CHAPTER 295: THE UNFAMILIAR BLADE

There’s nothing to do in the winter anyway, and the war has ended in victory. Plus, Carl has given up ownership of his lands and has no territory of his own to rule over, so there’s really nothing left to do.

It would be better for everyone if Carl went out to do something trivial like this, rather than engaging in politics at the Imperial Palace in Himmeln or making suspicious moves in the snow-stricken eastern part of the Empire.

He reassures the central political nobles by meeting Balos in Himmeln, saying hello, reporting on the necromancy, and then taking a quick trip north.

They should be told not to make any improvements. They should just pass it by without any hesitation.

"If Your Majesty permits, of course!"

Curtis answers with a big smile.

Although he was appointed a knight in his mid-20s, his mind is like that of a child. You can see right through him. A country bumpkin knight with a short temper, who gets excited easily, has trouble hiding his emotions, and makes a series of mistakes.

There is nothing more useful than a naive guy like this.

Carl says with a smile.

"I’ll stop by Himmeln later and then head north. Come with me then."

"Yes, Your Majesty! Thank you!"

Curtis smiled brightly, nodded, and spread his arms wide, making a strong case that he was a Southerner.

After Curtis leaves, repeatedly expressing his gratitude to an almost burdensome degree, Billford speaks in a trembling voice.

"Very... well... it’s a bit like that."

"...Not all Southerners are like that."

Catherine also speaks in a trembling tone.

She is also a royal knight and has met many Southerners, but she has never met anyone like him.

"I’m worried that I might be talking nonsense, but wouldn’t it be better to be careful?"

Catherine speaks carefully.

Those kinds of people always end up causing trouble after talking nonsense.

"Okay. Let him be. What can he say if he keeps talking?"

Carl brushed it off as if it were no big deal.

In reality, what Curtis knows about Carl right now is very superficial, and there is no way that his speaking out will harm Carl.

Rather, it’s not a bad thing since it will only strengthen Carl’s cause.

"Yes, I understand."

Catherine said no more. But after reading the hidden meaning in Carl’s words—’I’ll leave you alone now, but I won’t later’—she decided to keep an eye on Curtis.

"Now that my physical strength has recovered, I will continue training."

Billford was really annoyed when he heard that and became Carl without knowing the hidden meaning. And then he took up his stance again to continue the assault called Dalian.

Carl is working hard, but Billford is working really hard too. He is desperate to reach the level of a Master as soon as possible and become a help to Carl.

"Phew..."

Carl exhales slowly and puts on his hat and helmet. And he draws his sword in both hands, feeling the bitter taste of ’real training’ that was not shown to Curtis.

Catherine also points her sword at Billford’s side. Carl’s skills are improving by leaps and bounds, but Catherine is a knight who reached her peak long ago, and Billford is a true genius who is superior to Carl in martial arts.

Even if Carl gives it his all, he can’t beat them one-on-one. But wouldn’t it be a waste to only use the dual swordsmanship in 1-on-1 duels?

And growth requires greater trials.

’Just do it enough so that you don’t die.’

Carl followed the path he had taken so far and faced Catherine and Billford, who attacked from both sides.

After a while, Carl fell asleep on the training ground floor and was barely able to get up on his own and go back to his room. Because if he didn’t do that, he wouldn’t be able to move because of the concussion and exhaustion.

Even though he had told her to do it, when Billford repeatedly struck Catherine’s head and tackled her to the ground with both of her arms tied, Carl wondered to himself, ’Is this right?’

But Carl’s skills were definitely improving, and he was able to deal with a wider variety of situations, so it couldn’t be wrong.

Although Carl was a man of great talent, he also had clear limitations. He would often imitate a pose he had seen once, causing both Catherine and Billford to exclaim in admiration.

However, he showed a somewhat weak side when it came to dealing with situations he had never experienced before during battle. Just like when he first learned swordsmanship, he tried to fight against situations he didn’t know using only what he knew.

It’s a stark contrast to Catherine, who has exceptional talent as a knight, or Billford, who seems born for combat, who respond appropriately to situations they encounter for the first time.

This is also why Carl always loses to both of them.

Catherine and Billford, who taught Carl, have a clear idea of his level. So, they can easily create an ’unfamiliar’ situation for Carl, and use that to take advantage of his weakness and seize the opportunity to win in one breath.

To compensate for this extremely dangerous weakness, Carl was training with Catherine, who seemed to have developed the essence of battle, and Billford, who always showed irregular movements with his abundant talent, to the point of not dying.

Now, Catherine is starting to run out of money, and Billford is racking his brain trying to corner Carl. Ultimately, there are limits to what the human body and weapons can do. No matter how hard you squeeze, you’ll eventually hit rock bottom.

Normally, it would be impossible to remember and embody that many things, but Carl actually trained in martial arts that way. Since he’s so smart, he just remembers everything.

There, mana is also increasing like waves crashing down. It’s been two years since Carl took up the sword. It has become possible to receive the Master’s sword.

No one knew yet how far Carl would reach in the end.