She Professed Herself The Pupil Of The Wiseman
Chapter 583 - 301: Developing a Special Move (1)

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To think of a good special move, Mira said she needed a refresher on Celestina's fighting style, so they went out to the training area. It was a rather plain place, except for a few flowers dotted around.

There, Mira summoned a Holy Knight as training partner, and told Celestina to use various of her regular moves against it, as Mira focused on observing how Celestina used her weapons, how she struck, and how she responded to various situations.

「So, what did you think?!」

Celestina's voice was brimming with confidence, having successfully displayed her skills in front of her master, different from repeating her usual training.

「It was splendid. I have nothing to criticize in your weapon selection or reactions to your enemy's movements.」

That was Mira's evaluation of Celestina's skills. It would be no exaggeration to call her a weapons master, and she was on equal footing with Alfina when it came to raw firepower.

Hearing that made Celestina relax a bit, but then stiffened when Mira spoke again.

「But maybe that's exactly why you're struggling to find a special move.」

There were many ways to define a special move, but this time, it was clear what they were talking about. Celestina had gained that desire after watching Christina, so it was obvious that she also wanted something similar, a powerful single attack that could overturn the tides of battle.

The only issue was that something like that existed beyond one's skills, strength, and limits.

The first image that came to mind when one thought of the special move of some powerful warrior was a move that could slice a mountain into two. Something packing power past one's limits, not possible by normal means.

Celestina had plenty of both skills and strength. Alfina's training regiment also ensured that she had a strong foundation to work on. The next step was to figure out how to push Celestina past her limits, the question was where those lay.

「Do I still lack something..?」

Celestina asked, trying to decipher Mira's thoughts. In response, Mira began to detail what she had noticed earlier.

Thanks to Celestina's mastery of so many weapons, she could instantly respond to any situation, switching weapons to correctly counter the enemy's movements. That was something only she could do, her unique trait.

But Mira claimed that was the source of her lack of special moves.

「For example, if there's an enemy close and one far…」

Mira decided to use a simple and direct example.

An enemy in the distance and one right in front, and one could not move around. In the case of Alfina, she would use her greatsword to cut down the enemy in front, and then use one of her special abilities to send out a slash flying all the way to the enemy in the distance.

A long range attack with a sword seemed like a contradiction at first, but that was something Alfina had made possible after long and arduous training, allowing her to be of use in any situation. In other words, Alfina had pushed herself and her weapons past their limits, making possible what others thought impossible.

「…Now that I put it like that, your sister really is something else.」

That was obviously not the only ability Alfina had, and Mira had witnessed many of those, the memory of which was almost hard to believe. Celestina also was aware of that, and just chuckled nervously.

「Now, Celestina, what would you do in a situation like that?」

After Mira finished talking about Alfina, she focused on Celestina's strategy, and how they differed.

The beginning was similar enough, with Celestina using a sword to cut down the enemy nearby, but the next step was completely different. Celestina would switch her weapon to a bow and shoot down the enemy far away, still allowing her to complete that scenario without moving from the starting spot.

「I know you can switch from a sword to a bow and shoot so swiftly you wouldn't be exposed without a weapon. But at the same time, that reveals your over-reliance on different weapons.」

Mira pointed to Celestina's ability to switch weapons on the fly without hampering her performance as the reason why she could not come up with a special move. Whenever she would have been cornered into a situation that would give birth to a special move, a different weapon would get her out safely.

「That…might actually be true…」

She muttered that after thinking about it for a moment. She was starting to notice herself, she always had her weapons at hand. The first thought in her mind when at a disadvantage was not how to break through with her current weapon, but which different weapon would be of more use.

「I mean, in a way, your ability to switch weapons could be your special move.」

That had happened simply because she exploited her own advantages, which Mira rightfully pointed out was not wrong. Celestina was already plenty strong without needing a special move.

「Somehow that's not really a satisfying answer…」

「Mhm, I get what you mean.」

Still, Celestina had been longing for something more showy, a powerful attack that was actually befitting of being called a special move at first sight. That was the true goal for Celestina, and Mira now.

In the end, they were back at square one. But this time, Celestina understood herself a bit more, and together with Mira, they decided on how to proceed.

Celestina's usual attack pattern was to use a dagger and rapier against swift enemies, and a battleaxe to whack more sturdy ones. That was what she felt more comfortable with after all her previous fights.

Their approach to finding a special move was similar to trying to use the dagger to strike as hard as the battleaxe could. But soon, they realized there was no need to do that, they just needed to find a way to do it more reliably with the battleaxe.

「In other words, we just need to find a way to ensure you can use your battleaxe with all your might without missing.」

She could use her whole arsenal to create the ideal situation, and then deal the finishing blow with the battleaxe, regardless of the enemy's speed or defenses.

After some deliberation from the both, that was the idea both agreed felt the most like a special move only Celestina could pull off. Now, they were training to figure out the best way to do that.

Thanks to her mastery with every weapon, and after further development of her special move notes, they decided on figuring out ways to chain her usual weapons into finishers with her battleaxe.

For instance, she could shoot an arrow to keep an enemy's movements in check, rush in with a dagger to slice at the enemy's feet and cripple their speed, followed by a powerful swing down with the battleaxe. They also continued to discuss different ways to use the battleaxe, enhancing the highlight of the special move.

They were still doing that for a while longer, out in the training area in the garden.

「Celestina…and Master?! I was wondering what all this noise was, could it be…」

Alfina had arrived to check on them, not from her room, but for some reason by jumping off the rooftop. She watched them and the surrounding area, seemingly noticing what they were doing.

「Celestina, did you ask her about that matter we discussed the other day?」

She even knew the details of what they were trying to accomplish. Her face was half impressed, half envious…or rather, ten percent impressed, and ninety percent filled with jealousy. Celestina noticed that, and averted her gaze as she said yes and nodded.

「I'm really sorry that my sister is causing you so much trouble. And thank you for going along with her ideas.」