22 - An Unexpected Apprenticeship
Ray headed to the training grounds without giving a second thought to the previous day's trouble, but he was genuinely surprised to find the very person who had caused it waiting for him.
"Oh, you've come."
"Geel-sama! Could you please stop this already!"
Cecil was the first to snap at him. Even after a full day, her anger toward Geel had not subsided. And yet, Geel had shown his face again, completely unrepentant.
"Don't make such a scary face. You're wasting a perfectly pretty face."
Geel lightly brushed off Cecil's anger.
"I am not pleased to hear such things from you."
"You've got no charm. Well, that's also my type."
"Please stop joking around!"
"I think you could be a little happier. Hey, am I really that unattractive?"
Ray, suddenly pulled into the conversation, answered normally without any particular hesitation. In fact, from Ray's perspective, Geel's appearance wasn't bad. His vulgar way of speaking and harsh impression got in the way, but he could almost be called handsome.
"Right? Besides, I'm actually on the gentler side with women."
"As long as they aren't enemies, right?"
"Oh, you've got it figured out. As expected of my apprentice."
"...Huh? What did you just say?"
The words had flown out of Geel's mouth. Ray had heard them clearly, but he asked for clarification, assuming it must be some kind of mistake.
"From today on, I'm going to train you. Therefore, you are my apprentice."
But the words from Geel's mouth were the same as before.
"How did it come to that?"
"First of all, stop that stiff way of talking. I absolutely hate that superficial attitude."
"Hah... then, I'll ask again. Why is that?"
Changing his tone completely, Ray threw the same question at Geel again.
"That's better. The reason is simple. It's because I'm bored."
"Bored? That can't be right."
Even without a war, knights have things to do. Ray believed that Geel shouldn't be so bored that he'd spend his time dealing with him.
"I am bored. Once I returned to the royal capital, I couldn't go outside. Thanks to the orders of some big-shot who told me to guide the lower-ranked guys in the knight order for the time being."
"Then you should just guide them."
As expected, he wasn't actually bored. On the contrary, if it were guiding subordinates, he should be quite busy. However, that's only if he took it seriously, and Geel was not that kind of person.
"As if I could stand dealing with those refined types."
"Then it sounds like you're saying I'm not refined."
"You aren't refined, are you? You're just like me. A man who doesn't pick and choose his means to win."
"That's because you..."
The reason Ray hadn't picked and chosen his means in the fight with Geel was because he thought he was genuinely going to be killed. It wasn't something Ray had desired to do.
"And above all, you seek power. Your eyes are the same as mine were when I was young."
"So you'll teach me? That's surprising. I didn't think you had the personality to consider such a thing."
Ray thought that Geel had felt an uncharacteristic surge of kindness by overlapping Ray with his younger self. However, Geel immediately denied this thought.
"Don't misunderstand. Me training you is strictly for my own sake."
"I don't understand."
"If you become strong, my reputation as your master will rise."
"You want that kind of fame? Now that's truly surprising. Do you plan to retire and open a sword dojo or something?"
"Don't say stupid things. I'm active for life. Listen, once your strength becomes known to the world, I'll knock you flat. That's how I'll prove my own strength."
"Do you think it'll go that smoothly? In the first place, why would my strength become known to those around me?"
That wouldn't happen. What awaited Ray in the near future was either death, or living quietly with Rui in a place where the Human Race wouldn't find them. At least, that's what he thought.
"Who knows? Well, it's a hunch."
"A hunch, huh. And does your hunch say that I'll become strong?"
"If it didn't, there'd be no point in teaching you, right?"
"I see... then, I'll let you teach me."
"Kamui-sama!" "Hey!"
Ray accepted the apprenticeship under Geel with surprising ease. In contrast to Cecil and Miria, who let out cries of surprise, Geel himself looked satisfied.
"I knew it. I knew you'd accept."
"Was that a hunch too?"
"No, I was certain of that. Like I said before, you seek power. I can tell just by looking at you."
"Well. However, I don't have much time."
"Hah?"
"One month at most. After that, I'm leaving the castle."
"What, don't scare me. That's more than enough."
"You're kidding, right?"
If this were true, it would be a cause for celebration, but there was no way.
"You've got it wrong, don't you? Even if it were a year instead of a month, you wouldn't catch up to me. You'll spend years from now on acquiring the strength worthy of fighting me seriously."
"Then, what do you mean by 'teaching'?"
"How to train. I'll tell you what you're lacking and what you should develop, and then I'll teach you how to train those things. The rest is up to you."
"I see. That's good. I'm starting to feel a bit happy."
Becoming strong through his own efforts without relying on others. For Ray, this was the most desirable form. Ray felt a bit grateful that he could be taught by Geel.
"Hah, you'll regret it soon. That said, don't disappoint me too easily."
"I can't promise that."
"What?"
"I don't know when I'll die. If I manage to survive for a while, maybe I'll have become reasonably strong."
Even if he could escape with Rui, the life beyond that would by no means be easy. They would have to live in the Forest of Bewilderment or a similarly dangerous place where people didn't set foot.
"If you're going to put it that way, I'm the same. Nice, I'm starting to have fun too."
" "............" "
Cecil and Miria were left speechless by the two who turned out to be unexpectedly similar. Without paying them any mind, Geel immediately tried to start the training.
"For now, I don't need that barrel... no, maybe I can use it. Well, that comes later anyway."
"Yeah."
"First, don't do any training on your own for a while. Do only what I tell you."
"What about magic?"
"Do that on your own. It's not something I can teach."
"Got it."
"I have a general idea of what kind of training you've done until now. Well, it's not bad, not bad, but from here on, that won't be enough."
Since he had volunteered to be a master, Geel had thought about how to train Ray to some extent.
"In what way?"
"I'm about to explain that. In one word, balance."
"Balance."
Whether the word 'balance' was applicable in this world was a thought that didn't matter right now.
"However, it has two meanings. One is the balance of training. You've trained your lower body way too much. Because of that, the balance of strength between your upper and lower body is skewed. Well, it's better that the lower body is stronger, though."
"I'm well aware of that."
Ray had been running relentlessly to build up his stamina. He had done a fair amount of muscle training like push-ups, but the amount of running was simply abnormal.
"That's fine. It's something that can be fixed quickly by changing the content of the training. The other one is just as it sounds. Balance, stability. Yesterday, you lost your posture many times. Both significantly and slightly. Because of that, there's a one-beat delay in your movements. That's fatal in a fight."
"...True."
He hadn't lost his posture because he wanted to. That meant Ray's current movements wouldn't work in actual combat.
"To fix this, it's necessary to perform various types of training. Some parts will improve by training the upper body, but that's not all."
"I see."
"So, for a while, we'll focus on that."
"Specifically?"
"Thoroughly train the center of the body. Neck, back, abdomen. The insides of the legs too. We'll start with something easy. Lie on your back."
"Yeah."
Ray lay on his back on the ground as Geel told him.
"From there, keep only your head and the soles of both feet on the ground, and lift your body."
"I see."
In short, he was being told to get into a bridge position. Ray immediately assumed the posture as instructed.
"Alright, woman, get on top."
"Eh?" "Hah!?"
Receiving Geel's sudden instruction, Cecil and Miria could only respond with cries of surprise. They didn't understand the intent of the instruction.
"Just staying in this position won't train anything, right? We need a weight."
"Hah."
Just a weight. When told that, a feeling of dissatisfaction welled up in her heart.
"Come on, get on quickly."
"Even if you tell us to get on, which one of us?"
Miria asked in response to Geel's instruction.
"I'd like to say both of you, but with the kid's build, that might be a bit impossible. The heavier one."
"So, which one?"
Miria repeatedly asked Geel whether she or Cecil should get on, but...
"Did I just say something that requires you to agonize over it?"
"Miria."
"...Fine."
With a reluctant look, Miria lowered her hips onto Ray's stomach.
"Lift your legs. You won't be a weight like that."
"A-ah."
Miria lifted both legs off the ground as told.
"H-heavy..."
Miria's weight suddenly pressed down on Ray.
"Don't say such rude things. I'm not that heavy."
"N-no, y-you're, d-definitely, h-heavy enough."
It wasn't that Miria was large for a woman, but rather that the load was being placed on parts he hadn't trained until now, such as his neck.
"Alright, then stay like that for a while."
"F-for a while?"
"For a while. Now, while that's happening, maybe I'll have a chat with the little lady."
"Huh? W-what are you doing!?"
Geel forcibly took Cecil's hand and pulled her away to a spot a short distance from Ray. Then, Geel lowered himself to sit on the spot.
"Why don't you sit too, little lady?"
"My name is Cecil. I am not a 'little lady'."
"You've got a strong spirit. Then, Cecil. Sit."
"I'll pass."
"Heh, I'm hated. Well, fine. There's something I want to ask."
"What is it?"
"Who is that guy?"
Geel erased his playful atmosphere in an instant and asked Cecil with a glaring look.
"...It is as Sieg-sama told you yesterday. Kamui-sama lost his memories and was... protected by the Demon Race while in the forest. And they lived together for a while."
Seeing Geel's attitude, Cecil chose her words carefully as she answered the question.
"Protected, huh. Is he the kind of piece that needs protecting?"
"When he first came to the royal capital, he was in a state where even walking was difficult. I do not know for certain if he was originally like that, or if it happened because he had nothing to eat."
"What about sword and magic?"
"I heard he couldn't use them. In fact, he couldn't use elemental magic. I believe the same goes for the sword."
"The fact that you specifically say 'elemental magic' means he could use other magic, right?"
This was something Geel, who had been hit by it, already knew. Geel deliberately asked Cecil.
"I wonder."
Cecil deliberately played dumb.
"Hah, playing dumb, are you? Well, fine. At least I know he can use it now. By the way, around when did he come to the royal capital?"
"About three months ago."
"Three months? From a state where he couldn't walk to that in three months? He's starting to become quite hateful."
"Why is that?"
"I hate talented people."
Even from the perspective of Geel, one of the Three Pillar Knights, becoming this much in three months was abnormal.
"Then, why not stop teaching him?"
"But I don't hate people who put in the effort."
"Do you know of Kamui-sama's efforts?"
Geel should have returned to the royal capital only recently. Cecil thought there was no way he knew of Ray's efforts.
"I saw him running before we clashed yesterday. That's why I approached him. Look around. Where else do you find someone who keeps running until they collapse? I only know three such people in the kingdom."
There was no need to watch him the whole time. Being able to train until collapsing without anyone forcing him to—such a person is rarely found.
"There are three? Who are they?"
"One is me."
"Are you bragging?"
"It's because you asked, right? I have no hobby of showing my efforts to others. You know who the other two are, right?"
The existences that rivaled Geel in this country—strictly in terms of sword strength—were obvious.
"The Three Pillar—"
"I hate that title."
"...Sieg-sama and Alfred-sama. In other words, Kamui-sama has strength comparable to them?"
"I don't know about that."
"But didn't you acknowledge both his talent and effort?"
Ray had talent and the ability to put in the effort to nurture it. That was something Geel had acknowledged. If that were the case, Cecil thought he should be able to rival the Three Pillar Knights in the future, but that was because she did not yet know what a real fight was.
"That alone isn't enough to become strong. You need one more thing, the most important thing. Luck."
"Luck? With something like that?"
"Hey now, for a mage who has an epithet at your age, you don't understand much."
"My 'that' is not an epithet, but simply a derogatory term."
"Heh, is that so? Well, I'll let you tell me more about that slowly next time we're alone."
"There will be no such time."
"...Cold. Anyway, don't make light of luck. To become strong, you have to survive numerous life-or-death situations. That's when luck becomes necessary. For example, yesterday. If it had continued like that, the kid would have undoubtedly died. But Sieg appeared right there. That too is a form of luck."
"That was because Geel-sama—"
"You can't always fight opponents weaker than yourself. Even if you could, you wouldn't get stronger. Does that make sense?"
"I understand that."
"That's how it is. The kid somehow understands. And he's prepared for the fact that it wouldn't be strange to die at any time. He might be ready to live that kind of life."
The intuition of Mad Sword Geel was like that of a wild beast; he lived up to his reputation. This intuition was also one of Geel's talents.
"Why is Kamui-sama in such a hurry to live?"
"Hm? You think he's in a hurry to live? Well, maybe he is, but thinking of it that way is wrong."
"Then how should I think of it?"
"He's living his limited life to the fullest. That's all."
"...Geel-sama is..."
Cecil was surprised by Geel's unexpectedly decent remark.
"What, did you regain some respect for me? You can just fall for me right now if you want."
"That is impossible. My feelings are for Kam... anyway, it's impossible."
"Hah? Hey, you're kidding, right?"
Understanding the meaning of the words Cecil had hurriedly stopped, even Geel was taken aback.
"What is it?"
On the other hand, Cecil desperately suppressed her internal turmoil after accidentally letting slip her feelings for Ray to Geel of all people, forcing herself to maintain a composed face.
"Do you prefer younger men? No, even so, isn't he too young? He's a minor, right?"
"So, what of it?"
"...Well, whatever. That's interesting in its own way. Now then, time for the next training."
Saying so, Geel stood up and headed toward Ray, who looked like he was about to collapse.
"Of all people, to that man..."
Regretting her slip, Cecil followed after him.
◇◇◇
"Up, up, up."
Geel's rhythmic voice echoed. After the neck training in the bridge position, it was time for back training. Lying on the ground, Ray moved his upper body up and down in time with Geel's calls. Ray's face was one of desperation. And the faces of Cecil and Miria, who were watching, were slightly pale. And for good reason. Geel was swinging a real sword left and right at the height of Ray's head in time with his calls.
"Look, if you're slow to move, you'll get hurt."
"I-is a s-sword... necessary?"
"Training needs a sense of tension. Slack training isn't training."
"I-is that... a p-problem?"
"Look."
"U-uwaah!"
The sword was swung at a different height than before. In a panic, Ray lifted his upper body high to avoid it.
"Lift your upper body all the way to the top. You're dropping."
"Kuh."
"Come on, ten more."
"Hah, hah, hah."
"Up, up, up, up, alright, finished."
"Whew."
Regardless of his face getting dirty with soil, Ray collapsed face-down on the ground.
"Just as I thought."
"Uwah!"
Right then, Geel's sword was swung toward his head once more. Desperately lifting his upper body, Ray dodged it.
"Right. Now it's really over."
"Are you trying to kill me!?"
"Carelessness is the greatest enemy. You can only relax after you've completely stopped the enemy's breath. Alright, next."
"...What's next?"
"The opposite of now. Lie on your back and lift your upper body."
"I do that every day, though?"
"You do? How many times?"
"Recently, twice a day. Five hundred each, so a thousand times."
"...Then, try doing it for a bit."
"A-ah."
Ray started doing sit-ups as usual, but Geel stopped him immediately.
"Stop. No good, you're slow."
"Slow?"
Ray hadn't expected his speed of doing sit-ups to be pointed out. Not knowing the reason, he showed a slightly bewildered expression.
"Right. I should mention this too. What you need to develop is speed. Conversely, you're not suited for a fighting style that overpowers the opponent with strength. Well, it's also because your body is still small."
"So?"
"Not everything, but you should do your training with fast movements. Be conscious of the same speed as when we trained your back. Listen, I'll tell you this too. Your back and abdomen—do these with the same load, same number of reps, and same speed."
"To maintain balance?"
"Exactly. Now for the next one. This one is quite plain."
"We did the neck, back, and abdomen, so the insides of the legs?"
"Right. It's plain."
"I don't mind if it's plain. Everything's been plenty plain so far. So how do I do it?"
"Open your legs wide to the left and right."
"Yeah."
"From there, drop your hips. A bit more, yes, like that."
Ray's posture was a form where his hips were lowered until his knees were bent at a right angle.
"Is there strength in the insides of your legs?"
"...I think so?"
"Alright, keep that in mind and repeat the up-and-down movement. Ah, since we're at it, let's use this too."
What Geel handed to Ray was a barrel filled with water.
"Gah!"
"Yeah, looks good. Now, continue. The speed should be the same as my calls from before."
"But, Geel-sama..."
"Master. Call me Master."
"Why are you so obsessed with that?"
"Just call me that."
"...Why does Master know this kind of training?"
What he was being told to do now were wide-stance squats. Looking at the training of the knights in the grounds, Ray had thought that the concept of muscle training didn't exist in this world. However, what Geel was teaching was something Ray knew. That was strange to Ray.
"Because I tried various things. The body gets stronger if you keep moving it while applying a load. So, I just thought about how to move the parts I wanted to strengthen in a concentrated way."
"The idea of training the core—I mean, the center of the body?"
"Because I found that you need to train that part to stabilize the body."
"So, how did you figure that out?"
"Hah? That's easy. You just try moving it. Listen, try clenching your hand slowly. When you do, you'll notice that not just your fingers, but the front of your arm also moves and hardens, right?"
"Yeah."
When he actually clenched his hand, it was exactly as Geel said. That in itself wasn't surprising, but Ray was impressed that Geel had discovered it.
"In other words, to grip strongly, you need to train that part too. If you verify that with various movements, you'll understand, right?"
"You're amazing. Master, why don't you seriously open a dojo and take apprentices?"
"Stop talking nonsense and just get started."
"I'm serious, though."
Ray thought that there probably wasn't anyone else who had done this much research and turned it into specific training methods. In fact, in this world, there were likely no people who thought about training muscles by specific parts like Geel did. At most, the general method was the crude approach of continuing to lift heavy stones to get stronger.
"Just do it."
"Yes."
After confirming that Ray had started the wide-stance squats, Geel approached Cecil again.
"Now, while the kid is training, I've got to close the gap even a little."
"The gap in what?"
"The distance between me and you, obviously. My pride won't allow me to lose to a brat like that."
"E-ehhh!"
The one who let out a cry of surprise was Miria.
"What are you surprised about?"
"Does that mean Geel-sama is trying to woo Cecil?"
"Is that a problem?"
"No, it's just surprising. I thought you weren't interested in women."
"Hah? What do you take me for? Listen, I don't know when I might die. In that case, it's only natural to enjoy various things while I'm alive."
"Various things... Geel-sama, you're a womanizer, aren't you?"
"That's why I told you. Can a man who might die tomorrow have a family?"
"So, you just go for anyone? Huh? But I'm a woman too, you know?"
"Were you?"
"How cruel... is my appearance that bad?"
"Huh? ...No, it's not bad. If anything, it's on the better side."
In reality, Miria was beautiful. However, her behavior and way of speaking when she was being herself, as she was now, simply didn't give off a feminine feel.
"Eh, is that so. Oh well, it can't be helped."
Showing a bashful look, Miria lined up next to Geel.
"H-hey. Why are you coming closer?"
"Well, I thought I'd try to close the distance even a little. My pride won't allow me to lose to Cecil."
"The distance I'm talking about isn't that distance. I'm talking about the distance of the heart."
"That can come after we close the physical distance."
"Ho, so that's how you're playing it. I don't mind at all. Now that I look closely, you are a fine woman, your build is... shall I verify that first?"
"...I'm sorry. I was joking."
Miria abruptly increased the distance from Geel, who had been almost touching her.
"I thought so. You're still a maiden after all."
"If you're saying that, then Cecil is too—"
"Miria, don't say unnecessary things."
"...Heh."
Geel wore a deliberately meaningful smile.
"What is it?"
Cecil fell for it completely. Although Cecil was said to have few emotional fluctuations, she showed reactions different from her usual self when dealing with Geel, or when Ray was involved.
"No, nothing. I'll tell you, it's tough."
"Tough in what way?"
"For two first-timers... the kid definitely has no experience either."
"What!?"
"Ehh? Cecil and Kamui... oh no, I imagined it."
"Miria!"
"Kuh, pfft!"
Seeing Cecil turn bright red and yell at Miria, Geel couldn't help but burst out laughing.
"What's so funny?"
"No, when it comes to the kid, you're just a plain maiden. You're seriously in love."
"Is that a problem!?"
"Uwah, she admitted it. Alright, in that case, I will too."
"No, I mean, why are you coming closer to me?"
"Geel-sama is actually handsome if you look closely, and that laughing face just now was quite lovely."
"Hah?"
"And above all, you're strong. I admire strong men. Thinking about it that way, Geel-sama is a perfect fit for my ideal."
"No, isn't that what you call jumping the gun?"
In truth, Geel, who was shy, was not fond of the type who closed the distance quickly like Miria.
"My, isn't that nice. Looking at you two like this, you're actually a well-matched pair."
"Cecil, you brat, stop jo—" "Eh, you think so?"
The two showed opposite reactions to Cecil's provocation.
"Miria, good luck."
"Yeah, I'll do my best."
"No, you, wait, that's not it."
"Calling me 'you' is too much, please call me Miria."
"Hah!?"
For the first time, Geel learned of the existence of a natural enemy. The three of them seemed to be having fun, despite their bickering.
"Hey, while someone is suffering, what are you guys doing flirting?"
The only one left out was Ray.