CH 111

111 - The Old Man From The Countryside Teaches

“Mm, Master. What’s the matter?” Thyssel asked.

She responds to my interrupting her like usual.

No, no, aren’t you wondering why? I’m the one surprised here. I indeed had the impression that she was giving repetition exercises like back in the dojo, but 1,000 repetitions were overkill.

“… I think it’s a little too much to ask for a thousand swings outright, you know?” I asked.

However, I’m a little hesitant to shoot down her teaching methods outright. So, I tried to tell her as gently as I could that I thought it was a problem.

“If you do it 1 per sec, it will take 1,000 seconds,” Thyssel said. “It will take less than 20 minutes.”

“No, no, no, no,” I said.

What kind of meathead theory is that? This old man doesn’t remember teaching anything like that.

I feel that I’m somewhat convinced that Lucy described her teaching as “dog shit.”

Even though it’s sword magic, it’s a magic class, so I was wondering that somehow, they’d be teaching you to activate spells, gather your mana and harness its energy, and so on, and so forth.

However, listening to the current instructions, I couldn’t find a single word about magic. What she’s trying to do is similar to a swordsmanship dojo. And a very Spartan one, at that.

Moreover, the students are younger than Thyssel, at most about the same age as her. This is obvious, but if your student is a fully-developed adult, it may have been okay to ask them for their 100%, but as you’d imagine, 1,000 swings are too heavy a burden on the young, undeveloped body.

“I did that,” Thyssel said.

“Maybe you could do it…” I said.

Thyssel was not joking. I’ll admit that. However, it would be impossible for everyone to do it uniformly. Even though our students are only 5.

“I’ll be fine!” the young girl who greeted us cheerfully said. “I’ll swing 1,000 or 2,000 times!”

She said it with the same energy as before.

Yeah, I think that energy is honestly amazing. However, I think you will be stronger if you think about how to better harness all that energy.

“I admire your motivation, but just swinging it isn’t enough, right?” I said.

It’s implicitly telling them they won’t improve just like this.

For certain, repetitive swinging exercises are important. I did it myself at my dojo. However, just doing that means your swordsmanship will not improve.

“Mmmnnn…! But it’s tough, isn’t it…?!” the girl said, putting a hand to her head.

“Hahaha, but that energy is good,” I said.

This feels nostalgic, this kind of spirit is the only thing you could find at our dojo! There were many children like her. Generally, such a child is quite patient, so I felt good about teaching them.

Well, this kid isn’t just energetic, she’s also got magical aptitude. That is why she’s here at this Magician’s Academy.

“Umm,” went the boy who looked at me doubtfully.

“Hmm?” I asked.

Again, he has an aura. And if you look closely, he’s got very intelligent eyes. If that’s the case, I wish I had spoken sooner about Thyssel’s practice hell.

“Umm… then, what do have you in mind, Mr. Beryl…?”

“Hmm, that’s right…”

What does he mean by that, what kind of teaching method do I intend to use?

Well, so long as I’ve been running my mouth so far, it’s possible that I won’t look trustworthy unless I come up with an alternative. I don’t want to just be a chronic naysayer.

“First of all, I have to see how each of you handle a sword,” I said. “Oh, and if you could, it would be helpful if you could each introduce yourselves.”

Before going any further, I’d at least like to put names on the faces of the children talking to me.

There were no particular negative feelings from Thyssel, who I’ve taken the role of professor from. I could say I’m grateful about that, but you could say I needed to teach her about teaching.

“Right!” the cheerful girl said first. “I’m Cindy LaButte! I’m 15 years old!”

""

“I am Lumitte Baphan. My father is a Viscount,” the kid with the noble aura said.

“… I am Feledora Enek.”

“Nazia Gand. Anything’s fine, but hurry it up. We’re wasting time here.”

Now, the two who were silently watching the exchange spoke up and introduced themselves.

“… Miu Freyja.”

And finally, Miu spoke up hesitantly.

“Mm, thank you, everyone,” I said. “Again, my name is Beryl Gardenant.”

Alright, now I’ve matched everyone’s names to their faces. But it turns out I was right, Lumitte was an aristocrat? His aura is overflowing, he looks so elegant.

There’s another question entirely as to why a viscount’s son is in the Sword Magic Department, which I’m sorry to say will probably stay an unpopular, niche field.

So, the latter two would be Feledora and Nazia? In terms of age, I think neither of them is an adult yet. Cindy introduced herself as 15, but it seems like most of them are around that age.

Perhaps Lumitte is the most senior student here and the coordinator in the class.

“Alright, first let’s start with 5 repetitions,” I said. “I want to see everyone’s style 5 times.”

I had to know the situation as it stood before teaching them, let’s have them show me.

However, if you suddenly tell them to do it 1,000 times, I think it’s too tough. Perhaps Thyssel has been running them ragged.

With all this, I can understand now why she said “there’s 5 of us now.” In short, there were more at first but they eventually started dropping out after getting tired of pretending to keep up with Thyssel’s teaching.

“Alright!” Cindy yells. “Then, I’ll start! Hiyah!”

And just like that, Cindy is already swinging her wooden sword.

Yes, she’s very energetic and eager. However, it’s hard to say that her swordsmanship is just as good. Her center of gravity moves with every swing, and her sides are not tightened.

“Cindy,” I said, “can I touch your body a bit?”

“Yes! Go ahead!” Cindy said.

In a case like this, it’d be easier to correct them by touching and moving their body than by instructing them to. As with any field, only a limited number of kids are talented enough to get everything just like that. At my dojo, that would have been Alexia.

“You should spread your legs out a bit more… this is so when you swing, your center of gravity doesn’t move as much,” I said as I got behind Cindy and adjusted her posture. “And when you swing, tighten your sides like this… yeah, just like that.”

“Ooh!” Cindy said. “I see!”

Then, she tried swinging again.

Yeah, I think it’s a little better than before. After all, the best swings are the ones done with correct form.

“Mr. Beryl,” Lumitte said, “I’d like to be next, please.”

“Oh, sure,” I said. “Start swinging.”

Next, it’s Lumitte’s turn.

Mm, it feels like he’s got better form than Cindy.

“Your elbows are stretched more than you need to,” I said. “You don’t have to swing it all the way down. Do you feel your elbows bouncing around your eye level? Be wary of that.”

“Understood…. more like this, then?” Lumitte said.

“Yes, yes, that’s good, that’s good,” I said.

With a serious look, Lumitte repeats his swings. I’m glad to see he’s taking to my suggestions, above all else.

However, it seems that few people want to be the ignorant one or put their pride on the line by admitting a mistake, even if he was the son of an aristocrat. Well, this is the first time I’ve met a nobleman, though. I hope everyone is like this.

“… I would like to ask for your help, too,” Feledora said.

“Me too, let me show you what I got, Mr. Beryl,” Nazia said.

“Alright, let’s go,” I said.

And now these two are coming in, too.

Somehow, I remember my days at the dojo, I’m getting more excited about this. Now, let’s do it.

“Fufu,” Thyssel chuckled. “You’re doing amazing after all, Master.”

She seemed satisfied for some reason.

But for her future, I’m hoping things don’t stay as they are.

“Thyssel,” I said. “You also have to think about how you’re supposed to teach swordsmanship.”

“… Uh,” Thyssel gasped, her expression the same, but her aura a little sullen.

Well, even if you think about temperament or personality, it is certain that teaching doesn’t seem to be suitable for Thyssel. However, it isn’t as if we had much of a choice.

Having been told to be the lecturer for the Sword Magic Department, she was to work even harder than before, and she does have her responsibilities towards her students attending her classes.

In light of all that, this may be why I was called here. It feels like a bit of a heavy burden, having to properly guide these students and promote Thyssel’s growth as an instructor.

Besides, I can teach them how to swing a sword but I can’t do a thing when it comes to sword magic. It’s a problem if you’d leave everything to me but it seems I’m the right person at the right place and time. I just hope that she’ll be able to teach magic when the time comes.

“… Hmph.”

Miu was also swinging her sword while all this was going on.

Unlike the other students, her biggest problem is that she is too poorly developed. I think it’s a tragedy that her standard of living so far was too awful. Her heart is filled with a certain sense of determination that she must continue to be able to eat her fill with delicious food.

“Miu, your body is shaking. Don’t try to swing with just your arms,” I said.

“…… I got it,” she said.

Now that I’m teaching Miu, I get to spend time with her at the Magician’s Academy.

It’s similar to what I was doing back at the dojo, but the place and the faces are new. They’re listening to me obediently and for now, that’s not a bad start.

T/N: Lumitte and Nazia are male. Cindy and Feledora are female.

It’s not clear because of translation conventions, but Lumitte and Feledora both speak incredibly formal, “noble’s” Japanese. For example, Feledora refers to herself as “Watakushi” rather than the usual “Watashi”, and always formally ends her sentences with “desu wa” or “masu wa,” a noble lady’s flair.

Nazia, by contrast, speaks incredibly confidently and without grace, oftentimes using casual language and shortcuts. Think of him as an American jock.