While the summer sun is blazing down on me, Sylvio-niisan and I are standing side-by-side in the courtyard, swinging our wooden swords.
Nord-tousan is showing us how to swing the sword, and we repeatedly copy the posture that he taught us. www.ihavesinnedtranslation.com
Though I know about the importance of practice-swinging, it's the kind of practice that is so compact.
I wonder if it's impossible to ask to practice at the entrance of the mansion, where it's cooler than the courtyard? It's wide over there, and we can also swing our sword in that place. The risk of getting heatstroke is also low, so it's probably much better to do it there rather than in the sweltering hot courtyard, right?
「Al, your sword swing is getting disordered. Tighten your side more, then swing your sword」
「Yes」
I guess it was because I thought something sordid. My swing became messy.
I need to get rid of such thoughts for now, then I tighten my side and swing my sword as told.
After swinging like that a few times, I felt my move becoming more stable.
But, I wonder why. I feel that the sharpness is worse than before.
I guess this is also the result of me slacking off in practice for a long time, huh.
As I was thinking something like that, I heard the sharp sound of being swung from beside me.
Glancing to that place, it was Sylvio-niisan swinging his wooden sword.
Despite having the same posture as me, the sharpness of his wooden sword is quite different from mine.
Sylvio-niisan's form of swinging his sword is more natural and there's less waste in his movements.
It's as if his sword is cutting through the air like *suu*.
I knew it, Sylvio-niisan is getting better in swordsmanship. He became skillful since the last time I saw him.
As a younger brother, I'm truly happy with my older brother's growth but, as a close ally who is in the alliance of people who are not good with swordsmanship, I feel sad.
If Sylvio-niisan's swordsmanship level advances, won't the level of our training also advance?
I just thought that it would be nice to spar casually with Sylvio-niisan.
When I'm swinging my sword while thinking about such a thing, Nord-tousan clapped again.
「Yosh, the practice-swinging is over. Let's have the both of you spar with each other」
It seems like it's going to be a one-on-one spar with Sylvio-niisan next.
Though as far as our stamina and ability in swordsmanship are concerned, I don't feel like I could win..... www.ihavesinnedtranslation.com
Even so, I'll do just what I can. Let's challenge Sylvio-niisan this time with the assumption that I'm going to be taught a great lesson from someone with much higher skill than me.
Sylvio-niisan and I took a distance from each other and face each other just like usual.
Normally, Sylvio-niisan will have a gentle expression on his face, but it's different when in practice.
His eyebrows and mouth are tightened, and his expression is more dignified than usual.
「Al, are you ready?」
「Un, I'm ready」
On the other hand, my expression is loose, and people always asked me such questions.
Though I was planning to make my expression look tense, it seems that it makes me look really absent-minded.
In the beginning, even Eleonora-neesan was angry after looking at me and said 「Do you have the motivation to do this?」
But it looks like they're all now used to it now and don't seem to care but, maybe it's because Sylvio-niisan is a kind person that he always asked me while being worried about me.
Such gentleness is something to be happy and sad about.
「Now then, begin!」
Then Nord-tousan clapped his hands and sent out the signal to begin.
「「......」」
But, Sylvio-niisan and I don't move as we just keep glaring at each other.
That's natural. Sylvio-niisan specialty is countering after defending.
From Sylvio-niisan's perspective, the moment I step in to attack would be the perfect chance for him.
It won't be a good thing even if I were to jump in headfirst to the opponent's area of expertise they deliberately exposed. I won't charge recklessly.
But, it's also the same for him. Sylvio-niisan is not good at starting the initiative to attack. He can bring out enough of his strength if he just keeps defending without being impatient.
Perhaps it's due to the fact that we have the same thoughts that Sylvio-niisan and I just keep on glaring at each other. www.ihavesinnedtranslation.com
Looking at us like that, Nord-tousan sighs in exasperation.
In the end, Sylvio-niisan started to attack personally, I guess he thought that it was an uncomfortable situation.
Idiot. To cast his own advantage aside.
I took a step backward to evade Sylvio-niisan's downward swing while laughing *nishishi*.
Then, aiming at Sylvio-niisan, I send out a horizontal slash at him - who missed his swing.
However, Sylvio-niisan easily defended against that.
Sylvio-niisan defended it by immediately bringing back the wooden sword that he swung downward.
A brother with fast defensive movements as usual.
While clicking my tongue, I stepped forward and start attacking him by swinging my sword downward, cutting, a downward slash from an angle in succession.
But, Sylvio-niisan carefully fended them off one by one. His defensive technique is extremely refined with no waste in movements. Such accuracy was like a machine, and there are no weak spots.
I attacked him with slow and fast attacks to break the current situation. However, the middle part of my wooden sword was struck by Sylvio-niisan from the side.
The impact of being struck by the powerful blow made my body slightly float.
This is bad. The match should have been decided here, just like when I had a tongs battle with Eric.
If it goes on like this, my wooden sword will be completely knocked back, so I don't resist the impact on my body and just like that, I greatly fall to the back using the energy of the blow.
「Ehh?」
And using my body's fall and that energy, I send out a spinning slash to the surprised Sylvio-niisan.
It seemed that the blow hit Sylvio-niisan's flank but, the impact of hitting something hard was transmitted to my hand.
When I take a closer look, Sylvio-niisan was able to guard his flank in the nick of time with his wooden sword.
Since Sylvio-niisan's posture is bad, I put my weight behind my sword and try to force it just like that.
But, Sylvio-niisan immediately pulled back and fixed his posture.
「Don't you think it's a little unfair? I don't feel like my attack will go through no matter where I try to hit」
Putting the first attack aside, it's strange for him to be able to defend against my attack until the last one. I thought the last attack will definitely be able to reach him..... I wonder if Sylvio-niisan has another arm? www.ihavesinnedtranslation.com
「Al too, I thought that I was able to defeat you with that last attack, but you were able to avoid it and even did an abnormal counter. Just where did you pick up such a move?」
「No, rather than picking up something like that, it was because I got defeated with the same pattern, you see. So I just twisted my body on the spur of the moment」
I don't want to look like Eric. My body just moved due to that thought. I never remember learning something like that.
This is troublesome. I wouldn't be able to use the same thing to avoid his attack next time.
Sylvio-niisan still has the stamina to continue, I can only see the result of me being unable to keep up with him.
Let's think about recovering my stamina for now.
Though Sylvio-niisan took a stance and attack me while I'm thinking like that.
「To think that Sylvio-niisan is attacking!?」
「That's 'cause even I also practiced in attacking!」
I guess that's true. He's an older brother who will not leave his weaknesses alone after knowing about them.
Also, if he were to loosen his attack here then my stamina will recover. For Sylvio-niisan - who still has a lot of stamina -, that would probably be wasteful.
Sylvio-niisan approached me and made a thrust.
Kuh, how nasty of him to send out a difficult-to-avoid thrust ――so I thought but, Sylvio-niisan's thrust is monotonous and slow.
Maybe it's because I've always been on the receiving end of Eleonora-neesan's deadly thrust that I thought like that. It feels weak.
Not only that Eleonora-neesan's thrusting attack fatal, they are also sharp and fast.
In addition, you will be surrounded by her attacks even if you were to avoid them.
Compared to her storm-like thrust, Sylvio-niisan's thrust feels like a gentle breeze.
I dodge Sylvio-niisan's monotonous thrust by stepping out of the way, and instead of evading further I step close to him and send out a lunge at his defenseless body.
But then, the dry sound of wooden swords clashing against each other resounded *kaan*.
...again, Sylvio-niisan defended against my attack once more. www.ihavesinnedtranslation.com
「To restore your sword to that position despite having made a thrust, that was too quick. It'd be great if you can attack with such speed....」
「......I know」
As expected, I guess even the person himself is also aware of that, Sylvio-niisan hung his head in disappointment.
◆
In the end, the match turned out to be one where the person has more perseverance wins, and I lost it since I can't overcome Sylvio-niisan's defense.
I mean, no matter how many times I attacked him, it's all useless. There's no way to win. It's natural that I will lose since my stamina ran out first.
Sylvio-niisan called out to me, who is currently sitting in the courtyard.
「Al, your stamina decreased, huh. I knew it, that's because you gained weight, right?」
「Stop it! I don't want to hear that word!」
I wonder if it's because I pointed out his monotonous thrust. Sylvio-niisan's words are sharper than usual.
I plug my ears with my hands like I'm holding my head, and Sylvio-niisan pleasantly laughs.
「Even so, Sylvio-niisan's skill has really improved, haven't they」
「Thank you」
「Especially that defense of yours」
When I said that as if to add that to my explanation, Sylvio-niisan hung his head in disappointment.
No, I mean, Sylvio-niisan's defensive ability is really amazing. Though he was getting better at handling the sword itself, it was trivial when you compare it with his defense.
「You'll even be able to defend against Eleonora-neesan's attack if you hold a shield, don't you think? 」
This was the result of not having a shield. I wonder what would happen if he was holding a shield in his other hand. www.ihavesinnedtranslation.com
Perhaps, he might be able to face off against Eleonora-neesan.
If it were so, then Sylvio-niisan can become a shield to use against Eleonora-neesan.
And Sylvio-niisan will become her opponent more often in sword practice.
「Unfortunately, it will be impossible even if I try to use a shield. I was able to ward off Eleonora-neesans' attack before, even if a little....」
「...it's impossible now?」
When I asked him that, Sylvio-niisan's expression clouded over as he says,
「Neesan was having joint training with the Knights Order in the royal capital, right? So she's getting stronger now」
...ooh, that was truly the case. www.ihavesinnedtranslation.com
I see, then Eleonora-neesan is returning after she finished with her part of training? I'm sure that she'd return with an even more outrageous strength than before.
Sylvio-niisan and I look up at the clear blue sky with a somewhat distant look on our faces.