Duel (1)
The word "favor" carries many implications. It could be the attraction between two people of the opposite sex who have just met, or the bond between friends who have known each other for a long time. It might be the love between family members, or the deep affection between a teacher and student. In any case, it was an ambiguous expression.
Rustila Kersil has favor toward you. Just as you helped her, she wishes to help you in return.
The status window stated that Rustila held favor toward me. That left the question of what kind of favor it was. I decided not to think too deeply about it. It was not a problem I could solve. Human psychology is complex and subtle; one cannot arbitrarily judge or decide such things.
To the flustered Rustila, I said, "Shall we go practice together?"
"Huh? Practice?"
"We have combat training class tomorrow."
"Ah, you mean to prepare for class? Sure. If that's the case……."
Rustila's face, which had been muttering, turned as red as a ripe persimmon.
"I'll check your stance! Just like last time!"
Oh. In that case, I was grateful. Personal swordsmanship lessons from the future Sword Saint. In truth, my sparring sessions with Rustila had only continued until I passed the exam. After passing, I had spent most of my time reading papers. There had been little time to hone my swordsmanship. But I felt I could no longer put it off. If I remained a weakling like this, nothing would come of it.
"Young lady! Are you all right? Young lady!"
"Young master, how could you leave me behind?"
The two androids approached with displeased expressions. Verdia walked with a steady, reproachful gait, while Sonia hurried over with quick, precise steps. There was something persistent in the way Sonia approached, her long apron half-folded up.
"Sonia. I'm going to practice swordsmanship with Rustila starting now."
"Swordsmanship practice? I have no objection…… but please allow me to observe in case of any unforeseen circumstances."
"That's fine."
Sonia bowed her head slightly. It was a sign of agreement. She added that as long as I remained within her field of vision, anything else was acceptable. Verdia, however, was not so accommodating. As Rustila's parents' appointed guardian, she was stricter than Sonia.
"Even if it is just practice, what will you do if the young lady gets injured by mistake?"
Rustila shot Verdia a sharp glare. Verdia flinched and quickly added, "-or rather, the young lady's parents would be concerned."
"Enough with the talk about Mother and Father. I'm an adult now too."
"You still have about two years until you reach adulthood……."
"I'm mature enough. I even came to Stellarium, didn't I? I can take responsibility for my own actions. Unless it's at a level where I could die, I'd prefer you not interfere, whether I get hurt or not."
Rustila spoke with intense fighting spirit. Under her heavy gaze, as if pressing down with strange rocks, Verdia froze like plaster. I could feel the pressure clearly as well. That resolute attitude was the aura the future Sword Saint Rustila would always emit. It was fascinating and amusing. To think that such a tender-hearted girl would later become a cool, sharp-witted commander. In the novel she died single, but if there was a happy ending here…… she would probably build a family and live happily. Considering the personality the future Rustila would show, her husband would likely be kept on a tight leash. I didn't know who she would bring as a prospective groom, but the thought made me feel both envious and sorry for him.
I shook my head and took a step forward.
On the western side of the Academia, there were numerous training grounds. They were grandly called "stadiums," and they also served as arenas for duels and training. In an era when humanity's living sphere had expanded to an entire galaxy. The dawn of a great civilization that had reached a Kardashev scale of 3. In such a world, humanity's way of thinking had regressed beyond progress. One such regression was the spirit of chivalry. A swordsman was, in name, a swordsman, but in reality no different from a knight. They pledged loyalty to their superiors and protected their subordinates. Thus, the term "swordsman" encompassed both regular military soldiers and private mercenaries. And these swordsmen literally used swords as their main weapon. That was the point of regression. Or rather, should it even be called regression? Borrowing physics terminology for a moment, Ether behaved similarly to the "strong force." So, what is the strong force? It is the strong nuclear force. The force essential for creating atomic or hydrogen bombs. It is the absurdly powerful force that binds positively charged protons together as if glued. The characteristics of the strong nuclear force are as follows: it is extremely powerful at close range. The strong force only acts over very short distances, and within that effective range, its effect grows stronger as the distance decreases. In simple terms, it is like a rubber band. If you tie two particles with a rubber band and pull, a proportional force acts on both particles, but if you stretch them beyond a certain distance, it will snap. Ether is the same. Ether is a magical power that mainly manifests in living beings, and it has the physical property that its power drops sharply the farther it moves from its source beyond a certain level. That is why guns cannot be used. To defeat monsters or Avatars, one must brand them with plasma containing Ether, but if Ether is loaded into a gun or beam, it quickly loses its power. Then, should a person directly grab a beam and fly at the enemy? That would be madness. Because of this background, the soldiers of this era carried plasma swords instead of guns. When one holds a sword, the spirit of chivalry naturally arises. Unlike guns, a sword's capability is fully revealed depending on who wields it. Even the same sword can vary in power. The distinction between the weak and the strong becomes clear, and this held true even at the learning stage.
Thwack-!
A clear, resonant sound echoed from my head. Ah. I see stars. Altair, Deneb, Vega. The Summer Triangle. The famous three constellations seemed to be expanding and contracting repeatedly. Then someone became a dwarf star, and another turned into a quasar. Pain followed shortly after.
"Aaaaargh!"
It hurts. It really hurts like hell. My trembling left hand was screaming for me to put down the sword.
"Eidel."
"Urgh!"
"You need to become stronger."
"Guh!"
Rustila's swift sword mercilessly pierced my openings. There was no holding back. Her eyes were as serious as a knight in a life-or-death duel. I, who had been beaten like a dog, was sprawled out on the grass field like a rag.
"Get up."
Rustila spoke in a low voice. She looked more composed, colder, and even frightening than usual. It did not seem like the Rustila I knew. What? Had she awakened? The timing was a bit early. In any case, the Rustila from the novel I knew had exactly this kind of sharp, soldier-like personality. I stood up with all my might, gladly.
"Even when I'm not around, you must be able to take care of yourself. Only then can you survive without dying, whether you encounter an Avatar or a high-grade monster…… no matter the situation."
"Rustila, you……?"
"I will become stronger too."
She lowered her sword and approached me. A fresh floral scent mixed with the smell of sweat created a strange, murky aroma. Rustila stepped on my shadow in an instant and said, "Show me your stance. I'll teach you everything I can."
At those words, I took a stance as I felt it. For reference, I had never properly learned swordsmanship except what Rustila had taught me. In other words, it was an amateur teaching an amateur. Still, it was fine. Proper training could be learned during combat class from now on. Besides, there was no time to go outside the school for PT. Rather than paying that much money to learn swordsmanship from a complete stranger, I would subscribe to journals. That was my resolve.
"First of all, your hands are twisted strangely. You're not keeping what I told you last time at all. That's a crude movement only beginners would make."
While I was lost in thought, Rustila touched my wrist. Unlike earlier when she had beaten me like a dog on a summer day, her touch was extremely delicate. Because she was checking my hands from behind, Rustila's face inevitably drew closer. Seeing this, Verdia shouted.
"Hey! Get away from the young lady!"
"It's fine, I said it's fine! Verdia!"
Rustila immediately retorted. Before long, she began checking my center of gravity with the corners of her mouth raised. Her hands started from the lower erector spinae and waist. Then, she slowly stroked and corrected my posture. Rustila's hands, which had been adjusting my lower body like an excellent masseuse, lingered particularly long on my thighs and calves.
This part is twisted. Shall we pull it forward a bit? No. You've gone too far. Now, back again…….
Rustila played with my legs like toys while making all sorts of corrections.
"Hoo, hoo."
Her breathing sounded strange.
"Hey, are you okay?"
"Haa, ha… Huh? Wh-what?"
Rustila jumped up as if she had done something wrong. Even her pronunciation slipped in the process. Her deep blue eyes were spinning. Her entire face was flushed as if she had a fever, whether from the exercise or not. She looked to be in bad shape. She blurted out whatever came to mind.
"It's nothing. I'm just checking your posture. Just the posture. I wasn't thinking anything strange at all……."
"Young lady-!!"
Verdia, fuming, pushed herself between me and Rustila.
"This physical contact is excessive!"
"D-don't interfere…! I still need to check the torso!"
"What would the young lady's parents think if they knew she was engaging in this level of physical contact with a man from outside? It's indecent! To exaggerate a bit, it's as if she's lost her purity!"
"Are you bringing up Mother and Father again? Please, stop! I'm grown up now! And Eidel is a friend. This much is normal between friends……!"
This was driving me crazy. I had expected a 5th-generation android to have some flexibility, but Verdia seemed just as conservative as Zernya. While the two were bickering, Sonia approached and said, "Making such a fuss over merely touching limbs."
"Right."
"It's not even a deep embrace involving the torso. It's a common contact between friends. Therefore, this Sonia cannot understand it."
Thud. Sonia took one more step closer. My gaze turned. I was reflected in her pure white eyes.
"I have a question. If it's not too rude, may I hold the young master's arm once?"
"Do as you like."
I readily offered my arm to Sonia. She was an android anyway, so she would fiddle with it a few times and stop. Being 5th-generation, she likely had her own intelligence and curiosity, which was probably why she made this request. However, that expectation was slightly off. Sonia wrapped my arm with both hands and pulled it inward as if overlapping it. Crossing her legs like resting on a long cushion, she entwined her arms and slowly, leisurely rubbed my right arm against herself.
"Hmm, oho. Hmmm."
Sonia continued with incomprehensible exclamations. The next moment, she tilted her head and gently placed her head on my shoulder. Finding the sight alien, goosebumps rose on the forearm she was holding. I reflexively pulled my right arm away.
"Wh-what did you do?"
"……It was nothing."
Sonia adjusted her katyusha and added, "I merely experienced what emotions humans feel at the level of skinship in a relationship that could be called friendship. It remains difficult to understand."
She was a robot, but this was a new pattern. As expected, the talk of innovation with 5th-generation androids was not for nothing. If we could defeat all the Outer Deities someday, I felt like I would want to major in computer engineering then. I was not sure about a doctorate, but at least up to a master's. However, there was no time to continue such idle thoughts now. The wild Zernya had appeared!