Because I Like Swords!
I like swords!
I didn't hate this body. If anything, I liked it. It was pretty despite being sickly, and sickly but not on the verge of dying right that instant.
That said, not everything was to my liking.
Especially what I disliked was my trash stamina—just going down a flight of stairs left me huffing and puffing.
"Hah... ugh..."
If someone saw me like this, it might draw some attention or concern, so it wasn't completely unwelcome. Still, it bothered me.
How inconvenient was this?
I could get attention from all the huffing, so it wasn't purely bad, but it tanked my quality of life all the same.
I'd tried building up some basic stamina, even if it meant sacrificing a bit of attention, but no matter what I did, it never improved.
Enough chit-chat.
After catching my breath, I stepped out of the dormitory, and there was Lucia, appearing as if she'd been waiting for me.
"Hm... you're out already? That's unexpected."
No matter how I looked at it, she'd been waiting for me to come out, but from her words, she'd deny it even if she came back from the dead.
"Lucia? What are you doing here? I figured you'd be off hanging out with your friends."
"Nah, just... there was this one person who hadn't come out yet, so I was waiting. Don't get the wrong idea. It wasn't for you."
As expected.
Even among the clique that trailed after Lucia, whispers were probably going around that she was waiting for me—it looked that obvious to anyone.
"...I'm serious! Dorothea still hasn't come out!"
She was trying to use Dorothea as a shield, it seemed.
How sweet.
I didn't say it out loud, just smiled at her, and Lucia scowled like she was annoyed for no reason, letting out a sigh.
"...Well, since we ran into each other by chance. If you don't have anything else to do, wanna... hang out with us a bit? Ah, don't misunderstand. This isn't for your sake."
'Us,' huh.
If it were just the two of us, she probably would've said 'me.'
It wasn't a bad offer.
Time with her was fun, after all.
She was picky about sorting desserts I could eat from ones I couldn't, we gossiped about nothing important, and I nodded along to her silly rumors—it was all enjoyable.
If I hadn't already decided to head to the Swordsmanship Hall today, I would've gone along with her invitation without a second thought.
"Thanks for the invite, but sorry. I was planning to check out the Swordsmanship Hall today. I'll gratefully accept the sentiment, though."
At my response, Lucia's eyes widened a bit, like this was out of left field.
Then she scowled, glaring at me like her stomach was churning.
"...It's the weekend—what, you wanna swing a sword or something? The only ones doing self-study this early are weirdos. Hang out with them, and you'll turn strange too."
"Ahaha, you might be right. Still... after taking a few days off, I wanna make sure I haven't forgotten how to hold a sword. Gotta check."
It was an excuse.
Truth was, I just wanted to swing a blade and ignite my aura.
Pain from self-harm wasn't actually pleasant. I had normal boundaries. I didn't enjoy hitting others or getting hit.
I just liked the attention that came when I suffered.
And above all, getting hurt with a sword gave me a perfect excuse to visit Cecilia again.
She'd said I could come anytime, but that didn't mean I should show up whenever I felt like it.
She had her own things to do, and saying "come every day" didn't really mean every day was okay.
Lucia stared at me with pity in her eyes after hearing my answer.
She agonized over it for a while, debating whether to stop me or not.
Of course she was.
She knew now.
That I didn't have much time left.
And that swinging a sword wrecked my body more each time.
By all logic, she should grab me and hold me back. Ether operation wasn't like regular exercise.
Unlike muscles, the meridians ether passed through didn't grow stronger from tearing and healing.
It was common sense.
Yet Lucia couldn't bring herself to stop me.
"...You really gotta go?"
All she mustered was that lukewarm plea.
Not annoyed or angry at being ignored—just a deflated, subdued voice.
I gazed at her quietly, then smiled faintly.
"Yeah. I wanna go. Swordplay's fun."
Magic was fun too, but nothing beat swinging a blade.
Even setting aside the side benefits.
At that, Lucia bit her lip hard.
She couldn't bring herself to stop me.
I didn't bother figuring out why.
No need—she was wearing it all over her face.
"...Do what you want."
Lucia sighed and let me go without a fight.
Her reaction was so straightforward I wondered if that was it, but when I glanced back, she ruffled her hair irritably and added,
"Fine. But come to the café when you're done. I'll be there."
She'd denied waiting earlier, but now she was planning to anyway.
Flip it around, and it meant she cared that much.
Nice. That attention was sweeter than the butter cookie I'd just eaten.
I fought a grin and teased her mischievously.
"You'll wait for me?"
"Don't get the wrong idea. If you don't show, I'll come drag you."
"Hehe, Lucia, you're such a good person."
"W-what's that supposed to mean?! Of course I am! You think I'd be a bad person?!"
Her words were sharp, but her expression looked somehow sad.
If I kept staring, it'd be hard to keep my composure, so I passed by her and called back,
"Got it. I'll head there after."
"Don't be late. And... don't get hurt."
Her last words were a whisper, barely audible, but they reached my ears clear enough.
I felt her gaze on my back for a long while.
It felt so good my steps lightened a bit.
Of course, by the time I reached the Swordsmanship Hall, I was out of energy and huffing again.
As I entered, I spotted two familiar faces crossing swords.
Yeon and Ern.
Probably Yeon giving Ern some pointers.
Whether the protagonist had asked or the sword ghost couldn't hold back her impulses, I had no idea.
I was thinking that as I approached quietly—
—when Yeon sensed me and turned.
"Master!"
Ignoring Ern entirely, she scampered over to me.
"Ah."
Ern, mid-lesson, looked crestfallen as his teacher vanished.
That was funny too, but Yeon was closing in like she might hug me, stealing my attention.
"Master, you've come! I heard from Ern—you must've hurt yourself swinging a sword somewhere during your rest. While you were recuperating, I analyzed and refined your swordsmanship on my own."
"Uh... what?"
Analyzed? Refined? Wait, more importantly—Ern told her about me?
"If I may presume, your style seems self-taught. The path of the sword is brilliantly pure and straight, but there was some excess fat in the finer movements. So I trimmed the unnecessary parts while keeping the core intact."
Without giving me a chance to catch up, Yeon rattled on like a waterfall, then struck a stance to demonstrate.
"Ah... sure. Let me see."
I was flustered, but I rolled with it.
She was a sword ghost, after all. A sword maniac who spent lonely nights with only her blade for company.
She held the pose a moment, then drew her sword in a draw that was similar to mine yet somehow different.
The overall form was the same, but streamlined—no excess.
Unlike my one-and-done stab, hers seemed primed for follow-ups. The trajectory itself was sharper.
Even with the flair intact, how could it be so sleek?
"Oh..."
I clapped like a seal in admiration, and Yeon rubbed the back of her head humbly, downplaying it.
"At best, I just polished the form. The subtleties and realm embedded in that technique... I couldn't touch them. I couldn't even guess what intent was infused in it. Master, please tell me—is this overstepping?"
No.
There was no subtlety or intent or anything.
...It was just brute-forcing ether in and swinging super fast.
I couldn't say that, so I cleared my throat instead. Yeon took my silence as affirmation, her face growing more serious.
Attention was great, but interest in a "realm" I didn't even have was a bit much, so I glanced at Ern.
He looked dejected but also frustrated, lips pressed tight.
Of course.
His private lesson with Yeon had been hijacked by my sudden arrival.
He had every right to be mad.
I felt bad—I didn't want to hinder his growth.
So I smiled leisurely and said to Yeon,
"You did great, Yeon. I was agonizing over how to improve it, but you've eased my worries. Now, wanna refine this one?"
I lightly ignited my aura and showed her the second and third forms. She stared intently, not missing a thing.
"...Call it homework. Improve these forms. No deadline—just let me know whenever."
I assigned it while clutching my aching right arm.
Homework, my foot—it was just declaring I'd squeeze free upgrades out of her.
She was offering to polish my sloppy swordplay for free; why turn that down?
"And you were teaching Ern, right? Finish that up too. Insights come more from sharing with others than brooding alone."
Yeon paused, glanced between us, then smacked her fist into her palm in realization.
"Indeed. Teach others to refine my own enlightenment further—truly worthy of you, Master."
...No, I just wanted her to tutor Ern.
She was overinterpreting, but I let it slide.
Being endlessly propped up as "Master" felt pretty good.
I glanced at Ern; his expression had shifted subtly.
Not anger—more like wonder at something strange.
"I'll... keep myself busy. Yeon, take good care of Ern?"
With that, I stepped back, pretending to meditate while watching her teach him.
Neither seemed up for a deep discussion, so it didn't take long—though my stomach growled by the end.
"Until next time, Master. Stay well. And that arm..."
She eyed my slightly injured arm from the demo, looking apologetic.
"Huh? Oh, no, no—it's fine. Showing my swordsmanship to you is a bargain."
Truth was, I was abusing it because it could be fixed.
What if Cecilia weren't around?
I shuddered at the thought, and Ern sidled up.
"...Ilisha."
"Oh? Ern. Something you need?"
I had plans with Lucia and was heading her way, but if he called me...
"Yeah. Heading to the Temple, right?"
"Arm's like this, after all. Been a while... and I wanna see Cecilia too."
"Don't tell me you're getting hurt just to see Cecilia... No, you'd never."
He'd hit eerily close to the truth by accident, then shook his head like even he knew better.
...Close call.
"She told me to come, actually. Said they've finally reached a conclusion."
Ah, the demon worshippers.
Then I had to go.
Sorry, Lucia.
Be there soon.
Keeping it in my head, I headed to the Temple with him.