Chapter 9: 9

Litty Takes Swordsman Guild’s Final Exam

As always, Litty diligently went to the Swordsman Training center. Thanks to her efforts, almost all of her lessons were completed, and the only thing that was left was the combat exercises.

The Swordsman’s Guild’s training area was in a commotion as they watched her training.

“Parrying Cleave… is this good?”

“Yeah, you did it finely…”

Instructor Caddock was right. Litty’s growth was clear for Instructor James to see as he took her through successive stages of the training. Parrying Cleave was a skill that dispelled enemy attacks from all angles.

It was a skill similar to Deflect which is a higher Rank skill used by Knight, which is also a backward-compatible skill useful to knights.

However, it was one of the most difficult skills for a Swordsman to learn, and many could not react in time because they could not keep up with their own reflexes. This was the second point of frustration for those who wanted to join the Swordsman’s guild, and the other one was the monotonous and seemingly endless training on swings.

While most of the attack skills, such as the Reversal Slash, were also significant, the difficulty to learn Parrying Cleave was on a different level. It was even called the Apprentice Killer because of making most apprentices give up training it in the end.

“Seriously, that girl. She managed to learn so much in such a short period of time…”

“No, maybe she was an expert?”

She stood out like a sore thumb in the training center. However, Litty did not pay attention to her surroundings. She simply concentrated on honing her own swordsmanship.

Some people held slight loathing toward Litty because of envy or personal bias. Fortunately, Litty was with an experienced instructor who understood how to restrain such people before things got out of hand.

“I understand your resentment but that’s just how this world works. While working as an adventurer, you will meet many people who are more talented than you. When that happens, how are you going to deal with that? That is where the true morals of a human being are tested.”

Caddock, a senior instructor who previously belonged to the Knight’s Order, admonished them, and after listening to his words, all the apprentice swordsmen fell silent. He himself had encountered such situations more than once.

To start with, the members of Yggdrasia were as old as his own son. Instead of wasting time on resenting others, it would be better for him to rejoice in the success of the younger generation.

“Roma, it’s time to go.”

“Yes.”

The instructor urged Roma to finish her practice. The other apprentices were required to watch the final exam.

A face-off with the instructor, that was all the final exam was about. Observing was also part of the training.

“We will now begin the final exam, Roma!”

“Oh.”

Caddock headed to the center of the arena with his weapon. It was a battle, but it was not just about winning or losing. It was more about proving one’s ability.

The instructor who was facing the apprentice along with the instructors who were watching the battle were the judges. At first glance, it may not seem like much of an exam, but judges held penetrating gazes.

There was another hidden test which the apprentice needed to pass. Since the match was going to be observed by everyone, the pressure of competing under the eyes of an audience was much heavier than expected.

Roma was no exception to this. Faced with Caddock, she wore a somewhat stiff expression on her face.

“Don’t worry, I will make sure that I don’t hurt you accidentally. However, I advise that you should come at me with the intention to kill.”

“…Are you sure?”

“Well, are you sure you can afford to worry about that?”

The moment they took their stance, she felt fear, one that Roma understood firsthand when facing someone strong, but she did her best not to show it. Caddock held his greatsword with both hands in a defensive stance.

Caddock, a former knight and division commander, was still in good shape even though he had retired from the front lines. The only drawback was the drop in his physical strength. However, the battle was bound to end even before people could react.

He was not an opponent that an apprentice could easily take down.

“Start!”

Without any hesitation, Roma, with quick steps, launched an attack at Caddock.

Parrying Cleave or Deflect?

Roma anticipated Caddock’s next move. However, Caddock simply swung down his great sword.

“Ugh…!”

“Woah, isn’t the difference between their strength too big?”

It was a simple downward vertical swing, letting the weight of the greatsword do all the work. It was not even a skill like Parrying Cleave or Deflect. It was just sheer force of muscular strength cultivated over many years.

It immediately knocked the sword away from Roma’s hand. The pressure made Roma take a step back, and Caddock chose that moment to attack.

Roma tried to block, but it was a bad move.

“Ah…!”

“Okay! That’s all for the battle.”

Roma’s physical strength and footwork were not strong enough to withstand a single attack filled with Caddock’s brute force. The moment Roma lost her sword and panicked, Caddock won the battle.

In a split second, the decision was made, largely due to Caddock’s prowess. The power of the large sword, which Roma had not been exposed to in her training, was something she didn’t expect.

“It wasn’t bad. The lack of hesitation to attack, the instantaneous force…it’s passable. But you need to assess your enemy and change your moves accordingly. Especially since you and I are too different in power and physique. It was a bad idea to concentrate on taking the attack head-on.”

“If it was a real fight, I would have died…”

“But this is not a real battle. You can learn as many times as you want.”

“Thank you very much…!”

While Caddock and the other instructors were reviewing, Roma picked up her sword and walked out of the arena.

Failed, Roma was sure.

Litty didn’t know how to comfort Roma, who was clearly depressed. After the examination, the instructors approached her to announce the results

“Roma, unfortunately, you have failed this time. We will contact you shortly to schedule another final exam.”

“Thanks…”

“You’re being too hard on yourself…”

Someone in the crowd muttered something, as other apprentices let out a few grumbling as well. Even the gem apprentice was having such a hard time in passing her exam. Thinking so, the apprentices were in low spirits, collectively realizing that achieving a higher ranking position was a far away dream.

The final examinations also had their ups and downs, as they also showed the severity of the task. However, if they were already thinking that they would fail without even trying, it would be better for them to quit now.

That was what the instructors were thinking.

“I understand your state of mind. But when it comes to the actual battle, your opponent will not go easy on you. Besides, there are plenty of people in the world who are stronger than I am.”

“Caddock-san is right. I know it sounds intimidating, but it’s true. Besides, the title of Swordsman is a sign of confidence.”

“There shouldn’t be any excuses whenever you battle with others, right?”

All the apprentices fell silent after hearing the instructor’s advice. Litty was the only one clutching the hilt of her sword.

Currently, she was unsure if she could successfully fight Caddock and pass the exam. However, seeing Roma’s fight, she felt a strong desire to test her own strength.

Litty could sense her frustrations.

“Um…”

“Hmm, Litty? What’s wrong?”

“Can I also take the final exam right now?”

Instructor James was at a loss for words at the sudden declaration. The final exam was held on a tight schedule. This was because each instructor also had their other affairs to look after…

Some needed to instruct their own apprentices, some were on their holidays, and some were on other assignments.

Caddock also planned to finish the remaining paperwork after this.

“No. You can’t. Besides, you still have not completed the course.” (james)

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“Hmm, I think it should be fine.” (Caddock)

“But Caddock-san, we still have work to do after this…” (One of the instructors)

“This will not take a lot of time, anyway.” (Caddock)

Caddock took his greatsword again and returned to the arena. The instructors were wondering if this was the right thing to do.

It was a sudden turn of events, but the apprentices held some anticipation this time around.

Would Litty be able to pass the final exam? Or will she fail and make a comeback with greater strength next time? Or would she leave this place after learning the reality of the situation?

Some, who held some resentment in their hearts, were hoping for the last outcome.

“Um, thank you very much. Please go easy on me.”

“Yeah, go for it.”

“Start!”

As the gap between them narrowed, he didn’t have time to raise his greatsword, Caddock was caught off-guard by Litty’s immediate attack.

He was pressed for time, or rather, he was trapped. For Caddock, who wielded a greatsword, to be caught in the middle of the gap created while raising his sword would mean death. He had failed to gauge Litty’s explosive power and reaction speed.

However, he was a veteran who had fought many battles. He immediately withdrew and created distance between them. He then held up his great sword and blocked Litty’s blow.

“Ah…! That was a good blow!”

“Haah!”

Normally, it should be difficult for Litty’s sword to push back Caddock’s greatsword. However, even Caddock did not expect the magnitude of Litty’s power.

Even with the difference in sword size and weight, Caddock’s greatsword was pushed back. If he went on the attack, he would be in big trouble.

“Yaaah!”

This made Instructor Caddock, who was in a blocking stance, feel the danger… especially when he compared it to his fight with Roma who was easily blocked by his greatsword.

In the end, Roma failed because of not understanding the difference between their power when she blocked his attack, but what about this girl?

Now it was Caddock’s turn to predict Litty’s next move. If he could not block, then he would have to change his stance to dodge.

But Litty’s actions seemed to be much closer to an act of pure instinct and power, as she waved her sword at him.

Just before the clash, everyone was convinced that it was about to end.

“Ugh…”

The match was decided.

Caddock’s great sword was knocked off by Litty’s sword. Litty struck from above, and knocked it away using a powerful cleave.

After watching Caddock’s fight with Roma, Litty thought about how she could break through Caddock’s center of gravity and sword strength.

By striking from the side, she shifted the trajectory of Caddock’s greatsword and succeeded in knocking it out of his hand.

Soon after, Litty moved to strike, but stopped right before her strike could land.

“…Um, this should be enough, right?”

Caddock, with the sword aimed at his chest, was speechless. He had broken in a cold sweat and was still feeling chills all over.

At first, he was holding back but Litty soon made him feel that he was in a real life and death situation. As a result, he was serious in his final strike.

It was on a different level of power than the one he had unleashed at Roma. Caddock gulped hard and finally uttered words.

“…Well done.”

“No way, Caddock-san, you went too easy on her, didn’t you?”

“It was after the fight with Roma after all, right? You must have been drained.”

In a sense, the apprentices were right.

It was difficult for Caddock, an old man, to fight for long periods of time. But during the battle with Roma, Caddock barely did anything, so he did not want to make such an excuse.

Even though he had retired, he still held a certain amount of pride in his profession. Not that he wasn’t shocked.

“Ca, Caddock-san…”

“It’s been years since I’ve been beaten, oi! Well, it seems like we got one ridiculously strong little monster on our hands! Hahaha!”

Despite his false laugh, Caddock showed a good amount of cheerfulness. There was no need for discussion among the other instructors.

Caddock looked at Litty, who was still standing at the arena, and said.

“You pass. Come to the office later so that we can complete the formalities.”

“Eh, eh? Am I now a Swordsman!?”

“Yeah, you can puff your chest out and be proud.”

“I…”

“Nn?”

“Hooray!”

Giving a joyous shout, Litty jumped up and down.

Litty suddenly noticed Roma, who was looking down on the ground. Pushing aside her own joy, she immediately rushed over to her.

“Roma-san!”

“Congratulations! I will not lose next time! Instructor! I will be taking my leave for today!” (Roma)

After speaking her mind, Roma ran away without even waiting for any response. Although they had only been together for a short time, Litty knew how competitive she was. That was why Litty was desperately trying to figure out how to respond to her.

How should she approach her, or should she chase after her?

But Litty had no experience when it came to things like that. Perhaps sensing Litty’s concern, Instructor James lightly tapped her on the shoulder.

“Don’t worry about Roma.”

“But…”

“Anything you say will have the opposite effect right now. It’s better to leave her alone.”

“I see.”

Litty decided to follow the words of Instructor James. Besides, she couldn’t keep worrying about other people. She reminded herself that she was still learning the ropes.

What would she do if she found herself in the same situation as Roma?

She was unable to think of anything but to do her best. No matter how frustrating or painful it may be. If there was something one wanted to do, they should be ready to give up their peace of mind. Especially if they believed it was worth giving their all.

The only thing they could do was to keep moving forward. Litty was Litty, and Roma was Roma.

Each of them was walking on a different path, believing that one day they would flourish.

Name: Litty

Gender: Female

Age: 15

Rank: 6

Main Job: Swordsman

Acquired Job: Swordsman

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