kscans

Chapter 40 - Standing at a Crossroads

Four days later. The matter of jumping from the height of the Tower required preparation and was set aside for the time being. The match between Shintaro and Soma was arranged. The format was two against one. Soma had wanted a one-on-one duel, but his request was denied with the suggestion that they could consider it after fighting once. The one to challenge Shintaro alongside Soma was, of course, Miyake. They would use real swords, not wooden ones, though the blades had been dulled so they wouldn't cut. They were both men who would carry the future of the nation; it would be no laughing matter if one accidentally killed the other during a match. But it was also considered that wooden swords might break.

As the palace staff crowded into the training grounds that would serve as the venue, the three men facing each other wore tense expressions. Miyake recalled his first exchange with Shintaro and prayed for his own safety. Soma thought only of seizing victory. He had been determined to achieve it even on his own. He was confident he could win with Miyake by his side. He predicted that Shintaro's reputed strength was likely a product of not only his physical conditioning but also his high level of technical skill. This was influenced by something he had heard yesterday, when Saimon had suddenly called for him, saying he had something to discuss.

*

"That man, Shintaro, was actually at my dojo for about three years." Needless to say, Soma was surprised. Saimon looked down, his expression dark. Soma couldn't read anything from it, but he waited silently for him to continue.

"He was what you would call a prodigy. He learned any form I taught him in one go and could use it immediately. In sparring, he was undefeated. I thought it was rare to find someone so strong."

"Did he leave the dojo because he was scouted by the Emperor?"

"No, that's not it. Back then, I never dreamed it would come to this. What happened was, for all intents and purposes, an expulsion."

"Expulsion?!"

"It was my fault. It was a mistake. But that's not what I want to talk to you about right now. As I said before, Shintaro is a prodigy. But, for the life of me, I cannot believe he is stronger than you." Soma's brow furrowed. It was the first time someone had voiced a dissenting opinion when everyone else was unanimously saying Shintaro was strong.

"That said, two years have passed since then. He may have improved his skills further in that time."

"...So, in short, you're saying it's a matter of technical skill?"

"That's right." At Saimon's reply, Soma's spirits lifted, and the corners of his mouth turned up.

"That's good to hear. Thank you." Soma gave a slight nod and left. He had been on the verge of losing his confidence because the Emperor and Miyake were hyping up Shintaro's strength so much, but Saimon's words had helped him regain it. He had no intention of letting his guard down, but he no longer felt like he would lose. Even Soma, who was called an instance of Divine Possession, had, somewhere in his mind, set a limit on the power a human could possess.

*

Soma once again steeled his resolve and fixed his gaze on Shintaro. He showed his determination to win, even if it meant a tough fight. Shintaro, facing them, gave a wry smile. This couldn't be more awkward, he thought. He was facing two opponents, each with the strength of a hundred men. He had to go all out, yet Saimon was among the spectators. It wasn't that he wanted his understanding now. But he was afraid of his reaction. There was also a sense of guilt for having hidden his true power. Saimon himself must have had some inkling of why he had to do so, but it was undeniable that he had been dishonest. That pricked his conscience slightly. That said, he wanted him to understand at least one thing: that he had been prepared to throw away his power. He wanted him to understand that he had betrayed a man who had been that desperate—otherwise, Shintaro would truly have no salvation.

With his mind still clouded, the match began. The fight was incredibly strange. The thousand soldiers who had fought Shintaro were left dumbfounded. Shintaro merely parried the attacks of the two charging boars, deflecting them skillfully, but never initiating an attack himself. He felt that this was no way to fight, but he couldn't quite bring himself to face them head-on. However, only Razan and Saimon were watching with wide eyes. It was because, despite Miyake and Soma attacking together, none of their strikes were having any effect. It was clear that the two were desperately attacking, and there was no hesitation in their feet as they tried to close the distance or in the swords they swung. But Shintaro skillfully evaded every single one. And the way he evaded was, to put it bluntly, anything but normal. Leaping back two or three ken was a given, and he would also leap left and right with uncanny agility. Sometimes, he would cover a distance of four or five ken. Even for the likes of Miyake and Soma, it was all they could do just to keep up. Thirty times their swords, swung when they thought they were in range, cut through empty air. When they finally did clash, their blades were brushed aside without a second thought. Miyake had anticipated this to some extent, so he chased Shintaro's figure with relative calm and patience. Soma, on the other hand, was completely thrown off. Normally, a single kick would be enough to close the distance with an opponent... no, sometimes he would leap too far and send them flying. It was a fleet-footedness he was proud of, one he had proven against Miyake. But it was completely useless against Shintaro. Even two kicks wouldn't close the gap. It was because Shintaro could cover the distance Soma traveled in three kicks with a single one of his own. Finally starting to run out of breath, Soma grumbled to Miyake, who stood beside him.

"Does he even intend to fight?" Miyake, also panting, twisted his lips.

"Who knows?"

Even after that, the pattern of pursuit and retreat didn't change. It was a pointless match. The watching Emperor finally lost his patience and rose from his chair.

"Did I not tell you to fight for real!" The Emperor's unexpectedly loud shout drew everyone's attention. Of course, the three men who had been fighting also stopped and looked. Even from a distance, Shintaro felt the Emperor's glare and was at a loss. Soma, glancing at him, noticed something and was stunned. Shintaro's breathing was not the least bit disturbed. It was a difference in stamina. If Shintaro was superior not only in technique but also in stamina, his chances of winning plummeted. Soma, whose spirit was already being drained by his unreachable opponent, felt his fighting will wither even more. Perhaps the strength of Shintaro that everyone was whispering about was the truth, and Saimon's assessment was wrong. As he was thinking this, the Emperor clapped his hands twice.

"We're starting over! I'm sending in ten thousand soldiers! My son-in-law!" Shintaro, being called, lowered his sword and turned his whole body to face the Emperor.

"The promise was originally to defeat ten thousand soldiers, was it not! Do it! After you have fought ten thousand soldiers, you will fight both Miyake and Soma! If you do not win, you cannot have Shion!" A stir ran through the venue.

"T-ten thousand?" Soma gasped in astonishment. Miyake turned to Shintaro with a grave expression.

"Will you accept?" Shintaro looked at Miyake. Miyake sensed the hesitation in his eyes.

"Ten thousand at once is unreasonable, no matter how you look at it. I think it would be fine for you to refuse." But Shintaro shook his head.

"No, if he tells me to defeat them, then I must."

"His words about not being able to have Princess Shion are just a figure of speech for this occasion. You need not worry."

"But what the Emperor wants is surely my true power. Otherwise, he wouldn't have gone to the trouble of setting up a match like this." Shintaro looked down, placed a hand on his chest, and closed his eyes. Against ten thousand soldiers, he couldn't afford to fight half-heartedly. The same went for the subsequent match against Miyake and Soma. To face two opponents with a body that was sure to be exhausted, he would have to go all out to win. Thinking that this was likely the Emperor's goal, Shintaro's feelings wavered. Shintaro squeezed the hand on his chest.

Give me the courage to break with the past. Shion—

Thinking of Shion's heart, which, because she could not see, always reflected him so directly, Shintaro opened his eyes. The way he looked at the Emperor with the gaze of a lion, as if possessed by a fierce god, radiated such fighting spirit that it summoned clouds into the previously clear sky.