16. Excommunication?\n \nOne day when I was twelve years old, I was about to start my sword practice as usual, when my instructor brought in another man.\n \nThe man's name was Creed. Like the instructor, he was related to a training center for knight candidates and came to observe the training.\n \nCompared to the instructor, the man was not as well-dressed or elegant, but his body was very impressive.\n \nHe had a thick chest plate. His arms were strong. He was tall, but his lower body was also well muscled, and he seemed to have a strong core. His center of gravity is low, and he seems to be hard to break from his feet.\n\nHe has a low center of gravity, which makes it difficult for him to break down from his feet, and his body movements seem relaxed and lean. If I were to compete with him, I would be no match for him.\n \nI looked at him as if I were judging him, but he seemed to be doing the same. A sharp look was directed at me.\n\nAfter lightly familiarizing myself with my brother, I was to have a mock battle with my instructor.\n \nBut it's always the same, and since last year or so I've been able to win more and more, and recently I've been able to win without any problems, so there were no problems that day either.\n\n"Lady Elizabeth."\n\nAfter the mock battle was over, the instructor walked up to me after bowing.\n\n"I have nothing more to teach you."\n\nFor a moment, I didn't understand what he was saying.\n \nOnce I ruminated in my brain, good and bad expectations came to mind. I'll take the bad one first.\n\n"Well. Are you excommunicating me?" - Lizzie\n\n
"No, sir." - Instructor\n\n"So you're saying you're getting a full license?" - Lizzie\n\n"I'm not strong enough to give you the full license. I'm not strong enough to be granted knighthood, but at least you've mastered enough to teach, not be taught." - Instructor\n\n"Does that mean I'm recognized as a master instructor?" - Lizzie\n\n"That's right."\n\nI see. I understood. Today's mock battle was a test to become a master instructor, and this guy Creed was probably the witness.\n \nThat's why I thought he was looking at me with a searching gaze.\n\nBut to be honest, I didn't really feel it when I was suddenly told that I was a master instructor.\n \nNo wonder. The only people I've ever had a proper fight with are my brother and my instructor. I don't have a yardstick to measure how strong I am.\n \nI haven't had enough actual competition. I strongly felt that. I made up my mind to put more effort into my training.\n\n"So, I'll leave you to it."\n\n"What?"\n\nI was taken aback by the unexpected words.\n\nIt is true that I have become stronger than my instructor. In the event that you've got a lot of money, you'll be able to take a look at the best way to use it. --I even cried every time in the beginning because he was so strict. My brother, who was also undergoing training, was usually beaten.\n\nBut as a target, you have to be strong.\n \nAnd in order to intercept events between the hero and other targets, you need to be strong enough to fight off a wide range of men, from pick-up artists to assassins.\n \nIn order to do that, you need to practice in real-life situations. I can't afford to lose my training partner now. What am I to do with my newfound determination?\n\n"Even if you don't have anything to teach me, your brother does."\n\nThe instructor shook his head when I tried to include his brother.\n\n"Count Burton is already seventeen. In his final year at the academy, he won't be taking any sword fighting classes, so he won't need to continue practicing."\n\nEarl Burton means your brother. Last year, he took over the title of Earl of Burton, one of his father's titles.\n \nAfter graduating from the school, he was going to work as an earl for a few years, building up his achievements, and then he was going to take over the title of duke.\n \nWhen I looked at my brother, he was smiling as if he was troubled. It seems that my brother knew that this would happen.\n \nThinking about it, he didn't want to become a knight, and his skill was good enough to get good grades in the school's classes, so there was no need for him to continue practicing swordsmanship diligently until this age.\n\nI am grateful to my older brother for accompanying me and making me undergo a more rigorous training than a normal nobleman would receive, but there is no way I can complain.\n\nI really think he did a good job of keeping me company.\n \n"What about Christopher?"\n\n"Christopher is still in the basic stage. I think the person who first taught Elizabeth and the others would be more qualified than me."\n\nI tried to argue with him, but he simply replied. It was true.\n \nIt seemed that Christopher had never studied sword fighting in his previous home, and even now, two years after coming to our house, he was still in the process of building his strength and getting used to the sword.\n \nHe's not good enough to be taught by an active instructor.\n \nNo, let's get straight to the point. It's not your brother or Christopher that's in trouble, it's me.\n\n"But what about my training? I'm not strong enough yet."\n\n"As a young lady, you are more than strong enough."\n\n"That's not the kind of strength I'm looking for."\n\n"I know."\n\nThe instructor nodded as if it was obvious.\n \nI'm not sure what you mean by begging for time when you know what you're doing. I'll say it again. I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do with my newfound determination.\n\n"I've brought him here today to introduce you to a new place to practice, Miss Elizabeth."\n\nThe instructor glanced at him and the man who had just introduced himself as Creed walked up to him.\n \nDuring the game, he was looking at me with a piercing gaze, but while I was talking to the instructor, I didn't feel any sign of him.\n \nHe's quite a big man, but he's very good at disguising his presence.\n\n"In the royal capital, there are two knight cadet training centers for noblemen. There are two training camps for noblemen's sons in the royal capital, one in the west and the other in the east from the royal castle. He is the instructor of the west training ground."\n \n"Thank you."\n \nInstructor Creed raises his hand lightly and looks down at me.\n \nIt looks like a sloppy gesture, but it's flawless. I see, as an instructor, I'm sure he's a skilled knight himself. I'm convinced of the feeling I had earlier.\n \nHe rubs the stubble on his chin and points his thumb at the instructor who introduced him in a frustrated manner.\n\n"I'm in the eastern training grounds, but there are more high class families there. He's in the east training area, but there are more high-ranking families there, and the west training area is always short of instructors."\n\n"That's why," he said, breaking off. The corners of his mouth turned up in a grin, and his eyes shone like birds of prey, strangely unbalanced, as if they were about to snap if you touched them.\n\n"How about going to the training school?"\n\n\nI'm not sure what to say, but I'm going to say it.\n\n\n***\n\n\n\n\n