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"I can do that… what do I need to do?"
Ais spoke in her usual calm tone, but there was clear determination in her eyes.
She was ready to pay a price if that was what it took to learn Anos's swordsmanship.
"Well… that's a little hard to explain."
Anos frowned slightly.
"My family's sword style has always been passed down through a single line, Father to son, never to outsiders, and never to daughters. My mother repeatedly warned me not to teach it to anyone else."
He said it with such conviction that it sounded completely real.
The moment Hestia heard him mention his "mother," she immediately turned her back.
She was afraid she might burst out laughing.
Mother?
She definitely did not remember ever telling Anos anything like that. She had no idea whether he was naturally gifted or if he had somehow invented absurdly powerful sword techniques on his own.
What she did know was this.
She absolutely could not laugh.
If she laughed now, she would ruin everything for him.
After hearing Anos's explanation, Ais nodded firmly.
She believed him.
A precious sword style obviously wouldn't be passed around so casually.
"So what's your condition?"
Loki folded her arms over her nonexistent chest and glared at Anos.
There was no way she was going to let some random man from another Familia trick her precious Ais.
If his demands went too far, she would reject them on Ais's behalf without hesitation.
Of course, if the condition stayed within a reasonable range, she was also prepared to accept it for Ais's sake. Right now they were the ones asking for something.
For Ais, Loki was willing to compromise a little.
"First, the sword style cannot be passed on to anyone else."
"No problem."
Loki agreed instantly.
She had never expected Anos to let an entire Familia learn his techniques. This had always been Ais's personal request.
"As for the second condition… after you fight me, you'll understand."
That answer caught everyone off guard.
"Huh?"
Ais showed a rare hint of surprise.
"You don't want to?"
Anos asked, glancing at her.
"No... If that's what needs to be done…"
Ais answered without hesitation.
…
"Hey, Anos? You really are going to fight Ais?"
Before the match began, Hestia whispered nervously in his ear.
Even though she had already seen him defeat Bete, Ais was different.
She still couldn't help worrying.
"Of course."
Anos didn't bother explaining further. He just patted her on the head and started walking toward the field.
The moment she felt that warmth on her head, Hestia instinctively smiled.
By the time she realized what had happened, he was already gone.
"Tch… he used that move on me again."
Hestia puffed out her cheeks.
Anos always did this, He always treated her like a child and distracted her whenever she got worked up.
She knew her own past decisions had caused a lot of trouble for her Familia now, but she had made those choices to give Anos the best possible environment.
And she still didn't regret it.
"Lady Hestia, trust Anos."
Standing nearby, Bell spoke with quiet certainty.
She had always believed in him.
Anos was the person she admired most.
"At this point, what choice do I have? I just need to keep an eye on him and make sure those Loki Familia people don't trick my Anos away."
Hestia waved her gloved fist in the air with mock ferocity.
In that regard, she and Loki were thinking exactly alike.
…
Clang!
The ring of steel echoed sharply as Anos's blade collided with Ais's sword.
With a subtle shift in angle, he redirected the force so perfectly that Ais's sword, along with her whole body, was guided off course.
"This…"
Ais's lips parted slightly in shock.
Only after experiencing it herself did she finally understand why Bete had looked so unsettled earlier.
"Your footing is solid, I can tell it's built from long combat experience. But… It's still not enough."
"Try using the center of your body as the axis. Shorten the distance of that pivot by 0.4 percent. Turn your thigh two degrees inward. Lean your upper body forward by 3.1 centimeters, but keep your step pattern exactly the same."
Anos spoke calmly, as if he were correcting something obvious.
"Huh?"
Ais blinked.
"Um… okay…"
Even though she had her usual airheaded side, she was also remarkably obedient when it came to training, She immediately adjusted her posture exactly as he instructed.
"Come on, Try the same move again."
Anos smiled and raised his magic sword.
Though his current official level was only Level 2, his actual physical ability was already equal to a Level 5.
And once he advanced to Level 3, his physical strength would likely rival even Ottar's.
Against opponents of the same tier, Anos didn't need any of his trump cards to dominate them.
Bete before.
Ais now.
To him, there wasn't much difference.
By the standards of this world, a Level 5 adventurer roughly matched the peak of a mid-class devil or slightly above.
Ottar, meanwhile, was around the level of a peak high-class devil.
Anos had already killed a high-class devil like Diodora with ease, so while Ottar would be more troublesome, the difference wouldn't be overwhelming.
That meant his current battle with Ais really was just what it looked like.
Instruction.
Nothing more.
"Your wrist torque is off, Too much force, That's probably because you usually fight monsters. You do understand that fighting people and fighting monsters require different methods, right?"
His lesson continued.
"Yes."
Ais nodded firmly.
At last, she understood where that subtle feeling of discomfort had always come from.
"Your waist rotation is also too strong, Right now your opponent is a person. You don't need to use as much force as you would against a heavily built monster."
"And your use of wind is too sloppy."
"Using wind does increase your speed, but it also disturbs the air around you, which gives away your movements. Your control over wind still isn't precise enough."
…
Anos pointed out one flaw after another.
"Ais actually has that many things she needs to improve?"
Tiona stared in disbelief.
None of them had ever seen those weaknesses before. To spot flaws in someone at that level, you needed to surpass them by a huge margin in at least one aspect.
Ais was the Sword Princess.
There were almost no people in all of Orario who could surpass her in swordsmanship.
"Looks like Bete really didn't lose unfairly."
Finn smiled.
No matter what Ais chose afterward, she had already gained something valuable from Anos for free.
Even if the negotiations failed later, it still wouldn't be a loss.
"See that, Bete? You didn't lose for nothing."
Tione laughed as she looked at the heavily bandaged werewolf.
His injuries weren't truly severe, but they were a nightmare to deal with. They were the kind that would leave him unable to move properly for a day or two, despite not being life-threatening.
His meridians were in chaos, and even the flow of power through his body was disrupted.
Unless someone specialized in healing treated him, all he could do was wait for time to fix it.
"Tch."
Bete clicked his tongue in annoyance.
At last, he understood the gap between himself and Anos.
If there had been no reason to lie, he would have genuinely doubted whether Anos was really only Level 2.
"Hestia Familia might become one of the groups standing beside us in the deep floors of the Dungeon someday. Don't dwell too much on what happened, Bete."
Finn said quietly.
Just like before, when Anos hadn't displayed any overwhelming power yet Finn had still felt he would win, he felt something similar now.
He hadn't yet seen how Anos would lead a Familia or manage one over time, but he had a strong instinct all the same.
…
On the other side, after sparring with Anos for quite some time, Ais finally understood what he meant.
"I understand now."
She lowered her sword.
This had never been a spar.
It had only been instruction from him to her.
"I'm glad."
Anos smiled and let the silver glow fade from his dagger.
"Master…"
Ais said with complete seriousness.
"Cough!"
Anos nearly choked.
That title was way too much.
Yes, he had been guiding her toward that conclusion, but he had no desire to actually become Ais's master.
"I'll only ever become the teacher of my own children. Didn't I already tell you? My family's sword style is passed down through a single line."
He gave a helpless smile.
This time, however, Ais completely failed to understand what he meant.
"Then… Father?"
She tried the word cautiously.
"Father?!"
Loki's eyes nearly popped out of her head.
That was an option?
"Father?!"
Hestia practically exploded.
Was this Wallen-whatever seriously trying to steal her Anos with a move like that?
How shameless.
Even Anos froze for a few seconds.
Being called "Daddy" by a cute girl did have its appeal, It would have been even better in bed.
But in public?
That was a little too embarrassing.
"Just call me Anos, As for the title of master… think of the world itself as your teacher."
He sighed.
Most of what he had done came from using Absolute Dichotomy to see where Ais could improve, so saying that heaven and earth themselves were her teachers wasn't entirely wrong.
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