Chapter 68: 68 Training
"Your movements need to be steady, and your steps quick. Don't just focus on the sword in your hand; try using other parts of your body to counterattack. Your fists and legs are your weapons in battle."
At night, after finishing the grand banquet, Roy took Shiki Ryougi to the venue provided by Mr. Ryougi for some post-dinner activities.
Although Mr. Ryougi repeatedly tried to persuade Roy to continue drinking, seeing him nearly unconscious after consuming almost half a barrel of sake, Roy still had Mrs. Ryougi take him home first.
This guy was already starting to talk nonsense, almost spewing gibberish. He first suggested Roy marry into their family, then claimed he wanted to adopt him as his son.
A variety of absurd comments began to spill from his lips, causing Mrs. Ryougi to feel alarmed.
Seeing that Roy merely smiled and wasn't angry, she felt relieved and helped her husband back home.
Even though they had drunk together, Mr. Ryougi was completely drunk, while Roy showed no signs of inebriation at all, which was quite astonishing. It was as if that barrel of sake did not affect him at all. What kind of constitution is this? Is he a reincarnation of a god of alcohol?
Shiki Ryougi was also shocked by his alcohol tolerance.
However, this was not merely a matter of alcohol tolerance; it was due to the unique nature of his body and soul, coupled with the presence of Avalon within him, which helped him resist most abnormal states, meaning he wouldn't feel any intoxication no matter how much he drank.
Unless it was divine wine brewed by gods from the age of gods, ordinary liquor was not much different from water to him.
Seeing that most people had already dispersed, only a few servants were left cleaning up the venue, along with some mob members who had also gotten drunk and were sleeping on the ground.
At this point, it was time for him to take Shiki home. She had been staring at him for two hours already; if he didn't let the child release some energy soon, she might truly become frustrated.
Thus, skipping the formalities, Roy took Shiki to the training ground and directly entered the most thrilling part, practical combat.
*Clang!!*
With a light flick of his bamboo sword, Roy easily sent the small knife in Shiki's hand flying into the air. Immediately, he seized her wrist and threw her out with a swift motion.
*Bang!*
Accompanied by a cloud of dust and the sound of impact, Shiki landed heavily on the ground and couldn't get up again. Roy looked at her with a bit of concern but maintained a calm demeanor.
However, his actions didn't slow down at all. He quickly stepped over to Shiki, bent down, and began to cast a healing spell.
'It seems like I've overdone it with my strength.'
This body's capabilities were much stronger than he had imagined.
Next time, he had to be more careful.
"Does it hurt anymore?"
Although Shiki had long known the wonders of magecraft, she couldn't help but be amazed at how effective it was when she experienced it firsthand.
Her back, which had felt like it was broken just a moment ago, was suddenly healed. This magecraft really is amazing; no wonder her father valued this person so much.
"Let's do it again."
Then, following Roy's example, Shiki picked up a bamboo sword from the training ground and readied herself, her beautiful face devoid of pain or frustration from being knocked down, instead filled with fighting spirit.
Due to his fusion with Lancelot's saint graph during the Holy Grail War, Roy had inherited quite a bit of Lancelot's martial skills, especially in swordsmanship. Although his body and saint graph had been torn apart in the crack of the Holy Grail, he still retained a fair amount of memories and sensations from that experience.
After acquiring a new body and abilities, he also didn't forget to replicate some of Lancelot's techniques, though he wasn't quite at a level to compete solely based on martial skills with the Knights of the Round Table. However, he was more than capable of handling Shiki.
Though he had sent her flying with a sword flick earlier, he intended to follow it up with a grappling technique that would strangle her, but since this was just training and she wasn't his enemy, he opted to catch her and throw her instead.
In fact, he had been very lenient, so Shiki only sustained minor injuries and was now eager to continue practicing with him.
"Are you serious? Don't you need to rest a bit?"
"Of course not! I can still fight!"
A spark of excitement shone in Shiki's eyes, and her determined expression gave her an air of spiritedness. She was already set in a proper sword stance, ready to spar with Roy again.
"Then I'll play with you a bit more."
Seeing this, Roy also raised his sword to face Shiki, deciding to offer her further guidance.
"Alright!"
With Shiki launching another offensive, the sound of bamboo swords clashing echoed through the courtyard.
Time passed, but it was hard to tell how long it had been.
The two of them fought almost all night.
Throughout this time, the spirited Shiki and the calm Roy repeated a cycle.
The general process was as follows:
Shiki was not satisfied with her performance and continued to charge at Roy.
Roy, without holding back, taught her a harsh lesson, rendering her unable to fight.
Then he bent down to help her heal.
Shiki, feeling dissatisfied, charged in again to fight, and Roy would hit her again.
As for how many times this cycle repeated, neither of them kept count.
However, Shiki had broken eight bamboo swords throughout the night.
And yet, she still wasn't done?
Although he had used healing magecraft to alleviate her pain and helped her regain some stamina, after fighting for so long, she should have been tired of it by now.
After all, no one likes one-sided battles.
But from Shiki's eyes, Roy could not see any signs of annoyance; instead, there was a lightness he had never seen before. After fighting all night, it seemed she had released her pent-up emotions, and her spirit had become noticeably brighter.
She was growing bolder and more excited, her skills improving significantly from when they had started.
She had progressed from being instantly defeated to being able to withstand two or three of his strikes.
A smile gradually appeared on her face.
It seemed she was truly enjoying this process.
Roy looked at the still spirited Shiki and nodded slightly at her.
Whether or not Shiki Ryougi has the strange attribute of a battle maniac, is uncertain.
However, he does remember that in Kara no Kyoukai, Shiki indeed has experiences of seeking fights, and he also sensed during their earlier battle that she genuinely enjoyed fighting.
Perhaps this is related to her nature and Origin.
Watching Shiki become more and more vigorous in battle, he couldn't help but wonder.
Is she treating herself as a tool to vent her fighting desires?
If that's truly the case, then it's quite interesting.
Initially, he planned to explain her inherent flaws and improvement suggestions once she grew tired or her confidence was shaken, but seeing her so excitedly engaged in the fight saved him a lot of trouble.
"Feel free to hit me; no matter how long you want to fight, I'll keep you company. So, let me see how much you can improve, Shiki."
It seemed that their thoughts were conveyed through the clash of swords. In that brief exchange, Shiki paused for a moment, looking at Roy, surprised.
"You…"
She was about to say something, but the next moment, the bamboo sword that came at her didn't give her that opportunity, and she could only hurriedly defend herself.
Roy raised an eyebrow and said, "Don't get distracted in battle, Shiki."
"I understand."
What Shiki noticed was that Roy's swordplay had changed; from initially being swift to overwhelm the enemy, it gradually turned into a method of feeding her moves and guiding her.
Each of his sword strikes, though appearing fierce and relentless, was controlled just right, nearly every slash at a level she could handle completely. While still at the limit, it was no longer as desperate as before.
Having practiced swordsmanship since childhood, Shiki could certainly understand his intent. He was feeding her moves, wanting to help her grow in this way.
What a meddlesome guy.
"However… thank you." Shiki said softly.
She didn't take Roy's goodwill for granted. Gripping her bamboo sword tightly, she worked hard to parry every strike he made. In the clashes between their swords, they exchanged smiles.
*Bang!* *Bang!* *Bang!*
*Bang!* *Bang!* *Bang!* *Bang!*
The dull sounds continued without end, and after enduring nearly a hundred strikes, Shiki finally fell due to exhaustion.
In the final strike, Roy easily blocked her attack, then seized the opportunity to move close to her, just as he had at the beginning, effortlessly knocking the bamboo sword from her hands.
However, this time Roy didn't throw her away again.
Instead, he grabbed her arm to declare victory.
The outcome was decided...
"The game is over; today's training ends here. Go back and rest well."
"No, let's keep going. I can still fight."
As if wanting to savor the fulfilling feeling from the recent battle, Shiki didn't want to end it so easily. She wanted to break free from Roy's hold, pick up the bamboo sword again, and continue fighting.
But this time, Roy didn't give her a chance to be stubborn. He simply picked her up, carrying the exhausted Shiki back to her room.
He shook his head and said, "Today's training is over; you need to rest, Shiki."
"I can still keep going."
"No, you can't." Roy shook his head and didn't agree with her.
"Get a good night's sleep. Simply practicing hard doesn't always yield the best results; sometimes, a balance between work and rest is essential."
"Rest is to conserve more energy for the next training session; anything that needs to be done can wait until tomorrow."
Finally…
He softly said, "Goodnight."
After saying that, Roy opened the door, placed Shiki back on her bed, and tucked her in before turning to leave.
The remaining bedtime tidying up was not for him to do; it would not be appropriate for him to stay any longer.
However, as he stepped out, Roy realized that during the evening, Mr. Ryougi seemed to have been busy drinking with him and hadn't arranged for him to stay anywhere.
At this time, Shiki had already changed her clothes, and Mr. Ryougi was surely drunk, while Mrs. Ryougi must be sleeping, making it seem inappropriate for him to find anyone.
Looking up at the round moon hanging in the sky, Roy jumped onto the roof of Shiki's room and simply lay down.
After all, he didn't need to rest; staying here to enjoy the moonlight for a night wouldn't be bad.
...
In the morning, Shiki Ryougi, who had been busy the night before, looked exhausted.
However, since she still had to go to school, she was woken up by the servants at the scheduled time.
After a simple wash-up, Shiki Ryougi began her meal in her room.
Members of the Ryougi family rarely ate together.
The head of the family was very busy, and her brother didn't want to see him, so family gatherings were uncommon, with yesterday being an exception.
That was because their father was hosting that strange guy, and her brother didn't dare defy their father's orders, so the whole family had gathered.
Soon, the servant placed the prepared dishes on Shiki Ryougi's dining table with a respectful bow and said, "Miss, please enjoy your meal."
"I understand."
As usual, Shiki took the tray. However, when she picked up the utensils to eat, she realized that today's meal seemed a bit off.
"The white rice is the same as always, but what is this blackish lump? Redbone soup, and what's with the dust covering this fish...?"
"Is this food meant for humans?"
She couldn't help but wonder.
Shiki Ryougi picked up a piece of a strange object that resembled meat, revealing a puzzled expression.
No matter how she looked at it, she couldn't shake the feeling that these were not things normal people should eat. Although it smelled decent, its appearance definitely didn't resemble regular food.
Having eaten meals prepared by the family's chef since childhood, she was very certain that this could not have been made by him.
In the entire Ryougi family, only her father had the authority to change the menu freely, but he would never do something so pointless for no reason, so she roughly knew whose handiwork this was.
The nearby servant, seeing Shiki's disinterested face, felt a bit nervous but forced herself to explain.
"It was that sir who instructed me to serve this to you. The master said yesterday that in the Ryougi household, any order from the gentleman should be treated as a command from him, so I..."
So it really is that guy?
What exactly does he want? Is he trying to poison her by replacing her breakfast with these strange things?
"You..."
"You can leave now. Just let me handle Shiki. I'll remind her to finish all the food."
Shiki Ryougi gritted her teeth in annoyance and was about to tell the maid to fetch a normal breakfast from the kitchen when a male voice from the window interrupted her.
Then, the elusive Roy jumped in through the window.
"Good morning, Shiki."
"Good morning, my foot! Can't you use the front door?"
Shiki Ryougi looked at Roy, who seemed completely unfazed, feeling even more frustrated.
"What are these things? Are they really meant for people to eat?"
"Uh..."
Without hesitation, Roy replied, "They're for you to eat."
"..."
The two shared a brief glance before chaos ensued.
Shiki Ryougi pulled out a spare bamboo sword from the room and chased after Roy, who kept dodging. For a moment, they began to playfully fight in the room.
"It looks like they have a really good relationship."
Seeing the two start to play around, the nearby servant nodded slightly and decisively turned to leave.
She saw nothing.
Fortunately, it was just a brief moment of chaos before they stopped and returned to the more important matter of eating.
"Shiki, it's time to eat." Roy pointed at the strange dishes on the tray and continued,
"…Can we really eat this?"
With a blank expression, Shiki picked up a piece of unidentifiable meat and held it out to him.
"Of course."
Roy didn't hold back and directly opened his mouth to eat the meat that Shiki had handed to him.
It was breakfast that he had prepared himself. Could he not know whether it was edible? The appearance might have been a bit off, but it was actually very nutritious.
"???"
He actually ate it!
This one bite from Roy left Shiki Ryougi stunned.
"Actually, it doesn't taste bad; it's just that the texture is a bit like rubber candy."
After finishing, Roy couldn't help but share his thoughts. Seeing the doubtful look on Shiki Ryougi's face, he felt the need to explain further.
"These are very rare magical materials; they've just been specially processed so they can be used in cooking. Eating them will help with your upcoming magical studies."
Recalling his own beginnings, when he had been force-fed a large amount of magical dust by the Count without any processing, he realized that Shiki Ryougi was incredibly lucky. She only needed to take them regularly to steadily increase her strength... such a wonderful opportunity, and she was actually considering refusing?
Even Mr. Ryougi, upon hearing about his miraculous dietary therapy, had inquired if he could arrange a portion for himself. Although he was a bit old, he still had the heart to improve.
However, Roy directly refused him, citing insufficient materials.
At this point, it was too late for him. Even if he ate them, it would just be a waste of materials and manpower, and it wouldn't mean anything, so he felt it was pointless.
The disappointment was clearly visible on his face.
"So you mean eating these will make me stronger?" Shiki Ryougi finally understood what Roy was implying.
Although they looked terrifying, they actually smelled decent.
However, if it were true, as in the Norse myth where the hero Sigurd became stronger by eating Fafnir's heart, she might as well give it a try.
Noticing the peculiar thoughts in her mind, Roy couldn't help but chuckle.
"Of course, it's not that simple. Did you really think this was dragon meat from mythology? It's just meant to help you accumulate some magical power, and slightly enhance your physical condition and magical energy, allowing you to adapt better in the upcoming training."
If it were that easy to become strong, then there would be heroes everywhere.
Moreover, he was merely using magical materials from his orange stock; this wasn't Fafnir's heart or dragon's blood, and it definitely wouldn't have such miraculous effects.
So don't think you can achieve everything at once; take it slow, Shiki.
"In any case, eating this will be helpful, right? If that's the case, I'll eat it."
After hearing Roy's words, Shiki wasn't too disappointed. Having seen him eat it, she felt less resistant to the strange food before her.
Taking a deep breath, she lowered her head and quickly devoured the peculiar dishes in a whirlwind manner.
In just a few minutes, the plate was completely cleared, but her expression looked a bit odd.
"Although the taste isn't bad, the texture is so strange… it feels like I just ate a rag."
"Here, drink some water."
"Thanks, gulp gulp."
She took the cup of water that Roy had prepared and drank it all down, finally finishing this unforgettable breakfast.
If possible, she didn't want to touch these strange dishes again.
"Where are you going?"
Shiki Ryougi habitually picked up her backpack, preparing to go to school.
"Can't you see? I'm going to school. It's not the weekend again today."
Even the daughter of a Yakuza family had to focus on her studies...
"No."
Roy shook his head. "You don't have to go to school for the next semester, I've already had your father ask the school for a long leave for you."
"A long leave for a semester?"
This surprised Shiki Ryougi, but recalling her father's respectful attitude toward Roy yesterday, she had no doubt that as long as Roy gave the order, he would do anything.
So getting a long leave for a semester was no problem at all.
But…
"What should I do now?"
"What else is there to think about? Of course, we get straight to the point and start your training."
Roy smiled slightly, tossing the training outfit he had prepared into her hands, his face brimming with eagerness.
Although he had mainly come to see the Void Shiki again, after probing for a long time, there was still no response from her.
Though this left him somewhat regretful, training had to continue.
Coincidentally, last night, while looking at the moon from the rooftop, he had come up with a complete training plan. Although it was a bit strict, with his ability to heal at any time and Shiki's own talent, he was confident the plan would work.
If she really wanted to become stronger, she should prove it to him with all her effort, Shiki.
"I will turn you into a qualified demon hunter in three months, capable of handling ordinary magus with ease and not faltering against elite magus."
Roy said seriously, "Moreover, I'll help you awaken the powerful forces hidden within your body, so you won't have to awaken only when you're on the verge of losing."
"You better be ready, Shiki."
"Bring it on; once I finish my training, I'll chop you up first."
"Hahahaha, if you can do that, I'll gladly accompany you. So work hard."
After a bit of playful banter, the two exchanged glances, and Roy saw excitement in Shiki's eyes.
It seemed she was also very much into this.
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