CH 161

Sword headed straight for me as soon as our swordsmanship lesson started.

“You IDIOT!”

“Ouch!”

He suddenly bonked my head. Why!?!

“Don’t you possess a shred of sympathy with my situation!?”

“Hmm? I do sympathize with you! That’s why I’ll take care of all the troublesome matters mys…gyaaa!”

An iron claw!!

“If you sympathize with me, why did the prince approach me ’bout allowin’ him to have a mock battle ‘gainst you!?”

“…Does it matter? You’re free to allow it or not, aren’t you? I don’t mind either way. To be honest, since it’ll be extremely difficult to hold back enough to not kill him, let’s consider the rest after I kille…gyaaa!”

He put the screws on me.

“Instructor Sword, please leave it at that. Otherwise he’s going to excuse his defeat with him having been punished by you before the fight,” said the prince.

“……”

With a sigh, Sword finally released me.

The pain stings~

＊

“Sorry, but I forbid a mock battle. That’s why you’ll have your showdown in this way,” Sword declared and took something out, before dropping it on the ground with a thud.

Screams filled the training field.

“The other day we subjugated a cyclops. This is a part of its arm. I’ve been given it back after bein’ told that its arm is no good for craftin’. You guys, try to cut this up.”

Hmm? Something so simple?

“I don’t particularly mind, but…will this serve as any kind of contest?” I asked the prince.

…Humph! If not, I’ll just challenge you to another match!”

“I see.”

When I tried to draw my wooden sword, my hand was stopped.

“I’ll designate the weapon, too. Cut it with this.”

I was handed another sword.

“Cut, switch swords, cut again, switch again, cut again, switch again, and cut once more. We’ll properly check the condition of your blades. Anyway, give it a go.”

＊

A sword, huh…? Well, it’s not like I can’t use one.

“Haaah!”

Next to me, the prince brandished his sword widely, swinging it down with all his might. A clang reverberated across the area.

“～～～～!!”

It looks like his hands were hurting from the recoil. And while observing him, I cut the cyclops’s arm.

“It’s much cooler with my usual wood sword. Do you know the technique of drawing your sword, slashing your opponent, and sheathing your sword in one single stroke? I can perform that in a pretty nifty way, you know?”

“Okay, switch～”

Instructor Sword didn’t even listen to me!

＊

“Eh?”

The prince appeared to be startled over me having already cut the arm.

“I’m not accustomed to this sword, so I can only use it in a normal way,” I passed the sword to him while explaining.

“W-We’ll also switch the location! This spot was too tough!” The prince blurted out in a fluster.

“I don’t mind either way. How about you decide where to hit?”

“H-Hit the place I hit!”

“Sure.”

I quickly slashed at the spot, slicing it apart like ham.

“Can it be used for something if you strip off the skin and tan it?

“How ’bout you strip the skin then?”

Instructor Sword is so cold-hearted towards me!

＊

While puffing out my cheeks in a huff, I skinned the cyclops’s arm.

It felt more like lightly scraping across stone than skin, didn’t it? Aren’t cyclops organic beings or some such? They don’t seem to decay, though. I think tanning the skin might be kinda impossible.

Next to me, I heard yet another metallic clang.

“Okay, switch.”

Once we switched, I got scolded, “Isn’t there a chip in the blade!?”

“It’s nothing major, so don’t make such a racket.”

It doesn’t matter anyway. In the first place, if I feel like cutting it, I can always cut it with my wood sword.

“It is major! Your way of using the sword is…”

“Okay, stop there. Do you recall the time before the switch? Was there a chip in the blade at the beginning when you switched for the first time?”

The prince looked at Sword, and reluctantly admitted, “……No.”

“And now there’s a chip in the blade. …Indra, show us the sword you received after switching.”

I handed it over.

“Do you see any chips in the blade?”

“……”

It was apparently chipped.

“Did you understand why I didn’t want to let you fight ‘gainst this guy? No matter how often we do this or how many swords we use, the result will be the same even if you hand a kitchen knife to him while usin’ a sharp sword capable of cuttin’ this here yourself. It won’t be much of a duel. Give it a rest if you don’t wanna die. The strongest in this academy is Indra,” declared Sword to the prince and turned in my direction. “……With that decided, Indra, could you settle down? Could stop involvin’ His Highness the Prince, or plan to kill people by makin’ ’em pick a fight with you through your agitation skill?”

Somehow I’m being told something terrible here?

“……Ugh, but even the prince can’t accept this, can he? Very well, let us have a duel with that much of a handicap. I’ll use a kitchen knife while you’ll come at me with a masterpiece of a sharp sword. Like this you won’t mind us fighting, will you? …Gyaaaa!”

An iron claw!!

“Just what are you suggestin’ after I’ve brought everythin’ so neatly to a close!?”

“T-The prince doesn’t agree!”

“…No, I’ll obey Instructor Sword. ――But, this was only the sword part!! Next we’re going to have a match with magic!”

“Oof, and here he came up with somethin’ where he got even less of a chance for winnin’,” Sword mumbled under his breath.