Chapter 16: Improving and Adapting

Rylan unsheathed his sword and looked at the blade as the sun shone down on it. With an approving nod, he turned to the soldiers. They had finished putting away the spears and were all looking at him, including Jack. He let them organize themselves before walking to the forefront. Jack joined the crowd with expectant eyes. Rylan spoke.

"I'll continue teaching all of you the basics."

This was the arrangement they had come to after a couple of days. After his match with Jack, the soldiers had acknowledged his superiority when it came to swordplay itself. As such, he'd taken it upon himself to help them improve.

For now, the Second Imperial Swordsmanship will do fine.

Roland's memories were a veritable treasure trove of knowledge about Aura and swordsmanship. His Trait hadn't been Complete Prodigy for nothing; his ability to memorize different fighting styles and adapt them had been second to none. By mixing together different styles to remedy weaknesses, Roland had created multiple styles of swordsmanship, some of which had been widely adopted by nations and empires. The Second Imperial Swordsmanship was one of them.

It's an introductory style, which is what they need most right now.

The Rivellon Empire had taught it to all of the soldiers in its army. It was a style designed to quickly grant a new soldier the tools to defend themselves, while also providing a good enough base that allowed for growth. In short, it was an effective style for beginners.

"Watch me closely and try to copy me to the best of your ability."

Truthfully, Roland hadn't had much experience teaching others. Explaining his styles to nations and empires had been the full extent of it. He'd never taken on an apprentice. Rylan was still trying to get the hang of teaching others his specific movements.

Slowly, he demonstrated the basic movements of the Second Imperial Swordsmanship, leaving out any Sword Arts or more elaborate techniques. After he finished, he looked at the soldiers.

"Go ahead."

Simultaneously, the soldiers started to perform the Swordsmanship. It would've been better to teach them one-on-one, but that would take far too much time. Rylan's attentive eyes kept moving back and forth, capturing all of the soldiers. His mind worked in overdrive. He pointed at one of them.

"Steady your lower body. Your attacks lack weight."

Then, he pointed at another.

"You're taking too long to recover from one movement and to move to the next."

He continued to point out their mistakes while they listened with determined expressions. A few of them had strange looks, as if they couldn't believe this situation, but it seemed like most had already acknowledged Rylan's abilities. He looked at Jack.

As I thought, he's talented.

Jack was clearly a step above the other soldiers. His performance outclassed theirs; that didn't mean he made no mistakes, but that he didn't often repeat the same mistakes. With every move, he learned and improved. Rylan nodded to himself with a smile.

Is this why other swordmasters took on students?

It was a strange, gratifying feeling. As the sun rose on the horizon, the soldiers followed Rylan's instructions. He judged how much time had passed.

It's been around two hours.

The estate was starting to come to life by this time, but that was not his business. He spoke.

"I'll now train as well. Keep it up."

He grasped the sword's handle. He could feel the soldiers' burning gazes, but they disappeared from his perception. He closed his eyes, taking deep breaths. He felt the weight of the armor pressing down on his body and that of the sword in his hands; he felt his racing heartbeat, as well as the state of his muscles. Once he felt like he had reached the pinnacle of his concentration, he began.

The first movement was a simple overhead slash without mana empowerment. Yet, the soldiers' eyes widened as Rylan executed it. Using the strength of his entire body, he swung the sword as powerfully as he could. The slash was fast and accurate, creating a perfectly vertical rift in the air. The following move was connected to it seamlessly.

There was no interval between the attacks. They flowed one after the other, parting the atmosphere as sweat flowed down. Rylan focused only on executing them as perfectly as possible, without any margin for error. It was the bare minimum for someone who used to be called the Sword Saint. They were different from the Second Imperial Swordsmanship, despite also belonging to an introductory sword style. He was still trying to adjust the Stormcaller Sword Style to his current body.

As such, it only took Rylan less than forty seconds until he had to stop, heaving. He had pushed beyond his limits, since thirty seconds were already quite straining.

This useless body.

Naturally, he had stopped before he injured himself. His whole body ached, but that also meant that he was getting stronger. He had appropriate rest and diet. He looked at the soldiers, who were all looking at him, without exception. He frowned at them.

"Why did you stop?"

With embarrassed expressions, they clumsily returned to their training. Jack got closer to him, his eyes burning with respect.

"I have some soldiers in mind for our hunt during the afternoon, my lord."

Rylan nodded at him with a grin.

"Tell me of the three most outstanding ones."

Jack pointed at a man with auburn hair and brown eyes. He seemed to be young, likely in his late twenties. Rylan could see that his body was well-built at a glance. The youth was unceasingly practicing with a determined expression.

"First and foremost, that's Scott. He's the second-in-command. I can personally vouch for his skills. Out of all the soldiers apart from me, he's been part of this squad the longest. He's focused and has real experience in hunting."

Rylan observed Scott's movements for a bit. From Roland's point of view, Scott couldn't even be considered a novice, but he was indeed the best among the soldiers apart from Jack. Jack pointed at two men who were training side by side.

The twins?

He had taken notice of them before, but didn't think they would be the next ones Jack would talk about. They looked almost the same, with dark hair, hazel eyes, and handsome features; the only difference between them was that one of them had a black spot under the left eye.

"Daniel," Jack pointed at the one with the birthmark, then looked at the other one, "And Raniel."

Rylan interrupted him.

"Are you serious?"

"…Yes."

Rylan sighed while shaking his head and gestured for him to continue. Jack spoke.

"Both of them have firm fundamentals and good senses, but don't have real combat experience. They've only fought when sparring. Daniel is good at capitalizing on weaknesses, while Raniel excels at overwhelming the opponent with fast, repeated strikes."

Rylan rubbed his chin, then turned to Jack.

"And you? Do you have combat experience?"

He had already confirmed that Jack was talented and possessed the drive to improve. This was the sole missing piece of the puzzle. He saw a shadow cross Jack's face as the man's expression sunk.

"…Yes, young master. But not against monsters."

Rylan left it at that, not prying the man for his secrets. The undertone had been quite clear. Jack pointed at the three others in the group, but they were unremarkable, even in comparison to the rest. Jack had likely chosen them based on different criteria. Rylan spoke.

"I have decided on goblins."

They were the most fitting enemies that he'd found after scouring his memories. Roland had never fought one, but Rylan had heard enough about them, even if unintentionally. At the taverns and bars, adventurers often spoke of tackling goblin camps. Apparently, the creatures could breed like rabbits and grew up extremely quickly; no town was ever truly free of them. They were the most reliable source of income for a low-grade, weak adventurer, even though none of their byproducts sold for much, simply because of sheer quantity.

Jack nodded with a conflicted expression.

"I've heard that a few new camps have formed nearby. Many adventurers must be after them as well. I'm not trying to say it is a bad decision, my lord, but-"

"Remember, we're not after a large kill count or things to sell. I merely want us to get some combat experience. Goblins will be enough."

Jack said nothing else. Rylan kept pointing out the mistakes of the soldiers. Lunch arrived quickly. Sarah ate with them. Soon after, the afternoon came. The other soldiers looked at the group composed of the chosen six, Jack, Rylan, and Sarah. There was a sense of apprehension among them. Rylan spoke in a firm tone.

"There's no need to worry. I'll protect all of them. Then, we're off."

Followed by cries of good luck and to be careful, the group left the Flameheart estate. As they had previously agreed, Sarah led them straight in the direction of the Adventurer's Guild. Rylan made his way through the streets, withstanding the looks of scorn and despise thrown at him, as well as the confused gazes. Whispers could be heard.

"What the hell is that wastrel planning to do with that many soldiers?"

"Stay out of the streets. Some shit is about to go down."

"Back inside, quickly!"

Rylan ignored them all without even a frown. The party arrived in front of the Adventurer's Guild. It was a large building made of stone and wood. A symbol of two staves crossed over a golden sun had been engraved on top of the main doors. Unhesitatingly, he pushed the doors open. The boisterous laughter and loud yelling from inside disappeared in an instant. All eyes were drawn to Rylan's figure.

Silence.

With steady steps, he approached the counter and spoke in a clear voice.

"I'm looking for information regarding the nearest goblin camps."

On the other side of the counter, a tall, brown-skinned man with black hair and beard looked at him in shock. It was as if Rylan was the last person he had expected to see. Then, as the rest of the group walked closer, shock turned into interest and curiosity. He spoke.

"Good afternoon, young master. The Guild does indeed have a few missions on the new goblin camps. We'll gladly let you skip the formalities. Which quest do you wish to undertake?"

"Which camp has fewer adventurers but isn't too far?"

The man was in thought for a few seconds.

"Then, your best bet would be the camp three kilometers northeast of the town. It's one of those on the closer side, but there aren't many adventurers there."

Rylan narrowed his eyes.

"Why?"

"Our scouts have reported a hobgoblin."

Jack and the others behind him tensed up as Rylan nodded. It made sense. Hobgoblins were bigger, stronger, and tougher variants of goblins, capable of some leadership. A low-grade adventurer group seeking to earn some quick cash by hunting a few goblins would avoid a hobgoblin like the plague, as it was more trouble than what it was worth. Rylan thought for a bit before he turned to the others.

"I'll handle the hobgoblin. The rest of you will hunt normally."

The soldiers nodded with worried expressions as Sarah frowned. The rest of the room broke out in whispers and even laughter.

"There's no way I just heard that."

"Cantavega's biggest good-for-nothing? A hobgoblin?"

"What kind of show is he trying to put on now?"

Jack looked around, a frown making its way to his face. As he opened his mouth, Rylan raised his hand and shook his head. He looked at the man behind the counter.

"Please give me more precise directions to the goblin camp."

After hearing the man's instructions and agreeing to bring proof of the killings, he decisively left the building. The moment he opened the door, the other adventurers within the Guild started talking loudly. He heard his name several times but paid it no heed.

Under such circumstances, the party set out.