Chapter: 469
“While it’s appropriate to refer to existing things for creation, you must not be consumed by them.”
At that moment, I felt a strange mix of realization and confusion, as if I’d uncovered something yet remained completely lost.
Just taking a single step forward seemed to promise a downhill rush, but that step felt impossibly heavy, like my legs had turned to stone, leaving me grimacing as my grandfather shouted inside my head.
“Bullshit! You think I’m trapped in concepts?! I’ve tossed aside that stubbornness ages ago! But why the hell is this happening?!”
Grandfather’s emotions were so intense that I temporarily set aside my thoughts and focused on his voice.
“Lucy! Ask him! What the hell are you talking about with this ‘concept’ nonsense?!”
‘Is that a good idea? Once it’s out of my mouth, it’ll likely be distorted beyond recognition…’
“Distort it! I want to see how furious he gets! For a pompous ass who doesn’t even understand ‘mu’ to be talking such nonsense!”
‘If anything blows up, it’ll be his problem to handle…’
Well, it does sound fun, so why not.
“What does a dusty old man, cooped up in a corner, panting over a drawn magic circle, know?”
“What do I know?! I know way more than you, who just vanished one day! Even after you kicked the bucket, I was hanging around on the surface for a while! You old fool!”
“So what do you know?! If you’re so damn confident, then speak up!”
“Why’s a halfwit without even a brain flaunting his ignorance? Since you have a mouth, spit out some nonsense! I’ll enjoy laughing while you rant.”
“Fine! The most fundamental problem is that you, Ruel, consider yourself the endpoint! I won’t deny that you’re a great holy knight! But for everyone else, your way is not the only answer!”
The skeleton pointed out how Grandfather regarded the holy knight’s endpoint as his own.
While the result my grandfather presented was undoubtedly a correct answer, it couldn’t be the answer for everyone. It was only natural for things to get stuck when you change the intermediate process while keeping that endpoint fixed.
The skeleton clacked its teeth and yelled.
“You think I’ve predetermined the answer!? Have you even peeked into my head!? I’ve thrown away all that existing stuff and am looking for movements for Lucy! If you want to deny me, then bring out that proof you love so much!”
“An old, clueless geezer trying to flaunt newfound tastes has sacrificed all his pride for my favor, huh? So if you want to prove you’re not a thick-headed loser, serve up some proof!”
“Proof?! I’ve got plenty! Just think about how much I’ve suffered collaborating with a nasty old fart like you!”
While throwing a fit, the skeleton took a step back and opened one hand. The stones from the ground rumbled up, and formed into a blunt object in its grasp.
“Ruel! Your weapon is as hard as your skull! Standing firm like a guardian against any trial, that habit is engraved in your soul! Look at that action you just performed! You’re only considering how to endure with arms and legs!”
“For someone who knows nothing about Lucy’s fighting style, hearing you talk is obnoxious! Enduring isn’t the same as winning!”
“It’s ridiculous how you, a virgin with zero knowledge of women, blabber on like a playboy? Hmm, that does sound like me a bit. A skeleton that can’t even think to approach a girl getting cocky is quite a sight!”
“What does my ineptness with women have to do with this! I’m speaking from an objective standpoint!”
The debate between Grandfather and the skeleton heated up.
Initially starting with a back-and-forth about who was right or wrong, it had morphed into a detailed discussion about my movements—what was right and what wasn’t.
Caught in the middle, I had to relay my grandfather’s words while acting as a living experiment for both of them.
“No! This kid’s pursuit should be smoother! She needs to move like dancing!”
“Lucy wants to become a performer on stage, huh? If you take away the power from the movement, it can’t attack or defend! You blockhead!”
Interestingly, while it seemed like the two were in extreme opposition, they were actually narrowing down their differences.
Initially dismissing the skeleton’s points, Grandfather had started agreeing that changing the endpoint was necessary.
Similarly, the skeleton, who had viewed Grandfather as nothing but a nuisance, began to nod in agreement that completely flipping the script wasn’t the right approach.
They raised their voices, but were engaged in a rather healthy discussion.
Well, if their relationship was so poor they couldn’t even listen to each other, they wouldn’t have survived the battle against the evil gods.
If Grandfather confidently worked his miracles, Ermginus wouldn’t have a chance of sneaking in.
“Rather than that!…”
“Wrong! That’s not it!”
Listening to the two, I suddenly had a thought and tilted my head.
Dance.
Not in the world of the Soul Academy, but in other creative works I knew, there were those who used dance as part of their martial arts.
They concealed the principles of martial arts through dance to escape oppression; martial arts that sought beauty and strength; or martial arts that entranced their opponents.
Couldn’t I do that too?
No, it felt like I could do it precisely because of that!
Regardless of how things were internally, outwardly I was pretty enough to make even a perverted crow drool.
Hmm. Let’s give it a shot.
Taking a deep breath, I spread my divinity throughout my body and got into position.
The starting pose was one I had discovered long ago, crafted painstakingly with aesthetic sense and Grandfather’s help.
The subsequent movements followed suit. Though imperfect, I had at least established some directional sense. After spending so much time on this, there had to be some progress.
It was only that there were various issues making it difficult to use in practice.
I needed to move more fluidly, easing up from my usual motions.
No, wait. This was too limp. I wanted to wield martial arts that felt like dancing. If I moved like this, it’d be completely reversed!
This was off; that felt weird too…
Ugh. It really felt like I was close to figuring it out.
Oh! Right. I’ll need some tips. What’s the best way to do this!?
[Remember the flutter of a fairy’s wings.]
Fairy? The moment I thought about fairies, I pictured a chicken coop… no wait, the Fairy Queen and her rotting fairy companions. Surely, that’s not what I’m supposed to remember.
So what before that?
The dance of the fairies I saw beyond the monitor.
In stark contrast to the hellish scenery that lay ahead, there was an oddly detailed cutscene of the fairies dancing.
From hazy memories that had faded over time, I recalled their movements.
Fairies bouncing and flitting lightly among flowers.
And at that moment, as I modeled after those memories, a smile crept onto my lips.
This was it! This was the movement I had been searching for!
Filled with the joyous feeling of validation after months of effort, I forgot the sounds around me and focused on my movements.
Following the memory of fairies from the past, I extended my arms.
*
The skeleton realized that he was feeling excessively heated.
Though the brat’s cocky tone and his friend’s nonsensical ranting was certainly irritating, it didn’t quite reach a level that could shake his rational thinking.
Before and after becoming a hero, after saving the world, he had heard countless stories among many people, yet moments that made him lose control of his feelings were extremely rare.
The skeleton recognized that something was stirring his emotions now.
Something he couldn’t quite grasp, even with his awareness of most phenomena in the world.
If it were the past version of himself, he’d have set everything aside to analyze this, but instead, the skeleton chose to simply surrender to his feelings.
What use would it be to an artificial creation, designed by the great archmage to leave a mark of his intentions, to obsess over things?
Better to lend some support to the kid who struggles because of their shared incompetence.
While the impertinent brat tried to find her way, the skeleton’s voice rang out as he watched from the sidelines, when suddenly the girl caught in the middle began to move on her own.
At first, the skeleton thought Ruel was saying something to her, but it didn’t take long to realize that wasn’t the case.
The girl’s movements were far from anything Ruel could conceive.
The girl moved her arms.
Strong yet playful gestures—each strike seeming to tease anyone who would dare flinch in fear.
The girl moved her feet.
Bouncy and light movements that seemed to encourage you to follow behind her.
As the girl soared through the air, she abruptly landed on the ground.
With a shield raised above, her pose appeared delicate enough to shatter, but if you asked if it could legitimately break, no one would be able to assure you of that.
Playful. Beautiful. Glorious. Yet those roots dug deep into the earth she stood upon.
The skeleton,
Ermginus,
had seen such a scene before.
A memory that he would never forget, a guilt he could never let go.
The dance of the fairies.
As the girl’s dance, which felt like it might vanish at any moment, abruptly halted, she stood still, cocking her head as if something displeased her.
Returning to reality, the skeleton forgot what he’d just been doing and stepped in front of the girl.
With his bony hand, he rested it gently on her shoulder.
“What are you doing? Have your filthy desires finally come to light?”
“Hey! How do you know about the dance of the fairies?”
The skeleton’s voice was filled with a strange heat.
You may also like Mesugaki Tank Enters The Academy
