Ch.197. The Sword of the Fool.

The Demon Lord provided detailed explanations.

Yet he insists:

“As I told you before, I don’t know much about swords.”

Upon hearing this, Kariel had mountains of rebuttals building up, but couldn’t bring himself to argue.

If you don’t know about swords, then are the vast majority of people in this world deaf, blind, and completely unqualified?

She wasn’t being particularly humble.

She simply reached that conclusion because it didn’t meet her own standards.

“The fortunate thing for you is that I’ve memorized the manual that fellow created.”

“Manual?”

“It could be considered a record, but it’s substantial enough to be called a Zettel.”

Kariel asked with suspicion.

“…Did you intend to guide me to learn this from the beginning?”

“Not particularly. If you chose the sword, your options would ultimately be limited to one of three.”

One is the swordsmanship created by a certain eccentric dragon.

Another is the sword technique of the one once called the Sword Saint.

“That stubborn dragon bastard doesn’t care whether the continent perishes or not as long as no one invades his territory, so I’ve had no contact with him… though he would have been a headache to face.

As for the Sword Saint’s technique… while there are successors, none have yet reached the level of the original Sword Saint… so it was practically obsolete when I invaded the middle realm.”

“……”

“There might have been other strong ones I didn’t know about, but that’s no longer my concern.”

And here’s where a problem arises.

“I know nothing about the other two sword techniques. I’m not interested either.”

“……”

“What’s with that impertinent look? I only know well what I know; I’m not so exceptional as to naturally know even things I don’t know. Do you think I’m so ill-mannered as to defy and go against reason itself?”

It seemed as though she would naturally understand all the principles of everything in the world, but was even that a misconception?

“Enough idle talk, what will you do?”

“I don’t… really have other options, do I?”

“Then while we’re on the subject, how about learning the Imperial sword style anew?”

…What nonsense.

====

Though she said the swordsmanship had no particular name, if she had to give it one:

“It would be the Sword of the Fool.”

“…?”

The sword of the foolish one?

“You’ll understand when you learn it.”

Before learning the stance, understand the mindset.

“When taking a stance, be like rock and tree. When connecting movements, be like water and wind. Burrow in like flames devouring kindling, and slice through like the cold that freezes lakes and rivers.”

“……”

“This is what you must recite, internalize, and reflect on from now on, so don’t forget it.”

Eventually, she demonstrated the grip, stance, and movements.

Using virtual illusions.

Even creating a fantasy where the Black Knight personally demonstrated.

Para.

A form where the sword is held with both hands raised before the chest.

“Literally a ready stance.”

Grate.

“A stance for receiving the enemy.”

A form where the sword is placed on the shoulder, or swung behind.

Fortes.

Conversely, a form where the sword is positioned as if to thrust at any moment.

With the sword-holding hand pulled back to the side, it resembles a horned beast or fierce bull, ready to charge forward and ram its head.

Vetita.

Both hands holding the sword are raised high, not knowing the height of the sky.

However, the sword is tilted at an angle, with its tip pointing toward the ground.

“A stance for receiving an enemy’s offensive.”

Up to here.

“These four you just saw will be the basics.”

“Isn’t that too few?”

“More isn’t necessarily better.”

Though I can’t say this is the only correct answer.

“What can I do? That’s the conclusion reached by the one who mastered this.”

Whether to learn it or not is your choice and discretion.

“If you’re dissatisfied, choose something else.”

“But, isn’t this a bit strange?”

The stance she called ‘Para.’

That is…

“Isn’t this a stance shown when paying respect or showing courtesy?”

Holding the sword straight up at the center of the chest… how on earth…

How does one receive an enemy in this state, how does one counter, how does one respond?

“Don’t complain to me, take it up with the bastard demonstrating.”

Naturally, the illusion doesn’t speak.

Nevertheless.

“……”

Yet the one who easily defeats Lueld starts from that exaggerated and rigid stance, naturally connecting to other stances.

In the end, he effortlessly knocks down the younger version of his father.

“Sigh.”

It seems.

An extremely uneasy premonition arose that the learning process would not be easy.

====

The Demon Lord added the next step as if moving on with the lesson.

“In mastering the stances, repeat and practice until you can maintain them with your eyes closed, even when your body is weighed down by fatigue and consciousness fades, without any disruption in standing, stepping, and connecting.”

This process would be unavoidable no matter what one learns.

But even so.

‘Not a single swing.’

Not even a thrust.

Usually, the most basic thing when learning the sword is swinging, that is, striking downward.

But in the manual the Demon Lord memorized, there’s no need to specifically learn how to strike down.

What matters are the stances and movements.

Just connecting stances, and even that doesn’t seem to implement sword techniques so much as…

‘It feels like I’ve become a statue or exhibition piece, if not quite a dancer.’

“Emulate rock and tree. You haven’t forgotten, have you?”

Just as he might forget, the Demon Lord suddenly pointed it out.

“Even if you say that…”

“If you don’t understand, keep at it until you do.”

Isn’t it truly fortunate?

“At least time is meaningless to you. Even so, adapting in reality after practicing here for a hundred days is another matter. So focus on getting a feel for it here and understanding the principles.”

Time isn’t infinite.

However, it was clear that he had obtained virtually unlimited opportunities compared to others.

“This applies to regular clothes, armor, and horseback as well, so keep that in mind.”

“Is that distinction really necessary?”

“Why? Because you can cut, thrust, and slice through everything whether it’s regular clothes or armor if you infuse mana? Or are you planning to obtain a divine sword that can cut through armor like leather?”

“……”

“None of that applies to you, does it?”

And.

“Such weapons would be far more powerful in the hands of others than in yours. Refute that if you can.”

At this point, it’s a matter of whether to believe or not.

But even here, the choice was clear.

“Let’s try it.”

Since reality doesn’t matter here.

Time in the dream passes excruciatingly slowly.

A day becomes a month.

When a month felt like it had become a year.

“…Is it okay for me to stay here this long?”

Though there’s clearly a gap between real time and dream time, it seemed implausible to stay here this long.

This too was something he asked after holding back for a while, feeling something wasn’t right.

If practicing and training movements is boring, he doesn’t mind much.

With a clear purpose, what does it matter if it’s boring or difficult if it can help him reach his goal?

However.

At this point, it’s not about me swinging a sword…

‘It really feels like I’m becoming a rock or tree myself.’

“But rocks break under hammers, and trees fall, are cut, and snapped when struck by axes.”

When he felt somewhat familiar with the movements.

She suddenly said.

“To explain differently, you must not break or bend in any other case.”

“Is that also a kind of mantra or mental principle?”

“If we’re fitting it in? Consider it advice to aid understanding, like annotations in a book. Depending on how you receive it, this too can become a mental principle.”

How many times had he repeated the process of maintaining and connecting stances?

Perhaps because there was no need to eat or sleep.

His sense of time had completely dulled.

A world empty without sun or moon.

Truly just himself and a sword.

And the Demon Lord watching over him.

Even she wasn’t always watching.

From some point on.

The time spent alone at his post only increased.

At times, he focused on training, even forgetting the Demon Lord’s existence.

“Your foundation is gradually forming.”

When she suddenly spoke to him, he would often startle.

“Now, next.”

Para, Grate, Fortes, Vetita.

“Rocks and trees do not attack. However, what you must internalize now is water and wind. Do you remember?”

“When connecting movements, be like water and wind… was it?”

“Yes.”

Fabiam.

“When striking down from each stance, that’s Fabiam.”

Necata.

“This is thrusting.”

And Punita.

“Striking upward.”

From now on.

“Based on the four stances, you’ll connect these three like flowing water, like blowing wind.”

“……”

“Don’t think, do it with your body. You don’t swing a sword by turning your head. You still don’t know that… tsk tsk!”

Though only three things were added, the connection of stances and movements became very diverse.

How to hold the grip.

How to apply the height of the stance.

…Somehow it feels incredibly versatile despite being simple.

“I’ll return when you’re sufficiently familiar.”

With those words.

For a while.

…The Demon Lord did not appear before Kariel.

All that remained was an empty, hollow world.

Yet why?

There were times of boredom and loneliness.

Now, even that feels like entertainment.

There were moments when it was piercingly difficult, painful, and sorrowful.

‘When thoughts arise, the more they arise, the more painful and difficult it will be, but conversely, the more you reduce thoughts, the more strength you’ll gain. In the end, even thinking is tiring and laborious. Don’t let your mind be stolen by trivial things, focus only on what needs to be done.’

Look back.

During all those times you kept dying on the battlefield.

‘Did you have the luxury to entertain idle thoughts?’

He focused on refining his stance, recalling what he had remembered and reflected upon.

Even without being reminded.

He remembered everything.

With all his might.

With all his heart.

…Truly.

Putting my life on the line with sincerity.

…The way to throw myself into everything.

I, immediately after meeting her, first learned that point.

Why the Demon Lord emphasized that as most important.

Now I could understand without having to ask.

‘To live a day.’

In the end.

It meant killing off today’s self.

Whether I want it or not.

In the end, today’s me will die.

Thus the present becomes the past.

And all the flaws I’ve accumulated today will soon.

Become stepping stones for tomorrow’s me to stand on and move forward.

There’s nothing difficult about it.

At least I know the method, and knowing that appropriate results will follow if I just try.

I will never stop.

The summit to reach is before my eyes.

In reality, it was very far away.

But knowing and having learned that I can move forward on my own two feet.

I will advance.

I will climb.

And ultimately.

…I will step forward.

For that will be my own complete rebellion and resistance.

One that will shatter the false past they believed in.