“I won’t be seeking feedback after having already fallen anyway. This year’s National Exchange Tournament will be my last participation.”
“Of course, you can’t change just by getting feedback once. If people could change that easily, there would be no point in taking hard training. But is Larson really going to give up on this path just because he couldn’t participate in the National Exchange Tournament? He must have been the strongest back home.”
“Well, the tournament isn’t just the National Exchange Tournament, you know.”
“You’ll laugh when you hear it, but I seriously aimed for victory this year.”
“It’s a pity that you can’t even draw out a fraction of your own power.”
“As you can see from the match, the difference between Katsuhata and me was overwhelming. Do you think I would’ve beaten Katsuhata if I had been in top condition?”
“Not easy.”
“You see.”
“But if Larson had just had a month more, winning wouldn’t have been impossible.”
“What?”
Larson’s eyebrows twitched.
A month isn’t exactly a short time, but considering the vast gap with her, it’s not that long either.
“Due to the characteristics of duels, if one side has even a slight advantage in skill, the outcome can tilt dramatically. From my perspective, the gap between Emika and Larson isn’t that huge. Which part did you think you couldn’t handle?”
“Everything. If I had to pick one, I just couldn’t keep up with the speed of the sword.”
“When you exchanged the fourth move, right?”
“The fourth, the fourth… How did you know that so quickly?”
As Larson recalled the past match, he narrowed his eyes.
I just smiled gently.
“When a katana, which is significantly faster than a great sword, rushes in the center, Larson has no choice but to retreat. But what if you had taken just three and a half steps back instead of four? If you had swung your sword at Katsuhata without shifting your center of gravity on your last step? What do you think would’ve happened?”
“Then… hmm…”
“The answer is, Katsuhata would either have to give up his sword or suffer significant damage to his barrier. If you don’t believe me, analyze it with your coach later.”
“Harald, right?”
“I haven’t reviewed the match yet.”
Coach Harald scratched his head sheepishly.
“Okay, let’s say that’s true. Why would Katsuhata willingly put himself in such a clear weak position?”
“If Larson realizes he can’t handle it there, he’ll be at an advantage for the rest of the match.”
Once your vulnerability is exposed, you have to fight a game far more disadvantageous than your ability.
Emika was precise enough to catch those small details, and Larson had no choice but to fight from an unfavorable position throughout.
“Katsuhata isn’t without weaknesses either. Her left arm is weak, so her attacks from the upper right to the lower left are slow, and if one technique successfully lands, she has a habit of repeating the technique she just used straight after.”
“So what should I have done? Even in that chaotic battle, I was struggling just to parry the attacks?”
“Mistilteinn.”
I pointed to his sword.
A sword that cleaves through auras.
The power of a sword is determined by how much force it can apply.
And to unleash a greater power than one possesses, sword users wrap their auras around their arms.
That’s the same for both Katsuhata and Larson.
“When the upper right attack from Katsuhata comes in at the ninth move, reverse your Mistilteinn, sever the aura support, and…”
I picked up my wand and recreated the stance Larson had taken in the match.
The prince at that time had firmly placed the sword at the center, assuming a standard defensive posture.
Unlike him, I raised my wand overhead, using one hand.
With my empty left hand, I concentrated the aura and shot it forward.
Though I can’t reach the right height now because I’m short, with Larson’s build, Emika’s head would probably be around this height.
After pausing in that stance, I looked at Larson and said, “It takes a month to handle a great sword with one hand. That’s where I got the month I mentioned. If this were possible, preparing for tomorrow’s round of 32 wouldn’t be Katsuhata Emika, but Elias Larson.”
Somehow, I ended up giving feedback not on my match but on the one against Emika.
Suddenly, Larson sat up straight.
“Don’t overdo it, Larson…!”
“I’m fine. Just give me some water.”
The prince gulped down cold water and continued, “Mistilteinn weighs a whole 7kg. NoName, can you swing this with one hand?”
“I can’t. But you can. Listen, Larson. Everyone has their own strengths. And with your talent, you could’ve beaten Emika. If there were hundreds of parallel worlds in this universe, one of them would’ve shown you defeating Emika.”
“So you’re saying I’m a failure?”
“No. You have a long life ahead of you, and I hope you show more unexpected feats. There’s a Swedish saying, isn’t there? Fear less, hope more. Then all the good things in the world will be yours. Get into the habit of thinking positively about everything.”
You can’t live comparing yourself to others forever.
Everyone is born with a shining talent, but they often get stuck in a warehouse after facing early setbacks.
In contrast, Larson is a very lucky case.
Born into a wealthy family, he can develop his talents without worrying about money.
I thought it was too wasteful to give up on dreams just because he lost one match.
Larson’s face was deep in thought.
There were a few more exchanges after that, but most of it was trivial stuff.
“How did you end up in Japan? By ship.”
“Is Korea that close? Don’t you, the prince, even look at a world map?”
Anyway, it’s a memorable encounter, so we took a picture together before parting.
Later that night, Larson sent me a message thanking me.
He said looking back at the duel with Emika, it didn’t seem as disadvantageous as he thought.
Of course, I dominated the match, but maybe it was because the shock was too great.
It seemed he completely wiped it from his mind.
And that night, Prince Elias Larson posted a picture with me on his SNS.
[@eliaslarsson] [Followers: 8.83 million]
(At a training arena in Fukuoka.jpg) [+6]
“In fact, I even considered retiring from representing the national team after losing to Katsuhata Emika in the National Exchange Tournament. The wall of the world was high, and I couldn’t shake off the feeling that I was unqualified as a wizard representing my country. But ever since I met this brilliant little girl, I’ve been able to gather my thoughts. Today, I must clearly state this: it doesn’t matter who wins the National Exchange Tournament this year. This little girl is xxxxxxx the all-time world number one. What does that mean? I got knocked out by Katsuhata in 14 minutes, but I couldn’t last even 5 minutes against her (Holy moly, even if I brought last year’s champion, I would have been confident to last at least 5 minutes!).
Who is NoName? To the blind, she is sight. To the hungry, she is a chef. To the thirsty, she is water. If there is even one fan of NoName, it’s me.
The moment I realized that the only genius in this world is her, everyone else started to seem ordinary to me.
So I decided to join next year’s Europa League. And I will go and tell them, ‘You guys are not NoName, right?’
Elias Larson’s challenge continues into 2053, so please support me greatly.”
[Likes: 124,197]
[Comments]
– I think it’s only you who writes SNS like a diary!
– Larson, you did your best. You’ve experienced the wide world, so I’m looking forward to next year’s Europa.
– Who is this cute girl?
– She looks like a princess and prince from a fairytale ❤️❤️❤️
– wtf? You couldn’t last 5 minutes against NoName? Is this a joke?
– I’m sure Larson used simple words, but I didn’t understand a thing.
– Did they duel?
– Are you saying NoName > Katsuhata Emika?
– OMG, I just found out NoName is only 9 years old?!
*
An odd rumor began to circulate in Japan.
It was reported that a girl under ten was going around demolishing the eliminated participants of the National Exchange Tournament one by one.
[NoName: (photo.jpg)]
[NoName: Today I met my Italian friend Federico.]
[Emika: Did you win?]
[NoName: Yup, we decided to do three sets and I won 3-0. He was good, probably because he was among the top 16.]
[NoName: Emika, fight hard until the finals! I know you’re good, but don’t let your guard down! Oh, and.]
Emika gulped nervously and closed her phone.
NoName wasn’t just someone who could handle a sword well.
‘Does it really work in practice? With that physique? How?’
During the training, Na-me had provided guidance to some extent, but it was mostly theoretical.
There’s a world of difference between being theoretical with a god-given head and actually moving your body.
Emika wondered how Na-me was able to defeat such formidable participants.
“Hello, future heir of Katsuhata!”
“Oh? Yes, hello.”
Emika reflexively responded to a voice calling out while patting her shoulder.
When she turned around, a young girl of Latin descent with slightly tanned skin was staring at her blankly.
‘So young…!’
Emika was only 157cm tall, significantly below the average height of participants in the National Exchange Tournament.
Even the handsome Prince Larson she met in the round of 64 was over 180cm.
In comparison, the girl in front of her barely seemed to reach 150cm.
“Nice to meet you!”
“Sorry, what?”
The Western girl spoke fluent Japanese without any translation magic.
“We meet in the quarterfinals!”
“Oh! By the way, where are you from…?”
“Brazil. I’m representing the Brazilian national team. Are you seriously ignoring someone like me? As much as I’m a winning candidate, it’s so annoying!”
“No, no, that’s not it. I’m sorry.”
“Hehe just kidding! Cecilia Nieto de Sampaio. Just call me Cecilia!”
Cecilia extended a small hand forward.
Emika shook that hand, and only then could she recall information about her opponent.
Cecilia, a mixed-race girl from Brazil and France, graduated from Texas Rice University at 11 and is currently the head researcher at NASA’s Johnson Space Center.
She has been featured in global media as the person with the highest IQ in the world, and she was the one to cast the youngest 5-circle magic before Na-me broke the new record.
“Would you like to see a fun spell I learned from my friend? You can use this too, right?”
Cecilia said with a bright smile as she skillfully drew a magic circle.
[Quick Cast: Demon King’s Horn]
Suddenly, a pair of horns popped out through her long hair.
“Friend? Who are you talking about?”
“Huh? Didn’t Na-me introduce me? I’ll have to say something to Na-me later!”
Emika, perplexed, checked her phone.
[NoName: Oh, and about that.]
[NoName: I had a brief opportunity to meet your opponent in the quarterfinals, and she’s not to be underestimated. If you underestimate her just because she’s young, even you, Emika, might lose.]
