Kuina bit her lip in frustration, then suddenly turned toward Sabo and bowed deeply.
"Please fight me next."
Sabo blinked in surprise, then let out a helpless laugh.
"Me?"
Adorable, honestly.
Ritter patted Sabo's shoulder with a teasing grin.
"Go on. Try not to embarrass yourself."
Ace had won earlier only because of his absurd physical strength. The fight looked flashy, but once Kuina braced herself, the one who should have lost was definitely Ace. Ritter had observed her closely during the match. For her age, the girl was far from weak. What he had not expected was simply that Ace's strength was so abnormal it threw the duel off-balance.
If Kuina had fought Anne first… she would have been flattened instantly.
Actually, no. Ritter corrected himself.
If Kuina fought Anne, she might not just lose. She might become even more determined afterward.
Sabo took a slow breath and stepped forward. He picked up a wooden training sword, then gave Kuina a refined, noble-style bow.
"I look forward to learning from you."
The wooden blade looked almost weightless in his hands, light and precise.
Koshiro's eyes narrowed behind his glasses. It was subtle, yet Ritter caught it immediately. You could always tell when a man with perpetually squinted eyes was frowning. In other worlds' manga, people with eyes like that were always final bosses.
"Begin."
Kuina launched forward the very instant the words left Koshiro's mouth. Her wooden sword thrust toward Sabo's chest with sharp accuracy.
Sabo blocked it, but the moment the swords touched, his expression changed.
Her strength was far heavier than he expected, sending a sting up his wrist.
Among the three kids, Sabo was the one with the weakest physical strength. He was technique-oriented, and ironically, the one whose sword style was the least compatible with Ritter's. His foundation was solid, but his physique lagged far behind Ace and Anne.
"Your stance is wrong." Kuina's voice was cool and precise. She twisted her blade and swept toward Sabo's side.
Sabo stumbled backward, barely avoiding the strike, though his footwork had already fallen apart. He instinctively shifted to a double-handed grip.
"Why didn't you swing back one-handed earlier?" Kuina pressed in immediately, her voice quick and sharp.
Her wooden blade carved fast arcs through the air, forceful and relentless. Sabo could only retreat under the pressure.
On the sidelines, Ace stomped anxiously.
"Sabo! Stop backing down!"
Anne shook her head.
"Kuina's sword style counters his."
Ritter stood with arms folded, though his attention was not on the children. His gaze lingered on Koshiro, who was watching the duel with focused intensity, glasses glinting faintly.
This was the problem, Ritter knew.
He might be a top-tier swordsman, but that didn't mean he could teach every style perfectly. Ace and Anne thrived under his instruction only because their bodies could handle his heavy greatsword habits. Ritter had already tried to eliminate those habits for their sake, but children imitated naturally. They adored him, watched him constantly, and unconsciously copied him.
Ace and Anne could keep up.
Sabo could not.
And that was exactly why Ritter brought the family out to train. If Sabo stayed under him forever, the boy might not grow as well as he did in the original storyline. Ritter's path was a dead end for him, even if it looked like a fast lane to success.
At that moment, Koshiro finally spoke, his tone calm and precise.
"Raise your wrist by three inches. The wooden sword is light. Do not fear it. Do not imagine you are holding a steel blade. Picture a wooden rod, something that cannot withstand a direct clash with metal."
Sabo froze for a heartbeat, then instinctively adjusted his posture.
Kuina's next strike came sharply. Sabo's wrist rotated at a new angle and…
A sharp crack echoed.
The swords collided, and Sabo smoothly absorbed the force, stepping back with control rather than panic. He created distance for the first time.
"What?" Kuina's eyes widened.
A glimmer of realization crossed Sabo's gaze. His swordplay shifted immediately, no longer clashing head-on. He dodged and redirected, using finesse instead of force.
"Good." Koshiro smiled faintly.
Kuina gritted her teeth and intensified her offense, but Sabo no longer crumbled under pressure. He was still losing, yes, but he was holding his ground.
"Ace…" Anne murmured softly.
"Sabo is adjusting. He understands now."
Ace's jaw dropped.
"W-wait, is he learning her moves in real time?!"
Ritter chuckled.
"No. He's finding his own rhythm again. Koshiro's correction was perfect."
Sometimes the old sayings were true. One good piece of advice could change everything.
Ritter had tried to teach Sabo to refine his technique, but that only trapped the boy further inside Ritter's own style. Koshiro, however, had gone straight for mindset. He told Sabo to assume his weapon was fragile, that it could not block brute force. Once Sabo believed that, his body naturally shifted toward caution, agility, and timing.
The first instinct in battle should never be to clash.
It should be to survive.
As the duel dragged on, sweat gathered on Kuina's forehead. Sabo's breathing grew heavy, but his movements steadied.
Finally, in a fleeting passing moment, Sabo flipped his sword and struck with the back of the blade.
A crisp smack rang out.
Kuina gasped and dropped her wooden sword.
The courtyard fell silent.
Kuina stood frozen, clutching her reddened wrist. Her voice trembled, eyes shimmering.
"I lost… again?"
Sabo lowered his sword and bowed deeply.
"Thank you for the match. If Mr. Koshiro hadn't guided me, I never would have won."
Koshiro stepped forward and gently placed a hand on Kuina's shoulder.
"Victory and defeat are part of growth. What matters is what you learn."
Kuina lowered her head, fists trembling slightly.
Ritter stepped in with timely humor.
"Kuina, right? Your swordsmanship is already excellent. These two boys..." He pointed at Ace and Sabo. "They've been beaten up by me since they were toddlers. Their bodies are… unusually tough."
Kuina raised her gaze and examined Ace's brute strength and Sabo's adaptability. Then her eyes shifted toward Anne, who stood quietly holding her giant greatsword.
"And what about her?"
Anne blinked innocently and lifted the massive blade as if it weighed nothing.
Koshiro adjusted his glasses.
"Does this young lady also wish to spar?"
Ritter grinned.
"Anne, go on. Hold back a little."
Anne nodded, dragging her greatsword toward the center. The weapon was nearly her height, and the wooden practice sword in her other hand looked comically mismatched. Yet her stance was rock-solid and serene.
Kuina inhaled deeply and picked up her fallen wooden sword.
"Please guide me."
"Begin."
Kuina lunged, wooden sword stabbing toward Anne's throat.
Anne didn't dodge. She simply lifted the greatsword from below in a smooth arc.
A loud crack echoed across the courtyard.
Kuina's wooden blade snapped in half.
She stared down at the stump in her hand, then at Anne, who hadn't even shifted her footing. Her worldview visibly collapsed.
"What kind of swordsmanship is that?!"
Anne tilted her head.
"Uncle taught me."
Ritter's face went blank as he stared at the sky.
"Ahem. She's just strong. Her swordsmanship is actually quite basic. Truly nothing special, nothing at all…"
Rouge walked up and patted Ritter's back, laughing softly.
"Alright, stop pretending. We all know my little brother is amazing."
She carried a pouch of Berries and approached Koshiro.
"Koshiro, I am the mother of these children. This is their tuition and a token of appreciation for troubling you. Please accept it."
She bowed deeply.
Ritter did not bow, and Koshiro stepped aside to avoid Rouge's gesture, not daring to accept it.
In this world, strength commanded respect. Koshiro understood clearly that even as the children's teacher, he had no right to receive a bow from Ritter's family.
He accepted the children not only because of their talent, nor simply because Ritter was polite. The truth was that Ritter was a ruler of the seas. Declining such a request would be dangerous and foolish.
Koshiro smiled gently, expression harmless as a housecat.
"There is no need for such formality. Teaching gifted children is an honor. I will accept the tuition, of course. Please stay comfortably. I will arrange rooms for everyone."