Chapter 46: A Changed Life #8
Only those who truly understand the terror of war can become the greatest warriors.
That was what the old man had said once, meaning, of course, Prime Minister Ju Cloud Low Dragonschultz.
No matter how skillfully one swings a sword, no matter how masterful their military knowledge, the battlefield where blood flows and lives are extinguished will be utterly different.
Only there, having used one’s true abilities, can one finally become a genuine genius, he had said.
Even in my previous life, when I looked over the war histories of books, those who only played with words on their desks went into actual combat and simply used what the military manuals described, only to have their souls stripped bare far too many times.
The best example was the strange young man sent to block a mountain pass, only to climb the entire mountain instead.
And today, I realized that the same principle applied even when holding a real blade.
It was different, unmistakably different. Not even close to the feeling of gripping a practice sword.
“How is it, Lucian?”
“Haah… haah…”
“You haven’t even swung it a dozen times and you’re already out of breath? Why? Is the sword too heavy?”
No, that wasn’t it. The real blade felt heavier than a practice sword, but that alone couldn’t explain it.
The reason the blade I held felt so much heavier than the practice one was simple—
“It’s terrifying…”
“Yes. Even when wielding the practice sword, of course you’re tense, but you can’t see that sharp sense of death hovering there. With the real blade it’s the opposite. Just a single brush can be lethal. Knowing that, your body and mind are three times stiffer than usual, squeezing you even tighter.”
Clang—!
I blocked Fleta-noona’s sword again.
The clear ring echoed in my ears, and the unfamiliar vibration spread from my fingertips through my entire body.
Still gasping, I straightened my posture once more.
The chill crawling down my spine, the dryness in my mouth—
This was the true sword, and the true battle it brought.
“Still scared, Lucian?”
“…Yes.”
“Never forget that feeling. Some people will tell you to erase it. But that’s wrong. Fear should only be forgotten for that one precious moment. It cannot be erased, and even if it could, you must never erase it. Remember this, Lucian. Understood? Never forget that feeling.”
With those words, Fleta-noona finally lowered the sword she held.
The moment the killing intent that had threatened to tear me apart vanished, I sat down heavily on the spot without realizing it and let out a rough breath.
My legs were still trembling. It seemed I had to sit for a while longer.
No matter how hard I tried to stand, I couldn’t move. She must have been surprised by how completely I had collapsed.
I had watched many scenes of someone holding a real sword and fighting, but experiencing it directly was on an entirely different level.
“Lucian!”
Rie, who had been watching me anxiously the whole time, hurriedly stood from her seat.
Seeing me sit, she looked worried I might have been injured somewhere.
She had seemed ready to dash over any moment, but then suddenly froze.
After a brief glance around, she quietly closed her mouth and fixed her eyes only on me.
Was she being considerate, thinking she might disturb the time I was spending with Fleta-noona by interfering?
Fleta-noona, watching that look on Rie’s face, walked up to me.
Then she reached out and ruffled my hair exactly as she had the first time we met.
“Honestly speaking…”
“…?”
“I was a little worried. No, let’s say I was quite worried. My amazing little brother, but because you look so weak in comparison, you might attract a lot of attacks from those blinded by jealousy.”
“I’ve told you many times there’s no need to worry about that.”
“Even if I say it’s fine, you’re still family, right? And seeing it up close like this, my heart finally settles. And…”
Fleta-noona subtly pointed at Rie with her eyes, so Rie wouldn’t notice.
It seemed she had figured out my relationship with Rie faster than I expected.
After all, no one could look at Rie’s fidgeting or my trying to calm her without realizing they were close, or even romantic.
“You’ve only been at the academy for a little over half a semester, and yet you’re already obsessed with an opposite-sex friend, neglecting your studies?”
“You don’t have to worry about that. We’re sparring every single day.”
Sparring? Not “we are sparring,” but “we are being sparred with.” The wording was strangely amusing.
Fleta-noona let out a short chuckle and answered that she had understood.
After that, the noona who had distanced herself from me turned around and looked at Rie.
“Miss Rie.”
“Yes, Instructor Fleta.”
“Later, would you be able to spar with me once? I was on border duty, and since it was such a sensitive area, I haven’t gotten to swing a sword much. I came to the academy as a swordsmanship instructor, worried my juniors might be disappointed. I need to at least get my feel back. Could you grant my request?”
“It would be my honor. After all, I was offered membership in all three of the Kingdom’s great knight orders and still got to share a sword with you, my senior.”
As Rie had said, after passing the knight exam, Fleta-noona had been offered positions in the Cross Knight Order, the Conquistador Knight Order, and the Ash Wolf Knight Order—proof of her extraordinary talent.
Considering that knight orders deliberately avoided clashing and each picked out different geniuses, Fleta-noona’s greatness was evident.
Rie would probably receive the same offer from Fleta-noona if she took the knight exam.
She hadn’t taken it yet, but she could already fight on equal footing with many knights.
That was the overwhelming talent and natural instinct that made her the Academy’s genius.
“I look forward to it. Then, if you have time this afternoon, please come by. I’ll be in the third-year office. Do you know where it is?”
“Yes, Instructor Fleta. I’ll come by right away tomorrow.”
After finishing her conversation with Rie, the noona looked at me for a moment.
Then she gave me a smile that I couldn’t understand in the slightest.
The expression on her face was unfamiliar, and I couldn’t quite read it.
Why was she smiling like that? What scheme did our noona have up her sleeve?
“All right.”
Fleta-noona picked up the real sword I had been given and carefully wrapped it in the white cloth like before.
Then she turned to leave, saying she had taken care of her business.
There were surely more things to discuss with me, but with Rie here, she was probably holding back.
Tomorrow evening, after dinner, I would have to go see her again.
After one storm-like day, I quietly approached Rie, who was still standing blankly in front of me.
“Surprised? Our noona is like that. Normally she’s a really good person, but the moment she picks up a sword, she turns into this.”
“…”
“Even now, that feeling hasn’t faded. She beat up the family knights so badly…”
“…”
Rie still gave no answer.
She didn’t notice me approaching and stayed silent, muttering something.
“…Cool.”
“Huh? Rie, what did you just say?”
“Cool. Your noona.”
“What?”
“Fleta noona… she was cool before… but she’s cool now too.”
“Cool?” I asked, confused.
“Fleta noona… she was cool before, but… she’s still cool.”
That was cool? No, it was true that my noona was cool, but right before she had thrown me a real sword and told me to swing it herself—and she had swung it!
Anyone who picks up a sword instantly becomes a completely different person. It was like a gentle person who turns into a completely different character the moment they drink.
Fleeta-noona’s transformation was usually unexpected, or at least something I hadn’t predicted. Yet Rie’s reply had simply been “cool.”
Of course, that made sense. Rie was a Martial Division student, and she possessed the same genius-level talent with swords.
Sharing that common trait with me meant our perspectives might naturally differ a little.
Honestly, I had thought the same thing while listening to the noona’s words about not forgetting the feeling of fear.
“Ah, ahh. Ahh! W-what did I just say? Lucian. Are you hurt anywhere…?”
“You ask even before I’ve recovered. Here’s one more thing. Use casual speech, or be formal.”
“Of course I’ll do it the way I normally do!”
“Normally? Then you should be swinging your arms around like before. Of course, with casual speech.”
“No way! I speak politely all the time! How polite and dignified a woman I am…”
“Of course that part is good. But sometimes I want to hear you just being relaxed.”
It wasn’t a joke. It was sincere.
In my memory, Rie was a bit… how should I put it?
A very lively girl with a bit of mischief in her.
Even now she was good, but sometimes I missed her younger self.
That was why the night I had spent with Rie felt like going back in time, and I felt an indescribable joy.
Thanks to that, Rie looked thoughtful.
“G, really?”
Rie blinked rapidly, fidgeting with her lips, looking incredibly cute.
So without thinking, I reached out and gently grabbed her hand.
Then something occurred to me.
“By the way, Rie, you had a lecture, right?”
“Y-yeah! Ahh!! W-why are you asking that now?!”
“I’m not asking for the first time! I realized it just now! Did you forget that I was sparring with noona with a real sword until a moment ago?!”
Clearly recognizing that my words were accurate, Rie let out an exaggerated gasp and dashed toward the lecture hall.
In the middle of that, she added that we could still practice in the evening since we hadn’t finished today, and I should wait without panicking.
It was so Rie-like that I couldn’t help but smile.
“…”
The training ground, now empty after Rie left.
I looked at the bench she had been sitting on and sat down there too.
I never imagined Fleta-noona would come to the academy so quickly.
I certainly didn’t expect her to hand me a real sword and tell me to swing it.
Yet at the time it had been absurdly surprising.
Now, thinking about it, it had turned out to be more helpful than I expected.
“That feeling of fear. It was the first time I had truly experienced it.”
Rie probably wouldn’t have given me that experience that way.
Because it was Fleta-noona. Because she was my family who was confident I could block it.
She would have charged at me immediately.
Of course, I was shocked at first, but thinking about it now, it had been an incredibly useful experience.
Moreover, as a third-year swordsmanship instructor, most third-years were already seasoned veterans.
Placing Fleta-noona in that year proved just how exceptional her talent was.
Since my senior Michael was also in the third year, I could simply ask how she was doing.
“…”
I looked down at my hand that had finally held a real sword and swung it again.
Compared to gripping a practice sword, and compared to the first time I had blocked Rie’s attack.
It felt like I had gained something words couldn’t describe, and I felt strangely thrilled.
It was, after all, the next head of the Deodor family being taught by his noona.