Interlude 9
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When Orphelia sees that scene, she simply thinks it is beautiful.
Pure martial skill clashes against martial skill. Even in her state of exhaustion, Eris’s eyes still shine brightly.
Orphelia is deeply shocked by the scene before her.
A whirlwind of complex emotions flashes through her mind in an instant.
The training Eris is doing cannot be imitated.
The intensity and volume are completely different from the solo training Orphelia does. With her training alone, there is no way she can catch up to what those two are doing.
It is crystal clear that if she continues training as she has been, Eris will surpass her very soon.
It is an unpleasant realization.
More than anything, Orphelia finds herself truly envious of Eris.
She had felt a kind of sympathy for Eris, seeing her as a kindred spirit with talent so outstanding that she too could not find a suitable instructor.
It’s a self-centered notion, but Orphelia feels betrayed.
Every time she recalls that scene, even as she apologizes to Simmons in her heart, Orphelia envies from the depths of her soul the man – the master – who reaches out his hand to elevate Eris to a higher plane.
Perhaps due to that shock, Orphelia uncharacteristically gets wasted drinking at a tavern that night, making a fool of herself.
「Ahhh! I can’t do it!」
She later blushes upon learning many people overheard her, but more than that, she’s furious at herself for uttering the words 「I can’t.」
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After that, she continues to frequently visit the Guild’s training hall.
She is somewhat reluctant to use the word 「peeking」, but she is a rather well-known figure and has made a drunken spectacle of herself that quite a few people witnessed.
Regretting this but still bashfully fidgeting, she dons glasses and a simple outfit with her hair in two braids, disguising herself as a common town girl to go observe at the training hall.
Peeking into the training hall, Eris and the man are endlessly sparring. It’s plain to see their training began long before Orphelia arrived.
Eris’s sweat scatters, light refracting off it. As if such things are now trivial, paying them no heed, only the swordplay that has become pure action unfolds.
Even as a fellow woman, Orphelia finds it beautiful.
Eris. Her training. That scene.
And then it happens, at that very moment on that particular day.
As the seemingly infinite clash of blades between the man and Eris becomes so rapid the sounds nearly merge, the man’s sword is ensnared by Eris’s blade, moving with a fluidity Orphelia has never seen before.
Ah, ah, she realizes she cannot defeat Eris as she is now.
The scene before her eyes forces that unpleasant understanding.
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Back when Orphelia discussed skipping ranks with Simmons.
Simmons, whose skill rivaled Orphelia’s at the time, judged that it would be difficult for him to elevate her further and imparted an important training principle. It was:
「See with your heart, etch it in your heart, repeat it in your heart.」
Fortunately, her dynamic visual acuity is keen enough to imitate what she sees at a glance. On top of that, she possesses the dexterity to put it into practice. Her memory is also good enough to mentally repeat it countless times.
Furthermore, in addition to the aforementioned lesson, Simmons taught her: 「If there is someone vastly above you, ‘see, etch, and repeat’ them properly in your mind to improve yourself. That will become your textbook.」
Perhaps because of this, ever since witnessing their training – especially after seeing the moment Eris’s movements transformed – that instantaneous scene flashes across Orphelia’s mind no matter what she’s doing, be it training alone, exploring a dungeon, anything.
As a result, she loses her rhythm and herself.
This leads to her making repeated mistakes while dungeon crawling.
Simmons’s teachings end up tormenting her so.
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This coincides with the time the Hero party, including Eris, conquers the Blade Dungeon, considered the most challenging of challenges.
Before she makes any fatal errors, Orphelia requests a short break.
She has found an answer to what she should do, how she can ascend to the next level.
If falling into a slump from watching them was her fault, and if encountering him allowed Eris to break out of her shell, then Orphelia should go meet him too.
Coming to that conclusion, Orphelia tries to recall the man who faced off against Eris.
The man who crossed swords with her countless times – he has black hair, he’s tall, tall? No, he’s not tall, his face is well-featured if not handsome – no, that’s not it, he has a youthful face that is extremely well-proportioned, well-proportioned? Pl̂ease pl̂ease I d□n’t ◄nderst▲nd b̂ut I ⌂m sørry pl̂ease pl̂ease I d□n’t ◄nderst▲nd b̂ut I ⌂m sørry────
Those details were not so important to Orphelia and thus her memory of them is vague.
But such things matter not at all to the scene of the two training. What’s crucial is the fact that he guided Eris.
If only, somehow, someone would guide me.
Orphelia mutters this like a prayer.
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