After the duel ended, I slowly dragged myself back to the church with my aching body. I was simply too exhausted to process everything that happened today, not to mention that I hadn't eaten anything after our encounter with the big wolf, so walking silently was all I could do.
The night sky was as calming as it could be, which was a huge help for my small headache. The breeze was slowly drifting past me, making me ready for a deep sleep.
After I reached the church, I slept without doing anything else, since I couldn't bear the exhaustion.
The next day, I awoke, not as energetic as I'd hoped, which was expected since yesterday was a heavy day. I changed my clothes from the leather armor to a more comfortable outfit and started going downstairs to wash my face with water from the well outside.
As I was walking down the stairs, I was hoping to be delighted by the beautiful glass wall behind the podium in the main hall... but I met someone unexpected.
"Good morning, kid, you slept more than I had anticipated," said Diego, who seemed to be waiting for me by standing exactly in front of the stairway.
"What are you doing here?" I asked, trying my hardest to be polite.
"Can't I check up on my disciple? Not to mention that this is my daughter's workspace. Go and change into work clothes, since we have a lot to do," he said with a bright smile.
"B-but, I was going to wash up a little... I haven't even eaten yet!"
"Quit nagging and get yourself ready. We can eat later on," he said with a serious tone.
As much as I wanted to say no, I knew this was for the best, so I complied. I ran upstairs and re-equipped my leather armor while munching on an energy bar I was stashing for emergencies. I then grabbed the sword, which I hadn't returned to Dan yet, and went downstairs.
Without much context, Diego dragged me out of the church and grabbed his greatsword, which he had placed outside. He seemed to be in a good mood for an unknown reason.
"Mr. Fronter, where are we going?" I asked.
He stopped for a split second and said, "We are going to the mountain region. The back and forth should be a half-day walk, and the faster we go, the faster we reach it."
"Why are we going there?" I asked once again, unable to get out of this one-sided questioning conversation.
"I thought you wanted to learn swordsmanship... also from now on, call me Master," he said, then started walking faster.
We exited the city and walked on a road that I had never walked on. By seeing what was in front of us, I was sure that the mountains were our destination. I stayed quiet and started walking beside him just as he explained. We walked for hours, and doubts started claiming their spots in my mind, but I pushed on.
The path was calming to navigate, thanks to nature supporting it; and I would have had a calm walking session... if it wasn't for my hunger and unstoppable sweat, which was increasing with each step.
"You sound like a dying cat," said Diego.
"Pant-!... thanks for... accurate... representation," I said while gasping for air.
"Don't worry. We've reached our destination."
I looked to see what our destination was. My head was spinning around due to exhaustion, but that did not stop me from seeing the beauty in front of me.
Sandwiched between stony walls was a plain ground with no ceiling. Mosses were covering every bit of the ground ahead of us, making me sure that it was completely natural. It was a silent corner, with no entrance besides the one we came from, which made it all the more wonderful.
After a minute of waiting, Diego made sure of my amusement and said, "This is where I train in my free time. Rest for a bit and get yourself some dried fruit that I placed in the corner. We will start training soon."
It was all too confusing and unreasonable. I had no idea why Diego was going to this extent and wanted to train me just because of what I showed in our duel... but whatever the reason was, I knew if I let go of this chance, I might regret it in the future.
"Yes, master," I said, agreeing with what was conversed.
I ate what I had been told and ate what was available. It was a short break, but strangely, it was enough for me to recover. After it ended, I stood up and was about to tell Diego about the end of my rest, but I found it wasn't needed.
Thud-! "Well, we should start. Get up," said Diego as he put his greatsword into the stone-hard ground and picked up a decent wooden branch.
"What do you want me to do?" I asked.
Diego raised his eyebrow and said, "Isn't that clear? I want to teach you swordsmanship, so pick up your sword and come at me."
"I thought you were going to teach me from the basics," I said, remembering that he mentioned my flawed foundation.
"You're right, I'm going to teach you the basics... and this is how I learned it. Grab a sword and come at me, since I won't stop until sunset," he said with a grin.
I was so close to leaving this ground, for my patience also had a finite limit, but I grabbed my sword and went forward. My heart was beating faster, not because I wanted to fight in a duel... but because I was going to learn something new.
I went ahead and started the fight with my sword, which got blocked by Diego. Diego's attack pattern was completely different from the one he used in the duel, which was expected.
Strangely enough, though, the new attack pattern felt all too familiar since it contained a similar core, so I felt that I could get used to it faster than usual.
Thud-! The dance between the wooden and iron blade was ironic, but the sound made it all worthwhile. With each contact, I could sense a lot of my stamina getting consumed, but even after what felt like death, I never stopped.
After getting used to the pattern, I saw new directions and formations, and by simply following what I mustered from [Advanced Learner], I felt that my sword was going in a much smoother direction.
Everything was happening slowly in my eyes but passing faster due to my excitement. The open ceiling to the sky wasn't as bright as it was at the beginning, and the glow of flower-like mosses took over.
"That's it for today. From now on, come here early every day, and I will teach you more. You can stop whenever you want and continue on your path as a normal adventurer... or come here and learn. Now go back to the church," he said with a somewhat proud tone.
I stopped, my body screaming with pain and agony... yet my mind was calm and collected. I nodded and started walking back to the church as I had been told, in order to sleep and regain my energy.
The next day came as promised, and I started heading to that training ground after washing myself first. The path seemed easier to navigate the second time, but that didn't mean it was easy.
I went there and saw Diego moving around his greatsword with ease. It was grand and majestic, to the point of making me doubt if I could ever learn it or not. After Diego saw me, he dropped his greatsword, just like before, and provoked me into coming and fighting him.
This training program continued for a week. I got used to waking up and going to the training ground, to the point of not noticing it at all, which was funny after I took notice of it.
The blade in my hand felt like an old friend, and being able to wield it like a good swordsman was enough to flatter me... and after what felt like an eternity, it all ended.
Crack, thud-! "...and now, you've learned the basics," said Diego with a smile, as the piece of wood in his hand split in half.