Training

After saying those words, Scathach released her grip on Artorius's face, stood up, and walked towards the room's exit.

"You're more interesting than all the disciples I've taught..." Scathach said calmly as she walked away, her back turned to Artorius. "And you have stronger desires than any of the disciples I've taught. A lot will happen between us. So for now, at least, you can rest assured that I won't kill you."

Before Artorius could respond or say anything in reply to Scathach, she had already reached the door of the room.

"Let's leave it at that, that child will wake up soon. Have you thought about how to comfort her?"

After Scathach said these words, Artorius heard a cry of "AHH!" from the neighboring room. That voice, even if he were deaf, he would recognize it. It was his beloved sister, Mordred.

The surprise in her cry was likely due to awakening after being defeated by Scathach. On the other hand, it could also be the fear she felt upon waking up and finding her dear big brother not by her side.

Next came the sound of hurried footsteps and the opening of the door. Mordred rushed in at full speed. In the process, Scathach, who had just been blocking the doorway, naturally stepped aside, making way for Mordred to reach Artorius unhindered.

"Brother! Brother, Brother, Brother!"

"It's okay, dear, it's okay."

Artorius gently stroked Mordred's hair as he comforted her.

Mordred didn't know Scathach well. This was their first interaction. So when Mordred was defeated by her, she had a lot of negative emotions in her heart.

She couldn't help but feel fear.

Fear of death, like any ordinary person.

But, what she feared the most was the loss of Artorius's life.

So now, Mordred was experiencing psychological trauma.

The reason Scathach didn't stop her or make any comments was that she had been there before and understood the situation.

For Mordred, what she needed most was the warm and broad embrace of Artorius Pendragon, whom she trusted and liked as a pillar of her life.

Just as they thought, after being comforted by Artorius for a while, Mordred finally calmed down.

"What's the situation now?"

She returned to her 'Artorius's number one loyal dog' state, being extremely obedient. It was the kind of obedience where if her brother said go east, she would go east; if her brother said go west, she would go west. The kind of obedience where she would betray anyone if her brother wish for it.

And now, she asked Artorius about the current situation.

After Artorius told her the information he had obtained from Scathach, Mordred nodded seriously and said, "Understood." and didn't say anything else. She still had that look of worshipping her brother.

"That's how it is...." Artorius said, looking at Scathach. "I'll leave the next seven days to you, Teacher."

"Sure." Scathach nodded. Then she looked at Mordred and then at Artorius.

"Treat that child well, you rascal."

"Of course."

Artorius ruffled Mordred's hair. "She's my sister, after all. Who should I treat well if not her?"

"..."

Scathach originally wanted to say something else, but looking at Artorius's cheerful smile, she couldn't find the words.

After thinking for a moment, Scathach decided to give up. After all, she wouldn't be the one to suffer the pain. Consider it a lesson for her self-proclaimed talented disciple.

And so, the training journey of Artorius and Mordred began.

They left the black castle that resembled an inverse version of the white castle of Camelot and arrived at the open space in front of the castle.

There was various training equipment available here. Some Artorius could understand, while others were beyond his comprehension. These were probably the remnants of the hero training from the glorious era of the Land of Shadows. This place used to be a training ground back then. However, as the Age of Gods receded, the Land of Shadows became an inaccessible realm, and the training ground fell into decline.

"In dreams, basic training doesn't manifest in the physical body."

Scathach changed into her usual female warrior form-fitting bodysuit. Amid Artorius's silent admiration, she used her spear as a teaching whip, pointing and instructing him and Mordred.

"Fortunately, both of you have a good physique. Just remember to keep exercising what you learn here in the future."

"What exactly are you going to teach us then?"

Mordred always seemed a bit rebellious when dealing with people other than Artorius. Hearing Scathach's words, she grumbled discontentedly.

"It's techniques, skills, and experience. And of course... magecraft."

As she said this, Scathach looked at Artorius.

As one of the top mages of this era, Scathach could naturally tell that Artorius excelled in 'enhancement' magecraft. This was similar to Scathach herself—she used Rune in the past to enhance her own abilities.

Of course, teachers favored clever disciples.

But more than clever disciples, teachers preferred disciples who resembled themselves.

Artorius happened to meet both criteria, so it was foreseeable that Scathach would be especially strict in teaching him.

With that said, Scathach tossed two Gae Bolg spears to Artorius and Mordred, one for each.

"Aren't you a dual-wielder?" Mordred asked, inquiring further, "Why are you teaching us to use only one spear?"

"Because it's the foundation," Scathach answered, "You both usually fight with swords, right?"

"Sometimes we use lance though," Mordred replied.

Yes, as knights, how could they not learn spearmanship, though what they usually used was lances, but it's still the same right? It's just that Artorius possessed the magic sword Clarent, and Mordred was a die-hard fan of his older brother, which is why they primarily used swords.

"They are different—The techniques of wielding a lance and a spear are not the same. The former emphasizes coordination with the warhorse and swift thrusts, while the latter focuses on agility and versatility. In any case, with me, you must start from scratch!"

"Tch..."

Mordred grumbled, seemingly not too happy. But she obediently complied.

After all, Mordred doesn't want to suffer consequences if not obey this woman.

'With talents of mine and my brother, we can learn all her spear techniques in a very short time, right? Then we can seek revenge. Hmph... just wait you old hag. We'll make you pay!'

Feeling that Mordred's state of mind was a bit odd, Artorius turned his head slightly and glanced at her. Confirming that she was thinking about some nonsense about Scathach, he gave a pleading look to Scathach, pleading mercy on Mordred's behalf.

Scathach smiled gently and nodded, granting Artorius's request. In the following training, she became even stricter with Mordred.