Reincarnated as a Sword Vol. 7, page 11
Fran split the final boat in two. Wood splintered in all directions and was consumed by the fires of Elemental Blade. The two halves of the destroyed ship would soon reunite on the seabed.
We can use this.
“Felt good, at least.”
Thor’s Hammer and Ship-Slayer were the easiest methods of boat destruction so far—Thor’s Hammer for lone ships and Ship-Slayer for fleets.
Let’s head back.
“Hm.”
We returned to the Algieba, leaving the pirates to sleep with the fishes. Jerome rushed to Fran like he was going to jump her. He grabbed her hands with one of his and excitedly shook them up and down.
“Now that’s what I wanted to see, Black Lightning Princess!”
Jerome beamed as he heaped praise on her. He was really glad that his ship and crew had escaped unscathed. The sailors welcomed her back with roaring applause. No one showed sympathy for the sunken pirates. In this world, it was kill or be killed.
The adventurers’ mood was a little more subtle. While not terrified, they were quiet with awe. Combat prowess was the criterion of judgment for adventurers, and Fran had just showcased an excessive amount of strength. Everyone could only gape with admiration.
Mordred broke the silence with a wry smirk. “That was insane…I’ve never seen such blatant rank fraud in my life.”
It sounded like a backhanded compliment, but he was probably just being honest in his observation. Fran’s abilities were far above even the strongest C-Rank. The sailors calmed down after a while and fell into formation at Jerome’s command.
“Come on, you lot! Let’s get out of this patch of water!”
“Aye aye, Captain!”
“That was quite a show you gave them.”
The explosive fight had summoned hungry underwater monsters, attracted by both noise and diced-up pirate.
“I think I overdid it.”
“You just took out five boats without so much a scratch! That’s well worth the risk!”
“I do hope you will be more measured next time.”
Unlike his laughing captain, First Mate Buffet was calm and collected. He also had a point. If there was a next time, then we would be more careful.
“I’ll be heading back now.”
“We’re counting on you if we spot more pirates!”
“You got it.”
“Ga ha ha! I’m loving this kid!”
Fran said goodbye and made her way to her room, but she was stopped by three figures who appeared before her.
“W-we have a favor to ask you!”
“Please make us your students!”
Miguel, Riddick, and Naria. The three rookie adventurers fell on their faces.
“We saw that entire fight.”
“We want to get stronger. Way stronger!”
“So please take us as your students!”
The three rookies were genuine in their request, but there was no way Fran could take them on. They were deadweight, and even if they weren’t, Fran’s personality made teaching unlikely. However, she gave it some thought.
“My students?”
“Yes!”
“Please!”
“We’ll do everything you say!”
The three banged their foreheads on the deck to emphasize their point. They waited for Fran’s answer, giving the passing crew members something amusing to look at.
“Hmm…”
Are you actually going to take them in?
No. But it’ll be funny.
Sure, but that doesn’t mean we can take them with us on our trip. They would only slow us down, and there was the chance that they might learn about my existence.
I know.
Just needed to make that clear…so what’s on your mind?
I’ll take them for as long as we’re on the ship.
I guessed that could work. We were in separate rooms, so they probably wouldn’t learn our secret. As long as you’re willing…can you even teach?
Who cares? It’ll be funny.
So that was her main reason.
You need to be upfront and tell them you have no teaching experience. If they’re okay with that, then you can take them in.
“Hm. You can be my students as long as we’re on the ship.”
“R-really?”
“But I’ve never taught anyone before. If you’re okay with that, you can be my students.”
“Sounds good to us!”
“Alright. I have much to teach you.”
“Thank you so much!”
The three rookies bowed, eliciting applause. The crew was apparently invested in our little drama. The rookies deserved to be congratulated, too, since they were willing to swallow their pride and ask a young yet powerful adventurer for help.
“We await your instructions, Teacher!” Riddick declared with natural excitement.
It got him a cold glare from Fran. You’re scaring the guy for being polite now, come on.
“You can’t call me that.”
“Huh? Why not?”
“You just can’t. I am not worthy of it.”
I was touched at the honor she paid me, but “Teacher” was not the greatest title in the world. I didn’t stop her, of course. If they started calling her that, it would only cause confusion.
“Anything but Teacher.”
“A-alright.”
“Figure something out.”
“V-very well.”
The rookies responded to Fran’s grim pressure with a slow nod. They whispered among themselves before presenting Fran with their solution.
“Wh-what about ‘Master’?”
“Master?”
“Y-yes. Will that be okay?”
“Hm. I am Master.”
Fran nodded, clearly liking the ring of it. She repeated, “I am Master,” to herself several times.
“We’ll begin your training immediately,” she said.
“Yes, Master!”
Fran was quite enthusiastic about the whole business. She must quite like her new title. Now, what would she have them do? I wasn’t going to give any feedback. The rookies only had themselves to blame if Fran gave them an outrageous training schedule. I was only here to make sure Fran enjoyed herself.
“First up.”
“Yes?”
“Shadow practice?”
“Shadow practice? Right away!”
Despite the question Fran had put at the end, shadow practice was a good place to start. Maybe she had a knack for teaching? But of course she did—Fran was multitalented!
Miguel and Riddick wasted no time readying their weapons. Miguel swung his greatsword, and Riddick stabbed his spear. Naria was the only one left standing awkwardly still. Her bow was quite difficult to practice without loading. Still, Fran insisted she do the same.
“Sorry, Master, but I happen to be an archer.”
“You only have your bow with you?”
“Pretty much.”
“That won’t do. An enemy would kill you at melee range.”
“So I should pick up some close-quarter weapon?”
“Hm. A dagger will do. Focus on receiving and deflecting rather than attacking. You can even throw it if you need to.”
I was quite surprised at Fran’s instruction. She might actually have a knack for this teaching stuff.
“Understood.”
“You probably won’t get good at it any time soon, but start today.”
“Yes, Master!”
Fran took a rusty dagger out of Pocket Dimension and gave it to Naria. I forgot that we still had one of those. It’d probably belonged to a goblin we killed. “Here.”
“For me?”
“Hm. It’s too rusty to fight with, but you can use it for practice.”
“Thank you very much.”
Fran nodded with approval as Naria took to her training. Although she still hadn’t taught them anything.
“So…do we just keep going?”
“Hm.”
Which was a solid plan of action, really. Shadow practice was effective because you could do it every day. Also, considering that skills leveled up the more you used them, shadow practice was probably a lot more effective than its Terran counterpart.
Fran kept a close eye on her pupils. I was looking forward to seeing how they fared at the end of this voyage.
***
The next morning, the trainees’ day began early in a corner of the deck. That was where Master Fran held her Basics in Battle for Adventurers.
The three were wide awake, a far cry from their lazy posture back in Bulbola. They hadn’t necessarily had a change of heart—Fran’s victory was just the wake-up call they needed. To their credit, maybe they weren’t that lazy, after all. In any case, the rookies were certainly more organized now—maybe because Fran had already Intimidated them, saying, “Can’t you even fall in line, you maggots?”
She’d asked me for advice on training drills the night before and I had inadvertently told her about the marine corps…a regiment she took immediate interest in. Sorry for making your life tougher, you guys.
I quickly told her to use a different tack. I couldn’t bear the rookies looking scared for their lives. Fran complied. Really, she just wanted a framework to base her curriculum on.
“First, you stretch.”
“St-stretch?”
“It must be a powerful training method!”
“Maybe it’ll unlock our mana channels…”
The trainees locked on to the idea. I guessed stretching was unheard of in this world. While they did loosen up before a physical activity, they had never heard of an activity solely dedicated to it. When we’d first met, I had to tell Fran how to stretch. Now, it was her turn to pass it on.
“It warms you up before exercising.”
“I see. And that’s a good thing?”
“Hm.”
“Very interesting. So how is that a good thing?”
“Warming up your body just makes you better,” Fran said.
“I’m sorry, but better how? Can you give us any examples?”
“Hm? You’re just better.”
I told her the benefits of warming up when we met, but Fran had already forgotten. She knew that it allowed you to move and feel better during training, and that was what mattered. Her trainees followed her cue. I thought they would’ve gotten tired of Fran’s vague instructions, but they did as they were told.
“Uhh…is this really necessary?”
“Of course it is, idiot! Do I need to remind you who’s teaching us?!”
“R-right.”
“We’re probably not feeling the effects because of our low rank.”
“Y-yeah. If the Black Lightning Princess does it, it must be powerful!”
“Yes. I’m sure it’ll pay off at some point.”
“That’s right! Maybe our master is so strong thanks to this stretching thing!”
“I see! So this training routine has hidden effects that we can’t feel yet!”
“I’m sure of it!”
“Now I’m pumped!”
No, it really was nothing special. At most, stretching prevented you from getting injured. I guess you could argue that allowed you to train harder, but still.
“Teacher taught me this stretching.”
“Teacher? Is that your master?”
“Hm.”
“What’s he like?”
“Teacher is the world’s best teacher. I got all my powers from him.”
“Wow! He must be an amazing warrior!”
“He’s the best ever.”
“And if that great warrior came up with stretching—”
“Then it must have powerful effects!”
“Now I’m really pumped!”
The three trainees stretched enthusiastically, which sort of defeated the purpose. Fran corrected their form and told them to take it slowly. The trainees received her advice with almost euphoric adoration. For Fran to stoop so low and give them instruction was an action worthy of deep respect. Their enthusiasm soon disappeared after Fran told them about the next item on the menu.
“Now, we spar.”
“What?”
“Seriously?”
“Wh-who are we sparring with?”
The memory of their first sparring session was still painfully fresh in their minds. They hoped that they wouldn’t have to go up against their master. Maybe she would make them fight each other.
Fran wasted no time in dashing their hopes. “Hm. You’ll all go one-on-one with me.”
“Very well…”
“You can go first, Naria”
“Excuse me, I thought you were the leader!”
“I am also a gentleman who believes in ladies first.”
“Way to be chivalrous, Riddick!”
As the three bickered over who would be first on the chopping block, Fran pointed to Miguel and settled the issue. “Greatsword. You first.”
“S-seriously?”
“Hurry up.”
“Yes, Master!”
“Show her what you’re made of, big guy.”
“And try not to die.”
“Y-you bastards are going next, don’t forget that!” Miguel stepped forward with despair written all over his face.
“Come at me.”
“Alright! Raaargh!”
Miguel slashed his greatsword down. He didn’t hesitate, knowing the difference in their strength. His swing was powerful enough to split an ordinary man clean in two. He held nothing back, but Fran saw through his attack. It was easy to dodge, and even easier to block.
The crew watching the spectacle were horrified, of course. To them, it looked like the guy with the greatsword was trying to chop the little girl in half. Not all of them knew the extent of Fran’s abilities yet. The crew were already bewildered at adults receiving instruction from a little girl, and now they gasped in horror. Fortunately, the horror they imagined never happened.
“Your stroke is too long.”
Fran dodged by a hair’s breadth, her bangs fluttering in Miguel’s missed swing. She actually had a lot of time to evade. Even if Miguel had managed to change trajectory midswing, she would still have had time to dodge. That was the difference in their strength.
“Yaah!”
“Having a strong first attack is important, but it won’t do you any good if you miss.”
“Dammit!”
“Use shorter strokes.”
“Haaa!”
“Your footwork needs work, too.”
“Urgh!”
Fran dodged Miguel’s attacks and made no attempt to retaliate. She struck him from time to time to show him his weak points. The sailors were shocked, but Miguel was quite pleased that Fran instructed him so seriously. The match carried on for another ten minutes before Miguel collapsed with exhaustion.
“Hm. Your last few moves were alright.”
“Th-thank you, Master!”
“Lancer, you’re up next.”
“Yes, Master!”
Another fierce sparring match began, with Riddick as her opponent. Unlike Miguel, Riddick was more precise and aimed specifically for his opponent’s weak points. But, as methodical as his stabs were, they were too clean. Fran saw right through them.
“Your attacks are too predictable.”
“Kuh!”
“I can see all your moves. Play a bit more.”
“Haaa!”
“That was good, if a bit slow.”
Fran continued to dodge Riddick’s attacks, touching parts of his body that he left open. She wanted to show that he would’ve been killed ten times over in a real fight. Eventually, Fran drained the lancer of his stamina, and he fell to the floor.
Finally, we had Naria. The archer wasn’t going to spar with her bow; rather she would make an attempt with her newly acquired dagger skills. It wasn’t safe to spar with a bow and arrow on the wide-open deck. The crew could get caught in the crossfire. And anyway, Fran had more experience with bladed weapons.
She dodged Naria’s attacks easily, but she was more on the offensive this time. She wanted to teach the archer how to defend at close range.
“Focus on deflecting rather than attacking.”
“Alright!”
“If you can’t block, then dodge.”
“Ow!”
“You’re only using the dagger to buy time.”
Naria went down faster than Miguel and Riddick. There was no shame in it—she was using an unfamiliar weapon, and Fran was quite relentless. The three of them sat on deck, panting from exhaustion.
Fran looked satisfied. “Archer, keep training with the dagger.”
“Okay!”
“Greatsword, Lancer, you need to clean up your footwork.”
The three rookies nodded. They’d learned a lot from a single sparring match. I also noticed something else about them.
“Archer, you can start practicing with your bow again if you want.”
Greatsword, Lancer, and Archer. I was quite sure that Fran had forgotten their names. Well, that was how she treated anyone who didn’t interest her. I wondered if Fran would remember their names by the end of the voyage.
***
The next day, Fran continued to instruct her temporary trainees. Stretching, beltwork, shadow practice, then sparring. They were cooling down when the alarm bells rang. Four times. We had more pirates on our tail.
“M-Master, let’s go!”
“Dammit! Pirates again? I thought they stayed away from the Kraken’s Nest!”
“We might be up against an armada with the manatech to ward off Krakens.”
“Seriously?! That’s awful!”
“Calm down! You saw how Master took on five pirate ships by herself.”
“Y-you’re right.”
Fran told her pupils to wait and headed to the bow of the ship. She found Jerome peeking through his telescope. “How many?”
“Fran, glad you could make it. Twelve. There’s a big one among them, too.”
Twelve? That was quite a lot.
“They have the same flag as the five boats you sank yesterday.”
“So they’re related?”
“Definitely. Looks like they’re running this territory.”
“And this is the main fleet?”
“By the looks of it, yeah…” Jerome said with more than a hint of dissatisfaction.
