Unchanged Samurai In Another World

Episode 19: Adventurer, Reveal Your Magic

After finishing the mock battle with Cross, Franz decided to sit on the ground and watch his companions’ battle. Though he was told to run all the way up the hill, his legs wouldn’t move without a short rest.

“Everyone! Keep it up!”

They had engaged in mock battles among themselves before. But this was the first time he was watching all three of them fight in tandem without him. During the battle with the Giant, the situation was too dire to relax and watch. Now, he wondered what would unfold.

“Are you ready?”

“Yeah! Come at me anytime!!”

“Revenge for Franz!”

“We’re going to do it!”

Behind Barth, who firmly held his shield, stood Mauri and Pamela, each readying their weapons. This was the basic formation of the Wilderness Guardians, where the front line restrains the enemy, and the rear line capitalizes on the opening to attack.

“Pamela and Mauri, act as if you’re going to take me down. Barth, protect them from me. Let’s begin.”

Cross sent the starting signal from a distance and immediately sprinted forward with wind-like speed.

“Mauri!”

“Roger!”

Mauri launched a restraining arrow—but it was effortlessly knocked down by Cross’s sword. Cross’s speed did not falter in the slightest.

“Damn…! That guy’s arrows aren’t working! He’s coming!”

It was too close now; it was impossible to use the bow.

“Don’t give up! Keep restraining him with knives!”

Reacting to Barth’s voice, Mauri pulled out throwing knives—but at the same time, Cross began moving erratically. He halted his advance, crouched low, and began rapidly shifting left and right.

“……What’s he doing? Trying to confuse us…—Ah!”

At first, it didn’t make sense, but when I looked back, it clicked. Mauri was still holding the knife, unable to throw it, and clearly floundering.

I see. He’s using Barth as a wall, lining him up in his line of fire.

Meanwhile, Pamela’s voice rang out.

“We can do it!”

While the front line buys time, Pamela prepares and unleashes her maximum firepower—this was their usual strategy. Would it work on Cross?

“This distance shouldn’t be an issue! Let’s go!”

“I’m firing! Fire Cannon!”

The miracle of the Fire Cannon. Though it has low power, its projectile speed is fast, and it creates a whirlwind of small flames for area attacks.

“——Huh?”

That’s right. Did Cross even know about magic?

Looking at him, as expected, his eyes widened in astonishment, and he exaggeratedly distanced himself to evade. The Fire Cannon detonated considerably ahead of Cross, igniting the ground.

“……What is this? Strange…”

Shit. He didn’t know about magic after all.

If he was a person from this country, he would immediately recognize anyone holding a staff as a magician. However, he came from a place without monsters, so it wasn’t odd that he didn’t know about magic. I should’ve informed him beforehand.

After observing the burning ground for a moment, Cross turned back around and resumed his advance. Barth caught his gaze, flinched for an instant, and readjusted his shield.

“What is it?”

Though Barth assumed he had received an attack, there was no visible change in Cross. In fact, Cross seemed more cautious after witnessing Pamela’s magic, slowly advancing.

“Oi!”

Just as Cross slowed his speed, Mauri’s knives attacked. But they still didn’t hit—moreover, he grabbed one out of mid-air and threw it back.

“Barth!”

“O-Okay!”

Barth deflected it with his shield, but during that time, Cross closed the distance. Now Pamela couldn’t use her magic.

Once he reached Barth, Cross began his attack with kicks, not his sword. A powerful front kick embedded itself into the shield.

“Guhhh!”

Though Barth braced his legs and endured, he was slowly pushed back with every kick.

This was the flaw of the Wilderness Guardians. Since Franz was the only one skilled in close combat, once the mid-range and long-range fighters like Mauri and Pamela were pressed this close, they had no means of attack.

Afterward, it was a one-sided battle. Pushing past Barth, Cross swiftly flanked and directly targeted the rear guards. Both Mauri with his knives and Pamela with her staff resisted, but they were rear guards. Compared to Franz’s time, Cross moved more slowly, yet both still couldn’t keep up, and they quickly fell in defeat.

It was time for feedback.

“First, Barth, you did well for being the wall. Even when I kicked with all my might a few times, you didn’t drop your shield. Breaking through that defense would require considerable striking power. Plus, you showed great courage. After Pamela’s attack, I briefly directed a killing intent towards you, and you held up well.”

“Thought I’d crumble… I felt more pressure than when I locked eyes with the Giant.”

So that’s what caused Barth’s unease earlier. Indeed, facing the full brunt of Cross’s hostility would be unimaginable.

“Next, your weaknesses. You focused too much on the enemy. You need to be more aware of your companions’ positioning. Defense is important, but if it obstructs allies’ attacks, it reduces the overall number of offensive opportunities. Also, your lack of agility is your biggest flaw. Never let enemies outmaneuver your team. You won’t be able to handle fast enemies like that.”

Barth’s strong defenses stemmed from the low center of gravity unique to the blacksmiths and were reinforced by heavy armor and a large shield. However, this made him less mobile.

“Barth, you need to undergo the same foot and lower-body training as Franz. We’ll work on your explosive power. And to get accustomed to fast enemies, you and I will engage in intensive mock battles.”

“More of that…? Just me…?”

His announcement left Barth looking utterly despondent.

Another battle with Cross… Barth, don’t die on me.

“Next, Mauri. Your strengths are long-range attacks with the bow and mid-range attacks with throwing knives. You showed commendable accuracy against a fast-moving target. Your decision to aim at hard-to-block foot targets to halt my advance was wise.”

Even if he might be inferior to Cross, Mauri’s archery skills were decent—he’d even shot down flying birds before.

“Your flaw is that without direction, your movements slow considerably. You were the most affected by Franz’s absence. Take more initiative to guide your teammates. Don’t assume others will always adjust to you. In the heat of battle, one’s focus is often drawn to the enemies right in front of them. If you continue fighting this way, you’re liable to turn on each other.”

“So… I should’ve told Barth to clear my line of fire when I threw the knife…”

Normally, Franz provided detailed instructions during their teamwork, so this was a side effect. During the fight with the Giant, their coordination collapsed the moment Franz stepped away.

“Additionally, this applies to Pamela as well—you both have slow reload times and are too weak in close combat. While role division is important for an adventurer party, at the very least, you need to master the basics of self-defense.”

“But… This close combat was too tough this time! Cross is too fast!”

Mauri frantically defended himself, and Pamela agreed, nodding vigorously.

“Franz, did my movements seem that fast to you?”

“No, if anything, it seemed slower than when I fought you…”

“Eh?! No way! It was way faster than when Franz fought!”

—What’s going on?

It was incomprehensible. There was a difference in how Cross’s speed was perceived between those fighting and those observing.

“I fought you both at the same speed. You found it faster because I read your movements and attacked preemptively.”

“Read our movements…?”

“Yes. All living beings have a rhythm to their actions. Right before an attack, living beings always inhale. There’s no one who exhales and then attacks. Similarly, an attack’s rhythm can be gauged through muscle movements and eye direction. You didn’t conceal such movements, essentially announcing, ‘I’m about to attack.’ This state is called ‘being read,’ and when that happens, attacks feel disproportionately fast.”

So… our initial movements were completely transparent, and Cross had outpaced us. Honestly, it’s hard to believe even after the explanation.

“Combat between warriors is based on the art of reading these rhythms. The ideal is no rhythm, but techniques exist to mislead or exploit rhythms—set rhythm, continuous rhythm, decoy rhythm, chaotic rhythm, shadow rhythm, combined rhythm, and more… No, that’s too advanced for now.”

Though a barrage of difficult terms was thrown out…

Essentially, he’s saying the timing of attacks is crucial.

“This applies to you too, Franz. You focus too much on the enemy’s hands and weapons. The rhythm of an attack is most evident in the eyes, shoulders, and knees. Try observing the whole body, not just parts of it. In the world of warriors, there’s a saying: ‘One Eye, Two Feet, Three Courage, Four Strength.’ The saying, in order, emphasizes: observing the opponent as the top priority, followed by footwork, then courage, and finally strength. It’s a phrase that prioritizes important elements during swordsmanship training. Keep it in mind.”

When fighting Cross, I had the distinct feeling of being intensely observed… So, it was about observing the opponent’s insight—this ability must apply not just to humanoid combat but to battles with monsters too.

“Getting back to the matter, Mauri, we’ll improve on your strengths with archery and throwing knives. Additionally, I’ll teach you close-combat skills with small weapons. The goal is to buy enough time until Franz can regroup, even if he goes down.”

“Great! You’re really gonna teach me bow techniques!? Sweet!”

Mauri is jumping around in excitement, but does he realize that he’s been tasked with mastering more skills than myself or Barth?

“Finally, Pamela. What was that flame? That was an impressive technique, wasn’t it? I knew an attack was coming when you yelled ‘I’m firing!’ but still, I was caught off-guard… Oh, by the way, you shouldn’t warn the enemy like that.”

“A… Ah! That was a bad habit from fighting regular monsters… By the way, you didn’t know about magic either, did you? Are there no magicians in Nihon?”

…Pamela, trying to shift the subject.

“Magicians, huh. In my country, we had folks called Yin Yang Masters, Diviners, and Curse Masters, but I’ve never met one. I’ve heard they harm others with mysterious curses or control transformations, but I always thought it was exaggerated…”

“Magic in this country is a well-known ‘technology.’ Not everyone can use it, but there are a fair amount of practitioners. Even I have an affinity for earth magic.”

“Affinity?”

“I’ll explain it since I’m a graduate of the magic academy! Magic fundamentally has six attributes: Fire, Water, Wind, Earth, Light, and Darkness. Each person’s affinity and the strength of their abilities vary!”

“So, Pamela, you have an affinity for Fire magic?”

“Right. Furthermore, people who can use their power for attacks are called Magicians. I can barely use light magic, but since it’s weak for me, I’m not considered a proper one. In our group, only Pamela qualifies as a true magician.”

“There are people who are proficient in multiple attributes. They’re called Great Magicians—every magician aspires to be one!”

“Got it. What about Mauri?”

“I can’t use it. They say that if you have the innate ability, you can wield magic even without training. Conversely, if you don’t, it remains completely incomprehensible.”

“Is that so… I have no clue either.”

“Then, it seems you lack any magical affinity. Even if Pamela’s powerful spells require proper training, those with an affinity will naturally understand how to use magic over time. Like this—”

Barth touched the ground, and the area turned muddy—The Miracle of Marshlands.

“Interesting… It might be useless in one-on-one combat due to the large openings, but in group fights or chaos, it could become a real threat. Though I couldn’t use it, wielding such magic sure seems fun. Oh, and Pamela’s training—”

Cross spun around, and Pamela awkwardly averted her gaze.

“You didn’t forget, did you?”

“Of course not. You share the same weakness as Mauri: slow firing and weakness in close combat. Unfortunately, I can’t teach you magic, so I can’t offer advice on improving firing speed. For close combat, I’ll teach you staff techniques and grappling skills. We’ll focus on skills that use minimal strength to unbalance opponents.”

Thus began the Wilderness Guardians’ hellish days of training.

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