CH 124

“Oh, you’re getting better, aren’t you?” I said.

“That’s right! That’s right! Toriyah!” Cindy cried.

It was a week after I had an unexpected lunch with Ms. Quinella and heard from Ibroix about the situation in Supheniardvania at the church.

I was supervising my once-a-week class with the Sword Magic Department, something I’ve become quite familiar with, and was just watching everyone’s sword skills as usual.

Starting with Cindy, I notice that everyone’s movements are getting better.

Of course, it’s not like they suddenly got better today. The same goes for swordsmanship, but martial arts and combat sense don’t suddenly improve. Everything is because of the daily accumulation of their efforts.

However, no matter what route you take, there is also a time when you can see a clear difference between points. As far as I can see, that was what today’s class was going to be about.

“I guess you’re getting the hang of it,” I said. “That’s good.”

Cindy giggled in response.

This is a genuine compliment, and that was a genuine response.

Somehow, her personality reminds me of Kuruni. I think that there are quite a few similarities, such as the inherent cheerfulness and inexhaustible physical strength.

“… Shyu…!”

“Hah…! Hah…!”

“The two of you have gotten more stable two, huh?” I said. “It feels good.”

I took my eyes off Cindy for a while and focused on the other kids’ swordsmanship.

Yeah, both Lumitte and Nazia are getting into good shape. It seems that Lumitte originally learned a little bit of swordsmanship at home, and Nazia’s body has the most excellent condition in the group. Both of them have their foundations and innate qualities, so if they receive proper guidance, they can improve fairly quickly.

“…… Fuhn,” Miu huffed.

“You’re getting better too, Miu. Keep it up,” I said.

“… Fuhn…” Miu huffed again.

As usual, it’s not so straightforward with her, but her swordsmanship is rather straightforward.

Contrary to her personality, Miu has no peculiarities when it comes to swordsmanship. Since she never used a sword originally, I think she obediently absorbed the teachings from me and Thyssel.

“Yoh! … Hoh!”

“Oh, nice,” said. “Your center of balance is more stable.”

“… Fuh, I’ll make sure, to show you, at least this much…! Zeh…!” Feledora huffed.

Similarly, Feledora is shaping up, albeit clumsily so.

But she still has no stamina. It’s hard to say anything at this point because it’s important to spend plenty of time honing the basics, but it seems that I have no choice but to continue working hard from here.

Both of them have no foundation. It’s the same as pure white cloth.

That’s why it’s easy for them to get stained. Although it is still unknown how many talents are sleeping beneath them, the five students I’m teaching are reasonably good enough that I have faint hope and interest in seeing how they fare from now on.

“This is all thanks to you, Master Beryl,” Thyssel said as she listened in on us from the side.

“Not all of it,” I said. “There’s also their efforts and, of course, your efforts as well, Thyssel.”

“Bui,” Thyssel went.

I don’t need so much praise, but I can’t deny everything. While receiving it moderately, I will also remind them that it is not just my power.

I have some talent for teaching swordsmanship. Objectively, I think it’s probably true.

However, no matter how good the teaching side is, if the student does not have the minimum requirements, there will be no results. In that respect, it can be said that these 5 people had at least the minimum aptitude for swordsmanship.

Furthermore, I didn’t teach them how to use the sword from scratch. Lumitte seems to have learned it at home, so even if he’s a bit of an exception, the other 4 should have had Thyssel as their first teacher.

So, their growth is also a credit to Thyssel.

“If you practice repeatedly at this rate, I don’t think you’ll have any problems with the basics. I wonder what you’ll do after this, Professor Thyssel?” I said.

“Nn… in addition to swinging exercises, I’m going to do work on magic transmutation in parallel,” Thyssel said.

“Hmm,” I went.

I can’t agree with her there, and that’s the downside of not being able to use magic myself. Even if it’s called magic transmutation, I don’t understand it at all.

If this proceeds as Thyssel projects, this is probably where sword magic really comes into its own. The real pleasure of this school of magic is that not only can you swing your sword, but also put magical power in your sword to empower your swings.

“My grades in basic spellcasting have also been getting better lately,” Nazia said. “It’s all thanks to you, Mr. Beryl.”

“Ah, it’s the same for me,” Lumitte said. “I feel like my concentration is different than it was before.”

“Hahaha, that’s good to hear,” I said. “Thank you.”

The two of them take a break from their swinging and talk a little about their magic.

Apparently, this lecture had a positive effect on their growth. I would be very happy if that was the case. I don’t know anything about magic, but swordsmanship and magic should be equivalent in the process of mastering their path.

On top of that, I wonder if their attitude and mental state can be applied to some extent.

“Besides, these days, we aren’t told unreasonable things like swinging our swords 1000 times,” Nazia said.

“Hou?” I asked.

“Muh,” Thyssel choked.

Nazia’s words sparked a little interest in me.

Thyssel is kind of miffed… or rather, is she a little embarrassed? Things like this make me think she’s still quite young, for some reason.

“Zeh… haah…” Feledora huffed. “Recently, I’ve been learning how to add my magic to my sword attacks. It’s a rather difficult subject, however…”

“Ooh, is that right?” I said.

Well, they could use magic while I’m here, but by that point, I’ll just be good as a decoration. Thyssel’s projection seems appropriate.

Twice weekly there are sword magic lectures.

While I’m here, I’ll focus on swordsmanship movements and strength building, and when I’m not around—when Thyssel will be teaching as before, instead of making them swing their swords wildly, they’ll use sword magic because that is what they came here for, isn’t it?

Some might say, “Well why didn’t you just do that from the beginning?” but this is not something that would have been easy to predict.

Because Thyssel herself is both a swordsman and a mage and sword magic fuses those two disciplines. I don’t think she really knew how to teach the resulting school of magic.

After having had time to rethink her strategy, she decided to follow how she had learned… in other words, she wanted to teach magic after her students learned swordsmanship first. However much Thyssel was a graduate of my dojo, this should be her first time being the teacher than the student.

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That’s why she probably came to the conclusion that she should let them do practice swings for now. When I look back on it, it’s not surprising that Lucy said, “She’s a shit teacher.” Thyssel is a master of magic, but she is not a master of the sword.

Well, honestly, it would be a lie if I said that there were no problems with Thyssel’s teaching method. That’s why I wanted to see the situation and speak up about it.

However, during this short period of time, Thyssel seems to have come up with her own way of teaching and the order of her lessons. It’s honestly a pleasure to watch.

The swordsmanship lessons are mine, the magic lessons are Thyssel’s.

And most importantly, the way to teach swordsmanship is to steal from my method.

“It’s not difficult,” Thyssel said. “If I can do it, everyone can do it.”

“I wonder if it’s a bit difficult for them, though…” I said.

“You can say that because you’re a genius, Professor Thyssel…” Feledora said.

Thyssel is unquestionably so talented she can be called a genius, but she is a practical and intuitive person.

In a context like this, it may still be a little difficult to teach her methods to her students. Theoretical knowledge is important in swordsmanship, but in magic, it is even more important.

“But it’s important to have a single core in terms of attitude… I think,” Thyssel said.

“That’s right. It’s exactly as you say, Thyssel,” I said.

The will to carry on. An unbreakable heart. Goals you are set on reaching. Longing for success.

Apart from those, the subject can be anything, but something that supports that kind of mentality is quite important. Even I have been able to keep swinging the sword since I was a child until now because I had a familiar and lofty goal of being like my old man.

Even now, I don’t feel like I’m catching up to that goal. I think that guy is seriously too strong.

Well, I don’t mind talking about myself. What is important now is that Thyssel is thinking and growing as a teacher.

Even if I can feel that growth, it’s worth going to the sword magic department as a temporary lecturer.

“It might be some time to put in some striking and slashing drills,” I said.

“What do you mean?” Thyssel asked.

“The point is live simulations…” I said. “To swing a sword in front of another. I’m sure they’re getting tired of just running around and swinging their swords by themselves, don’t you?”

I think there are various applications for the schools of magic, but at least sword magic is primarily for combat.

If they were just trying to show off, it might be fine, but these 5 probably don’t want to stop there. As I said, no matter how ambitious you are, you will definitely get bored if you just repeat the same thing all the time.

It would be nice if we had wooden dummies like the Knights’ HQ, but I can’t bring those supplies to the Magician’s Academy.

“That sounds good to me,” Nazia said. “I’m suddenly really excited for it.”

He is the most belligerent among the five, or rather, he has a warrior-like quality to him.

Of course, if you let them do whatever they want from the beginning, it could lead to injury and odd habits, so it’s better to repeat drills until they’re set in stone. Still, it should be much more stimulating than just swinging your sword down into empty air.

“Understood,” Thyssel said. “I’m going to beat everyone to a pulp.”

“Let’s not do that,” I said.

“… Uu,” Thyssel went.

I think it’s good to show her strength as their teacher, but let’s not beat them up.

However, this is not only a proposal for these students, but also for Thyssel. She’s kind of absent-minded, and she’s not particularly belligerent, but she’s a rather stubborn person in her heart.

It must have been frustrating, both physically and mentally, to be the only one to supervise her students as they trained. I’m fine because I move my body at the Knight’s training ground almost every day. If I belong to the Magic Division, I don’t think I’d feel the same.

“From next week onward, I’ll gradually teach you how to do that, okay?” I said.

“Mm,” Thyssel went.

After reconfirming the direction of lessons, for the time being, I wonder if it will be over for today.

I’ve taught several times, but the lectures at the Magician’s Academy are about an hour long. The bell rings consistently, which makes it easy for the teachers to plan around it.

“Oh.”

And just as I was thinking that the bell rang, signaling the end of the lecture.

I’m just curious, where is this sound coming from? As far as I can see, I don’t see anything like a big bell or device, but I wonder if this is also something magical.

“Thank you again for today,” Thyssel said.

“Yeah, good job today,” I said.

“Thank you very much for today!” everyone said, starting from Lumitte.

Yeah, yeah, this kind of thing is plain, but it’s important. Courtesy is necessary with all things. Especially since they’re not here to kill each other.

“Ah, that’s right, Mr. Beryl, can I have a moment of your time?” Lumitte said.

“Hmm?”

Now then, today’s business is over, and I was thinking about taking a walk on my way back home. Then, Lumitte called out to me.

I wonder what for? I wonder if it’s a question about swordsmanship. He is diligent in a different direction than Nazia and others. In terms of temperament, if anything, he would be more suitable for a mage than a swordsman.

“This weekend, do you have free time?” Lumitte asked.

“? Well, I could if I wanted to… why are you asking?” I asked.

It wasn’t a question about swordsmanship, but my schedule.

I really do have to wonder. The only thing I have to do is to train at the Knight’s HQ, so if I know the time in advance, I think I can be available if I tell Alexia

At my reply, Lumitte lowered his voice a bit and continued, “It’s Cindy’s birthday. We’re having a little bit of a celebration and were wondering if you would like to join us, Mr. Beryl?”

“Oh, that would be nice,” I said.

So it’s a birthday, is it?

This Old Man is already 45, so I don’t have a lot of feelings about the days when I get older, but when it comes to my students, this is an important event, even for me.

“But, I wonder if it’ll be fine for me to attend?” I asked.

“Yes, by all means, please do,” Lumitte said.

I still question if it’s alright for an old man like me to be hanging out with such young people.

But it seems that Lumitte was all for it.

No, well, you could say that I would have been invited already, but even so, there is a not-insignificant age difference of about 30 years. I would like to think that it is not unreasonable to be a little reserved about joining in.

“…By the way, does it feel like Miu is going, too?” I asked.

“… It would be bad if she refused, wouldn’t it…?” Lumitte said.

“Hahaha, right,” I said.

It seems she’s not being left out. I’m happy to see her circle of friends is expanding, albeit clumsily and with the initiative of others around her, though this Old Man is still happy about that.

“Well then, if you’re inviting me personally, I’ll be happy to come.”

“Yes! I think she will be happy, too,” Lumitte said.

Hmm, if that’s the case, it would be better to think about some kind of present.

There is no way an elderly man who was invited as a guest should go to the birthday girl empty-handed.

That said, I can’t think of anything that would make a girl of her age, especially a student of mine, happy. I don’t think it’s a good idea to hand over something that’s too expensive or valuable, so maybe I’ll think about it while wandering around here in the North District.

“I heard that they are planning to do it in the dormitory cafeteria in the evening,” Thyssel said. “I will guide you.”

“Yeah, please do,” I said.

It’s obvious, but it seems that Thyssel is also invited. Well, even if you invite me and not invite Thyssel, I don’t understand why you would.

For the time being, on the day of the event, let’s take her word and let her guide us into the dormitory cafeteria. If an Old Man like me tries to disturb the student dormitory alone in the evening, I’m afraid that if things don’t go well, I’ll be apprehended by security or something.

“Okay, then, everyone, don’t be late for the next lecture,” I said.

“Yes! Please excuse us!”

Then, the students leave in a bit of a hurry.

Hmm, youth. Focus on your studies, nurture friendships, and grow. I think I learned the bare minimum of education from my father and mother, but even so, I don’t have much of a connection to this kind of communal life.

Life at the dojo was no doubt a communal feeling, but it wasn’t like I was living with my disciples.

While feeling a little envious, I wished for Miu to grow both physically and mentally in this life.

And with that, today’s lecture does come to an end.