Sword Talent

The head butler called out to me in a grumbling voice. "Ian. Lady Philia is calling for you."

Ever since yesterday, Philia had started summoning me with strange frequency.

Leaving the butler behind, I headed toward the room where she was confined.

Inside, Philia was waiting for me alongside Lucy.

Philia looked me over once, then spoke. "Ian. Is your body alright?"

"Yes. I'm perfectly fine."

"If it hurts, don't push yourself too hard. I'll speak to the butler about it."

"...Understood."

This kind of goodwill and concern might spark affection in someone else, but for me it felt slightly uncomfortable. Her attitude, which had been icy cold until recently, had completely changed. What bothered me even more was...

It's like she's dealing with someone other than me.

Unlike her expressionless face from yesterday, today's Philia was openly showing worry. Almost blatantly so.

When she stepped close enough for me to feel her presence, the pressure made me shuffle back a step. She closed the distance again in perfect sync.

"......"

Back to square one.

When did we ever get this close?

In the first place, there had never been any real conversation or emotional exchange between Philia and me. I'd matched her mood a few times, sure, but...

That alone couldn't possibly have brought us to this point.

Considering what happened yesterday, the hypothesis I'd formed seemed to fit better and better.

So it really did fail once already?

The conclusion I'd reached after weighing countless variables. It looked like this world was the second round.

Second round. That explained everything—from the shift in Philia and Aria's attitudes to why they kept seeking me out. It all made sense now.

They already knew. They knew what would happen in the future.

The problem was...

At its root, the question of why it had failed.

The me from the first round had surely been a servant just like this, yet he must have struggled desperately to stop the coming destruction. He should have persuaded Philia and prevented Aria from falling, but...

Judging by Aria's current state, it seemed he'd failed.

What the hell happened back in the first round?

The fact that the original story's major figures were looking for me or showing interest at all meant I'd at least survived into the mid-to-late stages and left a deep impression. Yet I still couldn't prevent the end?

What complicated my thoughts even further was the question of how many people had kept their memories.

Did most of the main and supporting cast return with their memories intact?

Not everyone could possibly remember the first round. If they did, the world would have descended into chaos long ago.

Then it must be only those who survived until the final stages?

In the original story's last chapter, most races had already gone extinct and the continent had become a living hell where no creature could survive even a moment. With only a handful of transcendent beings, gods, and devils left, the number of people capable of regressing couldn't be very high if those were the conditions.

In a way, regression itself might actually be a good thing. It was a shame I didn't have the memories, but couldn't the people around me stop the destruction in my place?

The best possible scenario would be the protagonist returning with his memories. The absolute worst scenario would be...

The ones destined to become enemies in the future also remembering the first round.

Thinking about those few irredeemable existences ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠made my head throb. The one real advantage I'd had—my knowledge of the original story—had been nullified by people already living in their second round.

In other words, the enemies I'd face from now on were genuine monsters who'd already experienced regression once.

Fuck...

The difficulty level was so horrific it made curses slip out on their own. I could only pray that the protagonist had definitely regressed.

While I tried to organize my increasingly tangled thoughts, Philia stared at me with unreadable eyes, then turned to Lucy beside her.

"Lucy. Could you step outside for a moment? I have something I want to make Ian do."

"...Yes?"

Lucy's pupils visibly trembled. "Something you want to make him do...?"

"It's a little awkward to say in front of you, but if you really want to stay..."

"I'll head out right now!"

Lucy's hands wouldn't stop shaking. She shot me a quick glance before practically bolting from the room.

Why is she reacting like that...?

It was an over-the-top response.

Lucy paced restlessly outside the door, her face flushed bright red.

W-what on earth is the lady planning to do alone with Ian...?

When a man and woman were alone in a room together, it could only mean one thing—something intimate.

Don't tell me the reason the lady broke off her engagement was...

Just as Lucy's imagination began to spiral out of control, Philia confirmed that Lucy had left and casually pulled a sword out from beneath the bed.

"......?"

Why is there a sword under the bed?

I couldn't make sense of it, but I didn't press the issue.

What she drew out was an ordinary longsword. The edge was sharp, but beyond that it was a plain iron blade with no distinguishing features.

"Ian. Why don't you try swinging this here?"

"...Here, my lady? I've never used a sword in my life."

I was taken aback as Philia calmly handed it over.

This is way too sudden.

Not only had I never held a sword before, this wasn't even the training grounds where the knights practiced. Did I really have to swing it here of all places?

"Yes, I know. It's fine anyway."

Of course, my thoughts and Philia's intentions were completely different. Today she was trying to awaken my talent.

The reason I, who had been nothing more than an ordinary mortal, could slaughter both gods and devils. It was thanks to swordsmanship that had reached a realm so far beyond heaven that even Andrew—the man later called the strongest on the continent—would be left speechless in admiration.

If only I hadn't realized my talent too late, I might have truly been able to stop the destruction.

I don't care whether the world ends or not, but...

From the start, Philia wouldn't have minded a destroyed world as long as I was by her side. Still, when she considered the threats that would come, my combat ability was absolutely necessary.

Even now, Philia could never forget it—the clean arc of my sword that had even carried a kind of beauty. Her eyes sparkled with anticipation as she waited for me to recreate that same blade.

This would be the first time swinging a sword in this life, so it might be clumsy at first. But it was only a matter of time before I revealed my radiant talent.

"Go on. Swing it however you like."

"...Understood."

I still didn't understand her intentions, but I decided to give it my best effort.

One hour later.

Whoosh—whoosh—

"???"

The swordplay was so awful it was painful to watch. Philia was visibly shaken.

How long am I supposed to keep swinging this?

She'd told me to try, so I'd done my best to make it look decent, but my young body was already hitting its stamina limit.

Still, it's kind of fun?

Even though the movements looked meaningless, I could feel something. It was like my instincts were telling me how to move just a little more efficiently.

Do I actually have talent for the sword?

With that silent confidence boosting me, I swung even harder—until she spoke.

"Stop."

"...Hoo. What do you think?"

I was soaked in sweat, but I felt confident. At this level, Philia must have been impressed.

"...It's terrible."

"Sorry?"

I thought I'd misheard, but Philia cut me down coldly.

"Horrendously terrible."

Fuck...?

Philia—rarely one to show anger—began scolding me.

"Why are there so many stray thoughts when you're moving the sword? No, even if growth is impossible, why ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠are you actually getting worse?"

Well, it's my first time, so of course...

If you threw a book at someone who couldn't read, could they suddenly read it? I wondered if I really needed to state something so obvious, but Philia looked genuinely upset, so I simply bowed my head.

"I'm sorry, my lady. It seems I have no talent for swordsmanship after all."

"What are ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠you...!"

Watching her pound her chest in frustration, I felt a flicker of doubt.

Why did she insist on making me use a sword?

Philia wouldn't have given me a pointless task. Had the me from the first round mainly used a sword?

Even so, her standards seem way too strict...

With zero prior training, how could I possibly wield a sword skillfully right away? I didn't know how the first-round version of me had done it, but the current me was no genius who could grasp anything without guidance.

If I'd had that kind of talent, I would've stopped the destruction myself.

That was obviously impossible.