After everything was over, I even gave up on the concept.
But life went back to being ordinary.
There were mountains of tasks left to handle, and there was no guarantee that clearing those mountains wouldn’t result in more mountains appearing, but we worked hard anyway.
Since they were mountains, there was no need to deal with them all at once. Slowly, with more people to tackle things together, trying various approaches would be enough.
If we shoveled away bit by bit, well, even if we can’t clear it all in our lifetime, we could at least change the shape of it a little.
The fortunate part was that the connections I had built during the times I could turn back time weren’t just any connections.
Among them were quite a few people with skills close to that of an excavator in certain areas, handling situations I couldn’t solve with ease.
“Come on, you know your resilience doesn’t end here. Pick up the sword again.”
For example, the Sword Saint in front of me right now.
Sword Saint Frederick wasn’t just someone who could wield a sword.
He had already served in the Empire’s military and had led many people beneath him.
He could certainly contribute greatly to the modernization of the Imperial Army. Just look at his disciple, Jennifer Winterfield!
“I’m not here to swing a sword—”
“Ah, hearing that means you still have some energy left.”
No, listen to what I’m saying till the end.
The reason I sought the Sword Saint was certainly not to learn swordsmanship. Nor was it to hope for the modernization of the Imperial Army. Most of the Imperial army was still intact and functioning well. In fact, it was the most modern army in this world.
Rather, I had come to ask him for advice on a certain someone who was just as life-and-death about swords as he was.
“After going back in time so many times to train and increase your skills, you’re complaining because you made just one leap?”
“Is it appropriate to just swing a sword at the Crown Princess like that?”
I vented my frustration, but of course, the Sword Saint wasn’t swayed by her status. After all, he was the one who spoke back to the Emperor without a care, so what would he think of the Crown Princess?
Moreover, he was also the sword instructor of the next Emperor.
And of course, the Sword Saint swung the wooden sword at me, as if my words were a waste of time.
Alright, that’s how you want to play it then.
I also had some muscle memory in me. I had watched the Sword Saint’s swordplay many times. It was incredibly fast, but if I didn’t back down and just dodged like this—
Thwack!
The sword flew from my hands and rolled on the ground.
“……”
“Are you not going to pick it up?”
He inquired.
Well, after all that, how could I not?
Having let him toy with me right after arriving, it would be aggravating to simply stop now.
I picked up the sword again.
“That’s how my disciple should act.”
…… Regret was pointless.
I didn’t say the same thing again. To be honest, there was no way for me to beat the Sword Saint.
However, still.
Even if I had lost the ability to turn back time…
If I kept trying over and over, wouldn’t there be a chance? I had already experimented with it several times, so I knew there was a slim possibility.
The opponent may not have been the Sword Saint, but still.
As I took a stance with the sword in both hands, the Sword Saint smiled as if he was enjoying himself.
Yeah, it’s nice that he found joy in his later years.
Now that he was teaching, he might as well teach it for real.
*
Today, I didn’t win.
The Sword Saint looked down at me, sprawled on the ground, sweating heavily as I gasped for breath, without putting any blame on me.
I guess my relentless charge did work out a bit. Did he like it?
“So, what did you come to ask for?”
“Well… just now…”
Huff.
I took a long breath before sitting back up again.
“…… I would like you to convince Lucas a little.”
“Me? Convince Lucas? Why would you think I would do that?”
“That’s because…”
Lucas would eventually reach a level where he could defeat you!
How could I phrase it nicely? Saying that the Sword Saint might lose to Lucas was something that could lead to him getting killed. Lucas… even if he had lost his passion now, once upon a time, he thought of slicing everyone above him.
Sadly, I was included in that.
“If Lucas is going to learn something, it would only be from the Sword Saint.”
When I replied like that, the Sword Saint exhaled in disbelief, “Hah.”
“Do you really think so?”
“Lucas won’t walk the path of academia, and he wouldn’t learn how to bake bread, so if there’s someone he can communicate with a little, I thought it would only be the Sword Saint.”
Then, I quickly added, “If by any chance Lucas thinking of challenging you happens, I will prepare enough people to stop him.”
“Hmm.”
The Sword Saint sat down in a chair.
Though he no longer lived in a crumbling cabin at the foot of a mountain, oddly enough, the layout of this place was just like that time.
Perhaps this was the Sword Saint’s ideal arrangement for a home or something like that.
“Right. Once upon a time, I thought that dying fighting a strong opponent would be my endgame. I haven’t lived much anyway. Since I’ve lived long enough, I wished to enjoy it until the very last moment.”
The Sword Saint tapped his shoulder with the wooden sword. Even though it was a sword that could kill someone if used as a real weapon, seeing him do it made it look like just a tool for massage. He was an old man, but his physique was still impressive.
“However, recently, my thoughts have changed. There are those I want to see for a little while longer. So these days, I am taking care of my health.”
“…… So, you don’t wish to confront Lucas?”
“Of course not. Wasn’t he someone who tried to kill me once? I don’t want the thread of life I’m barely holding onto to snap.”
If he felt that way, there’s nothing I could do.
I couldn’t force the Sword Saint into that position, and above all, I didn’t want to make him do something he didn’t want to.
As the Sword Saint said, I was still his disciple. Though I was the worst disciple among them.
“Rather, why not have you teach?”
When the Sword Saint said that, I opened my mouth slightly and looked up at him.
“What do you mean?”
“Did you come here hoping that I would teach Lucas something?”
“Of course, swordsmanship.”
And if possible, I wanted him to teach Lucas how to connect with others through swordsmanship and how to socialize a bit. Obviously, I didn’t really expect him to actually ‘socialize.’ It seemed he wasn’t good at that either.
What I was targeting was to have those two, at least those who bonded with each other… something like that. So gently opening their hearts so they could return to social life; that’s what I was after.
“Then you can teach him that swordsmanship.”
“……”
Is he joking right now?
Looking up at the Sword Saint as if I were incredulous, he merely shrugged.
“Don’t underestimate your abilities. Just as you said, it seems that your formidable power no longer exists at the moment, but what you possess is not the ability itself but the tenacity and persistence you gained by repeatedly attempting through that ability. Surely you’ve learned a lot already.”
But still, I was someone who could objectively assess myself a bit.
No matter how much I had practiced swordsmanship, I knew that I couldn’t even touch the tips of Lucas’s talents.
I managed to shoot him with bullets in the last battle. After all, that was something I could only do because I had seen Lucas for so long.
However, that didn’t mean I could ever defeat him in swordsmanship.
And naturally, I wasn’t in a position to teach him either.
“Isn’t effort your specialty?”
The Sword Saint struck the ground with his wooden sword.
Holding it like a cane with both hands resting on the hilt, he smiled at me.
“You can do it.”
“……”
I stared at the Sword Saint for a moment before standing up again.
After nodding slowly, I turned towards the door.
Finally, I turned back towards the Sword Saint and said, “Don’t sit like that. You look like a frail old man.”
Then I quickly opened the door and burst outside.
Smack! Something hit the door hard.
Yeah, I can do at least this much. It’s not like I haven’t been hit several times already.
… But, I’m not sure if it’ll even reach Lucas.
I sighed deeply, scratching the back of my head as I pondered over the Sword Saint’s words.
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