Hurtlocker (1)
"Haa······ hoo······ hoo······."
How many hours has it been now? After exchanging blows with Trie several times—no, after getting beaten by her several times—my clothes were already soaked with sweat and my breathing had grown ragged.
"It's only been ten minutes. Don't tire out yet."
"······."
Damn it. That can't be right. Only ten minutes have passed?
"Then I'm coming again!"
"······!"
Once more, Trie's figure shot toward me. Even though she wasn't using any mana, her movements were too fast for my eyes to follow. All I could do was raise my sword at an angle on pure instinct, honed from being struck dozens of times.
Thwack!
"Kugh!"
The wooden practice sword clashed with a clear impact. Though made of light wood, it had been specially weighted to match the heft of a longsword. The heavy blow pressed down on my arm, but I braced with one foot and barely held my ground. It was a lesson learned after being knocked over earlier from poor posture.
"Hup!"
Trie spun her sword and aimed the flat of the blade at my head. Zverkhau. A technique that struck both sides in succession at head height.
—Try blocking this, Schlus!
In that instant, a translucent figure appeared before my eyes. It was the activation of the ability Memory of the True Body. A vision of Schlus's father wielding a sword and attacking with Zverkhau. His form overlapped with Trie's and rushed in all at once. In the memory, the young Schlus tried to block with his sword, only to be struck on the head by the blade coming from the opposite side.
'Good.'
It was only a split second. But from that counterexample, I learned one thing: with my current physical abilities, I couldn't block that technique. So there was only one option.
Thwack!
"Oh."
Instead of defending, I countered with the exact same attack. Taking a perfectly symmetrical stance to Trie's, I thrust forward and clashed swords as I charged. The guards of our blades locked together, creating an inescapable deadlock.
Hmm. Now what?
"Don't just stand there spacing out!"
"Huh?"
As if giving me the answer, Trie grabbed my wrist. The moment my center of gravity shifted, something hooked my ankle and my vision spun in a full circle. My back slammed into the ground, knocking the wind out of me with a sharp pain. By the time I regained my senses and tried to get up, Trie's sword was already at my throat.
"That's your thirteenth death."
"Haa······. Again······."
"No. Let's rest a bit. At this rate you'll actually die."
At Trie's words, all strength drained from my body. I gave up trying to stand and collapsed onto my back, exhaling roughly until my throat burned. My breathing was so labored I felt like I might die. In contrast, Trie only sounded slightly winded; she showed no real signs of fatigue. It wasn't just that she had better stamina—she moved far more efficiently.
The gap between us was so vast I could barely comprehend it anymore.
"At least you never let go of your sword. That was good."
Now that she mentioned it, the sword was still gripped tightly in my hand, as if glued there. It was probably because of the countless memories of young Schlus being beaten whenever he dropped his weapon. Thanks to that, I felt like I'd never let go of a sword again either.
"How bad is my condition?"
"Umm······."
Trie avoided my gaze and hesitated. Was it ambiguous, or was it so bad she didn't want to say it outright?
"Yeah. It's pretty bad."
"I see."
That was coming from someone who would become the strongest knight in this world. It was probably accurate. It seemed neither my modern mind nor Schlus's body had much talent for the sword. I could understand my own case—I'd spent my days staring at computers—but I'd hoped Schlus might have had some experience. What a useless guy.
"Let's take a short break."
Trie set her sword down while glancing at me. She didn't look tired at all. I felt guilty for wasting her time with my pathetic stamina. Still, there was no choice but to continue.
'Selection and Concentration. One second on stamina.'
I muttered inwardly. My pounding heart gradually calmed, and my breathing quieted. Even after the second passed, my breath didn't grow ragged again. I'd discovered that using Selection and Concentration on the stamina stat could reset fatigue, and it had proven quite useful. The only downside was that I couldn't split it into increments shorter than one second. If I could divide it infinitely, I could use 0.01 seconds at a time and run all day without tiring. The limitation seemed designed to prevent abuse. Smart.
"Let's continue."
"Huh? You're already rested?"
"Yeah. I'm fine now."
"Oh. Uh······. Then let's keep going."
When I stood again, Trie raised her sword and took her stance. The way she widened her eyes and tensed her legs sent a primal fear through me, like facing a wild beast. Normally she seemed so carefree, but the moment she drew a sword, that overwhelming presence erupted from her······. I swallowed hard and raised my own blade across from her.
"This time, let's use our internal circuits during the spar."
"Sounds good."
She intended to teach me swordsmanship while circulating mana. The approach would certainly differ from fighting with a monstrous physique versus bare-handed. I activated Selection and Concentration on mana adaptation for two seconds, then engaged my internal circuit—only for those two seconds. Over 99% of the mana energy generated by the circuit was instantly converted into mana thanks to my adaptation. I felt power surging through my body. This should let me last about three minutes. After that, I'd have to make excuses about running out of mana.
"Ready?"
"Yeah."
Trie drew one foot back, preparing to charge. I'd be getting thoroughly beaten again. Still, they say everything is learned through taking hits. As long as I could grow strong enough to beat most extras, I could endure this hellish training as many times as needed.
"Hah!"
With a sharp cry, Trie's practice sword flew straight at my forehead.
***
"Khaaa······. Haa······."
"Hoo."
Schlus panted heavily, his chest heaving. His entire body was covered in dark bruises. Trie wiped the sweat from her brow and looked down at him with a somewhat pitying expression. It wasn't genuine pity. She was only pretending to pity him.
'He learns way too fast. No matter how I look at it, he has talent.'
Schlus's growth rate was enough to astonish her. It was clear he'd had some sword training before. But that was all. His movements were rough and unrefined, suggesting he hadn't undergone long-term practice. What was remarkable was how quickly he absorbed instruction. After being struck hard once, he never fell for the same attack or feint again. Every time he fell and rose, his posture, movements—everything—had completely changed. He countered and attacked with a style so different it was as if he were another person entirely.
His physical abilities weren't impressive, but his judgment was bold and he showed no fear of the sword. Most beginners only thought about blocking incoming blades and never considered counterattacking.
"Sorry. My mana ran out······."
"Really? Then let's call it a day."
Even Schlus's internal circuit was of high quality. She'd noticed it during the first combat magic class, but actually crossing swords made it clearer than expected. Though his output faded toward the end, at its peak it had even surpassed her own. She'd only managed to suppress him through superior mana control and swordsmanship. Even Trie, who had never taught anyone before, could tell.
Schlus was a born swordsman. With proper guidance, he could reach the level of a senior knight in no time.
'This is the first time my heart's been racing like this······.'
Trie felt her pulse quicken with excitement. It was the first time she'd felt this way since deciding to walk the path of magic. Maybe this was how her father had felt when teaching her. Now she understood why he'd been so strict, why he'd constantly scolded her for being inadequate. It was to prevent her from ever being satisfied with her current level. A lie meant to drive her toward the limits of her talent.
Trie decided to use her father's wisdom. Schlus's talent still had a long way to go before reaching its end.
"Next training······ uh······ hmm······."
"······?"
Trie trailed off as she watched Schlus stagger to his feet. She'd been about to say she'd come again tomorrow, but looking at his condition, that seemed impossible.
"Let's do it in three days. I'll come at the same time, nine o'clock. How about that?"
"Wouldn't it be better to do it sooner, before I lose the feel?"
"No. I have other plans."
Trie lied without meaning to. With injuries like his, even normal daily activities would leave him sore for at least three days······.
"Thanks for the training. Sorry I can't return the favor right away."
"It's fine. You said you'd teach me magic after midterms. A little delay doesn't matter."
"I'll walk you to the front gate."
"No. Rest. I'll go alone."
"······."
Leaving the still-heavily-breathing Schlus behind, Trie exited the training hall. His attendant guided her out and bowed politely. The child seemed quite young and pretty. She wondered if Schlus had laid a hand on them······ but decided it wasn't her concern and let the thought go.
"Right······."
She'd forgotten to ask Schlus something. The girl in the nun's habit she'd seen on the way in. That had definitely been Iris von dem Flechette, the Saint of Flechette she'd only heard rumors about. She'd hesitated to ask what business the saint had with Schlus and ended up forgetting entirely. She considered going back to ask, but—
"No. Later······."
Trie shook her head and decided to save the question for next time.
***
Lunch after intense exercise tasted especially good. Even when full, Emilia's cooking as the top-tier chef was delicious.
"I'll be going out."
"Yes. Where are you headed?"
"To the café."
"The café······ do you mean the one we visited together last time?"
"Yes, that's right. Would you like to come along?"
"No. I'll stay and watch the mansion."
Emilia slowly shook her head. Truthfully, I hadn't wanted to bring her anyway—I'd only asked out of courtesy. I didn't want someone whose only purpose was to monitor me by my side.
"Um, Mr. Heinkel······."
"Yes, Emilia. What is it?"
Emilia rarely hesitated when speaking. What was this? Was she about to make a request?
"I know this is an impertinent question, but why do you use honorifics with me, a commoner, when you speak casually to other nobles?"
"Hmm······."
So that was what she'd been wondering. It wasn't really an impertinent question. With classmates like Erica, Iris, and Trie, casual speech came naturally. But Emilia was merely someone I'd made a contract with, so honorifics came automatically. Even though she was my employee, I couldn't bring myself to give orders in casual speech. In a society with a rigid class system, this behavior must have been difficult to understand.
"Well. I don't really know either."
"Pardon?"
Explaining it in detail wouldn't help her understand, and I didn't feel like trying. So I gave a vague answer. The water was already spilled anyway. I might as well pretend there was some special reason and leave her head spinning a little. Leaving the bewildered Emilia behind, I stepped out of the mansion.
"Whoa······."
Even though I'd been to the capital's streets many times, I still hadn't fully adjusted. I kept letting out involuntary exclamations. I wanted to go sightseeing properly someday. Touring the empire would be nice. Visiting the Great Forest where the beastkin lived or the desert where the elves resided would be good too. I'd have to go there eventually anyway. No need to rush.
Walking while admiring the fantastical cityscape, I soon arrived at my destination. A shaded alley where sunlight slanted down. The semi-basement café-bar tucked inside. The moment I flung the door open, a pleasant bell chimed.
"Welcome."
I stepped inside to Eric's greeting and immediately froze. That man with his back turned. Just from his silhouette, my heart pounded wildly. I'd pictured him in my mind so many times that I recognized him from the back of his head alone. The man whose very existence disgusted me slowly turned his head.
"······."
"······."
Hurtlocker Siegfried.
That was my first face-to-face meeting with the damn original protagonist.