Chapter 39: CH 39

Now then, let’s get started,” I said.

“Yessir!” Kuruni replied.

I’m standing before Kuruni at the Knights of Revelio’s training grounds.

It was after another day of training but strangely, there was no one else in sight but us. Normally, there were always a few people around at any given time.

The hour’s almost evening, it’s that time when the shadows begin to stretch on. Was this too late in the day?

The silence and emptiness in the training grounds are so vast that our voices echo in all this extra space.

“First, hold it normally,” I said.

“Roger, dodger!” Kuruni said, readying her zweihander.

Normal training would be done with a wooden sword but this is the first time she’s wielding a zweihander. That’s why I want her to get serious and get a feel for it first.

I don’t plan on matching her. I’ve only got a wooden sword.

“The basic handling isn’t too different from the shortswords you’ve been using so far,” I said. “However, there are two major differences.”

“Hmm, hmm,” Kuruni hums. 1

AD

“First,” I said. “There are the downward diagonal cuts… there are almost no vertical swings.”

“Why’s that?” Kuruni asked, surprised.

Yeah, I get it. Swinging down with a big sword. There’s a lot of romanticization there. It looks cool.

However, there are a few idiots who do the same thing in reality.

“There are several reasons,” I said, “but the first is that the results you get compared to the physical effort is poor. Try swinging it up and down several times.”

“Roger!” Kuruni said. “… Hoh! Yah!”

Kuruni starts swinging.

Honesty is a weapon. It’s alright to ask questions, but it’s very important that you practice before having doubts.

“… It’s surprisingly tough, isn’t it?” Kuruni said.

“Right,” I said. “Different sizes of weapons require different levels of physical strength because if you swing them around, you’ll exhaust yourself quickly.”

Upward and downward swings mainly use arm strength. Since it is difficult to substitute your other muscles, fatigue comes quickly.

It’s certainly a powerful strike, using gravity and your full range of motion with your back and your hips alongside your arms. It’s probably your strongest move in terms of raw power alone.

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However, that’s if you can hit accurately.

And furthermore, it operates on the premise that you’re fighting a single opponent.

“Of course, a downward swing is the most destructive, but there’s a massive risk of error and it’s difficult to hit,” I said.

“Oh, is that why?” Kuruni asked.

“It is,” I replied.

If your opponent doesn’t move, you win. However, it goes without saying that the kinds of enemies the Knights would face would be moving around, be they human or monster.

If this was a coal miner digging ore, there would be no issue. Mine rocks don’t move.

Swing up and bring down your pickax. Then, you’ll crush your target. It’s a sensible move. However, in combat, that wouldn’t always be the correct answer.

“You should only swing down when you’re sure you can hit your opponent and they are alone,” I said. “Hence, the basic attacks can be summed up in one word: swinging.”

“Swinging…?” Kuruni asked.

Also known as the horizontal slash. Basically, cutting sideways.

“Unlike the short sword,” I said, “this has reach and weight, so make sure to use centrifugal force as well. Don’t let yourself get carried around by it. It’s like this.”

“… I see!” Kuruni said.

I try swinging my wooden sword like it were a two-hander.

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Instead of moving it with my arms, I move it with my hips. Of course, my arms are also engaged, but you have to abandon the prospect of controlling it with arm strength alone. The Path of the Sword isn’t so simple that you can climb it with only one method.

“It’s natural, but you’ll have an easier time hitting your targets by swinging horizontally than vertically,” I said. “Besides that, it takes a lot less arm strength than lifting it.”

“Hmm, hmm…” Kuruni hums as she keeps on swinging.

Yeah, isn’t this a good feeling? She was already a bright child when it came to swordsmanship, so if I teach her about the differences first, I feel things will be easier afterward.

“So, I want you to increase your rotational force a bit or use a thrust,” I said. “Use the ricasso when doing such moves. That is the second difference.”

The farther from the fulcrum, the stronger the centrifugal force.

However, the strength of your control also needs to increase accordingly. It’s fine if you swing once and end it there but that’s not going to happen in actual battle.

At that moment, the zweihander’s ricasso is convenient. This blade has a center of gravity closer to the center than its handle, so it’s less likely to get swung around. It also minimizes shaking when performing a thrust.

“Oh… ooh…? Oh, I get it now,” Kuruni said.

She swung around several times while holding the handle and this time, she tried to swing or thrust with one hand on the ricasso. It seems that Kuruni was trying to get a feel of it.

AD

And after a few more trials and errors, she seems to have come up with a way of handling that suited her.

“I already said it was something to note from the start, but don’t try to swing with your arm strength,” I said. “The zweihander is a blade you cut with using your waist.”

“Slash with your waist!” Kuruni cried. “Hearing that makes me nostalgic!”

It seems Kuruni remembers it, too. Thank you.

Slash with your waist.

It’s one of the lessons I used to teach back at the dojo.

Those unfamiliar with the sword tend to swing using only their arms. Even then, if you have good arm strength, you’d be able to do well to some extent, so it’s difficult to correct later.

With that in mind, I teach this lesson first to those that hit the gates of the dojo.

The same is true for the slashes of the longsword and the shortsword. When you swing vertically, you make a pause on either side and when you swing down, you move your waist in the opposite direction.

If you don’t have this movement and reasoning ingrained in your body from the start, you’ll never improve. This is because all weapons, not just swords, are meant to be used with your whole body.

Of course, there are exceptions and there may be swordsmen who have unconventional styles. However, those exceptions are only for those who’ve mastered the basics, and those who haven’t are simply improvising.

I don’t want my disciples to be without proper form. So, in this way, I focus on teaching basic movements.

AD

I wouldn’t say anything if, at the end of their time with me, they craft new styles and techniques. I would welcome it, in fact. Those unconventional discoveries are the achievements of an individual.

But unfortunately, I don’t know how else to say it:

Kuruni hasn’t reached that level yet. She’s young and I think she’s got plenty of room for growth in the future, so I think she’ll get there if she’s trained properly.

I’m no longer her master and she’s no longer a disciple of my dojo, but it’s my job as a special instructor to put Kuruni on that proper path.

“Come on, you’re swinging with your arms again,” I said. “Focus more on your hips and legs.”

“Roger-dodger!” Kuruni said.

“Think of your arms and body as the same, connected parts,” I said. “You’re moving like that because you think of your arms as independent from the rest.”

“Mmm, it’s difficult…!” Kuruni said.

“It’s a matter of focus,” I said. “If you don’t bother, it’ll absolutely be impossible, so always be mindful when you swing your sword.”

“Ye-Yessir!”

“Oh, yeah, that looks good. Right, let’s say ten more reps. One, two.”

“Hah! Hoh! Yah!”

A man and a woman alone in an empty space, but there was no sweetness in the air.

It was just me and Kuruni running repetition drills.

It continued till the sun disappeared on the west horizon, the shadows at our feet were drowned in darkness.

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