Petty Tricks (2)

Frondier had resolved to accept any errand or chore. He was prepared to roll around like a dog, if necessary.

He hadn't expected to receive instruction from the knights or engage in sparring with them. His plan was to mimic their training, steal various weapon techniques with his eyes, and, if needed, use the 'Analysis' skill to make them his own.

However.

"Huff, huff...! Huff!"

Right now, Frondier was literally rolling around like a dog.

In the center of the knights' training ground.

"Center of gravity. Don't lean your body forward. The enemy will read your movements."

The knight standing before Frondier spoke sternly. Frondier raised his trembling body and barely managed to regain his posture.

Frondier was currently in the middle of a sparring match. Surrounded by the Roach Knights.

The knights were watching Frondier's spar with expressionless faces. There was no admiration for Frondier, nor was there any contempt. Their expressions were simply blank.

'How did it come to this?'

Frondier recalled the situation from just a moment ago.

Initially, it was something akin to a skill test. Since Enfer had introduced him to the Knight Commander, it was a formality to check his level of skill before assigning him chores. He was sure that was the initial intention.

But after Frondier exchanged a few blows with a randomly selected knight.

Knight Commander Sylvain suddenly spoke up.

- Lord, may I teach your second son for a moment?

And then, Frondier found himself being beaten up by people using various weapons, one after another.

"Don't raise your sword carelessly. It limits your means of attack. Attack, defense, evasion. These three must always begin and end together, swiftly. Maintain the same posture for everything else."

"When facing a spear with a sword, don't just parry it. The speed at which they retract the spear is always faster than the speed at which you can close in. Try to stick to the spear instead. It's safer."

The knights took turns beating Frondier to a pulp and then added a kind word of advice.

The other knights watching whispered amongst themselves.

"How long has it been?"

"Two hours, and five people."

"He's lasted a long time."

All the weapons were wooden, and no aura was used in the sparring.

Yet, Frondier's body was already covered in minor wounds.

To those who didn't know, it might have seemed pathetic, but to the knights, it was rather strange.

"Not bad."

"Indeed. It's a waste for him to do chores."

"The fact that his mind doesn't stop working is commendable. These days, there are many who just swing their weapons around, relying solely on their talent."

One of the knights who had been talking suddenly spoke as if something had come to mind.

"Come to think of it, if he's the Lord's second son, then he's Azier's younger brother, isn't he?"

"Then did Azier teach him? That explains his movements."

"Well, is that guy the type to teach anyone?"

"I heard he was a temporary teacher at Constel."

Frondier was too busy dealing with the dizzying attacks to pay attention to the knights' peaceful conversation.

'Still, they are better than Azier.'

The reason Frondier could still endure despite being beaten so much.

It was because the sparring he had done with Azier until now was even more brutal.

Here, the opponent and weapons kept changing, which was confusing, but Azier could confuse people enough without even changing weapons.

Sparring with so many strong people like this made him realize Azier's strength even more. Azier presented the most difficult questions for his opponent to deal with.

Frondier might not have been able to give the perfect answer, but he had learned to avoid completely wrong answers. That training was paying off here.

'This is precious time. I have to absorb it all.'

And if possible, instead of just answering the questions, he wanted to be able to ask them.

Remembering what Azier had done, Frondier extended his wooden sword. Finding an opening in the midst of his desperate defense, he presented the knights with the same problems that had troubled him when facing Azier.

'Oh?'

The knights dealt with those problems without much difficulty, but both the sparring partner and the observers changed their expressions. If Frondier had enough strength, speed, and skill proficiency, those problems would have worked.

Despite his rough breathing, Frondier's eyes remained sharp. His body was trembling, but his posture remained firm. This sight brought a strange glint to the knights' eyes.

However.

"Stop, that's enough for today."

With Commander Sylvain's declaration, the sparring session ended. The knight who had been sparring with Frondier stepped back, and Frondier lowered his sword.

Suddenly, extreme dizziness and chills swept over his body.

"Overexertion."

"...Yes."

He realized it only after hearing it. Just a moment ago, he thought he could do more, but as soon as he heard the word 'end,' his body craved rest intensely.

"You're good at hiding your expressions. But it's troublesome if you're deceiving even yourself."

In fact, Sylvain was the only one who noticed that Frondier was overexerting himself. Even he was a bit late. This was similar to what happened during the Constel field trip.

"Yes, I'll be careful."

"Rest today, and come back here at the same time tomorrow."

Frondier's expression became subtle at Sylvain's words.

"...Am I training again next time?"

"Why, do you dislike it? Do you prefer chores?"

"No, it's not that, but I thought I'd be doing chores. I'm not even participating in the barrier battle."

"Don't worry. It's not just for you."

Saying that, Sylvain looked around at the knights.

"Our boys need some stimulation too."