The Path of the Sword

I hit the jackpot! 'So this is the infirmary.' Tucked away in a quiet corner on the first floor of the academy's main building, the infirmary was a place I'd never actually visited before. 'Not that I ever needed to.' Seriously, what kind of infirmary doesn't even have a nurse on duty? The whole system was built around students patching themselves up—wrapping their own bandages, applying their own medicine. If that's the case, why even bother with an infirmary? Might as well sweet-talk some alchemy student into brewing potions and call it a day. Just getting here was a hassle in itself. The location was so out of the way that it wasted too much time, so after my first run-through, I almost never came back.

But seeing it in person now… 'It's actually kind of nice.' No wonder the newbies always dragged themselves here. A cool breeze slipped in through the slightly open window. The half-drawn curtains swayed gently back and forth, letting warm sunlight flood the room in soft beams. And the silence—pure, pleasant quiet filled the space. 'It's practically a scene worth taking a picture of.'

Come to think of it, when were they supposed to hand out the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠terminals again? The magic tool you wear on your wrist during Battle Royale events basically functions as this world's smartphone. You could contact people with it, handle most daily tasks—the works. They usually distributed them within a month of enrollment, so it shouldn't be long now.

Anyway.

"Ugh… so where is it…."

I spotted Elena with her head buried in one of the infirmary drawers, rummaging around like her life depended on ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠it. Maybe it was the way she was awkwardly bent over at the waist, but a gentle draft was teasing the absolute territory beneath her skirt in a way that was almost—but not quite—visible. I deliberately turned my back. 'Peeping isn't really my thing.'

Besides, who knows? If I got caught staring, the status window might throw another tantrum.

Something like that. Anyway, with my back turned, I could hear Elena grunting and struggling behind me. When I peeked over my shoulder, she was stretching on tiptoe, pressed tight against the wall, desperately trying to reach a roll of bandages on the top shelf. Her heels were lifted as high as they could go, but her short stature made it impossible—she kept coming up just short. Looks like I had no choice.

"Excuse me for a moment."

"Huh? What… eek?!"

I stepped up behind her and casually plucked the bandages she’d been reaching for. 'Elena’s a lot shorter than I thought.' Seeing it up close like this really highlighted the difference. I had a full head on her, easy. I handed her the roll.

"So, what exactly are you planning to do? I doubt you dragged me here just to skip class."

"Well… ah! It’s just an experiment. You’re the test subject."

"…Being treated like a lab rat is a first for me."

"For now, just sit over there."

Elena guided me to an empty bed and made me sit. She hesitated for a moment, her face flushing slightly. Avoiding my eyes, she muttered,

"D-don’t get the wrong idea! This is just… something I need to do…."

"I have no idea what you’re about to do, but I graciously permit it."

After a brief pause, Elena slowly reached toward my chest. One by one, she began unbuttoning my shirt. 'Now this… is a rather novel experience.' Having someone else undress me was a first. And not just anyone—an attractive member of the opposite sex, at that. Her small, pale hands worked diligently at the buttons. Soon my shirt was open, revealing the bandages wrapped around my torso. Elena reached for those next, carefully unwinding them.

The exposed skin of my abdomen showed bruises that couldn’t exactly be called minor. 'No wonder it’s been throbbing a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠bit….' Well, I had taken quite a few slashes from that demon. I hadn’t expected the Golden Slime to block everything. If it hadn’t been there, the damage would’ve been far worse. I might not even be Kiren anymore—just a broken Kir/en.

Anyway, when Elena saw the bruises, her eyes widened.

"This is worse than I thought! Why didn’t you say anything?"

"This level of injury is nothing to me."

And it really wasn’t. They were just bruises—no real pain at all. But apparently they looked pretty bad to her. She closed her eyes for a moment, nervously rubbing her reddened ears, then opened them again with clear resolve.

"This won’t do. Lie down."

"This kind of wound is nothing to—"

"Now."

She practically forced me down onto the bed. Then she squeezed some kind of ointment onto her hand and began applying it directly to my abdomen. Even through the thin layer of medicine, I could feel the warmth of her skin against mine. Her touch was warm, gentle, and incredibly soothing as her fingers traced across my stomach. This felt way more stimulating than I’d expected.

A beautiful girl—and a tsundere one at that—was doing her absolute best to caress my belly. Apparently one hand wasn’t enough, because she started using both, rubbing and pressing with focused care. 'Namo Amitabha… Maha Prajna… The waters of the East Sea and Mount Baekdu….'

I knew she had no ulterior motives. The way her face was burning bright red was proof enough. Still, stimulation was stimulation. After she’d applied what felt like a generous amount, my abdomen actually felt noticeably more comfortable.

"Ugh, it’s so sticky…."

After washing the ointment off her hands, Elena wrapped a fresh bandage around my torso. It must have been her first time bandaging someone else, because she fumbled the starting point a few times, but she eventually managed to secure it properly.

"…How does it feel?"

"Not bad at all."

I sat up and twisted my body this way and that. The wrapping was neat and didn’t restrict my movement. With this level of skill, I could probably leave all future treatment to her. 'Unexpected. I never heard she was particularly good with her hands.'

I was about to offer a simple word of thanks and leave when something caught my eye—Elena’s ankle, which had turned an angry red.

"You’ve injured your ankle."

"This… yeah, it’s nothing. I can walk on it just fine."

"Nonsense."

"Huh? W-wait! What are you—kyaa!"

I scooped her up in one smooth motion and laid her down on the bed. 'No wonder she’d been limping earlier.' I slipped off her shoe and gently massaged the sole of her bare foot. It was clearly swollen.

"S-stop! I’m really, really fine!"

Ignoring her protests, I began applying ointment to her ankle. For a mage, the ankle was as vital as their life. A bad stance could ruin even the most reliable spells. Missing your target was the least of it—if things went wrong, you might even hit yourself with your own magic. After spreading the medicine evenly, I added a splint and wrapped it securely with bandages to prevent further damage. 'I should get her a potion later.'

She’d treated me, after all. And Elena was someone worth keeping around long-term.

"This should be enough for daily activities."

"……."

"Elena?"

Only then did I notice her face. She was covering it with both hands, breathing hard and ragged.

"El—"

"Ah! Y-yeah, I-I’ll go first! See you tomorrow!!"

She suddenly bolted upright from the bed and practically sprinted toward the dorms. Wasn’t her ankle supposed to hurt? Anyway… '…Did I do something wrong?'

Elena reached the dormitory at an astonishing speed. Without even bothering to change, she dove straight onto her bed and buried her face in the blankets. She pulled the covers over her head, then rolled around like a burrito. Until—

"Kyaa!"

-Thud.

She fell headfirst onto the floor. Rubbing her head, Elena crawled out of the blanket swamp. Her eyes landed on her neatly bandaged right ankle. At the same time, the memory from just moments ago resurfaced. Kiren’s hand—much larger and rougher than her own—had brushed across the top of her foot. Pressing firmly, almost like a massage, his fingers had slowly worked their way from her toes up to her ankle.

"Huuu…."

She buried her face in the blankets again. It was the first time she had ever allowed someone—let alone a member of the opposite sex—to touch her body like that. Back home, she had only ever interacted with same-sex servants. Come to think of it, Kiren might have been her first real interaction with the opposite sex. After all, she had been raised like a bird in a gilded cage, like a perfectly pruned rose in a carefully tended garden.

That was probably why she felt certain she wouldn’t be able to look Kiren in the eye properly tomorrow.

'Why did Elena react like that earlier….' I’d only treated her ankle because it looked pretty bad, yet she ran off without even saying thanks. Was I… a little hurt? But thinking about it, I probably crossed a line too. I’d started massaging her foot without asking permission. 'Then again, she basically did the same thing to my stomach earlier.' Alright, we’d call it even and settle things tomorrow.

Anyway.

"…Should I roll for a new skill?"

Fighting the demon had made it painfully clear. My skill pool was severely lacking. Right now, the only combat-usable skills I had were Sharpshooter’s Eye, Wind Blade, and the Golden Slime’s Truth. And out of those three, only one was an actual offensive skill. So what did that mean?

'It’s gacha time.'

I opened the status window.

That was the clean amount I’d saved up for one ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠solid pull. Honestly, I’d considered saving it, but there was that wise old saying from our ancestors: saving it just turns it into shit. I took a deep breath. Hoo. Haa.

"Alright, let’s do this."

'Let’s go!!!'

The gacha animation must have been updated, because a slot machine appeared on the screen and began spinning. Please, please. Even if it’s not high rank, just give me an attack skill!!! The vigorously spinning reels gradually slowed down.

[S]

First letter S—good atmosphere.

[SS]

The second one’s S too? Don’t tell me I’m about to get a third S-rank skill in a row!!!

[SSA]

"Ah."

'A-rank isn’t bad, but….' When the hell am I getting an attack skill?! And what kind of skill is this anyway? 'What does it even mean that I can bestow Trials?' I’d probably have to test it in real combat to understand. Tsk, what a waste. The Battle Royale event had only just ended, so there was still a long time until the next combat event. I was planning to just stash the skill away and wait, but—

The next morning, on the way to class.

"Kiren Montella! I challenge you to a one-on-one duel!"

'The opportunity came sooner than expected.' The guy had bumped into my shoulder and I’d simply ignored him, yet here he was demanding a duel. 'Honestly, I’d rather just ignore him and keep walking.' If I waste energy this early in the morning, I’ll probably doze off in class… and I still need to farm more Arrogance Points. Still, running away now would drop my Arrogance Points just the same.

"Do you truly believe a mongrel like you is worthy of facing this body? I shall grant you one last mercy. Kneel and beg. Then I may forgive you."

"Cut the bullshit!"

The opponent clearly had no intention of talking it out. He clenched his fists and created distance between us. As we faced off, a message window appeared before my eyes. This time, however, it was different—presented in a choice format.

Ah, so that’s how it works. It seemed like the system imposed penalties on me during battle in exchange for giving out rewards. But still… 'Just how pathetic is this guy?' They’re called Trials, yet every option is Easy? 'Well, it’s my first time using this skill, so I’ll take Easy for now.'

I selected the third Trial.

"W-wait! S-spare—"

"Tsk, what a pathetic insect. You challenge me to a duel and then start crying and begging for mercy."

After a few hits, the opponent was crawling on the ground, desperately pleading for forgiveness. I let him go. He looked pretty pitiful. Anyway… 'I wonder what reward the Trial will give?'

Since it was Easy difficulty, the rewards were pretty mediocre. Wait, hold on a second. 'If it’s a B-rank or lower Skill Selection Ticket… does that mean I can choose that one too?' Nothing to lose. I picked the skill ticket and used it immediately. And then—

'Jackpot!!!'

The very first skill the Sword Saint is said to have realized as a child. The Path of the Sword. The foundation of every sword, the origin of swordsmanship itself—had just fallen into my hands.