CH 44.4

If Ludo’s swordplay had been a little better, even Bash might have offered some advice. Is he too advanced or too delayed? Does he swing his sword out of habit, or does he not watch his opponent’s movements? Does he have strange habits, or is he too basic and easy to read? These things could be discovered in a match.

But honestly, as far as Ludo was concerned, it was difficult. All he could say was that everything was bad. In battle, it was common for four or five enemies to die at the same time when Bash swung his sword. Rarely, however, would an idiot die crushed by corpses. Ludo would be one of those idiots. In retrospect, all of the king’s sons were first-class warriors. They were still young, but that was to be expected. They had survived the fierce battles at the end of the war.

Hmmm…

Bash thought with all he had. What should he teach Ludo, who had collapsed in front of him? He had never seen such a weak ogre, what should he do, what did young orcs, ogres and warriors do on the battlefield?

The least he could say was that those who collapsed from exhaustion died without exception. On the battlefield, the first to die were those who could not move. The inability to move forward or flee meant that you were just a target. So the least you could do was avoid it.

“Get up.”

“Hah… hah… no, I can’t get up anymo… guhah!”

Bash kicked Ludo over. Those who said they could not stand on the battlefield were often able to get up after this was done to them. At least that was the case with the Orcs. And apparently the ogre Ludo did too, for he stood up, eyes wide.

“Run.”

“Run where? It’s almost dark and the sun is settin… Oogh!!!”

Bash kicked Ludo away. Those who said they could not run on the battlefield were often able to run after doing this. Now that he thought about it, this was common to all races, not just Orcs. If you kicked them or slashed them with your sword, if you attacked them, they would all run frantically.

He kicked Ludo away again, Ludo dropped the sword and stood on all fours, covered in mud, looking at Bash. Why, you ask? Bash gave him a piece of his mind when he saw his look that said, “Why?”

“Do you want to see your mother’s killer with that look?”

When Bash said this, Ludo stood up slowly, biting his lip, and broke into a run. In the pouring rain, as if running away from Bash. The composure he had before his training had completely vanished from his face.

Bash gave chase. He deliberately extended his murderous intent, intending to kill him when he reached him. But slowly, so as not to reach him. It was a technique he normally used to exhaust his opponent when hunting prey he couldn’t reach.

“Bash knew that it was in the moments before death that a person showed his greatest strength. This was true of himself, as well as the fiercest men Bash had defeated. Moreover, Bash grew stronger through repeated battles to the death. Drawing strength from one’s limits was what pushed a warrior to a higher level of existence.

“Hah… ah… ah… gwah… hah…”

Ludo ran well. If he could run so far, he wondered what had caused him to fall earlier. In the rain, he got stuck in the muddy ground and fell many times, but he ran desperately. It was hard to tell from the side if he was afraid of Bash or if he really wanted revenge from the bottom of his heart. Or maybe Ludo himself did not understand.

The ogre boy continued until he could no longer get up, even though Bash kicked him.

□

The rain did not stop. But Bash and the others started moving the next day. Ludo said they had to keep going. He said that if they didn’t follow, the advantage of the enemy they wanted to take revenge on would be too great to follow.

His sister Luka had a slightly negative look on her face, but did not mention it. As for Bash, he was inclined to stay in the cave and train until Ludo was more capable. However, he also had a strong desire to finish with their revenge and go to the Demon country as soon as possible. Time was always limited.

Training took place even when they were on the move. Ludo would hit Bash with his sword, sometimes defending himself from his blows, and when the orc felt that the boy had reached his limit, he would make him run until he collapsed. That was it, although it was too crude to call it training.

Ludo was a little frustrated, but for the time being he complied. Bash saw the speed with which Ludo got up and the distance he could run increasing day by day, and he felt he was making steady progress.

Luka just stared at him. She didn’t say a word, just watched. With a slightly sad expression on her face.