Translator: Darling | Editor: Walker

After that whole ordeal, the school day ended with no abnormalities. 

As the homeroom class came to an end, the female students came to me once more with puzzling conversations.

As I was taking it easy while going to the next meeting during this elegant afternoon – 

“Mister Schweiss, please” – 

But such an afternoon isn’t a luxury I can enjoy it seems.

As the meeting ended I thought I needed to run away once more, as that was almost the standard procedure by now.

Maybe that’s just what I wanted to happen though…

I am really looking forward to applying some training to the students with flames in their eyes.

Just like what happened in the sword-fighting class from before.

“This place… Seems like the forest is the best place to be without anyone around.”

“Yes! Let’s go right away.”

“There’s no need to be so thrifty.”

It almost feels like we’re going out for a picnic. But with swords… And training…

After school has ended, the training fields are rather busy with students training swordsmanship and magic it seems.

If Iris and I were to go there too we would definitely stand out. 

And as a teacher who is giving a one-on-one lesson to Iris, that would definitely not look good with the other students.

So we decided to be as low-key as possible.

That’s why we made our way to the forest within the school grounds.

It’s the same place Iris and I came across the assassins, so it has been put out of service for the time being.

The fact that there were assassins hasn’t been published though.

Iris too shouldn’t know that she was being hunted by assassins though.

“Well then, practice time.”

“T-teach me, master.”

Though she was first rather hyped up by the fact that we were finally going to practice, she was feeling rather pressured by it now.

Iris Reinfell- the Swordmaster Princess – Ever so famous, even within the academy.

With her dignified and noble demeanor, she is called Ms. Iris or Princess even by her peers.

Even so, ever since I got closer to her she just seems like a normal girl that’s a bit strained.

Also during class, she doesn’t seem to calm down much.

“Try to take it easy, shall we?”

“Y-yes.”

“Alright then. Well, first, show me your real power.”

“Are we having a match?!”

“Well, you seem to be hot-blooded. You always wanted a match, you say.”

“I-I only requested that before. That’s..”

As she said that she looked over at me again.

If it was her going to confess to me, I would be really flattered. But all this one wants is to fight.

It’s not like I don’t understand her, though. 

She’s trying to break out of her shell, and the most direct way for her to achieve that is by fighting me. 

If she realized that during a fight, then that’s already quite an improvement though.

That is to say, she wants to be more experienced in battle.

Well, right now we just need to make sure she can become more experienced. Especially with the situation, we’re in right now…

“Before you fight me, could you first watch this?” – I asked while swinging my Illusion sword.

The trees and grass began to shake as the sound of cutting wind echoed throughout the area.

I actually swung my sword once, unlike what I had shown her before.

“I-I was able to see it, for a moment.”

“For a moment, you say? So you are at the level that you can follow the blade?”

“Yes… That’s correct.”

“Well, then how about this?”

I swung my sword again. 

Faster than before- The sound of the wind became sharper, and I swung the blade with even more wind pressure.

Iris was baffled.

“I can see it, but…”

“But you can’t comprehend it, right?”

“Y-yes. This level seems to be quite difficult…”, Iris said directly.

She’s very powerful – But for her to realistically stop my blade, that still seems rather impossible.

But that’s not because she’s weak.

“I will train you to be able to stop my blade.”

“?! By that you mean I got to actually take the hit?”

“That’s a story for another time. You may not think so, but you are already capable of stopping my attack.”

“Hmm~!? What do you mean?” – Iris said while being shocked.

Though she herself doesn’t really comprehend it yet, she is already powerful enough to stop my attack.

All she lacks is experience. That’s to say, her mental preparation for battle.

“Do you remember the guy, Azuma Kurai, who came after you a few days back?”

“Aah… The one from the “Swordsman Gang” ?” – She asked, while her face got a lot darker.

Is she thinking that she wouldn’t be able to beat him herself?

No, she is aware of what the Swordsman Gang is, so there might be another reason- Let’s focus on the lesson for now.

“Yes, he was able to deflect my strike. If I were to compare you to Azuma I don’t really see a major difference. He was able to deflect my attack multiple times.” 

“So you too should be able to deflect my attacks.”

“You may say that I can, but in reality that would prove to be quite different I think.”

“Well, then your training this time around is pretty simple. Iris, do you know about “Slicing fallen leaves”?”

“Yes, I do…”

It is something that only an experienced swordsman is able to do. 

If she’s able to pull it off, I would know what her level is.

What I want from her is not just to slash though.

“Well then, how about this?”

I took out my sword and slashed the air.

The wind burst and brought several leaves to my rear.

Without even glancing at them, I cut all the leaves in two equal parts.

“! What did you just..? You cut them without looking?”

“Yes, that’s right. I don’t know how many and where they fall. I used my intuition to know their position.”

“Your intuition… That’s possible?”

“For example, when you encountered the assassins… You knew how to dodge their blades, right? It’s that kind of intuition. “

“Feeling where things are though you can’t see them is like taking your first step as a baby. Without anyone after you that is, but that’s part of the training. Azuma managed to block my attacks with his intuition telling him where to block. If you know where the attacks are coming, you have a better chance of blocking them than just barely following attacks with your eyes, right?”

“That’s… I see what you’re saying…”

Of course, someone like Iris is able to understand this concept.

A normal person would not be able to even move while I attack them.

It might not be exactly what she’s looking for, but this training would help her grow.

Before I temper her to be physically stronger, I must first temper her to be able to battle properly.

“You don’t have to cut as many as I have just now. First, you need to cut one – One leaf that you haven’t seen. You think you can do that?”

At first, Iris was looking at me quite bewildered, but she changed her expression soon after.

After a small breath, her face turned serious again.

“I can do it. I will be able to before the day ends.”

That answer made me smile since she really doesn’t have to devote this whole day to achieve that goal though.