After that meeting.

The form of gratitude settled into a direct training session with Alicia and the others, and before I knew it, I was taken to a different place.

A place far from the commercial district with inns and the adventurer's street with the adventurer's guild.

There stood a massive house.

There is even a lush green garden, making it seem like a house where nobles live.

The sight was so extravagant that I couldn't help but be captivated.

"Where on earth is this...?"

"This is the party house where we, the [Four Symbols of the Fine Weather], live. In addition to the four members, a few servants also reside here."

"...That's quite something."

According to what I heard on the way here, Alicia and her group are supposedly the only S-rank party in this town, but even so, this scale is astonishing.

Finally, I felt like I had gotten involved with some truly outrageous people.

Well, I don't really think of changing my approach because of that.

When Alicia reaches the center of the garden, she stops and turns to look at me.

"We've arrived, Yuuri-san."

"Are we doing the special training here?"

"Yes. Here, making noise won't disturb anyone around."

"I see."

Compared to the [Time-Space Interval], it's a bit cramped, but a simple practice swing should be fine.

...I'm worried that it might accidentally split the house in half.

At this point, I suddenly decided to ask about something that had been on my mind.

"So, you said you'd give me some real combat experience, but are you going to bring low-level monsters here?"

"No, there's something quicker and more effective than that... Monica."

"Okay."

Monica responded to Alicia's call as she began to mutter something under her breath while holding her staff.

Is that an incantation?

At that moment, about ten seconds had passed―

"Whoa."

Just after Monica thought she saw a brown light appear in front of her, two wooden swords floated up.

Seeing me surprised, Monica wears a smug expression.

"That's a wooden sword, right? Where did you pull that from?"

"No, I didn't take it out. I just made it now."

"You just made it now?"

In front of me, as I tilted my head at the unexpected words, Alicia let out a refined chuckle.

"Monica is a magician known as the 'Sage of Blue.' Indeed, creating solid objects with magic is considered highly difficult, but under her hands, it becomes possible. The strength is also higher than usual, and it won't lose its shape for several hours... Now, everything is ready."

After saying that, Alicia picks up a wooden sword and hands another one over to me.

This means...

"To train with my own hands wasn't just a metaphor or anything, but actually meant becoming your sparring partners."

"Yes, that's right."

Alicia is an S-rank adventurer.

If she is willing to be my training partner, it would indeed be an unparalleled blessing.

However, there are several concerns that I would like to confirm in advance.

"I'm happy that S-rank Alicia is spending time with me like this, but... I can't use magic, and I've only fought low-level monsters, so I think there's too much of a power gap between us. Is this really going to be training?"

"This is a practical training session to close that gap. And don't worry, since Yuuri-san can't use magic, we plan to match yours with sword techniques only."

"...Even so, I feel bad for taking up Alicia's time."

If she doesn't mind me, I could use that time for more effective training.

Although it was said with that intention, Alicia shook her head from side to side.

"No, we also embarrassingly took some damage in yesterday's Sky Dragon battle, so we were planning to lower our output and focus on rehabilitation for a while. Additionally, it makes sense for me to face swordsmanship from scratch without using magic. So, there's no need for you to worry, Yuuri-san."

"...I see, then I won't say anything more."

It was originally a situation I had hoped for.

Given that Alicia has already said this much, it would be more bothersome for me to be even more modest.

Moreover, when I think back on it, it's my first experience clashing swords with someone.

Let's make the most of this precious opportunity.

"Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu."

The location is the Party House, the living base of the [Four Symbols of the Fine Weather].

The spectators were Monica and Tio (who had been mostly silent up to this point, but had come along anyway).

The opponent is the S-rank adventurer, Alicia. Even though she said she wouldn't use her magical power to match my level, the difference between us is immeasurable.

―In other words, this is the perfect opportunity to test my true abilities...

(For now, I should just observe the other person's behavior and gradually increase my output.)

While determining my strategy, I position the tip of my wooden sword to align with Alicia's gaze and take a half-stance.

And then, in that position, I waited for her to move.

"...!?"

In an instant, Alicia twitches as if sensing something.

Once she enters combat mode, she can see the surroundings clearly.

In front of me, who was just standing still, she was rapidly sharpening her focus.

For Alicia, I must be an insignificant person, yet she seems to be taking me so seriously.

It's a blessing.

However,

(...Tch, here she comes again.)

There was only one thing besides fighting that was on my mind.

It was the small sense of discomfort I had felt since this morning.

Should I call it fatigue or pressure? The indescribably unpleasant sensation had become even stronger by the time I got here.

It was an experience I had never had even once in the thousand years spent in the [Time-Space Interval].

Could it be because of that?

Normally, it would be absolutely impossible, but the arm supporting the wooden sword wavered slightly, causing the tip to deviate just a bit from Alicia's line of sight.

"...!"

Did she take that as the signal to start the battle?

Alicia is approaching at an astonishing speed.

This is bad. That wasn't intentional, so I wasn't fully prepared to respond yet.

However, I can't just let myself be defeated here.

Even though Alicia is a significantly more skilled fighter, when it comes to combat without using magic, I have the upper hand.

From here, I instantly chose a means to counterattack and executed it with lightning-fast footwork.

"Wha!? No way, could it be that I was just invited—"

"..."

Fortunately, Alicia was slow to react as she was coming straight at me.

Her wooden sword swung through the air in vain, and in that moment, her positions were reversed.

And then, aiming for that wide-open back, I leisurely swung down my wooden sword―

"Eeeeehhhhh!?!?!?!?!?!"

―Thud!

A pain like I had never experienced before engulfed my entire body.

"...?"

Because of that pain, my wooden sword loses its momentum, and Alicia barely manages to evade.

However, she herself had a puzzled expression, as if she didn't quite understand why she had been able to avoid it.

However, I didn't have the luxury to care about her right now.

After all, I was doing my best just to face the pain that was attacking me.

But thanks to this pain, I was finally able to understand.

The true nature of this discomfort I've been feeling since this morning!

This phenomenon, where persistent fatigue accompanies me, and when I try to move my body, intense pain shoots through.

Yes, there's no doubt about it―

─I'm sore all over!!

Chapter 18: The True Nature of Discomfort