Chapter 252 Building A Fighting Body
When Sara woke up, she heard the sound of wooden swords clashing outside.
She got out of bed and stepped onto the terrace in her nightgown, seeing Scott and Blaze practicing swordsmanship in the garden. Both of them held the same wooden sword, but Scott was holding his sword in one hand while holding a small round shield, while Blaze was gripping his sword with both hands.
Scott had been familiar with swords for a longer time than Blaze and was 3 years older, making him bigger and stronger. Still, Blaze was responding well to Scott's movements, desperately trying to keep up and looking for openings.
However, it seemed difficult to overcome the difference in experience and physique, as Blaze repeatedly got his sword knocked away and was sent flying with his shield.
At a good stopping point, Sara called out to the two of them.
"Good morning. You guys are up pretty early."
"Good morning, Sara. This is our daily routine. By the way, you seemed to be out late last night. Are you okay not having slept?"
Scott replied with concern. Blaze was lying on the ground, breathing heavily, and it seemed hard for him to speak.
"I'm doing pretty well. I might want to take a nap later. By the way, are you okay, Blaze?"
"I-I'm fine... really. I look so... uncool, though."
As Blaze replied in a shaky voice, Scott made a face that looked unimpressed.
"I'm the one who looks uncool. I picked up a sword for the first time at 3 years old and have been swinging it around for ten years, and now Blaze, who has only been practicing for just over 2 months, is almost catching up to me."
"You both have completely different fighting styles."
"Today, I just happened to have a round shield with me. I'm usually not the one holding a shield, but today it was Blaze's request."
"Is that so?"
"It seems like he didn't like being knocked away by a shield during the last knight training."
"Oh dear. Blaze really hates to lose, huh?"
"We knights have to be competitive. If you even think it's okay to lose, you'll end up dead on the battlefield, right?"
"I remember hearing a saying once: 'If you fight to avoid death, you will live; if you fight to live, you will surely die.'."
"That's a good saying. But I think it means that fighting while thinking it's okay to die is wrong. The idea of wanting to survive can become a distraction. If you think too much about winning or losing, it can freeze your body and make you unable to move. I think it's saying to fight without being aware of life and death."
"Is that how it is?"
"For example, if you think your opponent is scary, your body will tense up and you won't move well. On the other hand, if you underestimate your opponent, you might lose because you're too relaxed. So, you have to fight at your own pace without being overly scared or dismissive."
"I see. Then I'll stop being overly scared or dismissive of my opponent. I'll crush them with all my strength!"
"Ah, no... Sara, maybe you should hold back a little..."
But Scott's last words didn't reach Sara's ears.
"Hey, there's still time until breakfast, and I want to do a little too!"
"That's fine, but you need to warm up your body first and do a little running, or you might get hurt, okay, Sara?"
"Got it, Scott! I'll stretch and then go for a run."
"Stretch?"
"Yeah, it's the movements to make your body flexible. Well then, I'll go change!"
Sara returned to her room to change.
Finally getting up from the ground, Blaze muttered quietly.
"I'm really uncool, huh? There's nothing good about me at all."
"Aren't you still 10 years old? If I lose to you, I won't have any place to stand, right? Can't you let me be the reliable older brother for a little while longer?"
"Will I get stronger when I turn Scott's age?"
"By then, I'll be 16, so I think I'll be even stronger."
"I don't feel like I can catch up..."
"That's what I always think about Father."
The two sighed at the same time.
"But I feel like we need to hurry. I can tell that the area around Sara is getting more dangerous. Father and Daniel were both on edge."
"Yeah. I noticed that too. Noir was restless last night, but he wouldn't tell me anything when I asked."
"Hey, Blaze."
"What is it?"
"You can change your body age like Sara, right?"
"It takes a lot of magic power, though."
"How about trying to grow your body for combat training? Remember when Sara fought Daniel in Sophia's form?"
"I want to try, but it seems impossible unless I increase my magic power first."
"I need to increase my magic power too. I want to name a fairy."
Just then, Sara ran over.
"Sorry to keep you waiting!"
"Sara, that's a dress, right?"
"Yep, it's a dress."
"Weren't you going to train in swordsmanship?"
"I'm going to train to fight even while wearing a dress!"
"Huh!?"
Sara was wearing a simple but soft fabric dress that was tightened with a corset. The skirt was calf-length.
"Because I'm usually in a dress, right?"
"Yeah, that's true."
"It's impossible to not be able to fight just because I'm in a dress!"
"That's why you have bodyguards, right?"
"It's better if I can fight too."
"That's true, but still..."
Sara is full of confidence, but Scott and Blaze are stunned.
"I think I can handle things with magic without having to fight with a sword. But I believe it's better to have more ways to fight. I feel like things are going to get that dangerous from now on."
When Sara suddenly showed a serious expression, Scott and Blaze became serious too.
"Got it. Then I'll join you in your training."
"I'll help too."
"Thanks. For now, let's stretch and then go for a run."
"Then I'll run too. I realized I'm still lacking in stamina."
"Right. Thanks, Blaze."
"Are you planning to leave me behind?"
"What are you talking about? Scott always runs ahead and leaves us behind!"
"I have more stamina and longer legs than you little ones."
"Ugh. Oh, by the way, Blaze, come here for a second."
"Huh?"
"I'll heal you since you're all beat up."
Sara cast healing magic on Blaze.
"Sara... isn't the healing speed faster?"
"Maybe. Plus, I'm using less magic power than before."
"Your ability is still ridiculous. It's fine for us, but don't use it too much elsewhere, okay? You'll be called a saint in no time."
"Ugh, I'll be careful, Blaze."
"That's pretty dangerous."
"It's shocking to be called dangerous even by Blaze."
Sara felt a bit down, but she started stretching her body and began to run. However, before she could even run a kilometer, Sara started to gasp for breath.
"Sara, isn't that dress getting in the way?"
Scott, who easily lapped Sara, called out to her.
"It's super annoying. It clings to my legs and doesn't absorb sweat at all; it's terrible."
"It might be like a knight trying to run in metal armor. If that's the case, why not make a dress that fits Sara better? Maybe use a material that absorbs sweat easily. But it seems like there's not much you can do about the skirt clinging to you."
"That's a good idea, Scott. It seems worth considering. But I feel like I need to get used to this way of fighting."
"But, how are you going to handle weapons in that outfit?"
"I want to say a lady's weapon is under her skirt, but unfortunately, it's just space storage."
"I don't get why that's unfortunate, but since you can't just lift your skirt in front of people, isn't that fine?"
"There's no romance in that."
"I have no idea where the romance is in this conversation at all!"
Somehow, Sara managed to run about 5 kilometers (≈ 3.1 miles) in her dress. She sparred with Scott and Blaze, thinking about what kind of movements and techniques she would need.
'Hmm. I should probably have mother check this later. I want to be able to fight gracefully, without losing elegance, like I'm dancing.'
"I give up. By the way, are you planning to start a new style, Sara?"
Scott, with a sword pointed at his neck by Sara in her dress, asked.
"Women's swordsmanship? That sounds interesting. Isn't it cool to fight as a lady-in-waiting or a maid, protecting a princess or someone of high status?"
"Isn't it normal to have a knight for protection?"
"What if we get attacked in the bedroom or bathroom?"
"I think your idea is amazing, Sara, but isn't it scarier if an assassin pretends to be a maid and sneaks in?"
"Ah, that possibility exists too."
Blaze, who was watching this, let out a deep sigh.
"Even if Sara start that kind of group, I wonder what kind of women would come to learn. I hope those girls can use healing magic. It's just too sad for girls to get all hurt."
"Oh, Blaze, that might be a good idea."
"Huh?"
"A group of war maidens who run through the battlefield with male knights, healing while fighting――doesn't that sound super cool? Let's call them Valkyrie!"
"Um, isn't it better if they don't wear dresses on the battlefield?"
"Hmm, I imagine something like light armor with a short, easy-to-move skirt. I want them to wear circlets on their heads."
"Sorry, I can't keep up with Sara's imagination."
"And they can sing too!"
"Why would they sing? I totally don't get it!!"
"I was thinking that if the knights hear their songs, maybe they'll feel better."
"Then that means all those girls have to be good singers, right? With swords, magic, and singing――it's not like you're Sara, so isn't that too hard?"
"Ugh. But it's romantic!"
Then Scott and Blaze looked at each other and said at the same time.
""I totally don't understand Sara's romance!""
It seems these two are not suffering from a case of "chuunibyou."
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