Torn Asunder by War, A Sword Saint for Tomorrow X The Knight Wizards!! – Chapter 38

Chapter 38
  The moment his knight stepped forward from a position of gripping the b*tt of the spear with his right hand and the shaft with his left, the tip, which had been lowered to the ground, sprang up and intercepted the imaginary enemy’s slash.
  
  “Hah!”
  
  In sync with his short exhalation, the spear spun around, entangled with the unseen opponent’s weapon, pushed it away, and then pierced the chest with a diagonal thrust.
  
  Watching such sharp movements, I recalled the incident in the Great Forest encampment where Lloyd’s and my mock battle was interrupted.
  
  Even considering that we were just about to clash, it was a considerable feat to approach us two without being noticed and thrust the spear into the ground from outside our awareness.
  
  “So, he’s the Vice-Captain because of his skills.”
  “Yeah, he’s about equal to Captain Xenos in terms of wins and losses.”
  
  Leaving Revia, who spoke as if it were a matter of course, by the sheltered baggage area, I approached Raizes, who was still wielding his spear.
  
  “King Claude, I believe your daily training was supposed to be in the morning?”
  “I can swing a sword in the afternoon too, can’t I? Besides…”
  
  I mentioned that the movements I had just seen resembled those of someone handling a jumonjiyari （cross-shaped spear） rather than a simple spear, but apparently, it’s not a common weapon in the western countries, and he tilted his head with a puzzled look.
  
  “I don’t know what a jumonjiyari is. I was moving as if using a halberd.”
  “Ah, I see… They are similar in shape.”
  
  Unlike a halberd, whose spearhead consists of a spear point, axe blade, and hook carved from a single metal plate, a jumonjiyari lacks an axe blade but has another hook in its place, making them similar but not quite the same.
  
  The way they are handled is also largely the same, with thrusting, striking, and hooking, except for slashing with the axe blade. I was nodding to myself when… Raizes glanced at the wooden sword I was holding and the corners of his mouth lifted in a challenging grin.
  
  “Unfortunately, I have low aptitude for Clawsolas. I even tried riding one with Blaze’s help, but it didn’t budge. However, I won’t lose to youngsters in a hand-to-hand fight.”
  
  “Ah, I was just wondering how to ask you for a spar. It saves me the trouble.”
  
  I responded to the spear-wielding knight, who had taken a relaxed distance, with a fearless smile and held my wooden sword in the usual hidari kousoku-dan stance.
  
  “Now, let’s begin…”
  “I’m coming!”
  
  Aiming for a preemptive strike at the start, Raizes pulled the wooden spear, held high, towards his chest, took a half step forward, and swiftly swung the tip downwards diagonally.
  
  Responding to his first strike, I also stepped forward and intercepted it with the force of my swung wooden sword.
  
  “Tch, too shallow!”
  “Is that so?!”
  
  Roaring, he kept my wooden sword pressed down with his wooden spear and swiftly pulled back the tip to thrust at my solar plexus.
  
  Since that’s a typical move in old-style spear techniques like Hozoin-ryu, it didn’t exceed my expectations, and I dodged it easily by jumping backwards… but the reach of the spear is advantageous for the spearman.
  
  “Hyaaah!”
  “Tch!”
  
  I parried the relentlessly thrusting spearhead with my wooden sword. When I dodged a spear thrust aimed at my right leg as I tried to get closer, the wooden spear happened to get between my legs.
  
  At that moment, Raizes leaped diagonally forward while spinning the wooden spear, turning it into an improvised leg sweep that caught both my legs.
  
  “Whoa?!”
  
  I managed to evade by jumping straight up, but my opponent smoothly changed his grip on the spear shaft, closed the distance, and aimed for my face with the b*tt of the spear as he swung it diagonally.
  
  I somehow managed to block it with my wooden sword at the last moment. The instant my feet touched the ground, I delivered a counterattacking middle kick.
  
  “Uraaah!”
  “Guh?!”
  
  I heard a groan, but the blow wasn’t deep. I pursued Raizes as he stumbled back, but a strike from the wooden spear was driven in to block me.
  
  “Hah, desperate, aren’t you!”
  
  I deflected it with my wooden sword held in a diagonal seigan chudan-no-kamae stance, then, using the point of contact as a fulcrum, I swung the weapon halfway while approaching, aiming to smash his jaw with the handle, which now had centrifugal force… but of course, I stopped it just short.
  
  “…Well done, you’re quite skilled.”
  “You too. Your technique was impressive.”
  
  It’s a pleasant surprise that the Vice-Captain, who has a meticulous and cautious personality and a clever mind, is also a formidable fighter.
  
  ‘Appearances can be deceiving.’
  
  I revised my perception of him somewhat and was catching my breath after the spar when Revia, who had been watching from a short distance, came running over.
  
  “Amazing, Claude, and Vice-Captain Raizes too.”
  
  Along with her praise, she handed me a cotton towel that had been placed by the baggage.
  
  “Thank you.”
  
  I accepted my belongings with gratitude and lightly wiped the sweat from my forehead.
  
  “Still, it makes me a little happy when my partner is so amazing♪”
  “…I’ll do my best not to disappoint your expectations.”
  
  Since there’s no need to dampen Revia’s cheerful mood, I give a safe reply and think about our future plans.
  
  There are few absolutes in life, and on the contrary, unforeseen circumstances can occur. So, I accepted Nina’s request and extended our stay in the core city of Winzard… but the recovering city is very peaceful.
  
  It’s a blessing to have free time as a result, and even if we can’t leave our Clawsolas in preparation for emergencies, it’s best to rest our bones while we can.
  
  Most of the members of the visiting delegation shared similar thoughts, so except for some of the maintenance soldiers who are holed up in the workshop, everyone will be spending a relaxing few days in Zephyrus Domain.