TN: Here is the next chapter, it’s a day late but I hope you enjoy!
I have finally finished my combat training, and now I’m sparring with Shreegan using real weapons. Has it already been a year since I started my training?
“Your Highness, you’re getting quite muscular! You are doing pretty good.”
“There is no way that’s the case! Don’t patronise me!”
Up! Down! Up! Down!
Right now, we are practising a one-handed stance. It’s basically like fencing.
“Kids usually say things like ‘Don’t you have any cooler moves?’ or ‘Teach me a secret technique!’.”
Cling! Clang! Cling! Clang!
I parry a low strike with a low strike of my own. Then I parry a high strike with a high strike of my own. Then a front attack! Then a back attack! Front! Back!
“They only want to learn those kinds of things, and not this kind of stance practice.”
We take a short break as I’m gasping for air.
“But still, Your Highness has been bearing with this for a year without a single complaint.”
“If you don’t build a proper foundation, you won’t be able to master anything…”
“The fact that you are aware of that is amazing.”
“Yeah, yeah. You don’t have to think up ways to compliment me just because Serea is watching.”
Today, Serea is on the training grounds, too. She’s observing us while also reading a book she received from her teacher as homework.
I wonder if she is getting tired of watching us do the same things over and over every time?
When I plopped down to the ground, exhausted, she gave me a flask of water.
As I was gulping down the water, she wiped my head off with a towel. She is so kind. My hair is completely dishevelled now, though.
“When in the heat of battle, you don’t have time to think about your moves. If your body doesn’t move by instinct, you will lose. That’s the kind of opponent you’re fighting.”
“Shreegan, you don’t think about
anything
while fighting?”
“That’s right.”
How do you go about doing that though? ... But that’s probably the secret behind Shreegan’s strength. The way he fights is really wild. I wonder if I’ll be able to copy him.
“When an onslaught of sword strikes is coming your way, and you need to think about something else, your body has to react on its own.Otherwise, you’re a goner.”
“That makes sense.”
“For people like Your Highness, who like to use their heads while fighting, it’s especially important for your body to be able to move on its own. There are 20 different one-handed stances to practise.After you have mastered those, come two-handed stances.”
“I got it.”
“Mr. Shreegan, what is that?”
Serea asks about the self-defence instrument hanging on Shreegan’s belt.
“It’s a baton. I use it for self-defence.”
“Do you mind letting me see it?”
“Not particularly. It’s just an iron rod. I carry it with me all the time when I’m escorting you two on your outings.”
“Now that you mention it, you never carry your sword when we are travelling incognito, Shreegan.”
“When you carry a sword, it’s obvious you are protecting some bigwig, right? That’s why I only carry this thing. If I hide it in my pants, no one would be able to notice it, don’t you think so?”[EN-1]
“Yes!It’s an antiquated weapon I know that, uhm… even showed up in folk tales.”
The way she phrased it, it must be one of the pieces of information she had from her previous life.
The rod is about elbow length and has a metal ‘L’ shaped protrusioncoming out of it right above the grip part, making the baton look somewhat like a key.
“Jutte, huh. I call it a keyed baton. Why do you call it a jutte though?”
Serea chuckles.
“Did
you
come up with it, Shreegan?” I asked him.
“Iron batons of this length have existed for hundreds of years at this point. I just had a metal fitting, convenient for hanging it on my pants, added to it.”
Serea points towards the L shaped protrusion on the baton.
“It isn’t only useful for hitting people with.You can use the hooked part to do things like catch a blade, twist something, or hold someone down. It’s called a jutte[TN-2] because there are 10 ways to use it. People, whose job was to patrol towns, used it to subdue ruffians and arrest criminals without using swords.”
Shreegan seems really impressed.
“I
have
actually used it to capture some hoodlums a couple of times. It’s definitely convenient for that.”
Shreegan stared at the baton that he received back.
“A hook sturdy enough to catch a sword… Yep! I think it can work!”
“That sounds great! I want to learn how to use it.”
“I’d like it if Shin-sama were to learn to use it, too. It’s a weapon that allies of justice use to thwart villains!”
When Serea says that much, it makes me even more pumped to learn how to use it!
“… Boys usually think that swords are the coolest.You’ve changed, Your Highness.”
“I mean, won’t you wound your opponent when using a sword? To be able to use it to subdue an enemy that has a sword makes it the better option.” [TN-3]
“I wouldn’t want Shin-sama to kill people either.”
“Aren’t you taking this too lightly!? Please say that once you are three times stronger than the thieves and brigands that go around wielding swords. If you aren’t able to use your sword, how do you expect to be able to read an enemy who uses it? Come on! Back to practise!”[EN-2]
“Y-yes!”
We are having an outing for the first time in a while. Serea and I go on a date to the castle town about once a month.
Currently, there are nobles and feudal lords from all around the country gathered in the capital. They come to attend the vassal conference that occurs once a year. Because the palace is busy with the event, we have a vacation from our lessons.
Even if the two of us went to the palace; we’d just be in the way. So, we ended up simply going out like this.
Serea’s father, Duke Collete, is staying at the family villa for the duration of the conference. I met with my father-in-law for the first time in a while.
‘Will I be getting some grandkids soon?’ he asked, since he knew that we had gotten married.
Please don’t say stuff like that, even if you’re joking! You are aware that we are both still 12, right!?
Even though we are 12 now, both Shreegan and Miss Bell are, unsurprisingly, accompanying us on our date. But, well, they are keeping a distance from us so as to not interrupt our date.
“Today we are going to a bookstore, then a general store, and finally... a concert!” (Shin)
“I can’t wait!” (Serea)
It's a thing that the two of us have been looking forward to doing together. It’s really nice having shared interests.
“…Shin-sama…”
Serea tugs at the hem of my shirt.
When I look at what she is pointing at, there is a girl crying on a street corner. There is a shady looking guy standing in front of the girl, and it looks like he is trying to soothe her. I feel bad for saying this, but the situation looks a bit precarious.
“What’s wrong?”
The two of us approached them and called out. The girl looks around our age. She’s a cute girl with light brown hair, done up in ringlets.
“Yo-Your Hi……”
The man was just about to call me ‘Your Highness,’ so I put my index finger to my mouth to signal him to be quiet. I remember him; he was part of the royal guards.
Shreegan and Miss Bell walked up to us discreetly.
“What’s going on here, Schwartz?”
“P-Platoon Commander……”
The royal guard who was startled by Shreegan, Schwartz, started whispering to Shreegan, “Things became a bit complicated.”
While we were talking, Miss Bell took charge of the girl. However, the girl is still crying despite Miss Bell’s efforts.
Serea grabs the girl by the hand and leads her to a table in a cafe terrace.
“What are you followin’ us for!?”
“My sincerest apologies!”
Schwartz went blue in the face when Shreegan reprimanded him.
“Explain.”
After I said that, Schwartz seemed to give up and started explaining.
“Even on our days off, we do guard jobs by request. Today, we were instructed to guide the son of Viscount Wiles and his fiancée, Silvia, who are visiting the capitol.”
So, they are doing the same thing as we are.
“But the son of the Viscount Wiles had left without permission, and I’m the only bodyguard. I couldn’t just leave Lady Silvia alone to go search for him.So, I was at a loss as to what to do.”
That’s a disaster!
“My sincerest apologies!”
“Well, you couldn’t have predicted that the person you were supposed to protect would run away on his own. It can’t be helped.”
Shreegan says so, and he is completely right. Just as there are rules for the guards, there are rules forthose being guarded.
What are you doing running away from your guard!? If something were to happen, the one held responsible would be the guard, you know? Even if you are a child, what kind of noble’s son are you if you don’t consider the position of your subordinates even that much? You’re acting like a spoiled brat.
“Let’s leave the two girls with Miss Bell and go search for him. What does he look like?”
“He looks different from a commoner at a glance, and wears nice clothes. He’s got a navy blue blazer on, shorts, long socks with a puttee[TN-4], he has a red scarf on his neck, a chequered hat, and black hair. He is 12 years old.”
“Let’s go, Shreegan, Schwartz.”
“Yeah.”
“Yes, Your Highness!”
“No calling me Your Highness here!”
The three of us searched downtown.
We found him surprisingly fast. He was sitting on a terrace in front of a fried chicken restaurant, eating fried chicken.
“…Hey, you over there.”
When I called out to him, he glared at me from his seat. He had the face of an aristocrat, and his bearing was elegant. [TN-5]However, I didn't like the way he looked down at me while scowling.
“What do you want?”
“What the heck are you doing, leaving the girl alone like that?”
“That’s got nothing to do with you.”
“Yes, it does. Miss Silvia was crying, you know? Hurry up and go back to her.”
“Shut up! What’s with you?!”
He turned over his chair and stood up. He is a little taller than me.
“You think you can talk to me like that?”
“Yeah, I do. You are just a scumbag who made a girl cry.”
“You son of a bitch!”
He suddenly grabs me by the collar.
Right.In this kind of situation, I just need to put both of my hands under his and then I just flick him off from below. The buttons of my coat came off, though.
Then I drop him with a low kick while he is surprised by the fact that I was resisting.
Of course, I don’t just instantly step on his balls after he’s down.[EN-3]That would cause issues with succession in the future for a noble. [TN-6],
“You bastard!”
He gets up and throws a punch at me, and I swiftly dodge it.
He gets into a cocky boxing stance, but that’s just a fighting sport for the working class. I have no idea where you learned that, but you aren’t going to kill your opponent with punches. [EN-4] It’s a technique that is useless on the battlefield. [TN-7]
I grab his hand, and then I throw him over my shoulder and onto the ground. I practised this with Shreegan on mats and grass but throwing him on the stone pavement should work just as well.
Today I’m throwing him on his back, but if I were to change the height and angle so that he were to break his neck, it could be a killer move. Don’t underestimate throwing techniques.
“Yo-you bastard!”
He tried to kick me from the ground. I guess it won’t hurt that much if a kid were to throw you since there isn’t much height for the fall. [EN-5] What a hassle.
I grabbed the kid’s kicking legs on both sides, then I spun him around to lie face down, got on his back and from there I bent his legs backwards. Boston crab![TN-8]
“OUCHHH!!! Shit. Get the hell off me!”
“Then surrender!”
“Who do you think is going to surrender!? Hey! Guard! Get this guy!”
He tells Schwartz who started watching this development somewhere from the middle. “S-sorry Young Master,” said Schwartz, with his face going pale from the bear claw Shreegan had on his head.
“Kiddo, adults have no place in helping out in a fight between kids, you know...”
As Shreegan said so, he smirked at the boy.
After seeing Shreegan’s face, the boy went pale. He was acting as if he saw a monster or demon.
“I surrender!!!”
“Ouch! I surrender! I surrender! Let go of me!”
When I let go of him, the townspeople that had gathered around all started applauding.
It’s not a situation where he can come swinging at me again. The match is over.
“Your Hi… you there, aren’t you too good at fighting?”
As Schwartz asked that, Shreegan replied with a face saying that it's only to be expected.
“The first thing I taught my little brother is how to fight.”
“What are you teaching him, PlatoonLeader…”
Schwartz has a look of astonishment on his face. When you think about it, brawling might not be something you’d have the prince do.
[TN-1] A jutte (十手, "ten hands") is a specialised weapon that was used by police in Edo period Japan (1603 – 1868), you can read more about it if you are interested : Here
[TN-3] Pretty sure an iron rod can hurt plenty. I’d comment how naïve that is, but then again he
is
only 12.
[TN-4] A puttee is a covering for the lower part of the leg from the ankle to the knee, alternatively known as: legwraps, leg bindings.
[TN-5] Imagining an elegant noble just biting into a piece of fried chicken, now that’s a funny visage.
[TN-6] I’m pretty sure it would cause issues for anyone……
[TN-7] First off you definitely can kill someone with a punch, and second you aren’t in a battlefield but are having a childish brawl in the middle of town. Editor to add: I’ve read that punching was actually used on the battlefield as well. Especially when you get in too close of a range to effectively use your weapon.
[TN-8] Its some wrestling move, you can see a picture that shows how it works:Here
[EN-1] Miss Bell: Mr Shreegan, is that a jutte or are you just happy to see me? (I’m sorry)
[EN-2] Thank goodness the author was just showing their naivete and threw some ‘reality’ at them.
[EN-3] I would have. But then again, when I was young enough to not know how to avoid arguments getting physical, I didn’t have bodyguards backing me up.
[EN-4] Tell that to all of the boxers that have dropped dead in the ring, and the many more that later died from injuries unnoticed in the ring! This one makes me mad.
[EN-5] The amount of times I got the wind knocked out of me just by
falling
as a kid says otherwise…
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