JAIME FONTOYA

---

About two weeks had passed since the village grew. It took a while, but the newcomers had finally been accepted into the community. With their extra help, the wall would be completed in two days.

This meant I was safe enough to be apart from my sword. Ilias and I borrowed one of the fishermen’s boats and took it to the middle of the nearby lake. Toshi was a fisherman’s son, so he accompanied us.

“Most of the mana is concentrated at the bottom of the lake,” Ilias explained. “So the further we go out, the safer we are. Also, this place isn’t as strong as other labyrinths I’ve been to. If this labyrinth was on land, even the farmers could fight the monsters.”

“Speaking of fighting, the wall is almost built,” Toshi said. “You’re going to train us, right?”

“We’d be fools not to. With just the men, we already outnumber the bandits two to one. You’ve got a lot of good weapons in your hidden armoury. But a spear is all you really need to be effective in battle. ”

“How do you use a spear?”

I tsked. “You stab with the pointy end.”

Toshi broke eye contact. “Oh.”

He threw down an anchor when we arrived at the middle of the lake. We rolled up our pants and hopped out. It felt a bit weird standing in the middle of the lake. It was visually impossible.

The water reached up to our thighs.

“What do I do now?” I unbuckled my sword from my belt.

Ilias tied the sword to a log we brought, giving the rope about a yard of slack. The sword sunk but the log floated, acting like a beacon to let us know where it was.

“Are you sure that’s going to hold it down?” Toshi asked.

“It shouldn’t move around underwater too much. But if it does, the log will let us know where it is.”

I noticed something by my feet. It looked like a stick at first, but it was a dagger in its algae-covered scabbard. The dagger lacked a cross-guard so it had a simple design. Unsheathing it revealed a blade corroded with rust.

“Be careful not to cut yourself or anyone with that,” Ilias warned. “If you do, you might get tetanus. It’s like a slow-acting poison. You won’t feel it at first, but then your jaws will lock, your muscles will spasm, and your body will start to shut down.”

“It’s a nice dagger though. I want to keep it. Do you think it’s cleanable?”

Ilias inspected it. “Give it to the blacksmith and he should be able to clean it up for you. But put it back in its scabbard for now so you don’t cut yourself with it.”

“Wait, this has been in the lake for a long time. Do you think it’s a cursed artifact?”

“I’d be able to feel the mana coming out of it if it was. But there’s nothing. It’s a regular dagger.”

“Ugh. So the chances of my sword becoming a cursed artifact is low? Plus, there’s a chance it could have a bad ability?”

“The chances of turning an item into a cursed artifact are the same throughout all labyrinths. What varies is the quality of the cursed artifact. A strong labyrinth will produce better products than a weak one.”

I dropped off the dagger to the blacksmith. He said the blade was made of low-quality iron—which was the reason why it rusted. He offered to make it stronger, but I denied.

All I wanted was for the dagger to be cleaned so I didn’t get tetanus if I accidentally cut myself with it. If I was fighting with it, then I would’ve definitely wanted it to be made stronger. I would be fighting with my sword the entire time. There was no point in wasting the blacksmith’s time.

He promised to make up on his offer after the bandits were dealt with.

Ever since two-thirds of the wall was built, Askeladd had finally been training me in swordplay. The Colonel only taught me the basics and my sword was his gift for mastering them. Askeladd was going to teach me the three sword styles—which together was called sword dancing.

We had been training in an open area just north of the walled-in section. It was right by the lake so bandit scouts would have trouble coming from this direction.

“Do you know the secret to good swordplay?” he asked, handing me a wooden training sword.

“Footwork?”

“Footwork is important. But there is something else. Do some basic strikes for me.”

I gripped the sword. I wasn’t used to it, but I was still able to dance fluidly.

Askeladd nodded. “Your strikes are way too weak.”

“Do I have to improve my muscles?”

He sighed before controlling his inhales and exhales. “Jaime, power in swordplay doesn’t come from the muscles. It comes from the breath. The breath you welcome into your body transforms into energy that will travel through your limbs.” He swung his wooden sword in the air, which was smoother than mine. “Which will then travel through your sword. Controlling your breath is the essence of sword dancing.”

“Breathing is the key. Got it.”

“Sword dancing is comprised of three styles. The first is used for attack. This will allow you to cut down your enemy with a continuous flow of movement. The second is used for defence. This will allow you to focus on keeping your enemy from touching you. The third is used to ensue chaos. This style is very impractical and situational.”

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

I thought I knew everything when I mastered the basics from the Colonel. But just like Gilead, it was just a small part of a much larger world. I was very much still a novice.

Askeladd continued the lesson, “A good defence will make any attack impossible; chaos will break apart the most impenetrable defences; and solid attacks will cut through chaos like order. Sword dancing is a delicate and deadly game of rock-paper-scissors.”

“Having to think which style to use while locked in a duel is hard.”

“No! Warriors don’t think. Jynxists like Ilias think because they’re in the backline. Warriors like us are in the front clashing with the enemy head-on. You have to know which style to use without thinking. The slightest hesitation will let your opponent render everything in your life meaningless.”

“But how do I not think?”

“Attack, defence, and chaos.” The knight drew a sword, shield, and a lightning cloud respectively on the ground. He then drew a Y to divide them. “They will never be strong if they are by themselves.”

“I see it now. It’s like what you said back in Shoya. One is greater than three.”

“Exactly.” He drew a circle around the symbols, making them whole. “Bringing them together creates harmony. It is this act of balance that combines these three clashing styles into sword dancing.”

Don’t think of them individually. I must think of them as a whole.

“Now, I want you to break this.” Askeladd slapped a boulder that Ilias summoned for us. “We can’t progress further if you don’t.”

“Ilias said that boulder is hard to break and all I have is a wooden sword.”

“It’s possible. You saw me cut one down during our game with the acorns. Sword dancing starts with the breath. So focus on your breathing, Jaime. Think of what you want to achieve. Visualize cutting things that can’t be cut. Imagine slicing shadow and light and sound. Your body will do the rest.”

I want to break that boulder. I want to break that boulder. I want to break that boulder. I want to break that boulder. I want to break that boulder.

I went into an almost trance-like state. Something was happening. My body began to feel lighter and I could perceive each part as one part of a bigger whole. It was like I was in control of everything.

I focused on my inhales and exhales. I lifted up my blade and slashed across the boulder. All the force I put into my strike travelled back into my body.

But I managed to cut the boulder in half.

I laughed. “I did it! I broke Ilias’ boulder! With a wooden sword! Bwahahahaha!”

Every day since then, Askeladd trained me techniques he knew. Stances for defence, footing for attack, and he even taught me how to throw my sword. I’m especially good at this. However, he did warn that throwing one’s sword should be a last resort. A swordsman losing their sword during a fight was a death sentence.

Once the wall was built, we spent a day digging a six-foot trench along the outside. Ilias softened the ground and made it easier to dig.

Now that our defences were up, we were finally able to start training the villagers how to defend their homes.

All in all, ninety-one villagers were able to fight. We divided them up into four platoons—one for each cardinal direction.

Askeladd was in charge of the north platoon.

Ilias and I of the east platoon.

Roxy and Roxanne for the west platoon.

Tony and Mondatta were with the south platoon.

We donned each of them with a chest piece and helm while arming them with a spear and short sword.

“Starting from now, you will no longer be thinking about yourselves,” Askeladd spoke out. “You will be thinking as a group. Doing anything by yourself is strictly forbidden. Except for when we allow you to go home, every one of you is sticking together. Training, bathing, eating, and once the harvest is ready, you will harvest together. Any objections?”

There were none.

“You’ve already been split up and you will receive training from your leaders. Do not disobey them. Dismissed!”

We marched our platoon to the eastern wall and had them line up in three rows facing us. We ordered them to lay their spears to the side. They were obedient and stood in formation.

“Do any of you have any objections to me and Ilias being twelve?” I asked. “If you do, step up and we will spar. If you defeat me, I will let you leave and join another platoon. If I defeat you, you will run from sunrise to noon on an empty stomach every day. So if you want to leave, now’s the time.”

The platoon kept their gazes forward, though they looked at each other for comfort. None of them wanted to question us.

“Good, I’m glad we’re starting off on the right foot. Ilias?”

He took the stage. “Have any of you ever been in a battle?”

“No, Sir.”

“Well, I have. Are you scared?”

“No, Sir,” a few answered weekly.

Ilias cupped his ears. “What?”

“No, Sir!”

“Jaime, I think they’re lying. Could you please go and check?”

I went up to Toshi, who was placed in our platoon, and lifted his arm up in front of him. His hands were shaking.

“We’re only training and you’re all already quivering,” I said.

“It’s scary, I know,” Ilias said. “I wish I could tell you that we can train you to be fearless, but we can’t. In fact, we prefer you stay scared so you don’t do anything reckless.”

The platoon relaxed a little and allowed their more vulnerable feelings to show.

“The enemy is scary. They are. But during a battle, everyone is scared. The enemy will be afraid of us too.”

What Ilias was saying wasn’t funny, but I let out a laugh. This caused our platoon to break into chuckles. They were already frozen, so something to lighten the mood wouldn’t hurt.

“You’re no warriors right now and when this is all over you won’t be warriors either,” I told them. “It’s too short a time to become one. But you’ll be fighters. We will teach you how to attack with a spear, defend yourself with your sword, and bash with shields. We’ll teach you just enough so you know how to fight. Do you know why? So the next time bandits decide to raid this place and we’re not around, you can defend this place on your own. Doesn’t that feel great?”

They nodded among themselves.

“This place is your home, is it not? Are you going to let them take it? Don’t fight for honour, or glory, or approval from others. This is your village the bandits will sack, it’s your homes they will burn, your things they will steal, your people they will torture. Are you going to let that happen?”

“No!”

One of the other platoons was chanting. “Hah! Hah! Hah!”

We should fire these guys up too.

“We can be louder than them, can’t we?” I asked.

Ilias had turned around to hide his embarrassment, but it was obvious he had a big grin on his face.

“Come on, let’s give them a louder and better battle cry,” I thrust my sword into the air. “Hah! Hah! Hah!”

They stomped in unison. “Hah! Hah! Hah!”

Their wills were brittle when we got here, but it was now as unbreakable as diamond. We’ll use that will to strengthen their fighting spirit.

“We’ve got a long way to go.” I tossed a handful of bamboo sticks to the platoon and each of them caught one for themselves. I brandished the last one. “Let’s get down to business.”