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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 8
Chapter Title: A Single Strike
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—Human. Isn't a sword just for swinging around?
It was several decades ago.
Around that time, Seluseu was traveling, polymorphed into a human, when she met an old man at the foot of a mountain.
The old man claimed to be a great Sword Master. But to Seluseu's eyes, he just looked like a feeble old man, so she scoffed.
—A sword, huh. To a great dragon like me, it's nothing special.
Seluseu swung the sword wildly in front of the old man. Angered, the old man struck her thigh with his staff.
—Hey! Even if you are a dragon, you shouldn't treat a precious sword like that!
—Did you... did you just strike me?
Seluseu felt the urge to reveal her true form right then and there and blast the old man with her breath.
But the old man's next words made her hold back.
—I will teach you. What a sword truly is.
Seluseu was not so weak as to need lessons from a human. Known as the Great Calamity, her power was immense.
However, she was intrigued by the conviction in the old man's eyes. She grew curious about the source of his confidence.
So she decided to indulge in a bit of amusement for a while.
—If you fail to teach me properly, I'll devour you, head first.
After that, Seluseu learned the sword from the old man.
—Bend your knees more. Before you attack, you must focus on your knees.
—Straighten your back. That way, you can dodge immediately when an enemy attacks.
—Your vertical slash must be cleaner! There should be no wavering!
But it was ridiculously difficult.
Magic was something she could use from birth, but the sword was different.
Still, it was fun. The beads of sweat she shed seemed to have been worth it.
—Hey, human. At this rate, haven't I gotten close to becoming a Sword Master or something?
—You're a hundred years too early, you stupid reptile.
—Why, you!
—I suppose I should live to see a dull-witted reptile become a Sword Master. Now, get ready. I'm attacking first.
—Agh! Go easy on me!
And spending time with the old man, she realized, had been quite enjoyable.
For about a year, she learned swordsmanship from him.
During that time, Seluseu grew astonishingly, from a poser who only knew how to strike a pose to someone who could aim to be an expert knight.
It seemed she might even be able to aim for the rank of Sword Master in a human body, just as he said.
Then one day.
—Hey, human! What are you going to teach me today!
Seluseu kicked open the door to the old man's house, just as she always did.
Usually, the old man would nag her, saying, ‘Late again, you lazy reptile. When will you ever be on time?’
But...
—Hey. Are you still sleeping?
The old man lay motionless in his bed, his hands resting peacefully on his stomach.
—Human. Get up. I'm in top condition today.
Seluseu grabbed the old man's arm to pull him up. But he didn't get up. No, he couldn't get up.
Watching his hand fall limp, Seluseu finally remembered.
That the lifespan of a human is short.
—...Are you dead?
The old man did not answer.
—Are you really dead?
Again, the old man did not answer.
—Didn't you say you'd watch until I became a Sword Master or whatever?
Seluseu shook the old man's shoulders and cried out.
—So why would you die so meaninglessly like this? Why?
But the old man's tightly shut eyes showed no sign of opening. His stilled breath would not return. Ever.
—I... still,
Seluseu mumbled, her head bowed low.
—don't even know your name.
A desolate wind blew. For a moment, it seemed to carry a trace of the old man's breath.
Seluseu couldn't quite identify what was flowing down her cheeks. She only realized one thing.
That she was a truly lonely being.
And so, Seluseu never went down to the human world again. She holed up in her mountains, practicing the swordsmanship the old man had taught her, trying desperately to forget her memories of him. Decades passed like this.
And so,
“You think I’ve never even held a sword properly?”
Seluseu, no, Daphne, found Arius's words laughable.
“Don't you dare underestimate me, you foolish human!”
A vertical slash!
Daphne swung the child's wooden sword with all her might.
Her form was perfect, the blow weighty.
But there was something Daphne had overlooked.
The fact that her strength was only 1, and her stamina, a mere 10.
“...Huh?”
Daphne felt the world spin before her eyes.
“Wa-wait a second...”
Daphne wanted to say more, but she couldn't get the words out.
Like a marionette with its strings cut, she collapsed with a *thump*!
When a five-year-old child collapses like that, anyone would rush over, help them up, and take them to a physician. But no one in the training grounds could move. No, they were frozen.
“...”
They were in shock from the vertical slash Daphne had just demonstrated.
Arius, who had been so eager to fight Daphne; Lloyd, who had been watching them; and the knights who had been paying attention to their duel—all of them remained silent. *Gulp*. Only the sound of someone swallowing dryly could be heard.
“Commander.”
Arius asked, having barely regained his senses. Only then did the Knight Commander, Lloyd, snap out of it too.
“Uh... yes.”
“Did I just see what I think I saw?”
Arius said. Lloyd's eyes wavered slightly.
“What... are you referring to?”
“I mean!”
Arius shouted, clutching the wooden sword he had yet to swing even once.
“Did you also see a mere five-year-old brat swing a sword with such perfect form?!”
Arius was truly astounded.
From the moment Daphne first gripped the wooden sword, he had felt something was unusual.
He knew for a fact that Daphne had never held a sword before. Not only was she born frail, but she had no interest in swordsmanship and had never even visited the training grounds. So how could she possibly achieve such a perfect stance!
But he had thought her stance was merely decent. He had assumed it would be different once she swung the sword.
He was wrong.
Daphne's vertical slash was so clean and efficient it could be called marvelous.
He didn't want to admit it, but she was far more skilled than he was, despite his three years of training.
“Damn it all!”
Arius stomped his foot and clenched his teeth.
“Is this what they call bloodline?”
He muttered bitterly.
He was an adopted son, fortunate enough to have caught his mother's eye, but Daphne was the 'real child' who had inherited both her father's and mother's abilities. Perhaps it was that damned bloodline that allowed her to display such perfect swordsmanship.
The thought left a bitter taste in his mouth. It felt truly unfair and frustrating.
*After all the hard work I've put in, to be shown up by someone like Daphne...!*
The wooden sword in Arius's hand trembled.
*Hoo*.
He took a deep breath and squared his shoulders.
“Call a physician and move her. And you...”
Arius ordered the other knights to move Daphne, then shifted his gaze to Lloyd, who was still standing there dumbfounded.
“From today on, you will be my exclusive instructor.”
*Grind*. Arius spoke, clenching his jaw so hard it seemed his molars would shatter.
“Because I refuse to be surpassed by a brat like that.”
Everyone in the training grounds had the same thought: it seemed a storm was about to brew in the once-quiet household.
***
“Hyaah!”
The moment Daphne opened her eyes, she let out a yell and shot up.
Her last memory was of fighting Arius.
“...Hm?”
But when she came to her senses and looked around, she wasn't in the dusty training grounds but in her own room.
Daphne finally grasped the situation.
She had planned to put Arius in his place with all sorts of cool remarks, but she had collapsed after just a single vertical slash.
“How infuriating.”
Her stamina must have plummeted just from swinging the sword due to her lack of strength. Therefore, her top priority now had to be building up her stamina and strength.
'But how?'
She had no idea how to increase stamina and strength.
A dragon's body was so powerful and sturdy that there was never a need to build them up.
'If I had known I'd be possessing such a frail human body, I would have looked into it sooner!'
Daphne screamed in frustration internally, but it was no use crying over spilled milk.
“Who should I ask...”
Just as Daphne was pondering this,
“Oh my!”
The door opened, and Ann and Anna entered together. Their eyes widened when they saw Daphne.
“You're awake, my Lady!”
“What a relief!”
Ann and Anna hurried over to check on Daphne.
“Are you hurt anywhere?”
“Do you feel dizzy, or have a headache?”
Daphne stared blankly at their genuinely worried faces.
*These two are truly loyal to this body.*
*I don't know why, but it's not a bad thing, so I suppose I can let it be.*
“Uh-huh. I'm fine. Now can you move your faces back? You're crowding me.”
“Ah, yes! I'm sorry!”
“I'm sorry!”
Ann and Anna quickly pulled their faces back.
“I'm glad you're not hurt. But just in case, I'll call for the physician!”
“And I'll prepare a meal for you!”
“Fine. Do as you wish.”
Daphne waved her hand dismissively, but Ann and Anna paid it no mind and bustled about.
“Oh, and!”
Ann called out as she was about to leave the room.
“The Knight Commander asked to be notified as soon as you woke up, my Lady. What should I do?”
*The Knight Commander?*
*That crazy psycho who threw the wooden sword at me?*
Daphne hummed, thinking for a moment.
Her deliberation wasn't long.
“Bring him here.”
It was only natural to meet someone who wished to see her, after all.
“Yes, my Lady.”
Not long after Ann and Anna left, Lloyd knocked on the door.
“My Lady. May I come in?”
His tone was much more polite than before.
This pleased Daphne slightly.
“Yes. You've come.”
Daphne said to Lloyd as he entered the room.
Lloyd walked up to Daphne and stopped. Then he slowly opened his mouth.
“There is something I must ask you, my Lady.”
