kscans

Chapter 567 - Reactions: Istia's Number One

"—And well, that's about how things are on my end…"

"Fufu… It's always so lively around you, Haru-kun."

"If 'around me' heard that, they'd all jump down my throat and say that I'm the one who's livelier than anyone else… Well, not that I'd deny it at this point."

"Isn't that a good thing? It's a talent that draws people to you."

"Ha, ha, ha."

"Oh my… you look like you have something to say."

"Not really."

"Keeping secrets from your master is not something I can praise, you know?"

"It's not really a secret. It's just, you know."

"Just what, I wonder?"

"Public opinion, or my reputation, I guess… it feels like it's all skyrocketed at once."

"Yes."

"I won't say I'm unworthy of it…"

"You certainly look like you want to, though."

"But I won't. In the end, the reason I was able to climb up to this point at such an absurd speed wasn't so much my own strength…"

"…"

"It's because I was blessed with people—no, more than blessed, I was ridiculously blessed. I think that's the biggest part of it. When I consider that… well, you know."

"You know?"

"I'll accept all the praise and reputation as my 'responsibility,' but… I can't be the one to just thoughtlessly praise or spoil myself."

"…"

"Because, well—it makes me happy, you see."

"…Yes."

"I'm happy that anyone can watch me and have a good time. So, that means it all starts from here, doesn't it? I have a mind to give back what I've received… Hyah!"

The sound of our swords, which had been clashing for some time, rang out with my words.

The flash of my [Suito] blade, launched with a burst of spirit, was effortlessly parried by my master's greatsword… but at the same time, she stopped the flow of our spar and looked at me. I offered the [Sword Saint] one more thing.

"I'm getting pretty tired of this 'rookie' act anyway… From now on, I'll act with the dignity befitting my rank."

As I revealed my aspirations for the future, she returned a gentle smile.

"—As you are now, you are more than worthy."

She wore a smile so gentle, almost cherishing, that it made me feel self-conscious. Sheathing her greatsword, she held it in her arms.

As she drew near, I knelt and bowed my head. Her slender fingers combed through my bangs.

"[Chuden]… is still a little too soon, however."

"Haha, well, of course."

A mischievous grin from her, a wry smile from me.

"Haru-kun."

"Yes."

We exchanged words, and confirmed our feelings.

My master, the first person I must give back to, said…

"—You've become strong."

"Tch… I'll strive to become even stronger."

I averted my eyes from her dazzling smile. She raised an eyebrow, a rare expression for her.

"I won't permit you to strive any harder than you already are. For a little while longer, please remain my student."

She chided me with a gentle tap on my forehead, then smiled playfully.

◇◆◇◆◇

It had been about ten days since my last login. Some thirty minutes ago, my master had sent me a message the moment I visited the virtual world, and I had rushed to her side in high spirits.

Then, as soon as we met, she said something like, "My body has grown dull," and made me draw my sword. I spent a little over twenty minutes sparring with the [Sword Saint]. Satisfied with our chat-filled match, Ui-san now looked quite pleased as she sipped from her teacup on the veranda.

And yet—

"—To think Haru-kun has grown to the point where he can fight me while holding a conversation…"

"The feeling's mutual, and we were both far from serious, weren't we?"

My 'master,' who had always harbored mixed feelings about her 'disciple's' ridiculous growth rate, seemed to be holding on to a bit of dissatisfaction.

"I am, for better or worse, known as the [Sword Saint], you know?"

"Yes, yes. I am well aware, my master."

"A [Sword Saint] who is matched by her disciple in a mere two months… I've lost all face, haven't I?"

"N-No no no no no no no no no no no no no!"

Not matched, not matched, not even close, for real for real for real…!!

"No, um…—Please be honest. Ui-san, what percentage of your power were you using just now?"

"…Let's see… I suppose about thirty percent."

"—SEE, I KNEW IT! I was giving it my all just now. I was at eighty… no, ninety percent. I was pretty much one step short of going all out…!"

"Haru-kun."

"Yes."

"You mustn't lie."

"I'm not lying…!!"

I was just trying my best to maintain a composed expression, to appear dignified as befits my rank.

Sure, I didn't use any Arts or skills, but the same was true for Ui-san. It was a bout using only our pure base stats, which is precisely why the difference in our abilities was so stark.

Even considering that my style, which primarily relies on the full use of skills, is fundamentally different from hers, I am still nowhere near the level of the [Sword Saint].

The [Sword Queen] is the same; Arcadia's top two are in a league of their own. I, who have soared to these heights by relying on trump cards that are practically self-destruct moves, am on a completely different stage.

"Fufu… I understand what you want to say. However—"

I'm aware I was making an indescribable face. Thus, it was a given that my master, who sees through her disciple's every thought, would figure it out.

"—It was magnificent, beyond what words can express."

"…Thank you very much."

"My grandfather and I watched it over and over again."

"Oh, is that so…"

Such direct, unreserved praise. Even as I lifted my own teacup to sip the hot tea, I couldn't hide the blush heating my face.

Like a child being praised by their parent, or a student by their teacher—when praised by a master you revere, a disciple can't help but react this way.

"I probably… couldn't win against that Haru-kun."

"…, …"

And to her next words, I could only offer silence. It was partly out of reverence, and partly because I didn't want to say it myself—even if it was true.

First of all, to begin with.

"I can't really use that [Lightning Gale] in a real fight. Or rather, I won't. To be honest, the situations where it would be truly effective are just too limited."

Having to stand still and complete a fifty-second incantation is the biggest problem. And then there's the return on investment; is it worth taking the risk of that biggest problem to unleash that magic?

In a one-on-one fight, it's not even an option, of course. What about in a many-on-one? Frankly, it probably wouldn't find much use in most of those situations either.

The prerequisite is that my allies can provide enough cover for the incantation to go through, which means they can buy time or hold their ground even if I'm completely out of the fight. If that's the case, then if I just kept fighting normally on the front lines, we'd likely have the advantage anyway.

Conversely, if we're against an opponent where we can't even buy time, then I wouldn't have a moment to spare to leave the front line.

In short, the 'range' of opponents against whom I can get the incantation off and expect a narrow victory by using it is just far too small.

And on top of all that, there's that incredibly heavy price to pay as the fundamental premise. All in all, opportunities to use it as a trump card are few and far between, and I can't just casually decide to use it.

"What happened this time was 'special,' where everything just clicked into place."

That's the conclusion.

"It only went through because the one and only [Sword Queen], an opponent in a league of her own, was there to protect me. Normally, it's not a technique that resolves so cleanly."

And to add to that—

"…To be blunt, I think we would have won even if I hadn't used it."

"…Fufufu… That's probably true. You and Ashe-cha—I mean, Iris-san, could have surely defeated that final fox spirit together."

"Yeah, we just went for the hype and the fun of it…"

Hmm? Did she just say something weird…

"My grandfather said it too. 'This kid's an entertainer,' he said."

"Huh? Ah, haha… I'm embarrassed."

"And about your final Hayate, too. He praised it, saying it was brilliant, and he looked so happy doing it."

"I'm honored… but I don't think you could even see that in the video."

"Even if the flash itself is unseen, one can grasp the general principles of the technique by observing the initiation and the follow-through."

"Seriously…"

I felt like she'd dodged something, but our pleasant conversation continued uninterrupted.

Five, ten more minutes passed as we enjoyed the peaceful time…

"…"

Who was it that let the conversation trail off?

As I listened to the sound of bamboo leaves rustling in the wind from the grove, I watched the profile of the [Sword Saint], her gray hair swaying in that same wind.

"—…First-ranked, huh."

The incomplete words, which I couldn't follow up with a 'so what,' spilled from my lips naturally.

"…So it has come to that."

I couldn't ask what she thought about it. She simply affirmed my statement, then quietly looked up at the moon and closed her eyes without turning to face me.

She closed them, and opened them.

"…[Tengen]—I went to see old Mr. Amamoto."

"…, …He was a real-life acquaintance, so."

Now she turned to me as I stood there, bewildered by her unexpected words.

Ui-san smiled quietly and—

"He was the one who persuaded my grandfather to guide me into this virtual world."

"—…"

More unexpected words. My head spun—but I quickly found what I needed to say.

"A benefactor, then."

"Yes. For me—"

"For you, of course, but…"

I regretted interrupting, but I couldn't help but let the sudden overflow of emotion spill out.

"He's our benefactor—For Sora and Irori, who were inspired by you, the Sword Saint, to start their journeys. For me, who was able to come this far because I met you. And for… well, for all the others."

"…Fufu, all the others, you say?"

"Yeah, you bet. He's the great benefactor of the hundreds of millions of [Sword Saint] fans around the world."

The former first-ranked player of the Eastern Faction, `Tenka Muho`—a player who stepped into the virtual world in the form of a perfectly ordinary old man, a strangely incongruous sight in a fantasy world.

Only one visual record of him remains. An Eastern hero who, despite being defeated by the virtual world's darling, Iris, in the first Four Pillar War, led Istia to victory.

He was a true monster who ran across a battlefield teeming with superhumans without wearing a single skill or piece of equipment.

Because of his all-too-quick and sudden retirement, almost no information about him remains. As a result, his legend is fading into a vague myth… a gentleman who seems to exist half in a fairy tale.

"Old Mr. Amamoto… I've heard Goldow call him 'old man' too, but… is he doing well?"

To achieve such a great feat only to retire so suddenly and unexpectedly. Considering that, plus the age implied by the nicknames, everyone would likely wonder the same thing.

So I asked, a bit hesitantly… and ah, that's good.

"My grandfather and he were happily saying to each other, 'We'll both probably still be swinging swords fifty years from now.' It didn't sound like a joke."

From the way she chuckled, it seems a youngster's worries were needless.

"Is Mr. Tengen a swordsman too?"

"No, he's less of a swordsman and more of a… warrior, I suppose."

"A warrior."

A warrior, in modern Japan…

"I'm sorry, I can't think of a better way to put it… He's a man who has mastered not only the sword but all manner of martial arts. No, not just martial arts—"

As she explained to a confused me… Ui-san set down her teacup, formed a sort of 'pose' with both hands, and—with a soft "Bang!"—showed off a gesture that would undoubtedly be fatal to any and all Sword Saint fans who saw it.

"He's also familiar with things like this."

"Ahhh…"

I felt like I was beginning to get a vague idea of what kind of person he was.

So, well… that's that. Without thinking too deeply, I'll just use my gift to sear this unbelievably cute, must-be-preserved-forever image of my master's "Bang!" into my virtual brain.

"I see… So you went to see this Mr. Tengen because…"

"Yes, that's right…—I wanted to receive some encouragement from the former first-ranked player."

"…"

Somehow, I understood the meaning of her words without having to ask.

The one who had been coasting in the second-ranked position, with the first rank vacant. I understood what she meant, and that's why I was about to open my mouth—

"I wanted to… but…"

Seeing her face, as composed and unburdened as always, I held my tongue.

"'It's just a game, so don't worry about stuff like that'—is what he told me, in a rather casual and dismissive way."

"Could you please do that little impression again—"

"He also said that if a replacement vessel appeared, I should just leave it to them."

"If you could also do an impression of that part it would be a great he—owowow okay I'm sorry…!"

In place of the words I held back, I tried to lighten the mood, but it seems I chose the wrong approach. Still, as I accepted my master's merciless pinch on my cheek and offered a flat apology, I managed to draw a smile from her, so all's well that ends well.

"Goodness, this boy… You're my prized student, after all. If I'm asked whether I can entrust it to you, it's troubling that I have to answer that I can."

"Could you explain that part a bit? I'm not quite sure what you're talking about…"

A vessel, and all that. It's probably related to that strange question Goldow sent me the other day… but I have no clue.

I don't get it, but…

"It's fine if you don't understand, Haru-kun. …It's better that way."

If my master says so, then so be it.

"…That said, I suppose I can't just stay as I am. So that I'm not overtaken and left behind by my disciple… and my 'student'—"

Even as time passes and our respective positions change.

"Perhaps it's no longer the time to be feigning a quiet life."

"In that case… When you decide to go on an outing, please be sure to let me know."

Even as our respective hearts change.

"I'll accompany you anywhere, Master."

"…That sounds very, very fun."

To ensure my precious master can continue to fulfill her dreams, I'll be there for as long as it takes.

I'll continue to be her mean, un-cute, prized disciple.