The pair began with simple warm-up exercises. Stretching their arms and legs, rotating their shoulders, and performing basic footwork drills.
At first, they moved slowly, almost sluggishly. Then, they ramped it up. The cold mountain air made their breath visible in small puffs, but the movement gradually brought warmth to their muscles.
"Alright," Starius said after a few minutes, "before we start proper training, I need to understand your current level. What kind of practice have you been doing?"
"Well," Tara began, still slightly out of breath from the warm-up, "Like I said yesterday, I actually awakened my Warrior Class long before coming here. I've been training by myself for quite some time using a guidebook."
"Which one?" Starius asked with genuine curiosity.
"Ian Swordmaster's Training Manual, Volume 1," Tara replied.
Starius' eyes lit up with recognition. "Ah, that one! It's actually quite solid. I've read through it myself." He then chuckled softly. "Though I have to admire Ian's business strategy. Volume 1 is dirt cheap to hook people in, then the rest of the series costs a fortune. Unfortunately, a lot of the high level stuff is only found in future volumes."
"Yeah… I realized that too," Tara said, shaking her head. "And the volume ends just as he was getting to the exciting stuff!" She added with a faint pout.
Tara knew that her family could not afford to purchase the rest of the Volumes for her. She had been trying to earn money on her own by trying to accept various commissions using her Warrior Class, but her life hadn't been easy.
She was both beautiful and weak in a world where ruthless, strong people had the final say on matters. Although many people had invited her to join their groups, she knew that the best case scenario that awaited her, should she have accepted their shady invitations, was being forced into an Underworld brothel.
"Volume 1 is fine. It only covers the fundamentals, but it is solid. First, let's see what you've learned. Since this settlement is still new, we don't have a proper training ground or wooden practice swords."
After saying so, Starius drew his blade. The silver blade, which was made with unknown magical materials gleamed even in the dim morning light. "We'll have to use our real weapons, but don't worry. I'll adjust my strength accordingly."
Tara nodded and unsheathed her own sword. The difference in quality was immediately apparent – Tara's sword was just an ordinary one.
As they began their discussion and demonstration, the patrol guards found their attention drawn to the training session. It wasn't every day they got to observe a Hero like Starius in action, especially in such a casual setting.
"Let's start with the basics from Ian's manual," Starius said, settling into a ready stance. "Show me the First Form defensive posture."
Tara positioned herself carefully, remembering the diagrams from the book. Her stance was decent, if a bit rigid.
"Not bad," Starius observed. "But relax your shoulders a bit. You're too tense. Now, from that position, how would you respond to a simple overhead strike?"
He demonstrated a slow, controlled attack. Tara moved to block, executing the prescribed counter from the manual.
"Good. You've definitely absorbed the fundamentals," Starius said approvingly. "Let's try a few more sequences."
Meanwhile, from his makeshift room, Hiro watched the entire proceeding with [Inspect Sense] with genuine interest.
Swordsmanship, huh? He mused to himself.
Hiro was, without question, a genius when it came to learning. It was almost as if his mind worked differently from others—he could grasp new concepts with frightening speed and dissect complex problems with methodical precision. Since a young age, his rate of improvement in any field he had attempted to familiarize himself had been simply ridiculous.
However, Hiro suffered from one major flaw - extreme laziness.
He'd discovered long ago that hobbies were fun during the initial exploration phase, but became tedious when pursuing true mastery. As frightening as his genius was, it didn't allow him to reach the apex of a competitive field without putting in any effort.
And the grinding, repetitive practice required to reach the absolute top of any field simply bored him. Back on Earth, this combination of genius and laziness had made him fascinating to those around him.
In addition, his family had been quite well off, so he never felt particularly motivated to accomplish something great.
But back to the present, while observing this sword training, Hiro found himself with a growing interest in the path of the Sword.
It wasn't anything too serious. He would treat this as another hobby – something to temporarily pass time with, but never to seriously pursue.
I guess it wouldn't hurt to dip my toes a little. He thought with a smile. Then, he increased the intensity of his observation. Previously, he had just been watching passively. Now, he tried to think in a more active manner.
All the while, he did not leave his bed. His relaxed posture did not impede his mind.
An hour had passed since the training began. The ambient light was gradually increasing as morning arrived, though the citizens of Hiro's Realm wouldn't see an actual sunrise due to the perpetually cloudy weather in the Desolate Lands.
In fact, the clouds were looking particularly dark this morning. Rain seemed likely.
Since Starius and Tara were using real metal weapons, even at their considerable distance from the barracks, the sound of clashing blades occasionally reached the settlement. People who woke early found themselves drawn to the unusual noise.
What had started as a private training session was now attracting a small but growing audience.
This presented a small problem to Tara. As it turned out, she did not handle pressure well at all.
As more people gathered to watch from a respectful distance, Tara began making increasingly frequent mistakes. What had been a productive learning session was transforming into something more like live sparring, and her performance was noticeably deteriorating.
"No, no," Starius corrected gently after Tara fumbled a basic parry. "You need to feel the rhythm of the exchange. Don't think so much—trust your instincts."
But Starius, being a natural genius with the sword, relied heavily on intuitive understanding. His advice, while well-intentioned, consisted mainly of vague suggestions about "feeling" and "trusting instincts" mixed with occasional concrete corrections. For someone like Tara, who had learned from a structured manual, this teaching style wasn't particularly helpful.
Meanwhile, Hiro continued his observation, and his understanding was advancing rapidly. He learnt things on his own and did not rely too much on Starius' advice, which he felt was practically of little use.
When Starius executed a diagonal slash toward Tara's left side, Hiro immediately identified the optimal counter in his mind. Step back and to the right, deflect with an upward angle, then riposte toward the exposed shoulder.
Tara instead chose to meet the attack head-on with a direct block, leaving herself off-balance.
"You should have stepped back and angled your deflection," Starius instructed. "Then you could have countered toward my shoulder."
Exactly what Hiro had been thinking.
This pattern repeated multiple times. Hiro would methodically analyze Starius' basic attacks, understand the mechanical principles behind them, and determine the most efficient counters. When Tara inevitably chose a suboptimal response, Starius' corrections often matched Hiro's mental notes. And when they didn't? That was just more material for Hiro to learn from.
It was worth noting that Starius was still going quite easy on Tara, sticking to fundamental techniques that wouldn't overwhelm her.
But Tara herself was growing increasingly tense, though she didn't fully realize it. For the past few minutes, she felt like little more than a glorified training dummy. Starius kept trying to help her, but his constant advice about "feeling" and "instinct" wasn't clicking with her more analytical learning style.
Worse, the audience was growing. About a dozen people now watched from various distances, some murmuring among themselves.
What must they think of me right now? Tara wondered, her internal negativity beginning to spiral. I probably look pathetic compared to Starius.
The more she worried about the observers' opinions, the worse her swordsmanship became. Her movements grew stiffer, her timing more hesitant.
Starius also began to notice the decline, but he wasn't sure what was causing it. "Tara, you're overthinking again. Just relax and—"
That's when it happened. During what should have been a simple defensive sequence, Tara's grip faltered. Starius' blade, despite his considerable restraint, knocked her sword cleanly from her hands. The weapon clattered across the ground, leaving her standing empty-handed and breathing heavily.
A brief, unintentional silence descended on the settlement.
Tara's hair stuck to her forehead with sweat. Her clothes clung uncomfortably to her body from exertion. She was tired—physically, yes, but more importantly, mentally exhausted. Having her inadequate skills so clearly contrasted against Starius' effortless competence wasn't an experience she enjoyed, though she didn't consciously acknowledge this frustration.
She closed her eyes, chest rising and falling rapidly.
"Tara? Are you alright?" Starius asked with genuine concern, realizing that something was wrong.
Murmurs rippled through the watching crowd. "Why is Starius training with her specifically?" someone wondered aloud. "Do you think he'd train with me if I asked?" another said.
Most of these discussions carried no malicious intent. Most people knew Starius and Tara were childhood friends, so spending time together was perfectly natural. But in Tara's current negative state of mind, even innocent commentary would have stung.
What am I doing? Tara berated herself silently. My thoughts aren't flowing at all. I'm so stiff! I've gone and embarrassed myself completely.
She was overreacting. Nobody really expected her to perform on the same level as a bonafide Hero. Most of the people watching did not even have Combat Classes. They could not tell how poorly Tara was doing, or how much Starius was holding back. For them, it was only natural that Starius would win.
Tara didn't respond to Starius' question. Her head was buzzing, and she felt distinctly lightheaded.
That's when Hiro decided to intervene.
Unlike Starius, Hiro had been reading Tara's deteriorating mental state quite clearly. The situation required a change of focus, and he knew exactly how to provide it.
"Good morning, everyone!" Hiro called out cheerfully as he approached the training area, having emerged from his room. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything important."
The crowd immediately turned their attention to their Ruler, murmuring greetings and bowing respectfully. Starius also noticed Hiro's arrival and offered a formal greeting.
Hiro inquired as to what was going on, pretending as if he had just woken up. His CHA stat ensured that all eyes were on him. His citizens naturally tried their best to satiate his false curiosity.
"Actually," Hiro continued conversationally, "watching you two has made me curious about something. I've never wielded a sword before in my life, and now I'm wondering how it would feel."
A mild, lighthearted grin graced his handsome face. "Mind if I give this sword training a shot?"
Hiro had, in fact, already used the Stone Tablet's Shop to purchase a simple sword for himself. This was the second time he had purchased a sword – the first one had broken during his early attempt at gaining another audience with Goddess Selune.
Starius looked mildly confused by this sudden imposition, but his expression remained friendly. Meanwhile, Tara felt a wave of relief wash over her as the spotlight shifted away from her embarrassing performance.
"Would you like me to guide you through the basics first, My Lord?" Starius offered politely. "Since you mentioned being a complete beginner—"
"Oh, no need for that!" Hiro waved dismissively. "I'm just here to have some fun. How about we jump straight into a friendly spar?"
He drew his newly purchased blade with a flourish. "No Class Skills or special abilities, of course. Just pure swordwork. What do you say?"
The surrounding crowd buzzed with excitement. They'd either heard of, or seen Starius' masterful defeat of the Hill Giant the previous day, but they'd also seen Hiro make that same monster's head explode like a watermelon with a casual finger snap.
Between these two powerful figures, who would prove stronger in a straight sword fight?
Starius fancied his chances quite a bit. After all, according to Hiro, he was a total beginner with the sword, and they weren't going to be using any Class Skills. Still, he did not mind indulging his Ruler for a while if that's what he wanted.
"In that case, I will obli—"
But then, a large raindrop struck Starius directly on the nose, abruptly cutting off his acceptance. Several heads simultaneously turned upwards, almost as if by prior agreement.
Thunder rumbled ominously in the distance, and more droplets quickly followed.
For a few seconds, no one spoke.
"Ah, what a shame," Hiro said with exaggerated disappointment. "I don't really want to get drenched in this chilly weather. Looks like we'll have to postpone our little spar, Starius. Another time, perhaps?"
Starius nodded in agreement, though the crowd's disappointment was palpable. Hiro, however, seemed entirely unconcerned with their reactions.
Before everyone dispersed, Hiro addressed Starius directly. "By the way, I'd like to hold a meeting after breakfast to discuss our settlement's next steps. Could you inform Targon, Barbara, and the others?"
"Of course," Starius replied promptly.
As the rain intensified, people scattered quickly toward shelter. Tara began hurrying back to the barracks, but before she could get far, she caught Hiro's eye. He gave her a knowing, reassuring smile.
Tara briefly bowed her head in gratitude, but found it difficult to maintain eye contact. She was still embarrassed by her poor performance and wanted some time alone to process what had happened. Unfortunately, that solitude might prove elusive, as Starius jogged up beside her, clearly hoping to spend more time together.
Oh well, Tara thought resignedly. Maybe this is fine too. Maybe I can get some things clarified.
Even as the rain created significant inconvenience, the morning activities of the settlement resumed—people had little choice but to adapt. Soon enough, it would be time for the meeting to determine the realm's trajectory for the near future.