◇34　Training Begins
The day after Bianca became my attendant.
"Good morning!" Bianca arrived at the ducal residence bright and early, her voice ringing out cheerfully.
Due to my father’s consideration—thinking it would be too harsh to separate Bianca, who hasn’t yet reached adulthood, from her family—she’s commuting from the Serenade Viscount household. Once she turns fifteen and comes of age, she’ll officially become a knight of the Philharmonie Ducal family. It’s almost like she’s already secured a job, isn’t it?
For the fourth daughter of a viscount family to become a knight of a ducal house is apparently quite a prestigious position. Otherwise, if she wanted to earn money with a sword, her only options would be becoming an adventurer or a mercenary. It seems Bianca was absolutely determined to become a knight, so she jumped at this opportunity without a second thought.
In the game, ten years later, Bianca still hadn’t joined a knight order. She had planned to take the entrance exam for the Imperial Knight Order after graduating from the "Academy," though. That aside, I can understand her enthusiasm, but… isn’t she here a bit too early? Even Yuria hasn’t arrived yet.
If I recall correctly, sword training was supposed to start at nine. It’s only seven right now…
"No need to worry! I just came early to warm up before training!" she assured me.
"Oh. I see…" I replied, still half-asleep.
She’s so full of energy in the morning…
Having just woken up, I left Bianca—who had already started swinging her sword in our training grounds—and joined my family for breakfast. The meal consisted of soup, salad, bacon, and sunny-side-up eggs. There was also salt-and-pepper-seasoned grilled chicken, a variety of fruits, vegetable juice, and bread.
But this wasn’t the hard bread I’d eaten when I first arrived here. This was soft, fluffy bread. After our head cook tasted the bread from the food truck, he’d lost confidence and sulked, so I shared some vague knowledge I remembered. It was a method of making natural yeast by putting apples or other fruits into a jar of water. I’d only heard about it from a senior and never tried it myself, but with just that bit of information, our head cook experimented tirelessly and managed to create this bread. Compared to the food truck’s bread, it’s still a work in progress, but it’s delicious in its own right.
That said, I’m a rice person at heart, so I can’t help but crave rice for breakfast. I have to make sure the next shop I summon is a convenience store…!
After breakfast, I carried out my daily routine of summoning shops. The summoning area is far enough from the training grounds that Bianca wouldn’t notice. Today, I summoned two food trucks and a liquor store—at my father’s request, of course. The servants entered the liquor store and began carrying out goods one after another. As always, thank you for your hard work.
Once we’d bought out all the stock, I sent the liquor store back. It’d just be in the way otherwise. The food trucks, however, I left in place. They’re useful in case of emergencies, but they also serve as lunch for the servants. They’ve become so popular that on days when I don’t summon the food trucks, everyone gets visibly disappointed—though the head cook always has a complicated expression.
With my daily task complete, I changed into comfortable clothes. I couldn’t exactly learn swordsmanship in a dress, after all. I put on an outfit similar to Bianca’s—pants and a simple top—and had my maid, Alisa, tie up my hair. Just then, word came that Yuria had arrived.
I couldn’t be late on the first day. Accompanied by my guard knight, Tanya, I headed to the training grounds. When I arrived, Yuria had already finished preparing and was talking with Bianca. But then… huh?
"Estelle?"
"Good morning, Lady Sakuraile," she greeted me.
There, alongside Yuria and Bianca, was Estelle, dressed in similar practical clothes like us.
"Didn’t you return to your territory?" I asked, surprised.
"My mother was hired to teach swordsmanship at the Philharmonie Ducal house, so I stayed with her. I wanted to learn swordsmanship too," Estelle explained.
What!? Estelle’s training with us too!?
Yuria stepped in to clarify as I stood there in shock. "The Duke has given his permission. He said it’d be fine for her to study lectures and dance alongside you, Lady Sakuraile…"
Oh, Father… your surprises are too much. You could’ve mentioned this at breakfast! Not that I mind—I’d much rather train with someone than alone—but still.
Noticing my conflicted expression toward my father, Estelle hesitated before asking, "Um… am I being a bother…?"
"Huh? No, not at all! I’m thrilled to train with you, Estelle. Let’s do our best together, okay?"
"Yes!" she replied, her face lighting up with a bright smile. So cute. What a great sight to start the morning.
"Lady Bianca, I look forward to working with you too," Estelle added.
"Likewise. Let’s do our best together," Bianca responded warmly.
The two shook hands. Unlike in the game, there’s no tension between them—probably because the incident with Gean never happened. I hope they’ll get along well like this.
"Now then, let’s begin training," Yuria announced. "I don’t yet know the skill levels of you two, aside from Estelle. I’d like to start with a spar to assess your abilities and tailor individual training plans accordingly."
Makes sense—she wants to gauge our skills first. When she said either of us could go first, I volunteered. Bianca’s clearly more skilled, and going after her might make my inexperience stand out too much…
Holding a wooden sword, I faced Yuria—or rather, Instructor Yuria. "Here I go!"
Having barely ever swung a sword, I charged at her recklessly, slashing wildly. Instructor Yuria deflected my strikes effortlessly to the right and left, occasionally stepping aside to dodge. My wooden sword didn’t even graze her.
"Alright, that’s enough. I understand now," she said with a gentle smile, calling an end to it.
By then, I was already exhausted. Wooden swords are heavier than I thought… I trudged back to where Estelle and the others waited and collapsed onto the ground.
"A-Are you okay, Lady Sakuraile?" Estelle asked, peering at me with concern.
"Y-Yeah, I’m fine, I’m fine. Just a little tired," I replied with a laugh, though truthfully, my arms were screaming in protest. That took more out of me than I expected…
Next, Bianca stepped up to face Instructor Yuria. She looked excited as she gripped her wooden sword. Is it really that fun?
"Please begin!" she said, bowing deeply before assuming her stance.
Wow… unlike my awkward, unsteady posture, she looked the part. Guess that’s what years of training (even though she’s still a kid) will do.
"Hya!" Bianca launched a sharp strike. But just like with me, Yuria deflected it calmly—right, left, brushing it aside with ease. Of course, Bianca’s attacks had more variety than mine: sweeps, thrusts, pushes, and slashes. She even mixed in what looked like feints.
Yet Yuria parried them all effortlessly. The title of "Sword Flash" isn’t just for show, it seems.
"…Alright, that’s enough," Yuria called, halting Bianca.
Though not as winded as I was, Bianca was breathing heavily. She’d clearly given it her all. Yuria tilted her head slightly, a curious look on her face. Was something up?
"…Bianca, did you perhaps use a ‘Gift’ just now?" Yuria asked.
"Wha—!? I-I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to, it just happened unconsciously…!" Bianca stammered, bowing hurriedly.
Huh? She used a ‘Gift’? Now that I think about it, Bianca’s ‘Gift’ is…
"My ‘Gift’ comes from the God of Change, Change-sama—[Elasticity]. It lets me alter the length of anything I touch. Like this," Bianca explained.
The wooden sword in her hand stretched by about five centimeters—then shrank by the same amount. For something called [Elasticity], the range seemed pretty limited. Probably because her level’s still low.
"I see… that explains it," Yuria said. "I thought something was off with the dodging distance. Used well, it could be a valuable ‘Gift’ in swordsmanship."
"Yes. But for now, I can only stretch things like cloth or wood. I’d love to be able to stretch metal too…" Bianca admitted.
Don’t worry—ten years from now, you’ll be stretching metal swords too. I think the range was about double what it is now? She only used it once in the game, so I’m not entirely sure.
"I’ve got a good grasp of both your current skills," Yuria concluded. "Bianca, you’ve got more than enough ability to be a knight apprentice. However, the swordsmanship of a knight order differs somewhat from the adventurer’s style I’ll be teaching. Is that alright with you?"
"No problem. As long as I can grow stronger," Bianca replied firmly.
Right—in the original story, Bianca was supposed to train exclusively in the knight order’s style, likely under her father, the First Knight Commander. I wonder how her skills will differ from the game’s Bianca now. Her father probably couldn’t teach her directly every day, so there’s a chance she might end up stronger this way…
"As for you, Lady Sakuraile… we’ll need to start with building stamina," Yuria said.
Yeah, I figured. Growing up in the slums, I was confident in my ability to run away, but I’ve always known my stamina—and strength—are lacking. That’s what happens when you don’t get proper food until you come to a ducal house… I’m short, and my chest… well, it’s still got time to grow. Yes, time. Stamina, height, chest—all of it.
In the game, Sakuraile was the quintessential villainess, with a stunning figure to match. I’d love to end up like that, but I can’t slack off. I’ll train hard and earn that perfect body!
"Once you’ve built up some stamina and strength, I think the backlash from using [Holy Sword] will lessen," Yuria added.
Yeah, I agree. Once I’ve got enough stamina and muscle, I plan to train to wield [Holy Sword] properly. Why? Because some of Sakurariel’s doom flags are the "caught-up-in-it" type—situations where martial prowess could save the day. Like in Gean’s route, where Bianca arrests her. With enough skill, I could’ve turned the tables.
Not that I think that route’s still in play… I hope. Unless Bianca gets fed up with me and quits being my attendant, which isn’t impossible. I’ll have to work hard so she doesn’t abandon me. Starting with…
"What is this!? It’s delicious! Too delicious!" Bianca exclaimed.
"Estelle told me about it, but it really is amazing…! The red sauce and yellow sauce bring out the wurst’s flavor so well," Yuria chimed in.
For lunch, I treated Bianca and Yuria to hot dogs from the food truck. Estelle too, of course. Step one: win them over through their stomachs! Build friendship and loyalty! …Okay, I’m not that calculating about it. But at the very least, I need to make sure they don’t turn against me. If we can get along, all the better.
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