Moonlight in the Silent Forest
The night sky viewed from the moonlit silent forest. How many times have I seen it by now? I never counted, but it feels like quite a few. The tree branches stretching high into the heavens, the stars and clouds visible between them. They were all familiar sights, yet for some reason, they looked a little different today.
I was blankly scanning my surroundings when my instincts drew me toward the brightest thing there. A single beam of moonlight piercing through the thick clouds. Following that moonlight, I saw a girl holding a sword. She was silently wiping her wooden blade with a cloth. When our eyes met, she gave a faint smile and spoke to me.
"Yeah."
I gripped my own wooden sword and answered. Nodding my head, holding the sword, giving short replies to questions. For some reason, nothing else came easily. Because the girl standing before me looked so incredibly beautiful.
With a soft rustle, she leveled her sword at me. I raised mine as well.
My childhood friend, who had promised to keep indulging my stubborn insistence on becoming a knight no matter how long it took. Only now did I start wondering if I had ever truly deserved that from her.
"…!"
Selena spun her sword in a graceful arc. Unlike the instinctive swings from before, her movements were smooth, as if she had learned proper swordsmanship. Had Melissa's one-on-one lessons finally begun to show?
I was carefully observing every single motion when I suddenly flinched.
With a sharp burst, Selena kicked off the ground and charged. I hadn't expected her to come at me this fiercely right from the start. I swung my wooden sword diagonally to block her, but of course it couldn't stop her. Instead, she slipped past my blade and drove deeper, landing a clean hit to my side.
"Ugh!"
It must have been a light swing, yet the pain was enough to make me gasp. I clenched my teeth and focused on Selena's strikes.
Whoosh! Swoosh! Whoosh!
Her attacks came without pause. Selena even offered praise while watching me barely dodge them. I let out a small chuckle and replied.
"Hup!"
It was a simple provocation, but I fell for it. I stepped forward, twisted my waist, and added rotational force to my swing. It was the only way for someone with weak strength like me to put meaningful power behind a blow.
Clang—!
Selena easily blocked my strike, as if she could see the trajectory perfectly. She didn't even need to rely on something like Gigaam; she simply read my attacks by sight and instinct, then knocked them aside.
Crack!
"Ugh!"
Beginner level, my ass. From my previous life's perspective, Selena's swordplay was already at the level of a proper knight. A realm I could never reach. To someone like me, who had died as a mere foot soldier, the swordsmanship Selena displayed before my eyes sparkled brilliantly.
Like a trail of stars passing by, her blade brushed past my vision.
"Ugh, from you, Seli?"
Thwack! Thwack! Crack!
While we talked, I took three more hits. I managed to block them all, but my palms felt like they were tearing apart from the pain. Still, if I showed even a hint of discomfort on my face, I sensed a momentary hesitation in Selena's sword, so I clenched my teeth tightly.
"…How can you be so sure?"
Crack—!
Our swords collided. There was no way it could become a proper contest of strength, yet my blade still trembled violently. Selena smiled bitterly and said to me.
"…!"
Silence fell. For a while, only our ragged breathing could be heard. Beneath the pouring moonlight, only Selena and I looked at each other.
"Do you think I can?"
"You're right. That was a stupid question."
We both chuckled softly and created some distance. But Selena's next strike came flying in immediately. I dodged it and twisted on my planted foot, aiming for her torso.
Crack!
It felt like dancing a sword dance beneath the moonlight. The sensation was so much like actual dancing that I felt a touch of ecstasy.
"But because of me, Seli, you… Ugh!"
Wham—!
A strike flew in with a terrifyingly sharp momentum. My Gigaam noticed it before I did and I barely managed to block.
"Sorry."
I was overwhelmed by Selena's powerful presence. But I couldn't just stand there looking pathetic forever.
"Selena."
"Hm?"
I gripped my sword and took a stance. Then I charged straight at her. A faint blue energy flickered at the tip of my blade. Selena seemed startled by my sudden change and hurriedly raised her sword.
Clack! Clack! Clack! Crack—!
Our swords clashed repeatedly. The sound of wooden blades filled the moonlit clearing. Just from the noise alone, it sounded far more vicious than before. Well, our mindsets had changed a lot since then, after all.
Selena slowly raised her sword. It carried a sharpness as if it were cradling the moonlight itself. It was familiar. Yet I couldn't help but be overwhelmed by that fierce blue glow.
Every moment, I recalled the times Selena had swung with true intent. Gigaam and spirit. Different sensations, yet somehow similar. I read Selena's spirit and raised my own Gigaam. The faint blue energy grew stronger. Of course, Selena did the same. Even brighter than the moonlight, a dazzling blue aura gathered on her blade.
Selena pulled her sword back, then kicked off the ground and charged at me with full force. But the moment our blades met—
Crack…!
"…?"
A fissure ran through Selena's sword, which had been brimming with killing intent. It was caused by my own blade, which carried not blue energy but something gradually turning colorless.
Strictly speaking, it wasn't even proper energy. It was simply…
'This is a power you will never be able to use in your lifetime.'
Aura. That's what Hildegard had said. A power that those born with blessed talent like Selena could wield as naturally as breathing. For me, it was nothing more than burning my tiny speck of strength to make it flicker for a brief moment. My master Hildegard had told me so, and I had calmly accepted it.
'Even so, if you still aim to become a knight…'
"…!"
The cracks spreading across Selena's sword. My blade was an empty sword that could hold neither aura, mana, nor spirit. Yet Selena's wooden sword fractured, then shattered into pieces along with mine. It couldn't withstand the overflowing aura from Selena. Therefore, I had managed to break it in return. Or rather, perhaps it was more accurate to say we had both broken together.
Looking at the broken wooden sword, Selena's eyes widened in surprise.
"Well… it looks like I can't become like you, Selena."
I spoke calmly amid the wreckage of the swords. Selena was the same. She simply stood there holding her broken blade. She stared at it curiously for a few moments, then looked at me and smiled faintly.
"I'm not really sure myself."
Hildegard, who had taught me the sword of a knight. Even now, I still didn't fully understand what a knight's sword was or what I could do with such techniques. But if there was something a talentless person like me could do…
"Yeah."
Selena smiled and held out her hand. I smiled faintly in return and took it.
The next day, at the mansion. As soon as I entered through the main gate, I was caught by Melissa, who had been lazily basking in the sunlight.
"Yes?"
"It was another draw this time."
When I answered honestly, Melissa clicked her tongue, looking slightly disappointed.
"Just what kind of relationship do you two have…"
It didn't seem like a normal master-disciple bond. Of course, the same could probably be said about me and Hildegard. Even so, Melissa spoke as if it wasn't a bad thing.
"Maybe… Oh, Lady Melissa."
"Yes?"
I looked up into Melissa's grey eyes and said,
"You can just call me Rui from now on. After all, we're fellow disciples, aren't we?"
"I suppose that's true. Indeed we are, Rui."
Melissa's eyes widened in slight surprise before returning to normal. She lightly tapped the hilt of the greatsword at her waist and showed it to me.
"Ah, really? Thank you so much!"
With Melissa's skill, it would definitely be worthwhile. The thought of sparring with such an opponent made me smile without realizing it. Melissa was about to chuckle as well when she seemed to notice something and cleared her throat loudly.
"The young lady?"
Melissa gave a careful glance with her eyes. When I turned my head, I saw a familiar figure in the distance.
"I see."
I smiled brightly and waved my hand.