27 - Revealed Ability
"Huh?"
Ray let out a bewildered cry while pointing his sword at Miria's chest as she lay flat on her back on the ground. Miria, who had the sword pointed at her, looked as if she didn't understand what had happened, staring at Ray with her mouth agape.
Under Geel's instructions, the two had engaged in a sparring match, but the conclusion had come in a flash, to Ray's own surprise. Overwhelmed by the sword Ray swung, Miria had fallen to the ground without being able to launch a single counterattack, leading to this situation.
"I figured Miria wouldn't be a match for you."
Geel, who had been watching the sparring match from the side, approached the two while speaking in an exasperated tone.
"O-one more time. This was some kind of mistake."
"Is there such a thing as a mistake in a match? The winner is strong, and the loser is weak. That's all there is to it."
"But, in just one month, to this extent..."
It had been one month since Ray began studying under Geel. During that time, Miria didn't believe she had done nothing. Despite that, she seemed unable to accept that such a gap had opened up between them.
"Well, I agree with Miria on that, but compared to what the brat has been doing, it was obvious this would happen eventually, wasn't it?"
"I worked hard too!"
"You have no right to say you worked hard. Say that after you've actually shown it with the same resolve as the brat."
"...Yes."
Stimulated by Ray, Miria had been training alongside him, but she still had a certain level of softness. There were more than a few times when she decided her own limits and gave up without seeing things through to the end.
"Now, half of this was as expected, but half was beyond expectations."
"What is?"
"I knew you'd become stronger than Miria, but I didn't think the gap would be this wide."
"I really did get stronger, didn't I?"
The result of the sparring match with Miria made Ray realize his own growth in a true sense for the first time.
"Hah? You already knew that, didn't you?"
"I knew it, but with Master as my opponent, I had no idea how much."
Ray had become stronger, but he was still far from reaching his master, Geel. Not once had the feeling that he had closed the gap occurred to him.
"That's why I had you spar with Miria. But this isn't a good measure."
"A measure?"
"You're not yet strong enough to face opponents indiscriminately. You're still in the stage where you should hone yourself through training rather than actual combat. But there's no more time."
"Yeah."
"Once you set out on a journey, there will be times when you encounter battles whether you like it or not. For those times, I thought I'd let you get a rough sense of the criteria for who you can fight and who you should run away from."
"Run away? To think such words would come from Master's mouth."
Words most unsuitable for Geel. Because he didn't know how to run, he had been given the epithet 'Mad Sword' for biting anyone and everyone.
"I wasn't strong from the start either. While I was weak, there were times I ran. If you die, you can't get any stronger."
"And now?"
"I felt the limit of growth through training a long time ago. That's why, to get any stronger, only actual combat will do."
Increasing experience rather than polishing technique. That was the way to get stronger for the current Geel. He was at a stage far beyond Ray.
"So, you picked fights indiscriminately, and the nickname you got was Mad Sword."
"Don't call it a nickname, call it an epithet."
"You're not denying that you picked fights."
"Well, yeah."
Geel's grinning face looked more like a mischievous child than a mad dog. The fact that Ray could think this showed how much the relationship between Ray and Geel had deepened.
"Criteria, huh. How strong is Miria-san?"
"You're making fun of me, aren't you?"
"I'm not. I was thinking of using Miria-san's strength to measure the strength of others."
"Acquiring the ability to discern an opponent's strength is also part of training, right?"
"No, to be honest, I knew I could win. I didn't feel the need to measure it precisely."
Ray had been aware that he had surpassed Miria for quite some time. He just kept quiet because it wasn't something to brag about.
"You really are making fun of me!"
"It's about how to discern the borderline of whether someone is stronger or weaker than yourself."
"Am I done talking?"
Realizing Ray's attention had shifted away from her, Miria looked dissatisfied.
"You don't need to pursue it that far. A rough feeling is fine. Besides, the higher the opponent's ability, the more likely you are to misjudge."
"Am I done..."
Once Geel returned to the conversation, Miria was completely dismissed.
"What does that mean?"
"People with strength that deviates too far from your own can actually appear weak. Conversely, the same applies, you only know a weak person is weak. You can't measure exactly how weak they are."
"Then what should I do?"
Correct judgment cannot be made based on the feeling of weakness alone. That would mean there was no way to measure the opponent's actual strength as Geel said.
"In the end, it's intuition. No matter how they look, if it feels dangerous, run."
"Doesn't that make everything you've said so far pointless?"
"The intuition part is half a joke. There is meaning in measuring. You just don't have to fight weaklings."
Fighting weak people provides no nourishment. If that's the case, one should just run without taking risks. Becoming stronger is everything. It was a way of thinking typical of Geel, who didn't consider running to be a shame.
"Oh, I see. That's a great idea."
Ray was convinced by that logic. Since the goal was to become stronger to survive, there was no need to take unnecessary risks.
"Now, enough talk. Let's decide what to do. I didn't want to cause too much of a stir, but it can't be helped. Come with me."
"Ah, okay."
Ray followed after Geel, who began walking briskly. It seemed they were heading toward the place where the knights trained. A place he had avoided until now.
"I already have a bad feeling about this."
"Oh, you've got good intuition. Now, which one should I pick?"
Geel looked over the knights training as if appraising them. He was actually appraising them. His eyes stopped at one knight.
"For starters, that one. Hey! You!"
The movements of the surrounding knights stopped at Geel's sudden loud shout. The knight Geel was pointing at froze completely. That was how high Geel's notoriety was.
"You, you! Come here for a second!"
"Yes! Ah, but..."
"What's with you? Can't you follow my orders!?"
"N-no! I understand!"
Because it was during training, and especially because the one calling was Geel, the knight had shown hesitation, but he rushed over in a panic at Geel's intimidation.
"Good. We're going to spar. Get ready."
"M-me?"
"Of course. Who else is there?"
"......"
"Hey, Geel! What are you doing!"
The knight looked relieved at the voice heard from a distance. On the other hand, Geel looked sour. There was only one person in this place who would address Geel without honorifics. As expected, the one who appeared was Sieg.
"Do you intend to cause another commotion?"
"Not really. I was just going to have a little sparring match."
"With him? Hey, that's going too far, even for you."
"Not me. With my disciple."
"What? Are you serious?"
Sieg naturally knew that Geel was teaching Ray the sword. And that Ray had been a complete amateur.
"Of course I am."
"Hmm... very well. Is that alright with you?"
Sieg had also been curious as to why Geel had started acting as Ray's master. He didn't want to miss the opportunity to see Ray's ability.
"Ah, yes. Of course."
Knowing the opponent wasn't Geel, the knight's attitude changed. The opponent was Ray. The boy Geel, who completely ignored them, was teaching as a disciple. Naturally, he didn't have a good impression. The desire to give him a little taste of pain manifested on his face.
"My bad feeling was spot on."
"Stop saying boring things and get ready."
"For what?"
"I guess there's no preparation. Then just start."
Geel and Sieg left the scene, leaving Ray and the knight behind. Conversely, people began to approach. They were onlookers who had gathered, knowing something was starting. Every knight present knew about the disciple of 'Mad Sword' Geel. And their feelings toward him were clear from the look in their eyes.
"This is a complete away game."
"Stop muttering and let's begin."
"Yes."
The two faced each other at a distance. Just as they were about to take their stances, Geel's voice was heard.
"Hey! I forgot to ask!"
"What!?"
"Can you win!?"
"You're asking that now!?"
"It's for the sake of discernment! Which is it!?"
"That's not what I meant!"
What Ray wanted to say was that he couldn't say it in this place.
"In other words, you can win!"
Geel asked while knowing that.
"What!?"
The knight expressed indignation at Geel's words. Not only the opposing knight, but indignant voices could be heard from among the knights watching around them.
"...He did that on purpose."
To Ray, Geel's actions could only be seen as a provocation to those around them.
"Take your stance already! I'll correct that arrogance myself!"
It was no wonder the knight was angry. It hadn't even been half a year since Ray started training. Moreover, everyone knew that at first, he couldn't even run. Even if some knew he had trained quite a bit since then, what the knights saw was only the sight of Ray being beaten down by Geel until he was battered.
"...Then, I'm coming."
"Come!"
In the knight's eyes, it looked as if Ray had only taken a light step forward. But in the next moment, along with the sound of cutting wind, a sword closed in before his eyes. The knight clashed his sword against it, but he couldn't completely block it. After being pushed back by the pressure of the sword, Ray slipped past his side and swung his sword from directly behind, and it was over. With the sensation of the sword against his neck, the knight recognized his defeat.
"...I yield."
"Thank you very much."
Returning to the front of the knight and bowing, Ray headed back to Geel.
"Don't try to act cool."
"What would be the point of making him even angrier? I mean, don't provoke them. I was completely the villain, wasn't I?"
"Don't worry about things like that. Alright, next."
He provoked them on purpose. It was to prevent them from underestimating Ray and holding back. But Geel wasn't the type to explain that to Ray.
"We're still doing this?"
"Of course. I wonder if the next one will be a hit?"
"Just pick one already."
"...Oh? Looks like there's no need to pick."
"Hm?"
When Ray looked back, a knight was already standing there with a sword. It didn't need to be confirmed that he intended for it to be his turn next.
"How about that one?"
"Hmm. I think I can win."
After a brief moment of hesitation, Ray judged that he could win.
"You can win, huh. Alright, then go. I'll give you a penalty if you're wrong."
"I didn't hear anything about that!"
"Just go!"
Muttering complaints toward Geel, Ray headed toward his opponent. Watching his back, Sieg, who had been silent, spoke up.
"He said he could win."
"He did."
"He's a Captain of a Hundred, you know?"
Ray's opponent wasn't an ordinary knight, but a Captain of a Hundred. Normally, he wasn't an opponent Ray, who had held a sword for less than half a year, could defeat.
"If the brat says he can win, then he can."
"To that extent?"
"Who knows. I can't see that brat. Right now, if I fought the brat ten times, I'd win ten times, that's for sure, but I can't measure his strength."
"...I see."
This time, the knight took the initiative. A sharp swing attacked Ray, but it was a bad move. For Ray, who received Geel's sword every day, it was natural to see through such a swing. Dodging slightly to the side, he slammed the hilt of his sword from the side into the face of the knight who had leaned forward. Pushing down the knight who had completely lost his balance, he pinned him down and placed the blade of the sword against his neck. That was Ray's victory. Because a Captain of a Hundred had lost, the surrounding knights became agitated. Feeling this, Ray returned to Geel as if escaping.
"The atmosphere is getting worse and worse, isn't it?"
"I told you not to worry about it."
"For now, it was a hit. Though I was a bit lucky."
"Well, yeah. But luck is also a part of skill."
"Hey, what does that mean?"
Sieg asked about the meaning of the conversation between Ray and Geel.
"...It's a secret."
Ray refused to answer.
"What?"
"Is there any fool who would reveal his own hand? It's natural to hide your strengths and weaknesses, right?"
Geel gave the reason why Ray wouldn't answer to Sieg, who showed a slight hint of anger.
"Well, that's true."
It was a reason Sieg had no choice but to accept.
"Now, the next one has come forward."
Another volunteer for sparring stepped forward. Noticing this, Geel announced the next match to Ray.
"Still doing this?"
"Well, this is the last one. So, how about it?"
"...A loss."
Ray's judgment was a loss.
"No. Win."
"Hah? That's different from the purpose, isn't it!?"
The purpose of sparring was to measure the opponent's strength. It shouldn't be about winning against an opponent you know you'll lose to.
"Just win. Then it's over."
"Wait, that person looks really important, doesn't he?"
"He does."
The armor of the knight who had stepped forward was clearly different from the other knights. That indicated the knight's rank was high. Geel, belonging to the knight order, naturally knew exactly what that rank was. On top of that, he was telling Ray to win.
"You're telling me to win against that?"
"That's right."
"...You're telling me to be a fool who reveals his own hand?"
That meant Ray had power he was hiding.
"You can just raise your actual ability. If you do that, instead of revealing it, you can deceive the opponent."
And Geel had seen through that. That's why he told him to win. Now was not the time to hide his hand. Fighting an opponent where winning was uncertain even while exerting his maximum ability would lead to growth. That was how he thought.
"That's just a sophistry."
"Sophistry is also a form of logic. Just go and win. This is your master's order."
"Yes, yes. Honestly... he only acts like a master when it's convenient..."
Muttering complaints about Geel again, this time loud enough to be clearly heard, Ray headed toward where the knight waited.
"Are you sane? The opponent is a Commander of a Thousand."
"But in the end, the brat said 'yes'."
"...Surely he doesn't seriously think he can win?"
In Sieg's common sense, it was impossible. If someone showed that much growth, they would have to be something like a Hero.
"Whether I'm serious or not doesn't matter. I just want to see the brat's seriousness for the first time in a while."
"What?"
"The only time the brat showed his seriousness was when we first fought to the death."
"You mean he's holding back in training? No, I can't believe that. Above all, you would never allow it."
Sieg was also a person who pursued becoming stronger, though his methods differed from Geel's. Their attitude toward training was the same. He believed that training where one held back was not training at all.
"It's like this. The brat's seriousness changes."
"I don't understand."
Seriousness was the attitude of exerting one's ability to the maximum. Sieg believed that while there might be fluctuations in condition from time to time, the feeling itself didn't change.
"Then I'll put it simply. Is the seriousness of a state where Body Strengthening isn't used at all really seriousness?"
"Hey, that's..."
"He is using it. But, I have a feeling that brat can change the level of Body Strengthening. Like beginner and intermediate levels of elemental magic. Usually, the brat is in that beginner state. And that's only during sparring with me. Other than that, he doesn't even use Body Strengthening."
"...You're saying there's another level above that?"
Sieg had never heard such a thing. Still, if Geel said so, he figured it must be true. Setting aside personality and attitude, he recognized Geel's sword skill as much as possible.
"You'll understand if you watch. He's facing a Commander of a Thousand, after all. It won't go as easily as before."
And indeed, Ray showed the level above. It wasn't the beginner or intermediate levels Geel mentioned. He increased the amount of magic power circulating within his body. That directly became the Fighting Spirit Ray emitted. Seeing Ray's state, which was clearly different from before, the Commander of a Thousand brushed away any carelessness toward the opponent before him.
For a while, time passed with neither moving. Perhaps growing impatient, Ray abandoned his specialty of defense and went on the offensive.
Ray accelerated even more than before. But the opponent was a Commander of a Thousand. He responded brilliantly. Sword clashed with sword. Surprisingly, it was Ray who was pushing forward, but that was the Commander of a Thousand's invitation. By slightly tilting his sword, he lured Ray in, causing him to lose his balance.
A sword was swung there. This time, it was Ray who responded. Sinking his body to avoid it, he launched a kick from a posture that almost crawled along the ground.
The Commander of a Thousand leaped far back to dodge it, and the movements of the two stopped again.
The one to break it was Ray again. Taking a light step forward, he closed the distance in a single bound. The Commander of a Thousand tried to intercept him, but before that, Ray kicked the ground and forcibly changed his direction of travel.
Then, taking another step as if stepping, accelerating each time, he charged at the Commander of a Thousand in a posture that was almost like a tackle.
To intercept him, the Commander of a Thousand swung his sword down while leaping far back.
But before that sword could fall upon Ray's head, Ray's thrusting sword reached the Commander of a Thousand's chest. Along with the metallic sound of armor and sword tip colliding, the Commander of a Thousand fell backward.
The Commander of a Thousand tried to create distance by rolling, utilizing the momentum of being blown back, and Ray pursued him.
The victory went to Ray. Without giving the Commander of a Thousand a chance to stand up, Ray's sword reached his neck.
A low stir echoed through the training ground.
"...He won."
Sieg muttered softly with an expression as if he had seen something unbelievable.
"Well, it was barely. If they did it again, there's a possibility he'd lose."
Ray's final attack was a complete surprise. Once it was seen, it probably wouldn't work next time. That's what Geel thought.
"Still, he won."
"Well, Master told me to win."
"Is that how it works? The opponent was a Commander of a Thousand, you know?"
"What of it? Does a title matter? The winner is strong, and the loser is weak. That's all there is to it."
"You say that, but he's only been training for about four months, right? I heard he started from walking. Why can he win against a Commander of a Thousand?"
"Well, it's the result of talent and effort."
"What kind of talent. It's almost as if he's a Hero."
"Speaking of which, the Hero has arrived."
"What?"
Looking over, Fumiya was energetically pestering Ray, who was trying to return. Ray was desperately trying to shake him off. It was obvious what Fumiya was saying to Ray.
"You should stop him."
"Well, yeah."
"Go quickly. It would be a problem if the Hero were to lose, wouldn't it?"
"Are you serious? If that happened..."
Fumiya often drew frowns with his childish behavior, but he maintained the trust of the knights by showing his overwhelming growth. He was reliable on the battlefield. That was important for a knight. Just as Geel was.
If Fumiya were to lose to Ray, who came later, the prestige he had built as a Hero would plummet.
"It's just a possibility. But I can't say that one time out of ten thousand wouldn't be today. That's how matches are, right?"
"True. I'm going."
Sieg understood the severity of matches just as Geel did. It wasn't uncommon for a talented knight to be slain by a nameless soldier.
Sieg immediately headed toward the two and began talking to Fumiya to give up on the sparring match. As expected, Fumiya couldn't be selfish with Sieg, and Ray was soon released from Fumiya and returned to Geel.
"Ah, how troublesome."
"Did he want to fight?"
"Yeah. He wouldn't listen to anything I said. I'm glad Sieg-sama stopped him."
"And what would have happened if you fought?"
"With the Hero?"
"Yes."
"You'd lose. You can't win against that one."
"...Kuh. I see, I can't win."
"What are you laughing at? The opponent is the Hero. It would be weirder to win, right?"
"That's also true. But I see, I can't win against that one."
"You're acting unpleasant."
"Alright, let's go back. Continuing the training."
"Hah? There's still more?"
"Of course. There's still time left. Besides, you realized it, right? Your body movements have improved a lot. But..."
"It's technique, right. Sword skills aren't acquired overnight."
"That's it."
Ray's strength lay in his physical ability and the precise magic control that ordinary people couldn't mimic. Conversely, that was the only area where he surpassed the knights.
"Hey, how do you do that? Just a tiny, slight movement of the sword, and my balance was completely thrown off."
"That's also balance. It means the equilibrium of power and power was broken. You change the direction of the opponent's power by manipulating the direction of the sword."
"Direction, huh. I understand the logic, but not the method."
"That's also training. Come on, let's go. Not just you, I want to train too."
"Didn't you say there's a limit to training?"
"Circumstances have changed. A monster has appeared before my eyes."
"Ah, well. A Hero is a monster if you call them one."
"...You don't get it."
Geel was more surprised by Ray's words that he couldn't win against the Hero than by the fact that he won against the Commander of a Thousand. The words 'I can't win against that one' indicated that he had measured the Hero's strength.
The difference in strength between Ray and the Hero, Fumiya, was within a measurable range. That meant Ray was catching up to the Hero, who possessed monstrous growth potential.
The monster Geel referred to was not Fumiya, but Ray.
For himself, who aimed to be the strongest on the continent, the greatest threat might truly become his disciple, Ray. Geel found that overly perfect setup to be intensely interesting.