94. Exam preparation (6)
94. Exam preparation (6)
It was a bright day. I ate the special stew and bread that Sora made, and took care of the backlog greenhouse work. By the way, the reason why I said it was a special stew was because it was made with ingredients obtained through magic gardening.
After finishing the greenhouse work, I enjoyed tea time with Sora over fruit and strawberry tea.
“Sora, please take good care of the store while I am away.”
“Yes. Please take care of yourself.”
“Because I think I will come in after it gets dark. Have dinner with the store family.”
“Yes.”
We talked about today’s routine like this while drinking tea. After closing the store yesterday, I went to the blacksmith in District 2 with Denas. There, he requested to make a shield with the shell of the Great Centipede, along with making a carving knife for senior Denas to use with the ax blade of the chief ax rabbit.
The shield is a gift to Sotia. I decided that it would be difficult to respond to Irina’s quick dagger attack with a heavy steel shield, so I personally requested a production.
Since Sotia helped me a lot, I thought this much would be okay. As for the price, an agreement was reached by distributing the shell to the blacksmith who was surprised to see the centipede’s shell.
No matter how descended, it was a rare item as it was a cryptid shell, and the blacksmith recognized its value. I thought I had to make a kite with the blacksmith anyway, but the opportunity arose.
“For that reason, around 3 o’clock today, Denas-senpai will go to District 2 for a while to get a carving knife. She just needs to tell her to switch with Nishia when the senior comes over.”
“Yes. Anything else you want to convey?”
“I think this is enough for today. As for the partnership with the restaurant, we decided to talk about it again after the trial period.”
Sora, who wrote down my words on a piece of paper, nodded her head. Today is the day to visit Master Ansink with Sotia, so I decided to prepare slowly. It’s also exam period, so it’s very busy.
Come back from training and clean up the store. Then you have to study for the test. First of all, after telling Sora to rest, I left the greenhouse and headed to the store.
According to Sotia’s personality, she expected to arrive 10 minutes earlier than the appointment time, and she arrived at her store 13 minutes early. But Sotia had come out ahead of me and was waiting.
“… When did Sotia come?”
“Hello, senior. She arrived about two minutes ago.”
“… Is that so?”
“Yes. It was.”
Sotia originally keeps her heavy shield in her room, and summons it only when she uses it. That’s because this is not a battlefield, but an educational district where students live.
It is a natural choice since carrying a heavy shield on your back and going about your daily life is quite costly. But today’s Sotia came with a shield on her back. It was a part where she could glimpse her determination.
So we moved to Nsink’s house in District 2, talking about inventions using wax strawberries. I arrived a little earlier than the appointed time, but Ansync was also standing in front of the door after finishing preparations.
“Hello Master.”
“Hello.”
“Oh yea, here we go Woros. And the lady next to me… I think I saw you last time.”
“Melgard 1st year. My name is Sotia Sonia.”
“Yes. Welcome.”
Ansync talks like that with a bright smile that he doesn’t normally show. It’s probably because he has a woman, so he looks like that.
“By the way, Master, why were you waiting outside?”
“Ruby is sleeping. If you knock on the door, it will wake you up.”
“I see. That’s why she brought Sotia, she said that Sotia also practiced her. For that reason, I thought it would be nice to have a sparring with her, so I brought her.”
Ann Sink listens to me and nods appropriately. Whether he would be angry or positive for my actions for bringing the woman would be determined by my spearmanship proficiency. Because Ansync is such a person.
I completed all the tasks that Ansync gave me, and I went through a few real battles in the meantime. He was pretty confident for that reason. We moved to the vacant lot where we always practiced. Chilled out there
“Woros, it just happened to be good. You said you were fighting with that lady, right?”
“Yes.”
“Then try it. One look at it and you’ll know whether you’ve been fooling around for the past week or whether you’ve been practicing diligently.”
“Okay. Is Sotia okay?”
At my question, Sotia nods her head. She pulls out her shield, which she tucked behind her back, and draws her sword.
“It just went well. I wasn’t motivated because I was in a slump, but since I’m doing something with my seniors, my motivation is rising.”
“Then I’m glad.”
“Yes. I think I did a good job consulting with my seniors.”
I nodded and called out to the window.
“Sotia. As I said beforehand, I am an alchemist. I don’t know what to do with alchemy items.”
“Yes.”
“Irina is also very dexterous with her hands, so she can play with her hands without you noticing. Think of it as sparring with Irina and sharpen your concentration.”
“Yes!”
I distanced myself from Sotia. After confirming that they are ready for each other, AnSync announces the start. As the sparring begins, Sotia approaches me with her shield at the fore.
It can never be seen as a fast movement. Covering the upper body with the shield, the sword held with the right hand was held with a partially relaxed grip, as if it were ready to defend the blind spot of the shield at any time.
In such a state, Sotia steadily closes her distance. It’s new, but I can’t see any gaps. It’s like facing a rock. Knowing Sotia’s parrying and her strength, she seems even stronger.
I took out the potion from the pocket wrapped around my waist. If you attack Sotia prematurely, you will get angry. If you get too close, you will be hit by a sword or shield, and if you attack the shield, your posture will collapse in parrying, and if you attack the square, you will evade or counterattack.
“Sotia, let’s go.”
“Yes!”
I opened the lid of the potion and threw it at Sotia’s feet. Sotia, who knows that I like to use potions of gas, bends her knees to get her body as low as possible, and raises her shield at an angle to take her potion.
Then, she grabbed her shield, turned her body around, and threw her potion at her side. However, the potion could not fly far and exploded, spewing out gas.
“As expected.”
“Hufu… You designed it to explode in parts.”
She instantly noticed that the potion that touched the shield would explode and blew the potion away. That potion was just for exploration, and the real thing starts now. Thinking so, I grabbed the spear and ran to Sotia.
Then Sotia lowered her body and assumed her defensive posture. I am superior in terms of riches. But I know very well that Sotia’s moment and her rushing power are beyond my ability to react. Because her lower body has developed, her speed for a short distance dash is comparable to Irina’s.
Entering range of the spear, she thrust her spear at Sotia’s shield. Then she immediately let go of the spear. Sotia also parrys her spear, as I expected. Because I placed the spear in advance, I was free from the effects of parrying.
If it was a normal spear, the match would have ended here, but mine is Zakat’s spear. I fold and open my hand, and the flying spear immediately returns to me.
After confirming that her spear was gone from her hand, Sotia leapt towards me using her confident charging power. However, she used the same tactic she had used before in sparring with Ann Sink, and it was after I sprinkled her potion under her feet.
“… !”
When the distance to Sotia became as close as her shield strike range, she felt victory. It’s over when I hit Sotia with her spear, who was affected by the potion I sprinkled on her floor. However, Sotia, who has a very high willpower level, pulls back her body just before she falls into an abnormal condition, widening her distance.
“It’s far!”
“… !”
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After her sudden stop while rushing, her posture is broken because it was Sotia who fell behind her. Thinking she couldn’t miss an opportunity like this. I grabbed her spear and reached for Sotia’s wrist. But to my surprise, Sotia, with her stance broken, swung a 15kg shield and slashed her spear.
Bang!ㅡ
“Ugh!”
“I’ll take it!”
Sotia is still trying to attack me with her shield. I pulled his hand to my chest and held out her shoulder. What Ansync has emphasized to me for the past week is the basic posture of spearmanship and physical training. And it was about defense.
Speaking of defense, fall and defense techniques. I learned how to defend myself in case I have to be hit inexorably there. I have been practicing on my own. The shield attack is a blow, and the important thing to withstand this attack is the center of gravity. The important thing to balance is the lower body.
With that thought, Sotia’s shield struck her in the shoulder while spreading her legs and lowering her waist as much as possible, pulling her chin in.
Bagak!ㅡ
I was dizzy from the shock, but I was able to avoid collapsing. In this state, I took a potion from her pocket and threw it towards Sotia’s body. She struck her potion with the hilt of her sword, but it was such a potion that it exploded on contact with air.
Bang!
“What!?”
A potion that has the effect of “Drunkenness” As well as the explosive nature. But i know That Sotia was already holding her breath, that she had inhaled a little, that her will level wasn’t low enough to make her drunk.
Not being able to breathe in one-on-one is a huge penalty. I want to take advantage of this opportunity. Holding the spear above and below her, she used the hilt of her spear to push against Sotia’s shield.
Because they were in perfect contact, they were pushing with the handle of the spear, not the tip of the spear. Because of this distance, Sotia’s sword was blocked. If Sotia wants to use her sword, she will have to, but she will inevitably lose her power and then she will be pushed back by me.
Most of all, Sotia holds her breath, so it won’t be easy for her to use her superpowers with confidence. Now, with the slightest effort, she would throw this balance off. As for the whereabouts of the next battle, will my spear come first after I pushed Sotia away? Her sword comes first.
I thought so, but Sotia is holding on without being pushed by my spear. Like that, we engaged in a power struggle with spears and shields.