Rei and his companions arrived in the garden of the Cisne manor to gauge the extent of Baslero’s skill. What greeted them there, however, was the sight of Set, who was for some reason industriously gathering deadwood.
"Um, Teacher? What exactly is going on here?"
Baslero asked the question almost instinctively, but Rei didn't have a clear answer to give him.
Consequently, he let out a somewhat exasperated sigh and gave a small shrug.
"Well, I’ve never heard of a gryphon having a habit of gathering deadwood. I doubt he's building a nest... so, the most likely answer is that they were simply in his way."
"Guruuu."
Set rumbled in agreement, as if to say, Exactly.
In truth, the only reason it had gone out of its way to gather the large dead branches scattered across the backyard into a single pile was because they were a nuisance whenever it tried to lie down. Of course, as a gryphon, Set’s body wasn't so fragile that it would be injured by mere branches, but that didn’t change the fact that they were an annoyance when it was lounging on the ground. Therefore, it had cleared the wood simply to spend its time more comfortably.
Mind you, one might have questioned the idea of spending time "comfortably" lying down outside while it was snowing in the first place.
"Ah—well, fortunately, it looks like Set cleared away the large branches that would have gotten in the way of our exercise. Let's get started. Baslero, are you ready?"
"A-Ah, y-yes!"
Baslero nodded vigorously, though his eyes remained fixed on Set, who was now lying down next to the woodpile and watching them.
"Ashie, you’ll catch a cold if you stay out here. You can go back inside. I’ll call you if anyone gets hurt."
"No. This is the Young Master’s training, so please let me watch over him."
Though Ashie usually exuded a soft, airy atmosphere, she stood her ground against Rei’s suggestion.
"But Baslero and I are about to move around in a mock battle, whereas you'll just be standing there. If you stay still, you’ll catch a chill. If that happens, it’ll be Baslero and the Baron who suffer for it. After all, you're the only maid in this manor."
"T-That is true, but... still..."
Ashie turned a worried gaze toward Baslero. He had only ever practiced on his own until now. Since this was his first time receiving instruction from a professional, she wanted to see it; more importantly, she assumed her recovery magic would be needed the moment someone got injured.
However, Baslero gave a small shake of his head and spoke to her.
"Ashie, I’ll be fine. Please go back inside. Like the Teacher said, it would be a disaster if you caught a cold."
Ashie handled all the housework of Baron Cisne's House by herself. If she were to fall ill, it would undoubtedly cause major problems for the household.
Ashie herself seemed to realize the weight of his words. Though she wore a disappointed expression, she bowed to Rei without further protest.
"Very well, I shall take my leave. Rei-san, please take care of the Young Master. Please call for me immediately if there are any injuries. I will come running no matter where I am in the house."
"Understood."
Seeing Rei nod firmly, Ashie returned to the manor, though she still glanced back several times with concern.
"You're quite loved, aren't you?" Rei remarked with a smile.
Baslero nodded, returning the smile. However, his expression was more bashful than anything else.
"Ashie is a maid far too good for our house. ...Personally, I wish she would seek her own happiness."
He spoke with a maturity that was rare for a ten-year-old child.
"I suppose so. But if you become stronger than you are now, she won't have to worry about you getting hurt. ...Now then, let's leave the talk at that. Ready?"
"...Yes!"
Baslero replied loudly and drew the sword hanging from his waist.
Though he called it a longsword, it was only a longsword relative to his size. To a standard adventurer, it would be considered a middle sword.
Watching this, Rei pulled his own weapon out of the Misty Ring. However, what appeared was not the Death Scythe that had become his iconic weapon, nor was it the Deep Green Thorn Spear, nor the Dagger of Flowing Water. It was a simple iron spear Rei had seized from bandits during his Rank Up Exam.
"...I heard that you used a Great Scythe longer than you are tall, Teacher."
Baslero muttered, looking slightly offended by the choice of weapon.
It was no surprise; from the boy's perspective, it looked like Rei was blatantly holding back.
"I do. I usually use the Death Scythe, but for now, this spear will suffice. This bout is meant to evaluate your current level of skill. For that, this iron spear is more than enough."
"Ngh..."
Baslero's cheeks flushed with anger. Even if he understood that there was a vast difference in power between them, he clearly didn't appreciate the fact that Rei wasn't taking him seriously.
"Then, if I can land a single hit on you, Teacher, will you fight me for real?"
"Ah—sure. I can agree to that."
"Gurururuu."
Set, who had been watching the exchange while lying on the snow, let out a low rumble from its throat.
"...Teacher? That gryphon—Set, was it? What did he just say?"
"Well, I wonder. I don't exactly speak gryphon. It’s more about the nuance."
"That's fine. Please tell me what you think he meant."
Baslero had a general idea based on the atmosphere Set was radiating, but he wanted confirmation.
"...He basically said that it’s impossible for you to hit me, even if the heavens turned upside down."
Of course, Rei couldn't translate the cry perfectly, but he felt his interpretation was close enough to the intended meaning.
"!? ...I see. Then I’ll just have to strip away that composure. ...Here I come!"
Insulted, Baslero shouted his challenge, drew his sword, and lunged.
"Yaaaah!"
The boy swung his blade downward with all his might. Rei avoided the blow with a simple shift, pulling his right foot back and turning his body.
"Kuh!"
It was a strike Baslero had been confident in; he bit his lip at how easily it had been evaded. He immediately transitioned into a diagonal upward slash.
Clang!
The sharp ring of metal on metal echoed through the yard as Rei parried the blade with the shaft of his iron spear.
I made the Teacher use his spear! At this rate, I might actually land a hit!
Baslero felt a surge of hope. He pressed the advantage, unleashed a horizontal slash, followed by a downward swing, another upward slash, and a series of thrusts.
However, his thrusts were systematically dodged or parried. He continued his flurry for about a minute, but he couldn't land a single blow. And then...
"You’re neglecting your footwork."
With that quiet remark, Rei swept the boy's legs out from under him with the butt end of the iron spear, sending him tumbling to the ground.
Well, I used the butt end, so he shouldn't be hurt. As for me, the Dragon Robe means I don't have to worry about a stray hit anyway.
"Kuh!"
Though Baslero had been dropped, he scrambled back up immediately and leveled his sword.
"Good, looks like you’ve still got some fight in you. Come."
"Yes! Yaaaaaaaaah!"
Baslero charged again, closing the distance with his sword held high.
Rei continued to analyze the boy's movements, dodging downward swings or using the spear's shaft to deflect and parry the incoming attacks.
For a ten-year-old, his movements are actually quite impressive. ...Then again, that’s only relative to his age. Against a single goblin, he'd probably only be an even match at best. He's a long way off from being an adventurer. Well, it's not like he's going to be one tomorrow, and Muet's situation isn't going to change overnight, so perhaps I'm worrying too much.
Rei mused internally. He had to admit that for a child who was mostly self-taught, Baslero certainly had a gift for the sword. However...
"There it is again. You're leaving your feet wide open."
The butt of the spear caught Baslero’s ankle just as he tried to launch his next attack.
"Uwaah!"
"What's wrong? Is that it?"
"Not yet! I’m not done!"
Frustrated by how easily he was being handled, Baslero gritted his teeth and stood up once more.
This is the drawback of being self-taught. Since he’s always practiced alone, there was no one to point out the flaws in his stance. And because those flaws were never corrected, he’s developed a habit of neglecting his footwork as he grows. Any monster with even a bit of intelligence would exploit that opening instantly. Correcting his footwork has to be the top priority.
"Haa... haa... haa..."
Baslero took several deep breaths, trying to steady his ragged respiration.
Normally, Rei would have ended the fight by exploiting such a glaring weakness, but this was a mock battle to see the extent of the boy's capabilities. He decided to let Baslero show his full strength and waited silently, spear in hand.
Set, watching from a distance, seemed to sense the end was near. It fixed its round eyes on the pair, watching every movement intently.
"...Here I come!"
With his breath back, Baslero used every last ounce of his strength to lunge forward.
He had been dodged, parried, and deflected time and again. For a ten-year-old, he should have collapsed from exhaustion long ago, yet this final lunge was the sharpest Rei had seen all day.
"Haaah!"
He unleashed a final horizontal slash with everything he had. Even if it came from a child, the speed and power behind the blow were enough that a G-Rank equivalent adventurer might have struggled to evade it.
Sensing the sharpness of the strike, Rei took a single step back. Because Baslero had timed the attack so perfectly, that one step created a gap that felt like a mile; the tip of the blade whistled through the air inches from Rei's face.
"Hup!"
Rei moved. He caught the blade with the butt of his spear, twisting it upward with a sharp, wrenching motion.
"Ah!?"
The sensation of the sword vanished from Baslero's grip in an instant. A moment later, the sound of the sword clattering against the ground echoed from several yards away.
"How... so easily..."
He stared at his empty hands and then at the sword on the ground, his eyes wide with disbelief as he finally looked back at Rei.
"What, did you actually think you were going to land a hit? I'm an adventurer on the verge of C-Rank. I can't exactly let myself get beaten by a child, regardless of the circumstances."
Rei said this while seemingly forgetting that he only looked about fifteen himself, with a build that was quite slender for an adventurer. To an outsider, there was only a five-year gap between the two.
Then again, a five-year gap in childhood is an eternity. A difference of even a year or two creates a massive gap in physical ability; five years was insurmountable.
"Uugh..."
Still, his pride in his own swordsmanship clearly stung. Baslero groaned in frustration.
Rei gave a wry smile and reached out to lightly pat the boy’s head.
"At any rate, I’ve got a good handle on your skills. For the next week, I’ll be in your care."
And so, Rei was officially hired by Baron Cisne's House as a combat training partner for the next seven days.