“Do you think it’s appropriate to ask a member from a foreign nation to teach you swordplay, together with the soldiers of said foreign nation?”

While the content sounded quite harsh, Lance Corporal Hale did not immediately turn down the request.

She crossed her arms in front of her chest and observed the elf in front of her closely, trying to guess if her intentions were pure or if there were ulterior motives behind that absurd request.

Nisha could only helplessly smile and open her arms in order to display her harmlessness.

“You’re overthinking this. I went through my acquaintances in my head and figured out that you are the most suitable one to ask for this favor, since you are a professional warrior.

Soldiers might fight differently in rank and file, but you are quite powerful yourself. Surely you can instruct a single girl that just embarked on the path of aura.”

Though neither party had previously revealed their cultivation level to each other, the dragon used her [Spirit Sight] to roughly gauge the strength of others. She downplayed her own prowess, as Nisha had already reached the limit of the third rank. Although, no one had ever instructed her in combat arts or specific styles.

According to that appraisal, Lance Corporal Hale had reached the sixth rank in aura. Her mana cultivation was lower, only at the third rank, but with such powerful physical strength it was clear that Hale pursued the aura path.

“So I’m only the means to an end, is that right? That still leaves the matter of propriety.

I know you are related to one of the bigger players among Leandar’s nobility; shouldn’t you have a tutor amidst the employees there?”

Despite the questions and lack of answers so far, Nisha grew hopeful that the Lance Corporal had already made up her mind and would grant her request as long as her doubts were cleared.

Otherwise, she would have sent the elf out of the door long ago.

 

“If I went around and asked, I’d surely get someone appointed to me, and maybe they would be capable as well.

But I don’t want to learn from someone that has been ordered to teach me. You are a soldier, an officer from the Terus empire.

Learning from the best is way better than relying on the limited experience a tutor has.

I don’t need to learn anything fancy either; I’m not even sure yet which weapon suits me best.

Give me the chance to train with the army, teach me the basics of handling the sword and I can improve my own experiences over time.”

The dragon had thought about this answer ever since she had resolved to walk down the path of absolute strength.

No top tier skill or amount of fighting by herself in the Dungeon would allow her strength to soar. An instructor recommended by Luthais might work as well as the Lance Corporal since the Marshal knew quite a lot of powerful warriors that served under him.

But between an unknown fighter with an unknown strength and the Lance Corporal, Nisha preferred to ask Hale for help.

“Are you not concerned that learning a combat style practiced by a foreign nation will land you in trouble? I need to inform you that we won’t teach you any secret methods, so the trouble will only be on your end.”

From the way the conversation was going, Nisha surmised that the officer was about to agree to her request. With one last hurdle to the goal, the elf relied on a solid method to pass.

She lied.

“If I manage to learn the methods of a foreign sovereign state and practice them to a high level, the kingdom will praise me instead of punishing me or even looking into the matter at all.

I made sure to cover all angles on this topic before coming here, I guarantee it.”

In truth, the elf had no idea whether or not the kingdom placed any restrictions on learning the martial arts of other kingdoms or if the use of such techniques would lead to her being accused of spying.Nonetheless, if she insisted on having learned the skill from someone else and had enough strength to backup her claim, who could trouble her then?

Hence, she made up her mind and looked into Hale’s eyes with a look of determination.

 

“Alright then. Since you have made up your mind, I won’t say much else.

You do have to keep in mind that the training you receive here will only be on par with that of an average soldier. There won’t be any special skills either. Since you say that it is a favor, I will treat it as one and arrange for someone to give you a place in the training program so that you don’t have to wait at the gates whenever you come by.”

With a nod, Lance Corporal Hale pulled out a stack of documents out of her desk and signed several of them, stamping a seal on some and casting a skill on others. Overall the process took no longer than several breaths’ time before the elf also had to sign her name twice and put a drop of her blood in another place.

When the formalities were done, Hale picked up a silver bell sitting next to her seal and rang it once.

Strangely enough, no sounds came from the motion, though it was vigorously shaken. The Lance Corporal also made no motion to explain anything, so the two women shared a bearable quiet between them.

A while later, the door opened and another woman decked in the same red and silver military clothes entered the office, carrying a wrinkled piece of paper.

“Ceci, there’s been a situation and I’ve been waiting to report it to you for a while …

Oh, I did not know you had a visitor. Please excuse me.”

When the lady caught sight of the elf sitting in front of the desk, she quickly covered her mouth with a palm and stopped talking about the news she had brought.

Lance Corporal Hale only raised an eyebrow and shook her head once at that sight.

The newcomer seemed like a rare flower among the military blandness, even when standing next to the officer.

Hale was by no means ugly, she had a fine cut nose and cheekbones, coupled with clear eyes and a rugged demeanor that made her look heroic and valiant with her weathered skin.

On the other hand, the new lady had fairer skin than a soldier usually, dainty limbs with nicely done nails and cared for skin, a round face with a pinkish blush and a full figure.

“This is Nisha, she is here to ask for a favor, and I’ll need you to guide her later on.

Nisha, greet Knife Leader Tanya Clove, part of my staff. She is probably here to report some urgent missive sent down by the command center, so I will have to excuse myself here.

Knife Leader Tanya will lead you to the training lot, you can observe first and then ask her for a demonstration of the [Basic Styles] of the [Imperial Swordplay]. It’s the standard training that every new recruit has to go through. All army tactics rely on knowledge that contains at least these basic moves, hence the name.

Sorry to send you off ahead of time, but I need to deal with this matter and will likely not be able to see you again before you head back.

Goodbye for now.”

The Lance Corporal bowed once in her seat to see her guest off properly, while Knife Leader Tanya approached her from the side and handed her the report.

As she bowed to hand her the crumpled paper, she pretended to whisper something in Hale’s ear and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek with a twinkle of humor shining in her eyes.

Anyone but Nisha would have been fooled, since the [Spirit Sight] did not fail to see through the hand that was meant to cover the covert act.

An intrigued dragon similarly bid farewell to the Lance Corporal and followed the pretty woman out of the room.

Hale only rolled her eyes at their backs and started to open up the pages of the urgent missive.

 

When the pair walked through the empty wooden halls, Nisha no longer held back her curiosity and sped up to walk next to Tanya.

So far, she had not spoken to the elf and only carried a small grin since they left the office.

“Excuse my question, but are Lance Corporal Hale and you a pair, Tanya? I noticed that you used a nickname to address her and that she seemed much happier after your visit. Maybe I’m wrong though.”

Nisha had weighed several scenarios in her head, yet no other answer came up. She had only seen Galan kiss his wife like that before, and the pet name also indicated a relationship.

Knife Leader Tanya immediately blushed and used her small hand again to cover the redness in her face.

“Oh no, you got it wrong. According to army regulations, liaisons between same sex members are not allowed. Hence, I am just a subordinate employed under the command of Lance Corporal Hale.”

Even her voice was beautiful Tanya had a high pitched tone that was not yet at an unpleasant level, a sweet and balanced mix. The dragon enjoyed listening to her, but was also confused at that answer, as the signs pointed to the two women being a romantic pair.

“Is that so? I must have really gotten it wrong then. Please accept my apology.”

Still, the Knife Leader looked pretty happy rather than offended and had a skip in her step after that assumption.

 

“If you do not mind, allow me another question then. I am not that familiar with the military system the Terus Empire employs, and between Lance Corporal Hale and you, Knife Leader Tanya, I have already learned two military titles, but don’t have much of an idea what either represents. Would you mind educating me on the topic?”

They had already passed through several doors and descended a set of stairs, and the elf felt uncomfortable passing the journey in silence, especially since the Knife Leader was supposed to instruct her later on in place of Hale.

So she began a conversation about a random topic. The structure of the military should not be a restricted topic and Nisha vaguely recalled to have read about something related when she previously visited the general library section.

With her impressive memory, she should be able to recall those parts, but they were only related and the dragon had put away the book after learning they were military related. Hence, an incomplete impression remained.

“Oh, does the kingdom not employ a similar system? I always thought that it was the same for everyone, looks like I was mistaken.

Yes, I can answer you on this. The military command is split into several levels, and each title denotes a level of power and force of command.

Regular soldiers generally have an aura cultivation somewhere between the second and third level; they make up the bulk of the frontline.

For them, there’s no particular title but the empire remembers their service with several celebrations each turn.

Starting from the fourth rank, elite soldiers can apply for the Knife Leader position and once approved, gain command of about ten soldiers. It’s a position between elite fighters and officers—I am at this rank. It’s more like being in charge of a few others and leading them into battle, hence Knife Leader.”

 

After a look of realization and excitement on Tanya’s part, she nodded her head and continued to explain the organization to the guest.

“Those that can break through the gap between the third and fourth ranks often stop there for a while. There’s always enough Knife Leaders and some don’t even attempt to become one; they just stay as regular rank and file with a status of elites.

The next step up the ladder is at the fifth rank, which has the first officer title. They’re called Sword Captains, because they group up to ten Knife Leaders under their command and shape the unit into a sharp sword that wreaks havoc on the battlefield.

Through historic fights and by the will of the empress, the titles do not always match with the positions anymore. Personally, I think they give a good impression of what the job requires when you hear them.

Then, there’s the Lance Corporals. Just like Hale, each of them groups five swords under them and they oversee the general situation on the battlefield. Most decisions happen at that rank, and a good Lance Corporal can make or break an army.

I’m very fortunate to be directly employed under Lance Corporal Hale as her troops are considered elite soldiers with a good reputation, even back in the Terus empire.”

At that point, the two left the stale air slowly trailing through the wooden building.

While a [Navis Terram] might be a great mode of transportation and offer convenient space in the building mode, the construction lacked proper air circulation and heat insulation.