First, I magically transform myself into Iona.
"I'm so impressed to witness such advanced magic up close and personal!"
Makishima is thrilled to see this.
In Braidea, the melting pot of races, it is not uncommon to see magic, but the magic I used seems to be quite rare and precious to them.
"Charles said earlier that only those of hero bloodline can use this magic."
Makishia, the older sister, spoke up this time.
"Oh."
"Can anyone who is a hero use it?" "No, there are so many different kinds of skills that a hero can learn. I know that Claude was able to use it, but there were only a couple of people, including me, who had mastered it."
There were extremely few users of this magic, probably because many people thought that it was not very practical considering its difficulty to learn. "Okay, that's enough chatting." I said. As long as there is a time limit, I can't waste time talking. "I don't have much time. Let's make some arrangements." "Yes!" "First off, let's start with Iona. It's a good opportunity to objectively know your own abilities." "Yes. Thank you." We bow to each other before facing each other.
As usual, I don't take a stance, but Iona, who usually takes a Seigan stance, is unusually leaning forward.
Iona is a skilled tactician. What kind of attack will she show me?
I waited for that moment, excited with anticipation. *Whoosh* Iona slashed with one hand instead of the usual two-handed one. She has been practicing the "Izuna" style for a long time, and the sharpness of her slashes has been greatly refined. I went to receive it to check its weight. *Bang*
I experience Iona's slash as it is, not as softly received as the first time we clashed together.
Instantly, my hand tingled and went numb. It seems to be quite difficult to withstand Iona's full force attack with Iona's own strength.
She immediately launches a follow-up attack, but I manage to avoid it. *Swish*
It seemed to be within the scope of prediction that I would be able to overcome it, Iona didn't seem particularly surprised and launched more attacks. It wouldn't be good for Iona or the people watching if it ended too soon, so we exchanged a few blows to see what was going on. Each time, a dry cracking sound echoed through the training ground.
"You are going to fight with me today, right?"
Iona, who understands that I purposely receiving her attacks, throws such words at me, even though I could dodge them with my skill.
Meanwhile, Iona's attacking hand never stops. I should send my compliments to Iona for not slowing down her attack even while having a conversation.
"From my experience if it's too one-sided, it won't be a good practice."
I continue while dealing with Iona's attack.
"You'll make much faster progress if you battle with other people at a similar level." I said, switching offensively and defensively in an instant.
Just like Makishina from earlier, I gradually narrowed down Iona's movement range as if I was playing Shogi. "Damn...!" Even though Iona is aware of this, there is no way to do anything about it. She already has her hands full trying to defend herself. Moreover, it will only be a matter of time before her defense collapses. I slowly pushed Iona back with attacks that were just enough for Iona to defend against. Then, I finally cornered her against the wall, and I held my sword to her white throat. "I give up……" Iona declares her surrender.
"It is a defeat from an opponent who has the same abilities as you. That's why I know Iona has a lot on her mind."
"Yes..." "Our abilities are so closely matched that the difference is as thin as a sheet of paper, making it challenging for you to win Iona. There's no need to get discouraged."
"Are you able to do something that skillful?" Makishima questions my words. "Oh, I can do it." I declare. "Of course, when fighting, it is important to be able to accurately gauge the strength of the opponent, making survival your top priority, whether its winning or escaping." "Yeah" "It's even more important to know exactly how much force you need to use to defeat your opponent." "What do you mean?" It is Makishina who asks. It seems like they can't really grasp the true meaning of what I'm saying.
"Among the monsters I once defeated, there was one who said, 'An attack once learned will never work again.' I struggled in the fight since I used a big move first."
"Struggled? Charles did?"
It was Iona who exclaimed in surprise.
For her, who knows what I'm capable of, it's unbelievable that I struggled.
"That's right. Since that painful experience, my ability to gauge my opponent's strength and the precision with which I can adjust my moves accordingly have been considerably honed."
"Even the hero goes through such hardships..."
"The dungeon's have a lot of nasty tricks up its sleeve. However, the rewards are rare and precious."
"The dungeon's...normally, it's a difficult challenge that requires a group of several professionals who are experts in their respective paths to form a party..."
Makishima, who is a knight apprentice, seems to have heard stories like that before, so she murmurs this.
"In my case, I was also training as a knight, so forming a party was almost never an option in my mind, of course."
"Yeah"
"Even though I'm a hero, I'm still a human being. Of course, there are times when I struggle and fail."
“……”
The four of them, who had come into contact with me up close, were beginning to harbor illusions about the existence of a hero, and they fell silent at my words.
"Just so you know."
"What is it?"
"I'm not really talented, you know?"
"Charles, isn't considered talented?!"
This time, it's Makishia who exclaims in surprise.
"I'm ashamed to admit it, but I'm not that good at remembering and learning things. Steady repeated practice is essential."
Of course, that's not the main point I want to convey, the main topic is from here.
"These are positive aspects for a coach."
"How so?"
Makishia urged.
It seems like she can't help but be curious about the continuation of the topic.
"The point is that I can understand the feelings of those who can't do it. People with talent can't understand why those who can't do it are stumbling." I have never heard that my eldest brother Ichabod, who excelled in everything, or the third prince Sanvolt, who excelled as a hero, were also excellent mentors. My eldest brother was not the type of person to teach others things, and although the third prince was truly a genius when it came to learning techniques, he was too intuitive and was unable to teach others. He had no talent whatsoever in teaching. "My theory is that genius-type people are generally not suited to be mentors for that reason. Of course, there are exceptions to everything." With that said, I continue. "Although my talent is mediocre, you can rely on me as your instructor. I promise that I will make sure that the two of you learn the hero's secret technique the Brave Arts within the specified period." "Really!?"
Makishia, who can't really feel the results of her training, pounces on my words with tremendous force. "Oh, it's true." I look straight at Makshia and answer. "Since Charles is willing to say so much, is it correct to think that we have a good chance?" Iona asked. She doesn't show it much, but like Makishia, she seems to be quite concerned about the progress.
"Yes, you may think so. You both have been following my training very closely."
"Thank you very much. I will continue to work even harder!" Iona seemed genuinely happy to hear my words.
"Since both of you were chosen as candidates for mothers of the future heroes, it is clear that you have a certain level of talent." I continue talking. "In short, what I'm trying to say is that lack of talent can be compensated for with hard work. There are real geniuses in the world, but..." "Yes." "There are only a handful of people who have that rare talent. Rather than expecting such a talent, which may or may not exist, it is much more realistic to focus on the skills to be mastered and practice hard." With that, I bring the conversation to an end. "Now, I've rambled on for a bit, but this story is quite important, so let's just leave it at that, shall we?"
Thus, I finished my sparing match with Iona.
Chapter length 3667 characters.
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