My Gang of Swordsmen

Chapter 481: Chapter 168: Mr. Tachibana, Please Fence With Me!

"So, what you mentioned earlier about beautiful girls and beautiful boys... Most likely it’s just baseless rumors spread by those who love gossip."

"Oh, I see..." Elodie pursed her lips, feeling a bit down.

Just at that moment—

Knock, knock, knock, knock, knock...

A very rhythmic knocking sound suddenly came from the entrance.

Aoto and Elodie both raised their gazes towards the direction of the entrance.

"Hmm? Why would someone be knocking at the door at this time... (French)" Elodie mumbled to herself in her mother tongue, while she walked back to the dining table and picked up a silver bell, shaking it heavily a few times.

Leroy appeared again in front of Aoto and Elodie.

Elodie said something to Leroy in French.

Leroy nodded, then walked quickly yet courteously through the hallway on the left side of the dining room, heading straight to the entrance.

Next, the sound of the door opening, footsteps, talking... these sounds kept pouring into Aoto’s ears.

Before long, Aoto heard a ’click’—the sound of the door being closed.

Leroy returned to Aoto and Elodie’s sight, carrying a wooden box that appeared to be quite exquisite.

As soon as she returned, she started chattering away with Elodie.

Aoto couldn’t understand what they were saying, so he could only observe their expressions, noticing that: upon seeing the wooden box in Leroy’s hand, Elodie instantly beamed with joy.

Elodie pointed towards the dining table beside them, then Leroy placed the wooden box on the table and left — she probably went back to her work.

As soon as Leroy left, Elodie, with an impatient expression, bounced eagerly towards the wooden box.

"Miss Angoulême," Aoto followed Elodie to the side of the wooden box, "What is this?"

Elodie didn’t immediately answer Aoto’s question.

Instead, she gave Aoto a mischievous smile, then with a ’click’, she slowly opened the wooden box.

Inside the wooden box lay a very finely crafted wooden thrusting sword.

Aoto’s pupils slightly contracted: "A thrusting sword...?"

"This is my beloved sword." Elodie’s eyes sparkled with childlike joy, "I accidentally damaged the sword tip while practicing recently, so my grandfather asked a friend who excels in carpentry to repair it for me."

"It’s finally repaired and sent back."

Practicing sword... Aoto sensitively caught a word from Elodie’s words that made him unable to ignore: "Miss Angoulême, you know thrusting swordsmanship?"

"Yes, I’ve been practicing thrusting swordsmanship since I was a child."

Elodie raised her hand and gently stroked the thrusting sword in the box, with a hint of nostalgia and reminiscence in her eyes.

"I’ve always liked Robin Hood since I was little... Ah, Mr. Tachibana, you probably don’t know who Robin Hood is."

"Robin Hood is a knight thief who is quite famous across European countries, known for robbing the rich to give to the poor and standing up for justice."

"I really like this legendary knight thief."

"Mr. Tachibana, you must not laugh at me when I say this."

Elodie laughed awkwardly, her face turning rosy, her right hand retracted to her chest as she twirled her finger around the braid hanging on her chest.

"I’ve always dreamed of becoming a knight thief who is skilled in both literature and martial arts, and happy to help the weak like Robin Hood."

"So when I was just of age to learn thrusting swordsmanship, I begged my... family to help me find a swordsmanship teacher."

"Even now, having moved to Japan with my grandfather, I’ve never slackened in my practice of thrusting swordsmanship."

"Initially, besides thrusting swordsmanship, I wanted to learn archery as well, because Robin Hood is a divine archer who can ’split another arrow by hitting its bullseye’."

"But since my family strongly opposed my learning archery, thinking that in this era, archery is useless except for hunting and entertainment, while learning thrusting swordsmanship could at least be used for self-defense, I decided to focus solely on practicing thrusting swordsmanship."

With that, Elodie reached for the thrusting sword in the box.

Elodie’s beloved sword is made entirely of wood, so it’s very light, even a little girl like her who hasn’t fully grown can easily lift and wield it.

"The person who repaired my sword is really amazing." Elodie seriously examined the thrusting sword in her hand and then thrust it forcefully into the air a few times, "It’s as good as new."

At this moment, Elodie didn’t notice—the smile on Aoto’s face beside her was full of amused surprise.

Dreaming of becoming a knight thief... Aoto finally understood why Mukiwa and Elodie could become such good friends.

Even though their outward personalities seemed worlds apart, one shy and introverted, the other lively and cheerful, their internal thoughts and feelings were surprisingly close.

Aoto watched Elodie’s sword practice for a few moments, his eyebrows raised high due to astonishment: "Miss Angoulême, your movements are really impressive."

Aoto’s words were not mere compliments to Elodie.

Elodie’s sword movements were indeed impressive; her sword path was very steady, which for a twelve-year-old girl was considered exceptionally skilled.