Episode 19: “Bianca, Spar With Me”
Fiine was dragged bodily out of the estate.
Taking another look around, she noticed bronze statues of the “Frontier Hero” standing here and there throughout the village.
Every single one of them had probably been built after his death.
What would Conrad think, she wondered, if he ever saw those statues himself?
“Look.”
Bianca stopped abruptly and pointed toward the plaza.
Yesterday evening there’d been nothing there in particular, but now three merchants had spread cloth out on the ground and laid their goods on top.
One sold dried meats and seasonings; another, clothing and sundries; the last, books and accessories.
“…What about them?”
Traveling merchants passing through weren’t especially rare.
Compared to before the Demon Lord’s defeat, visiting Schnee Village was surely much easier now — the danger of monster attacks in the mountains had dropped considerably.
“Why do you think anyone would bother coming all the way out here, to do business in a town this small?”
“They just happened to pass through, maybe…?”
“Does anyone just happen to cross a mountain like that?”
“But the chance of running into monsters is low now, so…”
“For an ordinary person, just crossing that mountain is exhausting in itself — unlike you, you stamina-brained lunatic.”
You really don’t get it, do you, Bianca said, sighing with obvious exaggeration.
(Now that she mentions it, I guess there’s not much benefit to it… and it’s not like there’s anything worth sightseeing out here either…)
“The villagers requested them to come. They apparently pool their own money together and decide how to spend it, all through village meetings. That’s why someone’s out here selling books like these, in a place this remote.”
She stepped a little closer to the merchant with the books spread out on his cloth. All the titles were fairly basic in content, but there were all kinds — spellbooks, medical texts, academic works, martial arts manuals, and more.
Books were relatively expensive, and plenty of people out here likely couldn’t even read.
“Even a small village finds ways to think things through. Apparently they’ve started their own scholarship program too, recently. Study in the royal capital, then come back here, and your tuition gets waived.”
“…A scholarship program, in a village this small?”
“Yes. And—”
Bianca started walking again, leading Fiine to the edge of the village. Beside a field, nearly ten children had been gathered together. At the center were two young people, around twenty years old, apparently teaching them swordsmanship.
“Once a month, a guard in Count Rehmbruck’s service comes out here to teach the village youths swordsmanship. The rest of the time, once a week, the village youths themselves teach it to the children, just like that.”
The two young instructors’ swordwork was clearly amateur, obviously, compared to trained soldiers.
Even so, it was equally clear they’d been putting in real, honest practice, however untrained they still were.
“I taught them myself, the day before yesterday, when they asked.”
Without warning, Bianca shoved Fiine hard from behind.
Startled by the sudden loss of balance, the training children came rushing over in concern.
“Big sister, are you okay?”
“Ah, um… I-I’m totally, completely fine…”
She answered in a fluster, eyes darting away. She wasn’t especially good with children — she never knew quite how to handle them.
Just as Fiine tried to slip away quickly, Bianca pressed a hand down on her shoulder and called out loudly.
“Everyone! This big sister here is really good with a sword. Why don’t you have her teach you something?”
“W-wait, Bianca, don’t just decide that on your own—…!!”
By the time Fiine tried to protest, it was already too late. She found herself surrounded by children, eyes shining bright with excitement.
“Big sister, is it true you’re strong?!”
“You’re small, but you’re strong? Can I get strong too, then?”
“My sword’s too heavy, I can’t swing it right. What should I do?”
Being talked at from every direction at once made her want to clap her hands over her ears.
But faced with such pure, earnest eyes, she couldn’t bring herself to refuse them either.
(If these were adults, I’d just run away right now…!!)
Turning to Bianca as if pleading for help, she was handed a sword instead.
“Here. I’ll lend you this.”
“…You’re being mean.”
Bianca laughed, clearly enjoying herself, then crossed her arms and settled into the role of spectator.
(Refusing at this point is probably going to be more trouble than it’s worth…)
Moving her body a little to work off lunch wasn’t a bad idea, she supposed. There was nothing else to do but accept that logic.
(…But.)
Fiine forcibly pushed the sword she’d just been handed right back into Bianca’s arms.
“I’m not good at teaching. I’ll let them watch a real match instead. Bianca — spar with me.”
“I train every single day, you know. I’m not losing to you again.”