The World Didn't End
The blue hair that reminded me of a vast ocean, and eyes like polished lapis lazuli set into them. Add skin as pale and flawless as white jade, and you had a beauty famous even in high society. At least until she suddenly declared she wanted to become a knight and traded her fan for a sword.
I'd heard she'd been training for quite a long time. I didn't know exactly how long, but the fact that someone her age had nearly taken down a demon contractor single-handedly was proof of genuine talent. And usually, people with that kind of talent tend to have a screw or two loose somewhere.
But even so…
"Let's fight?"
"Yes."
The young lady nodded with a bright, innocent smile. I let out a deep sigh and asked,
"Just to be sure, do you even know what that means?"
"Doesn't it mean fighting one-on-one? I've heard it's evolved to mean something like 'drop the ranks and let's throw down' in certain circles."
"Where the hell did you… haa…"
That was not vocabulary that should be coming out of a count's daughter. It was the kind of wording you'd expect from some street mercenary. Just what kind of education had the Count been giving her? No, actually, since there'd never been any rumors like this before, it seemed she'd been hiding her true nature from everyone until now…
I clutched my throbbing head and stared at the young lady.
"So, what you want to put on the scales of Geas is a fight with me?"
"Yes. More precisely, I'd say I want to experience real combat."
"You want real combat experience, so why me?"
At my question, Countess Araxis's daughter made an expression that suggested she genuinely couldn't understand why I'd even ask.
"Is there any greater honor than learning real combat from the man who was the Empire's First Star and the one who completed the 17th Special Forces under the Imperial Family?"
"……."
I narrowed my eyes and looked at Stella Araxis. This young lady knew more than I'd expected. Of course, she probably didn't know the truly critical secrets, but that was still one of the things treated as classified information.
"So you want private lessons from me?"
"That would be correct."
"And you're calling that 'let's fight'… ugh."
I started to speak but gave up and turned my head away. From my experience, trying to teach normal common sense to someone who'd already gone mad had almost zero chance of success. I'd have better luck teaching a cow how to stand on two legs.
"Well, that would certainly balance the scales."
"Right?"
"Yeah."
When I nodded, Stella Araxis continued with clear excitement.
"Then let's set up the appointment as soon as possible. When would be convenient for you?"
"Right now."
"Now?"
"Yeah. Is that a problem? If it's too much, we can forget it."
The subjugation of a 9th-class Contaminant. The situation where the demon contractors hidden in the Count's household had been wiped out. Even if they tried to stop the rumors from spreading, they were bound to get out. Given the distance, the chance of her coming directly was slim, but it was better to be as careful as possible.
And…
I glanced at Stella Araxis. For some reason I couldn't explain, looking at the young lady before me made me think of her. Their hair color and appearance were clearly different, but the way she moved at first glance and her attitude when dealing with people without a mask on…
She resembled Scarlet Frausia, the craziest bitch I'd ever seen. Of course, there was no way two people that insane could exist in the world…
"As you wish."
She'd just told her parents she was going to rest thoroughly, yet here she was, completely unconcerned about her reputation and immediately wanting to go get private lessons. Watching Stella Araxis, I felt a slight chill run down my spine.
"Hoo…"
In a forest bathed in quiet moonlight, at the center of a clearing, Stella steadied her breathing while holding the wooden sword that had become familiar in her hands. She'd originally planned to use the training grounds, but Kyle had worried that going there at this late hour might alert her father and mother, so they'd moved here instead.
The texture of grass beneath her feet with every step and the cool night breeze brushing against her cheeks.
"If you're ready, come at me."
Kyle's voice signaled the start of the lesson to Stella, who had focused her mind. However, even though she'd thought she was prepared, Stella couldn't move forward.
I can't see… any openings.
Kyle Amillan. The Empire's First Star. The instructor who had taught the exceptionally talented 17th Special Forces unit under the Imperial Family. And now, a wanted man with a bounty of hundreds of millions that the entire Empire was chasing.
Facing someone like that, she hadn't expected it to be easy. No, Stella had thought that even if she lost, she would learn as much as possible. On top of that, she'd learned swordsmanship and sparring in her own way. Even if her proficiency wasn't perfect, she had confidence in her eye for reading opponents.
The eyes that let her find an opponent's weakness and know exactly when to strike. Even her sword instructor had praised those eyes of hers, so Stella had planned to make full use of them in this spar…
I need to see something to make a move…!
She couldn't see anything. The openings that had been visible against apprentice knights, official knights, and even demon contractors weren't present at all in the man before her.
According to what was known, Kyle Amillan wielded a sword. Yet even though he stood there bare-handed without drawing one, she couldn't see any openings. That meant—
"If you're not coming, then I will."
Stella, lost in confusion. What pulled her out of it was Kyle. Or more accurately, what forcibly shattered her confusion.
Tap—!
In the time it took to blink once, Kyle had closed the distance. At the same time, his hand blade came flying in, and Stella reflexively swung her wooden sword.
Clack!
The blade swung on reflex deflected Kyle's hand blade. But Kyle paid it no mind and pressed in even closer toward her.
"Ugh."
While a sword had an advantage in mid-range, at ultra-close range, fists were far superior. The sword in her hand was too unwieldy to swing properly at that distance.
Kyle's fist lightly touched the frowning Stella's abdomen. At the same time, his voice rang out.
"One."
With those words, Kyle created distance again. Confirming that he'd pulled back, Stella finally let out the breath she'd been holding.
Before the lesson spar began, Kyle had set two conditions. He would not use any mana at all, and if Stella took more than ten valid hits from him, the lesson would end right there.
'If you can't even do that, it means you never had the ability to seize the opportunity in the first place.'
It was fine to lack talent. But he had nothing to give to someone who desired something beyond what their talent warranted.
With those words, Kyle had begun the spar.
"You're thinking too much. It looks like you're relying on your eyes during sparring, but narrowing all your options down to one is a foolish thing to do."
Recalling the advice Kyle had given, Stella reset her stance. Then she kicked off the ground and charged.
The blunt blade in her hand flew toward Kyle's head. Kyle lightly deflected her attack as if he'd seen it coming long ago.
I knew you'd deflect it.
But Stella didn't stop her attack there. She naturally incorporated the recoil from Kyle's deflection into her own sword. A strike that spun around in a full circle. In her own opinion, it was a pretty decent sword strike, but—
Whoosh—!
Thud.
Watching the sword that had spun around come swinging in, Kyle simply ducked his head to dodge, then drove a straight punch forward. Stella couldn't help but be shocked.
"Your response was good, but your base speed is too slow. If you were a martial artist who handled mana, you could have dodged and landed a counter."
But you're not using mana. Is that the speed of someone who hasn't used a single bit of mana?
Stella's eyes widened, but Kyle paid it no mind and raised a second finger.
"Two."
The moment that finger went up, Stella gripped her sword tighter. Every time that finger rose, it felt like her spirit was being chipped away. So before Kyle could create distance again, she immediately continued her sword strikes, but—
"Three."
"Four."
"Five."
All that increased was the number of fingers raised. When nine fingers had gone up, Stella stopped her relentless attacks and stood still.
"Haa, haa…"
While she caught her breath, which had grown ragged from continuously pressing the offensive, Kyle's voice reached her.
"One more left."
Watching Stella, who couldn't even respond because she was trying to steady her breathing, Kyle continued.
"Since it's the last one, here's some advice. You're swinging a sword that doesn't match your current level of achievement. If I had to put it into words, your sword is too honest compared to what you've accomplished."
"……."
"Just try entrusting everything to your instincts. Stop relying on established forms and thrust your sword in the direction you truly believe is right."
Well, I've only ever seen one person who could actually pull that off.
Watching Kyle mutter to himself, Stella closed her eyes. The advice Kyle had given her flowed through her mind like water.
Don't rely on sight. Don't narrow your options to one. Your base speed is too slow. Mix the unorthodox into the orthodox. Entrust everything to instinct.
Some of it was advice her own master had given her, while the rest was completely new. After organizing her thoughts, Stella immediately took up her stance. Just as Kyle had said, she had cleared away all her thoughts.
"What the hell…"
I reflexively cursed. At my feet, Stella lay unconscious, clutching a wooden sword that had been cut nearly in half. The reason the wooden sword had been severed at the end was because I'd used mana to slice through it with my hand blade. I'd promised not to use mana during this lesson spar, but this time there was no helping it.
If I hadn't cut the sword and knocked her unconscious, she probably would have kept abandoning thought and simply swinging her blade. A sword like that usually came from pure instinct. It was only possible with what people called talent.
However, maintaining reason within that kind of instinct wasn't something that came from talent alone. At least at her age, it could only be passed down from someone else.
And I knew exactly who wielded a sword like that—like someone gone completely mad.
The Empire's Second Star. The Imperial Sword Master. The stalker who kept chasing after me.
And right now.
"Come out."
The one staring intently at both Stella and me from beyond those bushes.
"Hehe."
My call was answered by crimson eyes glowing in the dark. At the same time, pure white hair fluttered in the chilly wind.
"From the day we parted, I've been eagerly awaiting the moment I could meet you again."
Scarlet Frausia. She was staring straight at me.
"My death."