A Medieval Knight in a Martial Arts Novel

Huh.

The training ground facilities are quite good.

I marveled at the neatly organized training ground.

Indeed, when you compare this period in China to the medieval West, the difference is huge. Over there, unless you’re from a fairly well-off family, you’d never even see a well-laid stone floor.

The Dark Ages really have no answers.

If I’d been dropped into the Renaissance era, it would have been much better.

“Amazing.”

“Ho ho, Hainan Sword Sect’s facilities are the best in Hainan!”

Hye-ryeong, hearing my admiration, puffed out her chest proudly with her hand on her hip. Her response was brimming with pride for her sect. With a smirk, I asked her:

“Can I borrow a wooden practice sword? Preferably the largest one you have.”

“Just a moment!”

Considering the average build of martial artists, a longer wooden sword would suit my height.

At my request, Hye-ryeong nodded furiously before trotting over to the weapon storage at the corner of the training ground. She returned with a wooden sword that was clearly longer than the rest, handing it to me.

“This is the longest wooden sword we have!”

It wasn’t quite as long as an arming sword, but similar in length to a longsword. I took the wooden sword from her and swung it up and down using only my wrist.

The center of gravity feels a bit different, being made of wood.

The handle is a bit short too.

“…Now that I think about it, I haven’t used a wooden sword in a while.”

“Eh? Don’t they use wooden swords for practice in the Western Regions?”

Hye-ryeong asked, surprised.

In the Martial Realm, that must sound pretty strange.

She stared at me curiously, as if to say, “How do you practice without wooden swords?”

“For practice, we use an iron sword. It doesn’t have an edge and is incredibly narrow, so it’s more like a stick than a sword. In fact, it’s less lethal than a wooden sword.”

The blade is so thin that it can neither slice nor stab effectively. Since the blade itself is so thin, there’s almost no risk of injury during practice, so we used it extensively during our apprenticeship as knights. I barely touched it, being thrown into actual combat after only about two months of training, but it was invaluable for mastering the basics of swordsmanship.

Though adapting to the standard sword later caused me some trouble.

“I’d like to see the swords of the Western Regions someday!”

“It’ll happen if we get the chance.”

Barring the unlikely event that trading ships bring Western swords.

“Shall we loosen up a bit then?”

I slowly walked to the center of the training ground.

Hye-ryeong followed me, then suddenly remembered something and exclaimed.

She quickly turned around and apologized with a voice full of regret.

“I’m sorry! I almost peered at your martial arts.”

“Don’t worry about it. I can’t perform anything as grand as what they call martial arts in the Central Plains right now anyway.”

Isn’t it a taboo in the Martial Realm to watch someone else train?

Upon reflection, I think there was some unspoken rule like that. However, in the Western world, unless it was some secret technique, it wasn’t something people were overly concerned about.

“So, don’t worry and feel free to watch.”

“But… still…”

“If you feel uneasy, you could keep your back turned.”

“Umm…”

It seemed that Hye-ryeong was conflicted between the Martial Realm’s implicit unwritten rules and her curiosity.

Why worry even though I’ve given my permission? Just watch.

Typical Martial Realm behavior.

“Then, I’ll go ahead and begin!”

“You don’t need to make such a fuss.”

Then, let me swing it once.

I closed my eyes and gripped the wooden sword’s hilt with both hands. The sensation was clearly different from an iron sword. The wood was hard, which felt a little off.

I extended my right leg forward and slightly bent my knees. Then, keeping the blade parallel to the ground, I raised the wooden sword over my head.

This was one of the fundamental stances I had learned.

Depending on the situation, one could defend against an opponent’s attack by swinging the sword clockwise or counterclockwise, which was the essence of knightly swordsmanship.

I moved the sword in a series of upper, middle, lower, middle, and upper cuts, switching positions, before lowering the sword.

My body feels heavy.

I sighed, feeling the unpleasant sensation of sweat soaking through my clothes.

Even just going through these slow movements, I was drenched in cold sweat, an indication of my poor condition.

“This is the basic swordsmanship taught in the West, or as you call it, the Western Regions.”

“Does the Western Region not have specific techniques?”

“It’s more the exclusive domain of Greek-style schools.”

I still get chills thinking about those Greek guys. Their swordsmanship was at the pinnacle of complexity.

Why in the world did they try to express the Pythagorean theorem through swordsmanship?

I clicked my tongue recalling my duel with a knight of the Pythagorean school from long ago. It wasn’t entirely useless, but it wasn’t a pleasant memory.

“Amazing! The swordsmanship of the Western Region is very different from ours!”

I scratched my head and nodded while wondering if it was truly that different, but she was right—it was.

It was also why I hadn’t considered myself part of a wuxia world.

“For now, that’s all I can manage today. Sorry, but let’s finish here for today.”

“Yes!”

I planned to come back to the training ground to loosen up my body whenever possible. It would be better than lying around like a sick person.

I wiped the handle of the wooden sword with my clothes and inserted it back into the weapon storage.

—

It feels like I’ve recovered to about two-thirds.

That was my impression after a week since I started my rehabilitation training.

Was it because the Sect Leader of the Hainan Sword Sect gave me a medicine that was good for restoring meridians? My condition was improving faster than expected.

At this rate, my body will be fully recovered within a week.

There could be no better good fortune from my perspective.

The faster my body heals, the more time I’ll have to prepare against the Demonic Sect.

“Here’s a towel!”

“You don’t need to attend to me. Just relax.”

“It’s my duty as a disciple of the Sect Leader to take care of the Sect’s guest.”

It’s reasonable, but why you? It’s not like we’re rivals.

The disciples’ gazes are increasingly filled with suspicion.

At this rate, I’ll end up with the title of ‘Immoral Colored-Eyed Person who lured the Sect Leader’s youngest disciple.’

That title is definitely not something I desire. While I don’t dislike women, I’m far from being so corrupted to be looked at in that way by someone who has helped me.

I am a knight who upholds some form of chivalry towards ladies.

Although, in this place, I haven’t met too many ladies aside from a few burly female knights.

“You’re good with words. Good.”

“Hehe.”

Hye-ryeong, laughing off my scolding effortlessly, probably because she’s in the invincible position of the youngest disciple. She knows she won’t be pressed to explain herself.

Thinking I’d let her get away with it, she seemed to check my reaction and then shouted, flapping her arms.

“Ahn! Let’s go eat!”

“Alright, stop making such a fuss. Are you a penguin?”

“Pen-gu-in? What’s that?”

“There’s an animal that looks like you.”

You act just like a penguin. Curious, flapping your arms when excited, and your hair color is somewhat similar. Thinking about it, if a penguin could transform into a human, it would probably look like this.

“Is it some strange animal?”

The way she questioned it was as if to say ‘What if it’s a strange creature?’

Why does that matter so much?

“It’s a cute animal, so don’t worry.”

“Are you flirting with me? I’m not that kind of easy girl, you know?”

How did it end up like this?

I wanted to punch her.

But as a guest, I couldn’t hit the youngest disciple of the host. If there were unnecessary misunderstandings, it would only cause trouble for me. I stifled the urge and turned away.

“Let’s go eat.”

“Let’s go together!”

I walked along the now familiar path to the dining hall. The hall was bustling with martial artists who had finished their training. Apparently, we’d arrived at the busiest time.

We barely found a spot to sit. Hye-ryeong, who had been eagerly waiting for mealtime, looked toward the kitchen excitedly. Our table would soon be set.

We waited for the meal while indulging in light banter as always.

Well, it was more like Hye-ryeong endlessly chattered and I responded intermittently.

We finished our normal meal and were about to leave when I felt someone approaching. I instinctively placed my hand on my waist.

Oh right, no sword.

“Hello there.”

A bow.

I awkwardly mimicked the gesture and looked at the martial artist in front of me.

“Brother Mu-gwang? What’s the matter?”

At the sharp tone in my voice, I glanced at Hye-ryeong, who was glaring at the young man referred to as Brother Mu-gwang.

Another troublemaker appearing after Hye-ryeong?

“Miss Hye-ryeong, may I have a brief word with this young man?”

The youth named Mu-gwang earnestly asked Hye-ryeong for permission, as if there was something important he needed to say to me.

“The sect elder already warned you not to bother the guest.”

“How can I bear it when someone who walks the way of the sword from the Western Regions is here!”

Ah, so that’s it.

I clicked my tongue at the clichéd appearance of the “sword enthusiast” from wuxia novels.

“Hey!”

The man, known as Brother Mu-gwang, earnestly asked Hye-ryeong for a moment’s conversation with the guest. It was clear he had something important to say to me.

“Sir, the senior told you not to bother the guest!”

“Shouldn’t I at least challenge the art when someone from the West wielding a blade arrives?”

Hah, so it’s come to this.

I clicked my tongue at the classic trope — the ‘sword fanatic’ straight out of martial arts novels.

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