After my first night in the Asuran capital of Ars, I found myself standing outside the main house, opposite the Water God, as a slightly chilly breeze blew past.
"So, how was your sleep?" Master Reida asked.
"It was great. The bed is probably the best I ever used, and breakfast was wonderful," I replied, bowing my head. "Thank you once again for taking me in, as well as Helios."
I had slept in a few inns on the way here, but none were as good as that room.
The quality alone made me forget the discomforts of camping outside.
And waking up in a place you knew you would be staying for a while… well, it was a nice, comforting feeling.
Not quite like home, but much better than finding a new place to sleep every night.
"No problem. I enjoy training promising and driven students, and besides, you'll be helping me in return, but I'll talk about that later," she said, picking up a pair of wooden practice swords. "Now, let us begin your first lesson, which is understanding the basics of the style, and the history of how it came to be. I'll observe your practice swings while I talk, so get swinging."
We then did exactly that.
With me going through the motions that had long since been deeply ingrained in my body, she went through the origins of the Water God Style, and the basic components of it.
I knew some of the history from my past knowledge and what Gal had told me, but not to the extent of what Reida told me.
The Water God Style traced its origins to the story of a coastal nation plagued by the Water Dragon King, whose attacks devastated fishermen and port towns, while the kingdom's knights failed to subdue the beast despite the king offering his crown and daughter to any who succeeded.
Eventually, a ragged swordsman named Reidar stepped forward, freezing the sea to hinder the dragon with water magic and, countering the beast's attack, slew it with a single, decisive strike.
While he was rewarded with wealth, Reidar was denied the crown and hand of the princess, yet the princess herself abandoned her title and country to follow him, choosing love over royalty as the two vanished together.
Decades later, the Water God Style was founded, along with the tradition that its practitioner's spouse must abandon their household, just as the princess once did.
And so, with the princess leaving her family for the first Water God Reidar, it was tradition for each Water God to abandon their family name and instead take the name of his, hence why Reida was called that.
Yeah… the origin of the Water God Style was suprisingly kind of romantic.
To be honest, I was curious as to what my master's original name was, but more importantly, I was surprised by the fact that the first Water God seemed to be extremely skilled in water magic as well.
Unfortunately, I doubted I could get to that level in magic… but maybe my healing magic would make up for it?
Well, only time would tell.
Moving on from the history, she then went through the basics of the style, much of which Gal had already taught me.
The Water God Style was all about reading and countering an opponent's attack, with the art of provocation being taught in order to have the opponent take the initiative.
It required a calm and analytical mind, one that could maintain patience in the heat of battle.
A skilled practitioner could read the flow of magic and battle aura, and with the development of the primary technique in Flow, could even deflect said energies.
It was a sword style primarily used for protection, and thus many knights and nobles made this their main style.
And since most Water God techniques didn't need movement, many practitioners wore heavy plate armour during combat, unlike the Sword God Style that relied on speed and discarded armour that could hinder that.
Finally, she noted how in terms of philosophy, the three main styles used in this world had a triangular relationship, where the Water God Style could counter the Sword God Style, the Sword God Style could overwhelm the North God Style, and the North God Style's unpredictability made them difficult for the Water God Style to defend against.
So… as I had thought, learning all three styles was the best approach to ensure I had not glaring weaknesses… and I had my healing magic to help out whenever I found myself outmatched in pure swordsmanship.
"Alright, so, you got all that?" Reida asked as I finished my swing.
"Yes, Master. But I'm still curious about the way to rank up, as well as when I can learn about the Five Secret Arts," I asked, raising my sword.
"Oh? You know about the Five Secret Arts?" she said, surprised.
"Yes, Gal told me when he taught me Flow," I answered, slashing down fast enough that the air whistled.
Those were two things not covered in the story of Mushoku Tensei… from what I remembered, at least.
Other than knowing that Flow was considered a sixth one, the Five Secret Arts were only mentioned as a group of techniques and nothing individually.
And as for the way to rank up in the Water God Style… that was also not mentioned.
Was it like the Sword God Style, where you had to beat a fellow Water Saint to become a Water King, and the same to become a Water Emperor?
I didn't know.
"Hmm… well, as for your first question, about how to become a higher rank, that all depends on learning the Five Secret Arts," she said. "By learning one, you become a Water Saint. By learning two, you become a Water King. And by learning three, you become a Water Emperor. And the strongest Water Emperor is named the Water God. Pretty simple, right?"
"Uh… yeah, it is," I replied.
So it was all about learning the Five Secret Arts… I didn't expect it to be such a simple method, but then again, it was better than arbitrarily using the results of fights like the Sword God Style.
"And as for learning the Five Secret Arts… well, I'll be teaching you them pretty soon," she said. "Or rather, I'll only be teaching you the one that fits you best to start. Trying to learn all five at the same time would be too much, and you'd end up not learning a single one."
"Understood," I replied.
That made sense.
Gal didn't share everything about swordsmanship right away, and instead, he trained me step by step.
It was a bit annoying to know you were missing knowledge, but it ensured that you wouldn't be overwhelmed.
"Good. Well, even if I can't teach you them, I will explain them all," she said, coughing into her fist. "Ahem. The Five Secret Arts were the five techniques left behind by the first Water God, with Flow being considered the basic technique of the style. You can consider each of these techniques to be akin to the Longsword of Light. An ultimate technique to end a battle if you perform it correctly…"
She then went on to explain each of them, with what they did, as well as the limits that accompanied them.
Mirror-Cutting Current was the first one, and it was considered the easiest to learn, as it was basically an advanced version of Flow. This technique consisted of forming a thin veil of battle aura along the blade, where any physical or magical attack or force that contacted it was dispersed and sent back along the same path. The main limits were that it couldn't reflect what the user can't see or sense, so it was also prone to surprise attacks and strikes from the user's blind spot.
Thousand-Ripple Guard specialized in area defence. It was performed by creating many overlapping ripples of battle aura that spread outward and formed a loose spherical defence. This allowed the user to deflect arrows, spells, and attacks coming from multiple directions at once, forming what was essentially a barrier. Its weakness was that it could not properly handle a single, overwhelmingly powerful direct strike, and it didn't have any offensive properties.
Stillwater Severance was an atypical technique for the Water God Style, where instead of relying on directly countering the opponent, it was about striking the moment they made their move. The user became completely motionless, suppressing and condensing their battle aura until the opponent committed to an attack, where the stored tension was released in a single slash at the moment their guard was weakest. While incredibly fast and lethal, the technique left the user fully immobile and vulnerable to feints until the enemy truly committed.
Honestly, this one was quite similar to the Longsword of Light in terms of technique, as it was just a direct strike. But instead of using the speed like the Sword God Style, it used the perception and patience of the Water God Style.
Flow-Divination Eye was a sensory technique rather than a physical one. By reading subtle changes in an opponent's battle aura, body position, and their breathing, the user could predict their actions before they even occurred. Though often mistaken for precognition, it was more like perfect anticipation through observation, and thus it failed against enemies who concealed their intent, distorted their mana, or lacked mana flow entirely. This technique had especially poor compatibility with the North God Style, according to Reida, as they specialized in such battle aura concealment.
Lastly, there was Tidal Burial. It was a high-cost technique used only in decisive moments, where the user formed a dense pressure field of battle aura that absorbed an incoming strike and released it back as a single overwhelming wave. The returned force could crush defences through sheer force, but in exchange, the technique drained immense amounts of stamina and aura, limiting its use to only a few times in battle.
"So… that's the Water God Style. What do you think?" Reida asked, with me having paused my sword swings to focus on her explanations.
Honestly, those five techniques together seemed like the ultimate sword style… especially if you added the Longsword of Light to it.
The type of sword style where you could defeat any foe, and more importantly, protect everyone you loved.
"It's… amazing," I said, clenching my fists. "I… I will aim to learn all five. No… I will learn them."
I had the drive, the time, the understanding of battle aura, and the opportunity to learn under the greatest teachers possible.
Now my talent… well, I could only hope it would allow me to.
She widened her eyes at that, but a moment later, she burst out in a chuckle.
"I-Is that so? Oh my, I can't say I dislike your passion, but don't get too ahead of yourself. After all, despite my old age and being called a prodigy since I was young, I only ever learned how to properly perform three," she said as she calmed down, her eyes narrowing in seriousness. "But if you want to surpass my level… then you should know where you're aiming, kid."
I felt a pressure wash over me, and as I enhanced my senses… I noticed it.
The air around me… no, the air all around the Water God… it was filled with her battle aura.
A fly suddenly flew towards me, hovering near my face as it attempted to land on me.
But just as it passed my nose… it was suddenly cut in half, the two pieces fluttering to the ground.
What… the hell?
I didn't even see her sword move.
Or rather… did it even move?
If this battle aura was still under her control… then did that mean… this entire area… was her domain?
My answer came to me as I felt a slight breeze, and looking to the side, I watched as a few strands of hair fell down to the ground, showcasing another impossible feat of swordsmanship.
"I see that you cut it on the road, but you missed a spot," she said with a smirk as the pressure suddenly receded, the air returning to normal as her battle aura vanished. "So… what do you think?"
What I thought… there was only one word for it.
"That… was terrifying," I replied honestly.
"Terrifying, huh…? Good. Shows you noticed properly," she said as she began to explain. "That was Deprivation Sword Kingdom, my personal technique that's been called the Sixth Secret Art. It's crafted from the combination of Thousand-Ripple Guard and Stillwater Severance, the two most difficult techniques in the Water God Style."
Right… I remember reading about her using that technique in the final confrontation for the Asura Kingdom, where she opposed Ariel ascending the throne.
To think it would be so terrifying to experience in person… Rudeus did not do it justice, likely because he couldn't sense just how inhuman that technique was.
But still, that didn't deter me.
In fact, that just made me more excited to start on my path of reaching that type of power… hopefully.
"So… what Secret Art will I learn first?" I asked.
"Hmm… from what I've seen, I think Mirror-Cutting Current would be best," she said, nodding her head. "But first, I'll need to focus on getting your Flow in order."
"But… can't I already use it?" I questioned.
I mean, Flow was basically all I had learned in order to reach the Advanced rank.
"Yeah, but it's not perfect. And having a perfect Flow is the starting point for learning the Secret Art I'm going to teach you," she explained. "But you're right. I only know what I saw from that spar with Isolte yesterday, as well as those practice swings… so how about a little spar with me?"
"Uh… okay?" I replied, readying my practice sword.
While I knew she was a strong swordswoman, I wasn't really scared.
After all, if there was any danger, I would have been cut down long ago.
"Good. Let's see how you do," she replied, taking out her sword.
I proceeded to then be treated like a child… and in front of her overwhelming skill, I might as well have been one.
If Gal was overwhelming with speed and power, then Reida was overwhelming with pure control.
Against Gal, I felt like I stood a chance before I suddenly ended up with a sword at my neck and an annoying smirk directed down at me.
But with her… as soon as our swords met, I could instantly tell how outmatched I was… in fact, I could tell there was no chance simply from the way she held herself.
Every one of my strikes was easily redirected, as if she was simply brushing aside a leaf in the wind.
And when she attacked, it was extremely precise, with every strike connecting and flowing together in perfect harmony, as if she knew what I was going to do before I even thought of doing it.
I didn't end up getting knocked off my feet. In fact, I was able to block most of her attacks.
But anyone who wasn't an amateur knew that was simply because she was holding back, using the spar to test my abilities rather than to actually win.
Gal's spars definitely hurt more physically, but to be honest… the mental damage from this one made it just as bad.
"Alright, that's enough," she eventually said, bringing the exercise to an end. "Say, Vince… you noticed my battle aura when I showed off my technique, and I could tell you could sense it during our spar… that's impressive. Probably enough that you could learn Flow-Divination Eye after a couple of years.."
"Thank you, Master," I said, bowing my head.
Flow-Divination Eye… that was the perception technique.
But if I could learn it after a couple of years, why didn't I start with that?
"Just saying the truth. Yeah… ignoring the ridiculousness of your age, your base skills are good, and the only thing you need to improve your Flow is to improve your technique," she explained. "Gal is damn strong, but he got good mostly from his instincts. You're not like that. You're smart and analytical, so it's no wonder you weren't able to learn properly under him."
Well, that explained why Gal rarely went through specific explanations, preferring to show a practical example instead… that was just how he learned, I guess.
"So… when you say 'technique', what do I need to get better at?" I asked.
She brought her hand to her chin in thought.
"Your foundations. They're solid, but uneven. Probably because you were learning the Sword God Style at the same time. It's just slightly off, but that slight deviation makes a load of difference," she said, clapping her hands together with a smile. "Right! So… let's do this…"
And so, my daily schedule for the foreseeable future was set.
Right after I woke up, I would do my morning exercises and sword swings, both as a warm-up for the day and to make sure I didn't get dull in my sword technique and physical training.
In the morning, I would be training with Reida along with Isolte, where I would be training in Flow before moving on to the Secret Art training.
The only reason Isolte hadn't joined us today was because it was meant to be an introductory lesson for me, and she wouldn't really learn anything from it.
I considered that a good thing, as it would be slightly embarrassing to have a pretty girl watch you get destroyed by her Grandmother… even if that Grandmother was the Water God.
Anyway, come midday, I would then be training with Isolte without Reida there. We would spar together to further understand what we had learned from our previous lesson, and I was also asked to give Isolte some lessons on the Sword God Style during this time.
Then, the afternoon and night were completely free, where I could spar with the other students of the school and do some individual training, or even join Isolte and the others when they studied academics.
For now, I decided to use the afternoon to spar with others, and if needed, as a time to do anything I wanted in the city. Although I might also join in on the academic lessons if I felt like doing so.
As for night, I would probably do magic training and studying, especially with the library here, which was much larger than the one in the Sword Sanctum.
Ah, and I had also been forbidden from using anything other than the Water God Style while Reida trained me, but I could use the other styles when sparring Isolte and others.
This was a way to keep my skills in the Sword God and North God styles sharp, and also to introduce the others to the two styles so they could get used to facing swordsmen of those styles.
By the time we were finished with everything, the sun had nearly reached the peak of the sky.
"Well, that's enough for today. Go get some lunch and meet your fellow students," she said. "Unless… do you need something else?"
Right… there was something.
Gal had mentioned it… about getting more North God Style training while I was here, since there were many willing to offer their services here in the capital.
"I… want to use all three styles, but I am still at the Intermediate rank with the North God Style," I said, lowering my gaze. "So… I was wondering if I could get a teacher in it."
I know Gal told me to ask her… but I felt a bit bad bringing up a request right after being treated so well.
"Hmm… that must be Gal's suggestion. That scoundrel, putting it on me," she sighed, shaking her head. "Anyway, I agree that it would be good for you, but let's wait until you're better in the Water God Style first."
That was more than acceptable.
"Thank you so-"
"But… you don't expect it to come free, do you?" she said, interrupting me.
Oh…
"In fact, there is also me training you, housing you, feeding you, and then taking care of that horse of yours… I decided to accept you as a favour to Gal, and also since you're an exciting pupil, but that can only go so far," she said, a smirk eerily similar to the Sword God's forming on her face. "You'll need to pay up, kid."
"Uh… how?" I asked. "I am completely broke."
I had used all my funds on the way here, and if I was to be training all day, it wasn't like there was a way to get more.
Don't tell me… was I going to be asked to use my body?
I don't care if I ended up being sent away, I was not going to be the boy toy of some perverted noble.
"Don't look so worried. I'll just have you do some chores for me," she said, lightly chuckling. "Delivering messages for me, protecting some people, guarding the gate… just little things like that. I'll also make sure it doesn't get in the way of your training."
Was… that it?
"I'll do it. But, is that really enough?" I asked.
After all, she was doing a lot for me, and with little to no reason to.
"Yeah, it's fine. A favour from the Sword God is a pretty valuable thing, after all. And with the funding we get from the royal family and nobles so that we stay headquartered in Ars, money isn't a problem anyway," she said. "But… well, I might ask you for a favour as well in the future."
I was a little curious about what that meant… but it didn't seem harmful.
I would be fine helping her with practically anything, as long as it didn't involve Darius or anything nefarious.
Despite being familiar with killing, I still had my morals, especially if it was innocent people involved.
"Well, now that that's settled, I need to go check on the other disciples. If you need anything, just ask one of the Water Emperors or Isolte," Reida said as she walked away.
And like that, my first lesson with the Water God came to an end.
—
After spending the afternoon further familiarizing myself with the Water God dojo, and also doing a brief walk around the nearby streets to get used to the city, I then met up with Isolte after dinner to make good on the offer from yesterday.
That being the plan for us to go horse riding together.
After telling Isolte that we should get going, she went to prepare while I headed over to the stables, and looking at Helios, it was obvious he was happy about getting some rest after months of constant travel.
Honestly, I didn't think he could show such a relaxed expression.
But still, I think he was starting to get bored, seeing how excited he looked when I came over.
"Vincent, I'm ready," Isolte said, walking over to me.
She had changed out of her previous dress and into some casual training clothes, but, as expected, had kept her sword on her hip.
We would be leaving the relative safety of the noble district, so I had also brought my sword.
"Good. I am as well," I said, placing the saddle on Helios' back. "Then, let's get going."
After getting both our steeds prepared, we then set off down the street, easily passing through the inner wall and out of the noble district thanks to Isolte, as she held a token showing her family's coat of arms.
I had briefly forgotten that despite being the granddaughter of the Water God, she was also a child of the Cruel noble family… although I don't remember hearing anything about them in the story aside from Isolte's family name.
"So, how was your first lesson with Grandmother?" she asked as we continued.
"It was… informative. I learned more of the style's history, about the Five Secret Arts, and after a spar, I now understand how strong your grandmother is," I replied.
"Hehe, I see. Grandmother is indeed amazing," she said, nodding her head. "Do you know what you will be training next?"
"Yeah… first I'll need to get better at Flow, but after that I'll be learning Mirror-Cutting Current," I said. "Ah, and I'll be training with you in the morning. I hope you don't mind."
"No. Rather, I look forward to it," she said. "But still, to have Grandmother personally train you… you must have a lot of potential. Although I knew you were strong ever since our first meeting."
If by potential, she meant having a grown mind as a baby, then sure.
"I suppose… but potential doesn't mean much if you don't work with it," I said.
"I agree. Though, that attitude is also a reason Grandmother accepted you," Isolte said. "Despite many students passing through the doors of the dojo, Grandmother does not waste her effort on those she doesn't deem worthy, or where said effort would be wasted."
"Then… I'm glad to be seen as worth it," I said.
We settled into a comfortable silence as we continued through the streets, a few passing children looking at the two of us in awe and confusion.
"By the way, you mentioned during your introduction that you were Advanced rank. Does that mean you're currently learning a Secret Art?" I then asked.
"That is correct. Currently, Grandmother is training me in Thousand-Ripple Guard, and I have done so for the past few months," she said. "But… it is very difficult. I had underestimated the difference between the Advanced rank and Saint rank, and using battle aura in such ways…"
Glancing over to her, I saw that she was wearing a difficult expression, her strained smile giving way to her inner frustration.
"Well… I can't say much since I haven't started training a Secret Art yet, but I believe you can do it," I said, looking forward once again. "Actually… I know you can."
I heard the light inhale of a breath from the side.
"How… can you be so sure?" she asked.
Well, because I remember you being a Water King when you first met Eris in the story… but I couldn't exactly say that.
"Because you're talented and driven. And with those two things, there is little to stop you from improving," I said, turning to look at her. "Besides, didn't you say it yourself? Your grandmother wouldn't waste her time with training you if she didn't think you could do it."
Isolte's eyes widened before she gently smiled back.
"Yes… you are correct, Vincent. Thank you," she replied.
"Think nothing of it," I said.
Soon after, we made it to the city gate where, yet again, we were able to pass quite easily.
We didn't even need to show any identification, as there was no danger with people leaving the city.
Anyway, I had visited a couple of cities and towns on my way here, and most of them closed their gates during the night to ensure no vagrants took advantage of the lack of visibility.
But here in Ars… that didn't happen.
After all, not only was there too much demand for traffic, with this city being the main economic and administrative hub of the entire nation, but also, as I had learned during my earlier walk, there were also enchantments in the walls to prevent any such security issues.
So, with the sky painted in the fading orange of dusk, we began to ride with a faster pace down the long road, the two of us asking each other some questions to get to know each other better.
"So, you're twelve?" I asked.
"Yes, but just recently, as I was born quite late into the year," she replied. "And how about you?"
So that would make her be born in late K403, just under two years older than me…
"Ah, I'm ten," I answered.
I watched her face lose its usual calm integrity, her expression radiating surprise.
"Ten!? I thought… I thought you were older than me," she said, her cheeks flushing in embarrassment at her shout.
"Unfortunately, I am not," I said.
"Unfortunately?" she asked. "What do you mean by that?"
"Well… let's just say I would feel more comfortable in an older body," I replied.
One that matched my mental age a bit more, that is.
Though for Isolte, who simply nodded in understanding, she probably just thought I was talking about the physical limitations in a child's body.
And speaking of physical development… I hadn't noticed since she wore plate armour during our first meeting, but it seemed that Isolte had already begun puberty, at least judging by her… well, 'physical development'.
Of course, I didn't find myself even the least bit aroused since first, she was a child, and second, my libido hadn't awakened yet… but I just hoped that I could stay as calm as I currently was once I grew up a bit.
Regardless, with the two of us growing a bit closer with our time together, we continued riding for another hour before we eventually turned back to the city, returning to the dojo.
And with a smile, I settled in for my second night in my new room, having completed my first full day at the home of the Water God Style.
Yeah… after months of nothing but camping and inns, it was definitely nice to finally have a place to call home.