「Why is this happening…?」
The place where Serena's brother, Leon, practically dragged me to was a vast training ground.
「We've dedicated an entire floor to this training facility! Marquis Holz House is one of the most prestigious military families of the Empire, after all! Not only the men, but the women also undergo a fair amount of training! Well, in Serena's case, it went a bit too far.」
As he said this, Brother-in-law looked off into the distance with a somewhat distant gaze. He must have had his fair share of struggles as Serena's brother.
「You only met Serena's younger sisters in the salon, right? That is because the older ones have already married into other families or taken husbands and left the main house…」
「I see.」
It seems that the noble daughters of the Empire marry at a relatively young age. Wait, wasn't adulthood around eighteen for nobles? I guess it's common to get engaged before reaching adulthood and then marry or take a husband as soon as they come of age. In that sense, Chris, who captured me early on, is properly adhering to the nobility's customs.
「Well, that's that! Let's get started, shall we?」
「I would prefer not to do this… Also, what's with all these people who look like they're waiting for their turn?」
「Of course, they're the ones who will be sparring with you! Naturally, I'll be joining too!」
「I really, really don't want to… And you're all holding real swords with blunted edges, aren't you?」
Some time ago, when I trained with the Imperial Guard at the Imperial Castle, we used safe, training swords equipped with advanced judgment devices. However, it seemed that Marquis Holz House's training grounds didn't have such devices.
「Do you dislike this sort of thing? I'm surprised. I thought you'd have a more combative nature, considering you're a mercenary.」
「I don't think anyone who gleefully jumps into danger lasts long as a mercenary… or succeeds, for that matter.」
Charging at a formidable enemy without a plan, shouting 'I'm not afraid of you!'—that's nothing but a death flag, as far as I'm concerned.
「Is that so…? But aren't you known as 'Crazy Hiro' for being such a reckless daredevil?」
「People just call me that on their own. It's not like diving into a swarm of crystal lifeforms with a single ship is such a big deal.」
「No, I don't think that's an exaggeration at all…」
「Why no one understands me… Well, I'm not really into this, but I can't exactly embarrass you after you went to the trouble of gathering all these people.」
Saying this, I moved to a corner of the training ground where several practice swords were laid out and picked out a suitable one. They are of quite good quality—or rather, on closer inspection, they are made of the same material as the monomolecular blades used by nobles, just without the edge. They are really battle-oriented—or maybe they really like their swords, still, they've really spent a lot of money on this.
「I'll take these two. Give me a moment to prepare.」
「Yes, thank you for accepting! We'll prepare ourselves as well!」
With that, Leon went over to talk to my opponents—probably sons of nobles—who were waiting in the training ground. Leon has a natural leader type of vibe, or something like that. He seems to have a knack for leading people—forceful, yet somehow not unpleasant. Is that what they call charisma?
I stretched and lightly swung the practice swords to get a feel for my body. The clothes I was wearing were fairly formal, meant for special occasions, but they had enough flexibility not to hinder my movements, even when swinging a sword or engaging in combat. After all, they're originally military uniforms.
「We're ready.」
With the practice swords in hand—I chose ones that were almost identical in length and weight to the pair I usually use—I walked toward the wide-open training ground. Now that I think about it, Elma, Mei, and Serena didn't follow us here. What are they up to?
「Alright, let's get started! Oh, by the way, your companions, as well as Serena and the others, are watching this training session too! Do your best!」
「Is that so… And who's up first?」
There's probably a camera or some kind of optical sensor hidden somewhere in this training ground. If that's the case, I should refrain from using my psionic abilities at full power. I'll limit myself to just slowing down time by holding my breath.
「Then, I shall be your first opponent.」
Stepping forward to face me was a middle-aged swordsman. He was clearly about two decades older than me, Leon, or Serena. He looked to be around the same age as Laurenz. His gaze was sharp, and he seemed like a formidable opponent.
「Looks like we're starting with someone strong right off the bat, huh?」
「…Loren-dono is the swordsmanship instructor who taught Serena and me. He serves as the dedicated swordsmanship instructor for Marquis Holz House.」
「Oh…」
A dedicated swordsmanship instructor? He's definitely going to be strong. Meanwhile, I'm just a novice who's only been holding a sword for less than six months.
「Is there a signal to start?」
「There's no such thing. You may come whenever you're ready.」
「In that case, I won't hold back.」
Taking his words at face value, I casually closed the distance to Loren-dono, with my swords hanging loosely in both hands. I can sense his confusion. I must look too defenseless. But I'm not letting my guard down in the slightest. For someone with a noble's physical abilities, the distance of ten, or even twenty, steps is practically nothing. I've gotten used to this from sparring with Mei. She can close a distance of thirty steps in the blink of an eye, after all.
Here it comes. Unlike with Mei, I can clearly sense his intent to attack, so it's easy to react.
「Ha!」
「Whoops.」
In a flash, he closed the distance of over ten steps and unleashed a swift strike, which I deflected with the sword in my left hand. I tried to unbalance him, but he instantly regained his distance as soon as I parried the blow.
「…What a strange style.」
「That's harsh.」
「Show me your true potential.」
「Give it your best shot.」
Just as Loren-dono's body seemed to swell slightly, he slashed at me with incredible speed. Did he release the limiter on his physical enhancements, or perhaps he is using some kind of advanced swordsmanship technique? I couldn't tell which, but the speed of his strike was astounding.
However, it's still not enough. This won't reach me. I'm accustomed to Mei's sword, and hers is faster and heavier than this.
「Ugh!」
As Loren-dono swung his sword toward me at a tremendous speed, he let out a cry of pain and quickly retreated, barely managing to hold onto his sword. As expected of a swordsmanship master, he didn't let go of his sword.
「I… have lost.」
Three of Loren-dono's fingers on the hand gripping his sword were either broken or nearly severed. Blood dripped from his hand, staining the training ground's floor red.
Loren-dono was strong. His sword was fast, and his techniques were more skilled than any swordsman I had faced before. But if you can tell where your opponent is aiming, and which attacks are feints, it isn't hard to deal with them. By slowing time at key moments, I was able to parry and deflect his strikes and land counters on him.
「…I'm surprised. To defeat Loren-dono so easily…」
「There is a long queue waiting, right? Let's get this over with.」
「Is it alright if we do this in a real combat style?」
「Fine by me. But I won't be responsible if anyone gets hurt.」
As I said that, not only Leon, but the other noble youths as well, readied their swords.
Alright, bring it on!
☆★☆
「Why did it come to this…?」
I sighed at the sight before me. The aftermath of a gruesome battle stretched out before my eyes. Some 'corpses' groaned in pain, their shoulder or finger bones shattered; others trembled and coughed up blood. The lucky ones, barely managing to stay upright, used their blunted swords as canes, kneeling on one knee on the ground. Many others were also injured. While no one seemed to be fatally wounded, none of the injuries were minor either.
「Y-You're absurdly strong, Hiro-dono…」
Leon, who was kneeling on one knee and drenched in cold sweat, let out a groan. I landed a good hit on his gut, after all. In a situation where swords wielded by nobles were flying at me from all directions, there was no room to hold back. Even though I was still standing, I was pretty battered myself. Do I have to go back in these tattered clothes? I didn't bring a change of clothes…
「By the way.」
「W-What…?」
「I haven't even gone all out yet.」
「You've got to be kidding…」
「It's the truth.」
With that, I used my telekinesis to lift the swords that had fallen from the hands of the noble youths, making them spin around me. I actually know an even more dangerous way to use my powers, but there is no need to show that off.
「…Psionic abilities!?」
「Correct.」
As I released my telekinesis, the swords clattered noisily to the ground.
「Let's clean up this mess first, shall we?」
「Y-Yeah… Guh…」
Perhaps having exhausted his energy, Leon collapsed face-first onto the floor. Hey, you're the one in charge here—don't just pass out! Get up already!