Chapter 38: Sword Saint 3
Waiting for Andoru's signal, both Julius and I stood ready.
Andoru confirmed with us and, upon hearing our "I'm ready," gave the signal to start the match.
"Haah!"
"Ha!"
That Julius bastard! When it was Chloe's turn, he didn't move an inch, but now he charges at me the moment it starts!
"Oh, impressive. I intended to blow you away, but you managed to withstand it."
"Well, I've been training, you know!"
Having somehow withstood it, I repelled Julius and launched my own attack.
Julius, who holds the title of Sword Saint, the pinnacle of swordsmanship, I have no idea how effective my swordsmanship will be against him, but I'll do everything I can.
"Hmm, you have quite the skill. I can tell from your sword movements that you're self-taught. Do you really not have a master?"
"No, I don't. I've been training on my own all this time."
Since I claimed to have been training even while at home, I told Julius that. Damn it! That Julius, he moves even faster than during Chloe's turn!
"Julius-san, are you using more strength than with Chloe?"
"Hehe, adjusting my strength for a girl versus a boy, of course I am. Besides, Jin-san, you'll be fine, won't you?"
Smiling, Julius said that and infused his sword with magic, displaying an even more powerful sword technique.
"Hold on, aren't we not supposed to use magic?"
"I didn't say that, did I? It's just that Chloe said she doesn't usually use magic, so I refrained from using it."
As Julius said so, not only did he infuse his sword with magic, but he also unleashed regular magic.
Realizing that it was dangerous, I quickly used wind magic to send the magic flying into the sky and created some distance.
I see, so he wants to gauge my abilities to a certain extent without going all out...
If that's what you're after, I'll struggle within the limits of not using my full power too.
"Oh! Using different magic at the same time! You possess advanced skills."
"I'm better at magic than swordsmanship, you see."
Although I possess talents in both areas, I'm slightly better at magic. One reason might be that in the game, Jin frequently used magic. But before I became Jin, he probably trained in magic on his own.
I saw the traces of that before leaving home, and I felt that Jin was trying his best in his own way.
"Hey, you! Don't use such incredible magic."
"Are you using more impressive magic than the members of our magic unit?"
Hearing the voices of soldiers during the battle, I regretted that I might have gone too far once again.
Seeing me like that, Julius told me with an annoyed expression, "Jin-san, please focus on the battle."
"I'm sorry. I thought I exerted too much power and drew attention."
"I see. You were indeed holding back, Jin-san. Well, that's bound to attract attention. Despite being about the age of a child, you're handling it with the power equivalent to a soldier-class magician or even more."
"I completely misjudged the amount."
After that, I lowered my power a bit, and the serious mock battle came to an end.
When it was over, the soldiers called out to me, but I was immediately summoned by the princess and returned to the garden where we were earlier.
"Julius, how was it? What about their abilities?"
"They were amazing. Actually fighting them, I felt that both of them are incredibly talented individuals."
Chloe was praised for having enough power to fight despite not being a combatant, while utilizing her race's inherent abilities. In terms of magic, she was already proficient enough, but she was also advised that with more ingenuity, she could become even more useful in adventures.
"And what about you, Jin-san... Of course, Chloe-san was amazing too, but you seemed to be in a league of your own beyond what I had heard. In spite of holding back, you displayed exceptional physical abilities, knowledge of combat, and instant decision-making. All of them were high-level skills."
"It's rare for Julius to praise someone so much. Was Jin-san really that exceptional?"
"Yes! Among all the people I've seen so far, I've never been so excited about someone's growth!"
As Julius passionately spoke, the princess shifted her gaze towards me.
"What about you, Jin-san? How was it fighting against Julius?"
"Well, I knew that I had little experience in interpersonal combat, and although I said I would save my power, it was difficult. It was helpful that you understood how difficult it was for me to hold back and Julius-san adjusted accordingly. If it had been an ordinary opponent, I would have landed several attacks that could have caused injuries."
"Considering my experience, I have more than you. So, I tried to match your pace."
"I believe this experience will be beneficial if I ever have to fight against others in the future. Thank you very much."
After expressing my gratitude, Julius smiled and replied, "No, it was my request," and said so.
"Now, is there any problem with the two of you being the escorts?"
"No, I don't think there will be any problems. Both of them have high reaction speed, so even if the princess is targeted from long range, they will definitely protect her."
"If Julius says so, then it should be fine."
As the princess said that, Julius mentioned that he had some matters to discuss with another subordinate of the princess and left the scene.