114 Sacrifices of the Past
<strong>~ Two weeks before the start of the Tournament of Legends ~</strong>
Sometimes good preparation before a competition is as important as the ability to adapt during it. Therefore, Nathalia decided to ask Luke to teach her some of his moves.
During his expeditions through the Vasconcelos Dungeon, the half-wolf always demonstrated above-average agility and very precise dodges, besides his ability to read practically impeccable battles.
In the eyes of the young Elf, Luke was a perfect adventurer, who over the years, could even reach the level of an S-Class. And that impression became even more fitting after the battle against the Demon in the Castle at Vasconcelos.
Since the half-wolf always used to give tips for improvement after her practices, but never actually trained Nathalia, she felt she would have to ask him.
“Hah… Hah…” Nathalia gasped. She was sitting on the wooden floor of the gym near her new home, after another practice feeling. “Luke… you’re more energetic than usual.”
Luke extended his arm to the right one to help her stand up. “It’s just your impression, after all, you haven’t been in action for a while.” Nathalia took his hand and stood up.
Nathalia didn’t have what to answer, as it had been almost two weeks since she had last been in a real battle.
“I had an idea. What do you think about the idea of training me? I could pay you extra.”
Luke arched his eyebrows, surprised. “Hm… Are you sure about that? I mean, I’ve never taught anyone, and you’ve had a formal instructor. I could end up getting in the way more than helping.”
“I’m completely sure about that. And what would change? You already usually correct my postures and vices of attack and defense. Besides, you’ve had an instructor too, haven’t you? You must know some methods to teach without impacting my other fundamentals-“
“Actually, I haven’t had an instructor. So, it’s impossible.”
“Really?” Nathalia questioned, finding the statement strange.
Without a formal instructor, it would be impossible for someone to know as many stances with different weapons as the half-wolf showed he knew.
“It’s true. I just had a mistress who took care of me and my friends for a while. She used to bring food, so we wouldn’t starve to death in the alleys.”
With Luke’s permission, Ayumi told Nathalia everything a few days ago. So the young Elf already knew that Luke was a thief and had gone through many hardships. Only in her mind, does she conclude that Luke learned everything he knows after he passed a hard time, not during.
“Ah… excuse me for bringing that up,” Nathalia said, looking away shy. ‘Of course, he didn’t have a formal instructor, Nathalia… you idiot.’ She mentally scolded herself.
Before she knew that Luke used to be a thief, Nathalia attributed his lack of knowledge in grammar and arithmetic to normal causes. Even in a developed Empire and a wealthy city like Oukiwa, the schooling rate is low for two reasons: child labor and paid education.
Any elementary school in Oukiwa charges a fee of at least one gold coin per month, and since normal jobs pay less than two hundred and fifty silver coins, it is almost impossible for children from poor families to have a chance at any formal education.
For Luke, Meredith, Matthew, and the others it was no different. None of them went to school, but among all of them, only Luke couldn’t learn the basics. Why? Well, sometimes the hand that gives is also the hand that takes away.
“I don’t mind talking about that. This woman who fed us was named Yoelona. She introduced us to the owner of a tavern, who of his own free will began teaching grammar and mathematics to my friends.”
“What do you mean? Only to your friends? What about you?”
“Yoelona said that knowledge is no guarantee of survival, but strength is, so at least one of us should give up our studies and devote herself completely to intense training, where she would be a Master, not an instructor.”
The difference between a Formal Instructor to a Master is enormous. While a Formal Instructor teaches you postures that suit you, a Master introduces you to ready-made techniques that are passed down from generation to generation, which don’t always go in the same direction as your talents.
“Couldn’t you split the workload? I would study with books in the morning and with the sword in the afternoon.”
Luke denied it with his head. “According to my master, if we were to learn several things at once, it could take years. We had to devote as much time to it as possible.”
For this reason, Luke trained hard for months with Yoelona’s instructions, for almost sixteen hours every single day.
His skinny arms nearly broke when he had to lift an entire trunk from a fallen tree. Virtually every attack position his Master demanded was almost impossible with his strength and body at the time.
As the months went by, Luke learned many things and gradually evolved. Yes, he had to give up the warm company of Matthew and Meredith at this time, but he knew it was a passing thing.
Luke climbed mountains, hunted wild animals with only his primitive senses, and even had to sneak into a Dungeon to pass a Yoelona test. That day, he saw and killed his first monster, a simple little Goblin, but it almost killed him too.
The half-wolf’s strength did not come overnight, because, like any evolution, his strength is the result of a thorny effort. Luke only learned that his training was over when his mysterious Master disappeared.
“Back to the other subject… If you want, I can give you a tip or two sometimes, but it would be impossible for me to teach you some techniques in just two weeks. That might hinder you more than help you.”
“What are you talking about?” Alexis asked, entering the gym.
“She wants me to teach her some things.”
“Why not? You must already know well the techniques that would fit her style, right? And you should know her Gene Skills that can match your techniques.”
The S-Class’s agreement made Nathalia hopeful about being able to learn from Luke Lange, and the powerful half-dragon’s arguments soon proved to be good ones.
“Well.. Maybe you’re right…” Luke concluded. He was pouting and looking up as he pondered.
A huge smile appeared on Nathalia’s face, who, ever since she met the half-wolf, secretly wished she could learn everything he knew.
“But on two conditions…” The half-wolf crossed his arms and looked sternly at the Elf and the half-dragon, who were standing side by side.
“First, until the plan gets underway, and we can leave here for the Tournament, I want you, Alexis, to help me train Nathalia.” Before the S-Class could open her mouth to argue, Luke continued to speak. “Second, in exchange for the training, I want to start learning writing and math…”
Nathalia marveled at the idea because then she could learn not only from an exceptionally experienced person but also a mercenary of the Cardinal Church who is also a very famous Adventurer in the Northern Broteforge Empire.
Curious, Alexis asked the half-wolf, “What made you want to learn these things now? You know, there is so much going on around us…”
“I always thought I would have Meredith to read things for me, and then I had you, Nathalia. But I got tired of using those things as an excuse not to learn such important things.”
Both women looked proudly at him and nodded, agreeing to the demand.
A new journey was beginning in the half-wolf’s life, and he certainly didn’t want to get stagnant learning like before. In the past two months, he had seen in practice how his investigative, bargaining, and espionage skills were lagging because he didn’t know the basics of a formal apprenticeship, and he wanted to be ready so that in the future he wouldn’t go through the same thing.