1.
I died.
Why? I don’t know…
I charged in with the determination to die, but I really didn’t expect to die…
I didn’t even feel like I was dying.
Honestly, I didn’t even know I was dead.
Cartia laughed at me mockingly, and Sirin chuckled while offering advice.
My head still throbs… ugh.
Still, um… maybe because my head’s burst, my mind feels pretty clear.
I think I can calm down a bit and fight.
[Charging in with such momentum, only to immediately die. Pathetic bastard.]
Shut up… I’m embarrassed enough as it is.
2.
This time I died with my torso smashed.
I still don’t know why.
I got hit with a Great Sword; does it make sense for my torso to get crushed…?
Well… I guess seeing monsters die from my hits makes it somewhat understandable…
Am I really that weak?
[So, did you think you were strong?]
That’s… no, but… I did beat the Master…
[I could easily beat that guy with one hand, you know.]
…You’ve never even seen him.
4.
I managed to parry Sirin’s sword once!
But I died right after…
This time, my stomach is in excruciating pain… it hurts…
Cartia still laughs at me, and Sirin keeps giving advice on why I died.
The main point is to watch till the end and dodge.
But I can’t see!
Sirin is such a fool.
[Does it look like I meant for you to literally watch? You could see it with your mind’s eye or with your sense of Ki, right? This is why kids these days are a problem.]
C-cartia is such a grandma.
9.
Cartia swung her Great Sword not twice but thirteen times!
And then, I collapsed and slowly died.
For the first time, I felt like I was genuinely dying…
And it didn’t feel good at all.
I felt lonely, chilly, and in pain.
I wonder what Rubia is doing right now…
I want to see her—
[Hey, are you crying? Crying? Hahaha! Go ahead and cry! Pathetic little loser!]
Ugh, it really annoys me…
17.
I heard the name of the Great Sword I’m holding.
Frey.
She made it based on her family name.
The spelling may be different or something.
The meaning attached to the Great Sword was ‘prayer.’
A prayer wishing for victory.
…What a sentimental grandma.
[You’re seriously gonna die, huh?]
Haha… Good for you for getting old, Grandma.
45.
The strain when swinging the Great Sword has decreased.
Now I can swing it a hundred times without a problem!
Considering I used to die after swinging it a dozen times, that’s a huge improvement!
But I still couldn’t even nick Sirin’s clothing.
[Think while you fight, think! You just gonna sit there while your brain gets turned into mush? Huh? If you see where the sword flies, where it aims, then you should know how to act. Carefully, detail by detail. Focus on your pathetic body, too.]
You’re the one coaching, and you’re not doing it yourself…
[Shut your mouth already, dammit.]
Ugh, geez…
70.
At that moment.
I recalled the feeling when I sliced Sirin’s clothing.
The sensation of my sword and my body becoming one.
No, my soul swinging in a way.
As if drawing my sword path into the very fabric of space.
[Oh, so you need to be insulted to wake up, huh? For a pathetic guy, that was a pretty decent strike. Even if it missed. Keep at it, loser.]
C-can you just give me some clean praise? Why do you keep mixing in insults… huh?
[Then you better swing your sword a bit cleaner. I also don’t want to combine insults with compliments.]
…You’re really annoying.
92.
Ah!! What a waste!!
If the Great Sword had been just a bit longer, I could’ve cut her clothing!!
Ugh, I was almost there!
What a shame…
[That distance was given to you on purpose, you dumbass. What’s wrong with barrelling in like a lust-driven dog without being able to tell that?]
…Uh, no way? I did well, okay?
[Ha, sure. Then try again next time.]
113.
Cartia was right.
After that, I couldn’t reach it again…
I really did let distance go.
…How cowardly!
[What’s cowardly? You got fooled, that’s on you.]
Ah, seriously! Can’t you be on my side? Why do you keep insulting me? Huh? I’m already struggling to death!!
[Shut it… But, well. You’ve done well.]
…Just insult me. It feels weird to be mushy about it.
[Even if I do, you’d still be annoying, you pathetic brat.]
206.
Finally, I sliced the fabric.
It took an incredibly long time.
Or, was it not that long?
I can’t tell.
“You’ve grown to a certain extent now, so I’ll increase the time scale. Are you done now?”
I rose up, holding the Great Sword lying on the ground.
“From now on, you shall wield not just the sword but magic as well. So, you can start slowing down—”
I charged in.
[…]
338.
I am not hungry.
I do not feel sleepy.
I don’t feel like eating.
I don’t feel like sleeping.
I miss the sensation of wanting to eat.
I miss the sensation of wanting to sleep.
I thought it would be nice…
But it wasn’t at all.
391.
I miss Rubia.
442.
I cut off Sirin’s arm.
491.
Her legs.
598.
Both arms.
672.
Both legs.
711.
Ah.
971.
Myself.
1006.
What.
1173.
For what.
1392.
Am I doing this.
1552.
For Rubia.
1922.
For Rubia.
2195.
I got up from my spot.
2312.
I raised the Great Sword.
2501.
Sirin’s expression turned complicated.
2842.
I couldn’t hear Cartia’s nagging anymore.
3110.
Sword.
Cutting.
The Great Sword is the same.
How was I handling the Great Sword?
3308.
Countless sword paths were drawn in my mind.
Sirin’s path and
‘My’ path.
Which is the correct one?
3918.
All wrong.
No, it’s not wrong.
I just don’t like it.
4130.
So.
4472.
I started again.
I had to destroy everything and rebuild it from scratch.
4601.
It was drawn.
A path solely for me.
4819.
I stretched my legs.
5102.
One step.
5199.
Two steps.
I moved slowly forward.
5398.
And.
5422.
I reached it.
6037.
The sound of steel clashing.
The sound of droplets of blood scattering.
The sound of the scattered drops slicing through the sword again.
The sound of magic being cut by the sword.
And, once again.
The sound of steel clashing.
Sirin’s killing intent crushed my body.
The sound of the Great Sword being swung sliced through my skin.
The route of Sirin’s sword etched in my senses seemed to split my skull.
A jolt—a feeling that scratched at my mind pointed upward.
I tried to lift the Great Sword into the air, believing that sensation.
But I didn’t.
If I block, I’ll break.
If I let it go, I’ll be swept away.
I can’t dodge.
So.
Let’s just die.
Together.
I channeled all the remaining energy in my body into the Great Sword.
I forced my shaking legs into a diagonal position.
And splattered everything.
Boom-!
Sirin’s Great Sword plunged from my right shoulder to my left hip.
The sound of skin tearing.
The sound of bones shattering.
The sound of entrails being sliced, lungs being torn, and organs bursting.
The weight in my hand lightens.
My Ki flickers out, and my body grows cold.
Cartia’s nagging sinks into the darkness.
And.
Sirin’s head tumbled onto my body sprawled on the ground.
For the first time, Sirin died first.
The corners of my mouth lifted.
*
“…Ugh.”
As soon as I regained my senses, I reached out into the air and grasped Frey.
[Good morning.]
Cartia stood leaning against something.
“Did you sleep well?”
I could see Sirin smiling contentedly.
[Wipe your drool. Ugh, it’s disgusting.]
“Ugh… I… how many times did I kill Sirin?”
I wiped the drool dripping down my chin and sat up.
[Twenty-two times.]
“Hmm… that’s a lot… a lot, isn’t it?”
My laughter floated in the wind.
[You like it?]
“Yeah…”
[But why do you keep speaking informally?]
“Weren’t we partners…? So… is it okay if I use informal language? Right…?”
This time, Cartia’s laughter spread across the wilderness.
[That aside, you little brat. I’ve lived at least ten years longer than you. As a ghost, I’ve lived around a thousand years longer. Hmph, where do you think you’re going with your barely dried blood on your face?]
“If I call you grandma, you’ll get angry again…”
Ignoring Cartia, I stretched out.
“I’ve reached my limit. You know that, right?”
“What limit…?”
How many times have I died?
[About eight thousand times.]
That’s how Cartia’s voice rang out, bored.
“You cut my clothing. You took my arms, and legs. You cut my magic and incantation. You sliced the ground and the sky.”
Sirin set down the Great Sword.
“And ultimately, you killed me.”
I stretched my empty hand into the air.
“I acknowledge it.”
Space ripped, crumbled, and twisted.
“But still, you haven’t freed yourself from my grasp.”
The hand at the center of chaos slowly clenched.
“Though I can’t help it since it’s the key to everything. But still, I feel a bit regretful.”
When Sirin’s hand finally closed entirely.
“This is the last time.”
In her hand, she held a Great Sword shaped exactly like Frey.
“Noah. Show me your path.”
I couldn’t shed my stats.
I couldn’t shed my traits.
My body crumbled.
My mind crumbled.
I lashed out.
I felt anger.
I resented.
I despaired.
I regretted.
But, I stood up.
I had not fully realized what my sword was.
I hadn’t fully grasped what my path was.
Yet, I stepped forward.
Why?
Without the sense of duty to save the world,
What do I want?
For what?
“Rubia.”
I hope Rubia doesn’t die.
I hope Rubia dreams of the future.
I hope Rubia doesn’t suffer anymore.
I hope Rubia can laugh comfortably.
I wish for Rubia to be happy.
[Now it’s looking a bit more bearable, huh?]
The weight of Frey felt so heavy.
Heavier than before.
But.
“It feels light.”
The weight of the sword was light.
*
“Phew… it’s finally over.”
“My body… it really does feel lighter.”
Ser rose up from the bed, looking around.
“Thank you, Lady Rubia.”
“Yes… but… um, since everything is done, may I ask something? Aren’t you, Ser, having a hard time dying like I do?”
“That’s correct.”
“Then why… were you dying in the first place?”
I couldn’t understand no matter how much I thought about it.
If you were in the same situation as me, getting your limbs cut off and your body crushed, you would regenerate.
That just a curse could be causing death…
“It’s not an ordinary curse. It’s more like a—”
Thud—
“…Huh?”
Thud—
“It seems they finally arrived. A week… it took us a long time, but it seems it took them quite a while too.”
“Uh, wait… wait a second, Ser!”
“Yes?”
Thud—!
“Hurry… hurry and get dressed! Quickly!”
“Oh, right.”
“No! Don’t dilly-dally! Hurry!”
“Why are you so flustered? Isn’t this all part of healing? I thought it was an essential process to better feel the flow of divine power.”
Boom—!
“No! Just shut up and get dressed!”
“Oh my? Lady Rubia, did you just drop the honorifics?”
“Please… please!”
“Oh, is that so? Now that we’re on better terms, are you saying I don’t have to use honorifics? Well, for me, I prefer using honorifics. And besides, aren’t you in the same situation as me without clothes? So I think it would be better for you to get dressed first—”
Squish—!
Squish—!
Thud—!
“Hmm, just finished healing… uh, um… Cartia! Quick, cover Noah’s eyes!”
“…Huh? W-why all of a sudden?!”
[What? What… the hell! Hey! Hey hey! What does it matter if he’s blind? Just grab the Great Sword already!]
“It’s impossible! My limbs are all in pain! Noah! Get your hands off the Great Sword—ah.”
Pitter-patter—
“Rubia?”
“…Yes?”
“What are you doing?”
“…Healing.”
“Completely naked?”
“No, Noah. This is… it’s all unavoidable. Do you trust me? I swear I’m not doing anything—”
Squish—!
“Whoa… It looks like Noah has gotten really strong. Just by emitting magic, cracks are forming in the barrier Sirin worked so hard to create. You’ve definitely grown stronger, no doubt weaker than me, though. Hah.”
[Oh man, this is bad…]
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