“Hm… Not really good enough,” I said, blocking and deflecting Sherry’s sword. I wasn’t using Invisible Blade, just a normal broadsword.
“Ugh, what am I doing wrong,” she asked, out of breath.
“Something feels off, but… I can’t really put my finger on it.”
“…Well, if you don’t know, I guess there’s not much anyone can do about it.”
“That’s not true. I’m not a very good teacher, you know. My own combat style is very unique, so it’s hard for me to teach others.”
I was currently helping out with Sherry’s training. I’d been pretty worn out after my own training – especially since I’d been going into the dangerous zone just about every day – but I couldn’t exactly turn her down. Things weren’t looking very good, though. I’d been sparring with her this whole time, but I wasn’t able to explain exactly what was off. After all, I primarily use Invisible Blade in combat. Its invisibility and high speed are my main advantages, along with being able to deploy it multiple times concurrently. It’s a very personalised combat style that would be tough to teach to anyone else. I could, of course, teach the basics of combat – how to move, how to handle your weight, etc. – but Sherry had learned all of that ages ago.
“What to do,” I muttered.
“U-um, I think, um, a broadsword may not be the best, um, choice for you,” an unfamiliar voice rang out.
“Huh?!” I shouted, jumping a little in surprise. I turned to face the source of the voice.
It was a woman, taller than me, with bright red hair and slender eyes. I was pretty sure I’d seen her somewhere before.
“Oh, uh, um, hi, Yuria, it’s been a while.”
“Oh! You’re the #2 S-Rank!”
“Y-yes, um, I’m Beltina Light. Um, I was assigned to, um, the Seventh Barriered City… Oh, um, feel free to call me Bel, and, um, I’m a Colonel a-and, um, 32 years old… I’m looking forward to w-working with you.”
I’d completely forgotten, but there was supposed to be another S-Rank dispatched to this city. I definitely wasn’t expecting it to be her, though.
“Oh, yes, I’m looking forward to working with you, too. So, um, Bel, why are you out here this late? It’s almost time for lights out.”
“Oh, um I j-just arrived, and um, I saw two people training, so, um, I decided to say hello, and, um, maybe give a little advice? So, um… Oh! D-did I upset you? I’m so sorry! I shouldn’t have said anything!”
“N-no, it’s okay! Getting advice from the #2 S-Rank is an honour! Right, Sherry?”
“Yes! Of course! It’s an honour!”
The two of us did our best to cheer her up. She was… obviously very low in self-confidence, or perhaps incredibly humble. It was hard to believe she was #2. Although, I guess her personality doesn’t really matter. She was, after all, the second most powerful Exorcist in the world. Her advice would certainly be helpful, so I decided to press what she was talking about earlier.
“So, um, Miss Bel. What did you mean when you said a broadsword wasn’t the best choice for Sherry?”
“Oh, um, well… It’s kind of just a feeling, I h-had. I-I feel like Sherry would be b-better off with, um, a katana. I-It’s a bit longer, and, um, you can move it f-faster, so, um, I think i-it might be a little better for her.”
“Hmm, a katana…”
There were some clear differences between swords and katanas. Swords are much heavier – in fact, they use their weight to deal damage, almost like a blunt weapon with an edge. Katanas, however, are much thinner and less durable. Also, the blades chip much more easily. As a result, they require far more skill to handle, especially when fighting demons. My Invisible Blade is more like a katana than a sword. However, since it’s not an actual blade, I don’t have to worry about damaging it.
Anyway, people mostly use swords because of katanas’ drawbacks. Bel, though, said Sherry would be better with a katana. She’s definitely quite knowledgeable when it comes to this stuff, so we should probably at least let Sherry practice with a sword. There’s no harm in that, after all.
“A katana, I see… Yuria, what do you think?”
“I think it’s worth a shot. Trying different weapons out isn’t a bad thing, after all.”
“If you’d like, um, would you m-maybe like to see a demonstration?”
“Really?! You don’t mind?!”
“Y-yes, um, I don’t mind…”
Bel’s weapon was a tachi1. It was over 1.5 metres long and elegantly, gently curved. She drew her sword from her waist and took her stance.
Then, she began to demonstrate, immediately taking our breath away. Her motion was so fluid it was like she was dancing around the training grounds.
“Amazing…”
“Yeah, she’s amazing…”
We were overwhelmed. The way she moved was perfect and unbelievably elegant. Everything about her – from the way she carried herself to the way she moved her sword – proved beyond a doubt that she was anything but ordinary. As we stood there, stunned, watching her, she eventually brought her demonstration to an end.
“S-so, h-how was it?”
“Amazing! It was amazing! I’ve decided! I want to be your student!”
“M-my student?! U-um, I’m, n-not very good at, uh, t-talking, s-so, um, I w-wouldn’t be a v-very good teacher…”
“Please! I want to be strong!” she asked again, bowing her head.
I could tell that something in Bel’s demonstration had clicked with Sherry. That feeling was very important. I’d felt Invisible Blade click with me as soon as I first used it.
And so, Sherry became a student of the #2 Exorcist, Beltina Light.
◇
“Oh, so Bel was the other one coming here.”
“Yeah, I ran into her last night.”
“And Sherry’s her student now… Is that really a good idea?”
“What do you mean?”
“Bel is bad with words. Plus, she has no confidence. I’m not sure she’s capable of teaching someone. Also, she can be a bit dumb sometimes.”
“Ahaha, that’s quite harsh. Is she really the #2, then?”
“…Have you ever seen her fight seriously?”
“No, last night was the first time I’ve ever talked to her.”
“She’s incredibly powerful. Especially her ten secret techniques… The first time I saw them, I was shaking in fear.”
“She’s that powerful?”
We were on our lunch break. Eira and I were eating curry in the mess. I’d told her about last night, but… the mood had turned incredibly serious.
I guess Bel’s status was well-earned, then. It’s not that I doubted her, but it was hard to imagine she was that powerful after talking to her yesterday.
“I believe that, as long as her enemy’s within 3 metres of her, she’s unbeatable. I can’t imagine her ever losing in a close-quarters battle.”
“She’s really that powerful…”
“Are you fine with missing out? You could probably learn a lot from watching Bel, too.”
“Hmm. I don’t really want to get in Sherry’s way. Plus, she’ll probably learn more if I’m not around.”
“You’re a good friend.”
“Yeah… Well, Sherry’s pretty special to me. I want to help her as much as I can.”
”
”
“…Oh, I see how it is. Then I guess I’ll be leaving now,” she said curtly, quickly finishing her curry and leaving.
“…Huh? Did I do something wrong?”
I thought about it while I continued eating, but I never did understand why she was so upset.