CH 262

Words : 1022 Updated : Sep 29th, 2025

I Managed To Do The Mental Exercise “Fu! Ha!” “Hmph! Hya!” “Hah! Hah!” In the garden, three people fought against imaginary enemies. While an onlooker might think we were just practicing our swings, we were each fighting against something. However, Mr. Ekenhart… His movements were so big…and fast. It was clear that when he fought against me or Tilura, he was holding back quite a lot. And so as Leo sat nearby and watched us, we continued this mental training. “Hah…phew…hah… This is a lot more tiring than my daily swings… And I thought the swings were tiring…” “Sometimes you move your entire body. So it can be more tiring than just swinging.” “Hah…hah…” After training for about an hour, we finally stopped. I was just as tired as Tilura had been when I returned from the kitchen, and I had to catch my breath while talking to Mr. Ekenhart. As for Tilura, she too was out of breath. But Mr. Ekenhart seemed perfectly fine… Was this the difference brought by experience and energy…? “While you did well enough, Mr. Takumi, you still have a ways to go, Tilura. I don’t think you were properly imagining an enemy?” “…Ha…Ha… It is hard.” “Phew… Hah… So, I was fine?” “Mmm. You were far from perfect, but it seemed like you were able to really imagine your enemy. It was almost as if I could see them myself.” “You could…” “When I look at your movements, I can start to see the movements of your enemy as well. It is proof that you are doing it properly.” “I see…” Apparently, when you were as skilled as someone like Mr. Ekenhart, you could see such things. He had been watching us, even as he trained himself… I had no idea how long it would take me to be able to do that. “Wuff! Wuff!” “Hmm? What is it, Leo?” “Wuff-wuff. Wuff!” “Could you see it too, Leo? The shadows of my enemies…?” “What… Well, she is a Silver Fenrir…” “That’s amazing, Leo!” “Well, I’m going to ask you some questions then. What kind of enemy was I imagining?” “Wuff? Wuff!” “Orcs… That’s right.” “…So you were imagining orcs, Mr. Takumi. Even I didn’t know that…” As Leo had been barking loudly, I asked what was the matter, and she said that she could see the enemies as well. Mr. Ekenhart and Tilura believed it, because she was a Silver Fenrir, but I was not persuaded so easily. While I had seen displays of Leo’s strength, I still didn’t think she had changed all that much since she was a Maltese. No, I suppose she had changed a lot in terms of size… In any case, when I asked Leo about what kind of enemy she had imagined, she was able to clearly answer that it was an orc. Even Mr Ekenhart hadn’t been able to see that much. …What if Leo was even more of a master than Mr. Ekenhart? Perhaps it was no surprise, because she was a Silver Fenrir. But I didn’t really think of such things. “So you were imagining an orc… And you fought orcs at Range village. Were you remembering that time?” “Yes. I fought against a number of orcs. And so I recalled the way they moved.” “I see. That’s why… That is the difference between you and Tilura.” “Mmm. Tilura hasn’t left this mansion very often. She only goes to town on occasion. However, she has never fought humans or monsters.” Mr. Ekenhart began to explain the differences between Tilura and I. Indeed, she had never been in a real battle. While we had started training at the same time, she was still a child, so of course, she would not have that experience. “Obviously, she has been in practice battles against you, Leo and I… But those are not serious battles.” “That’s true.” While Tilura and I rarely faced off, we did do it occasionally. But neither of us were serious about it. After all, we had been told that at our skill level, we ran the risk of getting injured if we fought too earnestly. Leo never attacked us, and Mr. Ekenhart always held back. In other words, she had never been in anything like a real fight. “On the other hand, you have fought orcs in Range village, Mr. Takumi. And then you fought those men at the store. You know what it’s like to be in danger.” “Yes, that’s right.” Especially in Range village against the orcs. While Leo had saved me in the nick of time, it was clear that I would have died without her help. In fact, I had accepted my fate in some way. “Obviously, fighting under such circumstances is drastically different. And so it is harder for Tilura to imagine an enemy.” “I see…” “Yes, it was hard… But I did my best to imagine you, father!” “But you imagine me while I am holding back during practice, don’t you? That is not the same thing as imagining someone who is trying to kill you. Well, I am not saying that you are doing it wrong either. Hahaha!” While Tilura insisted that she was doing her best, Mr. Ekenhart laughed and patted her on the head. It may not be enough, but she wasn’t bad either. She just needed to continue training… I think. “It cannot be helped now, since you haven’t experienced a real fight. And that is fine. After all, there is plenty that you can gain from just swinging.” “Yes… I understand. I will do my best.” “Good, good.” Tilura was satisfied after hearing this. While it made her sad, she would probably train hard after today, and slowly raise her skill level. As she was a child, she had more potential to grow than I did… And she was also Mr. Ekenhart’s daughter. I would have to train hard so I didn’t fall behind…

CH 262

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