Raising the Lowest-Ranked Adventurer, the Heroic Girl – Wasn’t I Just a Substitute Old Man?

Raising the Lowest-Ranked Adventurer, the Heroic Girl – Wasn’t I Just a Substitute Old Man?

Volume 4 Chapter 5   Advice and gaze

I turned my gaze towards the young lady who was undergoing training, and it happened to be right after she and Miyano had finished their mock battle.

…It’s over, huh?

Miyano noticed that we were watching and waved her hand lightly in our direction. So, I left the spot and approached Miyano and the others.

It would have been enough to just wave back, but for some reason, I felt it would be better to do more.

“Hey, you two. Good job.”

As I said that while getting closer to them, the young lady turned her face away with a huff.

Seeing her reaction, I thought she was quite angry, but in some way, she resembled Asada when she was feeling embarrassed. So, perhaps she was also feeling embarrassed?

Even so, I don’t know “what” exactly she’s feeling embarrassed about.

“You must be tired too, Igami-san… or maybe not.”

Miyano wiped the sweat off her shirt and looked at me, but her words took a joking turn in the middle.

“Well, technically, I’m just watching, so it’s not really work.”

While it seems that other instructors are sometimes asked for guidance by the students, no one comes to me, so honestly, I’m just observing the training. There’s no reason for me to feel tired.

Well, I suppose if we’re talking about mental fatigue, then maybe I do get tired.

“So, how was it?”

That question is probably about the recent battle with the young lady.

But to be honest, in terms of pure skill, I have nothing to say to Miyano. I mean, from the beginning, I was already inferior to her in terms of swordsmanship.

Yet, I’ve been able to consistently defeat Miyano because I excel in the “way of fighting,” using unexpected moves and strategies.

But in a pure fight like the one she just had, there’s nothing for me to instruct her on.

I can point out her flaws, but I can’t teach her how to fix them.

Besides, I couldn’t find any flaws in this particular battle.

Well, there might be reasons like not paying enough attention or being unable to find any flaws midway through.

Still, if I had to say something…

“It’s not bad. However, even though it might not be appropriate for the current lesson on close combat, I feel that the control of the magic you normally use could still use improvement. Maybe you should try fighting solely with magic?”

Considering this is a lesson focused on close combat, it might not be the right time to bring up magic. But when I think about how she can become stronger, it seems like training in magic battles would be more beneficial than solely focusing on close combat.

She possesses the ability to use both magic and a sword, allowing for a broader range of fighting styles compared to regular Special Class students. However, if the gap between these two skills becomes too wide, it might hinder her progress. Although it would be challenging to master both simultaneously, I thought it would be best to develop them concurrently in order to become stronger.

“Just magic, you say. Indeed, there may be situations where you can’t swing your weapon, like the encounter we had with the jellyfish during the material gathering for the school festival. At that time, you could use your sword when diving into the swarm of jellyfish, but when we were trapped inside the barrier beforehand, magic was our only option.”

“In addition, your magic construction becomes sloppy and the activation is delayed when you swing your sword.”

Miyano sighed and slightly lowered her shoulders as I said that, but I don’t think it’s that bad.

Even if the magic construction becomes sloppy, it’s not something that significantly affects us in actual combat. The impact of being sloppy relates to the range of effectiveness and power, which only becomes a problem if the distance is a factor. When facing an enemy directly in front of us, simply unleashing magic without much precision won’t be a major issue.

And as for the delay in activation, it’s the same. If we’re engaged in swordplay with an enemy in front of us, it’s fine if there’s a slight delay in preparing and executing the magic.

It might be a concern when facing unconventional opponents, but if we are aware of our own shortcomings, we can use it for feints and diversions.

While it can be blocked as a direct attack, training in it is not wrong per se.

However, Miyano is still just around sixteen or seventeen years old. She’s already strong enough as she is, and she’s doing well.

Despite being a girl who should be living a carefree life, she’s been creating wounds and even teetering on the brink of death on a regular basis.

Thanks to that, she can continue as an adventurer and even as a “hero,” even if she doesn’t become any stronger.

That’s what I think… but even so, she won’t stop moving forward, will she?

“One thing… If I determine that you have a decent level of control over magic, I’ll teach you how to activate new magic.”

That’s why I decided to reveal a little secret technique, so to speak, a hidden move.

“New magic, you say?”

“The way to activate it. I’ll explain in detail once I acknowledge your control.”

There are new magic spells that aren’t covered in textbooks or books, but they’re techniques with subtle effects that could be considered exclusive to me.

Besides, even if I were to teach Miyano, it wouldn’t be meaningful since our attributes for magic use don’t align.

That’s why I decided to teach her not the magic itself but how to use magic. It’s quite a challenging technique, so it requires a decent level of magic control to master. But once she does, using magic in combat will become easier than it is now.

“Well then, I’ll do my best!”

Miyano enthusiastically responded to my unexpected words, but at the same time, the bell signaling the end of the class rang.

“Oh, looks like the class is over.”

“Yes, indeed. Today’s session is finished, but are we proceeding as planned afterwards?”

“Yeah. As I mentioned this morning, we’ll gather at the cafeteria first and then head to the training grounds for practice. It’s a bit redundant to return there, but that’s how it goes.”

“Understood. In that case, I’ll take my leave. Goodbye.”

Saying so, Miyano bowed and temporarily moved away from us, heading towards the other students.

However, despite Miyano starting to move back, the young lady who was with us didn’t budge from her spot.

“What’s the matter, young lady? The class is already over, isn’t it?”

“…I am aware.”

With just a brief movement of her eyebrows, the young lady immediately turned her back to me and began walking.

Kudo followed behind her, keeping pace, but midway through, she turned back and looked at me with a furrowed brow, appearing troubled.

Pretending not to notice her gaze, I began moving to leave this place.