Nisha followed Knife Leader Tanya towards the yard behind the [Navis Terram] base.

Most of the soldiers spent their time there whenever they were not on duty.

Although they were free to spend their time as they liked when they were on break, many of the soldiers were used to the lifestyle of the Terus empire and had some reservations when it came to mingling with the citizens of Leandar.

Furthermore, they all wished to get promoted to Knife Leader and higher posts eventually.

When it came to military rank, it was difficult for outsiders to understand the citizens of the Terus empire.

Due to the strict rule from the appointed officials, the empire had far less aristocrats than the surrounding kingdoms and emphasized merit and ability when it came to picking public servants.

The big families also only stood out because of their wealth and sturdy foundation in nurturing talents for the empire, giving them some degree of control towards the big matters.

Nevertheless, the Terus Empress always had total control over her lands and disallowed the big powers from interfering with official matters and the military with harsh punishments, should they overstep their bounds and take action outside of the battle of wits at the court.

Similarly, a higher position in the military brought higher authority, making important generals and key members somewhat analog to nobles in other kingdoms.

Through hard work and dedication to the military, it was entirely possible for ordinary citizens to rise through the ranks and reach the level of a Lance Corporal without any connections to the big ruling families.

Due to their rise in status, their own family would similarly enjoy a higher standing and rise in the social hierarchy.

Hence, the yard behind the modified [Navis Terram] was treated as a training space that was constantly occupied.

 

Knife Leader Tanya chatted with the elf over some small matters while they walked, inquiring about her life and interests.

She also dropped some details of her own answers to the questions, flicking her hair to the side whenever the pretty soldier recalled memories of the past in the Terus empire.

It really made Nisha wonder why the classic beauty in front of her did not choose an occupation in a Merchant House or something similar, which suited her dainty physique more than being a soldier.

Nevertheless, it was not her place to question the foreign woman about it.

The duo reached an empty spot in the yard soon enough and got serious, dropping the small talk.

“Hm, you mentioned that you had questions regarding the [Imperial Swordplay].

Show me your twelve stances first, then tell me the problems you have encountered.

Although my combat standards are not quite as high as Lance Corporal Hale’s level, I can still rely on my experience and past training to give you some advice.”

Nisha picked up an unfamiliar term, but nodded nonetheless and picked up one of the wooden training swords from the rack near them.

While the replicas did not have the elaborate shape or workmanship compared to the training weapons in the [Royal Academy], the swords used by the army for training purposes were well worn and taken care of by the soldiers.

Testing the balance of the wooden sword, the elf cycled through the styles of the [Imperial Swordplay].

First were the four offensive styles, [Hack], [Cleave], [Stab] and [Twist]. Without an opponent, she only showed the forms, but it was enough for a demonstration.

Next were the four defensive styles, [Block], [Parry], [Deflect] and [Intercept].

The dragon asked Knife Leader Tanya to attack her with the four offensive styles and performed the different methods on the basis of the attacks.

Finally, the four movement styles were left - [Advance], [Sidestep], [Turn] and [Free Flow].

Nisha performed the first three alone, leaving Knife Leader Tanya at the side to watch.

As for [Free Flow], it was difficult to showcase without a target at hand.

 

“Not bad, you already got the form down for the twelve styles.

It usually takes a lot of practice and time to get the shape correct. At least, the soldiers I trained so far needed around one turn or even longer to get to this level.”

The beautiful soldier was not stingy with her praise and smiled at the girl.

Her words were not incorrect either, Nisha’s [Imperial Swordplay] fulfilled the standard outlined in the manual.

It was the minimum required to pass as proficient in the sword manual, the standard for soldiers to take part in live combat.

“I don’t have much advice in regard to the execution of your styles, it’s mostly practice and real experience using them that will allow you to take them to the next level.

With that out of the way, what problem did you encounter concerning your practice with the [Imperial Swordplay]?”

Knife Leader Tanya felt the pressure on her multiply.

Her own combat standard was not quite bad, seeing that the beautiful soldier earned the promotion to Knife Leader through it.

Nevertheless, it also did not quite reach the level where she could answer all questions of a beginner with just a thought.

Thankfully, Tanya still had a minimum amount of confidence to offer helpful advice to someone who only started training recently.

As for everything else, she only had to delay until Hale returned from her mission, then she could pass the elf off to the Lance Corporal.

Nisha similarly did not stay modest and laid out her doubts straight away.

“You see, when I use the different styles to deal with an enemy, there exists quite a bit of lag when switching between the different moves.

I tried sparring with my classmates at the Academy and even once in the Dungeon against real monsters, yet the effect is not quite as good as I thought.

Compared to the [Imperial Swordplay], brandishing my sword based on my instinct and battle sense.

So I was wondering if my proficiency in the different styles is not enough yet, or if I missed an important portion in the manual.”

The elf was really impressed with the twelve styles at first.

Compared to advancing and retreating based on instinct and hacking her [Taurith Short Sword] wildly back and forth, the sword manual split different movements into different categories and made them more efficient.

After practicing them for the first time, Nisha already felt the potential hidden within them, it was just the execution in real combat that troubled her.

 

Giving a short description and demonstration of the breaks that the dragon experienced, Knife Leader Tanya had to ponder for a while first.

Compared to the soldier’s own experience and the training of new recruits that she oversaw, the elf did not run into the usual problems.

Most of them had trouble imitating the forms correctly or were not swift and strong enough to execute them properly.

The beautiful soldier simulated Nisha’s movements in her mind and pondered where the interruptions came from or why the combat styles did not properly increase the girls strength.

When Tanya compared her own movements and Nisha’s demonstration, she had a sudden moment of enlightenment.

“Wait here for a moment, I need to get some equipment used for training.”

Disregarding the curious glance from the elf, the Knife Leader hurried back to the [Navis Terram] and entered a storage room.

Before long, she returned to the training yard with a set of poles, ropes and wooden planks.

With the help of a few soldiers that trained nearby, the device quickly took shape after a simple assembly.

Nisha also wished to help, but after going up once and having no idea what to do, she quietly waited by the side until the legionares scattered and the Knife Leader was free to explain the new construction to her.

She also applied some coloured powder to the wooden tags, giving them three different sections.

“Stand on the wooden base in the middle and then use your sword to strike each target once.

There are ten wooden targets, with a red outer portion, a yellow middle portion and a green center.

Soldiers usually train their accuracy and styles with this apparatus, the first level is considered a success when they can hit eight yellow areas out of ten.

Hitting all of them in fast succession is considered excellent and five out of ten green center hits is top class.

Go ahead and give it a try.”

Tanya herself had experience with this training method, her record at the first level when she just started training as a soldier were several green hits among ten total hits.

Such outstanding records helped the beautiful woman to attract the attention of several senior instructors, who took it on themselves to impart more training to her.

Of course, the intensified work also paid off, allowing Tanya to receive a fast promotion to Knife Leader, compared to other soldiers.

 

Nisha did not fully understand the use of the device yet, but she had a bit of trust towards the woman next to her, mainly due to Lance Corporal Hale, who got along well with her.

Standing on the middle platform made out of wooden planks, the dragon first examined the surrounding targets.

The apparatus had several poles connected overhead, with ropes holding up the wooden targets in all directions around the elf.

Some of the wooden plates were positioned higher, others nearly touched the ground.

Furthermore, the targets were only the size of a palm, making them already difficult to hit by themselves.

If anyone wanted to hit all of the marks in fast succession, they needed to have a clear grasp of their surroundings and spatial awareness.

With her [Spirit Sight], the dragon had a great advantage, since it allowed her to grasp her surroundings even without having to turn in different directions.

Closing her eyes made no difference, yet it allowed the dragon to calm down and concentrate.

Knife Leader Tanya did not pressure her to start either, patiently waiting by the side.

Snapping her eyes open, Nisha used the first style - [Slash] - and aimed for the target right in front of her.

Instead of checking her result right away, the elf continued with several slashes while turning clockwise.

Ten [Slashes], ten sounds.

During her first try, Nisha managed to hit each target once, a rather remarkable result.

Knife Leader Tanya also cheered, stepping inside the forest of ropes and wooden tags to check the accuracy of the hits.

Due to the coloured powder applied to the targets, a white mark was left wherever the wooden sword connected to them.

The Knife Leader checked the targets and tallied the result, satisfied with the outcome even though Nisha frowned when she heard them.

“It’s already quite amazing that you managed to hit all ten tags, no reason to be discouraged.

Seven red, two yellow and one green areas on your first try is a respectable score, most soldiers don’t even manage to hit all of them.

I think I also have an idea why you encountered a problem practicing the [Imperial Swordplay].”

Picking up the vials with the green, yellow and red powder, the woman prepared the targets and stepped outside the range of the apparatus.

“Try again, but this time, focus on only one target and hit it ten times in a row.”