The Blade That Swings Itself

I accepted it. The first time the young duke offered to show me his ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠sword, I had thought, 'Can I even learn this?' The young duke, swinging a blade that dealt death itself. Even back when he couldn't use mana, I couldn't see any path to victory. Now they say he's even awakened his mana. Could I truly master the swordsmanship of such a monster? Honestly, I was anxious… and scared.

"That is…"

But the stance and sword the young duke immediately began demonstrating weren't his own. It was the basic form. The very first thing anyone who picks up a sword learns—the fundamentals taught with a wooden practice blade. For a moment I even wondered if he was insulting us by making us start over from the beginning.

"That!! Isn't that… Master's sword!?"

It wasn't. What he meant was something entirely different. He had never met my master, and now they could never meet. Yet within the basic form he demonstrated, my master's sword appeared for a brief instant before vanishing. Not because he had deliberately erased it. It had never been my master's technique to begin with.

More than that, my master had performed those same techniques from the basic form using a body reinforced by mana. The young duke, however, moved using nothing but his pure physical body. As if to show us that we too could reach this level, he deliberately suppressed his physical abilities while demonstrating.

'Ah. So I've been mistaken this whole time.'

Until now, I had believed the young duke was swinging death itself. But seeing him now, I finally understood the difference. From beginning to end, he had been swinging himself as the weapon. Even if you placed a spear, a bow, or a gun in those hands instead of a sword, he would simply swing himself in the same ordinary way.

'Master always used to say that… and yet I had my eyes closed the entire time.'

Never lose sight of the basics. Repeat the stance. Pour everything into a single swing. But at some point, I had begun chasing only techniques. Faster. Stronger. I had thought only of overwhelming the enemy with more powerful moves. Somewhere along the way, I had forgotten the fundamentals.

Yet the swordsmanship unfolding before me now was completely different. From the tips of his toes, through his waist and shoulders, all the way to his fingertips—everything flowed naturally into a single swing. Even though his sword, uncoated with mana, carved marks into the stone training ground, it neither rebounded nor stopped. It flowed along the grain as smoothly as slicing through tofu.

Perfect breathing. Perfect connection. Perfect fundamentals.

If I hadn't known who the young duke was and had seen this display today, I would have believed he was a 1st class knight who had stopped aging after consuming monster flesh and becoming a Main.

'Is it over…?'

I felt a pang of disappointment. It had seemed like something was about to reveal itself. I understood that he wanted to teach me the basics, but there had been something more. Something that felt like it might touch the wall inside me had flickered just out of reach. And now it had ended so bitterly.

His sword form finished right before my wall, like fingernails lightly scraping past without quite breaking through.

'Would it be rude to ask him to show me once more?'

As I stared at his sword in bitter regret, he began moving again, slowly. What followed was a single basic thrust that looked as though he had created an entirely new sword form.

'So this is what a truly beautiful fundamental looks like.'

Without any preparatory stance, the thrust unfolded in an instant and pierced straight through my wall at point-blank range.

From 5th class to 4th class, or 4th class to 3rd class, the leap was manageable. But reaching 2nd class required both innate talent and a shock powerful enough to expand one's cognition. Books said that for most people, 3rd class was the pinnacle of their lives.

But Jena, who had already reached 3rd class in her late twenties, possessed sufficient talent. It seemed my master's death and the sword I had displayed had provided the necessary shock.

'You old man I've never even seen in person. You should thank kind-hearted me.'

They said the current king had reached 2nd class in his late thirties. But Jena in her late twenties? I hadn't attended the funeral, but since I had given her the advancement of her master's disciple as a condolence gift, if he kicked open his coffin to help with my revenge, there would still be change left over.

"Haa━ Young Duke. I truly thank you."

After shining like a comet, Jena's mana settled. She opened her beautiful eyes and expressed her gratitude. Her gaze held the light of someone who had realized many things.

"There is no need to thank me so much. Reaching 2nd class just because I showed you a little sword dance isn't that simple, is it?"

"And you must have something you wish to ask of me as well."

"Oh."

Jena smiled gracefully as she struck at the heart of the matter. They said that reaching 2nd class expanded the realm of cognition. Did it also sharpen the mind? I grew curious about what mana and walls truly were, but for now the important thing was the task she had mentioned, so I nodded.

"I have obtained information that the Mazok who killed Sir Walter fled to the north."

It seemed she hadn't predicted what I would say next. Along with Jena, everyone's eyes widened.

"I am telling you this because you are the current Jena. You understand what this means, yes?"

"……Yes."

"Do not look so downcast. The world is a kaleidoscope of events. I, too, have business with that Mazok."

"Pardon?"

I answered Jena's confusion with a smile. The eyes of everyone present changed. They were desperate to know why a Mazok was involved in my brother's death and how I had learned of it. But at this point, I could not give a definite answer. The probability was simply too low.

Was Walter's death merely an accidental overlap caused by the butterfly effect, or was it an inevitability created because the being that killed my brother had returned to the capital because of my actions? If I had known for certain, I would already be moving.

"I do not know whether our paths have simply crossed for a moment, or whether we now share the same goal. However━"

"You intend to use me to catch him, Young Duke."

"If that bastard is the Mazok who killed my brother, then unfortunately I have no intention of yielding. But if he is merely someone who happened across my path, I am willing to extract information from him and leave his life to you, Jena."

The chance to avenge her master—something she had thought would be impossible for the rest of her life. For Jena, there was only one choice.

"Will we depart immediately?"

Her voice carried a resolve that said she would kill him even if I took the target from her, even if she herself died in the process.

"No. We will move during the break. Jena, properly consolidate the realization you have just gained and prepare yourself beyond perfection."

"…Understood."

The current Jena had only just attained realization and raised her mana. At the very least, I needed to help her create Magang. Otherwise, all the time I had spent ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠dancing with my sword for her would be meaningless.

"Young Duke. Why are you smiling like that?"

"Pardon?"

I had been wearing a congratulatory smile since earlier, but at Princess Lilith's question, my hand rose to my face.

"Young Master. You… you're smiling rather wickedly."

"……"

Oh dear. It seemed that having another person who shared the same desire for revenge made it difficult for the corners of my mouth to come down easily.

*****

A week had passed since Jena attained her realization.

"Young Master. You'll be absent from next week's external training as well, right? I'll go tell the professor."

"No. I'm going."

"Yes, understood…? Yes? Did I hear that wrong?"

With final exams only a month away, the academy was rushing through the practical evaluations at a breakneck pace. The schedule was already harsh, forcing noble students who had essentially been conscripted to grind away. On top of that, professors had been fired after their corruption during the semester was exposed. Students had nearly died during their first external training. Even a 2nd class knight respected by the king, the church, and the Empire had died, leading to a state funeral. The academy's schedule had been thrown into complete disarray. There was no way they could afford to slow down.

"Y-you're participating? In the external training?"

"Yes. I'm going."

"Uh, Young Master? You've been skipping every single practical class to hide your skills. You said, 'Anyway, I can get enough points for promotion just from the written exams.' You haven't done any of the assignments or performance evaluations either, right? And now you're suddenly saying you'll participate in the external training?"

"I understand that you usually think I'm an insufferable bastard. But if you ask me one more time, I'll tell Jena that you've been receiving lunch boxes from other girls."

"Y-Young Master! How did you…!!"

Jena had been reinstated and once again stood by the princess's side. She was training with tremendous diligence. And her relationship with Leng, who had been helping with her training and staying by her side during difficult times, seemed to have progressed considerably. At this rate, it wouldn't be long before the two started dating.

But that bastard Leng had been receiving lunch boxes from other female students lately. He tried to refuse, but they cried about wanting to repay his kindness, so he couldn't bring himself to turn them down. How did ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I know? I happened to see it while passing by. I was the victim here.

"Leng. I thought you'd grown a little, but you're still far from it."

"Ugh… Compared to you, Young Master, most people would seem like idiots!!"

"They're not, though?"

I don't know why he keeps lowering the standard of most people down to his own level.

-Knock knock.

"Young Duke. I've arrived. Sir Dust also… doesn't seem to be doing well."

The person who knocked and entered—Beatrice, the marquis's daughter—was someone I could confidently call quite intelligent.

"Welcome. You don't need to mind Leng."

"Understood. By the way, Young Duke, before we begin magic training, may I ask about next week's schedule?"

"If it's about next week's main schedule, it seems I'll be participating in the external training."

"Ah. Really? That's fortunate."

"When you say fortunate, does that mean the marquis is going somewhere?"

"Ah. No, it's because I will also be participating in the training."

"?"

I had heard she was suspended, but had they demoted a second-year student to first-year? At that point, it might have been better for the marquis to simply withdraw and fulfill her noble duties through other means.

"It's academy community service. To put it simply, it's a punishment. My father has stepped down, but if I were merely suspended, I would return home and work frantically to save the family. Other nobles applied pressure to prevent that."

"I see. It seems the political damage was greater than expected?"

"It wasn't fatal, but it's like losing an arm or a leg. Still, if I properly fulfill my noble duties and return, I can be reinstated at any time. It's not as if we've lost the iron and copper mines."

Look at that. Even though she's five years younger than Leng, the marquis is this intelligent. She subtly protests that she's suffering terribly because of me, yet when I smile and ask if she's dissatisfied, her brain wraps it up by saying it's not to that extent and that she will recover quickly to be of help, so please leave the family alone. This is why I like the marquis.

"Anyway, to change the subject, if you need anything for the upcoming training, please let me know. I'm acting as an assistant to the supervising professor's aide, but as a proper 5th class mage, they're working me quite hard."

"This is an unexpectedly good piece ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of news."

"Hehe. It seems you have need of my help?"

"Yes. As usual with magic, but this time I think I'll need some rather discreet assistance."

"It would be an honor to be of help to the Young Duke."

"Haha."

"Hehe."

The two of us laughed in a purely social manner with no deeper meaning. Watching us, Leng thought to himself:

Leng had unconsciously drawn closer to the two of them, despite the fact that both had originally been villains.

*****

"Even after that mess during the first external training where they took bribes, they're still shamelessly accepting money."

"Should the Young Master who told me to give them money really be saying that?"

"Leng. Sometimes I think you want to turn me into a good-natured idiot. All I asked the marquis to do was arrange the groups so that I could join the one I wanted."

"If you had asked without knowing anything, that would be one thing, but I clearly saw you instructing the marquis as if you already knew which professor would accept the bribe and help—Ouch!?"

"Shut up."

I lightly kicked the most painful spot on his shin, bringing the 4th class knight to his knees, then gazed at the massive caravan procession loading students a short distance away.

This external training was divided into three groups, each taking eighty students. Perhaps because of the previous failure, fifteen twenty-seater caravans had been prepared with deadly seriousness. They looked like a fleet of high-speed buses from the 21st century I had lived in during my previous life.

'This is my first time participating in a main episode.'

This external training was the stage that taught players why they must oppose the Mazok. Group 1 would be completely wiped out except for the player party. Group 2 would have nothing happen. Group 3 would have half the students' carriages hijacked and the students forcibly turned into Main.

It was the perfect laboratory to calculate how useless my previous life's memories had become and how far the butterfly effect had spread. And although Group 2, the one I was joining, was the only one where nothing was supposed to happen…

'There is a Mazok spy.'

In the game, the spy's face hadn't even properly appeared. His only role had been to send a letter ordering them to target Group 3. But now that most of the information regarding my revenge targets was fragmented and incomplete, if that bastard was here, he would become a precious reference to connect those broken pieces.

'Putting that spy bastard into the academy was originally my role.'

Carix the Duke had joined in 'because it looked fun' when he saw the chance to use even the Mazok to torment the player. But the current me had nothing to do with the Mazok. Therefore, if an incident occurred here, I would learn that someone had taken my place.

Although the probability was low, the possibility that a Mazok was involved in my brother's death had now emerged. To calculate how far the butterfly effect had spread as a result of me not moving as a villain. And━

'If the bastard who took the role I discarded was involved in killing my brother, then I must make him truly regret being born.'

If you're going to pick up and devour a role someone else threw away, you should die with your stomach bursting. I'll stuff the things you hold most precious right down that snout of yours.