Mushoku Tensei (LN) - Volume SS - Chapter 31

Short Story:

Flattery and Honesty 

“HOO, HOH, HAHH!”

Hmm? Randolph was loitering around the castle when he came across someone going through sword drills in the castle courtyard. It was Pax. He had a wooden sword in his hand, swinging it as he whirled around in circles. His movements were more rhythmical and dynamic than ever. He balanced on one leg, swung the sword one-handed, jumped in the air, turned to face backward, and swapped the sword one hand to the other. He disoriented his opponent, unleashing a rain of blows on the imaginary enemy in front of him. Only, his eyes were not on that imaginary enemy but rather glancing off to one side.

Randolph followed his gaze to where a girl with long blue hair sat on the ground. Her eyes were vacant, but he could see she was looking at Pax.

When Pax noticed her gaze, his movement changed again, taking on the ferocity of a man fighting two or even three opponents.

“Hooah! Gwoah! Yaaah!” His shouting grew more intense too. Benedikte’s expression did not change as she watched him…or so your average observer might have thought. But over the past few months, Randolph had learned to pick up on the subtle shifts in her expression. Yes, Randolph could see the hope and yearning in her eyes, and Pax must have seen it too. He had to look dashing for her, so he was going through his sword drills with more enthusiasm than ever.

“Phew…” After a while, Pax vanquished his enemy and came to a stop. Then, he looked over at Benedikte and made his eyes go wide just as though he’d only now realized she was there.

“Woah, if it isn’t Benedikte, how long have you…and Randolph?” Pax noticed Randolph at the same time. He stared as though a skeleton had burst out of the ground in front of him. He couldn’t have noticed. Randolph had a habit of masking his footfalls as he walked.

“Heh heh heh. Good day to you, Lord Pax,” Randolph said encouragingly, putting on the best smile he could. “Training? Working hard, hm?” To a swordsman like Randolph, seeing a member of the royal family working hard on his sword drills was truly admirable.

“Uh, mm…”

“Water, my lord,” Randolph took out the cup he just happened to have on him, filled it with water from his own canteen, then held it out to Pax. For just a moment, Pax looked doubtful, but he accepted it and took a gulp. His shoulders shot up, then he downed the rest. Ice cold water with a squeeze of citrus—that had to taste marvelous. And yet, for some reason, no one else drank it.

“Say, Randolph.” Pax mopped his brow, then asked, “How did you like my sword dance just now?”

Randolph glanced briefly at Benedikte. He knew why Pax was asking.

“Simply incredible, my lord! Perhaps one day you shall be Sword God or North God.” It was, he thought, a perfect answer. Despite appearances, Randolph was accustomed to flattering royalty. 

“Don’t be ridiculous!” However, Pax’s response was not what he had expected. “Even I know that was no better than a child’s fantasy of a sword dance! I have no swordmaster. Even in Shirone, I shirked my sword lessons! I don’t want flattery—I want you to tell me what I’m doing wrong!”

“Oh, er, I see…” Randolph was a little taken aback. He had never been spoken to thus by royalty before. Though while they didn’t speak as fiercely as Pax, he did get suspicious replies like, “When you say that, what are you scheming?”

Randolph contemplated Pax. Pax was built a little strangely, but he was in decent shape for royalty, and Randolph felt he was serious about studying the blade. He probably wanted Benedikte to see his good side. Not just an act, but his real good side. And so all Randolph could do was answer him. Just as Pax had given him his honest thoughts on his cooking.

“I am not well versed in sword dances, ” he began, “But… Let’s see. Standing on one leg and swinging a sword is harder than it looks, my lord. My suggestion is that you keep both feet on the ground, hold your sword in both hands, and train until you can make strikes anywhere, high, middle, or low, from any stance.”

Randolph wondered if he had said too much. Your shoulders, arms, and lower body are all undertrained. You’d better get back to basics. He was basically giving a big NO to sword dancing.

“Both feet on the ground, and high, middle, and low…” Pax muttered. “Yes, I see. Like this?”

“You have too much weight on your front foot. You want to be able to pull back at any time while also keeping your weight centered so that you can step forward at any time. I think you should also keep your sword closer to your body.”

“Like this?”

“Yes, just like that, my lord.”

“It feels a bit cramped.”

“That’s to be expected. You keep yourself coiled up so you reach out front and back or to the side.”

“So this is how you do it…” It was a bit unclear if Pax was convinced, but he made a few practice stabs with his sword from the cramped stance. Eventually, he let out a deep breath.

“Randolph, I thank you for your advice.”

“Not at all. I am simply happy to help.”

“I require a little more of your help.”

“My lord?”

“All this exercise has made me hungry. Fix me something to eat before my afternoon studies.”

“Heh heh heh. Of course, my lord. If you will follow me…”

“Good. Benedikte, we’re going!”

With an unsettling smile, Randolph led Pax away. It was for all the world like a summons down to hell. But Pax went along without a care. Only, Benedikte was following behind, so he went slowly.

Not long after, Randolph began to give Pax advice on his sword practice…but that’s a story for another time.