On the Road to the Academy (2)
'Ride this one.'
With those words, the horse my mother had entrusted to me—Silence—boasted a striking green mane unlike anything from Earth.
Honestly, when I first saw it, I thought it looked like some poor mutt from a rundown home with dyed fur, which creeped me out a bit. But as time passed riding together, I started to warm up to Silence more and more.
As if living up to its name, Silence rarely neighed, but when it ran, it charged ahead at breakneck speed without hesitation.
That quiet demeanor at rest, exploding into fierce motion when needed—it reminded me so much of Battōjutsu that my heart went out to it.
If I had my way, I'd ditch that rustic name like Silence and give it something dignified and cool, like Battōmaru.
'Come to think of it, this is my first time heading out like this.'
Sitting calmly atop Silence, watching the landscapes shift by, the thought suddenly crossed my mind.
I'd ventured outside the mansion before, but this was my first time leaving the Bar Tow Estate entirely.
It felt like a simple outing—or like embarking on an adventure as the protagonist of some tale.
Three days after departing home, the academy's entrance ceremony was still a few days off.
There was no penalty for skipping it, but since it was where all the main and supporting characters gathered, I wanted to show up if possible.
'Plenty of time left, so no rush.'
It was a rare trip away from home—I could wander like a vagabond, taking in the sights.
I had ample food, time, and even sleeping outdoors felt like fun camping.
Entrusting myself to Silence, we galloped on until we reached a forest near the Royal Academy.
The map showed it wasn't too vast, but sizable enough; crossing it would bring the academy into view.
'Might camp here tonight.'
Finding a suitable spot, I let Silence rest and unpacked my bag to pitch the tent.
At first, I struggled with it, but after three days, I could set it up neatly now.
By the time I'd built a campfire and prepared meals for me and Silence, the sky had turned a deep red.
'Good thing I prepped for camping.'
Sitting by the fire, I chewed on jerky and hardtack even the army wouldn't touch.
Neither tasted good, not even as a polite exaggeration.
'Sick of jerky—want some real meat.'
Since I was in the woods, maybe tomorrow I'd hunt a rabbit or deer for fresh meat.
As I pondered that and stoked the fire, the sunset sky darkened to match my hair.
A black canvas studded with countless stars, crowned by a massive, clear full moon glowing purely.
Whether the first time I saw this world's sky after reincarnating or now, it never failed to leave me in awe.
'Beautiful moon.'
Gazing at that moon brought back memories of that night.
After the last battle, Father and many of the family soldiers had fallen, leaving the estate's security in shambles.
Bandits came down from the mountains, raiding villages and causing havoc, but with soldiers short, we couldn't even protect the hamlets, let alone hunt them down.
So, to test my honed Battōjutsu and safeguard the villages, I stepped up.
Mother tried to stop me, calling me insane, but I snuck out at night, infiltrated the mountain not far from a nearby village, and found their hideout.
Thinking back still makes my hands itch uncontrollably.
'Put your sword back in its sheath? You little brat wanna surrender now?!'
'Battōjutsu? What the hell is that crap you're babbling about?'
'Looks like training in garbage techniques fried your brain.'
Ignorant trash who couldn't recognize the world's most perfect art!
Recalling how they mocked it only to get bisected one by one still brings a smile to my face unbidden.
'Wanna slice again.'
Practicing Battōjutsu on empty air without a foe was fine, but with an opponent, the thrill deepened.
Wonder if there are bandits around here?
Being near the Royal Academy, there had to be a few targeting merchants or nobles heading there.
"Aaaah!! I wanna do Battōjutsu!! Battōjutsu!!!"
I bellowed toward the dense woods, but no bandits appeared—not even a beast.
All that came were annoying flies drawn to the campfire's glow.
"Tch…."
No point getting mad at flies too dumb to grasp Battōjutsu's greatness.
Resigned to bed down for the night and heading for the tent—that's when it happened.
-Rustle rustle!
Whether the god of Battōjutsu heard my prayer, I sensed someone approaching—not too far, not too close.
What was it? A beast?
Didn't matter. Beast or bandit, what counted was I could finally draw my blade.
-Rustle rustle!!
The sound grew nearer.
Sensing the foe would arrive soon, I faced the noise and assumed position.
'Here it comes!'
The rustling swelled, bushes thrashed wildly, and as something burst out, I drew without hesitation.
"Huh?"
"Kyaaah!!"
I swung, but seeing what emerged from the bushes, I couldn't bring myself to cut and twisted the blade's path aside.
"Uwak!!"
She was covered head to toe in leaves from crashing through the underbrush, tears and snot streaming as she gasped for breath.
No wonder—even Guan Yu would scream like a girl facing the world's strongest sword art out of nowhere.
Caught off guard, I couldn't strike, but I snapped to and demanded:
"Who the hell are you?! Bandit?! Can I do Battōjutsu?!"
"N-not a bandit! D-don't do Battōjutsu!!"
"Can't you just be a bandit?"
I wanna do Battōjutsu….
Regretfully sheathing, I tapped the hilt when another figure stumbled from the bushes.
"Heok… heok…!"
The new arrival, a chubby man in his early to mid-forties, looked like he'd rolled through dirt.
"……You look kinda like a bandit, mister. You a bandit?"
"N-no… haa… no! Sp-spare…!!"
"Haa…."
So damn hard to get one Battōjutsu in.
*****
Exhausted from fleeing full-tilt, the pair slumped against the ground, panting like they might collapse any second.
"Haa… haa…."
I didn't know who they were, but they looked chased by someone.
"Hey, here…."
I handed them the canteen filled with water from a spring earlier.
Had fleeing a common enemy forged a friendship transcending gender and age?
They shared the meager water amiably, without quarrel.
"Hoo…."
Calmed after drinking, they looked up at me.
"Th-thank you…. Was so out of breath…."
Confirming they were settled, I took back the canteen and asked:
"…Yeah? So who are you two? Looks like you're traveling together."
"Oh, I'm Hori. I'm heading to the academy for enrollment, and on the way…."
Hori trailed off, glancing at the man leaning against a tree, also catching his breath.
"I'll take it from there. Name's Boris. I'm a merchant."
From their story, Boris was a merchant traveling between villages near the academy. He'd coincidentally shared the road with Hori and teamed up.
"Merchant? No horse or cart in sight."
"That's… we got robbed. They took the cargo and the horse."
I see—so they'd fled into this forest while escaping.
"Robbers, huh… Where are they now?"
"Yes, they were chasing us close until recently, but seems we lost them. Can't see 'em anymore."
"The fire!! We gotta put it out quick!!"
Hori, who'd been listening quietly to Boris, suddenly shot up.
"If we don't, they might spot the light and come back!"
"Ah! Miss Hori's right! Sorry, but could you douse the campfire now…."
"No way. Scared of some punks that I gotta kill my hard-earned fire?"
"They're not just punks! If we don't—"
"Not punks? What then, legendary super-robbers? They're too weak for Battōjutsu anyway…."
"They're a mercenary band turned bandit! Battle-hardened, no pushovers!!"
"Oho… Yeah? What else?"
"Word is, they've grown to dozens strong—even the lord's got a headache from 'em!! And their leader's rumored to wield aura…!!"
"For real?! Guys like that nearby?!!"
"Yes! So hurry and douse the—"
Hearing that, I whirled toward the bushes they'd come from and bellowed at full volume:
"Bandit bastards!! The girl and merchant you chased are here!!"
"W-wait…!! What are you doing?!!"
"There's a weak-ass swordsman who can't even do Battōjutsu!! Come grab us quick!!"
"Shut up!! Shut your trap!!!"
Finally a chance for Battōjutsu—you think I'd shut up?
I yelled even louder into the forest:
"Get over here nooow!!!"