The Guide is Actually a Body-Switching Esper [BL]-Chapter 28: I Told You I Can’t

Now that the warm-up that was the obstacle race was over, it was time for the proper training to start. It was divided mainly into two parts: individual training, and team one, and focused heavily on technical aspects.

The individual training was designed for everyone to work on their strengths and weaknesses, depending on their abilities, physical capabilities, and fighting styles. The gym was enforced with materials from dungeons, which could endure damage even from some of the A-rank abilities, so all of the Espers on their team - aside from Damien, of course - could practice their skills without holding back. Not to mention, they had three Guides and an S-ranking Esper to watch over them, so there were no safety concerns.

As for the Guides, who had no abilities besides guiding, they practiced with Mana-infused weapons, focusing mainly on defensive techniques or long-range attacks. Eric’s choice of a weapon was a spear, while Cora’s a katana and a bow.

"Murray." After making a quick tour around the gym, reminding everyone about some points they should focus on for the day, Damien returned to Lane. "How are you feeling right now? Are you alright to continue with the training, or..."

"I’m alright. I want to keep on going." Lane stood up, stretching his back. "I need to train hard, so that I don’t end up dragging everyone down..."

"There’s no need to worry about that. I wouldn’t let that happen. If you’re fine to go on, though, then come with me."

"Hmm. Alright." Lane followed after Damien, his eyes glued to the back of the man’s head. He could feel the worried glances from some of their teammates, but it only made him want to laugh.

’He wouldn’t let that happen, he says.’ Was Damien trying to say right now that he would cover for Lane if needed? As if Lane would ever allow for that. He might have been a lazy person, and if it was about anything else, such as cooking, cleaning, laundry, and other chores, then yes, he always wanted someone else to take care of that for him... But when it came to fighting, he didn’t want anyone to help him out. After all, that was something he truly liked. Even now that he posed as a weak Guide, he would like to have some fun if an opportunity were to arise...

They stopped in a quieter part of the gym, next to one of the training dummies. "There you go. Let’s practice some basic techniques to start building up muscle memory. I will help you out," Damien said, handing Lane a training sword. It was a very similar one to what ’Evan Greene’ used to have, from the length to the shape, even the hilt and the guard. Only the material was different, since it was only a training sword, and it was also much lighter.

Lane stared at the sword for a brief second. Yet again, another trap. Still, he held back a sigh, and accepted it. What else could he do? Perhaps it wouldn’t be so bad... He could even try to use this opportunity to sew some doubt in Damien.

"Since Team Leader thinks it will suit me, I might as well give it a try." He gave the man a light smile, as he took on a stance.

A terribly wrong stance, of course. Even the way he held the sword was not right. Damien looked him up and down, before meeting his eyes, just staring at Lane in silence.

Lane tilted his head, blinking a few times. "Is there something wrong?"

Damien maintained the eye contact for a good moment longer, until he finally gave up, letting out a sigh. "Yes. First of all, your grip." He reached out, and adjusted Lane’s hand. "As you already know, this is the right way to hold a sword. Then, taking a combat stance, you need to set your legs a bit more apart... Your waist should be... Your arms..." Damien corrected Lane’s stance, taking care of every minor detail.

He did it all personally, of course, showing Lane everything, not just with words. He stood right behind Lane, so close that their bodies almost touched. His large hands touched Lane’s waist, his shoulders, his arms...

Lane bit his lip. There was nothing sexual about their current position, just an instructor helping a student out. Still, even if Damien remained professional, Lane’s thoughts would not. It was such a good opportunity to flirt!

...Such a shame that with their current circumstances, Lane couldn’t afford to do that. Getting any more involved with Damien carried too much risk he didn’t want to take.

"Alright. Now, observe carefully, and repeat after me," Damien said, stepping back. He picked up a second training sword, and presented a simple sword sequence.

A scoff almost escaped Lane’s mouth. All the improper thoughts he had a moment ago vanished without a trace.

It was a trap, such an obvious trap! The sequence Damien had just presented was one of the basic sword techniques from the style ’Evan Greene’ used - ’Shadow Edge Sword Art’, which focused on lightness and flexibility. It was very different from the powerful style that Damien was known for. Did he learn it just to use it against Lane?

Well, if so, then he was going to be disappointed, because Lane would not fall for that!

He scratched his head, and acting diffident, he raised his swords, ’trying’ to repeat the moves. It couldn’t be done carelessly, there needed to be a nice balance between sloppiness and meticulousness. It would be all too easy to do everything wrong, but Lane wanted to make it appear as if he was trying hard.

And so, he repeated the sequence, getting most of the moves almost right. Except, there was always something wrong - the angle of the sword was incorrect, his wrist was bent, he raised his shoulder too high, his stance was out of balance... Just what you would expect from a complete beginner with no prior knowledge. By the time he reached the sixth movement, he paused, furrowing his brows. After some hesitation, he slashed the sword more or less correctly... Only to get the next move completely wrong. And once he did that, the sequence completely fell apart.

Lane dropped the tip of his sword to the ground, his expression uneasy. "I’m sorry, Team Leader, but could you show it to me again?"

Damien held his gaze for a moment, before turning back to the dummy, showing the sequence once again without a single word.

"Ah! It was like that!" Lane exclaimed in an epiphany, and proceeded to repeat after Damien... Only to once again butcher it completely.

They repeated it over and over again, until the whole time dedicated to the individual training had passed. In the end, Lane didn’t get the sequence right, not even once.

"Hah," Lane exhaled, wiping down the sweat from his forehead, his shoulders slouched and face downcast. "I’m sorry, Team Leader. You’ve wasted so much time on me, and yet I..." He shook his head, letting out a heavy sigh. "I’m really hopeless with a sword, aren’t I?"

"You’re not," Damien tried to deny, but Lane just let out a sad chuckle.

"There’s no need to try to console me, Team Leader. I might not know much about sword fighting, but even I can tell that much. Perhaps I should try a different weapon next time?"

Unfortunately for Lane, Damien only shook his head. "No, it’s still too early to give up."

Lane’s smile faltered. Faking incompetence took a lot of patience. After just one training, Lane was already frustrated, barely holding himself together. And Damien still wanted to force him to do more of that?

His eyes twitched at the mere thought. He truly wanted to scream his lungs out. Banging his head on the wall or getting stabbed in the gut seemed less painful than that. How long was that torture going to last?