Berfin quickly ran away. She carried the puppets that were behind the hut one by one and brought them to her grandfather.
- Grandfather, I couldn't find the fourth puppet behind the hut. If you tell me where it is, I'll bring it too.
- Who told you there were four puppets?
- You said it...
- We have five puppets. Why should I tell you there are four? Don't make fun of your grandfather.
- But grandfather, I can't find the fourth one yet. Where will I find the fifth puppet? (Then a sudden thought occurred to her and Berfin laughed mischievously.) Or are you hiding them in the hut?
- (Pal Padraig looked at Berfin with disappointment.) You're not ashamed of the adjectives you attribute to your grandfather, are you? A moment ago, you were speaking softly to me because of your fear, but now I see that your fear has passed. (Berfin looked away from her grandfather and looked elsewhere.)
Anyway, forget about the other puppets. These three will be enough for us for now. Now line them up one behind the other. Leave two feet of space between them.
Berfin lined up three puppets one behind the other. In order for these puppets to stand firmly, there was an iron plate with long nails under the feet of the puppet. She pressed the iron plate of each puppet hard, making sure the nails sank into the ground, and fixed the puppets to the ground.
While Berfin was securing the puppets, Pal Padraig came to the puppet in front. The puppet's gaze was forward. He didn't touch the direction of his gaze, but he pushed the puppet a little to check if it was solid.
When he came to the puppet in the middle, he turned the puppet's head to look left. He checked if it was solid and then moved on to the puppet in the back. He turned this puppet's head so that it faced right.
Finally, when all the puppets looked in the direction Pal Padraig wanted, he stopped playing with the puppets and went in front of them. He called Berfin to him and gave him the karambit knives he took out of his pocket.
- I want to see how you can handle these three... You have two seconds for each one. Tell me when you are ready. I will start your time.
When Pal Padraig stepped aside, Berfin looked at the puppets' stance. While the one in the front was looking towards herself, the one in the middle was looking to the left and the one in the back was looking to the right. When she had formed a plan, she looked at her grandfather and moved her head as if to say she was ready.
- One… (Berfin put his hands in his pockets so that the karambit knives in her hands would not be seen.)
Two… (She took her first step towards the puppet in front of her, as if she were walking calmly with her hands in her pockets.)
Three… (She took her second step calmly and got a little closer to the puppet.)
Four… (When she took another step, she was right next to the firs puppet. On the opposite side of the middle puppet's perspective.)
Five… (Berfin took her hand out of her pocket and cut the neck of the puppet in front in an instant. She turned and stabbed the middle dummy in the back of the neck with the karambit knife in her other hand. Berfin didn't stop there and didn't bother to take the knife out. She dropped the knife immediately and turned again and attacked the neck of the last puppet with the other knife.)
Six… (Berfin turned around one last time and stopped after passing the last puppet.)
Pal Padraig signaled Berfin to step aside with his hand and then started examining the puppets. The cut mark on the first puppet's neck wasn't deep enough. Moreover, the stab wound ended before he could cut the main vein in his neck. It was not a successful attack.
He pulled out the karambit knife that was stuck in the second puppet's back of neck. He looked at the depth of the stab wound, but he was not very happy. This attack by Berfin was not fatal either.
The third puppet's throat had been cut. Berfin's spinning attack seemed to have completely severed one of the main arteries, rendering the other incapable of functioning. Pal Padraig looked at the depth of the stab wound and deemed Berfin's attack successful.
But there was a problem. If you are a fighter, you are strong enough to defend yourself against attacks from the front. You have been attacked from the front for almost your entire training life. How can you not block such an attack? If you die, it is only because you are stupid.
After Pal Padraig finished examining the puppets, he called Berfin to him.
- As far as I can see, your knife skills have improved a bit. That's good, but your attacks are very mediocre... Like this... (Pal Padraig became silent for a while.) Never mind. It would be better if I explain in detail.
First of all, your beginning is good. Being calm and appearing to walk naturally against enemies coming towards you can hide the presence of danger in the enemy. Also, you hid your weapon until you made your first attack. That's a good thing.
(They approached the first puppet.) Now, let's come to your first attack. As you can see, the knife mark here is not deep enough. You should have hit harder. (He showed the length of the cut mark by drawing his finger on the puppet's neck.) Your knife should have cut the puppet's neck from here to here.
It is not deep and the cut is not long enough. You should have attacked more consciously and powerfully. This first attack of yours was not successful and you could not kill the enemy.
(They came to the second puppet.) The knife you stabbed into the back of neck of this puppet didn't go very deep. (They approached the stabbed knife mark and looked carefully.) This attack of yours isn't strong.
What you had to do was hit the enemy's back of neck hard, and if necessary, pierce the neck bone and shatter the spinal cord. But all you did was move the puppet a little. That's all. In short, this attack isn't lethal for the enemy.
(Finally, they came to the third puppet.) Your best attack has shown itself on this puppet. Everything is as it should be, but which enemy would let you attack from the front? They definitely have the ability to protect themselves.
We are experts at stealth attacks. But the attack you made on this puppet is a visible attack. Although the cut location and depth are correct, this attack has no equivalent in real life. If your attack is blocked, there is a high probability that you will be killed.
This shows us that it is time to move on to a new stage in your training and change some things.
I was obviously negligent. Or maybe I was easy on you because you were my only student. Who knows? But some things have to change now.
Now that we have found a new pup... so a new student, we will change our way of working a little. And you, will have to work harder than before. I hope you do not lose to that boy in this new training system.
- What do you say, Grandpa? How can that beet-faced boy surpass me? I am the best soldier you have trained. The best warrior, the best assassin, the best knife-wielding... The best... The best... I don't know. I can't think of it now, but I have many other good qualities.
Everyone knows that I am the best student you have trained. Grandpa, it is not nice to compare me to that beet-faced boy...
Just as Berfin was about more to speak, Han came running into the courtyard. He had run much faster in order to finish his second run as soon as possible. Sweating and out of breath, he ran to Pal Padraig and got into the ready position.
- Yes, your body is warmed up enough now. Rest in the shade for a while, then let's start training.
While Han was sitting on the terrace of the hut, Berfin approached her grandfather. Because she had a great idea that would make her stand out in her grandfather's eyes.
- In order for you to understand that I am better than her, you can ask that beet-faced man to attack the puppets. Isn't this a good opportunity for you to understand how big the difference between us is, grandfather?
Pausing for a moment at the idea, Pal Padraig looked at his granddaughter in surprise. This girl comes up with good ideas every now and then. It's worth trying, but now is not the time.
- Mind your own business. Don't meddle in things that are not your business. Are you giving your grandfather advice? Or is the reason for your boasting like this because he ran twice and you ran once? If so, it would be better if we evened things out.
- But... (When she saw her grandfather's angry look, she immediately stopped talking and turned around and started running. If she had stayed a little longer, her grandfather would have definitely hit her with the stick in his hand.)
When Berfin ran away, Pal Padraig called Han to him.
- You've rested enough. Come... (Han ran up to him.) You said that you had no master other than your mother, right?
- Yes, commander.
- Commander? It's obvious that you learned something from Eren... But you should call me master. You are now my student. Be respectful.
- Yes, master.
- Let's see at what stage you are before we start training. (He handed Han the daggers he had prepared earlier.) Here you go. These are the daggers you use in the arena of the brave. Now show me your dagger technique.
Han took the daggers and swung them a few times. Then he took his guard as if there was an enemy in front of him. He focused his attention and started doing the moves he learned from his mother with his daggers. Some of his moves seemed to attack the enemy. Some of them seemed to block the enemy's attack.
After watching Pal Padraig Han for a while, he got an idea of what he could do. In his current state, Han was stronger than Berfin. That's for sure, but some of his moves were unnecessary and for show. These moves would be useless against someone who was strong enough.
- Okay, that's enough. Now show the movement technique you learned from the book the tribal chief gave you. Let's see how good it is.
Han leaned forward slightly with the daggers in his hand. He focused and planted his feet firmly on the ground. He adjusted his breathing and then quickly rushed forward. He jumped about five meters forward, but he didn't stop there. As soon as his feet touched the ground, he jumped again.
Han jumped zigzagged around the courtyard for a while to show off his "The celestial steps of the north wind." And finally, Pal Padraig, who had watched long enough, stopped Han.
- I don't mean to belittle you, but are you a grasshopper? You keep jumping continually. Moreover, it's not right to jump in a way that makes it obvious where you'll land. If your opponent is smart enough and faster than you, you're bound to die.
You jumping about five meters forward and in a certain direction. This movement is one of your weak points. Another is that you swing your dagger with your arm extended forward every now and then. It is likely to be cut off when you extend your arm.
We do not use swords and we do not fight from a distance like them. We use daggers and our daggers should be close to our bodies. Just like our enemy. when you approach the enemy, that enemy should no longer have a place in this world.
You understand, right? You should give up unnecessary and pointless attacks.
- Yes, master.
- Good... That's enough for now. I will make some arrangements for you. You can go and rest. But before you go, take the puppets to the back of the hut. Then you can leave.
- ??
"Is that all? This training is over so quickly. If it were my mother, she wouldn't let me rest until evening." While Han was muttering to himself, Pal Padraig left the courtyard and headed towards his office.
Han stopped muttering and approached the puppets. Three puppets standing side by side. Why are they so familiar. When he looked at the puppets a little more, he finally realized. These are Berfin's puppets. Did this girl have her own puppet made?
Some cuts on the puppets caught his attention. Training was definitely done with these puppets. Han thought he would also participate in this training and then smiled slightly. Even if it was a puppet, it would be nice to cut Berfin up and make her pay for what she did.
After carrying the puppets behind the hut one by one, he came to the front of the hut. It wasn't even noon yet, but his training was over for today. After saying, "Can training be this short?" he turned around and left the hut.
After a while, Berfin came running into the yard. She had run very fast so as not to leave her grandfather and Han alone. She was soaked with sweat. Her breathing was irregular. She ran forward and had difficulty throwing herself onto the terrace.
After lying on her back and resting for a while, it was then that she realized there was no one around. She calmly got up and looked around to make sure. Then she put her hand in her pocket and turned around as if nothing had happened and left the hut...