We live at the foothills of Dragon Peak.
“Do you like studying?”
“What if I add this to this?”
“Muu muu.”
Priscilla-chan was counting her fingers, deep in thought, in front of Yunyun, who had manifested.
“Your fingers alone won’t be enough, will they?”
“Umm, many?”
“Think properly!”
“You know, Priscilla wants to play with the Spirits?”
“I will let you play. But only after this study session is over.”
“Muuu.”
Priscilla-chan puffed out her cheeks, expressing her protest to Teacher Yunyun. However, Yunyun was not fooled by Priscilla-chan’s adorable gesture and continued with the lesson.
Outside the window facing the garden, Spirits who lived in the Forbidden Territory were gathering and looking with interest at the Mimicho folk inside the house.
“Ahaha. Go, Priscilla-chan! Big sis is serious, so she’s not flexible, you know.”
“Rin, if you have free time, you should also focus on your Spirit Arts training.”
“Yes, yes.”
Rinrin, who had been watching Priscilla-chan and Yunyun’s lesson half-jokingly, left with a casual reply.
Her reply was light, but I bet she’ll follow her sister’s instructions and train properly.
“Well then, Elnea-kun. Shall we also resume our studies after a break?”
“Hah! There’s a strict teacher here too!”
Not unlike Priscilla-chan, I also frowned at Jiludo-san, who was sitting opposite me.
“Hahahaha. Don’t make such a displeased face. What is it, I’m gentle, you know?”
“Yes. I know that very well.”
Sefina, who has been receiving training from Jiludo-san recently, has gone to deliver some mysteriously flavored food made by Yufilia and Nina to Oz.
In the meantime, I am receiving lessons from Jiludo-san.
However, I’m not being taught arithmetic like Priscilla-chan.
“Now then, Elnea-kun. what kind of arts can you use?”
“Um, I can use Dragon Arts. And I suppose I can use Spirit Tree Arts too?”
“Indeed. As a human, Elnea-kun unusually possesses Dragon Power. And by borrowing Ares-chan’s power, you can also use Spirit Tree Arts. Now, what other arts exist in the world?”
“Divine Arts, Magic, Ki Arts, Sorcery. And also, Hōjutsu.”
According to the lessons I received from Teacher Ruiseine, Miko are only allowed to use Hōjutsu. It seems that even if they are born with curse power, after receiving the baptism, they are only allowed to use Hōjutsu from then on.
Jiludo-san nodded with satisfaction at my reply.
But, I myself wondered why he would suddenly ask such a question.
Yesterday.
Jiludo-san, after hearing about my dismal performance in battle, urged me to study. And so, here I am, facing Jiludo-san.
“Well then, Elnea-kun.”
“Yes!”
When I replied energetically, Priscilla-chan, who was studying in the same room, imitated me and replied. Then, Yunyun scolded her to be serious.
Jiludo-san smiled at Priscilla-chan and threw another question at me.
“In battle, what is the most important thing to be wary of?”
“Mmm… Is it not knowing the opponent’s capabilities? Just like this time, it’s really scary not knowing what kind of arts or techniques the opponent will use, isn’t it? If they hide a techniques that can kill in one blow, or a technique to turn the tables, it’s very dangerous if you don’t notice it.”
I was able to quickly identify Rugah’s finishing move and evade it. However, if I had misjudged that move, I would probably be riddled with holes by now and dead in the Dragon’s Mausoleum.
“Indeed. Not knowing the opponent’s capabilities is very dangerous and frightening. However, it’s rare to fight opponents whose arts and techniques you know in advance, isn’t it?”
“Or rather, such battles hardly ever happen, do they?”
No matter how much research I do before a fight, I don’t think I can ever know everything about an opponent I’m fighting for the first time. Jiludo-san nodded at my words. And he said.
“Indeed. That is precisely why we train every day to be able to respond to any kind of battle, and experience is what matters.”
“Experience, huh…”
I was overwhelmed by Baltnowar, who surely had far more experience than I did. And I was repelled by Airi-san, who had even more experience than Baltnowar.
“I believe that first-class warriors are those who have accumulated more experience and can respond flexibly to anything.”
“Yes,” I nodded. Jiludo-san continued his story.
“But, Elnea-kun. If that’s the case, can’t an immature person win against a veteran who has accumulated experience?”
“That… I don’t think that’s necessarily true. Because, although I’m still lacking, I don’t think I’ll lose if I fight a demon, and I’m confident I won’t lose to Dragon Race warriors either!”
Dragon Race warriors who have aged are more than double the age of humans, aren’t they? And battle-hardened warriors have accumulated more experience than humans can even imagine. But I believe I won’t lose to them either.
“Yes. Even when facing a strong opponent, it’s not impossible to win just because you lack experience. Now, why is that?”
Beings who guide us, like Sleigsta-ro and Jiludo-san, don’t easily give us the answers. They urge us to think for ourselves first. However, they are not malicious, so they do show us the way. This repetition of questions must have a meaning. I searched for the answer, analyzing myself why.
“Perhaps. If you apply it to me, isn’t it because I was able to fight my own way?”
The biggest advantage of the Dragon Sword Dance is that it can confuse the enemy with dance movements and lead the battle to our advantage.
However, Jiludo-san shook his head, as if my answer was not satisfactory.
“Why can you fight your own way? And if that’s the case, does that mean you can’t win if you can’t fight your own way?”
“That’s…”
In fact, it was precisely because I couldn’t move my own way that I was overwhelmed by Baltnowar. Conversely, I think Baltnowar was able to overwhelm me because he *could* fight his own way. However, I realized that Jiludo-san’s question wasn’t about tactics.
“Reason for winning… Reason for losing… I see. There are many ways to win, but losing is always the same. It’s when you can’t respond to the opponent’s movements or arts!”
“That’s right. In other words, moving fast, moving powerfully, or using trickery and surprise attacks are all ways to attract victory by surpassing the opponent’s ability to respond.”
“Ah, so that’s why Sefina is learning the movements of flowing water. Being able to react freely like the flow of water means not being outmatched by the opponent’s adaptability, which means not losing.”
“That’s right.” Jiludo-san smiled.
“However, everything has its limits. For example, no matter how much Sefina deflects enemy attacks with the movements of flowing water, if she doesn’t have a sure-kill technique, she will eventually run out of physical and mental strength and lose.”
“That’s why you’re teaching us a decisive move, right?”
It wasn’t visible in the Dragon’s Mausoleum, but Sefina seemed quite confident when talking to me.
“That is a technique that can be a decisive move depending on the time and situation, so you must not be overconfident. Well, the topic has shifted to Sefina-san. So, Elnea-kun. How can one acquire adaptability?”
“I guess it’s experience… But if I answer that, it will just bring us back to the beginning, so that’s no good, is it?”
Jiludo-san is asking through various questions why one can win beyond experience, and how one can avoid losing. I racked my brain.
Priscilla-chan was also frowning at the problem Yunyun had given her.
“Priscilla, use your head a little more. If adding eighteen to fourteen is difficult… first, what do you get when you add eight to four? …Hey, don’t use your fingers!”
“Muu. Um… twelve?”
“That’s right. Then, what are two tens?”
“Twenty?”
“Correct. Now, what do you get when you add another ten to twenty?”
“Thirty!”
“Well done. Now, finally. What is the sum of fourteen and eighteen? Combine the answers you calculated separately.”
“Um, thirty-two!”
Yunyun petted Priscilla-chan, who answered energetically, saying “Well done.” And then, to the next problem. Priscilla-chan, who was happy for a moment, quickly became dejected.
“Go, Priscilla-chan!” It’s not the time to cheer. I returned to my thoughts, needing to think about an answer to Jiludo-san’s question. And then I realized.
“I see. Knowledge is important. In battle, the element needed to supplement ability and experience is knowledge!”
It’s just like Priscilla-chan’s arithmetic study. How to solve addition and subtraction quickly depends on the rules and knowledge accumulated through repeated calculations. Similarly, knowledge is important in battle. I know that Dragon Race folk use Dragon Arts. I know that demons use Magic. I am well aware that their power is terrifying and that I wouldn’t be unharmed if I took a direct hit. Even without enough experience, by utilizing knowledge, I can compensate for the lacking parts, and as a result, I can win against superiors or not lose.
Jiludo-san nodded at my words.
“Indeed. Elnea-kun, you fell behind Baltnowar not only in ability and experience, but also in knowledge. That is probably why you were helpless. However, you must not make excuses for it? The only ones who can make excuses when they lose are those who have nothing to protect.”
“Yes…”
“It’s inherently impossible to surpass the ability and experience of a man like Baltnowar in a day or two. But, what about knowledge? Fortunately, Elnea-kun has companions with more wisdom than Baltnowar, doesn’t he?”
Looking around the room, not only Priscilla-chan and I studying, but also Mistral and others were relaxing. And among them was Airi-san.
“Yes. Grandpa, Jiludo-san, and many others have more extensive knowledge and wonderful wisdom than Baltnowar!”
“Then, don’t you think you can surpass him in knowledge? If you can win with knowledge, Elnea-kun can win against him too. The reason why the weak can win against the strong I mentioned earlier, that’s what it is, isn’t it?”
“That’s right! …But. I had no idea what kind of technique Baltnowar used. So, even if I wanted to get advice from Jiludo-san, what should I say…?”
I explained the difference between facing someone and watching them. But if I don’t know the true nature of the technique, I can’t get accurate advice. Or perhaps Jiludo-san has some idea about Baltnowar’s technique? When I asked, he simply replied that he didn’t know. Incidentally, Airi-san, who had been listening to me, also replied that she didn’t know the true nature of the technique.
“However, Elnea-kun. I am, after all, a former Eight Dragon King. I can compensate with the knowledge and experience I have accumulated over the years.”
“That’s right. Just as knowledge compensates for lack of experience, experience compensates for the unknown.”
“Indeed. And so…” Jiludo-san smiled and asked the same question again.
“Elnea-kun, what kind of arts can you use? And what kind of arts exist in the world?”
“That is…” We’ve returned to the conversation right after the break! I answered my initial reply again. Then, Jiludo-san’s next question became different.
“Well now, doesn’t it make you wonder? I mentioned earlier that Elnea-kun unusually possesses Dragon Power for a human. Then, what kind of power do humans normally possess?”
“Um, normally humans possess curse power to use sorcery. …Hah!”
“That’s right. Demons possess Magic Power, Dragon Race folk possess Dragon Power, and humans normally possess curse power. By the way, what was Baltnowar’s race?” When I first faced Baltnowar in Dragon Peak. I’m sure Nimia and Ruilala mentioned it. Although it’s not confirmed due to mind-altering effects, Baltnowar is probably human. That means…!
“I was being targeted by Sorcery?”
“Well, there are exceptions like Elnea-kun, so I can’t say for sure. But don’t you think it provides at least a clue?” Come to think of it, the weapon Baltnowar held looked like a tool used in Sorcery rituals.
“Now, here’s another question. If Baltnowar was using Sorcery, do you have knowledge of Sorcery, Elnea-kun?” Hearing this, I was startled. I have no Sorcerers among my kin. And, in fact, I have never confronted anyone called a Sorcerer, and I realized I lacked knowledge.
“It seems I can see what I need to study.” Jiludo-san smiled with satisfaction and asked for some more tea before leaving.
