Chapter 2 — The Age of the Sword Apostle
Chapter 2 — The Age of the Sword Apostle
Part 12 — Intentions
So, from here forward, it’s back to my story.
The Arcana Kingdom had been engulfed completely in storm clouds, making it impossible to tell whether it was day or night. Having watched over the situation at the Wynne Family estate, I witnessed the clouds vanish and the bright light that followed.
“Seems it’s over.”
The star-filled night appeared for the first time in several days. It was as though a wind had blown through and swept the sky clear of clouds. In all honesty, I was caught by surprise when I felt the ki of anyone other than my master and myself.
That presence had then proceeded to manipulate the weather on an enormous scale. Even if that Immortal was doing it with Vajra’s help, it was still something that I could have never done myself, even with Vajra. The Immortal must have been someone who had trained as long or even longer than my master.
At the same time, I felt a certain corruption in that ki. Since my experience is limited to sensing the ki of myself and my master, I couldn’t be certain, but it felt like the other Immortal was ill in some fashion. The illness wasn’t a physical one, but a psychological one.
No doubt the possessor of that ki was an acquaintance of my master, and he had picked up his illness because he had hated him for an extraordinarily long time. Further, based on what the Sacred Treasures had said about my master, it seemed he was quite a hellion back in the day.
Still, as his apprentice, I didn’t want to learn that nearly everyone who knew my master hated him in some fashion. That was particularly true this time, since I felt a clear malice directed at him. It must have been someone who knew my master when he was still in training. I could understand that well enough.
“W-Was that...lightning?”
Blois, who was standing by my side at the time, was shocked at the enormous pillar of lightning that had just flashed past us. It had passed so quickly there wasn’t any trace of it left in its wake, but it had burned its afterimage into our eyes.
It was a blow that was, quite literally, capable of splitting the entire country in two. As his apprentice, all I could do was praise my master’s ability.
“It’s my master’s greatest technique, where he compresses all of the clouds near him and unleashes their power in a single blow. I’d heard of it before...but I never thought I’d see it with my own eyes...”
Since I knew that my master was monstrously powerful, I was confident I wouldn’t be shocked regardless of what he did. Blois, on the other hand, had only met him once, and it seems she hadn’t been able to get a complete impression of his power, so no doubt she’s shocked in more ways than one.
“So, that was Master Suiboku’s most powerful technique... If you kept training, would you be able to do it, as well?”
“...Well, my master has no intention of teaching it to me. It seems it’s a technique he developed in his youth.”
According to my master, weather manipulation as a whole wasn’t suited for use in combat. It takes a significant amount of time to create the storm clouds in the first place, and then you need to carry them around with you. There’s nothing you can do if you’re attacked while you’re creating the storm, and once you’ve used it, you’d have to secure another supply. As such, you can’t use it while you’re preparing it, and thus you can only really run away from your opponent.
If my master had only focused on teaching me that technique, I wouldn’t be able to serve as a bodyguard.
“That’s a technique that can only be used in a duel, after all.”
The Immortal who had prepared the storm clouds clearly meant to fight a duel with my master. He had spent an unimaginable amount of time training solely in preparation to face him. Then, after he’d taken Vajra, he’d spent weeks creating storm clouds...then used them in the fight. Even then, he wasn’t able to actually accomplish anything.
“Still, considering the scale of that Rare Art...there might be some collateral damage.”
“I can’t imagine my master making that sort of mistake, but...even setting that aside, I’m sure my master’s feeling quite apologetic.”
An old acquaintance had come to kill him, stole Vajra from the Domino Republic, and covered the entirety of the Arcana Kingdom in storm clouds. Ultimately, he himself had split the Arcana Kingdom in two.
“He’ll at least go make his apologies.”
“I have to admit that an apology for splitting the country feels a bit strange. If he’s feeling apologetic, he really shouldn’t have done it in the first place.”
“If he hadn’t used that technique, those clouds would have all turned to rain.”
“...I suppose you have a point.”
Because my master had compressed all of that energy into a single blow, he had split the country in half. However, if he hadn’t used that technique, the clouds would have simply come down on the kingdom as endless torrential rain. They would have quite literally washed it all away.
“My master will probably be waiting for me when I get back to the royal capital. I never thought I’d reunite with him like this... My intention was to avoid meeting him again until Lain was all grown up...”
“You don’t want to see him?”
“No, that’s not it at all. I do want to meet him. There’s no reason I wouldn’t want to see my master.”
I’m often called the Arcana Kingdom’s most powerful swordsman, but it’s a little embarrassing to have that moniker when I’m aware of my master’s ability. Still, though, it’s nice to have the fruits of my training praised by others.
It’s been five years since I started serving House Sepaeda. Lord Sepaeda trusts me, and I’ve been tasked not only to serve as a bodyguard, but then as an instructor. I, too, had a lot of things I wanted to report to my master.
“But there is something I’ve thought about as I’ve accumulated accomplishments after leaving my master. What does Master Suiboku himself think about his own master?”
I’m fine with meeting my master. I have nothing that I wouldn’t want him to learn. But what about him? My master had his own master for his Immortal Arts, and no doubt he learned a lot from them. With that in mind, does my master feel that he couldn’t face the people of his own homeland?
Everyone who knows of my master’s past all say that he’s quite different from the man he once was. The man they describe is far too different from the wonderful master that I know. Perhaps my master was ashamed of his past, and wants to keep it separated from his present.
“Blois, I have a home to return to as well. It’s not just House Sepaeda; my master’s side is also a place for me to return to, eventually. But perhaps my master doesn’t have a place to go home to...”
“...Yes, that’s probably true. But that’s probably something that can be fixed. When I met him, your master appeared to be a virtuous man. Of course, he may have just been pretending to be virtuous, but he was an admirable master over the five hundred years you were with him, right? If he could maintain it for five hundred years, then that’s who he is, not some facade. I’m sure he can settle the matter on his own.”
“...I hope so.”
But this was another matter entirely.
Blois had been able to resolve her rift with her family, but that was because she bore no responsibility for that rift in the first place. She had served as a bodyguard for House Sepaeda, and that had allowed her family to live a prosperous life.
While her older brother and sister felt conflicted about their feelings for Blois, they still appreciated her work. That should go without saying, since Blois had done nothing wrong, and also because her older brother and sister were, in their way, happy to some extent.
But what if my master had committed terrible acts in the past and if the victims were still suffering? If that was the case, then that flash of light wasn’t simply a way to deal with the storm clouds, but another layer of sin that my master had added to his accumulated burden. If his homeland is filled with nothing but people that he had made miserable, then there was nothing that could be done for him. That was the very definition of a situation that was too far gone to salvage.
“...Blois.”
“What?”
“We both had our share of struggles as we served as Lady Douve’s bodyguards, didn’t we?”
“Yeah, quite.”
Risking your life to protect the daughter of House Sepaeda was an extremely difficult job. Part of the problem was Lady Douve’s awful personality, but the role itself was also very demanding.
“Still, those days weren’t wasted. We may have hurt a lot of people in the process, but we were also protecting someone.”
“...True.”
We had protected Lady Douve, and in exchange, our families had been taken care of by House Sepaeda. That was an exchange of services, perhaps, but it was still something we should appreciate. As the Lord and the Lord Emeritus of House Sepaeda had bowed their heads to me in thanks, I, too, owe them my gratitude.
“No matter what everyone around you thinks, it’s good to be a little humble.”
“...I think you’re a little too humble, honestly.”
“Don’t complicate the subject... I’m trying to tie things together.”
“Then at least make your intentions a little clearer?”
“...In the past, my master probably lived thinking only about himself. He acted according to whether or not what he was doing was entertaining for him. That was why he...drew so much scorn upon himself.”
Evidently my master used to do whatever he wanted, without any regard to what happened to anyone else. As a result, he hadn’t made anyone happy, even himself.
“Yeah, long-seated hatred is a scary thing.”
“Yep, especially given that, at a minimum, he’s accumulated at least fifteen hundred years of hatred.”
“Of course, holding a grudge for that long is pretty bad too...”
“True. It takes an enormous amount of dedication to hate anyone for that length of time.”
I can say this with confidence, since I’ve lived for five hundred years, but holding a grudge for fifteen hundred years would require tremendous hatred. Unless something particularly terrible had happened, you’d just stop caring about the grudge after a certain length of time.
“I don’t know if this is the right way to phrase it, but time heals most wounds. Unless someone killed you or Lain, I don’t think I’d be able to hold a grudge for even a hundred years.”
“...If an Immortal killed me, could you hate them for a thousand years?”
“I’m pretty sure I’d hold that grudge for ten thousand years.”
“Really...?”
Blois smiles faintly, as though she’s pleased by the thought.
“Hey, Sansui, you didn’t do anything this time, right?”
“Not a single thing. I knew that my master would act, and I was on vacation, after all. And...”
“And?”
“And...considering what might happen, I wanted to be here.”
“To protect us?”
“Yes.”
I had guessed that the weather was going to be manipulated on a massive scale the moment I detected the Immortal’s ki. In the end, there had been no damage aside from the pitch-black skies, but the possibility of something going wrong had still existed. If that had happened, would Blois and Lain have been safe without me by their side?
“If I’m honest, there was a part of me that wondered if I needed to return to the royal capital. I wanted to protect Lady Douve, and there were also Saiga and Tahlan to consider.”
“But you stayed because...”
“Because the people I need to protect more than anyone else are you and Lain.”
I’m sure His Brothership, His Fathership, and even Lady Douve understood that. That was probably why they made no attempt to recall me. Of course, they had probably struggled with that idea, but that was true of me, too.
“I see... Honestly, I’m happy to hear that.”
It goes without saying, but Blois is still quite powerful. If she holds a sword in her hand and wields her Wind Magic, she’s still as strong as a Royal Guardsman. All the same, she’ll probably gradually lose her strength from here on out. There’s no pressing need for her to train, and she’ll be far from the front lines. The strength that she had spent so much effort to obtain would quickly be lost.
That’s fine, though. Blois has already fulfilled her duty.
“I guess I’m now someone to be protected rather than a protector.”
“Yeah, exactly.”
No matter how strong I am, there are those who are stronger, and I can’t protect everything, I can only be in one place at one time, after all. Of course, I’m currently House Sepaeda’s strong right arm, and otherwise just a swordsman. But since I’m on vacation, I want to prioritize my family over everything else.
“Say, Sansui... What if the country were at risk, and your master wasn’t going to act? Would you protect me, or the kingdom?”
“That’s a mean question...”
Of course, she isn’t asking the question in earnest. It’s just that she wants to hear me say it. In that sense, there’s a part of Lady Douve that has rubbed off on her.
“I’ll protect both with all my might. I promise.”
“Good. I’m happy to hear it.”
It was then that I remembered what first drove me to become a swordsman: I wanted to become strong in order to protect cute girls. Of course, I hadn’t wanted to spend this much effort to obtain that strength, but I am extremely proud of the fact that I now have the strength to protect the people who are most precious to me.
Part 13 — The Way Home
The next morning, the storm clouds that had probably covered the entire Arcana Kingdom had vanished and bright skies had appeared over the Wynne Family estate for the first time in several days. The people who had holed up in the house had been released from their uncertainty and raised their voices in celebration. Of course, there will probably be some damage from the days of dark cloud cover, but I’m sure they’ll be able to deal with it.
After all, despite days of gloomy storm clouds engulfing the sky, daily life had returned without any incidents of note.
Of course, that was probably all caused by an acquaintance of my master coming to kill him. Thinking about it that way, I couldn’t help but be extremely uncomfortable. Since I fully understood that it was all my master’s fault, I felt profound guilt over all the auras of people rejoicing.
At any rate, now that the skies have cleared, we should probably head back to the royal capital as well. Even though we haven’t received orders to do so, it isn’t good to be idle for too long. Since we’ve already reported our engagement, there wasn’t really any other reason to stay any longer, so the three of us decided to return at once.
“We would have preferred to spend a little more time here, but we’ll be heading back to the royal capital for now.”
The three of us and the five members of Blois’s family have gathered so we can say goodbye to them. It went without saying that I had explained everything about the storm clouds to the family when I had detected the presence of the Immortal. Since His Brothership and His Majesty couldn’t have detected what had happened themselves, the people who first grasped the situation other than my master were the people gathered here. Of course, it’s not like we could do anything just because we had grasped the situation.
“Very well... Then please give my regards to His Lordship.”
Blois’s father, Senve Wynne, bows his head to me.
“I’m glad you stayed with us during this incident, but still, it’s best not to offend His Lordship either. While I regret that you can’t stay longer, it’s probably for the best that you leave a little early.”
He sees us off with a very reasonable response. After all, there is not a thing to be gained by earning His Lordship’s ire.
“Blois... Since you finally finished your service, make sure you don’t do anything to offend His Lordship.”
Blois’s mother, Kette Wynne, was also worried about offending His Lordship and the rest of House Sepaeda. While it feels to me like they’re a little too worried about this particular thing, since their lives depended upon House Sepaeda’s approval, I can’t blame them. But, just as we’re about to take our leave, the feeling that we were about to be separated from the Wynne family is suddenly broken. We would continue to live our lives concerned about the approval of Lady Douve and the others.
“May I accompany you to the royal capital?”
Blois’s older sister, Chette Wynne, is a woman facing the prospect of her fading youth and is a tad emotionally unstable for that reason.
“I mean... If Master Sansui’s teacher has caused problems for the Arcana Kingdom, surely he’ll have prepared something in apology, yes?”
She’s certainly honest about her own desires. There’s something impressive about it, and how capable she is of imagining the most convenient outcome for herself. It’s a bad sort of optimistic, but considering the gloom she had been immersed in just days before, I suppose it’s an improvement.
“He might offer a strange medicine capable of restoring youth...!”
“...Father, I intend to accompany Chette as well. There would be nothing unusual about me meeting with Master Sansui’s father figure, Master Suiboku, in your stead, yes?”
Blois’s older brother, Hetter Wynne, thus proposes accompanying his older sister and keeping an eye on her. It seems that he has determined that it’s pointless to try to stop Chette, or that if he does stop her, she’ll return to her depression from a few days ago.
“I see... Lyra, what do you think?”
“Yes, Lyra. What do you think we should do?”
The parents, without batting an eye, check with their youngest daughter on whether or not to approve the proposal posed by their son and heir. Hetter looked hurt, but it seems he is sufficiently aware of his own failings that he can’t bring himself to show his anger.
“Since both Big Brother and Big Sister might cause problems for Master Sansui, I’ll accompany them as well.”
“That’s a relief.”
“Yes. Lyra’s very wise, after all.”
Blois’s younger sister, Lyra Wynne, is the youngest daughter, and the child that the parents seem to trust implicitly.
“Master Sansui, if Lyra determines that Hetter or Chette are doing something foolish, please feel free to beat them into submission.”
“Lyra, if you think things might be dangerous, make sure you ask him to hit them, alright? After all, it’s too late to do anything once things have already gone wrong.”
Um, should I really hit Blois’s older siblings? I still have some doubts about that, but after further thought, it occurs to me that I have frequently hit both the current Lord Sepaeda, His Brothership, and the previous Lord Sepaeda, His Fathership.
Thinking about it that way, perhaps hitting fools to make them behave is something that all of House Sepaeda engages in. It’s a practice that was worthy of a martial House, I guess, but it felt more like something samurai families would do. I suppose it’s a little bit reassuring to know that I can stop them through force, though.
“Father, Mother... Surely that’s...”
“Don’t be foolish, Hetter! I mean, the better option would be for you to not go at all!”
“Yes. In fact, we’d be justified in beating you right now!”
Yes, it was probably a problem for people who hadn’t been invited to just appear at the royal capital and meet with an important personage. But the only one who’s in la-la land in her desire to go to the royal capital is Chette, so there was no need to actually knock Hetter out.
“Father, Mother...”
Hetter evidently noticed the same thing, and is trying to object.
“You won’t have to be knocked out if you don’t go to the royal capital, Big Brother.”
“Nrr... Nrrrgh.”
“Silly Big Brother. Everyone can see that you want to go.”
Lyra really is a bright girl. I can understand why her parents trust her so much.
“Indeed!”
“Exactly!”
Both parents seem to agree. They’re actually right; in truth, it would be much easier if the Wynne siblings stayed at the estate. Chette might end up depressed again if she doesn’t go, sure, but if the three children all go then they could very well all end up being executed. That’s what it means to go to the royal palace uninvited. I mean, Chette actually tried to strangle me a few days ago. It would be completely unacceptable if she did that in the capital.
“It’ll be fine, Father, Mother. I’ll keep a close watch on Big Brother and Big Sister.”
“Could Lyra be...an Immortal?”
It’s Lain, herself relatively close in age to Lyra, who is extremely surprised by Lyra’s maturity. True, Lyra’s calm intelligence seems implausible otherwise.
“I had no idea that my younger sister was this smart...”
Blois, too, is surprised. Of course, so am I.
“Lyra... Why are you the only one getting praised?”
“Because I’m not doing anything I shouldn’t do. That’s all. Restraint is important, isn’t it, Big Brother?”
Yes, restraint is important. Of course, Lyra probably also wants to go to the royal capital herself. At the same time, she doesn’t want to go at the expense of her own reputation. She’ll tag along this time because she has a reason to do so, but if she didn’t, she probably would have calmly accepted staying home.
To put it simply, she is truly capable of making an informed cost-benefit analysis. She would rather deny herself her wish rather than try to push through by brute force. Ah, in that sense, she’s definitely not an Immortal. Lyra herself is probably aware of it, but she’ll never actually seek out and pursue the rarefied heights of accomplishment.
Her way of taking no reckless actions is an easy way to live and avoids social tension. While she does taunt her older brother, she does so only to the extent that she knows she’ll be forgiven for doing so as mere teasing. She doesn’t linger and continue to batter him.
It’s a smart way to live. Of course, that also means that she’ll seek the ideal solution within the extent of her abilities rather than seek a goal that she needs to exert herself to accomplish.
Putting it positively, she doesn’t obsess; putting it negatively, she lacks passion. While she won’t ever lose, she won’t win either. She’s decided to avoid the challenge in the first place. While she is extremely bright, she isn’t the sort of person to accomplish any great feats.
In that sense, Hetter was much more promising in terms of talent. The reason Hetter’s parents don’t regard him particularly highly is because there’s no need for a regional lord to be capable of achieving great feats. The man that Hetter wants to meet, coincidentally — Ukyou Fuushi, is a man who is obsession personified.
Perhaps people who achieve great feats are people who willingly seek out stressful situations. Those who climb because they have confidence, and those who understand restraint because of their self-awareness... I’m rather fond of both types of people.
That said, I actually rather dislike people who move to attack others when they are irritated.
“I was hoping to introduce my wife’s family to my master, so I would be happy to have all of you accompany me.”
“I’m grateful for your consideration... Look what you’ve done, Hetter, you now owe a debt to Blois’s husband!”
“Quite! Think it through more carefully... Owing a debt that you have no expectation of being able to repay!”
“Y-Yes sir, yes ma’am...”
Wow, the parents really are model nobles. Everything they’ve pointed out is perfectly rational and proper. People who are average but are doing their best... There’s no way I could dislike people like that. I’ve really grown fond of my in-laws.
And so we started on our way home from our honeymoon. Unlike travel by plane or train, a journey by carriage was bound to take several days or even weeks. Of course, we stopped at inns in the various post towns along the way, but that meant Blois, Lain, and I were just experiencing the same journey we’d undertaken on our way over, except in reverse.
After all, we were all nobles, and it wasn’t a problem for us to travel using two carriages. Our family was in one carriage, while Blois’s siblings were in the other. It meant we didn’t have to worry too much about offending them either.
We could even stay at different inns at the post towns, essentially making it as though we were two separate families who just happened to be traveling along the same road. It seemed the three of them intended to be considerate to us, in that regard. Or, rather, evidently the three of them weren’t particularly interested in traveling with me.
“I’m sorry that my family’s being a bother, Sansui.”
“Don’t worry about it, Blois. It’s a minor thing compared to what my master did.”
“I suppose that’s true... The sheer type and scale of the trouble is different... There’s simply no comparison.”
Quite. There is no comparison and they didn’t remotely cancel one another out. The fact that Blois’s older sister had tried to strangle me and the fact that my master and his friend had almost destroyed this entire kingdom and everyone in it... There was no way that we could both consider our sides at fault and tell the other not to worry about it. If anything, it’s simply a situation where we’re both feeling guilty. Adding a new wound on top of another wound still left you wounded.
“Papa’s master... Hrrm.”
Meanwhile, our daughter Lain didn’t complain that we weren’t being lovey-dovey like she had on the outbound trip. It seems the kingdom having faced destruction didn’t leave enough emotional bandwidth for her to worry about the relationship between her mom and dad.
“So... We should be able to see it soon.”
“See what?”
“What is it, Papa?”
I peer outside the carriage window and see the forest that brought back all sorts of memories: the forest that is, essentially, my second homeland.
“...Mm? Was there always a forest there?”
Blois’s question is perfectly understandable. We can see the forest far off in the distance, after all. It’s so large that it can be seen from far, far away. A small forest is one thing, but of course she finds the sudden appearance of a giant forest to be worthy of a little questioning. Of course, it’s only a little bit of questioning.
“That’s my master’s forest.”
“Huh? Isn’t that near the royal capital?”
“We’re still in the Sepaeda territories. Even if we were facing the right way, we shouldn’t be able to see it.”
This planet is round, just like Earth, so things that are far away are hidden by the planet’s curvature. Even if that wasn’t the case, if it wasn’t a particularly tall mountain, another mountain would get in the way. However, if something was high up in the air, it can be seen from far away.
“Huh...?”
“Wha...?”
As the carriage slowly made its way along the road, the scenery around us also slowly changed. Once we crested a decently tall hill, it was possible to see that my master’s forest was floating in the air.
“In terms of positioning, I think it’s right over the royal capital.”
“Wow...!”
“For the love of all that’s holy...”
It’s not a mirage or an illusion. The forest is, in fact, floating in mid-air. It was an Immortal Art of Master Suiboku’s, one that allows him to move the earth.
“You know how I have a technique called Feather Step? The mechanics are the same as that. Of course, it’s a much, much more advanced version of it.”
It goes without saying, but this is the first time I’ve ever seen it for myself. Even so, I can at least understand the mechanics behind it simply by looking at it from afar. Besides, I already figured it was possible. I mean, I’d spent five hundred years in that forest. I knew the absurd amount of ki that my master had poured into those woods.
“So you’ll be able to do that too, Papa?”
“If I practice for a long, long time, yes. But that’s far, far into the future.”
I think my master is impressive and respect him as my predecessor. But, in all honesty, I have no real desire to learn that technique. I already have enough strength, and I’m happy with what I have.
The time I’m in now is more important to me than some far-off future where Lain and Blois have already left the world. I have plenty I want to do, things I want to do for them, things I need to do, and so I am content with my life.
Even as an Immortal, it’s much too far in the future to think about what I would do after these days have passed.
Part 14 — In the Palace
At last, we’d finally arrived at the royal capital, which still has a giant forest floating in the air over it.
Despite that, the city is still relatively lively. Much of that is probably attributable to the fact that the forest, unlike the storm clouds of a few days ago, isn’t doing any noticeable harm. Moreover, it’s so far up in the sky that the people living right underneath it have to crane their heads so far backward that it’ll hurt their necks if they actually want to see it.
“It’s a lot more normal than I thought it’d be, Papa. I figured everyone would be in a big panic, but it seems they aren’t.”
As Lain noted, there isn’t any particular panic evident among the people, and my return hadn’t elicited any particular response either. Nothing had happened, even though the apprentice of the man who is currently levitating a giant forest above them had returned to the capital. Yeah, everything is back to normal.
“...Sansui, just to confirm. What’s it like inside the palace?”
“It’s a heck of a mess in there. Specifically, everyone there is looking right toward us.”
It seems Blois has already realized, but the capital’s peace is being maintained through an enormous amount of effort from everyone involved. The people inside the palace are extremely nervous, mostly because my master is in the palace, waiting for me to arrive. They are all afraid of the man who had brought a giant levitating forest and parked it above the capital. That’s entirely understandable, given that he can just destroy the city by letting the forest fall whenever he feels like it.
“Everyone’s more afraid of my master than I thought they’d be...”
I had expected that they’d be afraid of his power, but I didn’t anticipate that even the lords who have Shouzo and I as retainers would be quite this intimidated. I suppose that’s because they know we’re loyal, but that knowledge doesn’t apply to my master.
“Well, of course. I mean, in your case, you’d already established a trusting relationship with Their Lordships before you revealed your true ability. If they’d known you could defeat the entire Royal Guard on your own at the very start, I’m sure they would’ve been much more wary of you.”
“Yeah, that’s true.”
Although they’d had no idea where I had been born or just how strong I was, they trusted me based on my demeanor and we’d had an easy employer-employee relationship. Before they’d discovered that I’m five hundred years old, anyway.
But, in my master’s case, he has already shown that he possesses the ability to easily destroy the kingdom, and they have no real information about his personality to reassure them. Moreover, he’d openly confessed to destroying countless countries in the past. Given that he’d destroyed those countries because they’d irritated him, it was perfectly natural for Their Lordships to be alarmed by his presence.
“Under the circumstances, I’m even more worried about Big Sister and Big Brother. Given just how tense everyone is, if a few vassals were to come visiting on a lark, well... I can’t really blame them for how they’ll respond to that.”
“Yup, that’s true...”
“...True.”
Blois’s parents had been completely correct; if I’d just knocked Chette and Hetter out when they brought up the idea, it’d have saved us all a lot of trouble.
We meet up with the other three at the entrance to the palace and climb down from our carriages.
“Well, well... That really is impressive. To be able to just walk into the palace like this... It’s the dream of a lifetime for a country noble like me.”
As we feared, Hetter is in a state of nervous excitement. Given that he has always been interested in making a name for himself, I don’t doubt that it’s a joyful occasion for him to just set foot inside the royal palace. Ordinarily, he’d never be allowed in, and if he tried to force the issue they’d just throw him in the dungeon. That he’s just so happy at being able to enter the castle is probably a sign that he really is a country boy at heart. I suppose there was a time when I was like that too...
“So this is where the gentleman who’s making the forest levitate — Master Sansui’s master — currently is... Given that he can make such a large forest float, surely he can make me younger...”
But setting Hetter aside, Chette was even worse off, completely lost in her own fantasy world. No doubt she’ll be overwhelmed by her emotions when she sees that my master looks younger than I do. While I don’t think my master has a means of making her younger, she’ll probably lose control of herself if her hopes are dashed. If that happens, I’ll have no choice but to knock her out.
“They both just seem...well, stupid. I shouldn’t have come along...”
Lyra looks intensely embarrassed at the sight of her older siblings. Pretty much the same way we feel, really.
“Master Sansui, could you just knock them out and shove them back in the carriage?”
“But nothing’s happened yet.”
“It’ll be too late once something happens... At this rate, all of Blois’s hard work will have been for nothing.”
I understand what Lyra’s feeling. I really, really do. Now that I’ve seen Hetter and Chette, His Brothership and His Fathership seem pretty tame by comparison. In spite of all their issues, they’re still calm and collected when it matters. True, the two lords of House Sepaeda had a tendency to get up to hijinks when there are no pressing matters at hand, but Blois’s two older siblings look about ready to make a spectacular mistake right when it really matters.
“To be so cheery when you haven’t even been invited... You know that if His Lordship’s in a bad mood, getting beheaded is going to be the least of our worries, right?”
“Hahaha! You worry too much, Lyra!”
“That’s right. The capital was so lively, remember?”
“Big Brother, Big Sister, you’re both so oblivious. Why are you making assumptions about people who you’ve never even met?”
This is the point where I begin to regret bringing these two here. I had no idea they’d get this excited just from coming to the capital. While I’m pretty fond of Hetter, it’s for that exact reason that I start to wonder if I shouldn’t just immediately lay him out.
“Master Sword Apostle! You’ve returned!”
With that, the carriage lot is suddenly abuzz with people. A large number of soldiers who are in an anxiously, almost fearfully hurried state have suddenly appeared. Even Hetter and Chette are shocked at the tension they exude.
“Yes, I arrived a few moments ago. It appears His Lordship and my master are here, so I would like to meet with them.”
“I see... Then, please, come with us!”
“His Majesty and the lords of the Four Great Houses are waiting!”
They’re treating me as though I’m long-awaited reinforcements, coming to bail them out of an absolutely desperate predicament. Despite the fact that we’re about to have an audience with the king, they hurry me along as though I’m a doctor rushing to an ER patient. Ushered along by the soldiers, we make our way at a fast walk to the throne room.
“...Ahm, are we about to have an audience with His Majesty the King?”
It seemed the situation had dawned on him midway through the journey, and so Hetter murmurs the question, the color draining from his face. Since he’s accompanying us, yes, that is exactly what is about to happen. Of course, if we were to part ways here, it would mean a vassal of House Sepaeda would be left to wander the palace aimlessly, having arrived uninvited.
“Oh dear... Say, Lyra, does my makeup look alright?”
“It’s fine, Big Sister. No one’s in any state to notice,” Lyra reassures Chette, as the latter frets over her appearance in a frankly misguided fashion. If she’s going to worry about something minor like her makeup, she should probably be more concerned about the much larger reality that she shouldn’t be here in the first place.
“We’ve brought the Sword Apostle!”
The six of us hurriedly entered the throne room. It goes without saying that the king awaited within, flanked by the heads of the Four Great Houses.
Blois’s siblings all freeze when they notice that the king and the Four Great Lords are all present. That reaction is probably how they ought to react, given that the five men comprised the top leadership of the Arcana Kingdom. For better or for worse, the three of us — me, Blois, and Lain — are well acquainted with all of them and thus notice quickly that they all seem terrified of something.
“Were you able to enjoy your vacation, Sansui?”
Even if he is terrified, there was no way my lord would ever let it show on his features. His Brothership maintains the pretense that everything is normal and greets me with a casual question.
“Yes, I was able to pay my respects to Blois’s parents. I thank you for your consideration in providing me with leave,” I respond, kneeling as I do so. It had been a pretty fun trip, and I really did appreciate having the opportunity to meet with Blois’s family.
As I speak, Blois’s siblings look upon me with a certain amount of envy about the simple chat I’m having with His Brothership. Like their middle sister, I am also a direct subordinate of Lord Sepaeda. While they had naturally known that on an intellectual level, seeing it for themselves must have given it a new sense of reality. The fact that we had been shown into the throne room immediately upon arrival is also kind of absurd, when you stop to think about it.
However, this isn’t the time to worry about Blois’s siblings.
“No doubt you’ve already noticed, but...”
“Yes. I felt the presence of both ki and Vajra’s power in the storm clouds covering the kingdom, and thus I surmised that it was caused by an acquaintance of my master.”
“That’s right. Your master’s brother apprentice sought to kill him, first attacking the Domino Republic before setting foot in our kingdom. Saiga, Shouzo, Tahlan, and Ran intercepted him under Lord Ukyou’s command, but... In the end, it was your master, Suiboku, who defeated the intruder.”
It goes without saying that I hadn’t known those details. I was able to tell that Master Suiboku and his acquaintance were fighting, even from afar, but I had no way of knowing that any others had been involved in the fight. Even though three aces that His Majesty and the Four Lords put their faith in had been deployed, they had still been unable to win. And if Ran and Tahlan had been part of that force as well, just how great were the heights of power that Master Suiboku’s brother apprentice had achieved?
I could say without a doubt that, even if I had been here, I wouldn’t have been able to do anything about him. Yet, in spite of that, the intruder probably wasn’t even able to scratch my master.
“Practically speaking, there was no actual damage. The sun disappeared for several days, but the bright days since have made up for that. While there will likely be some impact on this year’s harvest, it’s not bad enough that we can’t handle it. Considering that the enemy was an Immortal, one who was over four thousand years old, we got off remarkably lightly.”
Considering that my master had destroyed several countries in the past, getting away with just losing a few crops can definitely be considered a win.
“But, aside from that... Well, that is. Ahem. Go and have a chat with your master.”
“Very well. Thank you, Your Lordship.”
Now, it was my turn to talk to the man that had the five great men here cowering.
“It’s been a while, Master. I didn’t think I would see you again so soon,” I say, greeting my master. He, of course, is standing calmly in a corner of the room.
It was only after I spoke to him that Lain, Blois, and Blois’s siblings realized that my master was here at all. Like me, my master doesn’t have much in the way of a presence. While he does exude an aura, it’s so in tune with nature that if he’s standing still it’s difficult to notice that he’s there at all.
“Yes, indeed. While I’m happy to see you again, you also have my apologies. Especially as it seems I caused problems for your employer.”
Lyra, Hetter, and — more than anyone — Chette all look astonished at the sight of my master. While they had probably expected something unusual, Master Suiboku still appears to be younger than me.
“It was all my fault. You need not forgive me.”
My master appears truly penitent — no doubt this has all been extremely hard on him. But, as Master Suiboku already understands, the person who had suffered the most must have been his brother apprentice. Had it been a conflict between two Japanese people, the worst possible outcome would have been the victim of bullying training hard to get revenge, only to find that the bully had gotten even stronger than him, and the victim ultimately losing.
“Master Suiboku, this is the Arcana Kingdom. As it’s a country of mortals, let’s leave the judgment to His Majesty the King. I will simply adhere to his decision.”
“Yes, you’re right... I truly have caused everyone so many problems. That’s true of my friend — my brother apprentice — and true of you, my own apprentice. If there’s anything I can do as penance, I intend to do it. Still, if you intend to take my head, I would like a bit of time before the sentence is carried out.”
As someone from Japan, my personal belief is that if someone strong enough to casually destroy the world comes offering his head as penance, it’s way too daunting to actually take them up on that offer. I’m pretty sure that the people of the Arcana Kingdom feel the same way.
“But I suppose they wouldn’t want the head of this old geezer. It wouldn’t fetch a single copper.”
“Then do you have a proposal?”
“Yes. While I haven’t taught them to you, I have a number of techniques that can create various items that have value in the mortal world. I intend to offer up those items.”
“You can do such things?”
I hadn’t actually expected that anything like the object of Chette’s fervent hopes actually existed.
“They weren’t necessary for you, since you wanted to be the strongest, and I never felt the need to make them for myself.”
As for the reason he hadn’t made any, it’s exactly as I expected. It made sense that, if they’re items that normal people would want, he never felt the need to make them even though he could.
“And as with other Immortal Arts, it takes time both to learn the techniques and to prepare the item. However, that isn’t an issue this time.”
Then, my master unwraps the linen parcel he had placed on the floor. Immediately after, a rich, sweet scent spreads through the room. The aroma of the room changes so rapidly and so thoroughly that it’s hard to believe that Master Suiboku had just opened a cloth bundle. Everyone in the room who had been frightened of my master is drawn to the objects that my master sets out.
While I don’t feel any hunger, the scent is almost enough to make my mouth water. At the very least, I know it’s something delicious.
“When I was wandering, I still had much to learn, so I relied upon these quite a bit. They are the Coiled Peach and the Divine Ginseng, considered the ultimate mortal panaceas.”
They’re fruits: one is a peach, while the other is an odd shape that resembles a human child.
“The Coiled Peach refreshes the body’s blood and its power, removing all fatigue. As for the Divine Ginseng, it can regrow lost limbs and repair lost eyes and noses.”
I only recall this vaguely, but if I remember correctly, the Mystic Arts can’t regrow lost limbs or even restore lost sight. The only person I know who can regrow lost limbs or torn eyes is Ran the Berserker, and even she can only regrow her own body parts. For a normal person, losing a limb or eye is the end of their functionality.
While the Coiled Peach’s effects might seem humble in contrast to the Divine Ginseng, it is still remarkable. Up until this point, I had never heard of an item that could recover mana or ki.
“Both are extremely potent, so eating them in excess can kill a mortal, but they’re not so powerful that they need to be taken in careful doses. I don’t see anyone who needs the Divine Ginseng here, but I’ll cut up the Coiled Peach and we can each have a slice.”
With that, my master begins to cut up the Coiled Peach using a borrowed knife and cutting board. As he cuts into the mystical fruit, its aroma grows more intense, and everyone in the room can’t help but stare intently at my master.
“There, enjoy!”
A server picks up the slices of the fruit that my master had prepared and carries them over to the others. While the server appears tempted to take a slice, his sense of professionalism keeps him from doing something so uncouth. Ordinarily, there’s no way that people of high rank would ever eat an unknown fruit without having a taster check for poison first. Moreover, given that my master, who had brought and offered the fruit, had noted that eating too much of it would kill you, so it’s hard to imagine anyone wanting to eat it at all.
But, well, this is my master who’s offering it, the man who had levitated a giant forest and parked it high above the Royal Capital. It would actually be more surprising if he took the trouble to use poison here to kill people, since it would be much easier for him to simply beat the offending party to death. In that sense, rejecting a gift from my master is something that takes a certain amount of courage. After all, he might be offended at having his gift rejected.
Putting all of that aside, the Coiled Peach had filled the room with a mouth-watering scent, one so strong that I think people would eat it even if they understood that it could kill them if they ate too much. Everyone present can’t resist the aroma, and so they each quietly bring a slice to their lips, wordlessly chewing and swallowing.
Now, I suppose I should eat it too. My master had prepared a slice for the server, after all, so it’d be disrespectful if I didn’t eat it myself.
“Mm.”
Since I don’t get hungry, eating isn’t an enjoyable act. I’ve long since forgotten the pleasures associated with eating something tasty and feeling sated afterward; at the same time, I’ve also forgotten the suffering associated with hunger. I can never quite decide whether the tradeoff is worth it. Thinking upon that, I can’t help but feel a trace of sadness.
However, even I can feel the effects of the Coiled Peach. A powerful burst of ki spreads all through my body after I swallow the slice. At the same time, everyone else’s bodies begin practically overflowing with vital energy.
When I cast glances around the room, everyone is silently basking in the warm glow of happiness. To be so fulfilled after eating a single slice must mean that it’s just that delicious. As for myself, I can’t enjoy that flavor. I feel like I’m missing out, like I’m being excluded, because I can’t share in that sense of happiness.
“My...”
Chette, who had been basking in the afterglow of eating her slice, finally notices the physical effects of the Coiled Peach. She touches her skin and marveled at its firmness. As she had hoped, her body has regained its suppleness.
That’s also true of everyone else; regardless of gender, everyone’s skin is glowing. Of course, the glow is just the surface effect. Beneath the skin, everything from internal organs to blood vessels had been rejuvenated and restored to mint condition.
Now, this is also true of my body and of my master’s, showing that the Coiled Peach is truly an amazing fruit. The fact that it can help a mortal, even temporarily, achieve a physical state approaching that of an Immortal who had spent countless years obtaining that health, is nothing short of remarkable.
“My, my, my!”
Chette, who had gotten the effects that she hoped for — no, beyond what she had hoped for — looks positively giddy with excitement. Of course, that doesn’t much distinguish her from the others, every one of whom is in a similar state. However, considering the rarefied company she’s in, it’s still plenty embarrassing.
Still, everyone is slowly regaining their senses. They should feel re-energized, both physically and mentally, without fatigue or listlessness. As the reality of that effect sinks in, some of them even feel a prickle of fear about what they’d experienced.
Having regained their composure, the mortals once again look upon my master.
“Indeed, this is a remarkable fruit...”
His Majesty the King, representing everyone in the room, stated his honest opinion with a voice filled with reverential awe. Now that they had directly experienced the effects of the Coiled Peach, there’s no reason for them to doubt the ability of the Divine Ginseng to regrow limbs. Given that, this represents a tangible and surprising way for them to truly come to understand that my master and I are actually immortal.
“They’re certainly the items that are most appreciated by mortals out of all the things I can create. There were quite a few who sought these things in the past.”
My master seems reassured and pleased that his penitential gifts had been well-received. Just as my master had noted, they do seem like items that many people would want to obtain. Looking at just how happy Chette appears to be, I imagine that they would be particularly sought after by women.
“No doubt...” His Majesty says, agreeing with my master’s sentiment. While His Majesty is still too young to be considered elderly, he is certainly at an age where he can feel his own physical decline.
“Indeed. A long time ago, when I was creating Coiled Peaches deep in a secluded mountain, a queen who claimed the mountains as part of her lands sent a messenger to me. She had mistaken the Coiled Peach for an elixir of eternal life and demanded that I hand it over. Since I was the one who had intruded upon her domain, and I had a few in my possession at the time, I gave about half of them over to her. They had the effect that the queen had hoped for, but evidently she’d gotten the wrong idea in her head, and later demanded that I hand over the rest. I couldn’t very well give her all of my Coiled Peaches, and I’d already told her that it took several years to make them, but she didn’t believe me...”
Oh, I see. So the Coiled Peaches’ efficacy had caused him that sort of problem in the past.
“In the end, I ended up destroying that country. I suppose women are as obsessed with beauty as men are with strength.”
The problem had been more serious than I thought. His Majesty is also struck dumb, as it had clearly been a far more serious matter than he had first imagined.
“Well, of course, it wasn’t just queens who wanted the Coiled Peaches. Plenty of male kings demanded them, as well. Often, they’d want them to feed to their wives and daughters, in addition to themselves. In the end, they tried to restrain me because the peaches were so effective and, alas, it always ended the same way.”
While Master Suiboku is so casual about the events that he makes it sound like they had happened to someone else, that’s probably not why he’s so matter-of-fact about it. He probably thought that, since the countries had attacked him first, he had been fully justified in destroying them. I don’t particularly disagree with that stance.
“Nothing in this world is eternal. If anyone is concerned about their beauty or their skin, then they should stop drinking spirits, eat grains and fruits, and get enough sleep. Really work at it.”
You can maintain your health through a balanced diet and appropriate amounts of exercise. Of course, just stating the obvious doesn’t actually work in human society.
“Then again, if I were to start on that, then I suppose it’s better to not fight with a blade than it is to learn a technique to heal a sword wound. No doubt it all sounds like hollow hypocrisy coming from a battle junkie such as myself,” my master says in a jocular tone, but no one else in the room could quite bring themselves to laugh.
“I see... I now understand at least partly why you’re said to have destroyed countless countries.”
His Majesty’s understanding seems to be accompanied by a healthy dose of fear. I doubt my master had ever or would ever go out of his way to destroy a country. At least, that’s my impression on the subject.
One of the reasons that he had often ended up destroying countries was because he had learned extremely useful Immortal Arts techniques. Such desire had been present in the queen who had demanded all of my master’s Coiled Peaches, and based on how Chette had acted recently, no doubt a fair number of women at any point in history would lust after the secret of my master’s youth.
It was precisely because he could create things that had the desired effect that my master had received requests and demands from all sorts, which then became the all-encompassing need to possess him, a tendency that no doubt grew stronger as one went up the social totem pole. At the very least, people like the émigré nobles from the Domino Empire would probably have come to similar conclusions.
But in my master’s case, he’s strong enough to actually fight back and defeat an entire country if it tries to constrain him. If the ruler of a country mobilizes his entire army to try to secure my master, my master has enough strength to massacre the entire force. That was why all those countries ended up destroyed in the end. Of course, that’s probably not all of it.
Still, I doubt that would occur with this King of Arcana, because he had learned of my master’s absurd power before he had discovered how useful my master could be.
“Still, I would rather not have you fear me so much. I have no intention of destroying this country. This isn’t any attempt to curry favor, simply an item offered in apology, so please accept it.”
More than anything, my master feels a certain, entirely justified level of guilt toward the Arcana Kingdom. Since my master generally acts without weighing the costs and benefits beforehand, unless the king demands that my master declare eternal fealty and serve the kingdom forever, no doubt he’ll accede to most requests.
While a queen in the distant past had evidently angered him by demanding all of the Coiled Peaches he had created, in this particular instance, my master had created the Coiled Peaches with the intention of giving them all to the Arcana Kingdom.
“Oh, that reminds me.”
As I mull these things over, my master turns to look at me. Or rather, he’s looking at Blois and me.
“This is something that I should be ashamed of as an Immortal. I forgot to mention something.”
I wonder what it is that he had forgotten.
“Sansui.”
“Yes?”
“You don’t have any sexual desire, do you?”
Just why does he need to bring this up in front of everyone? I mean, he and I might have set aside our physical desires, but I’d at least hoped he had retained some sense of decorum.
“I don’t, no.”
Still, there’s no point in lying about it, so I decide to answer him honestly. For her part, Blois looked extremely embarrassed. Considering that we’re in front of really important people, as well as her siblings, I really wish my master hadn’t brought this particular subject up at this particular moment.
“Yes, it’s true that an Immortal who has trained for a long time loses his physical desires. However, there’s a technique to restore them.”
“...Huh?”
Blois looks shocked at the revelation. I, too, am extremely surprised.
“Or rather, without using this technique, an Immortal can’t have children.”
“Wha?”
Hearing my master’s explanation, Blois lets out a demoralized whimper.
Wait, so does that mean... So, just what had been the point of all our struggles, embarrassment, and effort...?
“The technique is called the Golden Balm, and it allows you to manipulate your physical age... But... Well, it’s been a long time since I’ve had reason to think about that side effect...”
It wasn’t surprising that my master had forgotten about a technique that could restore his libido, considering that he’d spent centuries training by himself in the middle of a forest. Or rather, it would have been kind of sad if the young Master Suiboku had as strong a libido as he had a drive to fight, and had been constantly chasing after women, so perhaps it’s better this way.
“Now, an Immortal is one who draws in the ki of nature into themselves. As such, manipulating one’s body is also part of the Immortal Arts.”
Master Suiboku begins gathering his ki around his belly, and his body starts to change. My master, who had previously appeared as a child not much older than Lain, quickly becomes clearly taller than I am. Not only is he now bigger than me, but he also looks older.
“As you see, the Golden Balm technique allows you control over your body. This time, I created it within my body, but I can also manifest it externally to form a pill for you to take. Now, bear in mind that if a mortal consumes this, it’ll act as a deadly poison, giving them a temporary surge of energy before killing them. Do be careful with it.”
“Oh, thank you.”
I took a small, round pill from the now grown-up Master Suiboku. To think the day when I would look up at my master had finally come. You really can never tell what will happen in this world.
This Golden Balm medicine didn’t look particularly strange to the naked eye, but it contained enormous amounts of ki from my master, just like the Coiled Peach and Divine Ginseng.
“So... If he takes this, Papa will get big as well?” Lain says, looking expectantly at my now-adult master.
“Indeed, it’ll work the exact same way,” My master says, smirking with his grown-up features. True, he had proven the technique’s effects.
“So... If he takes this, will Sansui view me as a woman?” Like Lain, Blois is looking expectantly at my master, who is now taller than she is.
“Well, I can’t guarantee that,” my master says in the pitiless tones of an adult. “Or, rather, isn’t it up to you to make that happen, in the end?”
“Y-Yes, you’re right!” Blois answers with conviction, albeit after first shrinking back a little.
So this is what it looks like when my master gives romantic advice to a woman. That’s another surprise, really.
“Now...”
As I’m about to take the medicine, Blois and Lain begin looking at me expectantly. It’s a little difficult to actually swallow the pill when they’re staring so intently at me. I mean, sure, this will make me an adult, but growing up isn’t always all that it’s cracked up to be...
I glance around the room and can’t help but I notice that everyone else is also looking on with intense curiosity.
“Very well.”
Since I don’t have the option of not taking it, I swallow the medicine. I don’t bother savoring it or anything, and the moment I swallow it, my body absorbs it completely. The enormous power that had been contained within spreads out rapidly and thoroughly. I can feel a warmth rushing through my body, awakening things that had long been dormant.
This is pretty similar to the effect that Tainted Blood has on the body, incidentally.
“Mmm...”
“So, how is it?”
“Yes, this would definitely kill anyone other than an Immortal if they took it...”
I can feel the ki, the power of nature, course through my veins. I can observe every part of my body, even as I work to contain the powerful energy from harming me.
At this point, my body begins to grow, just as my master’s had. Not only do my limbs grow longer, but my muscles thicken. I don’t end up particularly tall, just enough to be on the upper end of normal. As I glance around afterward, I can see the world in a different way, as my perspective has shifted noticeably upward. Moreover, even as I look out differently, others look at me with new expressions.
“Um... Master, it seems like my voice has changed too.”
“Yes, it has.”
“The sudden growth makes me feel odd — restless, even. How long will this last?”
“It should wear off by tomorrow morning or so.”
I’m not short as my master, so I’m not particularly dissatisfied with my height. In that sense, becoming taller isn’t something that makes me particularly happy. However, I can feel the heat radiating from the gazes that Blois and Lain are sending my way. Both of them look really happy as they stare up at me.
Yes, I am now taller than Blois.
“So, this is the real Sansui...”
“So, this is the real Papa...”
Blois and Lain look overjoyed as they witness my temporary, drug-induced growth. That is, a false physique I’d gained from doping. Honestly, having them look so enamored at this false, temporary body of mine is something of a blow to my confidence.
“Sansui! What do you feel when you look at me?” Blois asks enthusiastically, evidently forgetting about everyone around us.
Until a few moments ago, I had naturally considered Blois to be beautiful, but it was the sort of appreciation for beauty that one felt when looking at a wildflower. Now, though, I can feel my heart beat faster in a way it hasn’t for a long, long time.
“Wow...”
I feel a pang of nostalgia, even as I struggle to process the changes that had happened inside of me.
I remember this. This feeling is...
“Blois, you might yell at me for saying this, but...”
“W-What is it?”
It seems Blois is hoping for me to say something as she gazes up at me. She’s in no state of mind to register my preface that she might get mad about my forthcoming frank observation.
“I’m really...”
“You’re really...what?”
“Really hungry.”
An unbelievably loud grumble echoes out from my stomach, clearly signaling to the world that it’s starving. Yes, this pang is unmistakably a pang of hunger. I have now regained my sense of hunger for the first time in five hundred years.
“Err?”
It isn’t that I don’t feel any desire for Blois. I do. It’s just that I’m so close to starvation that I can’t focus on anything else.
“This is the first time I’ve ever seen Sansui seem so weak,” His Brothership murmurs beneath the sound of my rumbling stomach.
In fact, I’m so hungry that I feel faint. Having my physical desires back apparently means that I also feel hunger and thirst. This is evidently the price I have to pay.
“Sansui...”
“Papa...”
Although I feel bad about disappointing them, I’m so hungry that I can’t even make a gesture to that effect.
“Mm... You still need more training.”
“My apologies...”
Evidently, it is possible to avoid feeling starved after using the Golden Balm. I guess I’ll need to be careful to make sure this doesn’t happen again.
“Well, it’s worth experiencing things not going as expected when you first try them. If you’re not used to your grown limbs, you can very well be caught off guard from the slightest of slips.”
My master’s face, the one that I had been looking up at earlier, is now at around the same height as my own.
“Once you’ve eaten, come see me. It’s time that I give you more instruction.”
Part 15 — Enlightenment
Not everyone in the palace is a noble or royal. There are, of course, people of various different social classes, and as a result there are also several mess halls, each catering to a different social class.
As for us, we’re having lunch at one of the eating areas that sits squarely in the middle of the hierarchy of palace mess halls. While we had eaten several times as a family on our vacation, I hadn’t really enjoyed those meals, as I had no sense of hunger at the time. So, in a sense, this is perhaps my first proper meal since coming to this world.
“Phew... I’m quite full...”
Just because it was my first meal in five hundred years didn’t mean I was going to eat five hundred years worth of food. I ate an average amount of food for a grown man, and was sated afterward.
“...Wow. It’s like Sansui is an ordinary man.”
“Yeah... Papa’s normal.”
Blois and Lain are both really surprised just by the fact that I ate something. No, it wasn’t just surprise; they’re actually moved by the sight. I suppose it’s true that there’s something a little creepy about having a husband or a father who never eats anything. After all, when I was like that, I couldn’t share in their feelings or experiences, after all.
Still, this experience had made me realize all the more that I was an Immortal. After all, I had completely forgotten one of the most basic needs of any living thing up until just a little while ago.
“So... Blois. Not to bring up the subject from earlier, but, what do you think of me now?”
“You’re really handsome!”
“Yes! Papa’s handsome!”
I don’t feel even an iota of pleasure from having this facade praised by them. Could it be that the two of them actually hate me? I mean, I would prefer that they look at who I really am. Still, it isn’t that I don’t understand their complaints. That’s what makes this difficult for me. I mean, in my case, if Blois was going to remain a little child forever, or if Lain had stayed a baby indefinitely, while I wouldn’t hate them, I’d still have my problems with that situation.
Even though both of them don’t despise my natural state, they do have their complaints. Or rather, even without putting too much thought into it, it would be even more problematic if they completely loved how I had looked up to this point.
“I see...”
So we’ve ended up solving a problem that I originally had no intention of solving. I mean, I don’t care about my own appearance, and if anything I’m pretty hurt at how much the two of them like how I look right now, but I suppose it’s a good thing that the two of them are happy.
Oh, right, speaking of solving problems...there’s also the issue of Chette.
“Ahh... Look, Hetter, Blois, Lyra... Isn’t my skin lovely?”
Having obtained the effect that she had longed for, Chette now basks in the suppleness of her skin, not even thinking to touch her meal. She had come to this land looking for a faint sliver of hope, and she had, through sheer luck, obtained it. It’s very much like a miracle, and one she hadn’t even had to work for.
“Big Sis... Could you stop? It’s embarrassing.”
“Big Sister, you should know that we all have the same effect.”
Chette is an adult woman who has opted to indulge in a smug sense of superiority by continually stroking her own skin in public. Since she is their older sister, it’s understandable why Lyra and Hetter are so embarrassed by her behavior.
“Oh, that’s...true.”
Just as Lyra had noted, all six of us had eaten the Coiled Peach. Obviously the young girls like Lyra and Lain have beautiful, supple skin, but now that is even true of Hetter, as well.
“...”
Chette looks crestfallen, as though she has been woken from a dream. Her lips pout into a moue of disappointment and she stops stroking her cheeks. Evidently it just isn’t as fun when there’s no envy involved. I understand why she feels that way, and it is absolutely an improvement over how depressed she was a few days ago. But, wow, she is making no effort to hide how satisfied she is.
“You really can be a bother sometimes, Big Sister. I know my nephew and niece, and even your husband, have all been struggling to deal with you.”
“...”
It seems that Lyra’s obvious critique makes her feel uncomfortable, and so Chette turns away with a pout. Lyra is right: Chette really is being awfully selfish.
“Anyway... I still find it hard to believe. I really was in the presence of His Majesty and the lords of the Four Great Houses just a short while ago,” Hetter says, trying to change the subject. We all hop onto this new topic eagerly.
“It made me realize my own limitations. Just being in that room felt oppressive to me. You’ve always been in places like that, right, Blois? Didn’t you find it suffocating?”
“Yes, that’s right, Big Brother. Unlike Sansui, I also had to attend society events, so I had to put in quite a lot of work to avoid doing or saying anything that could be construed as an offense.”
“Mmhm... There’s nothing to envy about that. I really am sorry.”
Blois had been the daughter of a mere vassal of House Sepaeda in rooms filled with the most influential people in the Arcana Kingdom. Those were environments that had been rife with constant stress, and Blois hadn’t had any emotional bandwidth to actually enjoy those opportunities. All she was able to do in those situations was to reduce her presence to a bare minimum and hope that nothing happened. It was much the same for Hetter. While he had certainly aspired to move in those circles, when he had actually been among them, there had been nothing remotely enjoyable about the experience.
“I see we put a lot on your shoulders...” Hetter mused. At long last, Hetter finally seems to understand what Blois had dealt with all those years, and thus apologizes to her. It had taken some time, but Hetter has finally realized that there had been nothing enviable about Blois’s position.
“Big Brother...”
Blois seems extremely happy to be able to commiserate with her brother. It is true that people are most content when they find common bonds and shared experiences between each other.
“Say, Papa, it seemed like Master Suiboku had prepared some other things, too, didn’t it?”
“Yeah. To learn that Master Suiboku had mastered so many other things... Even as his apprentice, it came as a bit of a shock.”
Everyone present had read the mood and refrained from mentioning a certain topic: that even the rulers of the Arcana Kingdom had been afraid of my master. They were all very skillful and dedicated, and there were many parts of them that were worthy of admiration. That is exactly why they had felt fear in my master’s presence.
Still, ultimately, that’s all to the good. If Master Suiboku couldn’t conjure up that kind of fear, I don’t know how he would have made things right with the Arcana Kingdom. They could have asked him to destroy all of their neighboring countries and, well, he could have done it. It’s easy enough with the power to manipulate both heaven and earth.
Even if they wouldn’t make him go to that particular extreme, he might very well have accepted a request to serve as the force that allowed the kingdom to rule over those neighboring countries. Compared to that, offering fruit with medical properties that important personages would seek out is an extremely peaceful solution.
“You know, Papa, you really do look great!”
I feel exposed by the gazes from my wife and daughter. Then again, I suppose most wives and daughters would prefer an ordinary father to having the world’s greatest swordsman.
“Yeah. It would have been even better had he given us the Golden Balm when we went to visit him a while back...” Blois says happily, noting her disappointment. On that front, I’m sure my master feels the same way. I mean, he had even apologized for it.
“This means we can make a sister or brother for Lain!”
“...”
Hearing that, I felt my cheeks redden.
“Papa!”
“Sansui!”
Both Lain and Blois look extremely pleased at the sight of me blushing. Seeing them so happy over such a little thing makes me wonder just how much I’d made them deal with up to this point. Why else are they so happy to see me look embarrassed?
“Glad to see you’re getting along well, Blois.”
“Thank you, Big Sister.”
Still, it probably isn’t a bad thing. Chette seems happy about me having regained my libido, and her standards as a married woman are probably higher than anyone’s. The relationships between families, rather than between individuals, carry a particular weight in this world. That is particularly true for me because I’m the one who is outside the norm, and ordinarily I would have a family and the inherited responsibilities that come with them.
“Anyway, Master Sansui.”
“Yes?”
“A medicine that can make people other than Immortals younger... Surely that exists, yes?”
I suppose there’s no such thing as a limit to human desire. Well, there might be no limit, but it would be better for everyone if there was one. Chette has already convinced herself that there is a way for her to get younger, and her face is lit up in a bright, presumptuous smile.
“It really would have been better if there was no way to get younger.”
As Lyra noted in a murmur, Chette really seems to have no limit to her ambitions. Even if I was able to actually make her younger, I’m sure she’d probably come up with even more demanding requests. She’d probably ask to make her taller or shorter, or increase or reduce the amount of fat on various parts of her body. Compared to that sort of selfish desire, perhaps the things Blois and Lain want from me are rather humble and restrained.
“W-Well anyway, it was a superb item, wasn’t it! It would be nice if our family could be involved in some way, but...” Hetter says, praising the Coiled Peach as a means of changing the subject.
“Ahaha! Big Brother, do you really think we could actually hope for something like that? Silly Big Brother, of course we couldn’t! There’s no way that the king and the other Great Lords wouldn’t just keep them under their direct control!”
“Hahaha! You’re completely right!”
Even as Lyra completely shuts down his proposal, Hetter is still able to laugh it off. It looked to me like a little interplay carried out by two people who could only know each other like siblings could.
“If possible, could I ask for it just for myself?”
The oldest sister completely ignores that exchange, of course, despite being the one probably most in need of restraint.
“A-At any rate, I think I’ll head over to see my master. I’d like to get used to this body, after all...”
“Oh, then please put in a good word for me.”
The fact that Chette is going to be my sister-in-law is, at this late hour, just now starting to weigh on me. Surely she shouldn’t be so desirous of simply having such miracles handed to her.
There is a courtyard in the palace that was carpeted in grass and otherwise decorated with flowers and trees. It is probably a part of the palace that is usually used as a place of relaxation for the royals or the people close to them in status. My master waits for me there, unaccompanied by any guards or gardeners.
“Sansui.”
“Master.”
Even in his adult form, my master is the same as he’s always been. There was no chance that I’d ever miss noticing him, and I am immediately able to find him in the courtyard.
“...You’ve grown into quite the swordsman.”
He compliments me, but he’s not talking about my physical growth. This physical growth was a consequence of my master’s Immortal Art, and I had done nothing to achieve it. What my master is happily praising is, without a doubt, my growth as both a master of the sword and as a person.
“I was able to observe your apprentices fighting my friend. Both Saiga and Tahlan are wonderful swordsmen.”
Tahlan and Saiga had visited my master in the past, so he has been able to see them on multiple occasions. Having done so, he applauds my instruction and the fact that they have both grown stronger and more skilled under my tutelage.
“The Marked also fought properly, without being consumed by her passions.”
“I haven’t taught Ran anything.”
“Don’t be so harsh with her. She was doing her best in that battle,” my master says, chuckling as he recalls recent events.
“...You saved me. You, and those you’ve taught.”
I see my master age before my eyes as he expresses an elderly man’s contentment with his life.
“I’ve committed far too many sins in my lifetime. Then, having abandoned the world without telling anyone, I ended up killing my own brother, who had done so much for me.”
He has his regrets and his disappointments, undoubtedly. But, at the same time, there is a certain kind of contentment in his expression.
“I’m sure you felt it as well. The hatred that my brother had poured into those storm clouds.”
“Yes. It felt like he was suffering from an emotional illness.”
“It’s all my fault.”
I’m sure. I can actually say that without the faintest amount of doubt. Even having only met the Sacred Treasures once, I could tell that they still hated my master passionately, even after not seeing him for over a thousand years. Given that, I don’t even want to imagine just how much someone who had trained with my master had hated him.
No, I can’t say that. I had actually felt that hatred, an awesomely huge grudge that made its way into the gathered clouds. It was an animus so great that it felt like it could envelop the entire world.
“I have done nothing but spread misery all over the world. When I finally realized that, I couldn’t think of anything else but to retreat into the woods.”
Having accepted that he had been mistaken, my master had chosen to isolate himself from the rest of the world. Perhaps he had already subconsciously chosen to go into permanent self-exile when he retreated into the woods to train.
“I’m not a man who should be out in the mortal world. I’m a berserker, one capable of even less restraint than a Marked. My friend had constantly tried to convey that to me over three thousand years ago, and yet... I looked down upon him for being weaker than me, I mocked him, and I regarded his words as the bitter recriminations of a loser...”
My master clearly feels an immense amount of regret.
“Had I only noticed earlier... Had I just accepted what my friend had pointed out before I entered the world... At the very least, I wouldn’t have spread so much misery.”
It’s true, it would have been better if he’d come to that conclusion before pursuing the path of the sword. However, the answer that my master had sought had already been right there within his grasp since his days as a mere apprentice. The atrocities that my master had committed had benefited no one in the end, not even himself.
“But that sinful man was saved. Sansui, you’re my ideal.”
I am thus to receive the fruits of his pursuit.
“I pressed my ideals upon you, Sansui. I still feel guilty about that. I forced you to spend days, years, decades doing something where you couldn’t notice — you couldn’t ever see — the fruits of your efforts. Centuries where you couldn’t ever feel the sense of accomplishment that came with growth. I forced those uninteresting days upon you...”
“...But that ended up being the right thing to do. Or so I believe.”
Even if my training had been boring, uninteresting, and nothing more than the constant accumulation of effort... Even then, that is my suffering and mine alone. No one else had ever suffered because of my training. No matter how stifling it had been for me, I hadn’t caused any worldly upheavals. Now that I know about all of the unnecessary pain that he had caused, I can understand why my master had chosen to train me as he did.
“Even if my teachings were ultimately correct, they wouldn’t have meant anything if you hadn’t chosen to behave correctly. Sansui, you were the one who did that.”
My master had also had a master of his own, but did not blame his master for his mistakes, saying that the responsibility rested solely with himself. Under the same logic, he had to give me credit for my own accomplishments.
“...I was blessed in terms of talent, in my master, in my friend, in my blade, and in my apprentice.”
Master Suiboku reaches for the wooden sword on his hip, and having seen him do so, I do the same.
“Sansui... Being your master is what I am most proud of in this world. You endured my training, you absorbed my teachings, and you made them all into your own.”
We slowly, ever so slowly, draw our wooden swords.
“Allow me to give you some additional instruction.”
We point our wooden swords at one another in a middle stance.
“That reminds me. Sansui.”
“Yes.”
“Thinking about it, this is the first time we’ve squared off like this, isn’t it?”
We face off in the quiet courtyard. For the first time in my life, I am opposite an opponent I know to be stronger than me. Swords are about to clash in the courtyard ordinarily meant for quiet relaxation.
“Now, shall we begin?”
“Yes. Thank you for the opportunity.”
I mentally go over my current physical abilities, all of which have been reinforced by the Golden Balm. It is something that I really need to do, and as quickly as possible. This practice duel is partly for that purpose.
“...”
I had already been well aware of this, but my master is far superior to me, even in his skills with the blade. Just facing off against him, I quickly come to understand that gap in skill. Unlike all of the opponents I have fought to date, I don’t feel like I can hit him, no matter what I try. This is probably what people who fought my master and I feel. As I think about that, I felt a little guilty about all my old opponents. However, that isn’t a reason not to test my blade against my master.
I make the first move, taking the initiative against my master. I draw back with my sword and bring it down in a swing. I don’t do anything like leap toward him, and simply step in along with the swing.
“Mm.”
As my master blocks my blow, he sees that my swing is messy, and I can’t help but notice that I’m not able to wield my grown body properly. It is only natural, since the body that hadn’t changed for five hundred years is suddenly different in multiple ways. That is why there’s no reason to be surprised, and simply consider my new awkwardness an issue I need to work on and solve through practice.
“Hrmph...”
“Mm.”
I make corrections as I swing my wooden sword, but my master still blocks the blows, stepping backward as he does. Despite the fact that he could have simply avoided the blow, or even chosen to deflect it, he chooses instead to block it directly, using his own strength. This is likely because this is simply a practice duel, nothing more than a test drive for my new body.
I feel a warmth in my chest at my master’s considerate kindness. As I have been serving as an instructor, even with my limitations, it is a fresh experience for me to receive such instruction in turn. In all honesty, it’s really fun, and I’m quite happy about it.
“Sansui, when I was young, all I sought was victory. Do you know why?”
I flex my muscles, intending to force my way through his defense, leaning my body weight into the blow. My master simply continues to receive my blows with straightforward blocks.
“Because you wanted to win against any opponent, right?”
We exchange words as we exchange sword strokes. That sort of thing isn’t particularly out of the ordinary for me or my master.
“That’s exactly right.”
At around the limit of his parry, my master tilts his wooden blade and deflects my own. Because I had been putting my body weight behind my sword, I wobbled forward as he did so.
“I was so immature that I feared losing and sought only absolute victories.”
Having broken down my balance, my master then slashes at me in turn. Determining that I won’t be able to block in time with my wooden sword, I follow through on my swing and close the distance with him. I move in further, beyond the inner effective range of his sword, and press with my body.
“The fact that my heart sought victory was proof of my weakness.”
I am currently set up against my master’s body. Neither of us can swing our wooden swords, nor can we land any unarmed blows, effectively locking us in a clench. In terms of the ideal response, I should probably let go of my wooden sword and grapple with him. That wouldn’t be the wrong move to make.
But this is, after all, a practice duel. My master and I both back off and open the distance. We regroup, taking a moment, and then return to sword range.
“I used to believe that skill with the blade existed to kill my opponent. Why do you think that is?”
We both drop into new stances, completely starting our exchange over.
“Because you didn’t want to think of it as a failure when you killed an opponent you didn’t want to kill.”
The tips of our wooden swords overlap and we use that to gauge our effective range. As I recheck the length of my arms, I lunge forward with a thrust. My aim is directly ahead, a blow to my master’s solar plexus.
“That’s right. Even as I strove to get stronger, I didn’t want to admit that I could ever be weak.”
My master bends his elbows and turns his wooden sword so that it sits vertically, pushing my wooden sword to the side with his blade and throwing my thrust off course. In so doing, he makes use of leverage; my wooden sword has gotten separated from me, while my master’s blade is close to him. That was why he is able to so easily parry my attack.
“There were many swordsmen that I didn’t want to kill, even though we were engaged in fights to the death. But opponents like those were the most difficult to defeat without killing them.”
My master once again attempts a strike at my fully extended body. Since we’re now further apart from one another, I’m not able to avoid the blow as I had earlier. I draw back the foot I had used to lunge forward, turning my blade sideways to protect my head as I use my strength to block my master’s strike.
No, more precisely, I had been given no choice but to block the blow with brute force. Up until this duel, I had always relied upon my skill when attacking, but because my master is far superior to me with the sword, I’m forced to resort to strength against him.
“I didn’t want to think of killing my opponent as a failure. I had given up, convincing myself that killing even opponents I didn’t want to kill was only natural. I had fooled myself into believing that was simply how it was, a law of nature that I couldn’t change,” my master says. “Even so, killing an opponent that I didn’t want to kill was a sign of complete immaturity.”
I use my wooden sword to block a series of rather rough strikes, stepping back as I parry each blow.
“In the past, I tried many different styles of swordplay. At one time, it was putting down my opponent with a single blow; another time, it was to read what my opponent was doing. Why do you think that is?”
I keep backing up as I am pushed back by my master’s blows, finally hitting my heel on a curbstone on the courtyard’s pathway. Evidently considering that to be the boundary, my master stops his attacks. If he was to push me back further, we would end up treading upon the well-kept garden.
“Because you were afraid of failure.”
Which was why my master stopped, why I stopped.
“Indeed.”
We walk back to our starting position, matching our steps as though dancing.
“I sought a strike that could cut through any defense, to entrap my opponent with feints and maneuvers, precisely because I was afraid I might not kill my opponent if things proceeded differently.”
The clash of blades, without a winner or a loser, continues along with our dialogue. I am completely unable to read where the whole exchange was heading. I wonder what it is that my master is trying to tell me.
“People have doubts. It’s due to the possibility of failure that they fear having to select from more than two choices. No Doubt doesn’t mean only having a single answer. It means to train oneself, to trust oneself, to respond without failure, regardless of the situation.”
Suddenly, my master’s demeanor changes. I am very familiar with the emotion that he is now directing at me. It’s similar to anger, but not quite the same. In fact, it’s exactly like the disappointment that Lady Douve, His Brothership, and His Fathership often direct at me.
“I saw your students fight. Saiga, Tahlan, and Ran.”
“Yes.”
“You’re a very good teacher.”
My master strikes at me again, but this time the swing comes with an Immortal Art.
“Leaden Body.”
He brings the weighted wooden sword down in an overhead swing. I couldn’t block this blow the way I had with his earlier attacks. I abandon my attempt to block it just by grasping the hilt of my blade. Instead, I grip both ends of the wooden sword as though I’m holding a stick, but even then, it isn’t enough. If I take this blow at a distance where my master’s motion provides the greatest impact, there is a strong possibility I won’t be able to maintain my block.
I close the distance to try to reduce the impact, but even then, I’m slowly being crushed under the weight of the blow. My master is trying to push through my defenses not by using his physical strength, but with the weight provided by Leaden Body.
“Against my brother, who should have been much stronger than them, they not only fought at an advantage, but were overwhelming him. They all had the heart of true swordsmen and were supporting one another.”
My master reduces the distance between us as he continues to press down upon me. His wooden sword, already heavy at its tip, becomes even heavier along its length as he pushes against my defense.
“They’re all very talented.”
I am somehow able to respond, but I don’t have any strength to spare. As I desperately try to hold up my own wooden sword, I see my master’s hands gripping the hilt of his blade in front of my eyes. My master then strikes at my face with his knuckles, all while still holding his weapon.
“Of course, they were all far from being in a state of No Doubt. The moment their advantage broke, they showed their lack of training. Not only were they unequal to my friend, they’re undoubtedly not equal to you either.”
I absorb that blow with my forehead. The knuckles of my master’s hands split my forehead and draw blood.
“But soon they’ll be able to reach you. If they stand on their tiptoes and jump, their fingertips will touch the soles of your sandals.”
The angle of my master’s wooden sword changes, and he switches from pressing down upon me to pushing me forward. I use that opening to stand and lock our blades together. This situation is at least somewhat better than having my master press down on me.
“That’s good. It’s proof that they’re approaching my realm.”
“Indeed. That’s what it means to have a living school of bladecraft.”
Our hands are both occupied and we’re at close range. This stalemate is far from being ideal for me. After all, my master’s weight is still a threat, even if he’s simply pushing me from the front.
“You have fulfilled your role in the mortal world and have achieved my long-held dream of teaching my sword art to others.”
Losing the shoving match between our blades, I’m thrown backward. If he was to strike now, I have no confidence that I could defend against his blow.
“You taught without holding anything back and showed them the right path. But...you’ve neglected yourself in the process.”
I lighten my body with Feather Step and stand atop the cornerstone. Having seen me do this, my master places his wooden sword back on to his hip. My master had shown me what he wanted me to see: Leaden Body, the counterpart to Feather Step. Just by using a technique that I have yet to learn, he has easily defeated me.
“You’re their master in the art of the sword. Simply teaching them isn’t enough.”
The blood from my split forehead trickles down my face and reaches my lips.
“Your task as their master is to teach your apprentices, give them a path to overtake you, but then strengthen yourself so that they can’t.”
While my master has put away his wooden sword, I, the defeated, still have my sword in hand. Yes, I’d lost. I had lost.
“My ideal is that those who want to pursue the way of the sword can help improve one another. Just providing for them doesn’t result in that symbiosis.”
“I...have I been neglecting my own training?”
I have always noted that I am inferior to my master. It’s because I know that I can’t ever reach my master’s level of skill, no matter who I defeat, no matter how much skill I know myself to have with the blade. But then, maybe that was just an excuse. I know that I was still learning, that I have room to improve, I should have been training myself even as I was training my apprentices.
Even as I kept saying that I still had much to learn, I had simply been maintaining my current position. That was nothing more than a form of laziness, a kind of procrastination that came from taking my current place for granted. I shouldn’t have just been working on my swordplay — I should have been learning more Immortal Arts.
“Should I... Should I have gone to seek more instruction from you, Master?”
My master had told me not to return until I had raised Lain. But is that directive really that important? Instead of simply taking apprentices and being happy in seeing their growth, I should have been doing my best to improve, and for that I should have been willing to go to my master to beg for more training.
“Indeed. If you intend to be a goal for your apprentices to aspire to, then first and foremost, you need to continue to better yourself so you don’t ever fall behind them. That’s the very least that you owe to your apprentices...to the swordsmen who live in the present.”
Had I... Had I let myself believe that the moment I live in is simply a detour until I return to my master’s side? I had probably considered myself above the mortal world, not giving the present — the now — enough weight. I hadn’t given my apprentices, or even Lain or Blois, the weight they deserved.
“Your definition of the most powerful is someone who won’t lose to anyone, is it not? Then be stubborn, show envy, and motivate yourself. Don’t make excuses. Cling to being the strongest.”
I can do nothing but struggle with the realization that I had treated the days up to this point with lazy disregard, caring even more about that than my first defeat or my first wound.
“The way of the sword is fun because we strive with one another. Isn’t that so, Master?”
“Indeed it is so, my apprentice.”
I have no time to mope. No, I have the responsibility to become even stronger.
Part 16 — Response
I had learned quite a lot from my first practice duel with my master. Not only was I able to get used to how my grown body handles, but he also taught me more about the way of the sword.
Master Suiboku is both an admirable swordsman and an admirable Immortal. I do admit that there’s part of me that has my doubts about him as a human being, but as his apprentice, I really do admire him. While I suppose I’m the only person he’s ever actually made happy, that’s even more reason for me to appreciate what he’s done for me.
Besides, people also call me the Grim Reaper and the Gibbeter. In terms of infamy, we’re pretty much even.
“There, that should do. Immortal bodies don’t retain scars, so it would have been fine just to leave it, but all the same.”
My master had stopped my forehead’s bleeding and applied a bandage over my wound. I suppose, for an ordinary master-apprentice relationship, I should then reminisce about how my master used to do this for me all the time. Unfortunately, my master hadn’t ever done this for me, not once, even during my long history of training with him. Besides, my master had been so quick in taking care of my wound that I didn’t really have time to bask in nostalgia.
“Thank you.”
“Heh... Sorry to make you listen to an old man’s ramblings,” Master Suiboku says, smiling happily and looking away a bit shyly. “We’re keeping your wife waiting. We should go back.”
“Y-Yes, you’re right...”
I admit that there’s something faintly embarrassing about having my master talk about my wife. This sensation doesn’t typically occur, so perhaps this is also a side effect of the Golden Balm. If that’s the case, I suppose I’m just in a drug-induced state of heightened emotion. Writing that out makes it sound pretty scary, but thinking about it properly, I’m already an unaging monster to begin with. People really do have a tendency to forget things that they take for granted.
“Why don’t you tell me a bit about your experiences while we walk?”
“Sure... There’s plenty that I can’t talk about, but...”
“Hahaha! Don’t concern yourself over such things!”
My master and I could have sped quickly through the palace, if we had wanted to. But since doing so would unnecessarily alarm the royals, we decide to have a leisurely walk back and chat as we go.
Thinking about it, I’m pretty sure this is the first time I’ve shared a moment like this with my master. I guess my five hundred years of life had been really hollow, if not entirely lacking in substance...
“Well, we can start with how I managed to get hired by my current employer. It was because I jumped over a House Sepaeda carriage while I was carrying Lain.”
“Oh? Lucky you weren’t killed on the spot.”
“It seemed they thought I was in a hurry because I was carrying a baby. They were, in fact, in a bit of a panic, so the truth is that Lain saved my life at that point.”
It goes without saying, but there are many soldiers and bureaucrats who serve the royal family in the palace. When they see me, they dismiss me at first, then look back quickly and do a double take. Some of those people can’t stop staring as I walk past.
“Mm... Is it because you’ve grown bigger from the Golden Balm?”
At first I had thought they were afraid of my master and I, but it seems that’s not actually the case. Still, it didn’t seem like they were surprised that the two of us appear to be full-grown men.
“Master, perhaps it’s that they’ve never seen me injured before.”
They’re all looking intently at my face, with a particular focus on my forehead. I suppose it’s only natural that I’ve noticed that they were actually surprised at seeing me injured, since enough people have now stared at my forehead for long enough.
“...That might be it, indeed.”
This is, in reality, the first time I’ve ever gotten hurt. But given that I had faced off against my master, injuries come with the territory. But for the people of the palace, the fact that I’m injured might be quite a shocking thing indeed.
“Mm... So, I’ve made you lose face?”
My master seems a little troubled. Even the Sword Apostle, who had defeated all challengers without taking a scratch, couldn’t defeat his master Suiboku. I suppose that’s the rumor that will spread throughout the palace.
“Hahaha, of course not.”
Honestly, I’ve always felt that my accolades — the Young Sword Apostle, the Arcana Kingdom’s greatest swordsman — are too heavy a burden, and frankly an excessive amount of praise. In truth, I prefer that my reputation is slightly tarnished after this incident. I have no idea how many people I’ve humiliated up until now either. Having done so, it would be rather shameless for me to care about my own reputation.
“This was that I suffered due to my own folly. Please don’t worry about it, Master.”
“Alright. Thank you for saying that.”
“What do you think you’re doing, Sansui?”
While I hadn’t been bothered by it, Lady Douve evidently is. Lady Douve, who had been waiting for me at the estate with Blois and Lain, is quite angry with me over having been injured.
“Mm... Sorry.”
“No, no, please don’t blame yourself, Master Suiboku. It’s all Sansui’s fault for getting hurt in the first place. It’s his fault for being weak.”
Despite her anger, Lady Douve presents an argument that even my master isn’t able to counter. She’s right that I got hurt because I was weak, so she must also be right that it’s my fault for being weak.
“Sansui, the reputation of House Sepaeda rests on your shoulders. What were you thinking? There’s no excuse for simply exposing your wound to all the capital. Even if you were fighting your master, it doesn’t excuse you for leaving it for all to see.”
“Mm...”
“My apologies, Lady Douve.”
Lady Douve, who is extremely irate, glares sharply at me. It seems my getting hurt upset her far more than I anticipated.
“I mean, look. Blois and Lain are both shocked at seeing the wound on your face.”
Lady Douve’s observation is correct. Blois and Lain are indeed both extremely surprised.
“W-What happened, Sansui? Didn’t Master Suiboku only teach you through practice swings?”
“Well, we started a new level today. We did a practice duel with wooden swords... And, well, he landed this blow on me.”
“Why today, of all days?!”
“That’s right, Papa! Mama Blois was so happy that you’d grown up! Why do you come home hurt?!”
“Even if you look like a grown man, I suppose you’re still just a child at heart.”
Lain’s complaints hurt, but so does Lady Douve’s observation. Someone who knows I’ve been alive for five hundred years has pointed out I am still a child in many ways. Does that mean I’m usually treated like a child? I suppose I need to consider my behavior much more carefully.
“Sigh... I’m so disappointed in you, Sansui,” Lady Douve says, visibly annoyed.
After finishing her critiques of me, her expression takes on a look of sadness, as though she’d lost some meaning in her life.
“I don’t even want to see your face. Go out for a while. Yes... Tahlan’s waiting with Saiga and the others near the academy. Why not go see them? Perhaps those other men will be able to reassure you about that embarrassingly injured face.”
With that, Lady Douve falls silent. It seems she doesn’t even want to talk to me anymore. My master and I exchange glances and, in the end, decide to leave Lady Douve’s estate.
As Lady Douve suggested, we decided to go visit the open air salle by the academy. There, my students and Ran, Tahlan, and Saiga are practicing, but...
“What happened, Sansui?!”
“Yes, what happened, Master Sansui?!”
“Whoa, seriously?! You... HURT?! WHY?!”
All three of them are more surprised at my being hurt than at my looking like an adult. The other students are also all in a confused panic after seeing my bandage. Even though they all got injured during practice, it seemed that they couldn’t believe that I could get hurt at all.
“Mm... I gave him some instruction... And, well, I split his forehead,” my master explains apologetically. It seems that even my master hadn’t thought everyone considered me this unbeatable. As I’ve been caught off guard, there was no way my master, less aware of the situation than myself, could ever have known.
After a pause, Tahlan speaks up first.
“With all respect, Master Suiboku... Why did you instruct Master Sansui in that manner?”
Having sensed that my master had purposefully injured me, rather than it being a wound that I’d suffered due to my own mistake, Tahlan straightened his posture and explained his inquiry.
“I can’t believe that a man of your ability would hurt your student without meaning, Master Suiboku.”
It’s not that I’m actually hurt, it’s just that there’s blood seeping from my forehead wound. This hardly counts as an injury in sword practice.
Still, it seems that Tahlan believes that there had been a higher purpose behind this wound. That is true not just of Tahlan, but of Saiga and the others, as well. Everyone is getting far too worked up over the fact that I’d shed a little blood.
“Yes, there was a reason,” my master replies. He definitely isn’t making excuses. His explanation will be particularly important to those present here.
“Tahlan, you were able to read and avoid my brother’s Flash Step, were you not?”
“I was only able to roll around on the ground in an embarrassing fashion and somehow save my own life in the process.”
“When I saw that, I was extremely surprised. Even if you had been aware of how Flash Step worked, I didn’t think you’d be able to move so confidently,” my master says, praising Tahlan. He seemed to even feel a certain amount of awe as he expressed his heartfelt opinion. “Even though you had been trained by my apprentice, I didn’t think you could fight my friend, who had after all obtained such incredible heights. I believe you will be able to land a blow upon my apprentice in the near future.”
Tahlan pauses again before replying, “You honor me.”
“The same goes for you, Ran, and you, Saiga. You were both very strong. While your forms were incomplete, you both have promising futures of infinite possibility.”
Ran and Saiga both blush at my master’s praise. It isn’t just flattery or for show; he really is genuinely praising them for their skill. That’s why Tahlan and the others seemed so pleased. And, of course, my master is pleased at being able to praise them.
“The issue is...my apprentice was content with that fact.”
My master glares harshly at me.
“Tahlan. My apprentice was too content at seeing your growth and Saiga’s. He accepted that such growth was sufficient, and felt that he had nothing else to do.”
“W-What... What does that mean?”
“This fool had convinced himself that he should focus upon service while he was in the mortal world. He had accepted that, because he had much left to learn, it was fine if you caught up to him. He felt content with not being fully trained while you lived, and that he could simply return to the forest where I resided and resume his training once you had all died.”
It seems that Tahlan and the others are shocked to hear that.
“It was the height of dishonorable behavior. At the very least, I would have felt insulted to learn that.”
As I look about uncomfortably, everyone seems sad. As my master had stated, I had been dishonoring them as their sword instructor.
“You sought to become the strongest and had attained it, and you were praised as the greatest. Know that to honor others, your duty is to continue to seek new heights. Don’t take your long life for granted and act the part of the generous old man. To do otherwise is equivalent to looking down upon your students.”
It is a harsh critique, probably the harshest words that my master has ever said to me.
“...Master Sansui.”
As the representative of those present, Tahlan kneels before me. Such an obeisance should have been unthinkable to Tahlan, a man of royal blood.
“I faced Master Suiboku’s brother apprentice. My strength was lacking, and the most I could do on my own was to defend myself, but... Without your teachings, Master Sansui, I probably wouldn’t have been able to achieve even that. It was thanks to your instruction that I was able to fight in that battle.”
Master Suiboku’s fellow apprentice, his brother apprentice... I hadn’t had the opportunity to meet him, but no doubt he had been extremely strong.
Tahlan had been able to fight such an opponent. He was able to hold his own, all by himself. For Tahlan, who has no special talents beyond his Art, it must be something that he is extremely proud of. If Tahlan had attained that strength because of my training, then that was something I can be extremely proud of, as well.
“Master Sansui, the sword skills that you inherited from Master Suiboku are extraordinary. Having had the fortune of witnessing Master Suiboku fight, I became further excited to receive your instruction, Master Sansui.”
Tahlan exudes the same sadness that Lady Douve had shown. He had been deeply saddened to learn that I had been hurt, that I had accepted the possibility of losing, that I had given up the idea of getting stronger during this time I was with them all.
“Master Sansui... Please, I beg you. Don’t simply guide us by the hand, but also move forward yourself. We want you to be the wall that stands before us in this age that we live in!”
I don’t even need to read their auras to notice that all the students are looking at me. They gaze upon me pleadingly, putting their wishes forward with the force of their eyes. They look like they want to believe that I remain the greatest swordsman.
“Please don’t already be looking forward to the day that we’ve all died and gone!”
It’s a plea filled with pain, and I’m the one who’s hurting them.
If my master hadn’t appeared in front of me, would I have lost some day to Tahlan or Saiga? Would I have been sincerely happy at having conceded to them? Perhaps that happiness would be my own, but it would not be a joyful thing for them.
“If there is such a thing as good fortune for a swordsman, it’s to be blessed with a good teacher.”
I kneel and match Tahlan’s gaze.
“And if there is such a thing as good fortune for an instructor, it is to be blessed by good apprentices and to raise them. I have been blessed in both ways.”
I had been so content with each day, I had been so content in myself, that I had forgotten the bare minimum that was expected of me. My master hadn’t simply been instructing me, but had also continued to heighten his own skills. I had forgotten that obvious fact.
“I am extremely fond of all of you. You are all so honest and serious and dedicated. I love watching you train so earnestly. I was proud to see you be praised by society under my instruction, in the service of His Lordship.”
I need to be strong.
“I took it all for granted because I am Master Suiboku’s apprentice, because I am your master, and above all because I am a long-lived Immortal... I took it all for granted and forgot to be a swordsman, first and foremost.”
I take Tahlan’s hand and help him up, then look to Saiga. I look at the man who is, without a doubt, one day going to become the strongest, the man who has the greatest possibility of defeating me. The man who had once been so unwilling to accept that he couldn’t defeat me now wants me to be strong above all else.
“I will...become even stronger. Will you continue to pursue me?”
“Yes!”
To be depended upon is a great burden, but it’s also extraordinarily fulfilling. It is probably at this moment that I finally properly understand what my responsibilities are.
“Master Suiboku. I ask for your instruction once more.”
“My training is harsh. Do prepare yourself.”
“Yes, sir.”
I will become stronger now, in the present. There is nothing so blessed, so lucky.
“Then let us have another practice duel. All of you, watch carefully. A duel between those who have achieved No Doubt is something even Immortals rarely witness!”
My master draws his wooden sword.
“Come, Sansui! Don’t you dare embarrass yourself before your master and your apprentices!”
“Understood, Master.”
I also draw my sword.
“I will challenge you with all of my skill.”
At the same time, I feel the auras around me focus. My master and I are about to start a true test of our skills. A battle between the master who had completely mastered the sword, and I, his chosen apprentice. Just being able to watch such a fight makes everyone around me tense.
“I took a long, indirect path to teaching Sansui. Do you understand why? It’s because those in the state of No Doubt can deal with their opponents however they may please. Even if I showed myself fighting your average swordsman...if Sansui had yet to achieve that state, it would just make the opponent look weak, and he wouldn’t grasp the essence of my strength.”
I think back to the recent practice duel against my master. I had clashed blades with my master, but how long had it been since I had been able to actually engage in a proper practice duel that way? No, it might have been the first time that had happened in my life. No doubt that was true of my master, as well. Even the Immortal who had recently challenged my master wouldn’t have been an actual challenge.
“I’ll throw all of my strength at Sansui. My apprentice should be able to stand up to it. I have already confirmed that he can.”
This is an instructional display that only works because my master and I are both here. With the two of us together, we can show everyone what true mastery of battle looks like. We can show what is usually simply restricted to our imaginations and exchange blows with one another.
“Now, focus and witness! The fruits of our training!”
My master and I joyfully cross blades. This practice duel can only happen because my master had spent centuries mastering the art of battle, and because I have inherited that mastery. Everyone present can’t help but feel an excitement, a depth of emotion, raw tension, and anticipation at being able to witness such a battle.
Part 17 — Days
And so, I was able to engage in very meaningful training. I sparred with my master until the sun set in front of my many students. It goes without saying, but my master and I didn’t actually land our blows. This was done out of consideration for me, to avoid hurting me further, given that I had been chastised for being wounded earlier.
It’s probably odd for me to say, but I feel like I had finally been able to engage in training that was worthy of a swordsman. Up until now I’ve told other swordsmen that I had only trained through practice swings, but now I can finally tell them that I’ve also sparred properly in practice duels. I can’t imagine that they’ll accept that logic, but at least I am now able to move past only having trained through practice swings.
I return to Lady Douve’s estate feeling a pleasant sense of fatigue and relate my day to my wife and daughter.
“You know, it sounds odd for me to even say it, but it’s been a long time since I’ve gotten hungry after a long day of activity. And thanks to that, even my second dinner feels particularly delicious.”
Blois, Lain, and I are having dinner in a small room. Of course the meal is bread-based rather than a Japanese-style rice-based meal, but even then, it’s fulfilling to eat.
“You might yell at me for saying this, but I feel like I’ve been rejuvenated in both body and soul!”
I feel like a high school athlete. I can’t remember at all if I had done anything like this when I was actually a student, but I’m really enjoying life now.
Both Lain and Blois pause at this before replying.
“Huh, Papa, you’re... Um, normal.”
“Yeah... He seems like a normal man.”
“You know, I suppose I was aware of it to some extent... But was I really that strange up until now?”
It seems that I am just simply eating dinner while simply describing my day and simply enjoying the moment appears quite “normal” to them. What they meant by that observation was that up until now, I hadn’t been normal at all.
“Yup, you were strange.”
“Yes, you were strange.”
My wife and daughter both agree that I had been strange up to this point. It’s probably weird for me to say it about myself, but I guess I had been correct to think of myself as being outside the norm.
“I see... Is it strange to see me be normal?”
“Not at all! It’s very nice to see you being normal!”
“That’s right! It’s much better!”
“I-I see...”
They had said this over lunch as well, but evidently they prefer me as I am right now. It’s just as I’d thought... My ordinary demeanor is terrible.
“Wow, Master Suiboku is amazing to be able to make even Papa this normal!”
“Yes. That Golden Balm medicine is amazing!”
Having them thoroughly praise my appearance and mental state, both of which I had obtained through the medicinal use of Golden Balm, almost feels like a rejection of who I normally am. If I think about it positively, I guess it’s like a fat man losing weight.
Even though Lain loves her Papa, she considered him being fat his one downside. For her, it’s as though Papa has lost weight, I guess. If she had actually hated me to begin with, it wouldn’t have mattered if I had lost weight or taken on an adult form; even with that change, she wouldn’t like me anyway.
“It’s not just the effects of the medicine. It’s also because I’ve seen Master Suiboku for the first time in a long time and was able to remember that I’m still his apprentice. I guess it’s unavoidable that you get a little more childlike when you meet someone who’s done a lot for you.”
Many people, starting with Lady Douve, were displeased that I’d gotten hurt. I bear the reputation of House Sepaeda on my shoulders, after all. Even if I had been fighting my master, I shouldn’t have let myself be injured. Even if I couldn’t have avoided it, I should have at least kept that injury from becoming common knowledge.
Perhaps I should have taken steps to hide my injury. I think if I had been in my usual state, I would have been able to think that far ahead. On the other hand, perhaps not. At the very least, I know that I hadn’t been in my usual frame of mind.
“Say, Papa! Since you’re grown up, does that mean you can make babies?”
Honestly, I don’t think it’s normal to ask about making babies at the dinner table. I suppose I can’t talk much about being normal, but perhaps I should lecture Lain anyway. But, no, it would be a bit wrong to do that at this late hour.
“No, I’m tired today, so I’m going to go to sleep. I’m so very tired... I just want to go straight to bed.”
“...Huh?”
As I tell my daughter what I really feel, Blois looks extremely surprised. In fact, she’s staring at me as though she can’t believe what I’d just said.
“S-Sansui? Did you just say you wanted to sleep? You’re going to bed? In the normal sense of the term?”
“...”
I almost say, “Yup, that’s right.” I think it’s good to be honest, but even I can tell it would be a bad idea to just tell her that I’m sleepy.
Obviously, Blois doesn’t want to hear me complain that I’m sleepy. She isn’t asking a question, she’s voicing an objection to my decision.
Honestly, I’m really quite sleepy, so I do want to go straight to bed. But...I can sleep anytime I want. Shouldn’t I try to fulfill her wishes as part of paying respect to those who live in the here and now?
“...I’m going to bathe in some cold water.”
“Yes, go do that!”
“That’s right, Papa! The night’s still young!”
After finishing my meal, I decide to go to the well and pour some water on myself. I really am tired enough that if I let my guard down for even a moment, I’ll fall right over, but even I can tell that such a slip would be unforgivable. Fortunately, the water from the well is plenty cold. Once I’ve poured it over my head, I’m sure I’ll wake up a little bit.
“...No, it’s not working.”
Since I had regained some of the senses of a mortal, it had completely slipped my mind, but since I’m an Immortal, I don’t actually feel anything from getting splashed by cold water. Honestly, I doubt I’d feel any more alert if I splash myself with boiling-hot water, which means cold water is right out. Even if I were to dive right into a big pool, I imagine I’d probably just fall asleep after hitting the water.
“I didn’t expect this as a side effect...”
Still, I had been able to stay awake despite being sleepy several times up to this point. I’m sure I can avoid falling asleep right now. However, my fatigue is clouding my ability to think. I’m just...really, truly tired. It seems like my daily rhythm has reverted to where it had been in the past, simply because I’ve reunited with my master.
“No, it’s times like this that call for calm. I guess I’ll practice.”
I draw my wooden sword and start taking practice swings on the spot. I’m sure a little exercise will remove my drowsiness. As I continue swinging my wooden sword with that thought in mind, though, I happen to notice something.
Blois, who is still inside the estate, has fallen asleep. With my ability to read auras, there was no way I’d miss that. As such, the moment I realize Blois was asleep, I find myself wide awake. I walk quietly into her room and tiptoe toward her, where I find her asleep with a bottle of wine on the table next to her, along with two glasses.
Meanwhile, Blois herself is dressed in her most seductive finery. Based on the circumstances, I’d guess that she worked herself up into a lather while preparing for an adult evening with me. She’d had a glass of wine to calm herself and had promptly gotten drunk, then fell asleep on her chair.
“...Blois.”
I can’t help but see myself in her as she sits sleeping in her chair, head resting against her arms on the table. Why is it that we’re just so bad at doing things other than fighting? How do normal people manage to do these things so well?
When I think about it that way, I feel a tenderness toward her that I hadn’t before. I’m quite certain it’s not quite a romantic feeling, but I still want to make her happy. We’re pretty socially inept, and even our best efforts don’t always produce results, but I can’t help but think there’s not actually anything wrong with that.
“I didn’t know that you can’t hold your liquor. Maybe you didn’t know about that yourself either.”
It’s not possible to dash up the ladder to adulthood. I still have plenty of failings and that is true of Blois as well.
“Let’s grow up together, Blois.”
I gently pick Blois — no, I gently pick my wife up, and carry her to the bed. Afterward, I settle in next to her and gaze at her expression of contentment as I drift off to sleep.
I wake up the next morning and immediately take stock of my surroundings. This isn’t an inn on our journey, nor is it the Wynne family home. I wake up next to Blois in her room at Lady Douve’s estate.
When I open my eyes, the first thing I see is Blois’s face. To see the same face when I wake up that I saw going to sleep...there is a powerful little kernel of happiness in that.
“...Sansui?”
Blois, who has evidently just woken up, notices my presence even through her drowsy haze.
“...?!”
Her cheeks immediately flush beet red and she sits up with a start.
“Good morning, Blois,” I say, sitting up as I greet her. It seems that she has drawn the wrong conclusion, so I decide to start out by correcting that misunderstanding.
“Blois, I’m sorry to have caused a misunderstanding, but...”
“S-Sansui...!”
Blois’s eyes go wide and she becomes a bit excitable, breathing heavily through her nose.
“Wait, hold on, let me explain. I’m the one who set things up this confusingly...”
“I-I don’t recall much of the evening, but...! We finally crossed that line, right?!”
“Blois, calm down. We haven’t.”
“T-To my everlasting shame...I honestly don’t remember it well. I feel like I dreamed a particularly pleasant dream. But it wasn’t a dream, was it?!”
“No, that was a dream.”
“O-Oh... Then...our first time...”
“It hasn’t happened yet. Calm down.”
I try desperately to calm the thoroughly worked-up Blois.
“H-How was it?!”
Her eyes wide, she seems to be under the mistaken impression that it had actually happened and that she just doesn’t remember it properly. Unfortunately, that’s completely wrong. There’s nothing for her to remember in the first place.
“...First.”
“First what?!”
I decide to start from the beginning and explain it to her in detail. It’ll be a bit of a detour, but I’m sure it’ll get the point across eventually.
“Remember that I went outside to splash some cold water on myself after dinner? I was really sleepy.”
“Y-Yeah! That’s right! Then I came to my room to wait for you, readying things for your return! Since you’ve grown up, I got some wine to celebrate the occasion!”
Now that I think about it, can Immortals even get drunk on normal alcohol? I’m a bit skeptical, but that’s not a particularly important detail.
“I got really nervous and I had a glass of wine! I-I don’t remember much after that! What happened after?!”
“We went to bed.”
“W-We went to bed?! Could you add more details?!”
It seems that we’ve taken different meanings of the phrase “went to bed.” There’s a regular, non-adult version, and then there’s the very adult version. Ordinarily if a man and a woman wake up in a bed together, the adult version is usually what happened, but in this case we actually, literally just went to sleep in the same bed.
“When I came into this room you had fallen asleep after getting drunk.”
“Huh?”
“You’d fallen asleep and were laying your head on that table there.”
“Huh?”
“So I carried you into bed and then went to sleep afterward.”
“Huh?”
“That’s it.”
“Huh?”
Since there’s nothing else to describe, I wait for her to finish processing my words.
“Wait! That’s it?! There’s nothing else to describe?”
“No, there isn’t.”
“Lain’s not here, right? Then there’s no need to be vague!”
“It’s the truth.”
“...Oh.”
It seemed she’s finally grasped the situation and has now shifted from befuddlement to anger.
“Then why would you do something that’d make me draw the wrong conclusion?! That’s so misleading!”
Well, she’s sort of got a point, but I don’t know if she’s got much of a leg to stand on, given that she’d told me to go wake up and then spent that time falling into a drunken sleep.
“...”
It seems that she’s reached the same conclusion. I’m just guessing here, but I think she’s noticed that she smells of wine. That’s probably why she pauses before continuing.
“Sansui, I’m sure I was at fault as well. But, why...why did you do something so misleading...?!”
She’s definitely embarrassed now, and her face has flushed bright red.
“For a married couple! To wake up in the same bed! Surely the natural conclusion is to think something has happened!”
“True.”
“Don’t ‘true’ me! Explain! Putting me to sleep in my own bed? Fine! But why’d you crawl in next to me?! Was it just because you were sleepy?!”
Her anger was understandable. I actually was sleepy, so I’m sure a part of me just wanted to fall asleep right then and there. But it was also true that wasn’t all of my motivation.
“Well, the truth is...”
“Yes, get on with it!”
“I wanted to fall asleep while watching you sleep.”
“O-Oh! That’s it! That was the reason... That’s perfectly fine, then! No problem at all!”
She seems to understand. Moreover, while she’s doing her best to hide it, she actually looks extremely pleased.
“If I saw you asleep, I’d probably want to fall asleep looking at your sleeping face as well! In that case, then, well... I guess I can’t blame you!”
Evidently, if she found me asleep, she’d want to fall asleep next to me too. That makes me happy too, honestly.
“Papa! Mama Blois! Did you do it?!”
An excited-looking Lain opens the door and enters the room.
“Did you make me a brother or sister?!”
I’m pretty sure she doesn’t really understand what she’s saying, but her question really is quite brutal in its directness. Just when Blois and I had managed to build a nice, wholesome mood, Lain comes in and wrecks it. This forces me to actually face the fact that, despite the return of my libido, somehow the two of us managed to just fall asleep last night.
“...That’s right! We did!”
Blois evidently decides to just go with it and just lie to Lain, confidently smacking her own stomach to show Lain. It was both heartwarming and painful to watch. I never expected there’d come a day when Blois would be so eager to put on a false front for Lain’s sake.
“Yay! So, so, did it hurt?”
“You’ll know when you grow up!”
“Hey, no fair!” Lain responds with a discontented pout, even as Blois puts all her effort into fudging the answer.
I suppose you do find out when you grow up, but Blois and I haven’t actually grown up yet. Though, I guess, in the sense that we’re fudging the truth to a child, we have grown up a little bit. Of course, we’re not adults that anyone ought to be proud of...
Once we finish with breakfast, we decide to go outside. In the estate’s garden, we find Tahlan focused intently on practice swings while Lady Douve looks on. She has an expression like a mother watching her child play, and looks like an extremely warm, compassionate woman.
“Oh, Sansui, you’ve returned to being a child?”
“Yes. The balm’s effect wore off.”
“Tsk, how unbecoming...”
It seems that my usual appearance is quite the embarrassment.
“Though, in terms of being a child, Tahlan’s not much better. It seems that he was overjoyed at getting to watch you and your master fight. He spent so much effort training yesterday that he immediately fell asleep in my bed,” Lady Douve says with a confident chuckle, prompting Blois to look crestfallen.
Despite the fact that they had ended up in similar situations, Lady Douve is able to share it as a funny little anecdote rather than be ashamed by it. Blois must feel the gap between herself and Lady Douve as women based on that display alone.
I, too, am painfully aware of the gap between Tahlan and I as men as well. The reason Lady Douve is so confident must be because this isn’t something that happens often. Tahlan’s usual behavior is what gives Lady Douve her confidence and allows her to act the part of the bigger woman.
“Ohh, Master Sansui! Thank you so much for yesterday!”
Having noticed our arrival, Tahlan approaches me, glistening with sweat. He is the very epitome of a handsome man, the sweat not detracting from but rather adding a glamorous sheen to his appearance.
“The clash of blades between Master Sansui and Master Suiboku was indeed a clash of masters. It was a show of mastery that everyone should hold as the ideal... I, Tahlan, will do all that I can to be able to match blades with you, Master Sansui!”
It’s a sincere, heartfelt admiration that he directs at me. Am I really a man worthy of the high regard that this man holds for me? I can’t help but be skeptical.
“Still. I can’t have you instruct just myself. I’m sure our fellow swordsmen have gathered at the practice grounds. Why don’t we make our way there?”
“...Yes, of course. That’s my role, after all.”
Yes, I’m still a sword instructor, and I have no other way to show my appreciation for Tahlan and the others than through instruction in the sword. Tahlan’s opinion of me is fine. It’s something I should be proud of. The real issue is how I deal with Blois and Lain.
“Then why don’t we accompany them, Blois, Lain?”
“Y-Yes, of course... I’m sure Master Suiboku will be there as well.”
“Yeah, we need to get more medicine.”
It seems Lain has a particular fixation on keeping me in an adult form. Evidently my usual appearance isn’t something I should be proud of.
There are a large number of people gathered at the salle near the academy. It’s an overwhelming number, far more than the usual crowd. In fact, there are so many people here that my students are now in the minority. I think most of them are challengers here to face me, but why are there suddenly so many of them here?
“...You’ve finally arrived.”
His Brothership is already present, looking faintly irate. I’m sure I’m the cause of his irritation.
“Sansui, I’m told that you were injured yesterday in a sparring session with Master Suiboku.”
“Yes.”
“...Not only that, but I’m told you showed your injured face to the public.”
“Yes...”
“For the love of... Well, that’s the reason.”
Oh dear, so my injury is why there are so many people here. Evidently they had thought I was invincible, but learning that I could bleed, they’d decided to challenge me again.
“I’m a warrior as well, and I know students don’t feel any shame when they get hurt while sparring with their masters. However, you must pay a little more attention to appearances. You’re a swordsman of House Sepaeda, and you carry the House’s reputation on your shoulders.”
“My apologies...”
I hadn’t expected it to be this big of a deal. It hadn’t even occurred to me that this many people would act upon the knowledge that I’d been injured.
“Hahaha! Oh, this display suits you, Master Sansui! For a single one of your actions to bring such activity to the capital!”
“This isn’t a laughing matter, Tahlan. This many people can only be a nuisance to the academy.”
Tahlan laughs happily, while Lady Douve looks annoyed. For my part, I can understand her annoyance, given that there are this many people who seem to believe that they can defeat me. Putting it simply, they think they can mess with me.
“Sansui, go knock all of them out immediately. This is because of your mistake, so don’t trouble anyone else because of it.”
“Very well, milady.”
Ordinarily, I’d like to take the time to fight each of them one-on-one, but that would eat up the bulk of my day. Unlike me, other people have a finite amount of time in this world, and so there’s nothing wrong with getting this over with quickly. Motivated people will probably come back at me even if they’re beaten, so I guess I can just start by taking all of them down at once.
I once again curse my ineptness as I draw my wooden sword from my sash.
“Sansui.”
My master appears beside me. He seems amused that I had set off this much consternation through my own carelessness.
“Master Suiboku.”
“You’re a popular one, aren’t you?”
Lots of people want to challenge me, some because they want the position I occupy and some because they just want to defeat me. On the other hand, there are many people who like me, believe in me, and depend upon me.
“You’ve become a fine swordsman.”
“Thank you.”
“Now, don’t keep them waiting. Be respectful of their time.”
My master disappears from my side. Meanwhile, I get back to work.
“...I’m House Sepaeda’s combat instructor, Sansui Shirokuro.”
I turn my wooden sword toward the crowd of people that want to make a name for themselves by defeating me.
“Please, all of you, feel free to attack me.”