#12 – Monster
“The old man…Jin Raido. I can’t imagine what reason he would have to hide.”
“I feel the same.”
The elder chuckled.
“He is the Sword Saint. There is no one on the continent who could scare him into hiding. However…he is not all-knowing. To see through a person’s will, their intentions, and the connections and consequences of all things…it is something that would be impossible …unless you are a god.”
“That’s…true.”
Yukito agreed.
There were countless things in this world that could not be resolved with a blade.
Especially the important things.
“So…you think that my grandfather…was involved in some kind of intrigue?”
“It means that Sir Raido has encountered something that his sword cannot cut.”
Will. Intentions.
There were always things that clung to you in life.
(But, what about me?)
What if Iria and the others were taken hostage? Would he still be able to swing his blade?
He did not know. Could not imagine it. Still, he doubted he would abandon his sword. But whether he could sever ties…
Resolve. Resolve.
What was it? The resolve to abandon? To struggle? To quit?
What about his grandfather? What was he thinking when he went into hiding?
Yukito felt a chill as he looked up at the sky. Had he not been in the hot water, he would have likely shivered.
Ahh. He recalled his past life then.
A time when he had given up on everything. He had lost his parents. And he lived only to find the man who had taken them from him… Only to find out that the man was already dead.
It was that moment.
How unfair and uncaring the world was. And he was nothing but a small human living in it. At that time, the world…fate…had looked like a gigantic monster to him.
And after being reborn, Yukito pursued strength. This time, he wanted to be someone who could face their own weaknesses.
…No, that was wrong.
He wanted to become a monster who could kill…the unfairness, fate, and the world.
“Mr. Yukito.”
He turned to the old man.
“What do you think the way of the sword is?”
“The way…”
Yukito had no idea how to answer that question.
In the end, all he knew was what his grandfather had once shown him. It was something beautiful and complete. He wanted to be like that. No, he wanted to be better.
“The way is the life of a person. How you live and die. You find yourself with your sword, and dictate your path. That is the way of the sword.”
The old man sipped his sake and sighed as he looked upwards. The sky was starting to go from red to black.
“Finding your path through the sword is to face yourself. I think that the Sword Saint’s sword…is beyond that path.”
Indeed. It had nothing to do with good or evil. He just existed as he wanted.
But…was such a thing to be permitted?
Still, he could not help but want it.
To just live and die by the blade. The ultimate.
And so he could not believe it. Believe that his grandfather was hiding.
If he wanted to, he would cut down anything in his way.
“Well, I will look forward to it. To see what path your sword will find.”
The old man chuckled. And then he faded behind the steam.
(Like a sage…)
Yukito exhaled with exasperation as he stared at the floating bucket.
◆ ◇ ◆
“How was it, master?”
A man’s voice echoed in a back alley of the eastern town.
He was tall, and had a sword on his belt. Up ahead, an old man was walking down the road and laughing. It was the man who had been talking to Yukito earlier.
“Now that was a sword.”
“…A sword?”
Yes. Dosan Inokami nodded.
“Well sharpened. A great sword that will cut through anything. However, it does not know how it is going to be used yet.”
In other words, a naked blade.
It was a dangerous thing. If the rumors were too, especially.
Right now, being the apprentice of the Sword Saint overshadowed everything. It was not an easy burden. After all, everyone had assumed that he would never take on a student.
“Do not provoke him. No matter what happens.”
“But…”
“There is no hope of winning.”
His eyes pierced through the large man, who was his student. Sharp, glimmering eyes. The man gulped.
“We cannot have that monster awaken. At the very least, until he finds his sheath.”
He was already on the brink.
The large man shuddered. He wiped the bead of sweat that formed on his forehead.
“Still…I don’t understand.”
“What?”
“He had eyes. Like someone who is not from this world. Like someone who had experienced death once.”
Like someone who had been resurrected. Dosan shook his head. It was impossible.
But the abnormal sword ki that emanated. The ghostly eyes. What had the Sword Saint created?
And something strange was happening in the imperial capital now.
What would Yukito make of it?
Would he live as a sword or a human? Or perhaps…
(…I look forward to seeing what happens, Jin.)
Thanks for the chapter