113　Love Letter from Kamel.

 

　The next day.

　On this day, I had an appointment with Alfredo in the morning.

　As the prize for the bingo game, I’m supposed to give some advice to the Mix sisters, who have now become Alfredo’s apprentices.

 

“I thank you in advance for today.”

　A man in the prime of his life gave his greeting with a beautiful bow after entering the entrance door. He’s Alfredo, the blind archery.

“…………”

“……We’ll be in your care.”

　Behind him were the big sister Dee and the younger sister Jay. Both of them had a disapproving look as greeted me in passing.

 

“Alright, let me then give you some quick advice right away.”

　I took the three of them and walked around the house, instead of inside.

　The trio followed me with surprised expressions on their faces. Perhaps they thought the advice I’d give them wouldn’t be practical.

　I bet not. Only amateurs can improve dramatically with theoretical knowledge. From that point onwards, it’s a steady process of accumulation.

 

“Alfredo told me to give you advice on how to defeat Ernte. That’s fine and all, but as things stand now, there’s something you girls are overwhelmingly lacking. Do you know what that is?”

　As we moved to the back, I asked them.

　The first person to respond was the little sister.

“Is it time? Six months aren’t enough to win against Mas……To win against Ernte Kisenshou.”()

“Wrong.”

　When I bluntly rejected her answer with a smirk, Jay glared at me.

“The big sister, what’s your answer?”

“I’m called Dee.”

“Dee. What’s your answer?”

“……Kisenshou knows all too well our hands in and out. We need to come up with a different strategy.”

“I’d say 70% correct.”

　That’s certainly necessary, but it’s not the most overwhelming element needed at the moment. It’s something to consider only after everything else is set in place.

　Hmm, the big sister seems to be somewhat more promising that the younger sister. Son long as she thinks she can do it if she takes her time, she will never grow. I hope the elder sister is a good influence on her, otherwise, she will end up falling short.

 

“――The correct answer is, aim power.”

　I waited a few dozens of seconds and then told them the answer.

　Aim power refers to the ability to quickly aim and accurately hit a target with the arrow.

“Aim……We’re participants in the Kisenshou tournament, you know? Don’t look down on us!”

“It’s just as Nee-san says. That kind of basic foundation, we’ve long since……”

　There it is. The pride, arrogance, and negligence of the sisters who live in their little castle of sand.

“You girls need to gradually work on rehabilitating that haughty, careless, and self-conceited attitude of yours.”

　When I sighed and looked at Alfredo, he smiled back as if feeling my gaze. I suppose he’ll take care of that.

 

“Alright, we’re here.”

　After a ten-minute walk, we reached the shores of lake Vanilla.

　This is a place where moving around poses no problem, as it is larger than the average playing field. However, the footing is quite bad. This place is full of patches of large and small gravel that make the ground unstable even when simply walking.

“What the hell are we going to do here?”

“If it’s some stupid crap count me out already.”

　Behind me, Dee simply tilted her head while Jay spat some aggressive words. I suppose it’s natural, they heard it was advice, and I took them to the lakeside without any explanation.

“Today I’ll teach you how to train your aim power. Watch me, remember it, then go home. That’s all.”

“…………Haa?”

“Is it just a training method? Then I don’t see how this is advice.”

　If it’s just training, we’ve already done plenty of it ourselves――Is probably what they’re trying to say.

“There’s nothing more stupid than continuing a wrong training.”

“Do you mean the teachings of Master were wrong?!”

“No, well, yeah. That’s pretty much it.”

　I was yelled at with more anger than I expected, so I just laughed in dismay.

　I see. It appears that Ernte’s brainwashing education has had a bigger effect on Jay.

“Who do you want to believe? That old man that got messed up by me with only Soldier Archery? Or me, who beat him up using only Soldier Archery?”

　I threw them a couple of choices as if testing them.

　By the way, the reason I was able to beat the crap out of that old man with only 《Soldier Archery》 was because of the difference in our aiming power.

 

“……Fine, show it to us. That training method.”

“Nee-san!?”

“Jay, just think about it calmly. Maybe he’s right. Maybe the Kisenshou was really teaching us nothing but lies.”

“But! The current Kisenshou is Master! It was probably intentional that he lost to this man in the exhibition match and was just a stepping stone to winning in the summer……!”

“If so……Then why did he abandon us? Why did he abandon his role as the Mix household archery instructor and disappeared somewhere?! Why have we not grown stronger for decades?!!”

“……N-Nee-san……”

　Dee screamed as if all her pent-up feelings finally had finally reached a breaking point.

　Jay, seeing her older sister like that had no choice but to shut up. She must have wondered the same too. No, I’m sure there was always doubt at the bottom of her heart. Doubt about Ernte’s many deeds.

“……I’m sick of it. Wake up, Jay. We have to face what’s in front of us head-on. We have to stand on our own two feet.”

“…………”

　They might’ve been treated like children their whole lives. To not be independent, to listen to their elders, and to remain arrogant.

　At 99 and 81 years old, that’s pretty terrible. That old bastard was good at using them. What the hell does he think about the lives of others? It really pisses me off.

 

“Well then, you ready? I’ll show you step by step.”

　I’ll just set aside the sisters’ quarrel for now, since that’s not particularly relevant to me, and focus on today’s objective. Time is limited, I want them to move forward as fast as possible.

　When I told them I was starting, they both turned to me and nodded. Seems they’ve reached the tentative decision to trust me instead of Ernte.

 

“Ideally you should hit the target at any distance, close range, medium-range, and long-range, no matter whether the target is moving or not. You should be able to hit it 100 out of 100 shots. That’s what you should aim for. The training method is usually different for each distance, but in the past, I’ve developed a method that allows you to train for most distances evenly in a series. First, I’ll show it to you, so you understand.”

“W-wait a moment, how far away is long-range? And how can you assure a hit when both you and the other person are moving……?”

“No way, that’s impossible. It might be possible to hit 9 out of 10, but there’s no way to hit a hundred out of a hundred……”

　Huh, I get the feeling I’ve heard this before……

“It doesn’t matter if you think it’s possible or not. Do it until it becomes possible. That’s what training is for.”

　Even if your hit chance was 99%, would you take the chance hoping not to get that 1% miss in a match that you can’t afford to lose?

　If it’s a fixed hit rate from a game system, it can’t be helped, but that doesn’t apply if the accuracy depends on the player. That’s an element that can never be compromised. And one day, it will become a prerequisite. The world’s top rankers were almost always as good or better than me. To win against those people this had to become as natural as breathing.()()

“……Until it becomes possible.”

“That’s……Asking too much.”

　The two were quite pessimistic. I told them I would teach them how to make that a reality as much as possible, but they still say it’s impossible before they even know what’s this about. Is this also the result of their twisted education by Ernte?

　Whatever, it’s better to simply show it to them.

“This is how I used to do it. I’ll only do one set, so you better take a good look.”

　As I said this, I grabbed about five small stones from the ground with my right hand.

“Ha……!”

　Then, I threw them into the air directly above me with all my might. Because my STR is quite high, the stones were blasted pretty far up in the sky.

　Immediately after, I moved about 15 meters forward and then dashed clockwise from there.

　While observing the falling stones, I prioritized the ones falling faster and shot them using 《Soldier Archery》 one after the other. During this time, I didn’t slow down even a little.

　The goal was to destroy all the stones before they touched the ground. Of course, I easily succeeded in this. Five stones are pretty easy, it starts to get harder from around twelve targets.

　The interesting part of this training is the flexibility of the method to accomplish, you can aim at the stones while they’re still high, or you can aim at them after they started to fall down. It would be easy to start with one or two stones and aim at them while they are at the top.

 

“How’s it? It will become good training, don’t you think?”

　After finishing one set, I asked the Mix sisters.

　The pair was shocked still, their mouths agape.

　After calling out to them several times, their eyes finally regained focus. It was then Dee who first broke the silence.

“……First of all, there’s no way in hell we archers can throw a stone that high up, right? For a moment there, I could swear they reached the clouds.”

“It’s fine, you aren’t going to do it with rocks after all.”

“A frisbee? Oh, I see.”

　They seem convinced. It’s like a frisbee version of the ones used for clay pigeon shooting. Frisbees are cheap and can be bought in large quantities at general stores. They can also fly long distances without the need for high STR, and since they are also a large target, they are great for beginners.

“In any case……You’re quite the monster.”

“Hitting five falling stones while also running……to be honest, you’re a freak.”

　Ahh, there it is again. Just because they can’t do it, I’m automatically a monster.

“You just need to do it until you’re able to do it. Then you’ll be a fellow monster in the summer. Good for you, huh?”

　As I responded laughing, the pair gave me a dumbfounded look.

　Then, after heaving a sigh, their faces turned serious.

“So, is it really that effective? This training.”

“Yes, it is. I guarantee it. I’ve tried lots of different ones and this one is probably the most efficient.”

　This training seems to be very simple, but it is packed with every necessary element to train 【Archery】 aim. It has many more effects than you realize at first.

　Of course, I also taught Silvia this method early on. Besides, I still use it to make adjustments to my aim, so I can guarantee the effects are outstanding.

“Well, you’ve been deceived before, so I can see where you’re going. Do 50 sets a day. If you think that’s not enough, then do 100 sets. Keep at it whether it rains or hails. Work it out as you see fit.”

“Understood. Let’s do it.”

“I see. Then, how about you, Jay?”

“If Nee-san says so.”

“Alright then, this is the end of the advice. Good luck, I’ll be cheering on you.”

　With a clap of my hands, I declared the end of my guidance.

　Immediately, Dee turned to me with a surprised expression, then spoke with a challenging stare.

“……Hmph. Are you sure you won’t regret cheering on us? You’re that girl’s mentor, right?”

　That girl? Does she mean Silvia? Come to think of it, they have that connection. What’s with Dee? Already threatening Silvia? Makes me want to sigh.

“What a shame……It will definitely be our Silvia the one who will beat up Ernte in the summer. You should think about how you can win against Silvia, not how to beat Ernte.

“What……Then, what did you mean by those last words!?”

“That? I was being serious. I really want you to do your best, and I will be cheering on you.”

 

“――Second-sankan.”

　When I returned their provocation with a provocation of my own, Alfredo, who up until now had been silently watching from behind, suddenly broke the silence.

 

“Please look forward to the summer Kisenshou tournament.”

 

　……Ahh, that’s right, from here on out, it’s his job.

　Still, it makes me happy to hear him saying that.

 

“I have a principle of not saying the same thing twice, but let’s make an exception.”

　I responded to Alfredo while wearing a big smile.

 

“I’ll be waiting.”

 

 

“A letter?”

　After Alfredo and the rest left, I was relaxing in the living room when Yukari suddenly brought a letter addressed to me.

　Let’s see. I have no idea who would write me a letter.

“Uh? What’s this? There’s nothing but the receiver.”

　Silvia, who was sitting next to me, noticed something weird with the letter.

　She’s right, the name of the sender isn’t written. Then, I’ll have to open the letter to know who it is from.

“Master, this seems to be a letter from the Sacred Country Kamel.”

“Seriously?”

　How can she tell if the only thing it says outside is 『To Second Firstest-sama』?

“There are traces of it being opened and resealed again. Perhaps it has been censored. There’s no other country that would do such a thing except for the Sacred Country Kamel.”

　I see. They were checking who send what kind of letter and to whom and where. Yeah, it totally sounds like something that country would do. It’s completely disgusting.

“Alright, let’s open it.”

“Me, Me. Can I open it? Pretty please?”

“Yes, you can open it.”

“Ukyaaaー.”

　I don’t see what Eko finds so interesting about opening a letter, but she seems extremely excited.

　Plucking off the top part of the envelope, she pulled out a piece of paper folded in three.

“Uhー……”

　It begins with a seasonal greeting, then followed by a lengthy “congratulations on your triple crown achievement”.

　Who the heck is this person? As I continued reading, I found that around the middle part it became something along the lines of “I would love to meet you in person to congratulate you”. Seriously who’s this person?

“Hmm, let’s see, what else? My daughter Renko in the monastery also wants to meet you……?”

“……Master?”

“Nope, I don’t know them.”

　For some reason, two reproachful gazes turned toward me.

　It’s not like I have a wife in a different town. I really don’t know any women by the name of Renko.

“Still, the sender of this letter seems to be very friendly towards you, Second-dono.”

“The fact it says ‘my daughter Renko’ suggests it’s her mother or father the one who sent this letter. And by the attitude towards a triple crown holder, it could be inferred that this person holds a considerable position.”

“Ah, there’s a name, at the bottom!”

“Ara, that’s true.”

“Umu. From your old friend, Framboise I ……?”

“Framboise I……I’ve never heard of that person.”

“Me neither.”

“Sameー.”

 

　…………

　……Framboise I……?

 

“――――!!?”

 

　Why does it say Framboise I!?

 

“M-Master? Is there something wrong?”

　No, that can’t be.

　No, but still, there’s no doubt.

 

　If I remember correctly, Framboise I was――

 

“……I have to meet them.”

“What? Then, that means you’re going to the Sacred Country Kamel?”

“Yeah……No matter that.”

 

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Thank you for reading.