Chapter Sixty-Four
“…Ryuuzas is also a troublesome one. To tell someone who refuses to join the subjugation to teach them how to fight…”
Changing locations, we were now at the training grounds managed by the Knights Order.
Shaking her flaxen hair, Zenoah looked at me and said those words.
It was inevitable that I, wanting to fight and thus having no choice but to accept Ryuuzas’s offer, and Zenoah, who didn’t want me to fight and was trying to persuade me for the umpteenth time, would end up facing each other like this.
“May I ask you something?”
Checking the condition of the sword in her hand, Zenoah continued.
Did Zenoah, blessed with the magic called ‘Mind Reading,’ really need to put this question into words? As I wondered,
“Why is there not a single cloud of doubt in your way of being?”
A truly puzzled voice reached me.
…Ah, I see.
That’s what it was.
“I understand being captivated by a dream. I understand aiming for it. But if you die, that’s the end…? You won’t even be able to hold onto that ideal anymore…? You understand that it’s reckless, that it’s foolhardy. Yet why do you face death? No, why are you able to face it? Do you believe without a doubt that it’s the right path? Are you able to live that way without any hesitation—?”
It was an earnest plea.
Precisely because Zenoah Almerida was blessed with the mind-reading magic called ‘Mind Reading,’ she couldn’t understand.
My reasons and motives for acting.
Zenoah probably already knew all the answers. That’s why this strange fact arose: she understood, and therefore, she couldn’t understand.
A question born from the ability to read minds.
It wasn’t that I didn’t know pain.
It wasn’t that I didn’t know loss.
It wasn’t that I held the illusion that miracles were on my side.
Even so, I had chosen a life that walked alongside death, and I lived it without any hesitation. I was devoting everything I had to try and catch up to the longing I held, willing to completely burn myself out. All for the sake of reaching my aspiration.
“If you held a grudge against Oliver… I could still understand. If you were begged to stop him, that would be the same. If your sense of justice couldn’t allow his rampage, that would be fine too. If you had witnessed someone similar to him in the past and were driven by sympathy, I could still accept that.”
Reason after reason was listed. All of them were serious reasons.
And if that were the case, I could have honestly lent you my strength. I even heard those words as an auditory hallucination.
It must be true. Her pained expression spoke volumes, even without words.
“…But you don’t fit into any of those reasons. Your life is your own. Therefore, I have no right to interfere with what sacrifices you make or what results you seek. …But this is our fault.”
Therefore, she couldn’t let me get involved.
I wasn’t driven by revenge, nor was I forced into this way of life, nor was I bound by something fatal. It was simply for one reason: aspiration.
She couldn’t understand that at all. That’s why she asked me that question. That’s why she was so adamant in her refusal.
However.
However.
Even if Zenoah had a valid reason, and even if I understood it.
What did it matter?
“I still can’t let you get involved—”
“I admire the ‘Star Slayer.’ I truly want to stand alongside him, and I’ve vowed to aim for that. I’ve decided to become a ‘Star Slayer.’ That’s the reason for all my actions. Nothing more, nothing less.”
From the bottom of my heart, I longed to become him. From the bottom of my heart, I wanted to achieve it.
Therefore, it wasn’t about logic.
It didn’t matter what sacrifices I had to make, even if it meant losing my life.
I had already told her this once.
Zenoah, who could read minds, should know that it was the undeniable truth.
Yet, she asked me this question again because she desperately didn’t want me to get involved.
…She was probably trying to stop me because there was a very high chance I would be killed if I continued down this path. Understanding that, a small smile formed on my face. And even knowing her good intentions, I smiled wryly at the depth of my own depravity, as I felt no inclination to agree with her.
“You… won’t back down, will you?”
It was like a final confirmation.
However, she must have resigned herself to the fact that my answer to that question remained unchanged and unwavering. Her voice was tinged with resignation, evident to anyone.
You’re not strong enough, so back down. This is our problem.
But I wasn’t the kind of person to meekly agree with such reasonable words.
“Of course not.”
Immediately after I replied—a sudden chill ran down my spine.
“…Hee.”
I immediately understood.
The source was the woman before me.
I will kill you here, no matter what.
Such a strong, murderous intent was relentlessly thrust upon me, silently.
“…Then, I apologize to Ryuuzas, but I will stop you here by force.”
“Haha… Good. I prefer this kind of atmosphere.”
—‘Sword Creation.’—
Unable to bear the tense atmosphere that instantly filled the air, I cast the spell silently, creating a sword.
Ryuuzas had told me to learn from her, but honestly, I wasn’t confident I could learn by being taught step by step.
I’d rather learn on my own, in actual combat. That method was a hundred times more to my liking. Therefore, I couldn’t help but grin.
I thought this development was perfect for me. However, Ryuuzas might have involved Zenoah knowing this would happen. He had been smiling knowingly the whole time, so it was highly likely.
I granted the kid’s wish, but if he gets defeated by Zenoah before he can even steal the technique with his eyes… well, that’s his problem.
I imagined hearing those lighthearted words, and tightened my grip on the hilt of the sword I had created.
A battle that couldn’t be avoided, between Zenoah, who was trying to keep me, an outsider, from getting involved, and me, who had been given the condition of learning ‘Shroud.’
I briefly wondered if it was wise to waste my energy before the decisive battle, but he must have thought it was better than having everyone act separately. If so, I could understand this situation.
And for me, who desperately wished to become stronger beyond my limits, this development was more than welcome.
“…Please spare me a bone or two.”
“Don’t worry. I’m used to… that sort of thing.”
“Is that so?”
Her entire being radiated the intent to stop me no matter what, and that hostility continued to pierce me relentlessly.
“…”
Remaining silent, Zenoah took her stance, sword in hand. It was a refined stance, clearly different from my self-taught swordsmanship that constantly sought the optimal solution.
—Drawing-room swordsmanship.
Such words crossed my mind due to its sheer beauty, but I forcefully pushed the thought away. If I let my guard down, I would be done for in an instant.
That instinctive feeling wasn’t a mistake, but the undeniable truth. It was like a premonition.
Then, as if breaking the water-still silence that had fallen over the training grounds, as if proving my premonition correct—
Zenoah—no, the next moment, her figure vanished from my sight, which had been focused on her feet.
It was a speed too fast for my eyes to follow.
As if teleporting, seizing a fraction of a second, a tenth of the time it takes to blink, Zenoah closed the distance between us.
That movement technique was what Ryuuzas called ‘Shroud,’ the strange power I could sometimes use.
“…Wha…”
Even though I had prior knowledge, seeing it in person, I couldn’t help but gasp in surprise. But even so, I immediately tried to raise my sword to block the sword that was already being swung down, and—
“I can read your movements, you know.”
A precise kick landed in the opening created by raising my sword from its natural stance.
“Guh!”
A heavy blow, unbefitting her slender frame, made a cracking sound that resonated in my head.
I managed to pull back at the last moment and lessen the impact, but if I had taken it head-on, it could have been fatal.
…And thanks to her words, “I can read your movements,” I remembered.
Zenoah Almerida’s magic was ‘Mind Reading.’ If she could read my mind, that meant I had to act assuming she could see through all my moves, or I would just be outsmarted.
“…I see. So you weren’t joking about stopping me by force.”
“Why would I be joking…!! We can’t involve any unrelated people in this incident…!”
“But that’s your problem. It has nothing to do with me.”
“Yes. That’s why I will stop you by force. We can’t let you die because of our mess.”
“It’s irritating that you’re talking as if my death is a given, even if it can’t be helped, you know!?”
Regaining my footing, I stomped on the ground.
“But if I defeat you, someone who can read minds, that means I’ve become a swordsman who can’t be defeated even if my mind is read. Then, even against a cheater with magic like ‘Perception Obstruction,’ I should be able to fight much better…!!”
I could already see the strategy.
If my mind was being read, I would read her mind and respond accordingly.
I just had to attain a speed that wouldn’t allow her the time to follow that sequence. And the answer to that was ‘Shroud.’
Moreover, that speed would be useful for slaying stars. So I had to make ‘Shroud’ my own, taking advantage of this opportunity.
“To defeat the ‘Magician Hunter,’ and to surpass you, as Ryuuzas said, I’ll steal that technique—!!!”
“If you can, be my guest.”
The clash of metal against metal rang out twice, thrice, following my shout.
And that sound continued to grow without limit.
[Translator – Vine]
[Proofreader – Lust]
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