A Medieval Knight in a Martial Arts Novel – Chapter 17

—————————————————————–
Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Shrine
—————————————————————–

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇

 
“Here are the weapons you ordered.”

As expected of a craftsman personally trained by the Haenam Sword Sect, his skills were truly outstanding.

I bowed my head to Blacksmith Baek, who handed me the weapons with a face dripping with fatigue from crafting them for several nights, and took out the weapons wrapped in cloth.

“…It’s exactly the same as what I used in the Western Regions.”

“It looks longer than me!”

“It’s not that long.”

I stood next to Hye-ryeong and held the sword upright as a test. The sword reached up to the middle of Hye-ryeong’s face.

“It’s a bit shorter than me?”

“Well, it’s about 5 feet, no, it’s 5 feet.”

I discribed it in as much detail as possible, but to recreate this, could he be one of the top blacksmiths in the Central Plains?

I examined the longsword, the sword symbolizing a knight who had appeared in the Central Plains, turning it this way and that.

The length was as I ordered.

The weight balance was good.

The thickness was also fine.

I tried taking an Ox guard stance.

Then I began slashing the air, changing stances one after another.

I performed basic stances that anyone learning longsword swordsmanship could do.

At the same time, they were the core stances of swordsmanship.

“Ho. Western swordsmanship is interesting. But is it okay for me to watch this?”
Blacksmith Baek asked, half in admiration and half in surprise, looking at me. I shook my head at his reaction.

“It’s basic swordsmanship, so don’t mind it too much. It’s not like you can imitate it just by watching anyway.”

The swordsmanship of the martial arts world and the swordsmanship of the Western Regions have fundamentally different feelings, so there’s no need to be so concerned.

“That’s right! He said there are no techniques performed!”

“No techniques…”

Should I test the blade too?

After trying each stance once, I gripped the middle of the blade and assumed a half-swording stance.

The blade was a bit hot, probably because it had been in the heat of the forge, but it was bearable for a body that had fought gripping a sword in the hot desert.

I tried the motion of stabbing a person and deflecting a weapon as a test, then took my hand off the handle and gripped slightly above the tip with that hand.

Mordhau.

One of the techniques of longsword swordsmanship mainly used against armored opponents.

I tried striking downward from above like swinging a blunt weapon, then lowered the tip of the sword. Since I had the crossguard made large with solid iron on purpose, it should be usable as a warhammer.

“Interesting. I never thought there would be a swordsmanship technique that grips the blade and swings it… Are your hands okay?”

“There is a grip method to avoid injuring the hands.”

I took my hand off the handle and extended the blade wedged between my fingers. Blacksmith Baek observed my hand with curiosity.

“I never thought there would be a way to hold it like this.

This Baek-mo has opened his eyes. But… wouldn’t it be better to make the gripping part blunt if holding it like this? Or it would be good to insert a leather strap in the middle to protect the hands from injury.”

As expected, a skilled blacksmith is different. He instantly found areas for improvement.

In fact, among my comrades, there were some who ordered their swords that way.

“I prefer it this way.”

“Then do it that way.”

I put the longsword in its sheath and hung it at my waist. Then I picked up the largest polearm among the weapons I had ordered.

“It was my first experience making a polearm, so I had a bit of a hard time.”

“Thanks to this, it will be easier to face the demon cult bastards.”

Longsword swordsmanship is all good, but in the end, it’s a swordsmanship specialized for 1-on-1, so I needed a weapon that was convenient for facing 1-against-many.
If possible, a weapon that could instantly crush the enemy’s skulls and instill fear.

If I use aura, it would be possible with a longsword, but in war, it’s best to go long and thin.

You shouldn’t move forward thinking the battle will end in an instant.

“It would be difficult to use this here.”

“Try using it in the front yard. I’m curious to see how martial artists from the Western Regions use a polearm.”

Is that so interesting? Well… it would be good to have immediate feedback, so I’m all for it. I took the polearm and headed to the front yard.

The front yard had some half-broken weapons piled up, but there was plenty of space to swing the polearm.

I gripped the shaft with both hands, held it horizontally at shoulder level, and aimed the opposite end, not the blade.

The sharp awl attached to the opposite end glinted fiercely in the sunlight. It was as if a spearhead was attached, not an awl.

I tried thrusting with the end and swinging the blade a few times as a test.

“Is that how a poleaem is normally used?”
“I don’t know how people here use such weapons.”

Considering that it takes a lot of strength to wield a polearm, they might use it similarly.

Of course, since the Central Plains can relatively accumulate abundant internal energy, they might focus on swinging it by strengthening the body with internal energy.

Since there are techniques here, they probably don’t use concise and efficient movements like in the West.

I’ll have to actually see it to know.

“It’s efficient. Minimizing movements to suppress energy consumption, considering the size of the weapon.”

It’s good to swing it with force, but you need to build the foundation first. There was also the problem of quickly getting tired if you swing a polearm like a poleaxe with all your might.

Phew.

I exhaled, propping the end of the polearm on the ground. This seems to be enough. Should I check the dagger and shield too? I put the polearm back in its original place and picked up the dagger and shield.

The weight is appropriate. The weight balance is also good. I tried tapping the shield with the dagger as a test.

A clear, ringing sound echoed through the forge.

“Uncle, does a shield that small have any meaning?”

“Even if the shield is small, it’s annoying for the opponent.”

It wasn’t for nothing that I ordered a shield. This shield, which seemed to barely cover a person’s head, was really useful.

It wasn’t just once or twice that I survived on the battlefield thanks to a shield.

In fact, what I needed most was armor that could fully utilize aura armor, but it would be difficult to make it here.

It’s damn hard to make, and it requires a lot of materials. Without know-how, it would limit mobility and instead become a coffin.

“Thank you. Thanks to this, I can fight well.”

“If there’s a problem, just tell me! I’ll fix it for you!”

“Then I’ll get going.”

“Put them in your room and let’s go eat!”

I turned my back and left the forge with Hye-ryeong.

“Take care. And… thank you.”

Blacksmith Baek’s voice penetrated my ears.

Is this something to be thankful for?

I turned around and said to Blacksmith Baek.

“I’m just doing what I should do.”

Who would have thought that I, who considered saving people a useless act, would do such a thing?
Commander, I guess I’m still lacking.

—

“You’re here. What’s that on your back…”

When I visited the hall where the Sect Leader was staying after finishing my meal, the Sect Leader welcomed me with a smile. Seeing the map spread out, he seemed to be checking the strategy.

“These are the weapons made by Blacksmith Baek.”

“A polearm… it’s a rare weapon.”

“Is it that rare?”

Everyone finds it interesting.

“Even when I traveled the jianghu decades ago, there were hardly any martial artists who used a polearm as a weapon. It’s troublesome to get involved with the government… and it’s difficult to handle.”

In the first place, martial artists don’t use heavy weapons, so it’s only natural if you think about it.

Frankly, if the battle with the demon cult wasn’t a ‘war’, I wouldn’t have thought of asking for one to be made either. A polearm was difficult to shine unless it was on a battlefield.

It’s heavy and difficult to swing.

Unless you’re a sturdy person with a large physique and strong strength like me.

Even among knights, learning to use a lance was a necessary skill, but a polearm tended to be used only by those who liked to use it.

And… whether in the West or the East, carrying a sword was considered self-defense, but carrying a polearm was perfect for being treated as a subversive.

So I only planned to use it here.

“Enough with the idle talk… As you said, we’ve surrounded the area with wooden barricades and strengthened the defenses. Is there anything else we can do?”

“This is all we can do in the near future. The enemy will be in a hurry to end the battle quickly, so we need to reduce their numbers as much as possible using the traps laid around the island and then engage in battle.”

“At times like this, I miss my close friend in the Tang Sect.”

“You have a close friend in the Tang Sect?”

“That’s right.”

Wow, that’s quite a pity.

If it’s the Tang Sect in the Sect Leader’s era, they would be at least one of the top masters, and if such a master seriously spreads poison, it would be the end for the demon cult or anyone else. No matter how skilled a master is, they can’t fight properly after being poisoned.

“The most important thing is to identify when and how the demon cult bastards will invade this island. The demon cult will surely approach quietly from a distance, diving underwater using water techniques.”

In war, consuming stamina like that is suicidal, but it was almost impossible for them to enter this island by boat.

Even if they were already on guard, and if they were hit by a fire arrow and the boat was engulfed in flames, they would become shark food without being able to do anything.

If they were going to attack, there was no other way than a night ambush by swimming.

Unless they go crazy and charge in with a boat full of bombs.

…That shouldn’t really be the case, right?

Come to think of it, these demon cult bastards, I think they threw something like lightning bombs in the latter part of the original work.

I shook off the ominous imagination and opened my mouth.

“As I said before, we need to reduce the demon cult’s dogs as much as possible with bows and traps before engaging in close combat.”

“However, our disciples have never properly handled a bow. They are having difficulties in training.”

“It’s alright. Hundreds of people shooting arrows will become a formidable rain of death in itself.”

I didn’t expect them to hit the target in the first place. I just wanted to push through with sheer numbers. Arrows are most terrifying when they pour down from the sky like rain.

No matter how skilled a martial artist is, they can’t dodge all the arrows falling like rain. If the traps work too, devastating damage can be inflicted.

If it doesn’t work… then it’s a fight to the death.

“Please continue to take turns keeping watch and focus on guarding until any suspicious signs or boats are spotted.”

“Understood.”

“As expected of Sir William. Being from the military, you are well-versed in strategy. This Lin has opened his eyes.”

Hajin, who had been quietly listening beside me, showered me with praise while making a gesture of respect. Even if you flatter me like that, I just copied the tactics I often experienced when I was a knight.
As a knight, couldn’t I even experience any other tactics besides lance charging?.

“You praise me too much.”

I smiled awkwardly and looked at the map.

Seeing us erecting wooden barricades and strengthening our defenses, they must have realized that their plan had been discovered. The demon cult would probably attack in the near future.

To somehow succeed in their operation, it was important for the demon cult to move swiftly.

So… I just needed to let them know.

The bitter taste of war.

So…

“Sect Leader. Are there any fish caught near this island that are poisonous? Even a weak poison is fine.”

There’s no need to be picky about the means.

I brought up the means I had been contemplating.

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇