Returning to the guild, I lined up at Reina-san's counter.
She handled the paperwork briskly, and soon it was my turn.
When I handed over the quest completion report, Reina-san glanced up at me.
"You really are the type of adventurer that clients love, Erik-kun."
"Ahaha, well, I ended up receiving something extra this time, too."
"It's truly rare for someone to receive bonus rewards one after another like this. It just goes to show that you're delivering work that goes above and beyond what the clients ask for, Erik-kun."
Reina-san smiled gently as she finished processing the report and handed me my reward.
With this, I could pay for the inn and still manage to put some savings aside.
Smiling with delight, I tucked the reward money into the coin purse inside my new bag.
"By the way, Erik-kun, are you planning on heading outside the city after this?"
"That was the plan, but is something the matter?"
"...Actually, regarding the combat training scheduled for the day after tomorrow, it had to be cancelled due to some business the Guildmaster needs to attend to. But since you were the only participant signed up so far, Erik-kun, I suggested that we hold a special private lesson starting this afternoon instead. Of course, since the original session was cancelled, the silver coin you paid will be refunded, and you'll still be able to take the lesson."
Hearing Reina-san's explanation, I realized I would get my money back and still learn combat techniques from him.
I had planned to level up before the day was out.
However, this was far more important, so I decided to take the lesson.
"Oh, you're here, kid."
Out in the back of the Adventurer's Guild, there was a training ground for adventurers to use.
When I headed out there, Guildmaster Ryan-san, whom I had met before, was waiting.
"Long time no see, Guildmaster-san."
"Mm—that title's too long, so could ya call me by my name instead? Pretty much everyone calls me that anyway."
"Is that so? Understood. Is Ryan-san alright?"
"Yeah! That suits me a whole lot better. So, kid, you signed up for combat training, but what kind of stuff do you wanna know?"
Asked by Ryan-san, I told him the things I wanted to learn for now.
How to handle weapons, how to move my body, how to navigate through forests, things to watch out for as an adventurer, and how to deal with encounters with dangerous monsters.
I listed them all off to Ryan-san, one by one.
"Yeah! Teaching all of that is impossible! Even I do half of that stuff purely by instinct. If there's something I can teach out of all that, it'd be how to use weapons and your body."
"...Is teaching what to watch out for as an adventurer out of the question?"
"Erik. Do I look like the type of guy who worries about little details like that? Back when I was an active adventurer, I was picking fights all the time and getting knocked flat by the master back then."
"I don't think that's something you should be saying with such confidence, though..."
Ryan-san certainly looked like the type who didn't sweat the small stuff.
With that in mind, I decided to save the other topics for another time.
"Alright then, let's start with the sword. Erik, are you a one-handed sword user?"
"For now, yes. Eventually, I'd like to try daggers and other weapons too, but for now, I want to learn the sword first."
"If you'd said you wanted to learn bows or throwing weapons, I wouldn't have been able to help, but I can do one-handed swords. For now, show me your current swordsmanship."
Told to demonstrate my swordsmanship, I picked up a wooden sword right then and there and swung it the best way I knew how.
I went through the motions for about five minutes.
"Alright, that's enough, I've got the gist of it. Looks like you've got talent for the one-handed sword, but because you've never been taught and rely purely on self-study, you're letting the sword swing you around. You've got the aptitude, though, so if you learn the basics properly, I think you can grow into a fine swordsman."
"R-Really!?"
"Why would I lie to ya? Reina told me you were a hard worker, too. You'd better keep up with my instruction, got it?"
"Yes! I look forward to working with you, Ryan-san!"
Bowing my head, I greeted him earnestly.
To start off, Ryan-san told me to watch how he handled the sword.
"First, a vertical swing goes like this. Next, a horizontal swing is like this, and a diagonal swing is like this."
"..."
Rather than explaining the theory, Ryan-san let his own swordsmanship do all the talking.
Watching his movements, I considered the differences from my own form in my head.
"My foot placement and the force behind my steps were inconsistent. You kept your core steady, Ryan-san, and swung your blade without losing your balance."
"...Kid. You're something else, aren't ya? Hardly anyone catches onto that in just three swings. Have you really never learned swordsmanship from anyone?"
"I haven't. This is the first time I've ever seen it up close like this, too."
"...Well, damn, quite an incredible guy has come to the royal capital!"
Hearing my words, Ryan-san let out a hearty laugh.
With that, Ryan-san had me pick up the sword so he could teach my body the proper movements firsthand.
"First, the feet. During training, you can plant your feet firmly on the ground like this, but in actual combat, things rarely go that smoothly. That's why building up your lower body is something you should work on every day. If your legs and hips are strong, you can still deliver a decent strike even if your balance gets thrown off."
"What kind of training do you recommend for strengthening the lower body?"
"Squats and running. If you incorporate stairs into your runs, you'll build both endurance and lower body strength, so that's a great routine to pick up."
Having learned the training methods, I jotted them down on the notepad I had brought along.
I probably wouldn't forget what he told me, but it never hurt to have written notes to double-check.
From there, he took his time thoroughly teaching me everything from foot positioning and gripping the sword to how to engage my entire body.
Whenever there was something I didn't understand, I asked right away.
Some parts of his style were guided purely by instinct, but Ryan-san did his best to put them into words.
Whenever I grasped what he meant and checked my understanding with him, I was usually right on the mark, and I carefully recorded each detail in my notebook.