword to meet his charging son's, spun it around to change its direction, and mercilessly slammed his shoulder into Leo's chest.

Noel Dexter blocked Leo's charge with just a single step and then struck his ribs with his elbow.

"Ugh!"

Then, he aimed the sword hilt at his son's chin.

Leo, startled, rolled backward. Fortunately, his father, as if sparing him, didn’t follow through.

The sparring was not yet over.

Leo, thinking of using Bart's swordsmanship more, tried holding the sword with one hand but realized it was too much and corrected his stance.

Bart's swordsmanship focused on balance, surprisingly adhering to the basics.

When two swords clash, choices between left and right inevitably arise, except for perfect vertical slashes or perfect horizontal thrusts.

Those choices are evident from the moment a two-handed sword is gripped.

Whether to place the right hand above or the left hand above the grip indicated where more strength would be applied.

The reason Bart focused on the 'left and right' in his swordsmanship wasn't significant.

Being left-handed, he had a habit of placing his left hand above from the start, which subtly benefited him in duels with right-handed opponents. Being left-handed naturally evolved to have advantages in fights against right-handers, so it was a natural outcome.

But young Bart was dissatisfied with the diminishing advantages of being left-handed when facing more skilled opponents.

He began practicing switching the left and right hands on the grip and focusing on the left and right trajectories of the sword.

Eventually, he believed that perfect 'right' diagonal slashes or 'left' diagonal slashes required changing the grip from the start, and that the muscles of the entire body needed to be perfectly balanced.

Bart's swordsmanship was thus perfected. It took much longer to discover the extreme balance and even to the point where he could wield the sword with one hand...

Leo, having emulated Bart's style with the {Swordsmanship.3v: Bart Style} ability, held his sword with his left hand above.

Noticing the change in grip immediately, Noel Dexter frowned.

"Oh boy, this kid is going to have a hard time."

Everyone who wielded a sword had tried changing their grip at least once, just like Bart.

And Noel thought such practice was pointless. He had never seen anyone gain an advantage from it.

Leo, grumbling at his father for thinking it was a waste of time, performed a right diagonal slash.

- Clang!

And lost.

Noel Dexter went all out to make sure his son wouldn't waste time on unnecessary actions.

Though it was a sparring match where victory and defeat didn't matter, he thought breaking his son's spirit when he made pointless actions would make him correct his behavior.

Leo realized his mistake too.

This body of Leo Dexter couldn't utilize Bart's swordsmanship efficiently. The right side felt more comfortable, and the left side felt awkward.

Moreover, {Swordsmanship.3v: Bart Style} was far below the skill he had shown by the riverside.

‘Damn it. I had high expectations for Bart Style... Regardless of skill, I need to train my body to use this effectively.’

Leo grumbled for different reasons than his father.

"Wow! Amazing!"

Lena, who had been watching their sparring, clapped with pure admiration.

The next day, Lena's father, Dehor, returned from the hunt. Noel Dexter, pleased with his son's improved swordsmanship, celebrated with Dehor over drinks.

Leo did not drink. As usual, Lena stole some beer and pestered him, but this time he declined, citing fatigue.

Lena pouted and threw a tantrum, getting scolded by her mother who came running at the noise.

After that, Leo didn't go to the clearing anymore.

No matter how much he practiced swordsmanship, his skills didn't improve. As confirmed in the previous beggar sibling scenario, Leo's growth was blocked. He could only master the skills given as scenario rewards to a certain extent.

Though mastering the newly acquired swordsmanship ability required practice and a balanced body, Leo had more urgent matters to attend to.

He frequently visited the blacksmith, and his father, recognizing his son's breakthrough, didn’t push him.

Lena trained hard in swordsmanship alone.

Leo had moved far ahead. Just when she thought she had caught up recently, his skills had leaped again, and she was anxious about falling behind. Though she didn't show it, she trained late into the night until she dropped from exhaustion.

The fateful day arrived.

Leo and Lena joined Dehor's hunting party. Using his {Hunting} ability, Leo quickly gained Dehor and the hunting party's recognition and paired up with Lena to check the traps.

As before, they went out early in the morning to check the traps...

"Hey, there's something down there."

Lena found the footprints of a 'Noguhwa.'