The Idol from a Story Someone Told
A crude sword, rough as a roadside pebble, utterly devoid of any artistry that might call it beautiful. If I had to sum up in a single phrase the blade I'd swung my entire life, that would be it.
Self-taught without a master to guide me, honed in solitude without a single comrade to spar against—it was a roughly forged sword, through and through.
Shring...
Yet the sword I'd wielded all my life to survive was crude and unbeautiful, perhaps, but never weak.
"Hoo..."
With a short, deep breath, I steadied myself and slowly closed my eyes.
The savage basilisk, tasting the metallic tang of human blood, charging toward us. The ragged breathing of my comrade Nerin behind me. Even the whisper of the forest breeze brushing past us, heedless of our life-or-death struggle—all faded away.
In the ensuing silence and darkness, the only sensation left to me was the cool steel of the iron sword gripped in my hand.
"......"
In that silent world where no sound reached me and nothing met my eyes, I began to slowly trace the contours of the sword I held so firmly.
From the handle wrapped in soft leather, along the sharply honed blade and edge, I walked my senses step by step. A journey within a journey, calmly discerning what I held, what I must swing.
And as that brief journey reached the tip of the iron sword, placing its period...
Swoosh...
I opened my closed eyes and faced what I now knew I must cut.
Kieeeek!!!
With a grotesque screech, the female basilisk tore through the forest trees, barreling toward us.
What I had to sever now was that savage beast's sole weakness: its neck.
If I failed to cleave both endlessly regenerating, ever-hardening necks in a single stroke, the monstrous bird-snake would revive and attack us again.
...No technique to blend in, so I'll just put my strength into it and sever it all at once.
Having perfectly read the path my sword must take, I—no, my body—hesitated no longer.
Schluck...
Even with my rejuvenated youth, my sword remained neither flashy nor beautiful. I simply leaped through the dense trees and brought it down roughly on the monster's neck.
"Hoo... Seems I haven't rusted after all."
But the clean cross-section and the necks that fell limply proved that the sword I'd swung my whole life had not been in vain.
As a child, Nerin had once heard a story.
Long ago, when her father was still a young man. The tale of a wandering swordsman who saved the beautiful rural village of Merhen from a magic beast raid.
A nameless young swordsman who swung a crude, unbeautiful sword—yet stronger than any who visited the village.
"Wow... Dad, could I become like that swordsman someday too?"
"Of course. I know our Nerin can do it."
"Yeah...!! I'll work hard and get strong like him, so I can protect our village!!"
That was why she'd come to the heart of the Lumerne Empire and, after grueling effort, signed up for the adventurer's exam. She'd always idolized that nameless swordsman from her father's tale.
Schluck...!!
And now, as the female basilisk's necks fell limply from Leban's sword to the ground before her eyes, for some reason, she saw that nameless swordsman from the story overlapping with the Leban she'd first met at the exam.
"Leban..."
Gazing at him as he carefully wiped the monster's blood from his blade, Nerin softly murmured his name.
Hoping their connection might last even after this exam ended.
Right after severing the monster's necks, I wiped the basilisk blood from my sword and approached Nerin, who stared at me with a dazed expression for some reason.
"Nerin."
"......"
"Nerin? Are you all right?"
"H-Huh!? L-Leban...!!"
Perhaps because the brutal standoff with the basilisk had ended, Nerin—who'd been spacing out, staring at me silently—snapped to with a squirrel-like squeak and a startled yelp.
"S-Sorry! Leban...!! I-I was just... the tension released and..."
"It happens. Facing a beast like this for the first time, after all."
Maybe because I was impressed she'd guarded my back without fleeing, even in that terrifying real battle, I gave her shoulder a light pat with a small smile and sat beside her to rest.
"B-But you're really amazing...!!"
"Hm? What is?"
"Even senior knights struggle with mana circulation, but you did it so precisely and delicately..."
"Mana... circulation?"
"Yes! Before charging the basilisk, you closed your eyes and used it."
"......Ah."
...I'll be honest. I had no idea the focus I did before fights was called "mana circulation."
It was just a routine from my youth, something I did to truly feel my sword before swinging it.
...So I've been teaching my disciples this as if it were some technique I invented.
Another moment where my past self felt ashamed.
"Hmm... But it felt a bit different somehow... Less like circulating mana, more like perceiving the sword as an extension of your body..."
"Shall we get up? Exam deadline's today, so we need to head back to the city."
"Ah, yes!!"
Embarrassed that Nerin's keen eyes were dissecting my old clumsiness even deeper, I abruptly shifted to exam talk and slowly rose.
"......A-And you were cool."
"Hm? Did you say something? I didn't hear."
"N-No!! Just talking to myself, don't mind me...!!"
Anyway, back to the exam. Now we had to return to the testing ground with proof we'd subjugated the basilisk.
"Proof... What do we bring? The necks might be a bit... odd."
"Ah! Just tear off one of the differently colored scales at the tail tip."
"Scales?"
"Yes! When a basilisk's life fully stops, a scale changes to a unique color. See here..."
With that, Nerin picked up her sword, went to the dead basilisk's tail end, and plucked a scale that had turned iridescent gold, unlike the others' gray.
"Bring this back, and we'll pass the exam!"
"Far more efficient than lugging the necks. Thanks to you, less hassle."
"...No. I'm just glad I could help even a little."
Thanks to Nerin's vast knowledge, we left with just that gleaming little golden scale instead of the heads.
...Now I can go meet my disciples.
After a long trek, we arrived back at the heart of the Lumerne Empire.
"Nerin, something troubling you?"
"......Y-Yes?"
"You've looked glum since earlier."
"Ahaha... Well, actually... I'll tell you once we're there......!"
"Hm...? All right. Tell me when we arrive."
With Nerin, unusually quiet unlike her usual bright self—perhaps with something to say to me—we headed to the Baekya Knights' training ground to wrap up the exam.
"No one's here yet. We got back sooner than expected."
"......"
"Nerin, rest a bit. After facing that monster since early morning, you must be exhausted......"
"......Leban."
No other examinees, not even the supervising knights—training ground empty. As I was about to suggest she rest and wait, since the day had been so grueling...
"Here, take this."
With a resolved expression, Nerin approached and handed me the basilisk's golden scale.
"......Nerin? What's this about?"
"You should be the only one passing this exam, Leban."
"What nonsense is that? We hunted the basilisk together—why should only I pass?"
"You severed its necks, Leban. Not me, who was too scared to do anything."
"But that's......"
Before I could say more, she pressed the scale into my hand and continued.
"I'll pass the next exam on my own strength. If I can't even do that alone, how could I survive?"
"That's not true. You can survive just fine."
"I want to prove it myself. With my sword, not yours."
"......!!"
"B-But... in exchange, I have one favor to ask you......"
Her face flushing bashfully, she bowed her head, staring at the ground—then mustered her courage and made her request.
"C-Could we... meet sometimes in the future, and train together? A-As comrades...!!"
Her plea to meet as comrades and train together—I had no reason to refuse.
"No need to ask. Aren't we already comrades?"
"R-Really!? It's a promise. No take-backs!!"
"Hahaha, call anytime."
"Aww... Th-Thank goodness......"
Thanks to Nerin's talent, effort, and pure kindness, the exam seemed to end on a heartwarming note.
"......Nerin, was it? And Leban."
"......!!"
But for the chilling voice of my first disciple, Ceres, sounding from behind just as I took the scale and let go of her hand.
"Examinee Leban. I want to speak with you. Just the two of us."