"Guh!"
With a short cry, Bluitt crashed to the ground.
Fortunately, while cold, there was no snow, so the fall didn't leave him caked in mud. Still, hitting the ground inevitably meant getting dirty.
It was hardly behavior befitting the next head of a Count's family, but Bluitt didn't seem to mind in the slightest as he picked himself up and squared off against Rei once more.
Rei had ended up in a mock battle with Bluitt, but no matter how much confidence Bluitt had in his own skills, the gap between them was significant. Since coming to Elgin, Rei had experienced countless battles—encounters that an ordinary adventurer might face only once in a lifetime, if at all.
In a street brawl, Bluitt's strength could honestly be called unrivaled.
But that was strictly in street fights, or perhaps against your average soldier or knight. Against Rei, the difference in ability was naturally vast.
As if to prove the point, Rei wasn't even wielding his signature weapons—Death Scythe or the Twilight Spear. He was dealing with Bluitt barehanded.
Despite that, Bluitt couldn't land a single effective blow. He'd been thrown to the ground time and time again.
Yet his fighting spirit showed no signs of fading. If anything, he seemed almost delighted to be facing someone so far out of his league that he couldn't even touch him. He charged at Rei with an almost childlike grin.
"Oraaaaaaah!"
At the very least, Bluitt's body movements had a proper, systematic foundation. In other words, he hadn't just taught himself to fight; he had studied under someone.
Well, it's easy to forget watching him, but he is the next head of a Count's family. If he was going to be trained, it's only natural he'd study under someone appropriate.
Rei thought this as he dodged Bluitt's incoming fist. Ironically, Rei himself had never actually been taught how to wield a spear. He had honed his self-taught style purely through real combat.
Let alone finding someone who could teach him how to wield a scythe like Death Scythe—such a person simply didn't exist.
As a result, Rei had refined his Twin Spear Style in the crucible of actual battle.
Because a self-taught style wasn't bound by fixed forms, it could sometimes unleash unexpected attacks against someone trained in a proper system—strikes that defied conventional tactics. Paradoxically, it was precisely because the opponent knew the standard forms that responding to such deviations became so difficult.
Of course, it wasn't without its merits; there were also many drawbacks. For instance, most who trained in self-taught styles found it difficult to reach a certain level of strength.
The forms established in formal martial arts schools were adopted precisely because they represented the best and most optimal movements.
Those who didn't understand this would find it hard to survive in real battle.
Then again, there were also many like Rei who simply leaped over—or outright shattered—that wall.
In any case, self-taught styles had their own merits and demerits, just as formal schools had theirs. Naturally, formal schools offered greater benefits overall.
The fact that Rei was overwhelming Bluitt—who was presumably trained in some formal style—without taking a single hit was a testament to just how far outside the norm Rei truly was.
"Hey, you're focusing too much on attacking and letting your defense slip."
Saying that, Rei lightly thrust his fist out as a counter to Bluitt's attack.
It was by no means a powerful strike. With Bluitt's toughness, taking it wouldn't be difficult at all.
But Rei's blow was deliberately designed not to inflict damage, while still exploiting the gaps in Bluitt's defense.
It felt as though Rei were demonstrating through action rather than words just how little attention Bluitt was paying to his guard.
Understanding this only made Bluitt feel all the more inadequate.
Even so, he grasped that Rei's level was simply on an entirely different tier, and he stood back up.
And yet, rather than heeding Rei's advice and shifting more focus to defense, doubling down on attack was very much in character for Bluitt.
Then again, against someone of a higher caliber like Rei, it was also true that even if Bluitt started paying more attention to defense now, landing a blow in return was impossible.
Even though Rei was clearly in a league above him, the desire to land at least one hit rather than simply being beaten down one-sidedly was only natural.
But Rei, of course, had read Bluitt's competitive nature.
It wasn't as though they had known each other for that long, but having fought alongside each other on the battlefield, the density of their relationship was clearly higher than with other nobles.
Plus, the fact that Rei and Bluitt simply got along well meant Rei had a solid understanding of what kind of person Bluitt was.
That was exactly why Rei fully understood that even when Bluitt's defensive flaws were pointed out, he would double down on attacking rather than fix his guard.
"Hah!"
With a sharp exhale, it wasn't Bluitt's fist but his leg that shot toward Rei.
A kick aimed at Rei's head.
It was generally said that leg strength was nearly three times that of arm strength. Depending on the person, it could be even more.
Because of that, the power behind a kick from someone with Bluitt's large frame was unquestionably top-tier. If it connected, it would knock most opponents unconscious in a single blow.
Depending on the circumstances, it might even inflict major damage like fractures or worse.
But that was only under normal circumstances. When the one facing Bluitt was Rei, it was a different story entirely.
Rei dodged the kick aimed at his head by simply crouching slightly—and in the next instant, his eyes widened in surprise.
The kick that should have been aimed at his head had chased after him as he ducked.
His surprise lasted only a moment, however. Rei immediately grasped how such a feat was possible.
Bluitt's misfortune was that Rei had engaged in countless mock battles with Vihera, a martial arts master.
During those sessions, Rei had seen the very thing Bluitt just did—forcibly altering a kick's trajectory using the knee joint—on several occasions.
That was why he was able to react instantly.
Still in his crouch, Rei forcefully kicked off the ground and leapt sideways.
A split second after he jumped, Bluitt's kick swept through the space where Rei's body had just been.
"Tch, so even that was dodged. And here I thought it was my secret move."
Bluitt muttered in displeasure as Rei rose from his crouch.
True to his words, that kick with its mid-air trajectory change was likely Bluitt's trump card.
For Rei to dodge it on the first try was more than Bluitt could bear.
"Even if it's a secret move for you, to someone else it might just be an ordinary technique. That's what it means."
Whether he understood what Rei was getting at or not, Bluitt's expression soured.
Being told that his trump card was actually just an ordinary technique—of course he'd react that way.
If Rei had been well-versed in martial arts back in Japan, he might have recognized that Bluitt's kick was similar to a technique known as a Brazilian kick. But unfortunately, Rei hadn't been that interested in martial arts, so he had first learned about such kicks from Vihera.
Or perhaps he had seen something like it in a manga at some point... but unfortunately, Rei didn't remember that.
"I see... damn it, I thought that one was pretty good. Needed another twist, huh?"
"Not really. You only dodged that because it was Rei. For someone seeing it for the first time, dodging would be difficult."
The one who said that in response to Bluitt's words wasn't Rei, but Elena.
Bluitt, thinking it was just the two of them, couldn't hide his surprise at a third party's voice suddenly ringing out.
But unlike Bluitt, Rei had noticed Elena arriving midway through the mock battle, so he spoke up without any particular surprise.
"That's right. Put it this way: Bluitt, that kick of yours lacks both speed and sharpness compared to Vihera's. Still, for a first encounter, dodging it would be difficult."
A kick that appeared to be aimed at the thigh suddenly changed trajectory mid-flight to target the torso or head.
Someone with no prior knowledge wouldn't be able to defend against it so easily.
"Also, there was a slight unfamiliarity in the movement leading into the kick. You should work on that. From what I could see, your primary attack method is your fists, and you're not yet accustomed to kicks themselves."
"Guh..."
Bluitt, receiving one piece of criticism after another from both Rei and Elena, had no means to argue back.
The fact that he genuinely found himself agreeing with much of what they explained was probably the reason why.
It was true that he mainly relied on punches, and it was also undeniable that he wasn't all that accustomed to a fighting style centered around kicks.
Seeing Bluitt looking dejected, Rei prefaced his words by saying it wasn't meant as consolation, then spoke up.
"Being immature right now means, conversely, that you still have room to grow. Looking at it that way, there's no need to feel so frustrated, is there?"
Those words were likely unexpected for Bluitt.
For a moment, a look of surprise crossed his face—but in the next instant, he broke into a full grin.
"Now that you mention it, you're right. It means I still have plenty of potential to get stronger. ...I see."
Saying that, Bluitt nodded in understanding and began testing out his kick trajectory, as well as how to transition into kicks more smoothly.
Watching Bluitt out of the corner of his eye, Rei turned his gaze to Elena and spoke with a hint of tension.
"So? How did it go?"
He asked vaguely, without using specific terms like the mediator for Black Wolf.
But for Elena, that was enough to understand exactly what Rei wanted to know.
She gave a small but definite nod.
"It took a little time, but I was able to obtain the information without any issues. Don't worry."
"I see. ...In that case."
In response to Elena's words, Rei called out to Bluitt, who was still experimenting.
"Bluitt, sorry, but Elena and I have some business to attend to. Can we call the mock battle here?"
"Huh? Ah... well, can't be helped. If I got in the way here, I'd probably get yelled at later."
Bluitt grinned mischievously—no, more like a little rascal—but it was clear he didn't mean it from the bottom of his heart.
He probably figured they had some circumstances he wasn't privy to, and judged that he shouldn't bring it up directly.
Naturally, Rei caught on to Bluitt's reasoning as well.
For one thing, Bluitt had seen Rei in a depressed state over the Black Wolf incident, so jumping to the conclusion that something romantic was happening just because Elena showed up was a bit of a stretch.
Then again, that was something only Rei would have realized. Elena took Bluitt's words at face value, misunderstanding as a faint blush colored her cheeks.
The fact that she didn't retort suggested that Elena, too, wanted to avoid unnecessary drama.
"Well then, I'll stay here and keep training a bit more. Oh, it'd be helpful if you could lend me a knight or someone, if possible."
"Suit yourself."
For one thing, though they were in the same faction, Bluitt's family was a Count's house, which was by no means capable of standing on equal footing with Duke Kerebel's House.
But even knowing that, the fact that Bluitt could act this way was precisely because he was Bluitt.
And the fact that he was an acquaintance of Rei, a guest of Duke Kerebel's House, was undoubtedly also a factor.
As for Bluitt's attitude, Elena felt a sense of bitterness, while at the same time finding it somewhat refreshing.