Cornflower Witch

Chapter 22 The Thorn of the Golden Needle
“Instructor, but we are still injured.” Baron raised his hand.

"Oh, where are you injured? Is it a fracture? Can't you stand up?" The instructor's sharp eyes made Baron dare not continue to refute.

"Thorin, let's start with you."

"Yes!"

The black-haired youth stepped forward. Despite having many bruises on his body, he picked up his sword and began to fight seriously.

He strode forward, then thrust his sword forward. Thorin's swordsmanship was exceptionally swift and decisive, hitting the vital points without any unnecessary embellishments.

"Clang!" "Clang!"

The instructor, wielding his sword in one hand, steadily dodged Thorin's attack, then effortlessly flicked Thorin's wooden sword away and kicked him flying.

"Your swordsmanship is good. Apart from being too direct and lacking variation, there are no major flaws for now." He gave it a high evaluation.

"Next!"

"Baron."

"Yes!"

Baron also grabbed his wooden sword and charged forward to attack, but although he swung his sword quickly, his moves were hasty and full of flaws, and his performance was far inferior to Thorin's earlier.

After knocking down Barron several times and making comments, the instructor continued to call for more people.

"thunder."

"Yes!"

The tallest student among the group stepped forward, holding the wooden sword as if it were a small toy.

"drink."

Lei took a deep breath and swept his sword across the area where the instructors were.

Faced with Lei's powerful sword swing, the instructor twisted the wooden sword in his hand, coiling it around like a python and piercing Lei's palm, causing him to release his grip in pain.

"His strength is good, but his swordsmanship is crude and hard to watch." The instructor shook his head.

"Perhaps you should learn about other weapons."

"Next person!"

The other students stepped forward one by one. Throughout this process, Hiltiya stood on the training field watching, her light blue eyes blinking as she analyzed each person's movements and their power techniques.

(Basic Swordsmanship Proficiency +3)
(Basic Swordsmanship Proficiency +2)
(Basic Swordsmanship Proficiency +5)
……

She was surprised to learn that there was such a way to practice; she gained a lot from this training session.

Even with the same swordsmanship, different people have different uses and focuses due to differences in body shape and habits, and their coping strategies also change accordingly when facing different situations.

Basic Swordsmanship Lv.4: The fundamental skills of swordsmanship, the foundation of combat, current progress (573/1200).

Although she didn't directly participate in the battle, observing it was very beneficial for Hilti. In addition, while watching the instructor spar, she gradually realized that the combat techniques he used were more advanced.

[Military Swordsmanship Lv.0]: Swordsmanship skills used in the military, characterized by clean and efficient movements, emphasizing rapid combat in life-or-death situations. Current progress (31/100).

Compared to basic swordsmanship, this military swordsmanship is more lethal, but it requires higher individual qualities. If one's strength and speed are insufficient, it cannot be used effectively.

Just by watching others practice, you can learn something. This ability is quite useful. Hilti feels that she has gained a lot from studying at Hyde Academy this time.

However, her leisurely spectating style will soon come to an end.

"Boys, go rest in the open space on the left. Girls, now come forward." The instructor's eyes swept around.

"Valenie, you go first."

“Oh, Uncle Burke, are you calling me?” Sir Levin’s daughter asked in surprise.

"of course."

"Alright." Valerie stepped forward somewhat dejectedly, picked up her wooden sword, and charged at Instructor Burke.

Unfortunately, the knight's daughter did not inherit her father's martial arts skills; she only had rudimentary skills and was easily defeated by the instructor, falling to the ground.

"Your grip on the sword is weak, your skills are lacking, your footwork is unsteady, and your reactions are slow. Not a single movement is proper. It seems Levin has spoiled you too much," the instructor criticized coldly.

"Uh."

Valerie looked embarrassed, but a flash of anger quickly crossed her face.

"What right do you have to talk to me like that? I don't need to be a knight. Besides, if you're so capable, why don't you go and duel my father with swords!"

"Hmph." The instructor ignored the girl's ramblings. "Next, Karen."

"Yes."

Karen took out a wooden gun, stepped forward, lowered her waist and center of gravity, and stared intently at the instructor.

A few seconds later, the wooden gun suddenly thrust out, its tip aimed straight at the instructor's chest.

Faced with such an attack, the instructor gripped his sword and parried upwards, deflecting the spear tip, then stepped to the side and sliced ​​Karen's fingers with his sword.

Unexpectedly, Karen gripped the gun barrel, turned her body to the side, and managed to take the blow with her shoulder before thrusting the gun back again.

"clang"

Unfortunately, the instructor stopped the gun.

However, after blocking the attack, the instructor did not continue his attack, but instead looked at Karen with appreciation.

"Not bad, very decisive, a good prospect."

"Next, Komia."

"Ah, I... I don't know any combat skills." Komia looked like she was about to cry.

"Oh?"

Instructor Burke frowned at this point. How could someone with no basic knowledge be accepted by Hyde University?

Soon, a servant trotted up to Burke and whispered something to him. Burke's brow relaxed a little, and he glanced at Komia a few times.

"Okay, you won't need to practice gun and sword skills anymore, but you still need to do basic physical training. Run ten laps around the training ground."

"Yes, instructor." Komia had no choice but to go for a run.

At this point, only Iona and Sylvia remained in the arena, having not yet participated in combat training.

The instructor glanced at Iona, then his gaze shifted to the seemingly frail girl beside him.

"Iona, come here."

"Yes, Instructor."

Iona's tone was flat, as if she found the task at hand somewhat boring.

She picked up the wooden sword with one hand and held it in front of her. Then, a faint golden light flashed in her eyes, and she suddenly thrust it straight at the instructor. A trace of golden light also appeared on the blade. This strange sight was very brief, and only Hilti noticed it immediately.

Wooden swords clashed, and the sounds of continuous slashing and striking echoed from the training ground; the sparring did not end quickly.

The fierce battle on the field quickly drew the attention of all the trainees, and even Komia stopped in her tracks.

"Amazing."

"Iona is not only beautiful, but her swordsmanship is also so magnificent."

"This isn't ordinary swordsmanship, is it?"

Inside the arena, Iona moved gracefully and nimbly, her figure constantly closing in and then moving away, the blade in her hand flashing like needles.

'Golden Needle Sword Technique - Thrust!'

In an instant, three dazzling golden threads appeared, like three golden needles piercing the instructor. Faced with this attack imbued with extraordinary power, the instructor no longer held back.

'A steel-sharp blade!'

The wooden sword in his hand was instantly coated with a layer of steely silver, and with a rapid slash, it shattered the wooden sword in Iona's hand, turning it into wood chips that flew everywhere.

After losing her wooden sword, Iona took a few steps back, loosened her grip on the remaining hilt, and stopped fighting. At that moment, she looked at the instructor with pride, feeling honored even in defeat.

"Hmph, no wonder she's Viscount Karen's daughter."

Before his imprisonment, Viscount Cullen was a powerful figure in the military, and his family possessed a considerable amount of secret techniques and resources.

At this point, the only one left on the field who hadn't yet participated in the training was Hilti.

Should she participate in the combat training? If she does, holding back will only lead to all sorts of twisted and awkward situations. But if she doesn't hold back and shines brightly, even overshadowing the blonde young lady who should be the protagonist, wouldn't that completely contradict her previous plan to keep a low profile?

Hiltiya was faced with a difficult choice.

As if someone had noticed her predicament, or perhaps it was just good luck, someone interrupted the training session and came to her rescue.

　Well, the main character will appear less in these few chapters, but it'll be fine after that |ω｀)
　　
　
(End of this chapter)