How to Live as a Genius Knight in a Fantasy World

44.

Shortly after morning had just passed, Rohan headed towards the area where the maidens of the Lord’s Castle were taking a break.

After knocking, the door opened not long after.

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“Who… Oh! Sir Rohan!”

Young, fine-looking, and talented Rohan was quite popular among the maidens as well.

Perhaps because of that, the maiden’s complexion brightened upon seeing Rohan.

“It’s been a while, Lisa. Could you please call for Sophia?”

Even if they were promised in marriage, it was improper for Rohan to visit Sophia’s room alone.

However, he couldn’t wait indefinitely, so he needed the help of the maidens.

“Oh, I understand. I’ll ask right away. Please wait in the reception room.”

Upon hearing Rohan’s response, Lisa’s face briefly showed a strange expression, which disappeared quickly.

If it were another man, she would have naturally refused, but Rohan was recognized as Sophia’s prospective spouse.

As their mutual affection had been known among the maidens for a long time, Lisa acted without hesitation.

With a face that seemed to be blushing, Rohan placed his hand on his forehead as he watched her quickly run off.

There was no need to keep this meeting a secret, but there was even less need to intentionally spread rumors.

However, watching Lisa, he had a premonition that if a half-day passed, there would be no one unaware of their meeting.

Almost thirty minutes had passed by at a flying pace, and he was able to meet Sophia.

Of course, Rohan didn’t harbor any complaints.

Having experiences from a past life, he could imagine how startled she must have been by his sudden request.

Moreover, her beauty as she entered the reception room possessed a power that could prevent annoyance, even if one didn’t have such experiences.

Dressed in a light, flowing garment, she approached Rohan with a bright smile.

“Lord Rohan.”

“Sophia. You look lovely today as well.”

At Rohan’s unexpected compliment, her face flushed noticeably.

Although compliments on her beauty were something she had grown tired of since childhood, hearing it from Rohan felt completely different.

Feeling both embarrassed and wanting to hear more, Sophia remained silent, prompting Rohan to speak gently once again.

“Ah, would you like to sit for a moment?”

Upon Rohan’s invitation, Sophia delicately took a seat across from him.

As if feeling awkward being alone in such a confined space, her fingers fidgeted nervously.

Despite the sweet atmosphere, Rohan meeting her today was not simply for a date.

Struggling to contain the feeling that seemed about to burst, Rohan made an effort to calm himself and opened his mouth to Sophia.

“Sophia, you mentioned before that you learned household swordsmanship and archery from me, didn’t you?”

In response to Rohan’s question, Sophia slowly nodded her head.

It was a story she had heard during the times they used to take walks before departing for the Talun Mountains.

Originally, it was the Ezell family’s way not to pass down visions to their daughters, but due to the concern that the lineage of household martial arts would be lost with the absence of a male heir, the Ezell Viscount taught Sophia.

“Could I see it once?”

“Pardon?”

Sophia, secretly hoping for some time alone together, unintentionally raised her voice at Rohan’s unexpected request.

“I want to see your sword, Sophia. Is that possible?”

“…Didn’t you learn from your father too, Lord Rohan?”

“No, I want to see your sword, Sophia.”

Thinking this man might be joking, Sophia, forgetting her embarrassment, met Rohan’s eyes and easily realized.

‘This man is sincere.’

To ask a woman promised in marriage to show a sword instead of having a romantic date was something unheard of, not even seen in the plays at the capital.

It could be considered rude, and from Sophia’s perspective, it could be quite uncomfortable.

However, strangely, Sophia didn’t find Rohan’s words as offensive.

She trusted Rohan as a person and knew he wouldn’t say such things without meaning.

After a short moment of contemplation, Sophia made a decision.

“Alright. Just wait a moment, please. I need to change clothes.”

Upon her acceptance, a sense of relief crossed Rohan’s face.

He deemed it necessary, but was worried about what might happen if her feelings were hurt.

Ten minutes passed.

Sophia, now dressed in attire suitable for wielding a sword, entered the room where Rohan had been waiting in his training attire.

From the lightweight and sturdy fabric of her clothing to the leather gloves for hand protection, she was fully prepared for wielding a sword.

Among the wooden swords always laid inside the training hall, two people selected ones that fit their hands and faced each other at a distance.

“When you said to show you the sword, you didn’t mean to swing it around in the air like this, did you?”

Sophia, who graciously accepted Rohan’s proposal, seemed to subtly show some resentment in her tone, even though she didn’t feel entirely upset.

“Or did you mean to actually wield the sword? Perhaps it’s natural since the blood of the warrior flows within.”

She was momentarily surprised by the sight she hadn’t seen before.

“Of course. Go ahead and attack as much as you wish. No, give it your best shot.”

With a provocative remark from her, Rohan smirked slightly and allowed the attack.

As soon as Rohan’s response came, Sophia boldly stepped forward.

The wooden sword, carrying all her weight, came crashing down towards Rohan, only to be blocked by his defense and fall towards the ground, failing to make an impact.

The overwhelming gap in their skills was clearly visible, yet Sophia was not in the least disappointed.

She already knew all too well that Rohan’s skills were unbelievably exceptional for his age.

She simply moved in accordance with the sword techniques she had learned for a long time, just as Rohan had requested.

Facing Sophia’s storm-like attacks, Rohan, who believed her claim that they were nothing remarkable, couldn’t help but be surprised.

“He may fall short of becoming a knight, but he’s rare among soldiers to find a match.”

Her slender physique suited the description, yet the energy accumulated through years of practicing fencing made her sword too heavy for an ordinary soldier to handle.

Furthermore, despite appearing to swing it haphazardly, each swing strictly followed the techniques of the traditional Izellian swordsmanship.

“The form of her swordsmanship is flawless. Moreover, she seamlessly combines fencing with her sword swings.”

While she couldn’t hide her lack of experience in dealing with people, her mastery of the basics of swordsmanship was impeccable.

Not engaging in separate physical training like soldiers or knights, she soon found herself out of breath, but Sophia’s skills exceeded Rohan’s expectations by far.

“That’s enough now. You can stop.”

Even as she caught her breath, Sophia, who had been wielding her sword vigorously, paused her movements upon hearing Rohan’s words.

“Ha, ha, how was it?”

Taking a moment to catch her breath, Sophia, now somewhat recovered, asked for Rohan’s assessment.

“It was good. Much better than I expected.”

Rohan’s evaluation brought a bright smile to Sophia’s face, now glistening with sweat.

Receiving recognition from a worthy opponent was more gratifying than she had anticipated.

“But why did you ask to see my sword? Rohan, you’ve mastered the same swordsmanship as I have, haven’t you?”

There was pride, but also a question.

Before they could discuss the sword further, the question she had thrown earlier resurfaced from Sophia’s lips.

But once again, instead of a response, a question came from Rohan’s mouth.

“Sophia, have you ever heard from the Marquis about the Izellian swordsmanship?”

“…Yes? No, I don’t recall him mentioning anything specific…”

“Perhaps stories of it being briefly practiced in the past, or restored in recent times… Do they ring a bell?”

“Yes? Did my father mention something like that? Um…”

With a hint of not remembering well, Sophia furrowed her delicate brow and pondered.

“Oh!”

After a moment of contemplation, she finally exclaimed as if something had come to mind.

“Come to think of it, I believe he mentioned something like that when I first learned Izellian swordsmanship. He said there was a time when the tradition was briefly interrupted…”

Upon her answer, Rohan inwardly sighed in relief.

No matter how much Sophia trusted him, it wouldn’t be easy for her to accept that the Izellian swordsmanship she had learned since childhood had any flaws.

But if the Viscount had told her about it, convincing her would have been much easier.

“Sophia. Perhaps what I’m about to say might be hard to believe.”

At the earnest words of Rohan, Sophia, too, looked at Rohan with clear eyes.

“Actually… I think I’ve restored the Eonjol technique. Well, I should say, improved it.”

“…What?”

At the unbelievable words, her eyes widened.

“If you’re wondering how, I just… while practicing Eonjol, I realized that there were subtle awkward parts every time I unfolded my swordsmanship.”

Unable to explain further, Rohan, reluctantly, put on a brilliant imitation of a genius, but Sophia, engrossed in his words, didn’t catch on at all.

Though a twinge of conscience pricked her, she continued without showing it.

“So, in my own way, I started to… change it bit by bit. The Eonjol. If there were awkward parts, I fixed them gradually, and if there were rough parts, I refined them bit by bit.”

“That’s absurd…”

At Rohan’s words, Sophia let out a faint sigh.

Compared to Rohan or Viscount Ezel, she had a shallow understanding of swordsmanship, but she knew just how implausible Rohan’s story was.

The notion of Rohan being a genius was hard to swallow, but the story of changing the Eonjol technique was even harder to believe.

However, unlike the hesitant Sophia, Rohan was confident in the new Eonjol technique he had acquired.

He had grown along the status window so far, and after using the new technique several times, he was certain that it complemented the Ezel-style swordsmanship much better than the previous Eonjol.

“Sophia.”

“…Yes?”

“We don’t have much time. Did you hear about the warlocks and the Corpse Dragons?”

“…Yes.”

“I don’t know when I’ll have to fight the warlocks again. I’ve received a lot from my master, and I feel obliged to repay what I’ve gained. Of course, I’ll do my best to return safely from the battlefield, but you can never guarantee in matters of life.”

“…No. I’m sure you’ll come back safely.”

“Trust me. I’ve used it many times, and I’m confident that it fits well with swordsmanship.”

At Rohan’s sincere words, she finally nodded her head.

Rohan’s confidence had succeeded in turning Sophia’s mind.

While he had succeeded in convincing her, not all problems were solved with this.

Perhaps learning the new Eonjol technique posed a demand as challenging as ever.

“…But Sophia. Is there a place where we can be alone?”

“…Yes?”

“No, I don’t mean anything else… It’s just that we can’t pass on the technique here…”

Upon hearing that, Sophia looked around once, then slowly nodded her head.

The trees surrounding the training ground provided some cover from the wind and prying eyes, but fundamentally, the training ground was an open space.

Even now, the maids who had noticed the two being together were discreetly observing from the third floor of the lord’s mansion.

It wasn’t just about the eyes of others.

Learning the Eonjol technique required extreme concentration and delicate processes.

Even if unintentional, there was always the possibility of serious injury from external interference.

Understanding the meaning behind Rohan’s words, Sophia pondered for a moment before leading Rohan, as if she had found a suitable place.

Heading back inside the lord’s mansion, she went behind the central staircase on the first floor and opened a door on the floor.

“I didn’t know such a place existed…”

Following her down the ladder, Rohan confirmed the underground space and displayed a surprised expression.

Behind the stairs that I usually passed by without much thought, there was a door. The space itself was quite spacious, and with bulbs on the ceiling illuminating the darkness, it was impossible not to be amazed.

“It’s almost like… returning to Earth.”

“You don’t need to be so surprised. In fact, all the servants know about this place. It used to be a secret storage room, but now it’s where you come when you want to be alone or wield a sword. When you’re here, no one will come looking for you.”

“How fascinating. I never knew such a place existed…”

“Exactly. I was also amazed at first. Now it’s become a familiar space… So, what should we do now? Your father used to place his hands on your back before…”

In response to her question, Rohan hesitated briefly before answering.

“…Sophia. May I touch your body a bit?”

“…What?”

Sophia’s eyes shook roughly upon hearing Rohan’s response.