Chapter 117 – Separate Instruction
"What?!"
"You want me to fight Frieren?"
Robin followed behind Elias, climbing a narrow mountain path.
"But why?"
"Because Flamme and I both agree that your little competition in the village is a complete waste of your lives."
"The South has only just stabilized after years of internal conflict. The two of you need to prepare yourselves."
"Whatever rewards the villagers give you are meaningless compared to real combat experience."
"…Then what about the village chores? Someone still has to help, right?"
Elias chuckled softly.
"What a passionate age."
"Don't worry. I've left a clone in the village. You can focus entirely on your training."
"…So right now, Frieren is being personally trained by Lady Flamme?"
Elias didn't turn around, but he could easily imagine the look on Robin's face.
"Boy," he said lightly, "are you admiring Flamme too much—or underestimating me?"
"Heh, of course not~"
Robin scratched the back of his head with an awkward grin.
"But speaking of which, Lord Elias… aren't you a mage? How are you going to teach a warrior like me?"
At that, Elias suddenly stopped walking.
Robin halted as well.
Elias raised his right hand and spread his fingers.
—Clang!!
Robin's greatsword tore free from his back in an instant.
—Shing!!
Before he could react, his own weapon had already appeared in Elias's hand.
—Whoosh!!
Elias swung it casually.
Robin reflexively threw up his arm to shield his eyes.
A violent gust swept over him like a storm.
When he finally dared to open them—
The sword was back on his back.
And everything around them—grass, trees, even thick brush—had been flattened in a wide arc.
"…Th-That's…"
Robin stood there, utterly speechless.
His trembling gaze slowly lifted—
And fixed on Elias.
Elias turned back just in time, a faint, unreadable smile on his lips.
"Robin, I've had quite a bit of spare time in my life. So besides magic, I've studied… a few other things."
"I–Is that so…"
Robin hurried to catch up, staring at the demon's broad back.
In his mind, he couldn't help imagining—
If someone trained in martial skill for three thousand years… how terrifying would they become?
At last, they reached the summit.
"Alright. We're here."
Robin looked around. The mountaintop was completely bare—no trees, no obstacles, nothing but open sky.
"So, Lord Elias… how exactly am I training? And who am I fighting?"
Elias turned slowly, that ambiguous smile still lingering.
"Take a guess."
"…Y–You can't be serious?!"
Robin nearly dropped to his knees.
"Lord Elias, you're not expecting me to fight you right away, are you?!"
Elias shook his head lightly.
"I did consider it. But that would be rather unreasonable."
"So instead… we'll start with the most basic training."
"—Great! Basic sounds good!"
Elias ignored his enthusiasm and looked up at the drifting clouds.
"Robin, for a warrior who wields a great blade, strength is your greatest asset."
"And strength is often paired with speed. I have no doubt about that."
"But precision… Robin, that is your one weakness."
Robin listened intently.
"So, Lord Elias, what do you want me to cut to improve my precision?"
Elias raised his hand and pointed at the sky.
"Robin. Cut that cloud into the shape of a chrysanthemum."
"…You want me to do what?!"
---
Meanwhile—
"Teacher Flamme, I'm a mage and he's a warrior. Is this really meaningful?"
"Frieren, never underestimate warriors. Especially one like Robin, who possesses no mana."
Flamme walked beside the gently winding river, Frieren at her side.
"A warrior's greatest strengths are power and speed. In Robin's case, add stealth."
"That makes him even more troublesome than warriors who use magic."
"My teacher, Serie, once told me that among the few times she faced real danger in her life, half were due to ambushes by warriors with no mana."
"…That makes sense."
"If I can't sense Robin's presence, he could easily catch me off guard."
Frieren pouted.
"Then what's his weakness?"
"Precision."
"Precision? No way."
Frieren recalled Robin chopping wood.
"His blade looks crude, but the planks he fixes are perfectly straight…"
"That's precise!"
Flamme shook her head.
"That's not what I mean."
"Skillful weapon handling is the baseline for any warrior."
"I'm talking about the extension of an attack—the so-called air wave."
"It resembles mana, yet is easier to visualize."
"You can observe it in the trajectory of a warrior's weapon."
"Because of their overwhelming strength and speed, warriors struggle to control the shockwave their strikes generate."
"Just like a mage's mana leakage when casting—power escaping beyond control."
"If I'm not mistaken, Elias has already begun training his precision."
"I see!"
Frieren bounced with excitement.
"Then what about me, Teacher Flamme? What do I need to do to defeat him?!"
"Frieren," Flamme said gently, "use your head. Answer by instinct."
Frieren only thought for a few seconds.
"To counter precise attacks… you need even more precise defense."
"As expected of my disciple."
"We don't possess the overwhelming mana reserves of Elias or Lady Serie. So we must use our mana with exact precision."
Flamme raised her hand and unfolded a small hexagonal defensive spell.
"This is a defensive technique I developed after analyzing the killing magic of the Sage of Corruption, Qual."
"What? You can even do something like that?"
"Frieren, besides slaughtering demons on the battlefield, I occasionally do other modest things."
She smiled.
"From today onward, you will master this defensive formula."
They followed the river upstream until they reached a waterfall.
Immediately, Frieren sensed restless mana behind the falling water.
"Wait, Teacher Flamme—there's a monster behind that waterfall!"
"That's right. An Iron Mantis. Its attacks generate wind blades."
Flamme stepped lightly onto the water's surface.
The Iron Mantis burst through the waterfall.
"Watch carefully, Frieren. I'll only demonstrate once."
—Clack! Clack! Clack! Clack! Clack!
Five wind blades shot toward Flamme from five different angles.
Five small defensive spells bloomed in response—each perfectly placed.
All five attacks were blocked.
Frieren blinked.
"Compared to Elias's full-body barrier… this is way more efficient."