Lyren would have been angry at her for meddling with his privacy especially by making fun of him but as she progressed, he realized that he was being biased against her.
She definitely had some knowledge he could borrow from her.
Her words made sense. He had just realized that there was something like a hollow grip.
He had just tried to mimic it and if not for her interference, he might have spent a longer period before he could learn it. Her explanation was logical and if he thought about it, it was accurate.
He looked at his hands and they were sweaty which might have been another reason that the sword had slipped.
He had deduced that she was deep but her depth seemed to grow with every word that she spoke. He was about to reply and thank her but she was already headed towards the pond and diving.
He stretched his hand to stop her but she was already in the air and falling. She really did not ask for his permission and just did whatever she wanted.
He gave up and let her do as she wanted. She might be of help for him and thus he was going to use her.
It was a few moments later that she emerged with the sword clasped in her chest with both hands holding it.
She came out dripping wet, her dress sticking to her body. Her wet hair had loosened and some strands fell on her face. She wore a victorious smile as she walked out of the pond.
Lyren waited and her steps were pretty slow and when she came to him panting, he could not help but wonder what was happening. Had the sword's weight been too much?
He quickly took it from her as she took in a deep breaths.
"I didn't know that Young Master is this formidable. To be able to swing this sword as many time as you have done is totally not an easy task.
"No wonder you couldn't do the hollow grip. Even as a beginner, the sword should have stayed a little bit but now I understand." Her words were sincere and it really seemed that the sword was heavy for her.
Lyren took the sword and swung it with his right and under her shocked gaze. She realized that he had attempted doing the hollow grip with both hands whereas it was supposed to be a single hand.
He was an amateur with the sword but she realized that his imagination was boundless because he did not know the norms of the sword.
He could try as many grips as he wanted. Now she could not help but wonder whether he was trying to do that out of his imagination. If that was the case, she was underestimating him.
She for sure could not use the sword to perform the hollow grip because of its weight and doing the other swings, she could only do a very few.
But the kid was overly comfortable with the sword and she wondered what kind of training he underwent.
"Okay, I will be attempting with my right hand first. When I can manage doing it, then I can work on the left hand too." Lyren muttered to himself but Claire happened to overhear him.
That was confidence for you.
Not many could actually expect to master something instantly but the kid was confident and he was also going to do it for his left hand too.
This meant he was training to be ambidextrous. Many swordsmen wanted it but very few worked on it. From what she could tell, he obviously trained his left hand too.
Lyren held the sword as instructed and he smiled. This really did appear to be how the first person in the technique held the sword.
So, it really was a hollow grip…
He slashed horizontally with the index and middle fingers open. The sword moved in his palm but it did not fly away. He attempted several times until he was confident that he had the hang of it.
He tried with the left hand and the result were as expected. The grip was less tight and his swings lacked in precision and strength but he was realizing just how much control he had over his left hand.
His right hand was resistant with the ring and middle finger ignoring his command. They both wanted to be at the same position,
He then wrapped the middle and ring finger loosely on the sword and when he performed it, he felt that the sword had some freedom to do some tight angles which appeared necessary in order to perform the first sword.
He had learned the grip but he had not perfected it. If he did not perfect it, then, even doing the complex techniques was going to be impossible.
He continued practicing the hollow grip for the rest of the day and he did not bother trying to learn something new other than the mechanics of the hollow grip.
Claire had left already and she had said that since it was already getting late, she was going to have his meal prepared.
He had just nodded and she had disappeared since then only to appear when he was done after sunset.
The setting sun shone on his body giving him a golden tone and the rays reflected on his sword when he raised it.
He wiped the few drops of sweat and when he turned around, it was Claire who was standing behind him carrying a white towel.
She wore an adorable smile either genuine or practiced but it did not matter.
Such a warm sight made Lyren feel relaxed as he picked the towels carried on her chest. Their eyes meeting only briefly and Lyren walked inside.
"Young Master, the bath is ready. You should take a bath before you have dinner. After you," she followed behind Lyren who walked into the bathroom and she helped him bathe.
Lyren closed his eyes as he digested his insights on the sword and the reason was because of the girl rubbing his hair behind him.
She might be annoying but he had stopped feeling that way already. Now he wanted to find a good way to use her.
She might know about the sword but he was sure that there was no more help she could give him on that area because of the complexity of the VANTAGELESS BLADE.
He was done and he let her wrap a towel around him and he left for his room. She did not follow and it was actually good.
It appeared that there was a rapport between them now. Lyren changed into a new set of clothes and went to the main room. He was not hungry yet but he did not mind eating then.
"Claire," he called her name after a brief hesitation as it was the first time calling her and as though she had been waiting, she came almost immediately and sat at the opposite side of the table.
"Young Master, I am here," she said and placed her hands on the table.
"Could you stop calling me Young Master? I don't like it," Lyren finally spoke his biggest issue with how she addressed him.
"I wouldn't dare call you by your name, Young Master," her reply was polite but it irritated Lyren.
"Then it is a command from me as a Young Master. From now on, you must call me by my name, Lyren." His tone carried finality and she lowered her head as she nodded.
"Young Master, why did you call me?" She asked softly and Lyren facepalmed.
Was she dumb or something? He decided not to answer her and he just stared at her which caused her to get uncomfortable.
She wanted to inquire again but his eyes focusing on her in the dusk lit room gave her a chill. Then she recalled his words and smiled self-deprecatingly.
"Okay you win Lyren. I won't be acting as the humble maid with you from now on. But I will still perform my duties. Are you fine with that? If so, then let's continue,Lyren…"