Sword Whisperer - Chapter 4

Chapter 4.  The Guard Unit’s Sword (1)

When Van first showed up, everyone thought that he has come to just watch like he had done in the past.

That’s how everyone translated what Van’s ‘dream’ was supposed to be.  Wanted to be a king and rule the world.   Wanted to have a forbidden relationship with a princess.  Wanted to be filthy rich.  As people did not pay much attention to such statements, no one gave much weight to Van’s words when he said ‘I wanted to be a swordsman.’

“Hey, did you have a quarrel with your master Jansen?”

Chuckling with a smile, Dolby asked.  He simply thought that Van’s action was impulsive as well as his decision to leave Jansen.  However, Aidan didn’t think it in that term.  His eyes reflexively surveyed Van’s hands.

‘….You’ve been training like heck.’

He was wondering what Van has been up to since he hasn’t been showing up, has been practicing the sword on his own all that time, he thought.  Looking at the calluses and scabs on his hands, Aidan thought that Van was very determined while he trained.

Would it make any difference?

Deferring his bittersweet question, Aidan stepped forward.  Not even withstanding the possibilities, it wasn’t a manly thing to ignore someone who was so sincere in his endeavor.

“Are you sincere?”

“Gosh, captain.  What are you doing.  All that this lad has been doing in his entire life is gathering herbs and making medicine.  To be even holding a sword at this point in time….”

“Look at his hands, Dolby.”

As they heard Aidan, Dolby, along with all the other guards turned their attentions to Van’s hands and they their expressions froze.

“My god….What happened to Van’s hands?”

“Have you been training to the point of your hands looking that way?”

“If you were going to do that why have you not started sooner, and why now….”

“Van……”

That was sufficient enough to verify Van’s determination.  Even Dolby stopped being rude and looked on Van’s hands with complicated stare.  Aidan spoke in quiet voice.

“Is Jansen also aware of this?”

“I plan to tell him like a man after passing the test.”

“….. As you may already know, just because one wants to be a member of the guard does not mean he will make it in.  Not just talent, but skill is also necessary.  Do you believe that you’ll fulfill those requirements?”

“Will you not know after testing me?”

Unexpectedly, Van looked confident.  He must have a trick or two under his sleeves for sure.  What could it be.

No matter what it was, the test result would soon reveal what that was.

“Dolby.”

“Yes, captain.”

“Bring the wooden swords.  Two of them.”

“…..Yes, sir!”

While Van was taking his place, Aidan looked straight at Van.  And he spoke.

“The entrance exam is as you know it.  Spar by using the wooden sword, and prove your worthiness.  Winning does not guarantee an acceptance, and neither does losing imply rejection, so no need to be too obsessed on winning or losing.

“Who is the opponent?”

Instead of responding, Aidan turned his head to Dolby.  As if he had already anticipated it, after handing one wooden sword to Van, he held the other one tightly with both his hands.

“Sorry, but I will not go easy.  If a friend is having a silly dream, isn’t it a friend’s duty to wake him up?”

“How do you know if it is a silly dream or not?”

“You talk too much for someone who just endless dream about Van, the swordsman.”

Van turned red upon hearing Dolby.  He held onto the wooden sword tightly.  Although the feeling was somewhat different than when he was holding Jansen’s rusty sword…. Was it not that the equipment was not a key factor to a master.

He was neither a swordsman, nor a master at this point, however…..

Still, at least a swordsman was.

“Dolby.”

“What.  You’ve something to say?”

“You’ll regret this.”

Irrespective of what it was, at least he wanted to shut that classless tongue up, at least once.  Van roared as he got ready.  The guards smirked as they whistled.

“Hey, Dolby!  Don’t hurt him too much!”

“No, it’s OK to hurt him!  A little bit of blood between friends will strengthen the friendship.”

“Ah, don’t be worried.  I’ll just show him just enough pain.”

Dolby smiled with a smirk.  Of course, Dolby was the most junior member of the guard unit, so he was being belittled by the most of the other members, but at least, after all, he was still a swordsman who practiced every day.  Despite the determination that Van had, Dolby wasn’t someone who would lose to another swordsman who just practiced for a short time on his own.

‘Posture…. Not too bad?’

Dolby thought examining Van’s posture.  It wasn’t perfect, but it was a very clean posture for someone who has practiced on his own.

Well, Van was the one who came to the gymnasium more often than Dolby.  Learning by seeing over other people’s shoulders was learning also, so it wasn’t strange to see him ‘imitate a swordsman’ rather well.

“Hey.  Come.”

“…..What?”

“It is customary for a high skilled one to yield three seconds.”

He wasn’t sure where he has heard that phrase.  It wasn’t like he ran into a swordsman of great nature, so he must have just heard it in passing from the neighborhood gossipers….. At any rate, Dolby raised his shoulders and felt confident as he said those words.  How often in his life could he get to say such phrase?

However, he would immediately regret those words.

“Alright.  Three seconds.”

Immediately tossing out those words, Van dashed towards Dolby and pointed his sword forward.  He was unexpectedly quick.  However, the problem came next.  When Dolby raised his wooden sword and pushed Van’s sword to the side in surprise, Van spun in his spot like a peg top.  With that, seeing Van come after his legs with the wooden sword, Dolby quickly threw himself to the ground.

“Uhk!”

“What is it, Dolby.  What happened to yielding three seconds or something, you dodge disgracefully?”

“…..You!”

It was now the time for Dolby’s face to turn red.  Breathing roughly, he grasped tightly on his sword again.  The members of the guard unit yelled, laughing out loud.

“What was that, Dolby!  Are you going to get beat up again with your bravado?”

“Jeez…. I don’t know how he joined the guard unit.”

“Ah, just watch!  Soon!  I have not completely warmed up yet!”

Dolby shouted acutely.  However, unlike his words, signs of nervousness were everywhere on his face.

“That bastard, why is the sword so heavy?’

It wasn’t only just quick.  When he blocked Van’s sword, he almost dropped his own sword as he thought lightly of Van.

It wasn’t an issue of power, but more in terms of knowing how to properly wield a sword.  Strangely, Van’s sword had the ambience of an experienced one.  He was certain that Van did not have any real fighting experience, let alone sparring one at that, yet his ability to react to situation was excellent.

‘Must be a coincidence.’

It was only just the second time that their swords have crashed.  It was probably that the sword might have been swung in a fairly good path.  Even while thinking that, Dolby grasped his sword even tighter than before.

“Alright.  I’ll fight in earnest now.  Be prepared.”

Van did not respond.  Holding on to the wooden sword, he measured the distance.  Downswing?  No.  It might still be better to leave it as a secret maneuver, for now.

Jansen’s memory has been very helpful, beyond his expectations.  It was natural as Jansen even had the experience of making contacts between people and the sword.  Although whether they were made from real battles or not weren’t certain, that was still more than sufficient to get the hang of how to face a swordsman.

Of course, it would also be in no time that he would be hit with the limitation.

—Aidan’s words were circling in his ear.  No need to be concerned about winning or losing.  However, he wanted to focus on it.  Van did not just want to be a swordsman.  He wanted to be a victorious swordsman.  Beat anyone, like he did in his dream….Like the sword god.

His certainly had the capability, too, but it did not work on the wooden sword.  And naturally, Jansen’s memory wasn’t getting synchronized in real time, right now.  However, that didn’t matter.  He had already learned all that he could from Jansen’s memory.

Although this wooden sword could not remember how Jansen swung his sword, Van remembered Jansen’s body and spirit. .

So.

“Yeyup!”

This time, Dolby charged first.  Looking at him swinging down by fiercely clutching on the sword, he must have thought to throw Van down with the wooden sword.  Instead of dodging, Van narrowed the distance and moved to underneath Dolby’s elbows.  Even though Dolby’s knee reflexively came up and aimed at Van’s face, Dolby’s sword has already been pushed away, by now.

The guards murmured.

“Look.  That lad Van….He fights rather well?”

“….Really.  He hasn’t even been taught former swordsmanship, either.”

“Is it that Dolby is terrible?  Or is that that lad is great?”

The ends of his lips were raised.  If he was Van, the sword god, he wouldn’t be fluttering from those murmurs, but he was after all, a fifteen year old boy.

Dolby, too, has heard those murmurs as well.  Unlike before, he put on a rigid facial expression.  He started the fight in order to teach his friend who was having silly dreams a lesson, but at this pace, he had to stay alert in order to continue.

‘Stronger than I thought.  At this pace…..’

He had to push hard, not giving Van any time to think of his reaction.  In that situation, not having enough experience would certainly hold him back.  It was at that moment when Dolby swung his word as he thought like that.

Unfortunately, Van, too, was, having a similar thought.

The only difference was that when Dolby thought to push hard without giving his opponent a time to think, Van thought to the point of finishing the fight without giving his opponent the time to think.

After blocking Dolby’s sword, Van’s wooden sword was raised high.

The posture to downswing.

‘Now.’

As a result of his training, Van was able to slice a single leaf.

Van swung down his sword.