The very next day after speaking with Monty.
I returned to Monty's residence with him and headed to his training ground.
I dusted myself off and stood up.
I tried to brush it off, but Monty wouldn't let it go.
About 30 minutes after we started sparring.
Monty gave me various weapons one by one to check my skills.
And my skills were not much different from what I originally thought.
"To ask me to teach you all weapon techniques in this state, you must be quite fearless."
Monty shook his head and said.
Except for the sword I was originally used to, I was pathetically weak with spears, clubs, axes, hammers, and so on.
"And I can't say your swordsmanship is top-notch either."
"I beat Belphegor with this."
"I can only say that was pure luck."
"The foundation of your strength lies in 'prediction'. I understand that. But you tend to rely on it too much. You have no preparation for when you're wrong. You're overly defensive when blocking, and too reckless when attacking." ŔＡNȎВËꞩ
Hmm. I had nothing to refute.
It was probably due to the influence of Azier's unique training.
In my training with Azier, I always repeated sparring close to actual combat.
The challenges Azier gave me at that time, looking back now, I'm confident that no one could have presented such difficult problems.
Therefore, I was unexpectedly more confident in defense than offense. I had become accustomed to how to deal with each attack method and continuous movements.
But after that defense, I couldn't connect well to the offense.
"I understand what kind of training you've received. And it's not bad. To survive as a pro, it's important to deal with various unexpected situations. Defense against enemy attacks is most important. Because you have to survive first."
You have to survive first.
That was probably the only thing Azier thought about while teaching me.
"Your prediction must have worked well when fighting Belphegor. But unless you're really seeing the future, that method is reckless. If you were wrong even once, it would have been the end. Isn't that right?"
The fight with Belphegor was a mess of bluffing, deception, and 50/50 choices from beginning to end. If I hadn't done that, I wouldn't have been able to win.
...It's also because Belphegor was excessively 'slothful', as if he was boasting about his own characteristic.
"If you clearly understand your current state, it would be very easy for your opponent to defeat you."
"I was confident in defense."
"That's right. That's the problem. As I said before, the gap between defense and offense is too large."
"...Ah. It's noticeable, isn't it?"
If I only focused on defense, my opponent wouldn't be able to attack me easily.
But then the fight would never end. To win, I have to attack my opponent.
And that's when I'm at my weakest, and an enemy who knows me would aim for that.
"It's ironic that the moment I attack is my weakest moment."
"You say that so calmly. You were just getting beaten up like that."
"I wasn't beaten up. I just got hit a bit."
"Look at yourself and say that."
Hmm. I haven't seen my face since the sparring started. It's not like there's a mirror nearby.
However, Selena's face, who was watching from the side, gradually darkened, and now she's almost crying, so I have a rough idea.
"It's impossible to handle all my weapon techniques in your current state."
"Wasn't Monty-nim in the same state as me at first?"
"Of course I was. But I was bigger, stronger, and faster than you."
Is that the same state?
"Plus, I had good eyesight. I had excellent observation skills for techniques. My adaptability to weapons was unmatched. Even when I was a beginner, I believed without a doubt that I would become a Zodiac. Everyone around me saw it that way too."
Hmm hmm, Monty nodded as if reminiscing about the past.
That's not what I asked to hear.
"I want to be good at handling all weapons. If Monty-nim, the Weapon Master, tells me how you reached that position, I will learn."
"Of course I intend to. I didn't take you as my disciple for nothing. But..."
Monty glanced at my eyes and said.
"It seems you want to learn much faster than the period I envisioned."
"I know you were called the Human Sloth. Until your first year at Constel. And now you're facing the end of your second year. Soon you'll be in your third year."
"That means your growth period is less than two years. It would be a different story if you had hidden power before entering Constel."
I didn't have any hidden power.
It's been less than two years since I possessed this body.
"And you defeated Belphegor. The Seven Sins are beings on the same level as Gods. An ordinary Constel student, no, I heard you were far below average, defeated a being of that level."
"Frondier, you haven't grown. No matter how much talent you scrape together, one can't grow like you. Especially if one have mediocre skills as a warrior, as I've seen now."
Those words pierced my heart.
"If you learned from Azier, you would know. The thing you invested the most time in was swordsmanship. After investing two years, all you can do properly is defend. Honestly, even this level can be considered exceptionally talented. As you said, if you decide to only defend, no one will be able to land an attack on you."
Two years of investment and all I can do properly is defend.
Certainly, if I think about it calmly, it clearly demonstrates the imbalance of the powers I currently possess.
I have never defeated any enemies with pure weapon skills. I won by using the power of the weapons themselves, by taking advantage of situations where the opponent had no choice but to choose one side.
'...No, it's a bit strange to say that excluding Obsidian and Menosorpo.'
Of course, using those two is my skill, but anyway, I use 'weaving' for weapon replication.
Since I chose this path, it's only natural that I should be good at using weapons.
"So, to be good at using all weapons, it will take much longer than I anticipated."
"That's... what I want to say, but."
Trailing off like that, Monty grinned.
"There's a way to get stronger quickly."
"Of course. However, that method is,"
"Difficult, exhausting, dangerous, and painful, I suppose."
Monty nodded in satisfaction at my words.
"You seem quite familiar with it."
"I had to do something to defeat Belphegor within two years."
At my words, Monty laughed heartily.
"It's as if you knew Belphegor was coming two years ago."
"…Hahaha. I'm just that determined."
That's why I've been fighting with everything I've got.
Monty's eyes sparkled.
"The hero who defeated Belphegor, Frondier. Compared to the path you've walked so far, the training you'll do from now on will be nothing. Speaking of which, Constel's winter break is coming up soon. Perfect timing."
"You're making me nervous for no reason."
"Think back to the hardest time you've ever had."
At Monty's words, I briefly looked back at the past.
Choosing the hardest thing was difficult. Fighting with Belphegor... or maybe it was Yeranhes. Tyburn was tough, and the fight with Renzo was terrible.
As I was recalling various memories, Monty said,
"This training will be 5% easier than that."
"Do you know what my hardest memory is to say that?"
Moreover, just 5%. If it's only that easy, it's not easy at all. It's quite something.
"But let's take a break for today."
"I can start right away."
"Looking at your face now is more painful and difficult."
I looked at Selena. She was nodding her head repeatedly as if she strongly agreed with Monty's words.
Monty glanced at Selena and said,
"You should learn a lot from that kid. She's closer to a weapon master than you are now."
"What should I learn?"
"Anything. Being a weapon master means being proficient in all weapons. That applies when you hold it yourself, and also when it comes to the opponent's weapon. Weapons may have different shapes, but they all come down to one thing. What do you think that is?"
"…Defeating the opponent, that's what I believe."
I thought it was a violent idea, but Monty nodded his head cleanly.
"The one conclusion that all weapons lead to is that they were made to defeat the enemy. If one can learn that principle, naturally, the skill with all weapons will improve."
"Is there really such a thing? A principle that applies to all weapons?"
"If it could be explained in words, I would have taught it long ago, but in the end, one must experience it to understand. Face as many weapons as possible. You will naturally come to realize something."
I bowed my head deeply and approached Selena.
"Then, I'm counting on you."
"First, take a rest!!"