The history of humanity develops through a process of thesis-antithesis-synthesis.
Just look at the heliocentric theory as a prime example.
The initial heliocentric models were far more complex than the geocentric ones, and evidence for stellar parallax was nonexistent. They couldn’t scientifically explain celestial movements either.
The reason heliocentrism wasn’t accepted wasn’t just because people thought the Earth had to be at the center; the theoretical foundation was too weak.
Thus, the church sought definitive evidence that could be accepted as truth, regardless of whether it was heliocentric or geocentric.
Eventually, with Kepler’s laws of elliptical orbits and the advent of Newtonian mechanics, the impetus hypothesis was thrown out, and after two thousand years, geocentrism was completely laid to rest.
But is that the end?
If it had stopped there, history wouldn’t have progressed any further.
With the advent of 20th-century general relativity, it became absolutely incorrect to say the Sun revolves around the Earth.
Geocentrism—like a zombie, it waved back at us from the grave.
Contradictions and opposing contradictions.
As long as humanity exists, contradictions arise, and when we overcome them, humanity takes a step forward.
“What is a sword? It’s a long knife used to cut or slice objects. So, what does ‘to cut’ mean? It means to use a tool with a blade to sever or divide something. So, does a sword have to have a blade? If the examiner overpowers the opponent with a hilt or scabbard instead of a blade, does that mean it’s no longer a sword? What about a wooden sword? A bokken? They all lack blades!”
I was playfully tormenting Emika with Socratic questioning.
Using it carelessly on anyone would likely get you poisoned, but Emika is such a good kid that she wouldn’t throw me under the bus.
“Uwaah!”
Emika’s eyes were a bit hazy.
I waved my hand in the air to check if she was still conscious.
Her unfocused gaze suddenly sharpened, and she snapped back to reality.
“But if Master ever finds out, there’s no way I’d get to be the heir… Plus, the senators absolutely hate that we use Adela magic.”
Even Katsuhata Akitaro, praised as the most progressive heir in history, would absolutely scold someone if they mentioned lightsabers.
“I can’t do it…”
“No, I think you have a bit of a rebellious streak.”
“Rebellious? What does that mean?”
“It means you don’t easily conform to authority.”
“No way, I’m such a good listener!”
“Isn’t it because you’re in an environment where you have to listen well?”
“Hmm…”
The Katsuhata Sect itself is a gathering of skilled individuals from across the country.
If you stray off course even a little, you might as well have your head smashed in, so that rebellious spirit doesn’t really manifest.
“Just in case, what genre of movies do you like?”
“I don’t watch movies much, but superheroes, action, SF… you know, those kinds.”
“See! It’s solid proof!”
People like Emika exist, you know.
These are the kind of folks who can’t resist buying whimsical invention items like flower-shaped egg fryers, glue stick butter, or accordion portable keyboards.
If you put it negatively, they get a smack on the back from their moms, and if you put it positively, they become early investors in Bitcoin.
“Should I try to capture the feelings Emika has these days? You must be feeling boredom and tedium. Since you’re a genius, you probably have absorbed your Master’s and seniors’ teachings without a hitch to come this far. Once you know what’s lacking, bolstering it shouldn’t be too difficult for you.”
It’s the dilemma that geniuses always face.
They learn so fast that they end up flying off the regular trajectory.
Even if you show them the shortest path for shooting the moon and coming back, the power of the rocket engine can easily send them off beyond the solar system.
“If you lose sight of your destination, the first thing you lose is interest. Why should I win in the National Exchange Tournament? Is it good to gain honor? I already have enough honor now. Then I’d rather be more interested in the 7 circle area-of-effect destruction spell than piercing through my opponent’s intentions to win in the one-on-one battle. Isn’t that right?”
“No way, how could you!”
Emika hurriedly looked around.
And finally, she was able to pinpoint the source of information.
On top of the hologram hovered Emika’s V-tube viewing history.
[100 times the power of the Hiroshima explosion spell! Operation to recover the lost hydrogen-fusion circuit | National Geographic · View count: 325,000]
“No, no, no! I just clicked it by chance while training at dawn, and the algorithm picked it up because I thought it was fascinating!”
“Hmm.”
“Really, believe me, Na-me…”
Emika’s voice was filled with indignation.
Why would it be embarrassing to watch something like this? Shouldn’t a Japanese person be a bit embarrassed?
I cleared my throat and delivered my viewpoint to her.
“When you ask someone learning the sword what a sword is, their answer will often be, ‘It’s just a sword.'”
“Uh-huh.”
“But once you learn a certain amount, the sword takes on various meanings. A tool that takes lives, a shield to protect someone you love, a dream, justice, a sense of duty.”
“Everyone thinks differently.”
“But in the end, when you gain enlightenment, doesn’t everyone think the same?”
“How?”
“A sword is just a sword.”
Emika let out a little chuckle at the obvious answer.
“What’s that supposed to mean…? Find your original state of mind?”
“No, initially referring to a sword simply as a sword is just having no thoughts at all. And the latter is having an observing attitude where the external world exists independently of conscious actions. I hope Emika doesn’t ascribe too profound a meaning to the sword. It’s just a sword.”
Thud
I lightly patted Emika’s head and stood up.
“Oh, right. This isn’t meant to belittle, but it seems Katsuhata Ryu’s swordsmanship was made for ordinary folks. It’s not really suited for the external manifestation of aura.”
“How do you know that?”
“I’m going to head out now. Is it alright if I come around 1 PM on Saturday?”
There was no reply.
There was no need to disturb Emika lost in thought.
We parted that day without even saying goodbye.
—
Meanwhile, Emika stared at the spot where Na-me had left for quite a while.
‘How on earth did you know?’
For some unknown reason, Na-me had figured out the birth background of the Katsuhata family, which is secretly transmitted only to the formal heirs.
Their ancestor, Katsuhata Hideyo, was known as the greatest dullard of the Tenshin Shoden Katori Shinto Ryu.
He fought with the heir of the family and was excommunicated from the sect, and there seemed to be no record of his activities until he reached his forties.
Twenty years ago, a man harboring resentment from that time formed a band of 100 thieves and murdered both the head of the family and the fifteen senators.
In an accident, he ended up seizing control of the entire clan.
The explanation of losing due to numerical disadvantage didn’t hold up.
Because the head and the senators were reported to be capable of one against a hundred fights.
Reports say that Hideyo at the time couldn’t create even one sword technique that could be used by an elder.
The man who inherited the family decided to erase this history.
He impersonated himself as the hidden, tragic heir of the Katori Shinto Ryu, created the Katsuhata Sect, and gained public support by revealing the aura techniques that had been secretly passed down to a select few.
Thus, Katsuhata currently teaches the sword techniques of a dullard.
Even without the ability to handle aura, they give meaning to the effort itself in the process.
Since strength corresponds with the time spent training, they aren’t blocked by any walls.
In contrast, Emika, despite training, was an exception who couldn’t seem to progress.
“What should I do…”
The position of heir that can only be occupied with talent, the unlearned that must not have talent to achieve greatness.
Enduring the contradictions in between, Emika fell asleep.
—
“I’ve decided! I’m going to learn cutting-edge, no, the most advanced swordsmanship!”
After a long time of contemplation, Emika expressed her willingness to proceed.
I smiled pleasantly at my disciple’s decision.
“I knew you would think that way, Emika! Today, I’m going to teach you about the scientific manifestation of aura.”
“Scientific manifestation? External manifestation?”
“It’s different from external manifestation. Usually, aura isn’t usually linked to scientific concepts, but the clearer the mental image, the more chance there is to extend your will. When considering the law of universal gravitation, you think about an apple falling to the ground, but you don’t think about when or where the apple fell, right?”
“Really? I immediately think about that.”
“That’s why you’re an apt one. If you handle aura as a scientific system, it’s not much different from the grammar of magic. Now, watch closely what I’m about to do.”
I infused aura into a toy sword made for kids.
“You can follow me up to this point, right?”
“Uh-huh! But how do I create a sword aura?”
“Can’t I perform external manifestation and manage a simple technique?”
“Oh, you’re right.”
Emika quickly grasped it and wrapped her aura around the sword.
“Here comes a nugget of knowledge: the principle of equivalence between mana and aura. If we can’t identify the source of mana, we can’t distinguish if the probabilistic changes come from mana or aura.”
Highly developed external manifestations cannot be differentiated from magic.
“Alright, then I’ll demonstrate a magic here.”
[Creation: Iron-Oxide-Aluminum-Magnesium]
[2nd Circle Casting: Thermite Reaction]
Fwoosh!
A white flame, thick smoke, and thousands of sparks enveloped the entire toy sword.
A 60cm toy sword instantly transformed into a beautiful magical sword over 3m long.
“Waaah!”
“Don’t just watch in awe; see what happens when I remove the magic circle from here.”
I dispelled the magic circle I was casting.
However, the toy sword still maintained three times my height.
Instead, the color of the flames changed to a golden hue, and the previously roaring flames settled down a bit.
“Phew. Did you see? This is my aura maintaining the magic right now!”
“Uh-huh, I’m watching closely!”
It’s inefficient to do something you don’t usually practice.
My lightsaber quickly extinguished and returned to the meager toy sword.
“I’m only able to do this much because it doesn’t fit my aptitude, but I’m sure Emika will be able to develop it further from here. Once you get used to external manifestation, you’ll probably be able to use it without magic.”
“Wow… even more than this?”
“Pretty cool, huh? If you let go of the sword, but then a hidden magical sword appears out of nowhere, dramatically leading to your victory—can you picture that?”
“I can! This is amazing, Na-me! So how do I do this?”
I almost said, “You just have to keep getting stabbed by the lightsaber until you grasp it,” but I held my tongue.
This is Korea in the 21st century.
You can’t just stab people carelessly.
You shouldn’t grill anyone on a skewer either.
With a big smile to preserve the child’s innocent spirit, I replied.
“We still have plenty of time. Let’s both think it over together!”
“Yeah! Na-me, this is the first time I’ve felt excited about learning like this!”
I pretended I didn’t hear that.
If Emika gives up on the curriculum midway, I wouldn’t get the money I was owed.
If I’d known it would be like this, I should’ve asked for payment upfront.
—
Katsuhata Akitaro felt a sense of satisfaction as he observed Emika’s complexion recently.
“The wall that had been blocking Emika is disappearing. Has she regained the joy of swordsmanship?”
He contacted Emika’s birth parents to share updates.
Even though Emika was adopted as his ward, this was solely for the purpose of carrying on the Katsuhata name.
Her parents were lovely people who constantly worried about their daughter, so Akitaro made a habit of reaching out like this every now and then.
“Yes, yes. It seems like living in Korea suits her. You could expect great things from this year’s National Exchange Tournament. Work too hard? Rather, she’s so lively, running around eager to learn even more. Yes, I’ll contact you again next time.”
Emika was growing day by day.
“It seems like the day when she awakens external manifestation isn’t far off.”
Had he forgotten that premature hope invites calamity?
The girl, who had never uttered a word of complaint despite harsh training, emerged from the training arena, her face streaked with tears.
“Waaah! Waaaaah… Hic… Master, I really can’t… Hic… I can’t do this… Please send me back to Japan!”
Two weeks into her intensive training.
Crisis had come to Emika.
