Why do you continue to execute it when you know it is a mistake?
That's something we can't control. Who knows it's a mistake before seeing the results?
…
"well…"
Heimer rubbed his temples, then picked up the kettle on the ground and poured some cold water into his palms, then patted his cheeks with his wet hands.
Snap!
The night wind that was originally just cooler blew on his wet face and immediately became biting. But this was exactly what he wanted. The stimulation from the cold wind on his face made his mind clearer and no longer dizzy.
"Good evening, Lord Knight."
Someone greeted him from behind, and he knew it was the black-haired boy from the crisp and childish voice. He didn't look back, he just waved to him behind the back of his voice and replied:
"Good evening, boy."
The young man sat down next to him, picked up the water bottle next to Heimer, and took a sip.
"Aren't you going to sleep? I'll just keep watch tonight."
Heimer asked. He looked at the sky and estimated that it should be early morning.
Although they escaped from the pursuit of the group of wolf-headed men, they still need to be vigilant. It is not yet time to relax and enjoy themselves. Wild beasts, bandits and other orcs that infiltrate are all they may encounter at any time.
"I couldn't sleep, so I came to take a look."
The boy followed Heimer's example and sat on the grass with his legs crossed.
After being awakened by that dream, the young man did not intend to sleep, for fear that he would be involved in the continuation of that dream again.
"You have to sleep well at your age."
"Well, I will pay attention, but I really can't sleep today."
Seeing that the boy didn't want to pay attention to his preaching, Heimer simply stopped caring.
The young man and the knight sat together by a small pool of water with their legs crossed and their backs straight, looking at the scenery on the other side of the sky.
There was silence between the two for a period of time, as if neither of them had found anything to talk about.
Of course, the silence did not last forever.
"How did you find out there was someone else in that house?"
Heimer stroked his long sword and said coldly.
"It just feels like that house is weird."
"Huh? What a strange method?"
The young man's words were very vague, but Heimer had no intention of letting him be confused.
There is a sense of calling...
The young man wanted to say that, but this statement was more like saying that he was bewitched by some wizard's spell.
"That group of wolf-headed men came from there. Logically speaking, they don't need to be there, right? So I thought there should be something in this house."
"Yeah, why didn't I notice it? Your observation skills are indeed very good."
When Heimer thought about it carefully, it seemed that what the young man said was indeed reasonable.
But...is it true?
Did those wolf-headed men really come from that house?
Heimer couldn't remember clearly. After all, the environment at that time was quite chaotic. Maybe the young man in the distance could see it more clearly.
"Sir Knight, I heard Zeref say that you killed those wolf-headed men. Is that true?"
"Um, yes. What's wrong?"
Heimel had no intention of being modest.
Although Zeref played a somewhat diversionary role, it was Heimel who really solved the crisis.
"Very powerful. There shouldn't be many people in the legion who are better than you, right?"
In the young man's impression, although the soldiers of the Bardafenr Legion were generally stronger than other armies, there were not many who could confront multiple orc warriors and even fight back.
"No, there are still many people who are superior to me in terms of strength."
Heimer put down the sword in his hand and continued:
"Although those wolf-headed men seem powerful, their fighting skills are poor. They can only be said to be more difficult opponents, not very strong."
"Uh...just 'difficult'?"
The young man felt bitter in his heart, knowing that just an injured wolf-headed man had almost pushed him to a dead end. In the eyes of the knight in front of him, this kind of enemy could only be classified as "difficult".
"You don't have to be discouraged. Just because you can survive in the hands of a wolf-headed man, I will be impressed by you."
Seeing that the young man was a little depressed, Heimer realized that the strong young man might have been shocked, so he spoke to comfort him.
Although they are meant as comfort, these are actually Heimer's true words. If someone of the same age as the boy were to face a wolf-headed man, he would probably die from the wolf's claws.
"I am indeed still too weak."
The young man lamented that he was still too weak. He believed that if he could become stronger, he would be able to avoid many regrets.
"Lord Knight, can you teach me swordsmanship?"
The young man turned his gaze to Haimel, or to be precise, he looked at the long sword in Haimel's arms.
"You are not suitable for using a long sword. My sword skills are not of great use to you."
Heimer observed the young man's expression and understood from his bright and determined eyes that this young man was ready to fight.
"Even if it's just combat experience, I want to become stronger, please!"
"Okay, if you want, you can start now."
Heimer had no reason to refuse. He looked at the sky and determined that there would still be some time before they set off.
"Okay, I'm ready."
The young man stood up with Heimer, and the two walked to a flat open space together.
"There is no wooden sword, so I won't unsheath it."
The fastest way to learn swordsmanship is actual combat. Heimer is not in the habit of explaining sword moves word for word. How much you can learn depends on the understanding of the young man in front of you.
"good."
Without any nonsense, the young man understood Heimer's intention immediately. He immediately took off the sheathed dagger from his waist, took a stance, and entered a state of preparation for battle.
Since the opponent does not plan to unsheath it, it means that Heimer will probably not hold back too much in the next attack. If he cannot respond, it is not impossible for Heimer to miss and injure himself.
But, isn't this what you want?
The young man braced himself and focused all his attention on the warrior holding the sheathed sword.
Heimer moved, and the sword struck at the young man, but the young man, who had no idea what was going on, chose to block with his dagger.
clang!
The boy suddenly felt numbness in his arm, and that was the result of him unloading his force by jumping.
"Ugh!"
Heimer didn't give the boy a chance to breathe, and the second sword struck instantly. This sword attack turned the previous sword move into a cut, and it was extremely fast.
The boy turned sideways and rushed towards Heimer. Now he wanted to reenact the battle with the black-haired wolf-headed man. The attack of the black-haired wolf-headed man was also very fast, and seemed to be equal to the swordsman in front of him.
"Well!!"
The young man realized that his thinking was too simple.
Heimer immediately understood the young man's intention to get closer, so he did not change his sword moves but actively moved forward to collide with the young man's body.
clang!
There was another crisp sound of metal colliding. The young man who threw himself into Heimer's arms failed to penetrate the opponent's vital points with his dagger. The dagger in his hand was blocked by the long sword that came back.
Not only that, the boy's body was hit hard and he had to retreat.
"Are you missing one of your weapons?"
Heimer looked at the boy who was repulsed, took off the dagger hanging from his waist and threw it to him.
"Yes, thanks."
The young man took the dagger, and this time he finally had weapons in both hands.
I secretly thought that this person might have figured out that his skill was actually a two-sword style.
"Use all your strength. What you did just now was very beautiful. If your movements were smaller, I might take the bait."
Heimer gave an evaluation, and then changed the sword holding from one hand to two hands.
…
After several rounds of fighting, Heimer had a rough idea of the boy's current strength.
This boy's fighting skills seem a bit like those of a thief? No, he seems to be more sinister.
The young man was agile in his movements and could react quickly to Heimer's swift attacks. However, his fighting emphasized too much explosiveness, and too many redundant movements caused his already weak physical strength to be depleted very quickly.
"Dou Qi, mobilize it! Your speed is still too slow."
Heimer scolded. Then he slashed at the young man's face with his sword. This time the young man couldn't dodge because this time Heimel caught his movement pattern.
"Ugh!"
The young man made a cross with his hands, crossed his sword and dagger and blocked the sword at the same time.
Surprisingly, Heimer's sword was not very heavy, but the boy could only barely resist it.
The blade wrapped in the scabbard was only half an inch away from the young man's forehead. The young man's arms were trembling. If it were a real battle, his life would have been basically in the opponent's hands.
"Okay, that's it."
Seeing that the young man's physical strength had almost reached its limit, Heimer put away his sword. But after the pressure disappeared, the young man almost fell to the ground due to loss of strength.
"Has the General ever taught you swordsmanship?"
Heimel asked.
"No, General, he has never taught me."
Golden Lion Wenarco taught him a lot, but he never mentioned the skill of fighting to the young man.
"Then who did you learn your sword skills from?"
The young man hesitated for a while and replied: "A thief friend."
"Then that thief friend of yours is really powerful."
Heimer spoke highly of the boy's sword skills.
"'Thorn Thorn Clothes', 'Broken Heavenly Throat'...and some other tricks that I can't name. These are not things that ordinary thieves would use."
Heimer originally thought that these sword skills should come from Veracodo, but even though Veracodo was well-informed, he was not a swordsman who could teach this young thief the skills.
In addition to the "thief friend" he just mentioned, this boy should have some secrets. However, Heimer had no intention of delving into these personal privacy. After all... everyone has some "secrets" that belong only to him and cannot be told.
"Your sword skills are pretty good. Although you don't have enough actual combat experience to master them, and your fighting spirit accumulation is too low, you are far from being able to exert the power of these moves..."
Heimer lifted up the young man who had lost strength on the ground, and after taking him back to the edge of the pool, he continued to explain to him the omissions he had made in the battle.
The young man listened to the instructions with an open mind and took note of them carefully.
Heimer was not only an experienced warrior, but also a good teacher who was willing to take the time to explain his skills to a stranger like him.
This is very rare. Naturally, the young man will not miss this opportunity and is very grateful to Heimer.
"The moment that really determines victory or defeat in a battle often happens in a split second."
After Heimer told the boy about the flaws he discovered in the boy, he began to instill his own fighting philosophy into the boy.
"Even if two people are of similar strength, it's not uncommon for the outcome to instantly favor the other due to one party's mistakes."
"In other words, can't we be a little careless?"
"Um……"
Heimer rarely taught anyone like this. After all, he was still relatively young in the army, and he was mostly taught by himself rather than by others. This time, it felt new to have an apprentice like a young man who humbly asked for advice, so Heimel
Very patient.
"Boy?!"
"Boy! Where have you been?"
Zeref's shouts came from not far away. As soon as he came up, he found that the boy was missing, and he couldn't help but become anxious.
"Let's stop here today and get ready to set off."
Heimer stood up and dusted himself off.
"OK."
Thank you.
The young man did not say this thank you. He felt that even if he did, the knight would only think that he was too out of touch.
And "thank you" doesn't just have to be said.
The young man heard Zeref's call again, and knew that if he didn't answer, the man would probably become anxious. He quickly responded, and then joined Heimer and the others in front.