After confirming that Elia had already mastered all the basic sword forms,
I had no choice but to completely revise my original sword training plan due to Elia’s exceptional talent beyond my expectations.
“Since she can already mimic the basic sword forms perfectly, it seems like repeating training would suffice…?”
The act of mimicking the basic sword forms itself was already flawless.
What Elia needed now was to engrain them into her body so that they became second nature.
So, regarding the basic sword forms, just like Zenre had made her maintain the basic stance for tens of minutes, I should have her repeat it before every training session to make it ingrained in her muscle memory.
Then, what should I focus on for the main training content?
“I should teach her the modified sword forms and practical sword forms right away.”
There were many things to teach, but the most important thing was to teach her all my sword forms.
Since I had practiced the basic sword forms every day like stretching, she was already perfect at mimicking them, but I had never fully demonstrated the modified sword forms or the practical sword forms.
So, I decided to first teach her those two forms and then move on to mana sensitivity training to draw out her aura or teach her various techniques to respond to different situations.
Once I had sorted out my thoughts on the training content, all that was left was to train Elia, who was eagerly waiting for her lessons while bouncing on her tiptoes.
“Alright, my daughter. From now on, I’ll show you each sword form, so try to mimic them, okay?”
“Okay! I’m confident.”
After that, I stood in front of Elia and demonstrated 30 modified sword forms and 150 practical sword forms, one by one.
Elia, watching my sword forms with wide-open eyes, alternated between observing and mimicking them.
Out of the 180 sword forms, 102 of them were forms she had already seen, and she performed them perfectly or nearly perfectly.
However, the remaining 78 forms still showed some clumsiness or inexperience.
Yet, despite this being the first time she had wielded a sword, the fact that she was able to follow 102 forms showed that she was indeed a genius.
Without taking a break, I gave her a short rest after she had followed all 180 forms, and I couldn’t hide my proud smile at Elia’s progress.
“How is Elia? Is she learning swordsmanship well?”
“Ah, Ruina.”
During the short break, Ruina, who had been cooking inside the cabin, approached me.
She naturally leaned her head on my shoulder as she folded her arms.
Ruina, who had been shy even about holding hands when we first confessed, had gradually become more open over the past three years and now freely showed affection.
The scent of fresh forest air, like the fragrance of the woods, tickled my nose as it emanated from Ruina’s body.
In that fragrant air, I gently stroked her hair, which rested on my arm, and responded.
“Yeah, Elia’s talent is definitely impressive. Not only is her growth speed fast, but her perceptiveness is also far beyond ordinary.”
“Really, you think so?”
“I’m speaking from the heart, not a word of exaggeration. If she keeps learning swordsmanship like this, by the time she’s… maybe 15? At that age, she should be skilled enough to join the Shardena Knights.”
The Shardena Knights are so strong that even the most talented individuals in the village can’t even dream of joining, no matter how many years they train.
In my opinion, Elia will master my swordsmanship in about 7 years.
By the time she’s 15, she will definitely be able to face the knights of the Shardena Knights without a problem.
“To be honest, as a knight commander, I’d like to deny it… but when I look at her talent, I can’t bring myself to do so.”
“Ah, Zenre, were you listening?”
Just as I was talking to Ruina about Elia’s talent, Zenre, who had heard my words, walked out of the cabin and approached us with a shrug.
“Although our knight order’s reputation is renowned across the continent, the young lady here can easily make even our knights seem like amateurs.”
“Well, what can we do? Elia’s talent is exceptional. I think by the time she’s 20, she might even surpass you, Zenre.”
“Haha, if things continue like this, she’ll probably surpass me before she even turns 20! I’ll be in my 40s by then.”
“Ah, now that I think about it, you’re already about 29, right? You’re older than I thought.”
The words I let slip without any ill intent.
But after saying them, I immediately regretted it, and as expected, Zenre’s teeth were grinding, and a dangerous look appeared in her eyes.
If I weren’t her teacher, she would probably be cursing at me and might even unsheathe her sword to cut my neck.
I could feel the chilling hostility in the air, so I hurriedly apologized.
“Sorry…”
“…. It doesn’t seem like you meant it maliciously, so I’ll let it slide this time.”
Zenre nodded with a small sigh after hearing my quick apology.
Ruina also lightly tapped my arm with her head, as if to say I was in the wrong.
After breaking the awkward silence, I turned to Zenre with a sheepish smile and asked.
“By the way, you said you’ll be returning to the knight order the day after tomorrow, right?”
“Yes, now that teaching the young lady is all finished. Since she has grown enough to learn swordsmanship, I must return to my place.”
“Hmm… the day after tomorrow, you say.”
The reason Zenre was sent here on an external mission was solely to train Elia’s stamina enough so that she could learn swordsmanship.
Now that the task was complete, it was only natural for Zenre to return.
And the reason I asked Zenre about this again was not because I was particularly reluctant for her to leave, nor was it to ask her to stay longer.
After all, we had communication orbs, so we could talk anytime we wanted, and it wasn’t like we would never see each other again.
The real reason I asked was because I, too, was starting to wonder if I should return to the kingdom soon.
“I do need to buy at least one mansion in the kingdom…
I could accept citizens who wanted to migrate to my territory and develop a village, but honestly, managing my land while living there sounded like a hassle.
All I wanted was a simple life, living happily with my family.
And in order to subjugate the Worst gang, which I had heard about from Zenre before, I needed to be active in the kingdom again and polish the old reputation of my name.
So, heading to the kingdom soon didn’t seem like such a bad choice.
For that reason, I also needed to select a mansion to live in and a place to operate from, so I let out a quiet sigh and asked Ruina in a low voice.
“Ruina, now that Elia has grown up quite a bit, should we start preparing to go to the kingdom?”
“Hmm… Yeah, I suppose there’s no harm in going to the kingdom now. There really isn’t much left to experience here, after all.”
Ruina thought about my question for a moment before agreeing.
Elia was now already eight years old.
Rather than staying in this countryside where there wasn’t much to do besides training, it would be better for her to go to the kingdom, see new things, and gain various experiences.
The decision was made quickly, with little hesitation.
“Zenre, let’s go up to the kingdom on the same day you leave.”
“Huh… With me, you mean?”
“Why not? Wouldn’t it be nice to have some company on the way? It’s more fun when you have someone to chat with, right?”
“Hmm, that’s true… Alright then, let’s head up together in two days, Master, Lady Ruina.”
Zenre seemed a little surprised at my suggestion but soon nodded, realizing there was no downside.
Having spent the last few years together, traveling to the kingdom together meant at least we wouldn’t be bored on the road.
Besides… it was great that there would be one more person in the kingdom to play with Elia in our place.
Of course, if Zenre knew my true intentions, she would have shouted at me not to leave our child’s playmate duties to her.
But if she didn’t know, then she’d just have to deal with it.
Thinking that my life would soon get easier, I smiled inwardly and picked up the wooden sword I had set aside.
It seemed that while we were talking, Elia had rested enough to catch her breath.
That meant she was ready to resume training.
As I clasped my hands behind me, Ruina let out a sigh of disappointment, and I stepped toward Elia.
“Alright, get up, my daughter! Training starts again!”
“Okay! I’m ready!”
As if she had been waiting for my words, Elia jumped up and ran toward me.
And with that, I resumed sword training with her.
This was two days before the kingdom was turned upside down.