Chapter 215: New Routine (2)
"I lost."
"You were expected to."
Julian lowered his weapon.
"There is nothing shameful about losing to someone with decades more experience."
He walked toward Noah.
"However... There were many mistakes."
Noah immediately listened carefully.
"First."
Julian raised one finger.
"You relied too heavily on the freezing effect of your blade art rather than blade it self. What I mean is you rely more on ice than weapon. Your opponent won’t always fear the cold. If someone possesses stronger mana than you, they can simply shatter the frost, just as I did."
Noah nodded.
"I understand."
"Second."
"Just now you focused entirely on offense. You never considered your own defense. Probably because of your ice creation ability, you rely on ice for defense that forms at your will too much. But in case of pure swordsmanship... you were too open"
Julian tapped Noah’s shoulder with the wooden sword.
"During your second petal, your concentration became absolute. That is both its greatest strength and its greatest weakness."
Noah frowned. But he understood what his father mean.
He was still learning the second form and haven’t reach 100% progression of it.
Julian nodded.
"You became so focused on cutting me that you completely ignored my movements. If I had attacked your blind side... You wouldn’t have reacted."
Noah immediately realized it.
He had indeed entered a state where nothing existed except his own sword.
He hadn’t paid enough attention to Julian’s intentions.
"Third."
Julian continued.
"Your footwork. It’s good."
He pointed toward the floor.
"But you attacked in straight lines. A predictable path. If I had wished, I could have redirected your momentum and broken your stance every single time."
Noah lowered his head slightly.
"I’ll correct it."
Julian nodded approvingly.
"The technique itself is excellent. I can see you might be more used to using your ice ability. I can see why its creator must be a master."
He paused before continuing.
"But remember this, Noah. A sword or blade art never wins battles. The one who uses does."
Noah quietly engraved those words into his heart.
Julian turned around and walked back toward the center of the sparring circle.
"Again."
"This time..."
"Forget about defeating me. Focus only on correcting your mistakes."
A small smile appeared on Noah’s face.
"...Yes, Father."
Without another word, he raised his sword once again.
The morning’s true training had only just begun.
---
Julian continued exchanging blows with Noah.
Clang!
Clang!
Clang!
The sharp sound of steel colliding against wood echoed throughout the training hall.
At first, Julian had only intended to evaluate his son’s current level.
After a few exchanges, however, he had already formed a clear assessment.
’His fundamentals are excellent.’
His stance was balanced. His grip on the sword was firm without being rigid. His breathing remained controlled, and his footwork was surprisingly clean.
Even his swordsmanship itself was far better than Julian had expected.
’His basics are solid. If someone had taught him, they laid an excellent foundation.’
Julian could immediately tell that Morgana had trained Noah well.
The problem did not lie in Noah’s swordsmanship.
It lay in how he fought. He relied too much on instinct and overwhelming offense.
Whenever he found an opening, he pursued it relentlessly, often exposing himself in return. He knew that this must be because of his ability. But he shouldn’t rely much one that.
He also became overly focused whenever he used the Second Petal, allowing his vision to narrow toward his target.
’He still lacks combat experience against opponents while fighting them with only weapons’
Without saying a word, Julian suddenly shifted from defense to offense.
Tap!
His wooden sword slipped past Noah’s guard and struck his shoulder.
"Don’t watch my sword."
Julian spoke calmly.
"Watch my entire body."
Before Noah could fully recover.
Thud!
Another strike landed lightly against his ribs.
"You reacted too late."
That was cruel since Julian was just too fast for Noah.
Clang!
Noah hurriedly raised his blade to block the next attack.
Julian immediately changed the angle.
Smack!
The wooden sword struck Noah’s thigh.
Noah gritted his teeth but refused to retreat. Instead, he adjusted his stance and attacked once more.
Slash!
Julian parried effortlessly. Then counterattacked again.
Thud!
Another strike landed against Noah’s forearm. His grip loosened for a split second.
Noah immediately corrected his posture.
Again. And again.
Every mistake Julian pointed out disappeared after only one or two attempts.
That alone surprised him.
’...He’s learning too fast’
Most young swordsmen repeated the same mistake dozens of times before correcting it.
Noah rarely repeated it second or third time. Each exchange showed visible improvement. His defense became tighter. His footwork steadier. His attacks became less reckless.
Julian remained expressionless on the outside, yet inwardly he couldn’t hide his surprise.
’It seems Noah is an exceptionally fast learner. Far faster than I expected.’
Noah had spent most of his training using a spear rather than a sword.
Even when using a blade, he usually relied heavily on his Ice Creation ability.
Against few opponents, that approach had worked well.
But standing before Julian he had neither his ice spells nor his Ice Creation ability. He could only rely upon his body, his mana reinforcement, and his swordsmanship.
Oddly enough that limitation made Noah both excited and nervous. While his Adaptive learning ability made him learn things faster.
He wanted to perform well before his father. At the same time, he knew every mistake would be exposed immediately.
Sweat rolled down his forehead as they continued sparring.
His arms gradually grew heavier. His breathing became rougher. His muscles burned with exhaustion.
Yet every time Julian knocked him back...
Noah stood up again. Every time he was struck... He adjusted himself and attacked once more. He never complained. He never showed frustration. He simply learned. And continued swinging his sword.
Julian watched him quietly. A faint smile almost appeared on his face before disappearing just as quickly.
’Good...This is the determination I wanted to see.’
His son was no longer the spoiled young noble who had once avoided hardship. Standing before him now was a young swordsman willing to endure pain in order to grow stronger.
Julian truly felt proud of Noah.
---
"So... are you ready to study now?"
"...Yes."
Noah took a moment before answering.
Currently, he was sitting inside the grand library of the Eldritch Manor.
Seated beside him at a large wooden table was his mother.
Several thick books were neatly stacked in front of her, each one dedicated exclusively to the study of ice magic.
"M-Mother..." Noah said with a helpless smile. "I’m already learning so much at the academy. I don’t think I really need to—"
Catelyn gently closed one of the books and looked at him with a calm smile.
"These aren’t ordinary textbooks."
She lightly tapped the stack before her.
"Every one of these books is dedicated to ice magic. Since your affinity is ice as well, there’s no better time for you to study them."
Then she tilted her head slightly.
"...Or are you already tired?"
It was already late afternoon.
Noah had spent the entire morning and early afternoon training under Julian’s strict guidance before sharing lunch with his family.
Now, instead of resting he found himself sitting in the library, about to begin another lesson.
He let out a quiet sigh before shaking his head.
"No."
He still had a long way to go. If he wanted to survive the future. He couldn’t afford to slack off.
Noah straightened his posture and looked at his mother with determination.
"Alright, Mother. I’m ready."
---
[A/N: Sorry about these last two Chapters. I just wanted to show that the MC trains hard and doesn’t only flirt around!]
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