Side Stories

S1 — Origins

This story might have happened ages ago or it may have happened just yesterday.

Sent to this world with four Sacred Treasures in hand, Ukyou had received a hero’s welcome in a city ruled by a noble in the Domino Empire. After all, he brought Vajra with him to control the weather and Ungaikyo could create infinite copies of equipment. At the time, Ukyou wasn’t particularly skilled in their use, but just the fact that he had four Sacred Treasures was enough to make him valuable.

He felt he was on top of the world. Scores of beautiful women had approached him and confessed their love to him. It would’ve been hard for him not to be thrilled. But happiness brings overconfidence.

“That took more time than I thought.”

‘It could not be helped. Master, your sense of defiance is pretty weak at the moment.’

Ukyou was on his way back to the city from a large lake. With the Divine Spear Vajra having forecasted a period of drought, he’d gone to prepare some rain clouds in advance. That itself had gone well, with no noticeable problems.

However, Dainsleif, hanging on his hip, evidently had other concerns on her mind. She thus addressed him in a tense voice.

“Well, whatever. We should be getting back at a perfect time. I’m sure everyone will be really happy to see us~~”

‘Spare a moment, my Master?’

“...This again?”

‘Yes. It’s long past time to let go of us.’

In a deadly serious tone, she made an absurd proposal. She had, in fact, been giving this advice from the start. A single man shouldn’t own four of the Sacred Treasures.

“You pouting because you’re not being used?”

‘No... My Master, you recall that the Emperor who rules this country sent representatives?’

“Yep. Though everyone drove them off.”

‘...The situation is getting serious. The rulers of this country might very well resort to extreme measures.’

“It’ll be fine. The people in charge of that city may be from a cadet branch of a cadet branch, but they’ve still got Imperial blood.”

In contrast, Ukyou was thoroughly unconcerned. He didn’t want to let go of the Sacred Treasures he’d been given, and those around him all counseled him against it.

“I mean, the lord said that God gave me four Sacred Treasures to fulfill some great task.”

‘That I have my doubts about...’

As one created by God, Dainsleif had her doubts about how far ahead God actually thought things through. Even if that was the case, it was still a further reason to let go of the treasures.

‘...My Master, even then, you should let go of us. A fate that requires four Sacred Treasures to fulfill must be one of great hardship.’

‘My, my, Dainsleif, are you not delving into matters beyond your station?’

Ungaikyo was usually the one to complain about Dainsleif’s constant warnings.

‘We may have individual will, but we’re still only tools. We’re not Noah or Danua, so it’s sheer arrogance to opine to our master.’

‘Ungaikyo... I understand what you want to say, but is it not a failure for a tool not to warn a master who is on a path of destruction?’

‘Is not the proper role of a tool to stop pushing if their advice is rebuffed?’

The usual argument had begun. From Ukyou’s point of view, Dainsleif’s opinion sounds more correct. However, it’s not an easy thing to accept that sort of warning, which is why he keeps listening to Ungaikyo.

“That’s right, Dainsleif. It wasn’t just my decision not to hand you guys over to the Emperor.”

‘...Still.’

‘You are such a chickenhearted thing for being a Demon Blade of Vengeance, oh Dainsleif.’

Vajra lets out a mocking chuckle. While she controlled the weather and moved the clouds above, she couldn’t help but feel that Dainsleif is overly concerned about minor concerns.

‘Fearing a mere Emperor would keep us from doing much of anything. As Divine Treasures, who were created by God, should not be adding to our Master’s concerns.’

At Vajra’s arrogance, perhaps the right response is a sense of exasperation. But there was something to those words: that he was chosen by God, that he had nothing to fear from a ‘mere Emperor,’ that tickled at his ego. He wouldn’t ever say that on his own, and it’d sound ridiculous to agree with it out loud, but he couldn’t bring himself to deny it, either.

‘A mere Emperor... Still, Vajra. It may go against your purpose, but if you think about what’s best for our Master...’

“As I keep telling you, Dainsleif. The decision not to hand you guys over is one I came to after consulting everyone around me. I can’t just go against them because you told me to.”

When the Emperor’s messengers came to Ukyou, they treated him with utter contempt, going so far as to read out a message saying, ‘Rejoice in the fact that We deign to honor you with the opportunity for your pathetic self to provide your belongings to Us, as a more worthy owner.’

He had listened, thinking this was normal for this world, but those around him were incandescent with rage. As such, he didn’t think his refusal was that big of a deal.

After all, when he simply asked for time to consider the request, the messenger essentially said, ‘How dare this monkey refuse the words spoken by me, a servant of the Emperor,’ in a much more convoluted way. Ukyou was in no position to criticize him, but he sure seemed to be there to pick a fight. In the end, with the agreement of those around him, he chose to send the messenger packing, and he couldn’t bring himself to want to hand over the treasures to an opponent like that.

Thinking back on it, Dainsleif alone had agreed with the messenger at the time.

“Wait... Is it that you don’t want me using you? I mean, I haven’t really used you, I guess.”

‘...’

‘Now, now, don’t tease her so, my Master!’ Elixir said, laughing loudly.

Having stayed uncharacteristically quiet until that moment, it appears she decided to intervene in the argument to stop Ukyou’s remarks.

‘My Master, Dainsleif has always been a thoughtful Sacred Treasure, always thinking about what is best for her master. She’s concerned that you, our Master, will suffer the same tragic fates as her previous masters. Try to understand her concern!’

“You say that... But, surely they’re not going to resort to force just because they want the Sacred Treasures.”

The reason Dainsleif’s concerns seem so overblown to Ukyou is that he can’t imagine the Emperor sending armies or assassins after him. Ukyou was technically under the protection of a Domino Empire noble, after all. He’s been living as an Imperial subject, not as some rebel or bandit.

“Taking them by force means he’d try to kill me and those around me, right? This isn’t a manga or anime. Surely they’re not that stupid?”

‘My Master, you should not think that all who wield authority are wise! In fact, it’s quite common for absurdly stupid individuals to sit on the throne!’

“You sure sound like you’re talking from experience...”

‘Indeed. After all, it’s been many centuries since we were created! You should consider us to be experts in human behavior, more so than humans themselves! At any rate, consider Dainsleif’s warning to be strictly in the realm of the plausible! At the very least, you should find out what this Emperor is like!’

That remark is enough to make Ukyou worry. It might be best to talk this over again once they reach town. Thinking this, Ukyou increased his pace on the way home.

To put it simply, there was nobody left where the city had once been. The smell of smoke lingered from the remains of burned out buildings, and charred human bodies were all piled up in a single location...

There was a sign written in Imperial letters posted in front of the city.

“...Can you read this, Elixir?”

‘Indeed, I can. It’s very long, but to summarize, it says...’

“We have punished those who rebelled against their rightful sovereign and attempted to hoard the treasures of God for themselves. Burials and memorials for this city’s inhabitants are forbidden, and those who disobey will be considered guilty of the same crimes.”

The rain clouds brought about by Vajra’s powers, rather than coming down as a bountiful rain, simply began to soak the fool who hadn’t thought things through. It wasn’t a light shower, but a heavy rain that could have been useful for farming. The rain soaked Ukyou, who had fallen to his knees, and had started washing away the soot from the burned-out city.

“...Could this be a lie?”

‘No, random bandits wouldn’t prepare a sign this impressive.’

‘And...while I hate to say this, my Master... This city was relatively well prepared. The only ones who could do this would be a sizable detachment of the Imperial Army...’

Elixir and Vajra confirm that Dainsleif’s worst fears were now reality. The destruction was simply too thorough for it to have been bandits or an invading army. There was no need to so thoroughly massacre the inhabitants if the goal had been plunder.

“So that means...that means that this city really was destroyed on this Emperor’s whim? Because I didn’t hand you over to him?!”

What sort of ridiculous logic is that? Even if the Sacred Treasures were divine relics, they’re private property. To burn an entire city and kill its inhabitants because he couldn’t have them? Would a ruler really do this to his own people?

“This city...it had so many people here. So many people were living their lives here. All they wanted to do was live in peace! Why? Why did they have to be killed by their own rulers?!”

Had his refusal to hand over the treasures resulted in punishments to those who’d helped him or the city’s rulers... He probably would have admitted his error and handed them over.

But this... This was simply beyond the pale. He knew he’d done wrong, but this level of punishment wasn’t anywhere in line with the crimes. He couldn’t feel sorry for his own actions or responsible for the outcome. The only things he felt were grief, sadness, and rage. Feelings that he’d never forgive the state, the society, or the Emperor for, as entities who would do this sort of thing.

‘...My Master. It is my fault. If only I had more warned you more firmly.’

“You did nothing wrong... This isn’t your fault!”

Dainsleif felt the raw bloodlust of vengeance take hold within Ukyou. Vajra felt a strong sense of defiance take hold within Ukyou. Ungaikyo felt a commitment to use any and every tool take hold within Ukyou. Elixir felt an absolute refusal to bend take hold within Ukyou.

“I won’t let them get away with this! I CAN’T let them get away with this!”

Purpose is unrelated to happiness. If anything, it can drive happiness further away. And a powerful fate will drag in everyone and everything around it. It would be several years later that Ukyou finally brought down the Domino Empire.

S2 — Fate

The Arcana Kingdom’s dark underbelly, the region where the flotsam and jetsam of the nation comes together...that’s Disaea. In this region, where almost all of the vices imaginable for mankind are available through the use of copious bribes, it’s the repository of all the sewage that people all want to keep under wraps.

Of course, that means there are countless acts that happen in that territory that go against common decency and humanity. The weak are exploited by the strong, and the exploited try to exploit those even weaker than themselves. It’s hardly unusual that one might see that society and feel a distaste for it, even a justified hatred.

“You Shun Ukiyo?”

In a particularly flourishing city within Disaea, on a gently sloping hill that looks down upon the city, a man addresses Shun.

“Yeah, that’s me.”

With Pandora standing behind him, Shun regards his interlocutor as a nuisance.

“I hear you’re a cheat-equipped bastard who’s sucking up to this country’s rulers.”

“Suppose you could say that.”

“...I’m Nen Souten. I’m a Japanese man who recently arrived in this world.”

“Uh-huh.”

“I had been in another world called Eigumbe until now. There, I killed the mad god ruling the world, and took out his followers as well.”

“...Uh-huh. And? Are you here to brag about this? Then go off to a bar and pay some woman to listen to you. The only thing your stories about what you were doing in some other world will do is put me to sleep.”

The boredom, the resentment. It’s far too obvious in Shun’s attitude. Nen is clearly irritated at this.

“I destroyed everything that pissed me off! The ridiculous caste system, the religion that demands others die for it, the society that couldn’t recognize its mistakes, I destroyed them all!”

“And?”

“And the thing I hate most is men like you!”

It could be that he’s thinking of someone from his past. Remembering someone like Shun and directing his hatred at him, that is.

“Those bastards living in that damned city are bad enough, but you, a guy from Japan, who profits from all of it and blends into that den of thieves...! I detest bastards like you!”

He has a point. Shun doesn’t deny he’s profiting off of it, after all. He also doesn’t deny that the city is dirty, or that he’s favored by the rulers. Nen’s anger is understandable. With his strong sense of morality, he feels nothing but anger at Disaea.

“I’m going to end you! Then, I’m going to destroy that damned city, too!”

“Uh-huh.”

“...The hell is up with your attitude?!”

“I have no intention of justifying myself to you, but let me ask you something.”

Shun tries to count the number of women behind Nen, but gives up after the first few.

“Those women behind you. They important to you?”

“They are!”

Tall ones, short ones. Winged ones, horned ones. Ones with large breasts, ones with small breasts. Ones with large rears, ones with small rears. Ones with holy auras, ones with evil auras. Ones showing lots of skin, ones not showing much. Heavily armed ones, unarmed ones.

They were a diverse collection, a tiresome set of all sorts of examples. They were clearly not residents of this world.

“How many of them are there?”

“Twenty-three!”

“...What are you here to do?” Shun asks out of exasperated curiosity. They don’t look like a group following a man about to destroy a city.

“Are you looking down on them?! They’re much much stronger than you!”

“...Uh-huh. Another question, then.”

Shun asks a question very important to him. Indeed, it’s a question that will determine the outcome of what is about to happen.

“Do you think that your precious women, your precious people, won’t die? Not even going that far, do you think that they won’t even get hurt?”

“You’re underestimating us, aren’t you? I don’t know what it’s like in this world, but our world has resurrection magic. We’ve faced death countless times!”

“...”

This won’t do. Shun abandons any hopes he had of Nen.

“What about you all? What do you think?”

Which is why he asks the women behind him.

“Do you think about the possibility you might die, or those around you might die, or that this man might die?”

“...There was a time when we did.”

One of the women, perhaps their leader, speaks.

“That we’d trade our lives to kill the enemy, or sacrifice our lives to protect Lord Nen... We thought we couldn’t accomplish anything if we didn’t do that. We thought that, with our lack of strength, that was the only way we could accomplish anything.”

She has a great strength to her gaze. A strength born of an unwavering ideal.

“But now things are different! Lord Nen explained that there’s no point to any of it if we can’t all come out alive! That there is meaning in all of us surviving!”

Her expression is one with a confidence backed by experience and achievements, one that’s conquered both weakness and fear.

“So you see, we’re strong... We don’t think about whether we might lose, or whether we might die, or might get hurt, or might never see each other again!”

Nen prepares for battle.

“That’s what it means to be strong... We won’t lose anything, we’ll gain all we desire, and accomplish everything we set out to do!”

At those words, Shun directs a gaze of utter disappointment at them.

“Uh-huh. Then you’ll all die. Your fate ends here.”

“We’ve overcome fate countless times!”

Around the same time, Lord Disaea was meeting with a Japanese woman.

“So you’re the one who wants me to hire them...”

“Yes! I’m Byoubu Kakejiku!”

Answering in an energetic voice is a lively, short-haired woman. With slender, long limbs, she clearly looks athletic, and has a certain androgynous beauty. In a word, she’s a young woman who looks better in pants than a skirt.

“Why do you want to work for me?”

“I heard you pay well!”

“I see...”

“I’m afraid I’ve only got what I have on me, so if you don’t hire me, I’m going to have to work at some rather more shady places... So, I would really appreciate it if you’d hire me.”

Both of them are seated as the interview continues. Old Man Disaea had already decided to hire this young woman.

He didn’t know to what extent yet, but no doubt she had gifts from God, and he could always fire her later. And while it depended on her own personality, not all the work Disaea did was shady. It wouldn’t be a problem to give her the time to figure out where she was best suited.

“Oh, very well.”

“Yay! Thank you so much!”

“I’m sure our boy Shun could use some sane countrymen to talk to.”

“Shun... Is he from Japan?”

“Mmhm... And perhaps it’s the fate of one given the power to control Pandora by God, but he has a tendency to draw in those with dangerous ideologies...”

The old man himself deals with countless idiots from his own country on a daily basis, so he understands how frustrating that can be. Even if it’s just a single person, he wants someone he can have a decent conversation with. He understands that he himself is unusual, but he still expects normalcy from his conversation partner, even if he realizes it’s a sort of arrogance to do so.

“As we speak he’s dealing with guests from Japan... No doubt it’ll be over quickly, however.”

At the very least, the woman in front of him is not one who would mess with the world to satisfy her own whims.

Since she’s not the sort of irregularity that even the gods dislike, it’s worth trying her out, for now.

“The reason that people talk is because they want understanding. The reason people don’t listen is because they don’t want to understand the other person’s views.”

The bodies lay in heaps. The women who had been there just moments ago have been transformed into ghastly corpses.

“You sure went out of your way to babble all sorts of nonsense, as though you really wanted me to understand. You know you’re stupid, but to brag that you’re strong enough to force through your stupidity? How pathetic.”

“Y-You...”

The last one standing is, as perhaps would be expected, Nen.

The women he loved have been reduced to unspeaking objects. Clutching one of them to him, he stares in shock up at Shun, who is now garbed in Pandora.

“How...how dare you kill my women! I won’t...! I won’t ever forgive this!”

“Go on, I don’t want your forgiveness,” Shun says, calmly, blandly uttering words of disappointment.

“I told you several times, but at the very least, you need to do that if you’re to attack me. I don’t know what sort of world you were in, or what sort of magic or weapons it had, but if you’re going to attack me, you need to abandon any hope of living.”

Pandora, the Armor of Disaster... The man wearing her speaks a brutal truth.

“To attack me, you need to let go of your desire to live. If you’re willing to abandon all that you’ve acquired in an attempt to take me down... Then you might, if you’re lucky, hit me with an attack. Though, really, it’s too late for that now.”

“...Wh-What the hell does that mean?!”

“All lives are worth the same. Whether it’s random insects, the woman you’re clutching, me, or the people you’ve killed along the way, they’re all the same.”

“S-Screw you! They’re not the same!”

“They all die in the end.”

There are only two things in this world that can interfere with fate. Elixir, the Sacred Chalice of Will, that provides the power to stand up to fate, and Pandora, the Armor of Disaster, the destroyer that stands as a monument of fate unto itself. And regardless of either, there is nothing that is eternal, undying, or infinite.

“Strength protects life, protects from loss, protects from failure, protects from losing. Even if that was true, why do you assume that such a state of affairs would continue on forever? It doesn’t matter. None of it matters.”

Destruction comes eventually. Eventually, everyone has to give up and face destruction.

“Even if you were the strongest, that doesn’t matter. There will be a time that you’ll end. Even if you were to turn things around here and win, there will always be an unhappy end.”

“I...I loved them... They were dear to me... We were happy!” Nen screams out in protest, weeping in sadness. “Why would you take that from me?!”

“No matter how happy you are now, it will eventually end. And those under the delusion that they’re different, that they’re the exception, will be absorbed by Pandora and killed.”

“They...I made all of them happy! They had faced nothing but hardship in life! But...! And you just...!”

“Those who don’t understand that they’re mortal, that they’ll die, that they’re going to die now, and yet seek to try to accomplish anything in the moment that remains... In front of Pandora, they’re powerless.”

From the start, Shun, clad in Pandora, hasn’t moved from his original spot. He looks to his opponent with a thorough lack of interest.

“It’s far too late for you to try to tell me something. You and I can no longer do anything. If you really desired that your happiness continue...”

Thud. Something collapses.

“Then you wouldn’t have brought such a thing to the battlefield.”

With that, Shun takes Pandora off.

“No, that’s not right. If you didn’t want to lose something important to you, then you shouldn’t have let anything be important to you in the first place. I suppose that’s the only real option.”

Leaving those words for the corpse of the lucky man who had survived until the very end, Shun makes his way back to the thoroughly corrupted city.

S3 — Training

This is a story that took place when Lain was still a baby.

While in House Sepaeda’s lands, I was being questioned by a stern looking Arte Sepaeda, Lady Douve’s mother.

“Sansui. What sort of training do you ordinarily do?”

It was a perfectly reasonable question. I am, after all, her daughter’s bodyguard, and no matter my skill, I look like a child. As my employer, it’s her duty to criticize me if I was to neglect my day-to-day training. Other than my time spent guarding Lady Douve and when I was asleep, I generally spent my time training. That is to say, I haven’t been neglecting my daily training.

After all, I’d spent five hundred years doing nothing but training. It’s not just a part of my life; it pretty much is my life. As such, if asked whether I was neglecting my training, I could confidently declare ‘no.’ On the other hand, it’s a bit harder when the question is ‘what sort of training do you do?’

“I...I take practice swings.”

“The foundation of swordsmanship. While I have no experience myself, I’m aware that the basics are extremely important.”

While her words are complimentary, Lady Arte’s expression is extremely harsh.

“I have already seen your skill. To have achieved such ability at your age and still remember the importance of the basics is quite impressive.”

“...You honor me.”

“Now, what else do you do for your training?”

“...I’m afraid my Master never authorized me to do anything else.”

I was instructed by my Master at the very start to do practice swings from dawn to dusk, with the stipulation that he’d eventually tell me when I’d done enough. Even on the day I picked up Lain, he hadn’t told me to stop.

“If I recall, the Master who taught your swordsmanship also taught you your Rare Art... Your...Immortal Arts, yes?”

“Yes, that is correct.”

“...It is good that you are loyal to your Master’s teachings, but as your employer, I cannot help but feel some concern.”

Well, that’s understandable. No matter how studiously I’m training, hearing that I only do practice swings has to be a bit concerning.

“We cannot prepare an instructor for your Rare Art, your Immortal Arts. However, as House Sepaeda is a martial house, we will have some input into your swordsmanship training.”

Her words were very polite, but they brooked no dissent. Without a reason or the nerve to disobey, I could only nod without a word.

Lady Arte takes me to an outdoor training ground. A large number of young soldiers are running, swinging swords, or engaging in training matches. Blois was there as well, training among the grown men.

I don’t doubt she’s a genius when it comes to swordsmanship and magic, but even then, she’s clearly putting in figurative blood...no, she’s actually bleeding from her sword hand, so literal blood, sweat, and tears. Their intensity is worthy of a martial house.

“They are the elites of House Sepaeda’s standing army. They may not be quite at the level of the Royal Guard, but they are all first-class soldiers with a strong dedication to their craft. You have leap-frogged them and now serve as my daughter’s bodyguard. With that fact in mind, join them and train.”

With that, Lady Arte handed me a training sword. Seems I’m not going to be doing anything like running around, but instead taking part in practice matches.

“I understand, my lady.”

Now, I’m an Immortal and a swordsman. While I can use the Immortal Arts, I’ve also spent five hundred years training my swordsmanship. Which is why, even just fighting normally with swords, I’m not going to lose. I’m confident enough in my ability that I’m sure I won’t lose to anyone but my Master. However, is there really any meaning for me to overwhelm these soldiers with my sword?

I’m sure they’d all be surprised, and feel fear and revulsion that there’s a child this powerful. But what’s the point of that? What’s the meaning in defeating soldiers of House Sepaeda, the house that will be caring for me and will be raising Lain?

What’s the point of embarrassing these hard-working soldiers, having them live through the shame of losing to a child, and one who’s a foreigner, to boot?

“I will do my best.”

I’ll put up a decent fight, then lose. It might be disrespectful, but it’s better than humiliating them. There might come a day when I have to show off my true strength and go on a rampage, but now’s not that day. That’ll come after I’ve raised Lain to be an independent woman, returned to report to my Master, then put in more training.

A hundred years from now, two hundred years from now... It might even be a thousand years from now. But Lain is more important at this moment. I have to do what’s best as her father. I need to put in the effort to make sure they accept me, instead of rejecting me as a freak.

“Oh.”

As soon as I thought this, Lady Douve appeared, indicating that my plan would definitely fail.

“I see you’ll be participating in the training, Sansui.”

“Yes. In order to be worthy of serving as your bodyguard...”

“Douve... Surely, you understand. It’s part of Sansui’s duty to participate. Even you mustn’t keep him from doing so.”

Lady Arte wasn’t one to indulge Lady Douve. Evidently thinking that Lady Douve might try to keep me from participating out of concern for her bodyguard, Lady Arte preempts any attempt from doing so on her part.

“That goes without saying, Mother. However, I do need to make sure he understands something.”

“In what sense?”

“Sansui, you defeated my father and brother to become my bodyguard.”

Lady Douve had a very malicious smile on her face. Even without reading her presence, I could tell she was scheming.

“Having defeated the Lord and the heir apparent, surely you wouldn’t let your concern for mere soldiers allow you to lose to them, would you?”

As I feared. Once she said that, I couldn’t afford to hold back. If this was simply training, then there was no problem with beating them. They may wind up fearing me, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing...

Or so I told myself. I may have spent my time training away from the mortal world, but it didn’t take a lot of thought to know how this would end, and I had no choice but to do it. This was now part of my job.

“Of course, Lady Douve. I, Sansui Shirokuro, on my Master Suiboku’s honor, will do my best.”

“Then show it with results. Show that you are worthy of being my bodyguard.”

Great. A fight I was better off losing had become a must-win situation, thanks to Lady Douve’s words...

I cursed the unfairness of the world as I stepped onto the training ground.

“You’re Shirokuro Sansui, Lady Douve’s new bodyguard?”

“Yes.”

In front of me was a large soldier holding a training sword. There were a few pronounced wrinkles on his features, but the scars were more visible, making him look the part of a skilled veteran. No doubt he’d faced scores of battles.

“I know your situation, but I won’t do you any favors. It goes without saying, but attack me without resorting to your Rare Art. This is a test of your sword.”

“Understood.”

Even training swords hurt when they hit. They can even break bones. Still, the soldier in front of me faced me without fear.

“...Also. This is not training for swordsmanship. It’s training for combat. What you need to do is defeat me. Punches, kicks, it doesn’t matter what you use. I don’t know what sort of techniques you’ve learned until now, but I will assume you have others. Understood?”

“Yes.”

He has the bearing and the commitment, the experience and accomplishments. Confidence and pride. He’s a very likable man, and someone who shouldn’t be treated lightly. That is why I cursed my fate, and the fact that I had to defeat him.

“...Very well.”

He gave no warning before going into a high stance and bringing his sword down at me. Without any hesitation, he attacked with a blow that could very well kill an unskilled opponent. Dying in training was, perhaps, just proof of a lack of ability. He seemed to suggest that in his attitude.

House Sepaeda isn’t indulgent, nor are its soldiers. Without a single exception, they’ve all lived a hard, intense life. With that in mind, I also acted.

“Hah!”

The skilled veteran let out the cry. I silently stepped in and avoided the attack. Taking advantage of the shift in his center of gravity, I strike up at his jaw with my palm.

“Guh!”

He probably didn’t even recognize what had happened.

When attacked by an opponent he wasn’t particularly cautious about, from an angle he didn’t see, into a weak point, even the most experienced warrior wouldn’t be able to stay upright.

“Since he mentioned I could use my hands, I used my hands.”

As my opponent’s large body collapsed, I placed myself under him to support him, and laid him gently onto the ground.

Having defeated one of the stronger men present with ease, those around me stare in surprise.

“...Sansui.”

“Yes, m’lady!”

On the other hand, Lady Douve’s judgment was harsh.

“I couldn’t see what you were doing. Next time, defeat them in a way so I can tell what happened.”

“My apologies.”

Appearing very bored and very unhappy, she laid out her complaints. Wait, why was she demanding that I defeat warriors pledged to her family in a flashy and easy to see way? Would the people of this house really swear loyalty to her?

“Sansui!”

“Yes, milady?”

“...Did you use your Rare Art?”

“No, I haven’t.”

“Can you swear upon that?”

“I swear upon my Master’s honor.”

“...”

Having witnessed something difficult to accept, Her Mothership looks upon me with suspicion. She wondered if I had broken my word and used my Rare Art. However, all I had done was defeat him with an open-handed blow. I hadn’t used any Immortal Arts.

“Lady Arte.”

With Lady Arte unable to put aside her suspicion, the other warriors speak up. Their expressions were harsh and they pointed a great deal of hostility in my direction.

“Respectfully, this is our training. Please calm yourself.”

“...However.”

“Even if Lady Douve’s new bodyguard made use of his Rare Art, the fault is on our end for not detecting it, and that this man is that clever.”

With that, they point their swords in my direction.

“Please watch over the proceedings with Lady Douve.”

Their attitude was clearly that they would demonstrate with their swords. Lady Arte evidently chose to respect that and withdrew her words. And, of course, I wound up having to fight yet again. This was no longer practice or training. The air in the training grounds had changed.

“Shirokuro Sansui, was it? Come face me.”

“Yes, of course.”

The man who stepped up was another scarred soldier. He seemed a bit younger than the previous veteran. Physically, he might have been stronger. As silence filled the space, he then came at me.

“Raaaah!”

My physical abilities weren’t that particularly impressive. I’m more capable than I look, but I wasn’t as strong as the man in front of me. If I went on the defensive, he’d simply overwhelm me. However, I couldn’t take him down in a single blow. Not because the opponent was on guard, but because of Lady Douve’s disapproval.

“Fu!”

I struck as I dodged. The sword in my hand was a dull training weapon, but it was still a lump of metal. I used it to strike my opponent’s arm. His arm doesn’t break, thanks to his training, but it’s still enough to leave a bruise.

“Mrraagh!”

The expected counterattack. Again, I dodge and strike.

“Guh... Nrrrgh!”

“Fu!”

It was a very odd battle. Those around us were initially tense, but eventually began to show concern, ending with a certain amount of fear.

“...Mother, this is all rather disappointing. I knew Sansui was strong, but for him to be this much stronger than them...”

“...Douve, just where did you find this swordsman?”

“On the road to the capital, mother.”

I wasn’t moving at a speed my opponent couldn’t follow. Nor was I overwhelming him with repeated attacks. I was simply dodging by reading the course of the swings directed at me, and attacking as I dodged.

“Guh... Grr... Why, why can... Why can you so perfectly dodge my attacks...?”

“I am following my Master’s teachings.”

“You’re skilled... But... I can’t afford to lose!”

My opponent isn’t a fool. He staggers his timing and mixes in feints in an attempt to draw me into a mistake. However, none of those feints work. I only respond to his actual attack, hitting him each time he strikes. From Lady Douve’s perspective, it must have looked like I was beating up on him, but that was, in fact, evidence that I far outstripped him in skill.

“Raaaagh!”

The soldier tried desperately to keep up with my immeasurable presence. Having decided I’d demonstrated enough, I landed a final attack upon him.

“...Guh!”

“This is it.”

A blow to the head. Not one sufficient to render him unconscious, but enough to stun him. No matter how much his commitment, he couldn’t stay standing.

“Y-You... Could have killed me if you wished... Rather, you held back not to kill me...”

“This is still training, after all.”

“You mean to say I’m not even worth killing...!”

“...I wouldn’t recommend you keep speaking.”

Perhaps it would have been better to knock him out. As I considered that, I waited for my next opponent.

A while later, the training ground was covered in fresh blood. The soldiers that had been training there had either been sent to the infirmary or accompanied other soldiers to it.

As for me, I was kneeling before Lady Douve and Lady Arte, not a scratch on me.

“Sansui.”

“Ma’am.”

“What did you think of my House’s soldiers?”

It had only been a series of one on one matches, but they had effectively been wiped out. Even then, Lady Douve decided to ask a cruel question, as though to drive home the point to Her Mothership, who sat in shock next to her.

“They are loyal and brave.”

“Yes... They challenged an opponent they knew they couldn’t beat without fear. And their teamwork in taking their fallen comrades to the mystics was impressive. Don’t you agree, Mother?”

Her Mothership looked upon me with horror. She couldn’t believe that her retainers, who had been engaged in intense training just moments before, had been thoroughly beaten by a child. Despite the fact it appeared I hadn’t used my Rare Art, and had just fought one on one, I hadn’t shown any sign of struggling.

That I continued to adopt a loyal attitude toward Lady Douve made her look at me as though I were some sort of monster. The truth is, having been alive for over five hundred years, I suppose I was a monster of sorts.

“Well... Well done.”

As the lady of a martial house, she mustered her pride and offered me her praise. She couldn’t quite restrain her trembling, but that was understandable. It’d be odder if she could look at the situation and think of me as simply being a genius. Her Mothership thoroughly regretted underestimating me.

“You honor me.”

Of course, I was also regretting the outcome. Whatever Lady Douve’s remarks, I didn’t expect to fight nearly half the soldiers present. Did I really need to do this with people who had simply been doing their best? It’s not as though they were my enemies. We all served the same house.

I really couldn’t understand why it was necessary to go this far in the course of training. It’s true that I had trained because I was hoping to become strong, but it wasn’t because I wanted to do something like this. I suppose this is what it means to raise a child, to work, to serve a noble house...

“Lady Arte! Lady Arte!”

As I thought over such things, Blois breathlessly leads a man into the training grounds. He was a man a bit too old to be in active service, a man just on the edge of old age.

“I have brought my master.”

“Ohh, thank you for coming!”

It seems he’s an aged hero who had retired to a life of instruction. His eyes are sharp, and his gait is steady. More than anything, his hands are thickly calloused, showing years of training.

“Sansui, this gentleman is a swordsman who has long served House Sepaeda.”

“Lady Arte, you need not flatter me so... It seems this young man is my opponent.”

“Yes. I’m afraid all the others have...”

“My apologies, Lady Arte. It is all due to my failures as a teacher.”

Drawing the weapon at his hip, a rapier like the one Blois wields, he turns the tip toward me.

“Allow me to take responsibility.”

Seeing his stance, I almost crack a smile. The soldiers weren’t weak, but compared to their physical strength, their skills were a bit lacking. By contrast, the aged hero’s skill was impressive. In a short match, one on one, he was, perhaps, stronger than anyone else I’d met.

“Very well, let’s begin.”

I dropped into a stance and readied my sword. It seemed my opponent was able to read my own skill in turn, and slowly closed the distance. His rapier’s tip wavered, trying to invite me into committing.

I gazed at it, waiting for the attack...

“I yield!”

As I waited, the aged hero, having realized my ability, sheathed his sword and admitted defeat.

It seems he really did recognize the gap in skill.

“M-Master?!”

Blois was in a panic. Lady Arte stared in shock. Lady Douve was disappointed.

“Blois...and Lady Arte. My skill is no match for this gentleman.”

“Y-You admit this without so much as crossing blades?!”

“Yes. He is at that great of a height.”

And then the old gentleman bowed his head to me.

“Please, take this old man as your apprentice!”

“...W-Well, I’m afraid I haven’t been given permission by my Master... Please, forgive me.”

“Th-Then! Please, tell me... Just how much training, what sort of training do you need to do to reach your heights?!”

And I’m afraid I could only answer one way.

“W-With... Practice swings.”