[Saintess, Anastasia Lacroix - 16]
[Saintess, Anastasia Lacroix - 16]
Eris's training was exactly at the halfway point.
It was around the time a fortnight had passed.
Huung! Huung! Huung! She was narrowly dodging the wooden sword I swung, her eyes darting around rapidly.
Her concentration had reached a truly astonishing level; she probably didn't even know how she was dodging them herself.
It was likely a similar feeling to playing a rhythm game in my past life and thinking, "Huh? How am I getting a full combo on this?"—that was how Eris was dodging.
And as soon as she started to consciously realize it, the flow would inevitably break—like her nose suddenly getting itchy or something similar.
Ttaak!
"Ouch!"
"Excellent."
"But you hit me?"
"This is enough. Of course, you'll need to continue in the future, but at least the minimum threshold has been reached."
I had thought it would continue like this until about the 20th day, but it ended about five days earlier than I had anticipated.
Once she focused, her concentration was remarkably high, and above all, she absorbed things quickly. She definitely had talent, and it seemed likely she would become strong enough.
"Now, we're going to handle weapons."
"W-weapons? Isn't it just a sword?"
"I won't stop you if you want to use a sword, but there are many types of weapons. It's best to try several out yourself. Rather than deciding based on which weapon is 'good' or 'bad,' it's better to choose based on which one you like."
"Isn't a good weapon just a good weapon?"
"Ultimately, since magic power is fueled by imagination, a 'weapon you personally think is good' has better reinforcement efficiency than a 'weapon that is objectively good'."
"Aha, that's fascinating."
"I think so too."
For example, let's say there are two swords with different designs.
It wouldn't make sense for the reinforcement efficiency to differ between the two, but for some people, it does.
A sword that one thinks, "This is a good sword," or "This sword suits me," is reinforced quite efficiently, while one that doesn't feel that way has slightly lower efficiency.
I'm not joking; in this world, 'mindset' is truly important.
No matter how strong a person is, if they've lost half their fighting spirit, their magic power often loses its strength as well.
That's why, when fighting on the battlefield, there were occasionally people who clearly weren't fighting to win, but had come to die by our hands.
People who had walked the path of evil, could no longer endure, didn't know how to seek forgiveness for their sins, and felt it was too late to turn back—quite a few of them ended up choosing to die at the hands of the holy knight who arrived.
Whether they realized it themselves or not, once you clashed with them, you could tell that this person was 'someone swinging a sword just to die.'
Not a shred of vitality could be felt, and the sensation of the scent of death piercing one's nostrils was incredibly unpleasant.
It wasn't that they viewed death as salvation; rather, it was the magic power of those who had lost the courage and heart to go on living. I don't particularly want to remember it, but for some reason, those memories remain vivid.
It must be true that unpleasant memories linger in the mind longer than good ones.
"From now on, we'll train to find that weapon, and once you find it, you'll carry it with you at all times. It's best to keep it by your side even when you sleep, but if it's a bladed weapon, that's a bit dangerous, so we'll make an exception for sleep."
"Do I really have to go that far?"
"Well, if you reached a level where you could handle a weapon as naturally as your own limbs, you wouldn't have to... but you're not there yet, are you?"
"A-alright, I get it. Let's see... I'll start with a spear."
"Good, let's get right to it."
Time passed quickly like that.
"Ed."
As I walked down the hallway, the Saintess called out to me, so I turned to face her.
"Why are you here at this hour?"
"Tomorrow is the day we promised. I thought it would be best to let her rest on the final day. That's why we finished relatively early today. She needs to rest well and be in top condition for tomorrow."
If one's condition is poor, it's dangerous no matter how skilled they are.
Therefore, I kept today's training light, like a review, and finished all preparations for tomorrow.
She put in more effort than I expected and followed along better than I thought she would, so honestly, there was a certain sense of fulfillment in teaching her.
"So, what do you think? Do you think she can win?"
"It depends on her performance. Her basic physical abilities are already superior to a holy knight's. I've taught her the fundamentals, and I've done the best I can. I don't know which holy knight they're sending, but I believe her chances of winning are quite high."
"Good, that's a relief. This is the first time I'm putting my judgment to the test, and I don't want to fail right from the start."
"Surely, Saintess... you aren't planning on bringing people in like this often, as if you're picking up stray pets, are you?"
"I doubt I'll find anyone else who catches my eye as a raw gem like Eris. Eris was easy enough since she was a slum dweller with nowhere else to go, but bringing in someone who already has a role to play is usually a massive hassle. I won't be doing this often enough to warrant the word 'often'."
"That's a relief, then."
"Ed."
"Yes."
The Saintess stood in the hallway for a moment, looking at me.
Her empty eyes remained the same, and it felt as though I was being reflected in them.
A faint light seemed to flicker in those incredibly hollow eyes, but I was certain it wasn't the kind of pure light one usually imagines.
"I'm not sure if meeting you was good luck for me."
"Yes, I suppose so."
"But it's certainly good luck for the world."
"Perhaps."
"Still, it wasn't a lie when I said I've been enjoying myself lately. ...How about you?"
"......Me?"
The Saintess took a step closer, looking up at me.
She had definitely grown taller since we first met, but since I was on the taller side even for a man, she still had to look up at me. Well, she's a woman, so even if she grows more, that fact wouldn't change.
"Are you enjoying yourself?"
"I'm just working as usual."
"Is that so? If it's work, that means you'll stay by my side, right?"
What is this? This conversation is a bit strange.
Am I the only one who feels that way?
I could tell that something was clicking into place like puzzle pieces in the Saintess's head, but beyond that, I had no idea what was going on.
I stared at her silently, and she just looked up at me, seemingly waiting for me to answer her question.
"If there's a justification, then I suppose I will."
I used my best evasion tactic.
Currently, I was by the Saintess's side under the justification of being her instructor until she came of age.
And I was here because I thought I might be able to provide what the Saintess needed. Even though it was the Pope's order, I could have quit if it didn't suit me, but the reason I stayed by her side was precisely that.
Someone else might be able to educate the Saintess in my place, but since the opportunity came to me first, I was simply the one doing it.
The Saintess seemed lost in thought for a moment at my words.
"Justification, is it... By the way, Ed, aren't you going back to your hometown? Shouldn't you go back at least once?"
"Excuse me? The topic just took a very strange turn."
"Don't worry about that, just answer me. I heard you came straight to this cathedral after the battlefield? Doesn't that mean you haven't seen your family in a long time?"
"Yes, well... Still, we exchange letters. As you know, Saintess, my family is notorious as the 'Bloody Valtus,' so they must be incredibly busy dealing with that."
My name is likely used often, too. If you have the name of Adrian Valtus, a hero who fought in the monster war, there are certain things that can be resolved.
Besides, it would help improve our image, and I've sent money to match, so the rest is a problem for my brother and parents to solve. They've been busy, and there have been issues, but it seems nothing fatal has happened yet.
"You're not going? Shall I give you some time off?"
"No, my family, including my brother, told me to come back only after the territory has stabilized a bit."
"Why?"
"They said they didn't want to leave everything to me while they just worked. It seems they feel guilty about having sent me to the battlefield alone. I chose to go myself, so they really don't need to worry about it."
"......."
"So, there's no point in going if it just makes them uncomfortable; I'll go once the territory is stable."
My parents and my brother.
My family was never stupid, and they had good judgment. Therefore, I trusted they would be able to stabilize the territory properly.
In the meantime, I'd let them use my reputation, and I just needed to send money periodically.
We'd been apart for a few years, but since we talked about our situations through letters, I didn't feel incredibly lonely or miss them desperately.
"Then it will take a few years."
"Well, if it takes a long time, I suppose so."
"A few years... By then, I'll be quite... Hmm, I see."
The Saintess muttered to herself and walked ahead.
"If I have a justification, I can keep you by my side, so I'll put other things aside and secure the justification first."
"......."
I shuddered slightly at the Saintess's voice, which drifted from a little further away, sounding like a mumble.
'What was that? I just got goosebumps.......'
For some reason.
It felt cold.