Chapter 209: Sword Philosophy

Elias stood inside a cavernous room that was considerably larger than any other chamber in the hideout.

The space had been designed for sparring and training, with smooth stone flooring and enough room for several people to practice their techniques without interfering with one another.

Since the chamber was too large for torches alone to provide sufficient illumination, magical formations had been installed across the ceiling and ground, drawing mana from the surroundings to generate light, while the torches lining the walls served a more decorative purpose.

Weapon racks had been carved directly into the walls, and several wooden training dummies stood in one corner.

Elias stood at the edge of a circle engraved into the stone floor, facing Other Stella, who waited on the opposite side. Meanwhile, Young Stella sat in a nearby chair, watching them while happily eating a delicacy from the Ruler’s Cradle that Olide had introduced her to earlier.

Apparently, it was called ice cream, and to Elias’s surprise, its recipe had been created by none other than the Purple Lily.

’She really was a talented woman,’ he thought, wondering what other remarkable things she had accomplished during her lifetime.

"Have you decided what kind of sword style you wish to create?" Other Stella asked, drawing his attention back to their training.

Elias nodded. "I have."

To advance his swordsmanship further, Elias needed to gather everything he knew and understood about the sword into a style of his own.

There were two ways to accomplish this: he could join an organization, learn its established sword style, and gradually develop his own interpretations and variations, or he could start from the very foundation and create an entirely new style.

Although Elias had studied numerous swordsmanship manuals while living in the Crimson Ducal Clan, none suited him.

Most of the clan’s sword styles revolved around absolute domination, reflecting the family’s belief that strength was the foundation of authority.

However, Elias’s sword philosophy was different.

To protect what you love, you must absolutely dominate everything that threatens it.

He did not wish to dominate everyone around him merely for the sake of power, nor did he believe that others should be forced to submit simply because he was stronger. Instead, he was willing to let people live as they pleased, provided they did not threaten him or those he wished to protect.

The Crimson Ducal Clan’s sword styles followed a simpler principle: one must stand above all others.

That was why the Duke was not merely a man who understood politics and knew how to manage his clan; he was also powerful enough to dominate anyone who dared challenge his authority.

Creating a sword style that embodied Elias’s own beliefs, however, was far from easy. That was precisely why he had sought the help of Stella Crimson, a woman who was the incarnation of the Sword Spirit itself.

"Let’s begin, then," Other Stella said, and Elias nodded as he tightened his grip on his sword.

"Take your stance," she commanded.

Elias remained motionless, however, as he considered what kind of stance would best represent his philosophy.

’What kind of stance should I use?’

He did not want to appear defensive, as that might suggest he was merely reacting to his opponent rather than controlling the situation. At the same time, adopting an aggressive stance would contradict his desire to protect rather than simply overwhelm others. He wanted to find a balance between the two, but translating an abstract philosophy into a physical stance proved more difficult than he had anticipated.

After thinking for nearly a minute, he finally stepped forward and raised his sword into a basic stance.

His feet settled shoulder-width apart, with his front foot angled slightly toward his opponent and his rear foot providing balance.

He held the sword in front of his body with both hands, keeping its point directed toward Other Stella, but his posture lacked any distinctive quality. It was a plain, unremarkable stance that any beginner might adopt while learning to hold a sword properly.

Other Stella furrowed her brows as she examined his posture.

"That is the basic beginner stance," she muttered.

Elias offered a wry smile. "I do have a stance in mind, so I thought I would start with the basics."

She shook her head before asking, "What philosophy do you intend to build your sword style around?"

"To protect what you love, you must absolutely dominate everything that threatens it," Elias replied.

"Then you need to appear stronger than that," Young Stella suddenly remarked as she licked her ice cream with a flat spoon. "This is so good! Even better than sugar fruits!"

Elias was far too stunned by her first statement to pay attention to the second.

"What did you just say?" he asked, turning toward her.

Young Stella shrugged. "I do not know."

Elias frowned. "But you just said it."

"I did..." she replied, looking just as confused as he felt.

"Look at me again," Elias instructed, returning to the same basic stance he had adopted earlier.

Young Stella stared at him for a few moments before tilting her head in confusion. "If you want to protect someone, why are you even considering a stance that makes you look weak?"

Other Stella remained silent, crossing her arms over her chest as she watched the exchange.

Taking Young Stella’s words into consideration, Elias shifted his posture into a guarded stance.

He bent his knees and lowered his center of gravity, placing his feet farther apart while angling them outward to establish a firm foundation.

His rear foot pressed firmly against the stone, and his weight settled evenly enough that he could absorb an incoming blow without being easily displaced.

With his sword held close across his torso, he appeared ready to intercept any attack that approached him, while the alignment of his legs would help disperse the impact through his body and into the ground rather than allowing it to throw him backward.

"What about this?" he asked.

Young Stella scooped up another spoonful of ice cream and ate it before answering, "Husband looks too guarded now... like a wall."

Elias blinked several times. "Is that a bad thing?"

Young Stella paused to consider his question before explaining, "It depends. If you are a wall that is known to destroy everything that dares to try to break it, you inspire fear."

"But if you are a lone wall that... just exists, you inspire people to challenge it, and that is not what someone who wants to protect others should do."

Elias slowly lowered his sword and stared at her, unable to hide his astonishment.

’What is going on?’

Young Stella was supposed to know nothing about swordsmanship, yet she was suddenly speaking as though she were an experienced swordswoman who had spent decades walking the Path of the Sword. Her words were not merely insightful; they directly addressed the contradiction he had been struggling to resolve.

"You know, when we broke ourselves apart, Stella made sure Envy could not easily take over any of us," Other Stella suddenly remarked.

A confused expression appeared on Young Stella’s face as she looked at her older counterpart.

"What are you talking about, twin sister?" she mumbled.

Meanwhile, Elias’s eyes widened until they were nearly as large as saucers.

"What is wrong?" Other Stella asked, but then her eyes shone as she seemed to remember something. "Ah! I forgot to tell you that we broke ourselves apart on our own, did I not?"

"Yes. Yes, you did," Elias mumbled, his face reflecting the depth of his bewilderment.

"Can you tell me why she did it?" Elias asked, doing his best to keep his thoughts from spiraling out of control.

Other Stella shrugged, and both Stellas answered at the same time.

"The other one knows."

"Fuck!" Elias muttered, rubbing his face in frustration.

He took a deep breath before looking at Other Stella again. "What do you know?"

"Hmm..." She pondered the question for a moment before pointing toward Young Stella, who had somehow dropped her flat spoon and was now licking the ice cream directly from the bowl.

"That one has all of our talent and knowledge," Other Stella explained.

She then pointed at herself. "I have all of our experience."

Finally, she glanced toward Young Stella again. "And the last one has all of our rage and swordsmanship."

"Wait, how does that work?" Elias muttered, staring at her with a thoroughly confused expression.

Other Stella shrugged. "It is complicated."

"I could not fucking guess that," Elias muttered before taking another deep breath. "Calm down... calm down."

"Why are you acting so intensely, anyway?" Other Stella asked, furrowing her brows at his reaction.

"I..." Elias lowered his head, struggling to put his feelings into words. "I just feel helpless."

"Use it, then," Young Stella muttered as she licked the ice cream around her lips.

"What?" Elias asked, raising his head toward her.

"Right now, you are only putting the part of yourself that you want to show into your sword," she explained. "If you want to create something that is truly yours, you have to put everything that you are into it."

"But that would go against the philosophy of my sword..." Elias began, struggling to reconcile her advice with the principle he had chosen.

"I want more!"

Young Stella abruptly finished her ice cream and hopped to her feet, interrupting him before he could continue.

"Who said a sword can only have one philosophy? It is your sword style, so make it whatever you want!"

With that, she turned and left the training room, apparently more concerned with finding another serving of ice cream than continuing their conversation.

Elias lowered his gaze toward the sword in his hand, silently considering her words as the room settled into quiet.

After a while, he raised his sword again and took a stance, his expression becoming more resolute as he spoke.

"I do not wish to be hopeless."

His posture was defensive, but unlike before, he no longer looked as though he were bracing himself against an inevitable impact.

His shoulders remained relaxed, and his sword rested comfortably in front of him, angled to guard his body without closing off his options.

One foot stood slightly ahead of the other, while his rear foot turned outward at an angle that allowed him to pivot and step into an attack without first having to rearrange his footing.

His weight was balanced, neither committed entirely to retreat nor leaning forward to strike, and his stance seemed almost carefree, as though he were simply standing at ease rather than preparing for battle.

Yet beneath that relaxed appearance lay the potential for movement in several directions.

He could receive an attack, redirect its force, and transition into a counterattack with a single shift of his feet, allowing defense and offense to flow into one another without a clear boundary between them.

"Oh?" Other Stella murmured, circling him as she examined his new posture. "A transitive stance. That is... something."