Ken yo, kaku katariki – 19
19 – After Winter (Iria Orlando)
They called her a genius.
Since she was very young, not once did she struggle with learning to use a sword or magic.
…However, in just this past month, she had been made to realize repeatedly that she was arrogant.
“Phew…”
She washed her face with the water that gushed from the faucet, dried off with a towel, and sighed.
(I didn’t stand a chance today either.)
She thought back on the day’s training with Yukito.
His training was incredibly simple. Swinging and matches. It was essentially just that.
The sword was thrust at her over and over, she was tripped and knocked off her feet. She ended up on the ground a lot.
(Teacher is too strong.)
…The incident on the main street with the nobleman.
Yukito had such an intensity that everyone present was stunned.
And they had all understood it. In front of him, they were like ants in front of a colossus.
Rev would say repeatedly, ‘That man is dangerous.’
Well, it was understandable.
Too much power gave birth to fear. However, those who are swallowed by fear are not warriors.
She went out into the courtyard.
There, even now, Yukito was swinging his sword silently.
…How beautiful.
The swings were simple and yet so complete.
She still did not know the secret of his strength. From the basis, to the application, skills…everything was on a different level, and she could not understand.
But there were some things she did see.
His sword was the result of tremendous training.
It would be no exaggeration to say that he was born with a sword and lived with it.
One day, I want to be like that… Any warrior would think that.
Eventually, he would not be able to stay here.
His strength would become too much for the constraints of a mere sword instructor at a school.
She knew her father’s plans. To use him as her shield.
However, would that really work?
The state would have their eye on him. As would the guild. Or even the criminal organizations all over the country…
“…!”
Her feelings of irritation were on the verge of exploding, and then she realized how tense she had become.
And then…that the noise had stopped.
“Teacher.”
He must have detected her presence. He was on a different level when it came to that.
Still, she kept a cool expression while she handed him a new towel.
“Thank you.”
As he wiped the sweat from his face, a thought suddenly entered her mind. What if this person were to become an enemy?
…Ah, it was no good.
If that really happened, there would be nothing she could do.
She could not even imagine any way that she would be able to beat him.
For a moment, their eyes met in a gap between the towel.
It was like he could see right through her. A chill ran down her spine.
“Teacher. Thank you for today’s lessons.”
She bowed, hiding the unease.
‘Aye’ he laughed and raised his head from the towel.
“You have great aptitude, Ms. Iria. If you keep learning at this rate, I’ll quickly run out of things to teach you.”
“…No, I doubt…”
He was ceaselessly humble. Or perhaps he was just unaware.
If she was a genius, then how would he be described?
In just a few days, he had stolen everything she knew. Even worse, he improved on them to the point where he could teach her the style that she was learning.
Even if they were fighting with the same swords and the same style, he was stronger now.
It was ridiculous. She had never seen such a thing. Sometimes, she doubted he was the same kind of human as her.
However, the reason that it did not upset her, was probably because he was more earnest about his training than anyone.
“…I think you will become stronger.”
He said suddenly, causing her heart to skip a beat.
“Because the way you handle a sword is beautiful.”
“…Beautiful?”
“Aye. Like you are constantly looking ahead. A very straight sword.”
For a second, she thought he was flirting with her, but she was wrong.
After looking into his eyes, she immediately knew that he was serious.
“A straight…sword?”
She suddenly felt awkward and averted her eyes.
At the same time, there was a sense of guilt.
It had just been a desperate desire to become stronger, that was all.
As if chasing something, she continued to swing.
“Why did you pick up a sword, teacher?”
“Ah… I saw the old man doing it. And thought it was beautiful. And so I wanted to be able to do the same thing. But now, I want to surpass him.”
…Just like me.
She felt a strange kind of sympathy, and her eyes shone.
Perhaps he was the same.
Perhaps he also felt something from my sword that was like his own.
If that was the case, there could be meaning to her sword as well. The thought made her happy.
“…Teacher. Will you look at my swings again?”
“Huh? Uh, I don’t mind…”
She quickly turned on her heels and rushed away to change.
He looked confused, but right now, all she wanted to do was swing her sword.
In her room, she looked in the mirror and saw herself grinning a little.
Then she picked up her sword and took a deep breath.
The night wind was no longer cold.
You could sense the approach of Spring.
…The new school term would be starting soon.
Hope he she comes back to school eve stronguer that before.
I’m enjoying this story.
Thank you for all the chapters!
Thanks for the chapter
Thanks for the chapter.