The swordsman stroked his chin thoughtfully.
"Your fighting style is somewhat similar to mine. You focus on controlling the flow of battle through careful positioning and trying to move as efficiently as possible to conserve energy."
Audun continued.
"But our swordsmanship is radically different."
Nephis nodded.
"I've been trained in the swordsmanship of the immortal flame clan."
"Yeah, the swordsmanship of Broken Sword, right?"
Changing Star frowned.
"Yes... Is there a problem?"
With his face contorted in complex contemplation, Audun held out a hand, gesturing towards the longsword in her grasp.
"It'll be easier for me to show you."
Hesitating for a second, Nephis ultimately chose to comply.
Audun took up a stance.
"I lack the innate flexibility to replicate your swordsmanship flawlessly, but I'll try my best."
Taking in a breath, he took a step and swung.
"The swordsmanship of the Immortal Flame Clan somewhat resembles that of German Longsword."
The swordsman executed another graceful slash, his steps swift and precise.
"Each of your neutral guards resembled Alber, Pflug, Vom Tag, Nebenhut, and Ochs, but they're all slightly modified to accommodate a wider variety of opponents."
Nephis's eyes were firmly trained on his figure, burning everything into her mind.
"Hundreds of years of insight went into the creation of those basic stances, and the forms you execute every time you use your swordsmanship have probably been used by hundreds if not thousands before you."
Audun traced another deadly arc in the air.
"You're a genius, Nephis. There's no denying your talent. But from what I've seen, there's a fundamental problem with the way you're utilizing your swordsmanship."
Planting his foot on the ground, Audun twisted his body, and with a flick of his wrist, swung the longsword with shocking force.
Nephis frowned.
"What do you mean?"
The swordsman did not stop his dance.
"Your swordsmanship is empty."
Taking another graceful step, Audun chuckled.
"Do you remember back when we were in the labyrinth, when you told Sunny the essence of combat was murder?"
Nephis nodded.
"While you're not necessarily wrong, the essence of swordsmanship and the essence of combat are two fundamentally different things."
Executing a final slash, Audun finally lowered Nephis's blade, his lavender eyes fixed on her.
"Although it's currently quite weak, you've been utilizing the concept of slaughter and revenge to fill your blade-"
Genuine confusion shone in Changing Star's eyes.
"But slaughter does not define who you are, ruin and change are not your identity."
An amethyst glow deepened the purple of Audun's eyes, his eyes lost in reminiscence.
"Long ago, I was told that the essence of swordsmanship is the swordsman, and I've engraved those words in my mind.
Audun handed Nephis's sword back to her and gestured towards the stars engraved in his domain.
"At the core of my own swordsmanship is my identity, and while I cannot help you find yourself, as a teacher, the very least I could do is show you who I am."
A weathered estoc fell from the skies, its scarred blade seemingly carrying an immense history.
"Although it's an imitation, an echo will be more than enough to show you."
Nephis swallowed, her eyes darting around as the realm around them began to shift.
Numerous scenes flashed by, each more inexplicable than the last.
A burning manor.
A ruined kingdom.
A radiant platinum flame.
A battlefield of pure chaos.
Taking up the weathered estoc, Audun began to swing his sword.
Each slash was incredibly simple, but the arc they traced through the air transmitted emotions that were anything but.
Every step Audun took, every movement he made, seemed to carry a weight that Nephis couldn't put into words.
His movements were sublime, but it was a sublimity tainted by imperfect emotions that reeked of humanity.
Before this display, Nephis was rendered utterly silent.
Eventually, Audun lowered his blade, ceasing his dance.
Seeing her gobsmacked expression, a small smile spread across his face.
"It is said that true swordsman need not introduce themselves."
Audun gestured towards the longsword in her grasp.
"Even if you don't have the capabilities to hear the song of the sword, I've already told you who I am."
Raising his blade, the smile on the swordsman's face widened.
"Since I have already done the courtesy of introducing myself, would it not be rude to not do the same?"
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"What the hell did you do to Neph??"
It had been a few hours since Audun and Nephis had finished their first lesson, and currently, the swordsman was taking a break in his room, reading one of the books Sunny retrieved from the library in the ruins.
Well, that was before a certain seer barged in.
"... I just gave her a few tips-"
"Sunny told me that she's been staring absentmindedly at the ceiling of her office for the past few hours, muttering things under her breath."
"Oh, that? She's just doing her homework."
Cassie made a weird face.
"Homework?"
Audun shrugged.
"What kind of teacher doesn't assign homework. I just gave her something to figure out before our next lesson."
Sighing, Cassie flopped onto Audun's bed.
"Was Sunny the same?"
Audun thought for a moment.
"Nah, Sunny was starting from practically zero, so he adjusted to everything I taught him faster."
Thinking back, the swordsman chuckled a little.
"Well, he adapted to the swordsmanship fast... His etiquette and theory are still a work in progress."
"You taught him etiquette...?"
"Yeah. I wasn't about to let that perv give me a bad rep, so I taught him how to dress up his words to hide his meaning."
"So, you taught him formal trash talk?"
"Pretty much, yeah."
The two shared a laugh.
"What are you planning to teach Neph then, well, aside from swordsmanship?"
"Dunno. I don't think I'm qualified to teach her anything else- Wait."
Audun widened his eyes in realization.
"I'm literally in the ultimate wingman position right now!"
"..."
"You said it'd take a couple of years before they seal the deal, right?"
"...Yeah."
"Well, if the ship is at the dock but isn't sailing, shouldn't I just man the helm and help it set sail?"
"You're... really invested in their relationship, aren't you?"
Audun snorted.
"Who wouldn't be? The princess of a prominent clan and a slum rat getting together... don't tell me that doesn't sound like the plot of some sappy romance story!"
He continued.
"Plus, if Sunny trusts Nephis enough to tell her his true name, wouldn't that be the ideal situation?"
Cassie nodded.
"It definitely would be... But Audun-"
The seer hesitated.
"Do you even have any experience with... y'know, romance?"
The swordsman huffed.
"Don't underestimate the experience of someone who's lived for nearly four centuries."
"So... no?"
"I... Uh, I've read a lot of romance novels."
"Was that a rhetorical question?"
A grimace spread across Audun's face, the pitying look on Cassie's face inflicting more damage to him than any abomination could possibly hope to.
"Don't look at me like that... You don't gotta rub it in."
"Sorry, I forgot you were a 400-year-old eunuch."
"Has anyone ever told you how annoying you are?"
"Nope, just you."
"Y'know, one day, the others will see you for the prick you are."
"You wound me, sir."
Letting out a sigh of pure resignation, Audun cradled his face in his hands.
"I truly hate having conversations with seers. You always have something to say in return."
Closing the book on his desk, the swordsman stood up and walked over to the bed.
"Move over, I'm gonna take a nap."
Cassie barely had enough time to roll over before Audun flopped onto the bed.
Snatching the blanket out of her hands and grabbing his pillow, the Star of Solitude promptly let go of his consciousness.
Still shocked by this turn of events, Cassie, who was still on the bed, could do little more than gawk idioitically.
Eventually, though, after she collected her thoughts, a single sentence unconsciously slipped from her mouth.
"How could you be so dense..."
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(A/N: I had a test this Friday I had to lock in for, so I didn't have much time to write.
You guys hit the goal this week, so I owe you a bonus chapter, as well as one from last week (I suck at keeping promises)
I genuinely had no idea how to handle Audun teaching our murder hobo, so as always, I dug through the wiki's and reread the earlier chapters until everything fell into place, which took a bunch of time.
I'll be writing a bunch tomorrow, and while I don't know how many chapters I'll be able to finish, I'll try my best to get out at least two.
Btw, I'll be a little bit... preoccupied cuz I've gotten a girlfriend.
I'll skip the usual pleas for comments and stones today, so I'll see you guys tomorrow!)