Chapter 1-17 : Practical Training (part 2)
「Alright. Kako, are you ready?」(Maitena)
「I’m ready, Master!」(Kako)
Since we would cause trouble if we practiced in the inn, Maitena-san brought me to the Adventurer Guild.
There was a practice ground where adventurers could train in the backyard of the guild, and we decided to practice there.
Actually, this place is not open to the public. Only adventurers can enter. However, I was given special permission by the guild master since he was a good friend of the Steel of Wings party members.
As expected from a high-ranked adventurer party!
「First. I will teach you the basic stance you need to know to fight using a dagger.」(Maitena)
「Yes, Ma’am!」(Kako)
「You normally hold your dagger with your dominant hand. Your stance will change depending on whether you hold a shield or another weapon in your other hand, but no matter how you change your stance in combat, you must remember the basic one. You hold your dagger like this and position your other hand and your legs like this.」(Maitena)
「Like… this?」(Kako)
「Spread your legs a bit more or you will lose your balance when you try to move fast.」(Maitena)
As Maitena-san instructed, I spread my legs more and lowered my hip a little while firmly holding the wooden dagger in my dominant hand, trying to imitate her as best as I could.
By the way, she said I might get hurt if I trained with a real dagger, so she asked the guild to lend me a wooden dagger for practice.
「Good. Now try to swing it. Like this… ーHa!」(Maitena)
「Alright… ーHya!」(Kako)
I swung the wooden dagger horizontally just like Maitena-san did.
I thought I was doing it right, but she shook her head at me.
「No, no. You bend your body forward a bit like this and don’t swing it with just your arm muscles. You should use your entire body. It will improve the power and reduce the chance of your hand getting injured when you try to attack a hard target.」(Maitena)
「Understood! ーHya!」(Kako)
「Do it faster. Like this. ーHa!」(Maitena)
「ーHya!」(Kako)
I never thought swinging a dagger would be this difficult.
This training is quite tough, and Maitena-san is very strict.
But, this is fine. I want to be able to protect myself. I would rather undergo this tough training rather than be killed by monsters or bandits.
「Good. Now keep doing it.」(Maitena)
「ーHya! ーHya! ーHya!」(Kako)
「I will explain something, but you can listen to me while keep swinging. Due to its characteristics, a dagger is not a weapon meant to inflict big damage on an enemy in a single blow. Since it’s light, and you can swing it quickly, it’s normally used to inflict multiple small wounds to an enemy.」(Maitena)
「Eh? But you can’t defeat a big enemy if you can’t inflict big damage on it, right?」(Kako)
「Don’t stop swinging! Concentrate on using your entire body!」(Maitena)
「I, I’m sorry! ーHya! ーHya!」(Kako)
「A battle is not decided by just big damages, you know? Even if you can only inflict small wounds on an enemy, they can die from blood loss. Losing a lot of blood is a big disadvantage in a battle, after all.」(Maitena)
「ーHya! I see! ーHya!」(Kako)
I remember in some RPGs, characters who use daggers don’t do much damage, but they attack quickly multiple times unlike the ones using big weapons like a giant axe or a claymore who do big damage in one hit.
Daggers are perfect weapons for a girl with slender arms like me who can’t even lift big weapons.
「Well, because you can only inflict small wounds and hope for the enemy to die from blood loss, killing an enemy with a dagger is not easy at all. Unless you are a skilled assassin or thief who can move really quickly and prolong a battle, it will be very difficult to fight using a dagger. 」(Maitena)
「E, Ehh…?」(Kako)
Just when I thought that daggers might be the perfect weapon for me, Maitena-san said that.
I’m not a skilled assassin or thief. Will I really be able to fight with a dagger…?
「If you want to kill your enemies quickly, you better use a spear. I normally use it in combat. I can inflict lethal damage on my enemies while keeping my distance from them. I use my dagger as a backup weapon when I can no longer fight with my spear.」(Maitena)
「Is that so? There’s no point in training to use a dagger then?」(Kako)
「That’s not true. Daggers are the easiest weapons to use. No matter what your main weapons are, daggers are always perfect as backup weapons. Even Martz, who uses a bow, always has a dagger ready on his waist. Daggers are versatile weapons. You can use them in any kind of situation even when you fight in a small space such as indoors. And… Ahem! Kako, your hand stopped moving.」(Maitena)
「Aa! ーH, Hya! ーHya!」(Kako)
「The reason why you want to learn how to use a dagger is to protect yourself, right? The techniques I’m going to teach you are not techniques to kill enemies, but to defend yourself. For now, you don’t have to think about attacking or killing your enemies.」(Maitena)
「I see. Alright! ーHya!」(Kako)
「Attacking an enemy with a dagger means that you have to get as close as possible to your enemy, and it’s extremely dangerous. Unless you are a capable fighter, you might die. To put it bluntly, you would die a hundred times if you tried to kill an enemy a hundred times with your current ability.」(Maitena)
「Ugh…」(Kako)
It’s kind of frustrating, but… she’s right.
After all, I have no fighting experience at all.
「Therefore, we will be focusing on defensive techniques rather than offensive ones. There’s no point in learning how to kill an enemy if they can kill you first because you neglect your defense. In the first place, you have Mr. Catto by your side, so you don’t need to think about attacking.」(Maitena)
「So I should concentrate completely on defense? ーHya!」(Kako)
「Yes. If you can defend yourself, your partner can concentrate on attacking the enemy with peace of mind. He doesn’t have to protect you, after all. That means you will be able to defeat your enemy faster.」(Maitena)
「I see! I understand! ーHya!」(Kako)
「Alright. You can stop swinging. Now, try to attack me. I’ll show you how it’s done. Don’t forget about the basic stance.」(Maitena)
「Okay.」(Kako)
I took a deep breath and faced Maitena-san.
I lowered my hip a bit and spread my legs, taking the stance and ready myself to attack.
Meanwhile, Maitena-san did the same. She took the stance and held the wooden dagger in her hand firmly.
「…..ーHya!!」(Kako)
I quickly bent my body forward and tried to swing my wooden dagger horizontally at Maitena-san, but she easily deflected my attack upward, forcing me to raise my arm, and then she quickly stuck her wooden dagger toward my neck.
「See? You would have died if it was a real battle. Now it’s your turn. Try to parry my dagger. Don’t worry, I’ll go slowly.」(Maitena)
「A, Alright.」(Kako)
「Don’t think of your dagger as a tool to attack your enemy, but think of it as a thin shield to parry your opponent’s weapon. Don’t receive the attack head-on with your dagger. You won’t be able to stand the power with your slender arm. Hold your dagger diagonally and use it to deflect the opponent’s weapon to the side instead. Alright, here I go!」(Maitena)
「ー!!」(Kako)
Maitena-san bent her body forward and thrust her wooden dagger forward.
At the same moment, I swung my wooden dagger horizontally and parried her dagger to the right side.
She did it slowly, so I could see her movements. If she did it seriously, I might not be able to parry it.
「I, I did it!」(Kako)
「Yes, yes, just like that! You don’t guard with your dagger, but you lead your opponent’s weapon to the side with it. I’m surprised you could get a hold of it right away. Excellent!」(Maitena)
「Ehehe~」(Kako)
She is strict but she compliments me and it makes me happy.
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