When Arthur asked that question, Yuzuriha was a bit skeptical about revealing it to him. But then she remembered how she had begged him to train her, so it was only fair to be transparent about everything.

  ….Well not everything, completely.

  So she told him the bare essentials of what she’s been able to learn so far. She started from when the Azure Ooze first fused with her, and how it sharpened her sense of astris into a complete seamless world.

  Arthur listened without interruption as she also told him about the Spirit Arts she gained. He didn’t seem to take any particular interest in that. The only thing that really had his interest was her strange vision of where existence itself glimmered through current and pulses.

  Since she didn’t understand that part herself, she found it best to stop before saying anymore. That seemed to be just enough to make Arthur draw conclusions. He simply nodded his head and led her deeper into the cutler’s shop.

  The gentleman had requested the store owner an area they could use for a lesson and he directed the pair here. Past by the display of polished blades and racks of firearms was a long and narrow chamber in the back.

  The wood paneled floor was scarred with shallow cuts and cracks, the walls were padded in certain places and there were range dummies for shooting practice. This was a practice room.

  The smell wasn’t bad to say the least, especially to someone with heightened senses. It had the smell of oiled steel and oak counters. To top it all off, it was empty.

  There wasn’t anyone else present. This made her wonder if the shop owner was making any money or not from this place, because by the looks of it. He wasn’t.

  Anyways, what led to this was when Yuzuriha told him that she couldn’t fight, then it escalated to this point.

  “You’re not a fighter? That won’t do. If you wish to protect yourself and loved ones, then learning how to do so is your only option. Here, hold on to this”

  He plucked a longsword from the rack and offered it to her.

  Yuzuriha hesitated before taking it. When her fingers wrapped around the hilt, she was startled for a moment, not because this was her first time holding an actual sword, but because it was way lighter than she expected it to be.

  It was as thought her body itself had been adjusted to bear the weight before coming across it. She raised it a little and her arm didn’t tremble.

  ‘Huh, could this be the doing of the Sacrament? Did it really change me that much?’

  By the looks of it, her perception wasn’t the only thing Azure Ooze influenced. It also went as far as altering her physical capabilities. In a sense, she was basically superhuman now!

  ‘To truly confirm that, I’ll need more practice. That said, I’ve never held a blade before so this feels a little weird. Barbaric even’

  To use a sword meant that she would have to be in the front lines of every battle. Poisons were a much better and safer way of dispatching an enemy or rival. Not only was it safe, but it was a guaranteed win if the target managed to ingest it.

  This uh, will take some time getting used to.

  Pushing those thoughts aside, she swallowed dry saliva and shifted her grip on the weapon with both hands.

  Arthur stepped opposite her, drawing his own blade with a smooth rasp of steel. Judging by the design, he wasn’t using his usual cane sword, it was a rapier.

  “The sword is the most standard weapon a combatant can wield, it is also easier to master. I was not sure which one you would prefer, perhaps a spear like your older sister?”

  Yuzuriha shook her head.

  “No, I prefer this one”

  Arthur’s astris gleamed with interest. He began.

  “Hold it steady. Let your arms feel the shape of the weapon. Before we swing steel at one another, a lesson. We must understand where strength comes from. Tell me, Miss Drapes, what do you think people are made of?”

  She blinked and answered him with the first thing that came to mind.

  “Uh, flesh. Blood. Bone…?”

  That didn’t seem to be what he was looking for. He chuckled.

  “True, but not the answer I’m looking for. The surface, what you can touch, cut and burn, yes. But the real composition of humanity, the spirituality lies in layers. The outermost of those layers is what we call aura.

  Think of it as the mist of our being, the condensation of the self, faint and intangible. Not all Ascendants learn to feel it, let alone channel it towards Sorcery, as most are focused on refining their Sealed Technique, and the rare few, their Inscriptions.

  [Aura Sense] captures the aura living beings emit, the outermost ripple. But beneath it…”

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  He gestured with his rapier, drawing a slow downward arc in the air.

  “...lies the deeper strata. Astris, the omnipresent current that binds all of creation. Deeper than that is the spirit. Each layer of the spirit is refined differently in every person. As you can imagine, humanity is not well adept in the manipulation of astris compared to intelligent non-human races. Weaker than goliaths, frailer than demons, and with lifespans too short to master what others could learn over centuries such as elves”

  ‘Typical, of course humans are the weaker species’

  Yuzuriha scoffed at the thought.

  Arthur let out another chuckle, but this one was filled with pride.

  “This is why Spirit Arts exists, to close that gap. The refinement of the human body.

  They are separated into four categories. Mind for clarity and acceleration of thought. Body for instinct and strength. Flow for seamless action without hesitation. And finally, Blade for weapon mastery and lethal timing”

  At the mention of the last one, Yuzuriha glanced down at the blade in her hands. She tightened her grip and lifted it higher, setting her stance preparing for a fight.

  She had learnt too much information for now, anymore and her mind would explode. So this gesture was a subtle way of telling the gentlemen that she is ready to start.

  And as if he was reading her mind, he got the hint and went into his own stance.

  ‘All I need to do is swing right? Ok, seems simple enough. It’ll be fine. He won’t hurt me, right? I am still a fragile blind little girl after all, right?!’

  With that mentality, Yuzuriha adjusted her grip on the sword and dashed toward Arthur.

  When Yuzuriha dashed forward, she didn’t have a solid plan in mind. Just swing and hope for the best. Her legs carried her forward with reckless momentum, and when she tried to let out a war cry…

  …It came out like something between a girly scream and a whimper. If she had gotten more practice then it could have been something fearless! Instead, it felt ridiculous.

  ‘That was so embarrassing! Why did I even do that?! I mean, that’s how all battles start, right? With a war cry!’

  Even though this was just training, it just came out on its own when she was starting to advance. So it was an instinctual reaction from her body, not her fault.

  Still, it left her flustered.

  But that pathetic display wasn’t as bad as her body language right now. Her grip on the sword’s hilt was too tight, her running stance leaned too far forward to the point one wrong move could lead her stumbling on the floor.

  She looked as every bit as an amateur who just picked up the sword for the first time would. This was mostly because she was in fact…an amateur who just picked up the sword for the first time.

  So you can’t blame her for looking so sloppy.

  Yuzuriha knew she looked sloppy, that was the most embarrassing part. But she was here to learn, not talk down to herself when she had barely just begun.

  Shaking those negative thoughts away, she focused on her opponent, who was getting closer and closer

  The way Arthur stood didn’t seem all that polished too. His stance wasn’t even that defensive. If she was a master, she probably could have seen a dozen exploitable openings in his stance.

  But since she wasn’t, she didn’t see much of anything. Just a man standing tall with his rapier raised slightly.

  ‘Is that good? Bad? Ugh, stop thinking. Just go!’

  “Hhhaa!”

  Once she closed the gap, she poured every ounce of strength into that center line swing. The gentleman barely moved, just a neat counter with his blade and all her force rattled down her arms, through her shoulders and into her spine.

  She stumbled three steps while feeling the vibrations spread to the rest of her body until the force dissipated. That’s when she dropped the sword and thumped onto her knees.

  “Ouch… that really hurt, you—!”

  Before she could finish her complaints, she caught sight of his blade hovering centimetres from her face.

  “One point to me, Miss Drapes”

  Yuzuriha’s lips parted, but no words came out. The soft and mocking tone in his voice stirred up something fierce in her, she could feel frustration rising from her chest!

  Losing so easily was humiliating, however…strangely enough, it was also exhilarating!

  Not the losing part, but by the fact she actually wielded a sword for the first time!

  ‘I don’t know why but I’m getting a strange sense of excitement. Why is that? I’m no doubt terrible at this, but the way it felt when I swung it!’

  She unknowingly grinned, and Arthur immediately pointed it out.

  “An endearing smile after such a loss. Be careful it doesn’t become an odd habit. Come again. As often as you like”

  With a high pitched ‘yes’, she picked up the sword and bounced back to her feet. Just as she was about to rush in recklessly again, Arthur stopped her and said.

  “Before we continue. Firstly, open your fingers a touch. You’re strangling the thing”

  “Oh, really? Like this”

  As instructed, she loosened her grip on the hilt a bit too well to almost fall on the floor again. Arthur immediately stepped in and with the flats of his rapier, rapped her knuckles to tighten her grip a bit.

  “No. Feel the line through the edge to your elbow. Width of your shoulders. Hips under you. Knees soft and steady. If I strike, you should sway, not topple over”

  Yuzuriha listened attentively while mirroring the movements and gestures he was making. It honestly felt a bit ridiculous and wobbly, but at the very least she felt herself getting better at this.

  “Good. Now come”

  Yuzuriha dashed toward him once again, she almost tripped over her own steps but she kept pressing forward despite that little screw up. When she lunged another big swing, he didn’t bother parrying this time. He wasn’t even there!

  “Huh, where did he—?!”

  She suddenly felt the cold edge of his blade inches from her throat. Arthur was standing on her right.

  “Dead. That’s two points for me. Two notes to keep in mind; do not square your shoulders. You’re showing me the barn door. And keep your left heel steady on the floor. Don’t hop, or else you will be in for a nasty fall”

  “I wasn’t…okay, I was”

  He let out a small chuckle.

  “Again”

  Their sparring session went on for countless rounds and in all of that time, Yuzuriha took no shortage of losses. Each time she approached him, Arthur would dismantle her strike and each time his blade would stop just shy of her neck, stomach, face or cheek.

  Each time, Yuzuriha would be wide eyed at how close she’d come to being carved open.

  And each time, he lectured her to no end.

  “Your shoulders loose, girl, loose! You’ll tire yourself out in seconds if you keep them stiff”

  “Wider stance! Even a tavern wench after four shots could stand with more grace!”

  “12 points for me”

  “26 points for me”

  “Good, you are getting there. Terrible form. Commit to the swing!”

  “31 points for me”

  Arthur was relentless, she wanted to give up even because this was not working.

  Each time he won a point over her, it felt like he was reminding the blind girl that she was out of her depth here.

  But Yuzuriha kept trying. Even when her arm shook from beginning to feel the weight of the blade, even when her chest burned from exhaustion and thirst, she didn’t let frustration take her down.

  “I’m horrible at this, I know that. I look stupid, I know that too. But screw it. I’ll just keep trying. Keep going until I get it right!”

  With that declaration, Arthur’s weapon caught hers again, stopping just shy of her face. Her hands trembled under the pressure, but she didn’t back away this time. She stood her ground and pushed forward!

  ?? The threshold for [Intoxication] has been reached ??