Surviving the Reverse Harem

9 – Knight’s Training Camp

There is no talent that overcomes hard work, and there is no result of neglecting hard work.

My favorite words on Earth. But that doesn’t apply in a fantasy world. Effort can never beat talent.

Three things are necessary to become a sword master. A body capable of accepting and enduring mana, a body capable of feeling and controlling mana, and finally a swordsmanship that has reached its peak.

If you lack even one of these, you cannot reach Sword Master. In my previous life, I was overwhelmingly lacking in spirit, and I couldn’t even get close to the sword master.

– Peruk

I watched many strong fighters fight on the battlefield. And by constantly fighting and running away to survive, experience was accumulated.

That’s why I knew it the moment they crossed swords the first few times.

‘You’re quite talented.’

During sparring, I saw a person who fell after being hit with a wooden sword. It was the bandit beard Viegel that I had beaten during group sparring.

After the group sparring, he constantly applied for sparring with me.

I was bothered by it, so I kept coming back even though I was beating him roughly to stop. Maybe it was because he hit me on the head a lot, but his eyes changed every time he came to visit me.

“Huh…”

Today too, Viegel stood up again and I hit him again.

————————————————————————- —————

Wriggling, he raised his body from the ground.

“You have some talent, but your spirit is too lacking. Perhaps the Expert Intermediate is your limit. But if you keep working hard, you will be able to become the strongest among the Expert Intermediates.”

“Yes. I understand.”

I lost today too. He spent the morning and afternoon training at the training center, and at the end of the day, he came to Robert and asked for sparring.

At first, I thought they were nobles united by a sense of authority. But no. He didn’t get along with the commoners, but he didn’t ignore them, and most of all, there was no price for teaching them about the sword.

Wanting to become stronger, I asked various strong people to teach me. And they demanded things like money and dirty work in return. So I thought it was natural.

But he was different. He had a generosity for the weak and was not arrogant about it. Seeing him with perfect personality and skill, he felt more and more influenced.

Although he was ahead of everyone else, he was not satisfied and worked hard. Rumors are already circulating that he will graduate from the shortest training center. And he was the one who fit those rumors.

“Practice feeling the chi around your body at least 300 times a day.”

He said as he finished the sparring.

I bowed my head at the back of his back to say hello. I have to go to the dorm, but my body is exhausted and my eyes are closed.

I started in the morning and practiced throughout the day between classes to feel the urge to die. Sweat started from his forehead and formed on the tips of his beard.

Feeling energies consumes that much stamina.

After the day’s class and training, I went to visit him and started sparring.

“…”

I collapsed on the dirt floor as usual. It hit me so badly that my head was ringing and my stomach was sick.

I thought as I raised my staggering body. I admit that he is strong, but I couldn’t understand it with common sense. I heard that I have my own talent, and I am an expert beginner like him.

‘Why is it that all movements are suppressed before I can move properly? Is it a difference in talent?’

Or maybe it’s only natural for someone who is talented and hard-working to lose like this.

“It may still be impossible, but if you feel it with your qi, not your eyes, you can quickly read the opponent’s movements like I do.”

Robert said while I was thinking.

I understand what you mean, but I wondered if that was possible. Even if you concentrate your mind as much as possible in a comfortable posture, you cannot properly feel the ki around you, so how can you feel the opponent’s ki while fighting?

I only understood what a monster Robert was.

“If you don’t know, learn with your body.”

Robert said annoyedly and swung his wooden sword, knocking me out of consciousness.

———————————————————

Seeing Viegel passed out on the dirt floor reminded me of my previous life.

Gael, the sword master, looked down at me. And I was lying on the floor holding the sword. Gael came up to me and said.

“You have no talent.”

These are the words I heard the most when I was sparring with people stronger than me. Even though Gael was injured and could hardly control his ki, he read all my movements in advance and suppressed them.

Reaching the advanced level of Sword Expert while going back and forth between life and death several times. But that was it.

I calmly admitted the truth.

“I see.”

“It’s not bad if you’re an advanced level expert, but it’s a pity compared to your efforts and experience.”

“There’s nothing to regret. Even the top-of-the-line Experts are so distant to me that I don’t even feel like that.”

It was very disappointing, but I know that it was a miracle that I reached the advanced level of Expert.

When I was a knight, the children who wielded tree branches began to jump over me one by one, and the gap with those who fought together on the battlefield widened.

It was impossible to keep up with the geniuses even trying their best.

Of course, I had my own achievements. However, compared to the others, it seemed relatively shabby because it was a growth that was no different from being stopped.

“Don’t be too discouraged and continue to train. Still, there will be very few monsters in the Pandemonium who can compete with you.”

“Thank you.”

I washed myself briefly and lay down on the bed.

Actually, it was okay to not have talent. What really upsets me is that I didn’t have the opportunity to be strong.

What if I had endured by Irelle’s side for a long time, or had I trained hard while my name was on the list, even for a short while?

It was cramped to feel the huge wall of talent that I hadn’t fully realized.

If the world wasn’t dying, I would have been satisfied with my strength, but there were too many enemies stronger than me in Middle-earth.

———————————————————-

It has been about 5 months since I entered the training center.

I took classes from the morning and practiced whenever I had time to feel the energy.

The more I delved into swords and ki, the more I realized my shortcomings and couldn’t stop training. These days, Robert is busy, so it’s hard to receive direct instruction, but I still kicked off the training while thinking about the advice he gave me in the past.

During my long training, my friends from the Clid school of swordsmanship came to visit me.

“Viegel, let’s see us for a moment.”

“Yes.”

I sat in an empty lecture hall. Come to think of it, it’s been a long time since we met like this.

“Why don’t you come with us?”

“You know I’m busy these days.”

“I know you’re busy practicing, but have you forgotten the promise we made?”

“…”

“I told the aristocratic scumbags not to cringe and walk around proudly. Why are you hanging around next to Robert? You’re our captain!”

I blankly stared at the friend who insulted Robert. Anger rose from the depths of his heart. His hands trembled. He was a special person different from others. I’m not the kind of person who deserves to be cursed at like this.

He shouted and punched the insulter. Two other people next to me got up in a rage and screamed.

“Are you crazy? After swearing at the nobility together, you became Robert’s faithful bastard.”

“A piece of trash.”

At the sudden shout, the trainees passing the hallway heard a muffled sound. The faces of Viegel’s old friends were greatly distorted, and veins sprouted from their foreheads.

Five bodies rushed at me.

I will lose. It was decided to compete 1:5 with an expert beginner like me. Even though I knew I would lose if I dared to curse Robert-sama, I couldn’t stop.

When I set foot, my body moved with a thud. When the stunned opponent turned his body around, my fist was already in his face.

A scuffle broke out in an empty lecture hall.

“Heo-euk… Heo-euk… These bastards…”

Breathing was rough due to excessive movement.

“…Ugh… I’m cursing at Robert-sama..”

-Peruk Puck

As he did, he approached the fallen and struck them again. It seemed like I finally understood a little bit why he hit himself so hard.

The floor of the lecture hall was covered with blood and my chest was filled with a sense of fullness.

My training with Robert was not wrong. He didn’t read his movements like he did, but he learned how to be hit without pain and how to fight.

From now on, if you do only what Robert-sama tells you to do, you will be able to become stronger. And if there are those who have insulted Robert like this, he will be able to discipline them only if he continues to be strong.

Clios could be seen through the noisy crowd. He was disliked because of the Count’s restraint, but he was a man who deeply acknowledged his loyalty to Robert.

Clios, who always ignored me, looked at me and nodded his head and walked away.