My Demons

Gillius was a member of a gang comprised of six individuals: four warriors, one archer, and one cleric. The gang was led by a skilled mercenary named Grania.

It was Gillius’s friendly nature that allowed me to become acquainted with the gang.

After the battle at the dockyard, they would gather their rewards and loot, often including me in their company.

Naturally, there were some members of Grania’s gang who kept their distance from me. They had witnessed my frenzied antics during combat, and my use of blood magic, a technique considered ominous in various ways.

However, through my polite demeanor and healthy appearance, I was able to establish a certain level of camaraderie with everyone. They adopted an attitude of, ‘It doesn’t matter if he’s eccentric, as long as he fights alongside us.’

After sharing a drink together, the entire gang relocated their lodgings to the Bells & Whistles Inn. Despite some complaints about the inn, they remained a cheerful group of mercenaries.

Among the gang members, I grew closest to Grania, the leader.

Grania, the red-haired female warrior whose skills I greatly admired during the battle at the dockyard, became the person I bonded with the most.

Although I didn’t know much about her leadership abilities, she was undeniably a competent warrior in my eyes.

Smack!

“Focus!”

“Oops.”

Taking advantage of my momentary loss of concentration, Grania thrust her round shield, knocking away my wooden sword and arm.

With my guard open, Grania swiftly aimed her wooden sword at my chin.

Ugh!

Reacting quickly, I raised my buckler to block, but Grania skillfully used the rebound to twist her wrist.

Thud!

She struck my opposite shoulder.

“Damn, you got me.”

Acknowledging defeat, I stepped back, and Grania paused, asking, “Did you leave an opening between your shield and sword again?”

“Yes, I did.”

“When using a buckler, pay special attention to coordinating both hands.”

“Okay. Let’s go again.” As soon as she finished speaking, Grania assumed her stance.

She held a round shield in her left hand, obliquely covering her head and shoulder, while her sword was held at mid-height.

“Huh.”

I took a deep breath and positioned myself in a stance.

With my legs slightly spread and bent, I extended my wooden sword and buckler forward.

Grania was among the most skilled mercenaries.

Even though I restrained my strength and speed, factors such as physique, reach, and weight still heavily favored Phoenix over Grania.

Nevertheless, due to the difference in skill and experience, overpowering her proved to be a challenge.

My duels with Grania lasted a few rounds, sometimes extending to ten, before immediately starting again.

Through this repetitive process, I continuously received corrections, gained experience, and internalized the principles.

I had been learning swordsmanship from Grania for five days now—or rather, I should say I was learning about combat techniques as a whole, including shield techniques.

This arrangement came about from my request. Recognizing her skills, I offered a reward in exchange for her teachings.

Upon hearing my request, Grania initially wore a skeptical expression.

I had acquired an unflattering nickname, “The Mad Swordsman,” due to my antics at the dockyard. When someone like me approached Grania asking to be taught swordsmanship, she assumed I was joking.

However, after several sparring sessions, she abandoned her doubts. It became evident that I was a novice who lacked even the basic understanding of sword fighting.

Grania was puzzled by the stark disparity between my physical abilities and skills but refrained from further questioning. Instead, she simply provided the training for which she was compensated.

Grania’s instruction was practical, as expected, and surprisingly meticulous—almost mechanical.

Clang!

As our wooden swords clashed mid-air, I subtly pushed forward while maintaining the bind, where the blades remained in contact.

“Huh.”

As Grania pulled back, she let out a brief breath and swung her round shield upward to dislodge my wooden sword, creating a small opening.

Thud!

With swiftness, my wooden sword penetrated the gap and struck my opponent’s breastplate, producing a satisfying sound.

“Ugh. I lost.”

“Pay attention to external forces. And when binding…”

“You should apply pressure while pulling or pushing. Be adaptable.”

“Right. Shall we go again?”

Grania readied herself and approached once more.

Ugh, her shield completely blocks the upper area, making it challenging to find motivation to aim there.

Landing an effective hit by piercing Grania’s shield required intense concentration and a stroke of luck.

Grania wasn’t particularly tall. Perhaps around 160 cm?

However, her stature didn’t diminish her aura of strength. The scar crossing her nose, the burn marks on her skin, and her compact yet well-defined muscles spoke volumes of her accumulated experiences.

Carefully, I took a step forward, searching for an opening.

Although she wore a round helmet and armor, her lower body was only shielded by trousers that revealed her calves.

Eventually, the temptation of her sturdy calves overwhelmed me, and I thrust my wooden sword toward her lower body.

“Hmph!”

Damn it, Grania swiftly withdrew her hips and targeted my head with her wooden sword, swinging it down.

Thud!

After deflecting the attack with my buckler, I aimed for Grania’s arm and jabbed my wooden sword. The quick jab successfully struck her abdomen, but by then, Grania’s wooden sword had grazed my wrist.

As I raised my hand, Grania took a brief breath, retreated, and inquired,

“Huff, huff, where are the arms connected?”

“To the shoulders.”

“Huff, where are they not connected?”

“They’re not connected to the hips.”

“Right. When aiming for the lower body, you’re at a reach disadvantage, so you always have to be cautious about the upper body.”

“Understood.”

As soon as the words left her mouth, our spar resumed.

Grania initiated a series of simple feint attacks, and I calmly parried with my wooden sword while steadily advancing.

Then, unexpectedly, Grania held her breath and charged.

“Huff!”

Grania’s hands crossed, and the tip of her sword pressed against the inner surface of her round shield. In an instant, she swiftly tilted the round shield to the right, revealing a wooden sword hidden behind it.

It was an unorthodox thrusting attack where the shield and weapon positions switched in a moment.

Clack!

I swiftly twisted my wrist, parrying the attack with my wooden sword, and pushed Grania’s shield aside with my buckler. At the same time, I entangled her shoulder with my arm and swept her leg.

Grania swung her wooden sword again, but I was already in close proximity, making it difficult for her to land an effective strike.

“Ugh.”

Grania attempted to resist, but her upper body was already suppressed, and her leg was caught.

I swept her other leg and brought Grania down completely.

Whoosh.

With limited space to use the wooden sword to finish the bout, I quickly released it and lightly tapped Grania’s chin with my fist.

“Ugh, I lost.”

Acknowledging her defeat, Grania grabbed my hand, stood up, and said, “You’ve become proficient in wrestling. No, not just familiar, but skilled.”

“Phew, is there a distinction?”

In response to my question, Grania gave a wry smile and shrugged her shoulders.

“I thought my skills were superior, but now I’m not so sure. Is this really your first time learning?”

As I smiled silently, a look of discomfort appeared on Grania’s face.

Surely, she doesn’t believe I paid five dimes just to make a joke or fool around?

Regardless of her thoughts, Grania’s teachings were worth every dime I had paid. I even considered that I might have paid too little.

In just five days of training, I had made tremendous progress.

On the first morning, my duel record with Grania stood at 43 wins and 41 losses, and this morning it was 21 wins and 11 losses… If we consider the winning rate, it had increased more than tenfold. If the version of me from the first day fought against the present version, I believe the present me would win nine out of ten times.

This progress was not solely due to Grania’s excellent instruction, but also because of the memories embedded in my body.

The playable characters in the Dark World game were not ordinary individuals but had received sufficient training.

Even the Elemental Wizard, according to the game’s lore, wasn’t someone who knew nothing about magic but a wizard who had undergone ten years of training in the La-Palais Palace.

The same applied to Blood Knights.

Phoenix was the son of a knight, and the class name “Blood Knight” stemmed from this background—a knight who possessed blood magic.

The offspring of knights commenced training in childhood and devoted their teenage years to mastering combat skills.

Perhaps Phoenix had done the same, and while the skills acquired then were not consciously retained in my mind, they seemed imprinted on my body. This was likely why my abilities improved drastically during our duels.

Moreover, I cautiously speculated that I had yet to fully unleash Phoenix’s skills.

Phoenix, who hadn’t simply been granted the title of knight, undoubtedly possessed superior abilities compared to an ordinary mercenary.

In our successive duels, I defeated Grania three times in a row before finally releasing her from my grasp.

Collapsing at the edge of the well, Grania wiped away the sweat and dust while grumbling.

“Haah, haah… I’m dead. Are we going to do it again this evening? You mentioned going down to the sewer tomorrow?”

“We should take a rest today. And for a while, I’ll practice on my own.”

“Really? Well, there’s nothing more for me to teach you anyway. Hone your skills in real battles. If you truly learned it for the first time, you’re a natural prodigy, and your abilities will improve rapidly.”

Grania asked, appearing both relieved and somewhat regretful, as if something had suddenly occurred to her.

“Oh, didn’t you mention ordering a shield?”

“Yeah. I was planning to pick it up soon.”

“Your buckler seems like a fine piece. Aren’t you reluctant to part with it? You’ve grown quite accustomed to handling it.”

I had only experienced actual combat twice, but I had learned a great deal and managed to survive through perilous situations.

And the most formidable threat in those dangers was none other than arrows.

I had been struck by an arrow on the ship, suffering near-fatal injuries, and I had almost been defeated at the dockyard due to an arrow.

I feared the swift flying of arrows more than the spears or axes before me.

Hence, I had ordered a large round shield similar to the one Grania used.

Whether the buckler I currently wielded was a magical item or not was inconsequential. I would have used a door as a shield if necessary. That was how terrified I was of arrows.

“It’s fine. I practiced extensively with Gillius’ old shield. Besides, I prefer something heavier. This one feels like a chunk of iron, but it’s too small.”

“True, bucklers are convenient to carry but lack stability. They’re somewhat inadequate for larger battles.”

As Grania entered the inn after our conversation, I instinctively scooped water from the well and washed my face.

That’s when it happened.

“Hey.”

“Uhh?”

As I looked up, water dripping from my face, Ellen stood before me.

What’s with this girl? Why does she keep appearing out of nowhere?

I hastily finished washing my face, roughly drying my eyes with my sleeve, and inquired, “Weren’t you going to meditate?”

“I tried, but I couldn’t concentrate.”

“Concentrate? Hey, you’re supposed to persevere with things like that even if you can’t concentrate. You’re young, so-“

“Oh, if anyone hears you, they’ll think you’re an old man. Don’t try to lecture me when we’re not that far apart in age.”

…Look at this girl. She remained silent for a while, and now she’s back at it again.