Book 20 Chapter 33
Episode 195
The Last Six Months with You, You for Me, I for You (3)
During the hiatus at the Red Sanctuary <Shuriganaqius>, Lin's daily routine was exceedingly hectic.
‘First, this polearm technique.’
Just as Freide said, if this is Riesta's gift, then yes, I never wished for or wanted such a polearm technique, but… I'll accept it with all my might.
“Alright, who shall I spar with today?”
To encourage Lin's passion, Riesta often began polearm training with a spar against another martial artist.
This was to directly engrave the greatness of this polearm technique into their very eyes.
However, the guest of the day was a very special one. From the moment he stepped forward, gripping a wooden sword, all the martial artists held their breath.
“Then, would you perhaps spar with this humble one?”
The former Sword Saint, Riland Apeltas!
Though not a hero, he was a being who lived a life akin to a hero, possessing overwhelming martial achievements.
And now, he had become the hero's birth father, and such a man was requesting a spar from Riesta.
“How could I refuse?”
Riesta, surprised for a moment, then took a polearm stance with a welcoming smile.
As everyone held their breath, watching to see what battle of the century would unfold, the stance Riland took was… a stance close to the very basics of basics.
Many martial artists shook their heads in confusion, but Riesta, for her part, smiled. The martial artists at the peak, who knew Riesta's intentions, also smiled.
‘Ah, Father… your charm is truly something!’
Riesta's polearm training was no different from preaching the greatness of basic skills to Lin.
That is why she only used five Forms when sparring with an opponent.
Riland Apeltas saw right through this and, to teach Lin the essence of basic skills himself, took such a stance.
“Alright, then I'll go first.”
“Do as you please, Hero.”
Soon, the duel between Riesta and Riland began… and countless martial artists merely stood agape, captivated by the mirage of their martial arts.
There were no flashy techniques.
Nor brilliant artistry.
All that existed there were only the basics, established with pure, steadfast simplicity! Yet, it was as if they were a great mountain or an ancient tree carved by nature over long ages… how could one take their eyes off it?
‘Those two are clearly only using five stances.’
‘But how they mix one stance with another, how they combine and transform them… that itself is art.’
‘Can one reach that level just by diligently training the basics? So beautifully?’
Riesta smiled brightly as she exchanged blows with her father.
She considered this a gift as well.
A gift from the providence of creation, given at the very end, at the final edge of her life.
‘Father, do you remember? When I was little, you used to play with me like this. In front of Mother.’
Martial artists who had reached the pinnacle could read emotions from the magic imbued in their opponent's weapons.
‘Of course, Riesta.’
‘I miss those days.’
‘Do you regret becoming a hero?’
One blow, one blow…
Each time the wooden sword and wooden pole clashed and then retreated, waves of such emotions went back and forth.
‘No. I, Dad, was so, so, so happy. So much so that I'd want to live with my friends forever if possible. Because if I hadn't become a hero, I wouldn't have had such encounters.’
After exchanging the last blow, on Riland's lips as he stepped back… was a smile that no one but family would dare to distinguish… yet clearly painted feelings of both sadness and joy.
‘How can even your last words be similar to what your mother said to me before she left?’
When the duel ended, a silence born of awe briefly dominated the arena, and then applause erupted.
“Wow, is this truly the pinnacle!”
“Thank you, both of you, for personally teaching us that we still have a long way to go!”
Someone next to Lin was also applauding; it was Gide Apeltas, who had come to Lin's side when Riland entered earlier.
“Thank you, Lin.”
“?”
“It's been a really long time since I've seen my sister and father spar like that. Didn't you say you wanted to learn polearm techniques, Lin? Thanks to you doing that, you let us see something like this.”
“But I didn't ask to be taught?”
“?”
“???”
“?????”
It was a rumor spread by the Magic Alliance fan club, but Gide, thinking Lin was joking, smiled brightly. It was a smile resembling his sister's.
Lin turned his gaze.
Stimulated by Riesta and Riland's duel, he carefully watched the martial artists who had started forming pairs and engaging in mock duels.
“Alright, come on!”
“Hyah!”
Hmm… even before an attack comes, their bodies react by getting into a defensive stance beforehand.
‘When an attack comes, I immediately think about what magic to cast to block it, so my body stiffens.’
For a typical mage, the current state is the most ideal.
However, if I master this polearm technique well, I might become a more powerful type of mage.
It's worth experimenting.
“Are you okay?”
“It's the left this time!”
In the case of swordsmanship, the defensive stance differs depending on whether the attack comes from above, below, left, or right.
‘But spear techniques are almost all similar.’
With the method Riesta taught, I'll probably be able to block everything from [Form 1: Wildcat] to [Form 4: Elephant].
- Polearm techniques have a very high lower threshold, you see. That's why they're adopted as standard military weapons.
Come to think of it, Riesta had answered the question "Why do you use a sword but teach me polearm techniques?" like this:
- Swordsmanship has a high upper limit, but its lower limit is almost nonexistent, so it's impossible to become a master unless you train from a young age. But spears, poles, are different. Even ordinary soldiers can use quite powerful spear techniques in three years.
Even within the same spear techniques, some people have a serious feel, others a flippant one; they're all so varied.
‘If I were to pick the greatest master of spear techniques I've ever seen… it would be Vihkisa.’
How could I forget?
A monster who displayed martial prowess that didn't falter even against the four members of the Hero's party.
The paladin that little Sasa brought along was amazing too, but compared to Vihkisa, it would be nothing.
‘If one could use that monstrous spear technique while also casting magic, they could become an absolutely absurd mage, but logically, such a thing would be impossible.’
There's a saying about "choice and concentration."
‘Freide said that Riesta's polearm technique was created to perfectly suit my body and breathing 100%… so for now, let's focus on mastering this polearm technique completely.’
Lin gripped the pole and stood up.
“Who is the weakest person among those here right now?”
Laughter erupted from here and there.
Soon, it seemed a selection process would take place, and then a squire brought by a knight hesitantly stepped forward.
His build was as large as a bear's, but his swordsmanship probably hadn't fully matured yet.
Of course, a squire is close to an apprentice knight, so he shouldn't be underestimated.
“They say I'm the weakest here, Archmage.”
“I'm the strongest among the mages here, how unfortunate.”
The mages cheered, and as the martial artists chuckled, the squire's face turned red with shame.
“But I can't go easy during a spar. You might get hurt if you spar with me, Archmage.”
“That's good. Try to attack me as if you're trying to kill me.”
“Are you serious, Archmage?”
“Of course.”
Lin regulated his breathing with a long exhalation, then adjusted his stance.
At first glance, the stance was quite a decent [Form 1: Wildcat].
“Lin-nim, fighting!”
“Fighting, fighting!”
“M-i-l-k-y-w-h-i-t-e A-r-c-h-m-a-g-e Lin-nim, f-i-g-h-t-i-n-g!”
Amidst the rallying cry of President Cecil Duren, the Archmage Lin Fan Club members passionately cheered!
“Tureina, Sval. Make them shut up.”
As Lin gave a brief command, he carefully observed his opponent.
‘Roughly observing, he's the type driven by emotions. Such types are likely to make a direct charge.’
Come to think of it, I've rarely carefully observed assuming close-quarters combat with an opponent.
There was no need to worry.
Because there was an absolute certainty that Riesta would take the vanguard, and no enemy, no matter what, would ever break through…
“Yaaahp!”
The squire charged like lightning.
Lin's tiptoe, at that moment, bounced off the ground with a thud, breaking his stance.
By deliberately shifting the center of gravity to the left, it creates room for inertia to become centrifugal force instead of a fall.
“!”
“!”
“!”
To summarize that process:
As he stepped back, the pole, almost soaring up, parried the squire's sword strike…
Moving his left hand, which had been holding the far end of the pole, next to his right hand, he then delivered a downward strike, reversing the impact that had collapsed the opponent's offense.
“Woah, wooaaaaah!”
“Nice kill!”
“Amazing! What is it? There's not a single wasted motion in his movements!”
“Lin, are you a genius not only in scholarly arts but also in martial arts?!”
“Lin! Lin! Lin! Lin! Lin!”
“Master Lin is, [the Strongest]…”
“Kkyu! Kkyu! Kkyu! Kkyu! Kkyu!”
Tureina and Pipi, who had somehow been appointed as the mascots of Lin's fan club, were at the center of that cheering.
‘Everyone debates whether Lin is a genius or not, but that movement just now didn't come from genius. Unfortunately, Lin is closer to being clumsy.’
Kies, who was looking down at the scene from the audience, thought with a satisfied smile.
‘To Lin, every single one of the opponent's movements will look like a mathematical equation. Clearly, like an algebraic equation.’
Lin's strength, needless to say, is his observational power.
And his ability to think of most phenomena in mathematical terms.
And the polearm technique that Riesta designed to perfectly fit such a Lin.
‘With these three things interlocking, perhaps a veteran's skill, like that of a true expert, is already emerging just from those five movements.’
Gide Apeltas was also asking his sister Riesta a similar question, and Riesta answered with a bright smile.
“Gide, Lin's experience already surpasses most people here, and then some.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. All the enemies he's faced until now were anything but ordinary opponents.”
Pirates, naval commanders, demons, ancient nobles.
And from the strongest paladin who dominated an era to the first Payquarius…
“Since he's watched the movements of such monsters where lines of attack intersect, it's not strange at all that his eyes have become skilled enough to see ordinary attacks without missing them.”
Though she was saying it casually to Gide…
‘Lin, frankly, it's amazing.’
That you could use this polearm technique so well, right from the start.
So, for some reason, I'm happy.
As if you've accepted the gift to my satisfaction.
“Lin! This cool and chic Leonia hears that you've recently taken an interest in martial arts!”
That's when the uninvited guest appeared.
“Instead of such a polearm technique, how about learning the axe technique passed down through generations in our royal family? It's much cooler and chicer than that polearm technique!”
“Roar (Axes are cooler)!”
“Roaaar (Axes are the best)!”
In front of such a confident appearance, Lin merely tilted his head in disapproval.
“No.”
“Huh, why? Why not? Just by swinging this axe, you can become an owner of firm muscles like me!”
“That's why I don't want to. It's heavy, isn't it? Don't you know that 'exercise' is the word I hate most in the world?”
Leonia's face immediately fell.
And he\/she needlessly pointed a finger at Riesta and ran away from the spot.
“D-damn it! Just you wait! I'll bring a light axe that Lin can also coolly and chicly wield! We'll settle this then!”
Such was their daily life.
A daily routine of learning polearm techniques from Riesta in the mornings, teaching magic to Tureina in the afternoons, and putting their heads together with Freide in the evenings to research the Ju-Yeo-So-Gye-Dae-Ban.
It was a daily life so peaceful that one might wonder if all the previous bloody battles were just a dream.
However, there always comes a time when any dream must end.
The day when that peace would be brought to an end finally arrived.
“You've arrived.”
The Fire Dragon, Bel'Dakidun, spoke.
The blue True Dragon, Tajirmum, who had flown here from the distant World Tree, prostrated himself before him and reported.
“Yes, Water Dragon Yeriserika observed the Pure White Dream and identified the sources of the calamity.”
The Fire Dragon looked back at his subordinate Red Dragons and majestically exhaled a fiery breath like a raging fire.
“The time for the decisive battle has come. Pylas, assemble all commanders.”