Caught off guard by the sudden request of the little kid, I soon understood the reason. The kid wanted to play with me. After all, having lost their parents, I was the only person to trust in the surroundings. How tough must that have been?
But considering I had been away for a long time, it wasn’t surprising the kid reacted like that. So, I decided to consciously play with them. After all, I had time to spare right now.
I would adapt as best as I could to the kid’s pace. Also, exercising together would be beneficial for both of us. You never know when a situation might arise where we need to run for our lives.
“Alright, I’ll teach you swordsmanship.”
“Yay! Thank you so much!”
“But there’s a condition.”
“Huh? A condition?”
“You must never swing this power recklessly.”
I had no plans to just pass the time. Since I was at it, I might as well fully align with the kid’s setting. Thankfully, I had a role model: the masters from martial arts novels.
“The sword is not at fault. It’s the person wielding it who errs.”
“…So, any power is about how it’s used.”
“Power that comes without responsibility will ultimately lead to self-destruction.”
“I’ll engrave that deeply in my heart.”
“Good, then I will give you your first task.”
The masters in the martial arts novels didn’t just reveal their secrets. The protagonist had to pass the tasks they set first. And my chosen task was running.
“This is a simple task. You just have to beat me in a race.”
“Does that mean I just have to run faster?”
“No, you lose if you give up on running first.”
No matter what, stamina is important. Whether it’s swordsmanship or abilities. Even when doing paperwork. So, consistently building stamina through running should be the priority.
Of course, it felt a bit too serious for a game. But in a real situation, I couldn’t be a teacher. Because if you think about it, I was just an absolute beginner myself.
But this was just a game. So even if the kid got bored or tired and stopped soon after, I would just have to keep pace with them until then.
Besides, I didn’t intend to let up. I had my own training, so at least I was confident in my stamina. But that confidence vanished quickly.
Huff, huff…!!!
As soon as we started running, the kid sprinted with all their might. I thought they would tire quickly. However, after running 20 laps around the open field, the kid showed no signs of stopping.
Instead, I was the one who got tired first, trying to keep up. No way, they were still at full speed and showing no signs of fatigue? Are they even human? Or a machine?
“Stop! That’s enough!”
“Did I pass the task?”
“The indomitable spirit that never gives up. You passed excellently.”
“Then praise me!”
Maintaining my poker face was a struggle. After all, I was now playing the role of a martial arts master. If a master were to fall short compared to their disciple, it would be an abysmal failure.
Meanwhile, despite all that running, the kid was bouncing around like a puppy excitedly playing in the snow. I barely managed to squeeze out a compliment.
“Good job.”
“Hehe….”
When I patted their head, they finally stopped. Their never-ending stamina reminded me of a beagle. Because of that, I had to hide my own exhaustion, making it a real struggle for me. Damn!
“Well, that’ll be all.”
“Ah… Teacher!”
“Yeah?”
“I can do even better next time!”
“N-next?”
Oh right, this was a game, wasn’t it? I had intended to just run today, but the kid’s seemingly limitless stamina led me to fail in wrapping it up.
So what now? I desperately brainstormed. Should I teach them real swordsmanship? No, I can’t do that. What if they try to copy it and get hurt? What would I do then?
Besides, I wasn’t even skilled enough to teach anyone. I could barely keep up with the basic swordsmanship I learned at the training ground. Who would I be to teach anyone?
“Actually….”
“Yes! Teacher!”
“….”
I tried to tell the truth, but I couldn’t turn away from those pure sparkling eyes in front of me. Keeping the dreams of children safe is the duty of an adult, after all.
“Actually, I possess the legendary vision sword technique.”
“The legendary vision sword technique…?!”
“I call it… Thunder Dragon Sword Technique!!”
Ugh, whatever. Let fate decide. It’s not like anyone else is listening. Just for clarity, it’s all nonsense. I just borrowed something from that martial arts novel I read.
“Thunder Dragon Sword Technique…?!”
“The technique of the sword imbued with the power of the thunder dragon that rules the sky.”
“It’s an amazing technique!!”
They should’ve sensed it was nonsense by now, but the pure little kid seemed to believe me, with their eyes shining bright. The kid spoke up.
“I want to see it so badly!”
“Huh…?”
“Is it impossible…?”
I hadn’t expected this. I was taken aback, and the kid looked up at me with a downtrodden expression. Ugh, I had no choice, did I?
“If you really want to see it…”
“Thank you so much, Teacher!”
“Wait a moment.”
I stepped forward confidently, but now what do I do? I bought myself some time by saying I needed to prepare, but that was just a shallow tactic.
But preparing the Thunder Dragon Sword Technique in such a short time? Is that even possible? Nevertheless, I couldn’t just say no now. After much deliberation, I finally found a clever plan.
As long as it looked like the Thunder Dragon Sword Technique, wouldn’t that be enough? There’s no way this kid knows anything about the real Thunder Dragon Sword Technique. I picked up some nearby straw.
At first, I intended to demonstrate with wood, but I gave up quickly. I could never slice wood with a sword. When I brought the straw back, the kid asked me a question.
“Are you going to show me now?”
“Yes. Keep your eyes wide open.”
“Yes! Teacher!”
Whether it was not a lie or not, the kid’s eyes were fixated on my sword. No kidding, it felt like my hand was about to burst. I raised my hand onto the hilt.
And then, I froze time.
Everything around me turned gray, centered on me. The branches swaying in the wind, the snowballs falling from the branches—everything stopped.
After confirming time was stopped, I walked toward the prepared straw. I drew my sword and swung it with all my might. Fortunately, my skill was enough to slice through the straw.
I neatly cut the straw diagonally and put my sword back in its scabbard. Positioned behind the cut straw, I prepared myself. Here’s the point: not fully sheathing the sword.
Leaving about a third of it exposed. Good, this should suffice. Time resumed flowing again. Finally, the cut straw fell to the ground. I glanced over.
I felt the kid’s gaze shift toward me. At that moment, I fully sheathed the sword, which had a third left exposed. Soon, a metallic clink echoed.
“What was that…?!”
“What did you see?”
“…I saw nothing.”
Oops, I got carried away and unconsciously mimicked the master’s speech from the martial arts novel. To my surprise, the reaction was serious. So, I had to improvise.
“This is your second task.”
“…!!!”
“Behold the dragon.”
I accidentally blurted out, too caught up in the moment. The kid looked shocked and then ran off without looking back. I was left here feeling quite awkward.
Damn… was that too much of a middle school fantasy?
But considering how much I’ve entertained the kid so far, this should be enough.
*
The girl’s red eyes missed nothing.
She noticed those training hard at the training ground. The fist that had swung at her. Not a single thing had the girl ever missed. But for the first time, she missed it. That being the teacher’s sword.
It was shocking. Not someone else’s, but her teacher’s sword. She had sworn not to miss even one of her teacher’s strokes. That vow had been broken.
However, the more shocking thing was her teacher’s reaction. As if they had already known. No, her teacher must have known all along. Because they were her teacher.
[This is your second task.]
Her teacher’s words for the second task. What could it possibly mean? The girl already knew the answer. It was to see the sword she could never gaze upon, as if it belonged to another world.
[Behold the dragon.]
There had to be a reason for her teacher showing it directly. Remember, countless times. Recall the moments she’d seen. Keep replaying them. And somehow, she had to embed them in her memory.
Thankfully, she still had time left. The girl picked up a sword. A feeble wooden stick that barely classified as a sword. Yet to her, it was undoubtedly a sword.
She placed the sword at her waist and drew it, as if it was a cherished memory. The pose was strikingly similar to the one her teacher had shown. No, wait, this wasn’t it.
To reach for the sword her teacher had shown…!!!
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