Alexander didn't know if he could polish his thrust stance, but he decided to copy Billy and see what happens. The training was training, and there was no such a thing as useless effort, after all.
The day ended rather quickly, and as usual, Billy had dinner with his family, and then he left to train again. He found Alexander and Natalie waiting for him. He had thought that she would come a few days later and in the middle of their training, but even though she was trying to hide it, it was clear that she was a bit flustered.
"What?" Natalie asked.
"I am just surprised you came so soon…" Billy said.
"Should we call Lily?" Alexander asked. "She will feel left out if she hears about this."
"I doubt that her father will let her come at night… you should ask him then," Billy said.
"Are you crazy? Of course I can't go alone…" Alexander said while imagining some terrifying reaction from Leo. "We have to go together."
That probably would solve the issue, but Lily didn't need much training in the group. She just needed some diligence… Perhaps seeing her friends' training will help her with that. Besides, it wasn't dangerous for kids to walk across the town at night. It was just uncommon since they had to work during the day.
"In any case, go continue your archery training to impress Lily, I will see if Natalie has improved in the last two years," Billy said.
"I am not training to impress her!" Alexander said.
"Whatever you say," Billy shrugged.
"I thought that you would have fixed that attitude of yours toward those who are older, but you are still the same, huh," Natalie said and then grabbed her old training sword.
Billy already had gotten used to the weight of his new weapon, so he frowned since the training one seemed too light. In any case, he assumed his defensive stance as usual and waited for the attack. As one would expect, Natalie didn't fix her wild tendencies to attack first, but at least she didn't give many rooms for the counterattack. Whenever Billy moved his spear in a strange way, she would take a step backward and take a deep breath.
Aside from that, Natalie had grown physically quite a lot, to the point where her training sword looked like a short one. Her strength increased to the point where she could wield the heavy stone sword even faster than before with a single hand. However, Billy could see her attacks thanks to his training with Light Spear. Regardless, after a few minutes of sparring, Billy had a good idea of Natalie's current level.
"As expected, you are lacking experience… your current speed with that sword should drop by around thirty percent, perhaps fifty percent if you wield it with a single hand," Billy said. "Attacking with a single sword and leaving the other free doesn't seem like a good idea, so why don't you switch to a dual wielding style. That will cover your bases and you will have the chance to attack and defend at the same time while you train with both swords."
Natalie got lost when Billy began to talk about percentages. Nevertheless, he explained things in a simple manner afterward. Natalie didn't know what to think about dual wielding. The weapons her people used were like cutlasses, thick, but short and no one used two. Leaving one hand free could give her some extra speed, but dodging was a waste of time and momentum considering her aggressive fighting style, but blocking and using her high strength to counterattack could give her some serious advantages.
"I don't have much money at the moment, but I will save some from now on," Natalie said. "I spent too much of my salary last month with snacks."
Billy frowned when he heard that. It didn't seem like Natalie was a glutton. Or maybe she had to eat a lot because she was in her growing phase. She was pretty tall for a girl, after all.
In any case, after sparring a few more times, Billy told Natalie that training method that he and Alexander were using. It was a bit tough, and it would take a while to show great results, but it would be pretty good on her hands since she was almost completely self-taught.
After two hours of training, the group dispersed, and Billy decided to help with his siblings to make them spend their extra energy before going to bed.
"Who was that girl, Billy?" Camilla asked.
"One of the light seekers," Billy replied while he was carrying Samara on his back while mimicking a horse.
"Is she a close friend?" Camilla said, visibly too interested in the subject.
"... Kind of," Billy said after a long sigh.
"I suppose it is unavoidable… kids of several tribes will get together over the next few years," Anna said.
Billy wished that his relatives didn't talk about such a thing like he wasn't there. The fact that they were considering that while thinking of a ten years old boy made things even more uncomfortable for him. Besides, Billy wasn't interested in kids… considering that the people in that world lived more than usual, she had a good opportunity to find the perfect milf. He didn't have much luck with them in his last life, but perhaps in this one… still, it will take a while before he has the chance to do so or for some of them to take notice of him.
"Well, for the time being, let's focus on getting stronger and not get ahead of myself," Billy thought.