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As the class began, I stood before the students.

"Today, I will be talking to you all about the proper way to cut."

With nearly 200 students gathered, the lecture always had to be held in the auditorium.

And on the second floor of the auditorium.

In a secluded spot, Viscountess Telmasier stood quietly, observing the class.

To be precise, her gaze was fixed on Freizier and no one else.

"There are many ways to cut. Everyone cuts in their own way, using their own trajectory."

I gestured to Instructor Jessie.

At that, the instructor swung her wooden sword in the air in various ways.

A free cut with no purpose or form.

Still, as befitted her position as an instructor, each and every cut was clean.

"But a proper cut is one that clearly shows its purpose. Instructor. Your stance, please."

At my request, Jessie assumed a proper stance again.

It was Instructor Jessie’s basic stance for utilizing a giant two-handed sword.

A sword that covered the entire body, but one that emphasized attack over defense.

Considering Instructor Jessie's physical condition, it was likely a swordsmanship style that she had imitated from her father, who was large and strong, rather than creating it herself.

Perhaps for that reason, her swordsmanship had a somewhat unbalanced feel when I first saw it.

'That's what tells the story of Instructor Jessie's life.'

Her father was said to be a Danseung noble knight.

That meant he was someone who had received a title for his merits in war.

And to establish merits in war during such times, one usually had to stand at the very front and slaughter the enemy.

As her older siblings watched and imitated the swordsmanship tailored for that purpose, they must have lost the balance of offense and defense to suit their bodies.

And after polishing that for a long time, she became the Instructor Jessie of today.

'I have to maintain the core of the attack while supplementing the defense to create balance.'

So, for the past week after the test, I had completely overhauled Instructor Jessie’s swordsmanship.

Perhaps because of that, her current stance showed many improvements compared to when I first saw it.

'Since it's a giant sword, a basic stance that can block most of the body's weaknesses.'

I corrected the angle so that even without taking a defensive stance, the basic stance before the sword moved could defend the body's weak points.

'Still, she has the strength to swing a large sword continuously, so when she cuts once, it has to be a sure cut.'

I made it so that she could utilize her muscles to the fullest within the range of motion of her joints and wrists, allowing her arms to move easily with her entire upper body.

For a sword like this, flexible elasticity along with strength was important.

'The stance is also slightly slanted.'

With her body positioned obliquely behind a sword like this, it gave the impression that not just her weak points, but her entire body was hidden behind the sword.

By not turning completely sideways, but just slightly slanting her body, a little more stability was established.

"Wow..."

A small exclamation of admiration came from the returning students.

"The openings have gotten much smaller."

"That's awesome. Did Teacher Cassian fix it?"

"How did that stance become like that?"

I could hear the students murmuring among themselves, exchanging their opinions.

Personally, it was a somewhat gratifying sight.

It was certainly nice to be recognized for my effective teaching.

But what made me feel even better was that the students' eyes for swordsmanship had improved.

Just six months ago, the students couldn't distinguish between good and bad swordsmanship.

Not just the freshmen, but many of the current advancement and graduation class students couldn't do this.

The reason their eyes were opened was because they had developed a standard for what constitutes good and bad swordsmanship.

'That's why the basics are so important.'

The basics become the standard for judging good and bad.

Why the standing foot should be positioned there.

Why opening and closing the shoulders is important.

Why the chin and gaze should be handled that way, and what the role of the opposite arm that isn't swinging the sword is.

The returning students had come to understand this thanks to repeating the basic training for several months.

'Something feels tingly.'

I felt a strange sensation in a corner of my chest.

Seeing the students' growth was a much greater reward than hearing praise for my teaching.

I composed myself and spoke to Instructor Jessie.

"Vertical cut."

As soon as I finished speaking, Instructor Jessie showed a clean vertical cut.

During the process of swinging the sword, a slightly turbid, milky aura appeared on the sword and then quickly disappeared.

But because of that brief light, a trajectory of the wooden sword's path remained in the air.

It was a beautiful trajectory, like a giant flying beast such as a wyvern or a griffin piercing through the clouds.

"Woah."

An even longer and more wistful sigh of admiration came from all sides.

"Pan. Who do you think Instructor Jessie just cut?"

"Uh, I think she cut someone who looked to be about 170cm tall, and had a rather slender body."

Somehow, the conditions he described felt strangely similar to the regressors around me.

I forced myself to shake off the unsettling feeling and spoke.

"Instructor Jessie. Is that correct?"

"Yes, yessir! That's right! I was thinking of Guard Captain Rozalin!"

...Hmm. I should tell Rozalin to bully Jessie a little less later.

"Like this, we will practice cutting with a clear purpose of who and how to cut, not just cutting without any thought. To feel this, your mind must not be complicated."

If you try to grasp everything, you will grasp nothing.

The same was true for swordsmanship.

I don't know if these students will have outstanding skills later on, but for now, they had to put all their effort into a single swing of the sword.

"With this swordsmanship, I want to cut orcs and harpies, and I also want to defeat large monsters like trolls or ogres. I want to beat Pan-senpai and Bridget-senpai... you must get rid of such idle thoughts and swing the sword. Instructor Jessie."

At my words, Instructor Jessie raised her sword again and showed a vertical cut.

If her previous swordsmanship was a very fast, clean, and honest vertical cut, this time, it was a demonstration of it at a very slow speed.

It was so slow that one could catch the descending sword with a slowly extended hand.

"Ooh."

However, the students with keen eyes burst into admiration.

Because she swung it slowly, every detail was clear.

There was no extraneous movement in the process from swinging the sword to bringing it down.

'Clean.'

For someone who had trained alone, her honest swordsmanship without any bad habits was a strength.

"You all have worked hard on your basic physical training to catch harpies. And you have corrected your swordsmanship stances. Now, the real class begins. Using the method you are most confident in among your swordsmanship skills, set a single enemy as your target and cut them."

"Do we just have to cut?"

"You can just keep swinging your sword in place. I will walk around and point out things about each person's sword."

As soon as I finished speaking, the students spread out and began to swing their swords one by one.

I started by slowly observing the swords of the students in front.

"Think more about the direction your sword is heading. Will the opponent block my sword? Dodge it? Deflect it? Instead of worrying about that, think more before you swing the sword, be confident of that person's weakness, and then swing."

"What if I don't know their weakness?"

"Then you have to think a little more about how to break their current stance as you swing."

I guided them slowly, observing their stances and mindset.

As the returning students diligently devoted themselves to training, the freshmen also seriously engaged in their training.

Before heading to the freshmen, I gave a signal with my eyes to Viscountess Telmasier on the second floor.

After confirming that she was slowly heading towards the stairs, I immediately moved towards Freizier.

"Stance."

At my words, Freizier assumed a stance with a serious expression.

Looking at her stance alone, Freizier had no particularly outstanding points compared to the other freshmen.

Just average.

A normal skill without any rough edges.

'But to put it another way, I don't feel any rough edges in this stance.'

Freizier’s stance felt very solid, perhaps thanks to a lot of practice.

There were traces everywhere of her effort to understand how her body moved.

"You've worked hard."

Did my words touch something in Freizier?

I could see her eyes welling up and turning red.

'Sometimes, there are students who need comfort like this.'

Students who are not good at studying but always try their best.

Students whose results are somewhat lacking, but who cling desperately to the meaning of working hard itself.

Whenever I see such students, I feel a sense of pity.

And such students are often comforted by a single word of praise, welling up and shedding tears.

"I'm sorry, I must be crazy, why am I like this, there's no reason to cry..."

"Stance again. You're losing your form. You were going to show me your sword, weren't you?"

At my words, Freizier bit her lower lip and raised her sword.

Her tear-filled eyes stared intently at the empty air.

"Vertical cut."

At my words, her sword fell straight down from the air.

It was a good trajectory, but there was a problem.

"What did you cut?"

At my question, Freizier hesitated with her mouth shut.

And in the meantime, Viscountess Telmasier, who had come down from the second floor, was standing behind Freizier.

The students, at the sudden appearance of the viscountess, shut their mouths and tactfully moved to the left and right.

Because of the quiet movement, Freizier was unaware that her mother had come behind her.

"You cut yourself."

At my words, Freizier’s wet eyes trembled.

Freizier’s sword was precisely aimed at Freizier’s own weakness.

A sword that aimed for the same height, the same stance, and the same weakness.

It was a sword as if she were self-harming.

At my words, Viscountess Telmasier, who was standing behind Freizier, also looked at her daughter with trembling eyes.

"I think you're misunderstanding, teacher, I don't hate myself. I like myself."

"Then why did you cut yourself?"

"It's just... I like the future me more than the current me."

She fidgeted with her fingers as if making a shy confession.

A faint wetness remained in her voice.

"At home... especially my mother, she doesn't really like me swinging a sword. But I like the sword. It's fun, and... while swinging this, I can imagine going outside freely, not just being at home, so that's why."

"Is that why you're clinging to the sword?"

"Yes."

Even if she was sobbing, shedding tears, and wet.

Within her, a tree that would grow strong held a firm resolve.

"I just, wanted to cut myself down and move forward. Not anyone else, but me."

I liked a tree like that.

"Hold your sword. Breathe deeply. Largely."

At my words, Freizier holds her sword.

I deliberately started giving instructions that were too difficult for Freizier to do right now.

"Get rid of your idle thoughts. Don't think about the you of now. Rather, think about the you of the future. Believe that even the best future you can imagine can be cut by the you of now."

"Is that possible?"

"Think of your feet as tree roots. You're going to swing a heavy sword, not a light one. A sword that cuts down the future is not easy."

I help her to root herself more deeply.

"Don't try to cut down your swordsmanship or your habits. Rather, think of breaking down the entire wall that is blocking you and strike strongly. A clumsy trajectory will just bounce off the wall."

"Where should I aim?"

"Anywhere. Believe that where you aim is the right answer and swing."

I help her to spread her branches wider.

Just by speaking, my throat vibrated painfully.

I could taste blood in my throat.

But that's why I knew.

This time too, a faint magic was imbued in my voice.

Even without looking around, I could feel my words spreading to all the surrounding students.

I take their concentration as a single flow and transmit it to Freizier.

"If you have faith in yourself, cut!"

At my final shout, Freizier swung her sword down.

Whoosh.

A shrill sound like a whistle flowed from where the sword had passed.

And in that trajectory, there was a single gray line.

Resembling the hair of Freizier and her mother.

A pale yet deep gray.

I smiled at Viscountess Telmasier, whose gaze was captivated by the trajectory, and said.

"Madam. Your daughter is a diligent and talented student, enough to cut down her own future. So please trust and entrust her to me."

Freizier turned her head in surprise.

Viscountess Telmasier looked at her daughter for a long time without a word.

The changed expressions that had lingered for a long time were all the answer.

And one more thing.

'I see.'

I think I now know for sure how to teach Sword Aura.