“Are you ready?”
“Yes, let’s begin quickly.”
The training ground at the new mansion.
All other guards were busy with their duties, leaving this training ground empty, where I stood alone with Lowell.
Finally, it was time to learn the Boyd family’s secret techniques.
“First of all, let me clarify—it’s not recommended to practice this until you’ve fully mastered the basics.”
“Are you saying my basics are lacking?”
“Yes. Think of this as a light preview.”
Well, that’s reassuring.
Even for someone like me with weak fundamentals, they’re still willing to teach it.
“Do you know the difference between the usual basics and the secret techniques I’m about to teach you?”
“What is it?”
“They combine the existing basics.”
“…Combine? How?”
You can combine them?
Aren’t each of them entirely different styles?
“For instance, like this.”
As if to demonstrate, Lowell stopped right in front of me.
He just… stopped.
Completely still, as if frozen in place.
“What are you—”
Just as I was about to ask, thinking it might be some sort of technique, I felt a faint tingle behind me.
Smack!
“Ow!”
At the same time, a shock to the back of my head made me stumble forward.
“Huh?”
Who hit me?
I turned around to find Lowell standing there.
“What is this?”
But he was just standing in front of me a moment ago.
Look at him now, perfectly still.
“No… Huh.”
… He was there… but now he’s gone?
“Whoa, what is this?!”
“This is the Boyd family’s secret Fleet technique.”
“So… it’s like a clone or something?”
Is he leaving an afterimage and retreating with Fleet?
Unless you’re a master who constantly uses Track, it would be nearly impossible to counter.
“Yes, it’s a technique that combines the essence of Fleet and Guard.”
“That’s possible?”
How do you even begin to combine them? I can’t wrap my head around it.
“That’s why it’s called a secret technique.”
“Ah, I see.”
Well, if it were simple, it wouldn’t be a secret technique.
And this is the Boyd Marquis family, the most powerful noble house in the Adel Kingdom.
If it were easy, that wouldn’t make sense either.
“So, is the secret Fleet just about leaving afterimages?”
Still, I was already getting excited.
The thought of learning this technique was exhilarating.
“No, that’s just the most basic level of the secret Fleet.”
“Which means…”
“There are intermediate and advanced versions as well.”
“Wow…”
If this is just the basics, then secret techniques truly are on another level.
I feel sorry for knights born as commoners without a family.
“However, I can only teach you the basics, as I just demonstrated.”
“…You’re not teaching me everything, are you?”
“By rule, outsiders can only learn the basics.”
Well, fair enough.
If they taught everything, it would become public knowledge in a hundred years.
And if the secret technique spreads, it could even become a weakness.
Honestly, being taught even the basics is already a huge privilege.
“Even mastering the basics will take years.”
“Is that by my standards?”
“Yes. For an average person, mastering all four techniques takes about ten years.”
“Hmm.”
Ten years is a long time.
How difficult must the advanced versions be?
“So, in the basic secret Fleet, the difference is just the afterimage it leaves behind?”
Even though leaving an afterimage is already incredible… I asked, feeling a bit curious.
“No. It’s more efficient and faster than the standard Fleet. Oh, and… even at the basic level, it allows for things like this.”
“Like what?”
“Take this.”
After saying something intriguing, Lowell handed me a wooden sword.
“Now, try to stab me.”
“Got it.”
“…That was a quick answer.”
I mean, it’s not like stabbing him will hurt him, right?
Besides, he’s probably trying to show me something.
So, holding the wooden sword, I took my stance.
Then, without hesitation, I thrust forward.
And then—
Thud!
There was slight resistance, and the sword actually pierced him.
“Huh?”
I had assumed it would be an afterimage.
I was startled for a moment but soon realized something felt off.
It felt like I was stabbing a person, but there was no blood.
The area where the sword entered also looked strange.
“What is this…?”
As I hesitated, trying to process what happened—
Smack!
Once again, I felt a blow to the back of my head.
“You really didn’t hesitate when stabbing me.”
“Huh?”
“Respect your elders.”
The same situation as before.
So, that’s an afterimage left by Fleet?
“How did you do that?”
“I overlaid the afterimage with Guard to mimic the strength of a human body.”
“What?”
“Even seasoned Aura users can be fooled momentarily.”
“Oh, I see…”
At this level, anyone would fall for it.
Didn’t I just do the same?
If this were a battlefield, I would’ve thought I had won, only to lose my head a second later.
“And this is all just the basics?”
“Yes, mastering this means you’ve completed the fundamentals of the secret Fleet.”
…Now I understand why it takes years to learn.
And it’s not like Fleet is the only secret technique of the Boyd family.
“How many of these are there in total?”
“Like the basic techniques, there are four in total.”
“Can I learn all of them to the basic level?”
“Of course.”
Honestly, I was a bit disappointed I couldn’t learn the advanced versions.
…But now I’m starting to think I might not even master the basics if I stay here for years.
“I have a long way to go.”
“Still, you learn quickly, so you’ll manage soon enough.”
“Yes.”
Well, I guess I’ll just train all day under the sun.
If I learn it while I’m young, it’ll be useful someday, right?
“Then, please teach me the next one.”
“Very well. Next is the family’s secret Rush technique…”
Just as I was about to delve into the next technique—
“Puppyyyy!!”
A familiar voice rang out from the back of the yard.
“Oh no.”
“Ah.”
Both Lowell and I exchanged looks of realization as soon as we heard the voice.
“…Is today an early day off?”
“It seems the young lady really wants to play today.”
“What…”
“Puppy!”
Before we could finish talking, the young lady came running from the far end of the garden.
“Y-you said you’d stay still…!”
Huffing, her little cheeks were puffed up like balloons.
…Did I upset her by breaking a promise?
“Well, um, about that…”
What am I supposed to do here?
If it were an adult man, I’d have an easier time dealing with his anger.
But this young lady, barely half my height, was glaring at me, visibly upset.
As I was struggling to find the right words—
“Young Lady, it’s training time.”
Lowell stepped in, speaking on my behalf.
Was that too honest?
If the young lady, who insists on keeping me as her “puppy”, heard that, her eyes might start gleaming ominously again. Should I step in to stop this?
“Training? Why is Puppy training?”
“Even animals undergo training, Young Lady. In fact, as a beast, it needs more training.”
“Lowell?”
What in the world are you saying?
“Oh… is that so?”
Surprisingly, his words seemed to make sense to her.
“A pet raised in a noble house must have the appropriate manners, after all.”
“But it’s just a puppy that roams the yard?”
“Even so, isn’t it a bit special? Moreover, since it’s in a garden where guests might visit, it must be properly trained.”
…Is this really a conversation to have with me, a person, standing right here?
But since the young lady was buying it, I decided to stay quiet and let it go.
“Hmm, I guess that makes sense.”
Well, at least she’s convinced.
Besides, being treated like a dog isn’t new for me.
If I can get back to training, it’s all good….
“Then I’ll do the training myself!”
“You, young lady?”
“Of course! The owner should train the puppy, right?”
…Or so I thought, but a new hurdle just appeared.
This time, the young lady was staring at me with sparkling eyes.
“Shake!”
“…Yes.”
“Good job! Now, head!”
“Here it is….”
What is even happening?
Sighing internally, I lowered my head, and the young lady reached out with her tiny hand to pat me.
Pat Pat.
“No need for training, see? It’s already obedient!”
“It’s a clever creature, so it knows the basics. That’s why it needs more specialized training.”
“Specialized? Like what?”
“Something like catching a frisbee.”
“Frisbee!”
Her eyes lit up at the word frisbee.
Not in a dangerous way, thankfully—just pure excitement.
“Then can I throw the frisbee?”
“Today, I’ll demonstrate first. Please observe for now.”
“Okay!”
With that, the young lady eagerly moved to a corner of the training ground.
Other servants quickly gathered, bringing a chair and a parasol to shield her from the sun.
“What’s the plan now?”
It was impressive how Lowell had managed to redirect her mood so easily.
But are we really going to start throwing a frisbee now?
“Quite literally. I’ll throw the frisbee, and you’ll catch it.”
“…Where are you even going to get a frisbee?”
“I’ll fetch one immediately.”
A frisbee, right away?
I looked at Lowell to see where he would get it from, but something felt off.
“Hmm?”
Why did he suddenly stop moving?
He wasn’t even twitching…
Ah, no way.
I swung my arm toward him, and it passed straight through.
Did he just use Fleet?
No signs, no warning.
But where could he have gone…
“I’m back.”
“Ah, geez!”
…How long was he even gone?
He returned before the afterimage he left behind could even fade, so smoothly that even the young lady hadn’t noticed a thing.
“Ha… Where do you rank in strength in this kingdom?”
“What kind of question is that?”
“No, I mean, is there anyone faster than you, Lowell?”
He’s not a munchkin character from a novel.
Is it possible for a person to do this?
“The lord of the Boyd family surpasses me.”
“Wow…”
“There are also many strong figures in the Empire.”
“Oh, the Empire.”
Right, there’s the Empire too.
The Adel Kingdom is a strong nation capable of conquering others, but the Empire operates on an entirely different level.
If the kingdom is a neighborhood gang, the Empire is the ruler of the continent.
Still, I can’t imagine Lowell being outclassed anywhere.
Then again, if the Boyd family has secret techniques like these, other noble families must have their own as well.
But now’s not the time to think about that.
I’m in the middle of training, yet here I am preparing to play frisbee—
And I’m the one tasked with catching it.
“Where did you find the frisbee?”
“It was in the doghouse in the yard.”
“Oh.”
Now that he mentioned it, I think I remember seeing it earlier while inspecting the house.
“Well, then, step back. I’ll throw it.”
“This is… fine, whatever.”
I have no idea why I’m doing this with an old man, but I decided to humor him.
I took a few steps back.
Lowell shook the frisbee slightly before throwing it.
It was faster than I expected.
It didn’t feel impossible to catch, but—
Zzt!
I could sense something unusual about the frisbee.
Looking closer, it seemed to swell slightly—
“Block it.”
The moment I heard his voice, I activated Guard, one of the basic techniques.
Then—
BOOM!
The frisbee exploded right in front of me.
What the—?!
“P-Puppy!”
“It’s just a firework, Young Lady.”
“R-really?”
“Yes, see? Perfectly unharmed.”
Unharmed… sure, I’m fine.
It was just a loud explosion from the start.
“What… was that?”
“That was the Boyd family’s secret Rush technique.”
“Throwing a frisbee is a secret technique?”
“More precisely, it’s embedding Rush into an object and detonating it.”
“Hah.”
Are you kidding me?
Embedding Aura into an object is already incredibly difficult.
And now you’re telling me they not only infuse Rush but also throw it?
“…Can I learn this?”
Even though I’d just been hit by the explosion, my fascination with the technique outweighed the shock.
A ranged Rush attack?
That’s essentially a bomb.
This could be incredibly useful.
“It’s a dangerous technique, so I’ll teach it to you once you’ve mastered the basics of Rush.”
“So you’re saying you’ll teach me?”
“Of course.”
“Haha.”
Well, who cares if it looks ridiculous?
If I get to learn an incredible technique like this—
“Bring me another frisbee.”
“Would you like to catch it without letting it explode this time?”
“How would I do that?”
“I’ll teach you the Boyd family’s secret Guard technique.”
“Oh, come on.”
And so, in a rather unconventional way.
I continued to learn the Boyd family’s secret techniques.
