**Chapter 28 - A Blade for Protection**

The next day, the instructor came to the orphanage.

He was an old man, likely in his late 60s, with clear signs of aging—loose skin on his face and thin, retracted white hair. When Sofie introduced me to him, he smiled, and I noticed he was missing a few teeth.

"Kathleen, meet Javed. He used to be a soldier in the royal army during his prime, and now he teaches our orphanage children some basic offensive maneuvers, like magic and sword techniques."

Wait... sword techniques? Isn't he too old for that? I thought to myself.

"So, you don't remember anything about yourself? Poor child. I hope you get your memory back soon. Let's start with your magic abilities," Javed said.

"Aim toward that target over there and repeat after me, okay?" the old man instructed.

I followed his directions and aimed toward the target in front of me.

He started chanting slowly:

"By the unseen force that swirls and flows,Gather wind and strike my foes!Compress and burst with all your might,Air Punch!"

I repeated the incantation and hoped something would happen. But… nothing.

"Okay, no air affinity, huh? Then let's try this. Hold this torch in your hand and repeat after me."

"Flame ignite, a spark so bright,Bring forth warmth, banish the night!Ember flare, ignite with care,Torch alight!"

Once again, nothing happened. I won't lie—it made me feel a little sad. But the old man reassured me, "There's nothing to be sad about. Let's try another one, okay?"

Did I show my disappointment on my face?

"Now, aim toward that hole and repeat after me."

"O spirits of the flowing streams, grant me your essence.By my will, let water flow!Aqua Manifesto!"

Once again, nothing happened.

After that, we tried earth, light, and even a dark spell, but not a single one worked.

By this time, all of the orphanage children had already gathered outside, watching me.

"Oh dear… it seems you don't have any magical aptitude. Fear not—it's fairly common not to have magical talent. There's nothing to worry about," Javed said kindly.

but that made me sad i really wanted to try some magic spells but there is nothing we can do about that

"Let's move on to swords. From my experience, I think before you lost your memories, you used a sword."

"Hey, Rodrick, can you bring her a wooden practice sword?"

"Yes, sir!" Rodrick said and ran toward the orphanage. Moments later, he came back carrying a wooden sword and handed it to me.

When I took the sword from Rodrick, I didn't know why, but it felt familiar—like I had used it for a long time.

"Alright then, try attacking that target," the old man said, pointing toward a wooden practice dummy.

"Okay."

I held the sword in my hand and swung at the dummy, but something felt wrong. So I tried again—it was better, but still not quite right. I kept swinging, again and again, and little by little, it started coming back to me.

The old man was right. I had definitely wielded a sword before. My muscle memory was proof of that.

"Impressive for a first-timer," the old man said. "Alright then, let's move on to a one-on-one fight."

Without warning, he pulled out his own wooden sword and leaped toward me with a frontal strike at incredible speed. Before the attack could land, my body moved on its own. My hands reacted automatically, raising my sword to block the strike with ease.

I was shocked. How did I know what to do in this situation?

And the old man—how could he move this fast with that old body?

"Intriguing," the old man said, smirking as he struck at me from the left, the right, from above—his sword coming at me from every direction with intense speed. But my body kept moving, countering every single one of his attacks.

Then, out of pure instinct, I saw an opening in his defense and struck back. He blocked it, but he smiled and said, "That's it."

He exhaled and lowered his sword. "I don't think my old bones can handle much more of this intense movement."

I looked at him, stunned. I had no words.

"Cool!" Rodrick shouted from behind, his eyes shining. "This is the first time I've seen the old man back out of a fight!"

The children surrounded me, their faces full of excitement.

"Hey! Can you teach me how to do that?"

But… how could I teach them if I didn't even know how I did it? Was it just my reflexes?

"As I suspected, you've wielded a sword before you lost your memory," Javed said, rubbing his chin. "But the way you move your sword—it's completely different from anything I've ever seen. And about that strike you tried to landed on me earlier… That's the strangest part. I don't know why, but there wasn't even a hint of killing intent in it. You'll need to change that."

Sofie was staring at me, completely speechless. I didn't blame her—I was just as shocked.

"I think with enough practice, you could even surpass me in my prime," Javed added with a grin.

"Alright, kids! Line up! It's your turn to practice!"

The children quickly formed multiple lines, sorted by their magical affinities.

"Yes, sir!" they shouted excitedly.

"And for those who don't have any magic, form a line here in front of the dummy," Javed instructed.

The sun was starting to set, casting a golden glow over the orphanage training yard. The cool evening breeze carried the sounds of laughter and wooden swords clashing. From that day onward, I trained with the kids every week, and my sword skills improved immensely.

For some reason, the old man kept saying my sword techniques weren't meant for killing. That was strange… Why would I have learned swordsmanship if I didn't want to become an adventurer?

After six months since that fateful day, I finally had my chance to use my sword skills. Ashfell Village was attacked by a small group of bandits.

To Be Continued....