Chapter 21
Training
"……This is quite a peculiar sensation."
I said that while glancing around at the bleak, featureless scenery.
Across from , yer, who was sitting idly with his chin propped on his hand, chuckled in reply.
"It's always like that the first ti you experience it."
They called the act of manifesting soone's 'mind' as a space a ntal World, and the place yer and I had stepped into now was exactly that.
I looked with distaste at the bracelet fastened around my wrist.
< Item Info >
[ Soul Connector ] [ Rare ]
[A bracelet containing the supre soul 'Knight of Dawn.' It allows entry into the unique space , which can only be opened by those who have reached the pinnacle. In this space, you can co into direct contact with spirits.]
……Thanks to such effects, things like this were possible.
The bracelet itself was rely an old relic with no particular power, but simply because it housed yer’s soul, all kinds of effects were plastered onto it.
‘Just how much of a monster is he?’
When I sent a gaze carrying that thought toward him, yer, still craning his neck, slowly looked up and down.
His eyes felt as if they were scanning every inch of , and my body involuntarily shrank back.
I hadn’t sensed it as strongly when facing his spiritual form, but eting face to face, I felt certain—he was no ordinary human.
I also knew a word that described this man quite well.
‘……Predator.’
Humans who existed in a completely different 'realm,' to the point it felt as if we were different species.
If I had ever felt a similar impression, it would have been from Noel or Katya.
But even compared to those two, the atmosphere he exuded was unmistakably—
‘—frightening.’
Unlike Noel and Katya, who usually kept such an aura hidden out of consideration for others, this man didn’t seem to have the slightest intention of concealing anything.
Just having him in front of made feel like I was shriveling up. The pressure was especially intense, even more so than with those two.
‘Should I be glad that I’ll be learning to fight from soone like this……?’
The condition I had set before was that I would tread the 'pinnacle' this man had failed to reach in his stead.
And this was one of the steps toward that. Every night, within the ntal World unfolding in my 'dream,' I would receive one-on-one instruction from him.
Since this world was built inside his mind, no matter what happened, it wouldn’t affect the real world in any way.
"So, about that condition you set. Before we begin, let ask you a few things."
At yer’s words, my expression turned serious.
"Let’s be honest. You don’t have anything."
"……."
"I know you can handle multiple abilities, but let’s set that crap aside for now. You’ve never actually fought anyone, have you? Even with just a kitchen knife, I could kill you ten tis over in three seconds."
This man, if nothing else, certainly didn’t have the knack for saying things nicely.
"And there’s sothing even more serious. You don’t really look like you want to be doing any of this."
"What’s that supposed to an?"
"You don’t seem to enjoy fighting itself. You’re the kind of person who runs away first if sothing dangerous cos up, aren’t you?"
Good grief.
"Do you gain mind-reading powers when you beco a ghost?"
"I established over half of the continent’s thods for wielding supernatural abilities, you little snot. Do you have any idea how many disciples I’ve taken in? It’s obvious to at a glance."
I did know that.
Even now, he was the Knight of Dawn, a hero known across the continent, and most of those tales about him had actually been ‘downsized.’
……In that sense.
The assessnt yer gave after thoroughly examining was quite unexpected.
"……So how does a guy like you even hold an ability like this?"
"What?"
"I’ve seen plenty of people using multiple abilities, but I’ve never seen anyone who could ‘blend’ abilities together. How did you do it? Did you swindle the gods or sothing?"
"……Is that really so remarkable?"
"Is that really so remarkable, you ask? Is that really so remarkable……? You little piece of—"
yer, who was clearly suppressing a string of curses down in his throat, let out a long sigh and continued.
"Abilities are the exclusive domain of the gods. It doesn’t make any sense that they’d blend. What’s more absurd is that there hasn’t been an uproar around you until now. I an, ha—"
"……I heard that His Majesty the Emperor of the Empire has been working hard to keep my information hidden."
"The very fact that it can be suppressed at all is nonsensical. It only proves how little this era understands supernatural abilities. If it were in my ti, you’d probably have been captured alive and dissected already."
……Honestly, even with all that said, I still couldn’t quite grasp what made it so extraordinary.
I just knew I should be grateful I hadn’t been born in yer’s era.
I scratched my head.
Well. Having soone suddenly hand this kind of high evaluation was not sothing I’d ever imagined.
"Well, fine. With this alone, you’d never be lacking in power anywhere you go. You can learn proper thods for using abilities much later."
"I can learn them later?"
"More precisely, I need to study you a bit myself. I’ve never seen anything like this either. There isn’t much I can teach you right away."
…That was a situation I hadn’t imagined at all.
But.
"……Isn’t there anything else?"
Given that I was in a position where I had to raise my specs even a little, I had no choice but to press yer like this.
♠ Main Quest
◈ Act I,
▶ Chapter 1 will begin soon!
▶ Related incidents will proceed shortly. (D-4)
……And the problem was that the progress of the main quest was drawing close again.
The situation pressing down on every mont left no room to hesitate in getting stronger.
"Hmm……."
At that plea, yer scratched his chin and fixed with a stare.
"There isn’t exactly no way."
"Really?"
When I brightened and smiled at those words, yer lightly nodded in return.
"First of all, how about dying a few tis to start?"
With that, he swept his hand horizontally. It was a movent so casual it barely counted as an effort.
And then.
……My head was sliced clean off along the path of his hand.
"……?"
My severed head soared into the air. My body collapsed to the ground. Blood sprayed like a fountain. My vision went black. I died—
"-?!"
Next.
The mont I blinked, the sensation vanished in an instant.
Gasping for breath, I frantically felt around my body. My neck was still properly attached.
But.
"……Just now."
I had definitely died once.
The feeling of my head rolling across the ground was vivid.
"False perception. Dying in the ntal World doesn’t cause any problems for your real body. You can ‘return’ like this."
To , drenched in cold sweat, he tossed out those words.
"Well, what the hell was that just now—"
"To be blunt, you’re not even standing at the starting line yet. The priority is getting you used to extre situations where you’re dodging and your flesh is getting torn up."
yer spoke as he loosened up his body, his tone sounding almost friendly, like soone explaining step by step to a beginner.
But what he said next was anything but gentle.
"So you’ll have to keep dying and fighting."
"……."
"First, you need to get used to the ‘fight’ itself. We have to quickly arm that mind of yours that’s gone soft from peace."
"……Wait a mont, Senior. Is that really—"
"Forget theory and technique lessons for now. This seems like the most efficient way…."
yer continued with that sa big smile on his face.
……At this point.
That warm smile looked to nothing short of a demon’s grin.
"……Try to survive by any ans necessary, junior."
The mont that sentence ended.
The second death struck .
▣
"……Sir Aiden."
At that sudden voice dropping out of nowhere, I hastily straightened up.
"Are you all right……?"
Noel studied my face carefully as she spoke in a cautious tone.
She wasn’t wrong. My face was pale. My complexion was ashen, and all day long my mind seed sowhere else.
I couldn’t possibly admit that it was because I’d spent the entire night getting tornted by yer.
"If you are unwell, please retire to your chamber. There’s no need to remain in the office…."
"……I’m fine."
In truth, my body was perfectly normal.
It was only that the mory of being hacked to pieces by yer all through the night was simply too horrifying.
"……That damned man."
Thinking that, I glared at the window floating in front of my eyes.
-System Log
▶ You have engaged in intense combat. Combat experience has been newly accumulated.
▶ Accumulate combat experience to learn techniques of various schools!
▶ If you learn the techniques of 2 more schools, the ‘Combat Forms’ category will be unlocked.
Though I must have died at least a dozen tis last night alone, thanks to that, new abilities had been unlocked.
‘This is definitely…….’
It was a concept separate from skills.
Skills typically exerted their effects by being ‘used’ directly, whereas Combat Forms manifested as the culmination of experience the character had built up.
If you had to classify them, they were like the difference between active skills you invoked and passive skills that were always maintained.
Since this ant I’d gained yet another kind of skill I could ‘copy,’ it was truly sothing to celebrate with open arms.
Ordinarily, anyway.
‘I feel like I’m going to die…….’
No wonder Noel had been the first to speak up in concern.
After we’d returned from that banquet, things had felt strangely awkward between us, and I hadn’t been able to bring myself to say anything.
"……."
I watched Noel quietly as she pressed her lips together and looked away.
The mont I cut her off by insisting I was fine, instead of adding any more words, she imdiately turned her gaze aside.
As if she didn’t want to exchange another word.
How should I put it?
Lately, she seed to be deliberately avoiding any prolonged contact with .
-Quest Info
◈ Fake Marriage
* You have been chosen as Lady Noel’s spouse. Maintain your contract with her to the end!
* A related incident will occur soon. (D-?)
Seeing that written here, together with her sudden change in attitude, made it clear sothing had definitely shifted in her mind.
‘I can’t figure her out…….’
Truly, I had no idea what she was thinking.
As I was watching Noel in silence, she let out a deep sigh and took off her uniform cap.
‘Yikes.’
Maybe I’d been staring too blatantly without realizing it. Just as I was about to flinch, thinking she might scold , Noel calmly opened her mouth.
"Sir Aiden."
"Yes?"
"If there’s anything else I can help you with, please tell . You’ve been unwell all morning, haven’t you?"
"……."
"If it’s sothing difficult to talk about, I’ll wait until you’re ready…."
……No.
I really didn’t understand her.
Most of the ti she avoided any contact at all, yet in monts like this, she spoke as if it were nothing to offer her help.
‘Well, then.’
If there was sothing I could ask right now, there was.
"You said you could teach swordsmanship?"
Hearing that, Noel’s eyes went wide as she repeated the question.
"Swordsmanship… Teaching you itself isn’t difficult, but what’s gotten into you? Weren’t you the sort who never cared about that sort of technique?"
"……I want to stay alive."
"……."
Noel returned a look that seed to ask if I thought that counted as an explanation, but that was honestly the best excuse I could co up with after racking my brain.
Starting now, getting beaten to death by yer every night was going to be my routine. I needed sothing—anything to at least put up so resistance.
‘Besides, more than anything else….’
When I recalled a few of the terms used to describe Noel in the ga, they were Lionhearted, the Empire’s greatest knight, and ‘Master of the Sword.’
She might not have been a monster who dominated the entire setting with swordsmanship alone like yer, who’d sliced off my head dozens of tis last night, but her skill with the sword was still among the very best even by superhuman standards.
Now that I’d fulfilled the conditions to unlock the Combat Forms category, if I could learn from her, I had no reason to refuse.
"……."
As I sorted out those thoughts, I noticed Noel running a hand across her forehead.
How should I put it—she looked genuinely conflicted by my request.
"……Um, Sir Aiden."
"Yes?"
"When you say swordsmanship lessons… Do you an you want personal instruction, one-on-one?"
"……Pardon?"
"In other words, are you asking if it will be conducted just the two of us?"
"……."
Well.
I hadn’t really thought that far ahead.
"……Does that matter?"
"It matters."
"……."
"It’s an important factor."
Watching Noel emphasize that twice as if it truly was crucial, I scratched my cheek.
"……If it’s that important, should we do it one-on-one?"
"……."
This ti, Noel pressed her lips together and fixed with a stare.
What was this about now?
"……You’re rather forward."
"……."
"I suppose I’m fine with it, for the mont."
"……Yes, well…?"
What was she trying to say?
While I blinked, puzzled by the question, soone kicked open the office door and burst in.
"What’s this. What’s this, what’s this? You two are having quite an interesting conversation, aren’t you?"
Noel’s face went rigid.
Aiden and she spent most of their ti alone together in the office, and others respected that situation enough not to barge in carelessly.
Even Da Stella, who served as Da Noel’s adjutant, thoroughly kept her distance in that regard.
So, there was only one person who would fling the door open without so much as a knock.
“……Your Highness. I am speaking with Aiden right now. Would you please step back?”
“Hehe, co now. It’s not like we’re talking about just anyone. We’re talking about soone I’m serving as adjutant to, aren’t we? How could I leave?”
When Katya replied with a bright smile, Noel’s eyebrows instantly twitched.
If earlier her expression had rely hardened, now it was at a level that could only be called openly hostile.
‘……Looks like all the bitterness still hasn’t faded.’
It seed those old feelings hadn’t fully resolved.
A subtle tension flowed between them, enough for Aiden to be certain of it in an instant.
“……Aiden asked for this. Not Your Highness. This has nothing to do with you, so—”
“Oh, but there aren’t many who can rival when it cos to handling the Holy Fla, you know? Don’t you think he’d be more interested in mastering a noble power like that instead of so outdated swordsmanship?”
Noel’s face grew even more severe than before.
Then she placed both arms on the desk and propped her chin on her hands.
The look on her face was the sa deadly seriousness she only showed before entering a fight.
“Princess. I believe you ought to be grateful I didn’t take you to court for the trouble you caused before.”
“……Hmm?”
“I would prefer you not ddle in our affairs any more than necessary. I can’t allow Aiden to get caught up in pointless complications.”
“…….”
Katya gave a wide smile at those words.
But her eyes were not smiling at all.
Seeing that expression, Aiden felt an involuntary chill crawl down his spine.
“You can’t even decide how you want to act, but you still want to monopolize him, don’t you?”
“……What did you say?”
“Nothing at all?”
Katya tilted her head as she spoke, and sparks lit in Noel’s gaze.
“……Fine, then.”
She growled as she rose from her seat.
“If you’re going to be so arrogant, then I suppose that ans you’re confident you can be more helpful to Aiden than I can.”
“Hmm—?”
“Let’s find out. Which of us is better suited to be his ‘instructor’.”
A declaration followed, as if to lay down a challenge.
“The one who loses won’t interfere with whatever the other chooses to do with Aiden.”
“…….”
Katya’s expression twisted.
It was clear she hadn’t expected Noel to co at her so directly.
“……You say the most amusing things.”
Katya let out a sigh and spoke.
“Be ready to lose disgracefully, Lionhearted.”
“I could say the sa to you, Your Highness. You’ve had things far too easy all your life just because you’re royalty, but this ti won’t be so simple.”
“You’re the one who’d better be ready to taste the bitterness of life—”
“…….”
Sothing.
This was turning into sothing much bigger again.
Aiden thought that to himself with a cold sweat running down his back.
User Comments
0 comments from readers