Chapter 37: Anti-Army Training

About a week had passed since Shion and the others arrived, and it seemed they were finally getting used to life here. During that time, they had little direct contact with us, as the instructors were busy teaching them the rules of this country and its basic knowledge.

Even so, I’m still a king—busy with all sorts of responsibilities. I had wanted to ask them more about the Kingdom of Yaranri, but there simply wasn’t time.

Fundamentally, people tend to know only about their own countries. Sure, we dispatch agents to gather intelligence on other nations, but even then, we rarely grasp the deeper details. One reason is simple: the general populace just isn’t that interested in foreign countries.

In this world, wars are replaced by "King’s Battles," so conflicts between nations rarely result in death. Because of that, there’s no need for propaganda to rally morale—no need to paint the opposing nation as evil.

Morale is essential for war, and the easiest way to raise it is by labeling the other side as “evil.” But in a country without war, there’s no need to stir that kind of sentiment. As a result, interest in other nations naturally fades.

Even "King’s Battles" rarely decide matters that significantly impact the populace. They might set things like tariffs, but such events are infrequent—and even more rarely witnessed… or at least, that used to be the case.

Thanks to the video projection device Clarisse-chan ended up creating, it’s undeniable that people are now looking forward to the next "King’s Battle."

Swordria is rich in resources. Famines are rare, and food is always stockpiled, so almost no one starves. Daily life is peaceful—simply living isn’t much of a struggle. It wouldn’t be wrong to call it a blessed country.

But when people are satisfied, they begin to want more. That’s just human nature. It’s not a bad thing, but from the perspective of my previous life, the technology in this country is… unbalanced. There’s no way to mass-produce books, so entertainment is mostly physical activity—and even that has its limits.

So what do people think when they see a "King’s Battle"? There’s blood—something they’re not used to—but the intensity is unlike anything they’ve ever witnessed.

Clarisse-chan and the “mad” researchers in the magic lab mass-produced the projection devices, and now villagers across the land have seen recordings of "King’s Battles." Apparently, they’re eagerly anticipating the next one. Some even send letters to the royal castle about it.

"With that said, this time we’ll be broadcasting an anti-army training session. …Wait, is providing entertainment really part of a king’s job?"

"Ahaha… well, it’s not that different from what you always do. It’s just being recorded…"

Standing beside Alicia in front of the transmitter, I give the introduction, though I’m not entirely convinced there’s demand for this. Still, Commander Richard strongly insisted it would be a good idea, so here we are.

He even said that people would watch just to hear the two of us explain today’s training. I don’t quite understand the logic. Are there really that many people with… unusual tastes?

"So, Toma-kun, you usually train in one-on-one combat every day. Is today something different?"

"Yeah. Today we’re outside the royal capital, training in a wide open area. Most of the knights stationed here are participating. The idea is that I’ll fight all of them at once—getting used to fighting against large numbers."

"Um… is that really something okay to broadcast? When you fought the commander before, you were seriously injured…"

"Commander Richard isn’t participating this time, so it should be fine. If it’s not… well, I might end up needing your help afterward, Alicia."

"Geez!! I’ll heal you if you’re hurt, but I don’t want to see you getting hurt!!"

Alicia rarely gets angry, but when she does, it’s always like this. I should be used to it by now… and yet, no matter how many times I see it, she’s not scary at all.

She’s clearly expressing “I’m mad!!” with her whole body, puffed up in frustration, but there’s no real intimidation. The way she clenches her fists in front of her chest and flails them around just makes her look like a small animal—adorable, really. Anyone watching would agree.

"I’ll do my best, but getting hurt is kind of part of the job. I need to get stronger so you won’t have to worry in the future. So if you don’t want to see it, you don’t have to watch."

"~~~~!!! If I don’t watch, you’ll just hide your injuries!!! I’m watching! I’m definitely watching!!!!"

In "King’s Battles," injuries are unavoidable. Last time, I was pierced by a spear, blood spraying everywhere, and nearly lost my senses from poison. At this point, the only way to deal with it is through experience.

Of course, preparing countermeasures is important—but the information you have isn’t always complete. If you’re going to fight, you need a wide range of experience.

That’s why this anti-army training is absolutely necessary.

"Man, His Majesty’s flirting with the Saint again…"

"Yeah, and after seeing that, Hikari gets really scary. Her gaze sharpens… it’s less cute, more terrifying."

"That’s definitely jealousy. The king’s pretty popular, huh?"

"Nah, it’s not jealousy. It’s more like she wants the same thing but doesn’t know how to say it, so she ends up frustrated with herself."

"She’s really close with the Saint, after all. Close enough to call her a best friend."

"At this point, why doesn’t the king just marry both of them? He’s a king—it’d be normal."

"No way, I want to watch this frustrating tension a bit longer. The Saint’s been holding back less lately too—she’s starting to make moves."

"Yeah… this is where it gets interesting."

"I’m betting someone else crashes into the love triangle."

"I’m betting on that too."

"Same."

"Me too."

"I as well."

"This isn’t even a bet anymore."

"Alright, all of you idiots hiding over there and gambling—I’m going to deal with you. Look, Alicia heard that and now she’s bright red, covering her face. Super cute, right?"

"We agree, Your Majesty."

"Everyone, please stop already!!!!!!!!!!"

She glares at us, teary-eyed, so we stop. If we push it any further, she’ll sulk and refuse to talk for a week. There’s a limit to this kind of teasing—and we all know it.

"...Saint-dono, do you have feelings for Sword King-dono?"

"Fwaaah!?!!?!!?!?!!?!!?"

Ah—right. Shion is here this time. She’s not used to this kind of talk at all. It must have slipped out as a genuine question.

Of course, now our dear Saint is completely red. This one isn’t on us, but if we push her any further, she might actually faint.

So… time to start the training.

When I glance around, every knight nods—drawing swords, raising spears, and aiming bows at me.

None of the weapons have blades, but they’re still metal—if they hit, they’ll hurt. I won’t die thanks to the Holy Sword’s second ability, but pain is still pain. And if I’m going to learn how to avoid getting hit, it doesn’t matter whether the weapons are blunt.

I grip my wooden sword and face the knights. I can use my abilities without holding the Holy Sword now, so I stick to a wooden blade to avoid killing anyone. The knights are armored, so unless I strike a bad spot, injuries will be minor—and Alicia can heal them.

No need to hold back.

"—Alright. Let’s do this."

The training—broadcast across the entire country—began.

"Incredible… Toma-dono."

The knights surrounding him began with close-range sword attacks. In battle, numbers are overwhelmingly advantageous—barring rare exceptions. In this situation, Sword King Toma-dono should be at a disadvantage.

And yet, he was smiling as he parried, dodged, and countered their attacks. Every movement flowed seamlessly—not the result of long years of training, but clearly shaped by innate talent and real combat experience. Watching him, I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of envy.

He dodges a sword—only for a spear to thrust toward him. He deflects it with his wooden blade, unharmed. Moving as though the weapons were real, he avoids injury with precise control. Compared to our previous "King’s Battle," he has grown even more. Perhaps he’s been repeating this kind of training every day.

A knight thrusts a spear from behind. He tilts his head to avoid it, grabs the shaft, and yanks the armored knight forward. Then, using his armored elbow, he strikes the knight’s face and steals the spear.

But the other knights don’t just watch. They thrust their spears all at once, surrounding him with an attack that’s nearly impossible to evade—

And yet, he plants the blunt tip of the spear into the ground and vaults into the air like a pole vaulter, dodging everything. Balancing upside down on the shaft, his control is astonishing.

I could do the same. But it took me a year to achieve that level of balance. If the stories are true, he became the "Sword King" only two months ago… did he really acquire that level of movement in such a short time?

"His Majesty is a genius in combat. He uses whatever is available, shaping it to his advantage. The environment, the weapons—they’re all just tools for victory. He doesn’t treat them as special—he simply uses them."

The knight commander beside me spoke, and I found myself agreeing. Toma-dono’s desire for victory rivals my own.

Even compared to me—who spent years in an environment where losing meant losing everything.

It’s hard to believe he was just a rural villager two months ago. I can’t imagine how he developed such ability.

"Even when his body was injured, Toma-dono kept moving without concern. Is that also part of his nature?"

"Ah… well, that’s more like…"

"That’s the commander’s fault. He kept beating Toma-kun to a pulp, so he got used to the pain. In that sense, Carol-san shares the blame too."

The Saint glares sharply at the commander, who breaks into a cold sweat. His female adjutant looks flustered beside him.

I don’t know what happened, but for the gentle Saint to react like that, it must have been significant.

"But the commander is still stronger than Toma-kun, right?"

"In short battles, yes. But in real combat… I would almost certainly lose."

"Wait—really? Even after fighting for dozens of hours and trying to kill him the whole time?"

Trying to kill him… surely that’s a figure of speech. Even so, it’s a dangerous one.

"In that space, one’s abilities depend heavily on perception. I constantly perceived myself at maximum physical strength, with stamina and mana that wouldn’t deplete. But His Majesty didn’t know that technique—he fought using only his natural abilities. While I can dominate briefly, I can’t push him to defeat. In a prolonged fight, I wouldn’t stand a chance."

In a short battle, one can go all out without worrying about stamina—that produces maximum attack power. But if the opponent withstands it, the situation becomes dire.

You’d be forced to fight, exhausted, against someone who endured your full strength.

And judging by how Toma-dono shows no signs of fatigue even now, his stamina is exceptional. Moreover, becoming a "Sword King" requires immense mana and recovery.

Taking all that into account, it makes sense that the commander would lose in a long fight.

With his combat sense, stamina, and mana, the only thing he lacks now is experience. Once he gains that—and acquires new magic—there’s no telling how strong he’ll become.

His talent almost makes me jealous.

But more than that… it makes me want to catch up to him.

I, too, was once a leading candidate for "Spear King." I understand the jealousy of others—the resentment, the insults.

All so I could stay with Mother.

To protect what I could never give up.

Unlike the men I’ve known, his eyes are purely devoted to someone else. Fighting alongside someone like that… it must be enjoyable.

Perhaps I should find a reason to fight beyond protecting my mother—

My mother, with her warm… orange-colored hair.

The faint sense of unease I felt in that moment quickly faded, swallowed by the scene unfolding before me.