Royal Road of the Extra Scribe

4

It had been about a month since Alss arrived in this world.

I was learning about this world through books.

“As expected, there are many things not explained in the game.”

Mainly legends and history.

Detailed background knowledge not explained in the game. I was memorizing them and organizing the flow in my mind.

It was simple.

There used to be a unified empire called Pensillon that ruled the land of this continent in the past. The empire fell about 30 years ago.

The current kingdoms were established by local tribes that gained independence from that empire.

The protagonist, as the last bloodline of the Pensillon imperial family, fought for the empire’s revival and the unification of the continent, which was the core of the Athena War Tales story.

“Come to think of it….”

My exclusive maid, Yumir, was from Pensillon.

When I asked about that part, Yumir smiled warmly.

“Yes, that’s right. I come from the Pensillon Restoration Faction.”

“Restoration Faction?”

“Yes, it was a faction that rose from the ashes of Pensillon Empire to revive it. It’s gone now, though. I served there when I was young.”

“Would you tell me more about it?”

“If Young Master wishes to hear.”

Yumir was a character with many twists and turns in life.

Born as the offspring of a water elemental gladiator and a human slave, she had to fight in the arena for survival before joining the Epsilon Revival Faction.

“That’s why living in the Ilain family is like salvation to me.”

In the game, people mocked the idea of a mere maid having such abilities, but she was far from being a cliché character.

“I wonder if it’s all connected like that.”

Due to the shocking incident caused by her, a climax was reached in Act 1 of the story, a story revolving around the event that led to Alse’s downfall.

Many users were curious about the reason behind the event, but there was no clear answer yet.

“It must have been a trap set by a traitor. If not, Yumir might have been the traitor.”

Though there was a possibility, the likelihood of Yumir being a traitor was extremely slim.

“Yumir. If you ever have any concerns, please tell me.”

“Why all of a sudden?”

“It’s just… It’s not a difficult request. Promise me.”

“hahahaha, okay. I will definitely do that.”

Even if Yumir turned out to be a traitor, the promise made was not significant, but for now, it was enough.

Whatever happened, if I could uncover the traitor first, everything would be resolved.

“More importantly, Sir? Shouldn’t you start preparing soon?”

“Oh, right.”

At the agreed-upon time of 2 p.m.

It was the time for the fencing master to come and teach me fencing.

In this continent, fencing, highly regarded as a martial art, was divided into two main styles.

The Galrand-style fencing, developed in the west. And the Chester-style fencing, independently advanced by the mercenary Guderian.

Each martial art had its distinctive features. The Galrand style was so formal and orthodox that it was adopted as court martial arts, while the Chester style was characterized by infinite freedom.

From the name alone, it was clear that the Chester style was not just a simple fencing style.

Based on a special weapon handling technique with a sword in the left hand and a spear in the right, it was a highly practical martial art.

Due to the challenge of handling two weapons of different lengths simultaneously, the learning difficulty was extreme.

As a result, masters of the Chester style were treated like rare animals.

Initially, my father tried to invite a Galrand-style fencing master, but they refused, perhaps feeling too proud, opting instead to be a fencing master for a nobleman’s son for a considerable sum of money.

“Hello. I am Ilya Ampheira. I am classified as Rank 2 in the Chester style.”

“Ah…”

The fencing master who appeared was a rugged woman.

She stood around 180cm tall. While not particularly tall compared to men, her physique was nothing short of impressive.

Her muscular body looked as sturdy as a deeply rooted tree, and the sweat all over her body indicated how rigorously she had trained.

But the reason for my surprise lay elsewhere.

“Ilya Ampheira is coming! Could it be true?”

I felt something fateful.

Ilya was a character that appeared in the game and held the second-highest rank, SSR, among the six grades.

Known for leading the cavalry, she had earned the nickname “Cavalry Blender” for literally grinding the cavalry like a mixer.

However, her tier was not particularly high, with her individual combat power at around 82, which was not very high among SSR characters.

That’s why she was a character I often used in my free-to-play strategies.

For setting reasons, it was said that due to missing one arm, personal combat ability was low…

Illiya had a backstory where he lost his left arm in some past event involving a figure belonging to the Ten Masters of the continent, causing a sharp decline in his personal combat ability.

“Now that I have both arms, even though I may not excel in personal combat, I should be able to reach close to 90.”

Given that the perspective was about seven years before the game, he might not have reached that point yet, but regardless, it was the best choice as a teacher.

“Please come in. Would you like to come to the reception room first? I have prepared refreshments.”

“I would rather meet the child I need to teach first. I don’t want to waste time.”

“Hmm, you seem impatient.”

“I dislike unnecessary formalities.”

“Although it might seem impolite, that is not a good attitude towards nobles. Be careful as misunderstandings could arise.”

“If it made you uncomfortable, I apologize.”

“No, I don’t mind. Alth! Come here.”

As I moved forward, Illiya seemed to scrutinize me, creating a sense of pressure.

In that gaze, there seemed to be some sort of vitality or aggression, making my neck itch.

However, at that moment.

“What…!?”

Illiya took a step back in surprise.

She took a defensive stance and glared at Yumir, who was now standing behind me as if protecting me.

“You…! What are you doing!?”

“…”

Yumir politely greeted without taking a fighting stance.

“I am Yumir, Alth’s personal martial artist. Please guide the young master well.”

“Despite that, you don’t seem very welcoming. Shouldn’t you stop being threatening?”

“I apologize. I didn’t mean to threaten the young master.”

“Hmph.”

The two exchanged glances.

Indeed, clashes between higher-level rare characters were harsh.

Perhaps anticipating this, Illiya’s father had explained Yumir’s situation to Illiya.

“So, you’re saying a skilled individual like him is working as a mere servant in the Viscount’s house…? I hate to say this, but you are being deceived.”

“Hmm, that’s something I’ll have to handle, not you. But anyway, how about my son?”

“Well…”

Illiya, still wary of Yumir, looked at me without lowering her guard.

“I think I need to teach him first to understand.”

“Is that so. Then please do. Let’s discuss the details as you teach.”

Illiya nodded and headed towards the mansion’s training grounds.

I followed, holding a wooden spear I had prepared for practice.

***

The Chester-style Spear Swordsmanship was structured in a way where swordsmanship and spear techniques were separately mastered before harmonizing them into a unique form of spear swordsmanship.

Hence, swordsmanship and spear techniques were taught separately as well.

This made Illiya the best teacher possible, as he could teach not only spear techniques but also swordsmanship.

Father respected my desire to learn spear techniques, but knowing that a child’s mind could change at any moment, he arranged for Iliya, who could teach not only spear techniques but also swordsmanship.

“Before diving into martial arts, we’ll check your attitude towards it.”

“How will you check that?”

“It’s simple.”

Swish! Iliya took a spear from its sheath and tossed it to me.

With the sharp spear tip and the heavy iron shaft facing me, I had no choice but to lower the wooden spear to accept it.

“Try to attack me with that. Seriously, as if you intend to kill.”

“…”

I had no intention of faltering in such an obvious test.

Grip! I grasped the spear and aimed it towards Iliya.

“Oh…”

She lit up with interest.

Usually, children tend to falter when holding a real spear for combat training.

Not only children, but even adults feel psychological pressure when holding a weapon that can easily kill another.

Having experienced such pressure before, I was able to maintain composure.

“It felt like this when I first held a gun.”

I was nervous during my first shooting training at the military camp. I was tense until I took my first shot.

But in the end, it was nothing.

Because I wasn’t really killing anyone.

It felt the same way now.

“Haat!”

Swoosh! Swoosh! The spear tip piercing into her throat.

“Hmm.”

Iliya lightly dodged the attack and muttered.

“You seem to have the temperament, but… you are overlooking one thing.”

Then, with a swift strike, she struck my throat with her knee where the spear had left empty.

“Cough!?”

My vision blurred momentarily. I had to kneel down and retch.

Iliya spoke above me.

“Why do you think you won’t be attacked? Those who attack should always bear in mind that they can also be attacked.”

It’s fundamentally different from target shooting.

“Get up. Stand up and try again.”

“Ugh…!”

My leg gave way with that one strike.

I staggered to my feet and readied myself.

“This time, protect your throat…!”

I couldn’t aim for the vital spot directly as before; I had to wield the spear while protecting my body.

Like throwing a jab, I had to adjust the distance and watch the opponent’s movements.

Iliya said satisfactorily,

“Remember. It’s about adapting to your opponent. That’s the essence of martial arts. Swinging without considering your opponent’s movements is nothing but suicidal.”

After that, the dusty training continued. I had to roll around, getting hit all over my body.

Finally, the training ended when it became too hard for me to even stand on my wobbly legs.

As I lay sprawled on the ground, Ilyana gave a passing grade sign towards my father who was watching.

“It seems like he has considerable talent. Not only mentally, but also his sense in handling the spear is quite good. I will teach him further.”

“I see. Then I’ll entrust my son to you from now on.”

“Before that, I have one request.”

“What is it?”

“During the training, could you please keep that woman away from me? Whenever we train, she breathes fire at me, frankly, it’s tough.”

It seemed like Yumir would breathe fire every time she struck me.

Ilyana, who was extremely wary of Yumir, even refused my father’s offer to stay at the mansion, choosing to settle within the territory.

And so, my spear training began in earnest.