Part 13 — Breaking Free

After witnessing Sansui and Ran’s public duel, Sansui’s students are now thoroughly engrossed in their sparring. Each of them wanted to absorb as much insight as they could glean from what their master had proved possible in the duel. Some were tirelessly practicing their swings, others were engaged in spirited sparring using the cloth-wrapped practice swords, and yet others were attempting to copy Sansui’s movements.

Sansui watches over their practice, because he understands that they’ve managed to grasp something from watching him fight.

“Quite enthusiastic, aren’t they? You have a lively salle, Sansui.”

“Indeed, that’s a very good thing.”

The Lord Emeritus of House Sepaeda gives his verdict as he stands next to Sansui. Sansui responds for form’s sake, but there’s no conviction in his words. Of course, it’s better than a lack of motivation, but too much enthusiasm can also lead to a lack of consistency.

The ideal in swordplay is to consistently maintain oneself at all times. Regardless of whether there’s an upcoming match, an upcoming war, or anything else, they need to be able to maintain the same level of training. That’s what it means to constantly be ready for battle. But, at the same time, he didn’t want to say something like that and dampen their enthusiasm.

“...Well done.” The Lord Emeritus briefly gives praise to his retainer.

At the very least, he needn’t have done more, and further restraint wouldn’t have worked particularly well, either. In spite of it being a task he didn’t relish, he did his best, and made those around him recognize his efforts as such. Even if Ran were to go on a rampage after that, that wouldn’t be Sansui’s responsibility or House Sepaeda’s.

“You honor me.”

The words are enough. Sansui finds contentment in the fact that there’s one man who understands his intentions, and in the fact that the man in question is his master.

“So, what is your actual read on the situation? Just how strong has that girl become?”

“She’s now able to fight with tactics in mind, and that’s an enormous step forward. I doubt Spirit Summoning can stop her now.”

In her duel with Sansui, Ran was shown her limits quite thoroughly. As such, she’s now aware of just how much self-control, the thing she lacks, can alter the outcome of a battle. Just with that, she’s gone from a mere beast to something closer to human. As Sansui demonstrated, self-control makes for a vast improvement in combat ability.

“But even then, I can defeat her at your command.”

An absolute confidence that comes from understanding his own limits... His words are full of certainty, and there’s not a shred of doubt clouding them. He can kill her whenever he wishes. No matter how strong she becomes, she’s not a match for him.

“I see... Those are words every man wants to utter at some point, I think.”

The Lord Emeritus’s words are tinged with envy. Just as Sansui has warned, berserkers are, in fact, extremely dangerous. They’ve appeared on the scene several times throughout history, and each time they were stopped only after taking an immense amount of damage.

But Sansui was able to take a figure like that, thoroughly humiliate and humble her, and convince her of the error of her ways. He taught her just how deep the chasm in ability was between them, and showed her her place. As a warrior, it’s difficult not to be envious of that.

“And what of your students? It would seem your duel was a good source of motivation.”

“Indeed. Whatever else she is, she’s quite showy. Since they were able to observe her movements to some extent, I’m sure there’s plenty for them to learn from it.”

In terms of absolute strength, Ran is the most powerful opponent Sansui has ever fought. At the very least, she’s the only one who’s approached Sansui’s own level of speed. Her sheer strength helped to reveal just what differentiated Sansui from the rest. That is, she helped illustrate just how difficult and important the things Sansui has been teaching, day in and day out, are in battle.

“...Did you maintain an awareness of your own apprentices during that duel?”

“If, for example, someone attacked Lady Douve during the match, I would have been able to stop them. The fact that I could do that is why I chose to accept the duel in the first place.”

At the Lord Emeritus’s question, Sansui answers nonchalantly. But the words show just how absurdly strong he is.

“Ran was very focused during the match. But that means that all of her senses were focused on each and every motion I made. That is what made her reactions against me slower when I suddenly vanished from her line of sight.”

The realm of the man who, when viewed from the perspective of simple human beings, was near Suiboku himself. It was a realm of skill that was much further away than anyone could imagine. Hearing those words, the Lord Emeritus couldn’t help but shudder at just what this man and his master sought to accomplish. In a sense it was inevitable that one merely gifted with immense talent wouldn’t stand a chance against this monster.

“They call it missing the forest for the trees. It’s true in anything, but the more accomplished a person is, the wider their perspective. The more skill they have, the more information they can process before they act. In that sense, her skill was negligible. Simply put, she wouldn’t be able to respond if someone sought to attack her from afar.”

Because she was focused too much on what was in front of her, she neglected her surroundings. That’s the reasoning, and it’s something that’s often brought up in war. There’s nothing unusual or strange about what he’s saying; it’s all very ordinary. But the level from which he describes it is simply far beyond what anyone else can grasp.

“She has much, much further to grow.”

Optimizing movement, concentration, enhancing physical abilities... To be able to move in the formless manner of a master with the speed of a beast. From Sansui’s point of view, that’s merely something that can be accomplished with training. It’s something he’s managed to do himself.

If the only thing that’s making that possible for her is her Rare Art, there’s nothing to look forward to with her. Her regenerating abilities are meaningless. Just crush her head and be done with it.

“Then, what about Tahlan?”

“He hasn’t shown dramatic growth, but he’s slowly gaining strength.”

Hearing those words, the Lord Emeritus scans the crowd for Tahlan and, having found him, he was shocked at the sheer presence evident in the young man.

All of the swordsmen being trained by Sansui are at a level that can be described as skilled. Those swordsmen have collapsed on the ground, each in groups of ten. Tahlan, the one who accomplished this feat, visibly radiates heat.

“He’s currently doing very well. He sees the examples, gains motivation from them, and his concentration improves. Once he’s grasped the foundations, no doubt he’ll be able to do it in training. He’s not yet at a level where he can do it in combat.”

Battles between those who read timing... Having seen these exchanges countless times, he appears to have grasped something. He’s starting to understand, through experience, what ordinary training is there to accomplish. He’s starting to make timing his own. As such, he’s starting to approach Sansui’s level.

“As I noted earlier, if it can’t be done under all circumstances, they still haven’t put in enough training.”

Those facing that Tahlan dust themselves off and challenge him again. They, too, want to try to actually demonstrate the thing they’ve grasped through observation. They feel a faint irritation at the fact that their bodies don’t quite respond the way they want them to, but they fight their way through that frustration to continue their training.

Their focus on swordsmanship clears their minds of any unnecessary thoughts. Even if, from Sansui’s point of view, they’re still beginners, as they can only accomplish things when free of distractions, they are also still learning and growing.

“Then... What sort of training are you going to do with that berserker?”

“Oh, no, her training would be beyond my skills as a teacher. I intend to leave her in Lord Saiga’s care.”

As an Immortal who has Ki, Sansui wouldn’t be able to teach anything useful to Ran, a berserker with the Tainted Blood. She needs to first gain control of her talent as a martial art. Saiga’s the only one who could even consider doing that.

“She first needs to learn patience. Doing unfamiliar things can mean frustration, but that’s exactly why she needs to become familiar with them. Then, she needs to learn how to fight without becoming a berserker, then learn how to make judgments while fighting as a berserker. The only one who can do that with her is Saiga.”

Saiga isn’t here at the moment. No doubt he’s off wooing Ran right now. She needs Saiga to aim higher, and that effort would be a boon to Saiga as well.

“There is no reason to worry. Lord Saiga already has the power to defeat me. Right now, he should be able to restrain Ran, even if it might take a bit of effort.”

“If you say so. Honestly, he doesn’t seem to be at that level to me.”

“He has Eckesachs with him. Her experience with combat exceeds even my master’s. Bearing that in mind, there should be no cause for concern.”

Ran herself isn’t the sort to rely on sneak attacks. In that sense, she’s an opponent Saiga can deal with.

“If there’s any role for me, it’d be after that. There are several here who have the Tainted Blood.”

“...I see. Not unexpected.”

“Yes, it’s to be expected that, among those who can’t use magic, there are a few with the Tainted Blood.”

Of course, there are also those who have the Seeping Blood for the Bursting Venom Style, the Inebriated Blood for the Drunken Fist Style, the Orb Blood for the Four Vessels Style, and the Illusion Blood for the Mist Shadow Style.

Just as Sansui wields his Ki Wave, there’s probably meaning for them in picking up their Arts to complement their fighting. Whether they do or not depends on just how difficult it is to learn, and just how much the individual wants to learn.

“Still, it’s true that I’m worried about making compromises. While they’re likely to try to learn self-control if they use me as their goal, it’s also true that she’s nearly unbeatable otherwise. There’s no need to learn self-control. The scale is one thing, but it’ll mean a lot of berserkers. Which is why, honestly, I think it’s dangerous.”

“Your concerns are understandable. But you were also right not to kill that girl on your own judgment. Even if there is a problem stemming from that, the responsibility is on us for not ordering you to kill her, not with your immaturity.”

He reassures the man who just happens to be in the mortal world by proclaiming he’ll take responsibility. This kingdom, after all, is theirs, and if something happens, the fault isn’t with Sansui.

“But having actually seen a berserker, it’s hard not to want that power. Even if they’re inferior copies of that girl, there’s something attractive about that superhuman strength. That’s what it means to be a martial house.”

Sansui’s concerns are understandable, and if his worries come to pass, it would mean the loss of many lives. But whatever Sansui may think of that, now is the only opportunity for them. Just by sheer coincidence, there’s an Immortal present who has complete control of himself, and a berserker who can only be restrained by him. There’s no way they can afford to give up the opportunity they have to add the power of berserkers to the kingdom’s arsenal.

“Even if there’s a risk, the reward is worth the gamble. After all, that is what militaries are for in the first place. The difference is a matter of degree. Ignoring that and pretending it isn’t an issue is no way to govern a country.”

“...I admire your ability to view the big picture.”

Wanting to make berserkers into a part of the military, wanting to satisfy that desire... If it’s in the pursuit of that, they’re willing to brave the dangers and welcome them in. It’s not that they don’t value the lives of the people, it’s that they’re trying to come face to face with the risks for the benefit of their country. Which is why they’re here. Sansui felt respect for his own master.

“Of course, if berserkers end up being unreasonably dangerous, then there’s no need to institutionalize them. If we come to that conclusion, we will get Batterabbe’s permission and deploy you, even if they don’t have any victims. For that, leave the judgment up to us. Of course, I doubt we’ll have to give that order.”

“I appreciate your words, my lord.”

“...We put our faith in you. No doubt it’s a burden, but that is why we don’t intend to dismiss your concerns. What we ask is that you believe in us in return.”

As they talk, Tahlan prepares to break free. The man, described as peerless in his homeland, is facing his own limits directly, which is why his experiences to date are supporting him through all of this. Because his days in his homeland weren’t simple or meaningless, he understands timing, and can act within that framework.

Even if given the opportunity, the only ones who can take advantage of those opportunities are those who’ve lived meaningful days until that point. Landing a blow against a berserker who’s faster than he is... He’s approaching the realm where he can do this.

“It’s fulfilling to watch an apprentice’s growth.”

“...It is, is it?”