CH 41

Cain was standing in front of the knights’ training grounds in the royal castle with a pouting look on his face.

He had ridden in the same carriage as his father, who was also on his way to the Ministry of Justice in the castle and had been dropped off on the way. Today, he was going to learn swordsmanship here.

When I told my father that I was learning sword fighting from Arnoldia and Sarasinia in my spare time, he asked me if I wanted to take up sword fighting for real. I nodded my head in agreement and was thrown into the training of the Kingsguard. How did it come to this?

“You must be Cain Ergrandark? I’ve been waiting for you. This way, please.”

A knight came running from inside the training ground and bowed to Cain.

One of the knights came running from the training ground and bowed to Cain. He bowed politely to Cain, who was a child, calling him by his name.

“I am here to ask for your guidance. Please, call me Cain. Honorifics are fine,” Cain said.

I looked up at him and he said, “Really? that’ll be nice” with a light tone.

This was easier for Cain, too. After all, he’s a child.

“Thank you for your time today.”

When I bowed, the knight replied that it was my pleasure and walked on.

On the way, he told me that this was the daily training ground for the knights of the Kingsguard. I’m not sure what to make of that.

And so, when I came to the plaza that would be the main training venue, I saw something familiar in my field of vision.

When I saw the familiar thing running toward me, waving its hand, I understood my father’s intentions.

“Cain! I’ve been looking forward to training with you!”

The crown prince Arundilano came running up to me with a big smile on his face with his golden hair floating fluffily.

I see! So you were trying to get me to have a connection with the crown prince! Adults are so dirty!

“It’s an honor to be in the company of the Crown Prince.”

This was the result of the teachings of Professor Cyrus, the tutor in charge of manners. Cain applauded himself for being able to greet with a smiling face, even if his heart was in turmoil. 

Even for the knights, the training was surprisingly simple, starting with running.

Cain, who had been running about 10 kilometers every morning and evening as part of his daily routine, was able to keep up without difficulty, but Arundilano was unable to.

The knights didn’t want the crown prince to overexert himself, so they let Arundilano rest under the shade of a tree, saying, ‘It’s his first day’.

After that, the knights swung with imitation swords with ought blades. Cain and Arundilano were given wooden swords of the right size for their physiques, and they repeatedly lifted them above their heads and swung them down. 

Cain remembered a little bit of kendo he had learned in school in his previous life, but the culture of stepping and striking didn’t seem to exist here.

As for swinging, Arundilano whined that he couldn’t lift his hand anymore after about five minutes and went back to resting in the shade.

“Oh Cain. Have you learned to use a sword from someone?”

“The knights guarding my house give me a lesson sometimes.”[Read this novel and other amazing translated novels from the original source at the “Novel Multiverse dot com” website @ novelmultiverse.com]

When the knights began to engage in actual combat, the knight who had picked Cain up at the entrance decided to teach Cain and Arundilano some basic types.

There, the knight who had been watching Cain swing the wooden sword noticed that he had a peculiar way of handling the sword.

“Ah, the Duke of Ergrandark was a frontier count of Nergrandi. Then that knight is also a knight of Nergrandi, isn’t it?” the knight said.

“Yes. We borrow men from the knights of the territory to guard our place,” I said.

“In addition to guarding the borders of the country, it is also known that exterminating vermin such as bears and boars and defeating demons are part of their job.”

Will they make fun of me for my country’s swordsmanship? thought Cain, being a little alarmed at the words that followed. The knight laughed at Cain’s slightly stiffened attention and waved his hand to the side and continued,

“No, no. Those who fight in close quarters do the ‘next best move’. They don’t simply swing down, lift up, and swing down again. Instead of that, they swing down, they use the momentum to sidestep backward and bring the sword back up over their heads… something like that. The basic type is designed to connect with the basic type…”

“Yes,” I answered.

“In contrast, the main job of the knights of the Kings guard is to protect dignitaries, and the main job of the knights is to maintain the security of the city, so they are designed for urban combat. Therefore, the model is compact and linear. It doesn’t mean that one is better or superior than the other.”

“I see. So not all swordsmanship is the same, is it?”

“Yes, yes. I just asked you because I saw such a characteristic in Cain’s swordsmanship.”

It was not a necessity to correct them, but the urban style is less peculiar and more standard, so when training with the King’s Guard, I decided to go with the ways of the kings’ guard.

After a while of trying to be aware of the form, I was told to swing the wooden sword at the mock sword held by the knight.

I swung my wooden sword at the knight, who kept changing his stance from right to left.

When my arm was getting numb, he called for a halt.

“This morning’s drill is over! Each of you will report to your duty stations after lunch!”

“yes sir!”

As expected of the glorious Knights of the Kingsguard. The replies to the orders were so precise that Cain couldn’t help but salute along with them.

“Well, Cain. The next time you come here, you can come to this square and tell them my name. Your Majesty has already spoken to me, so you are welcome to join us for training at any time.”

The knight who had been accompanying me through the training said this to me, smiling and patting my head roughly.

“I didn’t get your name. What should I call you?” Cain said.

“Oh, I’m Fabian Velfadia, vice commander of the Kings guard. It’s hard to say ‘Velfadia’, isn’t it? You can call me vice commander Fabian!” Fabian said.

“Vice commander Fabian. I’m honored to be taught the sword by the vice commander.”

(Wasn’t the vice commander of the King’s guard, Velfadia, the father of Chris Velfadia, the apprentice knight who was the target of the Holy Paladin route!)

Cain bowed politely, but inwardly he was agitated.