NOVEL NEXT Chapter 139
“…Young Lady?”
“Yeah?”
“Are… you okay?”
After the story ended, Leona mentioned she had things to take care of and went to meet Sedil. As planned, I called Yurasia to the Training Grounds.
However, as soon as she saw me, she said this:
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
I couldn’t tell what kind of expression she had on her face that made her say that so quickly.
“…Hmm…”
Hearing my answer, Yurasia chewed on her lips for a while before nodding with a small sigh.
“Let’s sleep together again tonight!”
“…Why is that the conclusion?”
“When you were at the palace, you had that expression too, right? But every time, I heard you’d sleep with Julie.”
“I didn’t ask her to sleep with me; Mom just came into my room while I was sleeping without me knowing.”
“Ugh! I don’t know! Anyway, today is a day I want to sleep together! I won’t leave you alone!”
With her head shaking violently, Yurasia said that to me.
Seeing her like that made me snicker – chuckle.
“Fine. Do as you wish.”
“Ah! Then I want to take a bath in your room too!”
“Alright.”
“Let’s take a bath and have dinner!”
“Sure.”
“And dessert!”
“Okay.”
“I want something sweet today!”
“Sure.”
“Do you want to take a bath together?”
“W-What? This crazy girl?”
“Wasting away… Hehe.”
“Wasting? What are you on about?”
I glared at her, then pulled out Yurasia’s weapons from the pocket she’d left on the side.
Zweihänder, scimitar, claymore, rapier.
Swordbreaker.
Sacred Sword.
I didn’t only pull out the weapons Yurasia would use.
I took out weapons I would use too.
I wasn’t going to use weapons in the spar.
These were just cheap iron swords that could break, meant to show her how to use the Swordbreaker.
Yurasia gulped upon seeing the haphazardly displayed weapons.
“…I actually wanted to try that great sword once.”
“Claymore?”
“Claymore is a great sword, but… I wanted to try something bigger and heavier.”
“I have one. Want it?”
I actually have a great sword. It’s much thicker, larger, and heavier than a claymore, specialized in smashing rather than cutting.
It was the sword I often used to clear the path being in front of my comrades.
“No, no. It’s better to get used to the ones here first before learning that. If you try to handle both at once, something might get ruined unnecessarily.”
“Ruined? The sword?”
“No. Your head will get ruined.”
Yurasia pouted – pout.
“I’m a genius recognized by you, Young Lady.”
“Right. Yurasia is a genius when it comes to swinging dual swords. But you might not adapt to these kinds of swords. Their usage and purposes are completely different.”
I handed the Swordbreaker to Yurasia first.
“Let’s learn this first.”
“You said it’s for breaking swords!”
“You answered without me even asking. But… that’s correct. It’s for breaking the opponent’s sword. Actually, you’ll be using this more against Mages rather than Demons. There aren’t many in the Demon Race that use weapons.”
Yurasia, holding the Swordbreaker, wore a surprised expression.
“…It’s heavier than I thought?”
“Yeah. For a short sword, it’s probably heavier than most one-handed swords. Normally, Swordbreakers aren’t that heavy, but the one I… picked up is heavier.”
I almost mentioned it was mine.
Clearing my throat, I picked up a cheap iron sword lying around.
“I told you back then. Hook the opponent’s sword with the serrated part at the back and break it.”
“Yes! I remember! But, Young Lady…”
“Yeah?”
“That technique you showed me before coming to the Academy? The one where you broke wooden swords like crazy?”
“Oh, right. You could use that, but that’s only for opponents right in front of you. The reason for bringing along another one is to prepare for surprise attacks coming from the sides.”
Yurasia’s mouth hung open in shock.
Regardless, I approached her.
“Since I won’t be cutting anything, and you won’t be either, don’t be scared and swing it once.”
*
“…I’m a mushroom.”
“A mushroom?”
Suddenly? What does that mean?
Yurasia doesn’t look like a mushroom.
“I’m not a genius… I’m a mushroom who can handle swords well. I honestly have no idea anymore. What if I regress to the point I can’t handle swords at all?”
…I can’t deny it.
As of now, four hours later, Yurasia hasn’t broken a single sword with the Swordbreaker.
Without the Swordbreaker, she moves exceptionally well, but the moment she picks it up, it’s as if it starts malfunctioning.
Like a dog when you try to put shoes or clothes on it, Yurasia was the same way.
“Does that really happen?”
“It could!”
“Why are you showing your bloodied hand? Are you protesting to be comforted?”
“Yes. Please comfort me. I’m sad and in pain.”
Yurasia wiped the blood off her hand and plopped down in her seat with a thud.
Then, her muscles twitched slightly as if she was recalling all the movements she had just made.
“It feels like I’m drawing a triangle with one hand and a star with the other. Plus, I have to match the speed exactly, so it’s twice as hard.”
“Right. It’s naturally difficult.”
Of course, in my past life, I used to do it effortlessly.
It couldn’t be helped; I learned to move through street fights.
Street fights. If there are bottles around, swing them, throw pebbles, and toss flower pots, you know… those kinds of fights.
So I got used to using both hands. I had to, to not get killed when I was young.
“How long have you been holding swords, Yurasia?”
“Probably… 13 years by now.”
“Since you were 6…? That’s quite early.”
“Hehe. That’s true… but back then, I was just playing swords with my younger sibling. I didn’t really understand how to use one until about ten years ago?”
“Ten years. Since you’ve only been using dual swords for ten years, it’s only natural that it’s difficult at first. Even if you think about it, your body will follow the memories and habits. It’ll be even more so in a high-pressure situation.”
So I erased those things on purpose.
The subconscious realm into the conscious realm.
From the position of holding a sword, moving my arms, lifting and placing my legs, walking, running, jumping, stopping…
Blinking my eyes, seeing with my eyes, listening with my ears, smelling with my nose, breathing, etc.
I thought about and judged everything a human could do in combat and moved accordingly.
Successfully getting rid of instinctive movements and reflexive reactions.
I know a lot of ways to change things.
From effective methods to faster ones.
So.
“From now on, I’ll help you erase all those habits.”
“…Ah, your expression is scary.”
I tried to sound cool, but Yurasia looked up at me, hunching her shoulders.
“What’s wrong with my expression?”
“…Did you get mad at me?”
“I didn’t!”
“About what you said earlier, it’s really not true. I like the sword you teach me the best, and I like you the most.”
“I’m not mad!”
“I have no one besides you.”
“Hey. I told you I’m not mad.”
“…You are mad.”
“Huh?”
I playfully smacked Yurasia’s swollen lips.
“Stop talking nonsense; you’ve rested enough, so let’s get back to it.”
“Please lift me up.”
Yurasia’s hand extended toward me, with cloying clumps of blood stuck to it.
I roughly sprinkled some potions on that hand and grabbed her wrist to lift her up.
“Hehe.”
Even though she had enough strength left, the bucking Yurasia willingly relied on my touch. I lifted her up completely and stepped back five paces.
“Now, I will point out all your bad habits one by one. Just fix them.”
“You described that verbally earlier too, didn’t you?”
“I won’t describe it verbally this time.”
“…Okay?”
I threw the cheap iron sword behind me.
Loosening my shoulders, I tightened my fist. I raised my fist in front of my chest and lightly stretched my legs forward and backward.
“Learning while getting hit like this is twice as fast.”
“Ah, Young Lady?”
“I won’t hit you hard enough to break bones, so don’t worry too much.”
“But you just said you weren’t mad!”
“And if something breaks, so what? I’ll take responsibility and take you to the priest. So just trust me.”
“Eek…! You’re definitely mad!”
Mana shrouded my whole body as I stood firm.
It was time to absorb the contents from the first volume of Arisa’s book by teaching Yurasia.
*
Dragging the lifeless Yurasia, who couldn’t move, into my room.
“…I feel like I’m going to die.”
“Stop whining.”
“Whining? Do you know how many times I got hit by you…?”
“I hit you too many times; I can’t remember.”
“…Me too! Me too! I’ve been hit so much I can’t even count!”
“But you’ve improved, right?”
Yurasia trembled – shiver.
“…That’s not improvement; it’s erasure through pain.”
“Do you want to keep chatting back?”
“Ugh…”
Yurasia let out a deflated sound and let her arms droop. It seemed like she was genuinely struggling; her strength was vastly diminished compared to usual.
“I can’t wash on my own…”
“So. What? Are you asking your master to wash you?”
“No? It means to wash together!”
“Not a chance.”
“Then what about just getting in the bathtub together?”
“No way.”
“I can wash your back for you!”
“I can wash my own back.”
“I really can’t do it right now.”
Zap – I glared at Yurasia.
Yurasia flinched back, but she didn’t shift her gaze.
“…U-Uh, what about today just this once? Please?”
Is she really unable to move her arms?
I did hit her a lot more than in other areas.
There were way too many unnecessary habits.
I don’t know if they stem from relying on talent or innate strength, but either way, I hit her. A lot.
In terms of moving forwards and backwards, she might struggle. I twisted her shoulder joints about a dozen times.
Leaving someone like her to wash by themselves feels… a bit harsh. But at the same time, going in together… mmm…
I did wash Luna’s body a few times in my past life… I think I did a good job back then, so I should be able to do it now… right?
“Fine… you go in first.”
“Ha!”
Yurasia’s eyes widened.
“You’re really going to wash with me?!”
“I’ll only help you wash your back.”
“I can’t reach here, here, or here all by myself!”
“Fine, just get in already.”
“Hehe! I’ll run the warm water!”
“Also throw in some bath salts.”
“I’ll be your bath salt!”
“Scram.”
“Yes!”
With a big smile, Yurasia cheerfully went into the bathroom.
I tossed my dusty clothes into the basket and sat down in a chair. Then I recalled what Leona said.
“Before my master disappeared, my master and I were in the Holy Kingdom.”
“I went with her to check the Holy Relics and deliver messages to the Grand Bishop.”
“And… she disappeared there.”
“I don’t know where she went. Neither my nose nor ears, nor the Grand Bishop’s miracles, nor the search of several Bloodbath Knights found any trace of her.”
“But shortly after, a trace of her was found in front of the room where the Holy Relics were kept.”
“It wasn’t much; just a small note written in an unreadable script, but… it seems that my master didn’t disappear due to someone else; she chose to do so herself.”
“This is that note. They gave me a hard time in the Holy Kingdom for it, but I barely got my hands on it.”
“I’ve never shown it to anyone, not even the Emperor or the Grand Bishop. And I… still can’t read it.”
“Why am I giving it to you? Well, you have the name of Eustetia… that’s one reason, but my 400 years of memories and emotions seem to want me to. I don’t know the exact reason either.”
“Hmmm… is there something instinctual for being a Beastman?”
From the discarded clothes, I took out the note Leona had given me. It felt like it had been a long time, but it was still smooth.
But something… something, hmm…
Arisa giving me the note out of nowhere is nice for me, but… it feels suspicious in many ways.
In truth… I guess it won’t matter if Leona learns of my past life.
That is, it probably isn’t dangerous.
But, I don’t want to reveal it right now.
I can’t remember who Leona is, and I’m worried if I reveal my past life, it might change this relationship. I don’t want that.
Later on.
When we’ve become close enough that it won’t feel awkward to reveal my past life.
That’s when it seems best for both of us.
Having finished my thoughts, I unfolded the note.
Just as Leona said, the note contained a short sentence written in a strange script. Script that others cannot read.
Only we can read.
I slowly absorbed it with my eyes.
[I’ll be waiting at the end of the past spring, Ronan.]