'...I still have so much to do…' Sitting quietly cross-legged under a tree, Kaiser was lost in the twists of his own thoughts. Ever since he had been reincarnated into this cursed world, everything had happened so fast that he had hardly had any pause.
Every move he made had the potential to alter the future he knew, leaving him swimming in ignorance. But the most vicious part was that if he had decided to do nothing, right now he would already be underground eating worms.
"I'd really like to meet the bastard who put me in this shit…" he growled, lifting his head and letting the warm morning sunlight caress his face.
Taking a deep breath of fresh air, Kaiser calmed his mind. Dwelling on the mountain of things he had to do was pointless; the most important thing was to keep moving forward by focusing on the present moment.
"Let's get back to it," he told himself once he had regained his clarity. He picked up the wooden sword lying beside him; the handle was smooth, slightly worn, firm enough to allow decent handling.
He wrapped his fingers around the wood and breathed in deeply, feeling completely ready to resume training.
His first move was a straight thrust. He pushed the tip of the sword forward smoothly, exactly as Kethra had shown him.
He was still only on the basic fencing movements, yet he was progressing at a fairly rapid pace, all thanks to his intensive training with that woman.
*Fuaaaah*
The blade sliced through the air and stopped, stirring the dead leaves that gently rose from the ground. A smile appeared on his face; the movement was flawless.
He repeated the motion once, then a second time, and kept going several times until he was sure he had truly executed it correctly.
He continued without pausing, following with a downward vertical cut, then returning with another thrust. This time his brows furrowed; the movement lacked power.
"One more time!"
Fuaaaah
A thrust, then a downward vertical cut. The execution was more decent this time, but still lacking power. He started the sequence again. He was seeking consistency. He wanted every strike to match the previous one. He counted in his head to keep the rhythm. With each strike, his arms warmed a little more, but he didn't slow down.
Strike after strike, drops of sweat began to trickle from his forehead, proof of the effort he was putting in.
"Harder." He urged himself.
A lateral cut followed by the thrust; without stopping, he raised the blade, turned it slightly outward, and blocked an imaginary blow, performing the parry.
He repeated it over and over, working the angle. What was interesting about these movements was that if he was off by even a centimeter, he put himself in danger.
No one needed to explain that kind of thing to him. He had experienced the harsh reality himself with Kethra; every opening he left was met with increasingly brutal strikes. In a real fight, that would mean he was dead.
Against the enemies he would have to face, if he truly wanted to come back in one piece, no mistakes were allowed. Kethra's level was nothing more than a bad joke compared to those monsters.
"...Shit."
His foot sank into the ground, throwing off his balance while attempting a dodge. These things happened; no matter how much he had improved, he still made occasional mistakes.
After a short break to catch his breath, he resumed, leaning forward then shifting right, then left. He paid closer attention to his footing. His feet slid slightly but planted themselves firmly again.
His breathing grew more and more irregular; his stamina was reaching its limit. He had already been at it for an hour. His muscles stiffened, burning under the strain.
As he finished a series of lateral steps, a familiar voice spoke behind him.
"You're training early."
Kaiser turned and saw Kethra, the one teaching him swordsmanship. She stood with her arms crossed, calmly observing his stance. She wasn't the type to make useless comments.
"I have time," Kaiser answered simply.
She nodded and walked over to him. She motioned for him to resume his guard, which he did without argument. She watched him for a few seconds, then said in a neutral voice:
"Show me the thrust."
Kaiser executed the movement. Kethra stepped closer, placed two fingers on his elbow, and gently pushed it.
"Lower. There."
He had thought he'd grasped the movement, but he had clearly been wrong. Still, he didn't complain. He corrected his position and did it again.
"Good. Now the vertical cut."
He raised the blade and struck through the air. This time she slightly adjusted his hand.
"You're going too far on the downswing. You waste time getting back into guard."
Kaiser corrected and struck again. She nodded.
"See. It's not about strength. It's about angles."
She paused, then added in an almost casual tone:
"Talent is mostly that. Understanding faster than others. You understand by working. It's not a flaw. It's just another way of learning."
Kaiser lowered his eyes slightly. It wasn't the first time someone had spoken to him about talent. He had heard all kinds of versions. Some harsh. Some contemptuous. Kethra's was simpler.
"You think I have a little of it anyway," he asked, not bothering to hide his curiosity.
She studied his stance for a few seconds. It was enough for him to feel a small knot in his stomach.
"You have a talent for consistency," she said at last. "Most people give up before mastering the basics. You don't let go of them. It's not flashy, but it's what builds a reliable soldier."
Kaiser breathed in slowly. The answer didn't flatter him, but it gave him a kind of steadiness. He preferred that to compliments he wouldn't have believed anyway. In any case, he knew how shitty this body's talent had been at the start; fortunately he now had his system and knowledge of this world, otherwise it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he'd be screwed.
"Start the parries again," she said. "I'm watching."
He obeyed. He raised the blade, turned it slightly, blocked an imaginary strike. Kethra corrected him again, but the adjustments were minor. An angle to change. The wrist to relax. The back foot to move forward half a step. Kaiser made the changes without discussion. Having someone to correct him was far more beneficial.
After about ten minutes, she spoke again.
"Better. You can speed up."
He sped up. He felt his arms straining more. His breathing grew shorter. He had to focus harder to maintain his guard. But he persisted. Kethra respected that kind of effort, even if she never said it outright. Perhaps without realizing it, he had risen considerably in her estimation. She could see that Kaiser wasn't the kind of lazy, foul-tempered noble who simply relied on family authority.