Translator: CinderTL
"H-hello."
Hearing the voice, Roland turned around.
A small, thin figure was timidly extending a hand in greeting.
"If I remember correctly..." Roland said with a smile as he pulled the last short spear from the target. "Your name is Hoby, right?"
The figure was indeed Hoby, the lone halfling among the academy students.
"Y-yes, that's right." Hoby nodded lightly, nervously scratching his messy brown hair. He forced a respectful smile, his lips barely curving upward. "Hello, Mr. Roland."
"Hello, Hoby." Roland replied, naturally stepping back a few paces. "Here to train?"
"Y-yes, yes." Hoby nervously grabbed an iron sword from the weapon rack, his voice slightly strained from dryness. "Am I... disturbing you?"
"Of course not. This training ground isn't just for me." Roland chuckled softly. After exchanging a few more casual words with the shy halfling, he retreated to a suitable distance.
His gaze sharpened. With a sudden burst of strength, he hurled the short spear.
Thud!
The spear struck the target with a dull thud, but Roland frowned slightly at its position, clearly off-center. He reached for another short spear beside him.
For a moment, the only sound in the training ground was the dull thud of short spears striking the targets.
"My Basic Throwing skill is still too low. It might work as a feint in combat, but as a primary attack method, its stability is lacking. As for the crossbow..."
Thinking this, Roland picked up the arm-mounted crossbow beside him, drew the string, loaded a bolt, and aimed.
Whoosh!
A sharp whistling sound pierced the air as the bolt struck the center of the target with perfect accuracy.
But Roland showed no joy at the result, merely calculating silently.
"Easy to operate, and the damage is sufficient, but the reloading time is too slow. In a real battle, the enemy won't give me a chance to reload in peace."
As he pondered this, the burning hunger in his stomach intensified.
"Oh well. Practicing these skills is just preparation for becoming an Apprentice Knight anyway. Whether I can actually use them in combat... I'll just have to improvise when the time comes."
With this thought, he glanced at the darkening sky, returned his weapons to their rack, and sat down at the edge of the training ground.
He pulled out the food he had prepared from his pouch, carefully took out Joe, and offered him a piece of bread.
Then, sipping from his water flask, he slowly chewed the rest of his meal, his gaze naturally drawn to another figure in the training ground.
"Not bad swordsmanship," he murmured.
Roland swallowed his food and stuffed another piece of smoked meat into his mouth.
"It seems this little fellow took Instructor Reggie's lesson to heart this afternoon, but..."
Watching Hoby's feeble sword swings, Roland shook his head gently.
"His physical conditioning is still far too poor. No matter how skilled one's technique, without sufficient strength and speed to support it, it's ultimately just empty show."
As Roland was privately assessing the halfling, Hoby, who had been diligently practicing his swordplay, suddenly stopped.
The halfling wiped the sweat from his brow, panting heavily. After a moment, he awkwardly scratched his head, turned to Roland, and asked with a hint of unease in his voice, "Mr. Roland, is there something wrong with my swordsmanship?"
"Your transitions between moves are a bit clumsy, and some parts lack fluidity..."
Since his goal at the Knight Academy had already been achieved and training was over for the day, Roland didn't mind spending some time offering guidance, given the halfling's respectful attitude.
He stood up and walked over to Hoby. Drawing on his own combat experience, he began to explain the key principles of swordsmanship.
Unlike Instructor Reggie's formal, all-encompassing teaching style, Roland, who had survived several life-or-death battles, discarded unnecessary flourishes and taught techniques that were more practical, concise, and efficient.
Although these sword techniques were more refined and practical, they were also far more difficult to master than the basic swordsmanship taught by Reggie. This was because Roland had modified them to suit his own physical limitations.
To Roland's surprise, the halfling's learning speed was astonishing.
Hoby absorbed the key points Roland had just explained in mere moments. Moreover, the little halfling could adapt the techniques to his own physique, evolving them into swordplay perfectly suited to his size.
"You're learning quickly," Roland remarked curiously, watching the halfling swing his iron sword with surprising skill. "Did you practice swordsmanship before coming to the Knight Academy?"
"No, Mr. Roland," Hoby replied, stopping his movements. A shadow of an unpleasant memory crossed his face as he shook his head somberly. "My older brother always said my body was too weak for combat..."
"He wasn't entirely wrong about that," Roland chuckled, noticing the light in the halfling's eyes dim further. He gently patted Hoby's shoulder.
"But since you passed the assessment to enter the Knight Academy, you must have some extraordinary talent. And as long as you complete your coursework, master the Knight's Breathing Technique, and diligently practice, won't you be able to improve your frail physique?"
"Exactly!"
These words made the halfling, who had been looking down, snap his head up, his eyes shining brightly as he nodded vigorously.
"I agree with Mr. Roland! That's precisely why I insisted on coming to the Knight Academy, despite my brother's objections!"
The two continued chatting for a while.
To Roland's surprise, even though the Knight Academy had only been open for a few days, Hoby's knowledge was remarkably solid, and he even had unique insights on many topics.
As they talked, Roland noticed Hoby mentioning his brother in nearly every other sentence, piquing his curiosity.
"Hoby, what does your brother do?"
"He's a captain!"
At the mention of his brother, Hoby's eyes lit up instantly.
"My brother is amazing! He rose from a common sailor to captain in just over a decade! As for his strength..."
The halfling looked up at the towering Roland, then awkwardly scratched his head.
"Well... perhaps I'm still a little bit... inferior to you, Mr. Roland..."
"Ha!"
Seeing the little guy's honest expression, Roland couldn't help but chuckle.
"A pirate captain, huh..."
Thinking about the requirements for becoming a pirate, Roland unconsciously reached up and stroked his smooth chin.
"Since I've already mastered the skills needed to become an Apprentice Knight, perhaps it's time to start learning the skills required to become a pirate as well..."
As Roland pondered this, Hoby watched him intently, his lips moving as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.
After a moment, he finally mustered the courage to speak, his voice tinged with uncertainty.
"Mr. Ro-Roland, will you... will you be coming to the training grounds tomorrow?"
"I probably will. Why?"
"I... I want to... I want to..."
Seeing the friendly smile on Roland's face, Hoby took a deep breath and said slowly, "I want to learn other combat techniques from you. I want to grow stronger faster so I can help my big brother. And the classes at the Knight Academy..."
At this point, the halfling puffed out his chest with a hint of pride, but quickly retracted it in embarrassment.
"It's just... it's a bit too simple. Things I can grasp in one go, the instructors keep explaining over and over..."
"Heh..."
Roland chuckled softly, reaching out to ruffle the halfling's messy brown hair.
"I can teach you, but... little one, what are you offering in exchange?"
His tone was gentle, yet carried an undeniable authority.
"There's no free lunch in this world, you must understand that."
"Of course! I... uh, Mr. Roland, do you need any coins?"
Seeing Roland shake his head, Hoby furrowed his brow, racking his brain for an answer.
Watching his struggle, Roland chuckled again and tentatively asked, "Do you know anything about sailing?"
"Of course I do!"
Hoby nodded vigorously, his voice brimming with pride.
"To help my big brother, I've studied everything about sailing thoroughly! When I sailed with him before, even First Mate Albert said I had a natural talent for it!"
(End of the Chapter)
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