Chapter 28 — The Disciplinary Committee's Test [2]
After the brief meeting with Eleanor.
Since I had nothing special to do for the rest of the afternoon, I went to the training grounds.
"Huff, huff…"
Countless practice dummies were set up around the training field.
Catching my breath, I swung my sword toward one of them.
"…Hmm."
The dummy was sliced cleanly in half.
Yet something felt lacking.
'…Too simple.'
It was literally just cutting.
The only attacks I could perform were this basic Slash, and an even simpler Thrust. Those two were all I had.
'I need to think more about my means of attack.'
In the game, having simple attacks wasn't really an issue — back then, my fingers as the player just had to work a bit harder, that was all.
But now, I needed to think realistically.
'Relying solely on defensive swordsmanship will eventually hit a wall. I'll need to come up with some offensive techniques that can work even against stronger opponents.'
But that was a tricky matter.
Because I wasn't sure if I could even learn new sword techniques in the first place.
The defensive swordsmanship I used now was possible thanks to the skills I'd gained upon being transmigrated.
If I tried to learn new techniques, I wasn't certain I'd be able to use them properly.
Even if my body was in good shape, I was originally just a shut-in. Could someone like that truly learn and apply proper swordsmanship?
"…Well, if it doesn't work, I'll just make it work. What else can I do?"
Since I'd decided to become a knight, I had no choice but to grow stronger.
Rather than questioning things, it was better to just do something first.
'If I ask Lucas, I might be able to learn something during class. Well, I'll think about that later.'
After sheathing my sword, I picked up a dumbbell lying in the corner of the training grounds.
"…Let's at least build up some more muscle."
The entrance test for the Disciplinary Committee that Eleanor would conduct two days from now — to pass that, I needed to maximize my strength.
'Building muscle, huh… I used to work out before, so I can use that experience.'
I began exercising, lifting the dumbbell.
And the more I used this body, the more I felt it — its physical balance was incredibly well-adjusted.
'Every aspect is above average. Strength, reflexes, agility… everything is generally excellent.'
That was both an advantage and a disadvantage.
Because while everything was above average, there wasn't one area that particularly excelled.
'Unless you're overwhelmingly strong in every aspect… sometimes it's better to have one ability that stands out the most.'
An all-rounder could easily become a jack of all trades, master of none. In this world, it would be more beneficial to focus on building one clear strength.
'Like Sara with her technique, Cedric with his agility, or Eleanor with her strength… but for a defensive swordsman, which attribute is most important? Endurance? Durability?'
When raising a character in the game, all I had to do was distribute and adjust stats, but now that it was reality, I couldn't quite grasp the feeling anymore.
So I kept working out, thinking about my future plans — and about Eleanor's upcoming entrance test.
Then suddenly, someone entered the training hall.
"Alex, what are you doing here alone?"
"…Your High— I mean, Lady Layla?"
"Don't you get lonely training by yourself?"
Just as Layla said, I was the only one in the training grounds right now.
The second- and third-years were probably in their afternoon classes, and most first-years were likely visiting club booths at this time.
I had only been thinking about the Disciplinary Committee, and since my business there ended early, I came here to train alone.
"Being alone isn't so bad. It's nice to quietly train by myself sometimes."
"Mm, true. Having some alone time now and then is nice too. By the way, Alex, have you checked out all the clubs you could join?"
"I already had one club I wanted to apply for, so I just went straight there, submitted my application, and left."
"Oh, same here! I wanted to join the Potion Brewing Club, so I only visited that one and handed in my application right away."
Layla dragged a chair over and sat near me.
"They said there's an entrance test, but the club president told me I didn't need to take it."
"…Well, of course."
If one had even a bit of sense, they wouldn't dare make a royal family member take an entrance test for their club.
If anyone did, they'd have to be someone with incredible conviction — and guts.
'Come to think of it, Layla was pretty interested in potion brewing, wasn't she?'
Later on, her potion-making skill would sometimes come in handy.
But only sometimes.
Not often enough to make it a major trait.
"Alex, you applied to the Swordsmanship Club, right? Sara and Cedric said they're joining that one — did you see them?"
"Ah, no. The club I wanted to join wasn't the Swordsmanship Club, so I didn't see them."
"Really? Then which club did you apply to?"
"The Disciplinary Committee."
"The Disciplinary Committee? Then… that means Eleanor's there…"
Layla tilted her head slightly as she looked at me.
Then, she suddenly asked an entirely unexpected question.
"Alex, are you… by any chance, in love with Eleanor?"
"…What?"
For a moment, I thought she was teasing me.
But the pure curiosity in Layla's eyes told me she wasn't joking at all.
[To be Continue]
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