The Public Class, Part 6
Early morning on the second day of the public class.
Before entering the Colosseum, I took a moment to meet with someone.
A heavy silence filled the room.
Sitting across from me was the Sword Saint, Chris, staring at me intently with a faint smile on his face.
In the game, if you managed to pique his interest and gain the status effect 'The Sword Saint's Attention,' he would personally approach you during the public class to strike up a conversation.
However, that was merely a brief interaction where he would casually offer a few tips on swordsmanship, raising your skill level.
He never went out of his way to arrange a private meeting like this.
Still, considering the sheer impact of Reverse Heaven, this was a natural outcome.
And as I had expected, Sierra...
...could not contain her bloodlust.
The glare she directed at the Sword Saint burned with a murderous intent so intense it felt as though she might leap forward and tear him to shreds at any second.
The Sword Saint, too, seemed to have sensed this thick aura of hostility.
Yet, I couldn't blame Sierra.
I knew all too well the history she carried.
I knew it would turn out like this, but...
I was simply trying to figure out how to navigate this situation.
I had anticipated our meeting, but I couldn't predict what he would say.
Ultimately, it was the Sword Saint, Chris, who broke the cold silence that had persisted without even a formal greeting.
"Have you and I met before? You're radiating enough bloodlust to make me think we're sworn enemies... but for the life of me, I can't seem to recall."
He didn't bother beating around the bush.
To think his very first words, uttered without even an exchange of greetings, would be that.
I harbored no ill will toward him myself, but since he couldn't perceive Sierra's presence, he seemed to have mistaken her bloodlust for mine.
Was a deep, ill-fated relationship with him inevitable after all?
No, perhaps it was only natural.
As Sierra's disciple, there was no way I could ever form a harmonious bond with him.
The only puzzling thing was that, despite throwing such words at me, the smile never faded from Chris's lips.
[ You seem quite at ease, Chris. ...Do you find this Lady laughable? ]
Sierra's chilling voice echoed in my mind.
"Haha, bloodlust? Surely not. We have never met before. I would appreciate it if you could view it merely as... an excess of 'enthusiasm' to surpass the Sword Saint."
Even to my own ears, it was a ridiculous excuse.
But Chris didn't seem to mind.
His next words carried a tone that suggested he didn't care either way.
"Hmm... To surpass the Sword Saint, is it..."
"..."
"Actually, I called you here because I wanted to make you a proposal."
"A... proposal?"
At my questioning look, the Sword Saint grinned, baring his teeth as he replied.
"How would you like to become my disciple?"
"Excuse me?"
I couldn't hide my bewilderment at his sudden offer.
His disciple...?
I had just said I wanted to surpass him, so what kind of absurd logic was it to ask me to become his disciple?
In the first place, even in the game, it was impossible to learn the Sword Saint's swordsmanship no matter what you did. He refused to take on any more disciples because he already had Kaen.
[ My disciple... Draw thy sword this instant... This instant...!! ]
Unable to contain her rage, Sierra demanded that I fight the Sword Saint right then and there.
Despite her urging, I did not draw my sword.
No matter how you looked at it, that was out of the question.
[ How dare he... This Lady's disciple... This Lady's Zeto... ]
Sierra growled.
She was completely overcome with emotion.
"Watching your swordsmanship yesterday, a thought suddenly crossed my mind. Your swordsmanship and mine... if these two styles were to harmonize, wouldn't we write the history of the strongest swordsmanship the world has ever seen?"
But regardless of the bloodlust Sierra was radiating, Chris calmly continued.
"I don't know the reason, but you seem to harbor a deep grudge against me... If that's the case, why not become my disciple to surpass me? What do you think?"
Chris's solemn voice echoed through the room.
His eyes were incredibly serious.
The Sword Saint was a highly eccentric man, but I could tell with absolute certainty that he wasn't joking right now.
If I were to learn the Sword Saint's swordsmanship, I would undoubtedly become much stronger than I am now.
I didn't know if the Sword Saint's style and Sierra's Reverse Heaven could even be merged, but judging by how far he was going, he seemed to have some ideas.
Indeed, if the two styles were combined, the ultimate swordsmanship might truly be born.
But...
I couldn't do that.
Surpassing the Sword Saint in such a manner would hold absolutely no meaning for Sierra.
Following the Sword Saint would mean betraying Sierra.
Therefore, my answer was already decided.
"I already have a master, the only one I will ever need. So, despite your generous offer, I must decline."
I firmly drew the line.
[ ...... ]
Upon hearing my response, Sierra fell silent.
She seemed to be composing her emotions.
"Ho... Is that so? I didn't expect you to already have a master. It was a style I'd never seen before, so I was certain you had created it yourself..."
Chris's voice was thick with disappointment.
"Of course not. My swordsmanship was entirely created by my master."
"...Then let me ask you one last thing. Who exactly is this master of yours? I've wandered the continent and met countless swordsmen, but I've never seen anyone wield a blade like that. Does the animosity I feel from you perhaps have something to do with your master?"
He was asking.
Who my master was.
There was no reason to hide it any longer.
Sierra and I had already discussed this beforehand.
"My master is..."
After revealing his master's name, Zeto excused himself, saying he would be late for the public class, and immediately left the room.
Left alone in the room, Chris found himself unable to rise from his seat for quite some time.
Soon, his mouth, which had been hanging open in a daze, curled into a sudden laugh.
"Haha... I see. So that was it. To think he was the disciple of her..."
The parting words Zeto left behind had finally revealed the identity of his master.
"Purple Moon... Were you alive? No, if you were... you would have surely come to find me yourself."
Even after several decades, Sierra remained an unforgettable existence to Chris.
'Sword Saint, duel me.'
'Ugh... At least let me finish my meal first.'
'...Draw your sword.'
Chris recalled the past, remembering how Sierra would point her blade at him and demand a duel at the slightest provocation, regardless of the time or place.
"Haha... I never imagined she would have a disciple..."
Chris chuckled heartily as he muttered to himself.
He had wondered about her sudden disappearance, but ultimately assumed that her chronic illness had finally caught up with her.
...And indeed, that seemed to be the case.
By the time Sierra had perfected her swordsmanship, her body was likely already failing her.
"Mmm, yes..."
It all made sense now.
Knowing that Zeto was Sierra's disciple painted a clear picture of everything.
The bloodlust radiating from him.
The powerful, unfamiliar swordsmanship he had displayed.
And even his resolute refusal to become the Sword Saint's disciple.
Has her will been passed down to her disciple?
Though Chris felt a bitter pang of sorrow at the realization that Sierra had passed away, he couldn't help but marvel at her absurd, relentless tenacity.
Still, it's strange how her bloodlust seemed to drift from the empty air...
Did the reason lie in Zeto's blindness?
It was a mystery that even the Sword Saint couldn't unravel—a truly baffling puzzle.
Resting his chin on his hand as he sat on the sofa, Chris slowly nodded, replaying the encounter in his mind.
"So that's why... It felt that way because she created that swordsmanship specifically to defeat me..."
Now that things had turned out this way, there was something he had to give up on.
Chris couldn't hide his lingering regret.
In one hand, the swordsmanship of Chris.
In the other, the swordsmanship of Sierra.
"I thought I might finally witness the creation of the ultimate, flawless swordsmanship..."
Chris muttered to himself, clicking his tongue.
I was so drawn to him that I was determined to make him my disciple, bloodlust be damned...
Originally, Chris had absolutely no intention of taking on any disciple other than Kaen. That was, until he met Zeto.
He had faced Zeto, and taking the boy's bloodlust into account, offered him a chance to surpass him as a condition... but he could never have imagined that Sierra of all people was the boy's master.
"Is there really no way..."
He was a man obsessed with the sword.
Sierra wasn't the only one possessed by an unyielding obsession.
"Wait."
As Chris pondered deeply, a sudden thought struck him. He reached into his robes and pulled out something he had been carrying.
It was a letter sent by Kaen, his disciple whom he had raised like his own granddaughter.
He remembered how Kaen, whom he had met for lunch yesterday, had excitedly babbled on and on about Zeto.
Chris read through the letter once more.
This time, he examined it much more closely.
Especially the parts where Kaen mentioned the blind swordsman, Zeto.
Kaen seemed to be quite close with Zeto.
No, it went beyond mere closeness; Kaen seemed to have taken quite a liking to him.
Having finished reading the letter, Chris fell into thought.
It doesn't necessarily have to be passed down through Zeto alone.
Wouldn't it be entirely natural for a mother's and father's swordsmanship to be passed down to their child?
Furthermore, Kaen was currently hiding the fact that she was his disciple.
Having reached this conclusion, he began to paint a picture in his mind.
The disciple of the Sword Saint and the disciple of Purple Moon fall for each other.
The young man and woman fall in love.
Eventually, a child is born between them.
That child will grow up to inherit the swordsmanship of both parents.
"...How can a plan fall into place so perfectly?!"
Chris marveled at his own brilliant idea.
Then, he thought:
Perhaps he should casually ask Kaen if it wasn't about time she started looking for a partner.
Maybe he wouldn't have to completely give up on the ultimate swordsmanship he so desired after all.
Even if its completion is delayed by a generation...
Chris smiled brightly, thoroughly satisfied with his train of thought.
Perhaps it was because Chris had spent his entire life looking only at swords, completely ignorant of the nuances of romance.
He hadn't spared a single thought for Kaen's or Zeto's actual opinions.
Just as it had been when he dueled Sierra, so it was now.
Chris still knew nothing but the sword.