The Apple Slices and the Sword's Grace
I clutched my stomach and rolled across the grass in a full circle.
Lil had gotten quite worked up, but the little kid’s grand dream gave me a pretty good laugh.
“Ah, my stomach… I’ll cheer you on. But Spirit Master is out of the question, so pick a second choice.”
“Why can’t I be a Spirit Master?”
“You can’t even hear Undine’s voice.”
“…So that means I can’t?”
“It’s one of the signs that you don’t have the talent for it.”
Though being able to hear them is the truly outrageous part. Lil didn’t seem to have any particular talent.
Maybe I was too blunt.
Lil looked like she was about to cry.
Oh dear.
“Lil, you have good bone structure. How about becoming a swordsman?”
“A swordsman? I’ve never thought about that…”
“I’m pretty good at judging these things. Your bones are sturdy, your legs are straight, and your shoulders have a nice shape… You’d be better suited as a swordsman. It’s the kind of frame swordsmen often have.”
“But still! I! Want to be a Spirit Master!”
“Your taste is excellent, but becoming a Spirit Master isn’t something you can achieve just by trying hard. Give it up.”
It might sound cold, but few professions placed as much importance on talent as Spirit Master. Giving her vague hope would have been the crueler thing.
“Ugh… Swordsmen are for boys anyway! They smell like dirt! And they get all muscular… It’s not beautiful at all! I hate it!”
“Oh come on, gender has nothing to do with the job. There are far more important things than that.”
“More? Like what?”
“Social class, of course.”
I had a habit of smiling slyly whenever I spoke the truth.
“Should I call it the background that will support you? Connections, money, influence… and talent. There are countless places where you can be crushed. There are plenty of things more important than something like gender. So don’t cry over something so small.”
“…This doesn’t feel like comfort at all?”
“Of course not. It wasn’t meant to be comfort. I was telling you the truth.”
There weren’t many advanced skills a commoner could learn.
The most realistic path was becoming a swordsman, followed by becoming a priest, but even that required overcoming fierce competition. That was because children of noble families already occupied most of the important positions.
“Sister… You look so pretty, but you say such harsh things…”
“Remember this, Lil. The only ones who are kind to you without expecting anything in return are your family. Other people are like this.”
I’d gone out of my way to kindly teach her about reality, but this little brat got sulky anyway.
Lil’s cheeks puffed up like she’d stuffed ten candies in her mouth.
I lay on my side and poked her puffed cheek with my finger. When she irritably pushed my hand away, I showed her Undine’s special water droplet show.
Because if she started crying, it would become a hassle.
“Whoa!”
As large and small water droplets burst in the air, tiny rainbows appeared.
Lil forgot her pout and stared intently at the sky. Then she asked,
“Hey, how did you become a Spirit Master, sister?”
“Looking back, I was just unlucky.”
“What happened?”
“A thick spirit tome fell right on my head. Some people would call that fate.”
If that hadn’t happened, I might have become a mediocre mage by now.
I wouldn’t have known Rai’s annoying personality or Undine’s cuteness, but I also wouldn’t have gotten dragged into all these troublesome situations.
I didn’t particularly like the word “fate.” It sounded like I was just dancing on a path laid out by the gods.
“So both of you were here.”
The one who found us lazily killing time in the middle of the wide field was Ash.
I had sensed Ash approaching a little earlier, but I stayed lying casually in the grass with my chin propped on my hand.
“You came back quickly?”
When I looked up at him defenselessly, Ash walked over just as casually.
“There were a lot of people, but it ended sooner than expected.”
“Ah, perfect timing.”
Ash’s presence was the quietest among the group. Aside from the faint clinking of the scabbard at his waist, it was almost impossible to notice him.
That was only in normal situations. In combat, his presence became so faint that even I couldn’t detect him.
Objectively speaking, he really was an excellent swordsman.
That was why a good idea suddenly crossed my mind.
I lightly got up and brushed off my knees. Then I leaned my upper body against the wooden fence between the field where I’d been lying and the path Ash had walked down, preparing to throw an apple.
It was an apple I’d already taken a bite out of.
“Here it comes.”
“Huh? What are you suddenly—”
“Lil doesn’t know how cool swordsmanship can be. Show her.”
I spoke as if I were leaving it entirely to him.
Startled by the sudden request, Ash looked flustered, but when I lightly tossed the apple and he caught it, the corners of his mouth lifted as he placed his hand on his sword hilt.
His body was already prepared, even if his mouth protested.
“Jeanie, swordsmanship isn’t exactly a spectacle—”
“Yah!”
Whether he liked it or not, the apple flew into the air. Lil quickly stuck close to my side and watched the rising apple with sparkling eyes.
She probably hadn’t had many chances to see swordsmanship this close.
I also rested my elbows on the fence with an expectant expression and even let out a cheerful voice.
“It’s food, so don’t let any fall on the ground, okay?”
“Slice it, but don’t let any pieces drop…”
Ash muttered with a slightly furrowed brow, as if he didn’t like the additional condition I’d added, but his eyes remained fixed on the apple.
Before I knew it, the sword was drawn and sliced through the air.
I only felt the sharp wind brush past me.
In an instant, several flashes of light shot past my eyes.
If the sunlight reflecting off the blade was what I saw, then it was merely a shadow. After that final flicker, eight perfectly sliced pieces of apple appeared before me.
They were neatly arranged on the flat of the blade. He had cut it four times in that brief moment. I had only managed to see two of them.
I thought I’d caught the horizontal slice and the final upward cut, but no matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t figure out how he had made the apple pieces line up so neatly on the blade afterward.
I realized there were more areas where my dynamic vision simply couldn’t keep up than I’d expected.
‘There’s inevitably a huge gap in physical ability between those who train their bodies and those who don’t.’
If that sword had been aimed at me and I hadn’t been prepared, it might have been me who ended up in eight pieces.
And it would have sliced through me as lightly as if cutting through empty air.
It wasn’t for nothing that swordsmen and mages weren’t matched against each other in duels.
Because their physical capabilities were overwhelmingly different, it could never be a fair fight.
Saying who was at a disadvantage was pointless.
I was both impressed and a little frightened by the swordsmanship Ash had just displayed.
Robenin, who was practically synonymous with swordsmanship genius, would surely be even faster than that.
“Amazing!”
Clap clap clap.
The brief silence born of awe passed, and Lil clapped her hands excitedly.
Watching her exclaim in admiration made me feel as proud as if I had done it myself.
“See? Isn’t swordsmanship beautiful too?”
“Yeah!”
“Cool, right?”
“I’ve never seen anything like it! I didn’t think big brother was like that, but he’s super cool!”
I joined Lil in giving Ash a small round of applause. Ash quickly looked embarrassed.
For someone who wielded such powerful swordsmanship, he was acting way too cute. I might boss him around every day, but in truth he was quite the big shot.
“How can someone who looks so ordinary be that fast?”
“It has nothing to do with his face, does it?”
“He looks like he should be working at a bakery. Or maybe a general store or bookstore!”
“Can’t argue with that.”
He did look so ordinary that he seemed a bit weak. I smiled with my eyes at Ash, who was still standing there with a confused expression.
If Lil decided to become a swordsman in the future, it would be thanks to Ash.
“I like swordsmanship too. It has that visible strength to it. And it’s one of those rare talents that rewards you in proportion to your effort. Of course, compared to other professions.”
“I like swordsmen now too!”
“…What exactly was that about?”
“Nothing much. I just wanted to show Lil some proper swordsmanship.”
I gave a vague reply and reached for one of the neatly sliced apple pieces on the blade when Ash suddenly grabbed my hand.
“Huh?”
“Don’t eat that. This sword is used to cut monsters. It’s not clean.”
With my hand held, I rolled my eyes to look at Ash’s hand gripping mine. What is this?
“You might get a stomachache… No, I mean… The blade is dangerous, so…”
“I see. Your sword looks clean, though.”
“…I do maintain it properly. Still, it’s not clean enough to eat fruit off of.”
“Well, you do keep covering it in blood and oil.”
Now that I thought about it, it really wasn’t very hygienic.
Ash carefully moved my hand away from the blade and lightly shook the apple pieces toward the goat pen.
My poor apple.
“If you’re hungry, it would be better to have a proper meal. The food is ready, so let’s head back.”
“So that’s why you came to find us?”
We were still talking across the fence. Lil had already crossed over to Ash’s side, slipping under the fence with her small body.
“I was hungry! Perfect! Sister, sister! Can I show Undine to Grandpa?”
“Sure. Just for a little while.”
Maintaining the summoning wasn’t particularly difficult, so I nodded.
True to her childish nature, Lil got incredibly excited over the smallest thing. She jumped up and down on the spot before scampering off toward the house by herself.
I followed Lil and climbed over the fence too. Because of my size, going underneath was impossible, so I struggled over the top with my short legs. Ash stood there awkwardly with both hands outstretched before quickly pulling them back.
“Ugh… Were you going to catch me?”
“Ahem.”
The way he awkwardly retreated made it obvious. Having crossed the fence by myself, I looked at him and laughed softly.
He was so anxious to help that anyone watching would think he really was my servant.
“Now that I think about it, where’s Lox?”
“He collapsed from exhaustion.”
“Ugh, what a weakling! Look at me. I know I don’t have the stamina, so I don’t push myself. Lox is all brains and no sense.”
“He just doesn’t like being separated from me.”
Of course he doesn’t, since he’s my watcher.
I shrugged and walked a few pleasant steps through the field breeze. Then, recalling the swordsmanship Ash had shown earlier, I made a slicing motion through the air.
Assuming I was holding a sword, I moved my hand, but no matter what I did, I didn’t think I could cut an apple four times before it hit the ground.
Like this? Or like that?
I kept walking while doing this rather silly thing, but Ash didn’t tease me. He only spoke when our eyes met, in a whisper.
“That looks pretty.”
“This? Yeah. Lil made it for me. I tried it when I was little and it’s been a while.”
I figured he was talking about the flower crown, so I fiddled with it and was about to take it off when Ash stopped me.
“It suits you.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
When he gets embarrassed, I get embarrassed too.
It was probably because a sincere man’s words, no matter what, sounded pleasant because they were true. I hated empty flattery, but I didn’t mind Ash’s compliments.
The scent of flowers drifted down from above my head, and the path to the farmhouse was filled with the smell of wind and grass.
In a good mood, I spun around lightly before walking backward with my hands behind my back and asked,
The moment I whispered with the sunlight behind me felt strangely beautiful. There was a certain atmosphere.
“Ash, will you teach me how to defeat swordsmen next time?”
And at such a wonderful moment, that was the only thing I could think of to say.