The Cornflower Witch Chapter 124

He wrote his choices on paper, and soon these pages flew back into the hands of the man in black.

He placed his finger above the book, quickly flipped through many pages, then closed it.

“Very good, your choices this time did not overlap, which saves us the hassle of coordination.”

“I will create letters of introduction for each of you. Upon arrival at your station, hand the letter to the local Woodland Association, and they will inform you of the further procedures and arrangements.”

After that, he dismissed everyone and left with the thick-shelled book.

Some of the nineteen students in the hall went back to their rooms to rest, while others stayed and chatted with acquaintances. Hylial saw Edgin talking with several noble-looking students, and on the other side, Florella walked towards her.

“Lia, where is your chosen station? I’m going to ‘Forest Spring Orchard’, which has the only elven organization in the woodland, ‘Flower Crown Lily’.”

“I chose ‘Glittering Gold Plain’. I hear there are many people there,” Hylial replied.

“‘Glittering Gold Plain,’ I’ll remember that. I’ll send you a letter when I have time,” Florella nodded.

“I will too.” The two walked aside, discussing their plans and ideas for the future.

As if hearing Hylial mention ‘Glittering Gold Plain’, a young man in a loose linen shirt, carrying a long saber on his shoulder, walked over.

“You’re heading to the Glittering Gold Plain, right?” He had unkempt, flowing black hair, but it wasn’t dirty.

“Yes, and you are?” Hylial didn’t recognize this student.

“My name is Agelun, 3rd floor, number 11.” He pulled out a key from his waist, spun it between his fingers, then paused, letting them both see it.

“I have something to ask. I know the ‘Glittering Gold Plain’ has excellent blacksmithing skills and high-quality ‘Glittering Gold’, so I want to ask you to help me find a blacksmith to forge a good, usable long saber.” The saber on his shoulder was indeed of poor quality, not even a fine steel long saber, but merely made of wrought iron.

“I don’t have gold coins, but this should be worth a lot.” He casually took out a strange ram’s horn from his clothes.

(Second-Order – Nightmare): Black spiral patterns cover the long horn, forming a certain curve. The tip is like jade, and it can be used for crafting certain items or simply ground into powder as a medicinal ingredient.

A second-order material, probably worth around 20 gold coins, Hylial estimated in her mind.

“If I help you find someone to forge the long saber, how will I deliver it to you afterward?”

“That’s easy. I’ll tell you my destination, and you can just mail it through the Woodland Association.”

“By the way, I can teach you a set of saber techniques. You can then use the skill of these techniques to help me customize the feel of the blade,” Agelun continued.

“This?” Hylial blinked, a little surprised.

Was he so confident that she could learn his saber techniques in such a short time? There were only a few days until their departure.

“What, you don’t want to learn?” The other party asked when Hylial didn’t answer immediately.

“I’ll try to learn.”

“This afternoon, 3rd-floor training ground, I’ll wait for you.” Agelun tossed the ram’s horn to Hylial and walked away without looking back.

“What a strange person, Lia,” Florella looked at his retreating back, then lowered her head and touched the ram’s horn in Hylial’s hand.

“This thing isn’t bad quality,” she nodded.

“I’ll also come observe this afternoon when Lia practices.”

…

At noon, the two had lunch together, rested for a bit, and then went to the training ground on the third floor.

Since there were very few students on this floor, the training ground was usually empty. When they arrived, they easily spotted Agelun training there.

He wielded a long saber, seemingly without speed, but the wisps of air it created were remarkably subtle, as if they condensed into visible lines.

After completing a set of exercises, he stopped his movements, having already noticed the two approaching. “Since you’re here, let’s begin.” He didn’t mind Florella listening in, seemingly believing that this elven girl wouldn’t learn anything even if she watched.

“This saber technique originated in the East, I mean, the more distant Eastern Continent. However, after many generations of improvements, it has changed significantly from its original form.”

“Swords emphasize sharpness and piercing thrusts, but sabers focus more on fluidity, especially on the battlefield. Riding a horse like the wind, you cut through enemy defenses with the least effort, causing damage.”

“It was originally a set of saber techniques summarized by Eastern rogue knights fighting in the streets. Then, refined through wars and battlefield experience, it became an excellent mounted saber technique.”

“Later, through merchant ship trade, this saber technique spread to other continents, especially to the wildernesses where merchant caravans frequently traveled. Such terrain was perfect for horse bandits and robbers, who further refined and developed it.”

“Finally, the merchant escorts also gradually learned the same counter-saber techniques, and through continuous competition, this saber technique became increasingly refined and practical.”

“I love this life of riding horses, and this saber technique is my favorite. It must be paired with a good saber. Now you should generally understand my thoughts and feelings.” After saying this, he demonstrated it in front of Hylial.

“Watch closely, this is the first move, used to engage the enemy at the start. Various other moves can be linked to it depending on the situation.”

He explained in detail the purpose of each move, its variations, how to exert force, and how to adapt it to the enemy. This was not just a saber technique, but a set of combat skills for chaotic battlefields.

After demonstrating the first time, he handed the saber to Hylial, letting the girl wield and slash with it.

“…That’s right, at the appropriate time, it can be held with both hands for faster, stronger force.”

Once Hylial had practiced the complete saber techniques, he demonstrated them again himself, this time at a noticeably faster speed.

“Practice it again, at my speed from just now.”

“Okay.” Hylial thought for a moment, believing she could do it.

Indeed, the speed at which she swung the saber gradually matched Agelun’s demonstration, though there was still a lack of refinement and fluidity in the details.

“Very good, I’ll demonstrate it a third time.”

At this point, Agelun picked up the saber again to demonstrate, and this time he held nothing back. He swung the blade like a torrential storm, swift and fluid, and the entire training ground echoed with the whistling of the wind.

Finally, he slashed down with one stroke. Even without using any extraordinary power, the air currents generated produced a soft ‘thwack’ as they struck the target, like a gluten dough.

“Now, have you learned it?” Agelun re-sheathed his saber, slowly adjusting his breathing.

“I think I forgot some parts, but I feel like I’ve grasped something.”

In Hylial’s eyes, during the final demonstration, Agelun’s saber techniques didn’t completely follow the taught moves. Even the details were somewhat altered, but these changes made the whole thing smoother and more natural, like the flowing path formed by the wind through a cave, natural and flawless.

“Excellent, it seems you and I are kindred spirits, hahahaha.” Hearing this, Agelun knew that the girl in front of him had truly understood, and his previous demonstrations hadn’t been performed for a blind audience.

“Your physique isn’t strong. Those powerful and solid traditional swordsmanship styles aren’t suitable for you. A more fluid and agile saber technique would be better.”

The swordsmanship of the Regas Duchy mostly evolved from knightly swordsmanship, meaning the broadswords, greatswords, and other large swords commonly used by Solin Mick and others, which indeed lacked flexibility and agility.

Seeing the two communicate happily, Florella beside them was full of questions. She truly couldn’t understand the saber techniques they were learning. It felt like three different fighting techniques were used in three demonstrations, not a single coherent set.

“It’s a relief to communicate with someone like you.” After a pleasant exchange of insights with Lia, Agelun was in a good mood.

He had no choice; he had encountered too many untrainable fools before, and some friends always felt he was deliberately holding back, which left him exasperated.

The reason why he proactively offered to teach saber techniques in the morning was because he felt the girl’s steps were stable and balanced, clearly someone who could control her own strength to the point of effortless execution and natural precision. Therefore, he concluded that she would find learning swordsmanship and saber techniques very easy.

And indeed, his judgment was confirmed.

“Thank you, Agelun.” Regardless, Hylial was very grateful for his teaching of this saber technique. At the very least, it elevated her combat responsiveness to another level.

“Haha, since you also approve of my fighting style, then find a good blacksmith to forge it for me. Consider it my reward.” He hoisted his saber onto his shoulder and bid Hylial a casual farewell.

: An iteratively improved blade art with multiple moves and combat techniques, featuring a fluid and agile style, suitable for mounted combat and high-speed battles.