After finishing my report and returning home, the sounds of vibrant music met my ears. It seemed the Semroid Troupe was still deep in practice.
I crept toward the sound, careful not to disturb them. Within minutes, I found a patch of grass that offered a full view of the troupe and hid myself.
Right now, Maiya and Soldio were the ones performing—the two I’d been introduced to as Sword Dancers. Soldio held a decorated round shield and a longsword. Maiya wielded two of the same swords, dancing through a mock battle.
Beyond the lines marking the makeshift stage, the troupe leader, Prenance, and several others played instruments. The music grew more frantic as the duo’s movements intensified. Whenever they stood apart, locked in a tense stare, the melody became quiet and ominous, as if something were about to happen.
Moreover, magical effects were woven into the performance; whenever their swords clashed, sparks would fly. Even without a single spoken word or lyric, it felt like watching a complete story unfold.
I had caught a glimpse of their rehearsal this morning when I lent them the space, but that must have been a mere warm-up. The sheer energy and intensity unfolding before me now was on a completely different level.
I held my breath, making sure not to interrupt the flow.
As the music reached its crescendo, Maiya’s sword swung in an arc that just barely missed Soldio’s throat. The blade caught the collar hidden beneath his ornate cloak, slicing the clasp and letting the fabric fall. Soldio collapsed at the same time, making it look as though his neck had actually been slashed.
A final strum of the instruments marked the end of the act.
I waited a few seconds until the atmosphere relaxed before standing up and applauding.
"Ryoma? How long have you been there?" Soldio asked.
"My apologies, I’ve been watching for a little while. I heard the music when I got back."
"We have no issue with being watched, but I didn't sense you at all," Soldio admitted.
"It gave me quite a start," Maiya added.
"In a way, our job is to be seen. We pride ourselves on being sensitive to the gaze of others, yet..." Soldio trailed off.
"Setting that aside, how were the plains?" Prenance asked.
"About that... the situation isn't great." I explained what I'd heard at the guild—how more nests were being reported and the call for help was growing urgent. "I've decided to keep working on the extermination for a while. If you don't mind, please continue using this place for your practice starting tomorrow."
"We will take you up on that kind offer," Prenance said, leading the troupe in a bow. They began packing their equipment to head back to the city. It seemed the performance I had just seen was their finale for the day.
After seeing them off, I went straight into my own training. On a whim, I tried to mimic their dance-like movements.
However, I couldn't get it right. My movements felt stilted whenever I tried to incorporate magic.
Perhaps practicing these magical effects would be good training for using magic and weapons simultaneously. In that specific regard, their movements were far smoother than mine.
The next day.
"Magic effects?"
"Don't tell me you've become interested in being a Sword Dancer?"
When the troupe arrived for practice, I decided to ask the two dancers directly.
"After seeing yesterday's performance, I realized I wanted to learn your techniques."
"I don't mind teaching you, but why the sudden interest?"
I explained my reasoning. My fighting style revolved around close-quarters combat with weapons and martial arts. While I could use magic, I rarely did so in actual battle and felt unpracticed. I told them I wanted to broaden my horizons.
"So, you want to see if you can replace the theatrical magic we use with actual attack magic?"
"Yes. If you have the time, I would very much appreciate the help."
"I don't see why not," Maiya said.
"True. It won't be much trouble if it's just the basics. Our weapons are different, so it won't be exactly the same... but would that be alright?" Soldio asked.
"Yes, of course!"
"Then come back around the same time as yesterday. You have your own work, I assume, and we can teach you after the main rehearsal is finished."
"Thank you very much!"
I had worried they might consider it a secret tradition, but they agreed quite readily.
"Is there anything special I should prepare?"
"Just your own weapon. Today, we'll start by gauging your current skill level."
"And make sure you have some mana left over!" Maiya added.
"Understood. I'll see you this evening."
I spent the day focusing on the search, discovery of nests twice as frequent as the day before. When I returned home as promised, the troupe was already packing up.
"I'm back. Did I keep you waiting?"
"We just finished as well. We'll be ready in a moment. Maiya!"
"On it!" She ran over from behind a wagon, clutching a bundle. "Here, Ryoma, these are for you."
"Firewood?" They looked like small logs, cut to a size that could be gripped in one hand.
"We'll start as soon as we're done packing, so hold on!"
Before I could ask anything else, she was gone.
"You can leave the logistics to them," Soldio said, walking over. "Before we begin, take a look at this. It's the sword Maiya and I use."
It was an ornate blade, just as I’d seen before, but up close I noticed strange patterns etched among the decorations. It looked like some kind of coating had been applied to the surface.
"This is a paint made from processed Rainbow Slug fluid. It stores light and retains it for a short duration."
He demonstrated by using Light Magic. The brilliance of the magic was absorbed, and light began to race along the painted lines. He explained that by activating this at the exact moment of a clash, they could create the illusion of brilliant sparks for the audience.
However, to pull it off, one had to control magic with extreme precision and speed in the middle of a physical exchange.
"To master this, you need proficiency in both the blade and magic. That's why I need to see what you can do first. I'll adjust my teaching based on your performance."
"I'm ready."
"Hey! We're all set over here!" Maiya called out.
We moved to the practice area. The troupe members stood in a circle, and I walked into the center.
"Is everyone participating?"
"They're going to help out a bit," Soldio said. "Though mostly because they're curious."
"I see. Thank you for your help."
"Now, ready your weapon toward Maiya."
I drew my Iron Slime Katana.
"She's going to throw those logs from earlier. Cut them."
Cutting thrown objects was a standard Sword Dancer drill, a stepping stone toward learning how to fight multiple opponents. This was my test.
"Cut them however you like, but try to hit the center."
"Understood. Whenever you're ready."
"Here it comes!"
Maiya tossed a piece of firewood. It wasn't particularly fast, drawing a lazy arc through the air. I slashed through it the moment it entered my range.
"Oh, a clean hit! Impressive! More coming!"
She saw the two halves fall and immediately threw the next. Then another. The speed and frequency increased steadily, but I adjusted my rhythm to match. Eventually, she ran out of logs.
"Last one!"
I slashed through the final piece, ending the test. I looked at Soldio, who wore a contemplative expression.
"Next," he said.
With the help of the troupe, we gathered the pieces. Soldio distributed them to everyone except me. He applied a red paint to the ends of the logs held by himself and Maiya. This time, the test was to dodge the logs thrown by the other members while cutting only those thrown by the two of them.
"Go!"
Soldio threw first. I cut it, and immediately a flurry of wood flew from all directions. Usually, only one or two arrived at once, three at most. I wove through the projectiles, striking only the red-marked targets.
Soldio and Maiya stopped throwing from fixed positions and began to move. They ran around the perimeter of the circle, throwing through the gaps between other members. Soldio timed his throws to coincide with others, aiming for difficult angles.
It was a test of attentiveness to track the two of them, judgment to identify the targets, and execution to strike accurately while dodging.
When the exercise ended, I lowered my blade. "How was that?"
"Your swordsmanship is flawless," Soldio said.
"Seriously, it's amazing!" Maiya added. "But... is there even a point to you using magic?"
She looked at the pile of cleanly sliced wood. I was satisfied with the result, but it seemed my proficiency made her wonder if the magic was even necessary.
"I'm doing this for the sake of my future growth," I replied.
"You're very diligent," she said with a grin.
"You should take a page from his book," Soldio grunted. "If you aren't careful, he'll overtake you in no time."
"I already feel like I'm losing in a sword fight, honestly."
Next came the magic test. This was simpler, just demonstrating my ability to manifest spells. However, the conversation that followed was far more interesting.
"Chantless magic?" I asked.
"Yes. Sword Dancers use their facial expressions to convey emotion and story. If you can use magic without a chant, you don't have to break character by moving your mouth."
"It depends on the style, though," Maiya explained. "Some people wear Men to hide their faces, while others incorporate the chant into the performance as a dramatic monologue. Some just use swords that are actually magic tools, which is the most common way nowadays."
Soldio snorted in derision. "Heresy. The Sword Dancers of old captivated audiences with nothing but transcendent swordsmanship and magical mastery. Now, it's all Men and magic tools. They rely on gadgets for magic and treat the sword as nothing more than a series of memorized forms. That is why people call us mere entertainers—a sideshow that's useless in a real fight."
"I know, I know. I was just giving him the full picture," Maiya said, waving him off.
I didn't know how long ago Soldio's 'old days' were, but he clearly took great pride in the traditional path.
"Well, let's give it our all!" Maiya cheered.
"Yes! I look forward to it."
This was a rare opportunity. I was determined to make every technique they could offer my own.