A Medieval Knight in a Martial Arts Novel – Chapter 8

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Shrine
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After sparring with Mu-Guang, who only knew swords, my reputation changed a bit, no, a lot.

From ‘a pitiful foreigner that drifted in from the sea’ to ‘a foreign swordsman with outstanding skills’.

If the place that saved me wasn’t the Haenam Sword Sect but a martial arts family, my treatment would have skyrocketed from a parasite to an honored guest by now.

Ah, an honored guest.

There’s no position sweeter than that.

Being treated well as a high-level expert, swinging a sword a bit when needed, and being able to train comfortably. The epitome of luxury.

Ah, but if it’s a martial arts family, there’s a good chance of getting involved in some blood feud and meeting a miserable end.

In this novel, even a first-rate family was wrecked in the middle…

But why were they wrecked again?

To be honest, there are too many similar settings in martial arts novels, so it’s confusing.

In one, the Heavenly Demon might play the role of the young master of a first-rate family, in the next, he’s a lackey of the Blood Sect, in another, they establish a martial arts alliance and scheme behind the scenes, and in yet another, they’re relatively righteous but get destroyed because of it.

Ah, but they have one thing in common.

Befitting their pride as the best under the heavens, they have the martial arts families serving as the punching bag for them.

The first-rate family’s role was to be dragged out like a dog and beaten up, guilty of being the most famous and successful.

Or maybe the neighboring Hebei Peng family or the sinister Sichuan Tang family would get thrashed instead.

“Uncle! What are you thinking about?”

“I was just thinking that the world is a mess.”

“What does that mean?”

Oh, you’re awake?

I turned my gaze to Mu-Guang, who had already passed out for the umpteenth time.

Mu-Guang roughly brushed off the dust on his body with his hands and immediately approached me, saying.

“This time too, it was a remarkable spar! So once more…”

“That’s enough for today.”

“There’s still time until dinner-”

“Do you think your skills will improve just by sparring like this? Sometimes, it’s important to rest your body and review the contents of the spar. Nothing is more important than reflecting on your own mistakes.”

“Th-That’s right!”

His face screamed that he had never thought of that before.

But isn’t this something they teach as basic in martial arts novels?

Did this novel not have such a concept because it was written by a newbie hack author writing martial arts for the first time?

Suddenly faced with that question, I couldn’t help but tilt my head.

“Then just one more time like the last time…”

This guy is the problem.

I came to the conclusion that Mu-Guang wasn’t just crazy about swords, but about any sparring where swords clash.

Sigh, this is why sparring addicts are a problem.

He’s not even a Roman gladiator.

Pax Romana? Vox Romana? Anyway, the guys who were making a name for themselves in the Colosseum during its heyday, training in gladiatorial arts scraped together, were just like this.

Still, unlike the Pythagorean fanatics, they weren’t weaklings trying to gain something for themselves.

Rather, they were desperate to share it with others.

According to the guy who taught me gladiatorial arts, the thought that ‘If the opponent learns gladiatorial arts, they can exploit its weaknesses, and then we can practice countering attacks that exploit those weaknesses!’ was ingrained in their doctrine.

Still, the gladiatorial arts they taught me were very helpful in many ways.

“Sir William?”

“What’s with the ‘Sir’? Hurry up and go rest.”

Ah, I spaced out while reminiscing about the past.

I waved my hand at Mu-Guang, signaling him to leave quickly.

In the end, unable to resist my order to leave, Mu-Guang departed with his shoulders slumped.

“Phew.”

Just seeing his back made me sigh. How did he end up requesting a spar every day, no, every hour?

He hasn’t won even once, so isn’t it about time he gave up?

I realized it anew, Mu-guang’s obsession with swords was at a dizzying level.

“Uncle! Good work!”

“Aren’t you going to train?”

“But just watching Uncle and Junior Martial Brother Mu-guang’s sparring is helpful!”

“Is that so?”

Fortunately, the perceptive Hye-ryeong didn’t ask me to spar with her.

It was a great relief for me.

She would have been more difficult to deal with than Mu-guang.

Martial arts require intense body movements, and Hye-ryeong was a woman carrying a bundle of joy that made one question whether she could even train in swordsmanship.

If I sparred with Hye-ryeong, I would have to face that bundle of pride head-on.

Reading the opponent’s movements was important in a fight. One couldn’t afford to take their eyes off them.

Even if it was Hye-ryeong, whose bundle of joy swayed dynamically with each swing of the sword.

As a knight, it was a great discourtesy to carelessly look at a lady’s chest, but what could I do when she wasn’t wearing loose clothes but rather form-fitting ones, leaving nowhere else to look?

It’s not like I’m a blind swordsman who can swing a sword with my eyes closed.

Before my gaze could drift back to Hye-ryeong’s bundle of joy, I closed my eyes and placed my hands together above my chest.

“…Dear God.”

“Uncle?”

“It’s nothing. I just suddenly felt like praying… You know, like how monks suddenly say ‘Namu Amitabha’… and Taoists say ‘Oh, Primordial Heavenly Venerate’…”

“Really?”

“Just think of it like that and don’t mind it.”

Fortunately, although Hye-ryeong tilted her head, she didn’t ask further.

Finishing my prayer that lacked both faith and length, I picked up the wooden sword I had placed on the ground.

I felt a damp sensation from the sweat-soaked handle of the wooden sword.

Suddenly thinking of something, I slowly swept my eyes over the wooden sword.

It is an old wooden sword, chipped in various places and cracked at the crosspiece, looking like it should be discarded soon.

I had been continuously using it, not wanting to indulge in luxury while living off others, but it was about time to replace it.

If it broke during a spar, it would be a huge headache.

And since I’m replacing it anyway, I should get a real sword, not a wooden one.

Unless I monopolize all the opportunities and become an absolute master who can smash the Heavenly Demon and everything else with a wooden sword, getting a real sword was a top priority.

I tried to substitute it with the iron swords used by the Haenam Sword Sect, but they didn’t suit me at all.

The handle was cramped, the crosspiece was small, and most crucially, the blade was short.

Unlike longswords, which were at least around 5 feet (about 150cm), the swords here were at most around 4 feet 5 inches (about 135cm).

Most of the swords used by the Haenam Sword Sect were about 3 feet long, so I couldn’t use the swords here in real combat.

The core of longsword swordsmanship was close combat utilizing the large crossguard and controlling the opponent with the long reach of the longsword.

I needed to find a sword that, while maybe not as long as a longsword, at least had the length and crossguard secured.

And fortunately, according to Hye-ryeong, the Haenam Sword Sect had a forge within the sect and directly trained blacksmiths.

It was more efficient that way to create and maintain the swords for the hundreds of disciples.

Having quickly devised a plan in my head, I spoke to Hye-ryeong, who had been humming beside me.

“Hye-ryeong. You said there’s a forge within the Haenam Sword Sect, right?”

“Yes! The blacksmith there is a skilled craftsman who is the pride of the Haenam Sword Sect!”

“Can you take me there now? I want to ask them to make a sword-”

“Right now?”

“Yeah. I need to get a sword made first…”

Hye-ryeong made a troubled expression at my words. Was there something going on at the forge?

“Blacksmith Baek must be away at the moment.”

“What? Really?”

“Blacksmith Baek goes home every ten days for a break!”

I held my forehead at the unexpected news.

Huh. He’s outside at this timing.

It was disappointing in many ways.

I wanted to get a sword as soon as possible and adapt to it because disaster was slowly approaching without notice.

I clearly remembered the sentence that Hye-ryeong lost her entire family on her twentieth birthday.

“His house is outside the Haenam Sword Sect?”

“Blacksmith Baek said that if his workplace and home were close, his hardships would double, so he prepared a house outside the Haenam Sword Sect! But it’s not that far! Though he doesn’t really like disciples visiting his home.”

Well, who would want to bring work home?

Moreover, if a guest tries to make you work on your day off under the pretext of an order… it would be annoying, work or not.

“Then I’ll have to wait until the day after tomorrow.”

“Don’t worry! I’ll tell Blacksmith Baek as soon as he arrives!”

“Alright, thanks.”

It’s fortunate to have Hye-ryeong around.

I smiled back at Hye-ryeong, who was smiling with her hands on her waist and her chest thrust out as always.

Then today, I’ll wash up and have dinner…

“Senior Martial Sister Hye-ryeooooong!”

“Junior Martial Brother Yeongjin?”

What is it?

Hye-ryeong and I looked at the kid running towards us from afar.

The kid ran up to us and stopped, placing his hands on his knees and catching his breath roughly.

“Senior… Senior Martial Sister Hye, Hye-ryeong…”

“What’s the matter?”

The kid named Yeongjin finally stopped panting and stated the reason for his hurried arrival.

“Japanese pirates! Japanese pirates have landed in the west! The Sect Leader, the Sect Leader has ordered all disciples to prepare for departure!”

“The west, then Blacksmith Baek is?!”

“He’s still there…”

Pirates… pirates, huh.

I’m sorry to say this, but jackpot.

“Uncle! I’m sorry, but alone…”

“No, I’ll go too.”

Shall I go to earn some money… no, stretch my body a bit?

I headed to the training ground where the disciples had gathered, along with Hye-ryeong.

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