Ch.353348 – History of Contradiction

Human history develops through the process of thesis, antithesis, and synthesis.

Take the heliocentric model as a prime example.

The early heliocentric model was far more complex than the geocentric model, failed to find evidence of annual parallax, and couldn’t scientifically explain celestial movements.

The reason the heliocentric model wasn’t accepted wasn’t simply because of the notion that Earth had to be the center, but because the theoretical foundation was too weak.

That’s why the church wanted definitive evidence that could be accepted as truth, regardless of whether it was the geocentric or heliocentric model.

Eventually, with Kepler’s laws of elliptical orbits, Newton’s mechanics replacing the impetus hypothesis, and observations of aberration and annual parallax, the geocentric model was completely laid to rest after 2,000 years.

Was that the end?

If it had stopped there, history would have ceased to progress.

In the 20th century, with the emergence of general relativity, it became no longer absolutely wrong to say the sun revolves around Earth.

The zombie-geocentric model broke through its coffin and waved at us once more.

Contradiction versus contradiction.

As long as humanity exists, contradictions arise, and when we overcome them, humanity advances one step forward.

“What is a sword? A long blade used to cut or slice things. Then what is cutting? Using a bladed tool to sever something. So must a sword always have a blade? If a swordsman subdues an opponent with the hilt or scabbard instead of the blade, are they no longer a swordsman? What about wooden swords? Bamboo swords? None of these have blades.”

I tormented Emika with Socratic questioning.

If I used this method carelessly on just anyone, I’d likely end up drinking hemlock, but Emika is a good kid, so she won’t put me on trial.

“Arghhhh!”

Emika’s eyes were spinning.

I waved my hand in the air to check if her consciousness was still intact.

Her wandering focus suddenly sharpened as she regained her senses.

“But if Master finds out, I’ll be kicked out regardless of being the successor… Plus, the council elders hate even the idea of us using Adela magic.”

She asserted that even Katsuhata Akitaro, considered the most progressive leader in history, would immediately scold anyone who brought up light swords.

“I can’t do it…”

“That’s not true. From what I see, you have a bit of a rebellious streak.”

“Han-hon? What’s that?”

“It means you don’t easily conform to authority.”

“No way, I’m so obedient!”

“Or is it that you’re just in an environment where you have no choice but to obey?”

“Hmm…”

The Katsuhata school itself is a group of skilled practitioners from across the country.

If you step out of line even once, your head gets cracked immediately, so that trait hasn’t had a chance to manifest.

“Just curious, what movie genres do you like?”

“I don’t watch many movies, but superhero, action, SF, that kind of thing.”

“See! I knew it!”

There are people with personalities like Emika.

They can’t resist the urge to buy fascinating inventions like flower-shaped egg molds, glue-stick butter, or accordion portable keyboards.

To put it negatively, it’s like getting smacked by your mom; to praise it, it’s like being an early Bitcoin investor.

“Let me guess what Emika is feeling right now? You’re definitely feeling boredom and tedium. Since you’re a genius, you’ve probably absorbed all your master’s and seniors’ teachings without any difficulty to get where you are. Once you know what’s lacking, filling in the gaps isn’t particularly challenging for you.”

This is the typical dilemma geniuses face.

They learn so quickly that they deviate from the normal trajectory.

Even if you show them the shortest path to reach the moon and return, their rocket engines are so powerful they end up leaving the solar system entirely.

“When you lose your destination, you first lose interest. Why should I win at the National Exchange Competition? Is gaining honor good? I already have plenty of honor. Then you become more interested in 7th Circle mass destruction explosion formulas than in seeing through your opponent’s intentions and winning duels. Isn’t that right?”

“How did you know that!”

Emika frantically looked around.

And finally found the source of the information.

Emika’s VTube viewing history floating at the top of the hologram.

[100x the power of the Hiroshima explosion formula! Lost hydrogen fusion circuit recovery operation | National Geographic · 325K views]

“No no no! I just clicked on it because it appeared in my algorithm while training at dawn and I was curious!”

“Hmm.”

“Really, believe me, Namei…!”

Emika protested with an aggrieved voice.

Why hide watching something like this? Oh, maybe as a Japanese person she should be a bit embarrassed?

I cleared my throat and expounded my theory to her.

“When you ask someone who’s just starting to learn swordsmanship what a sword is, they’ll answer ‘a sword is just a sword.'”

“Uh-huh.”

“Then as they learn more about swords, they start attaching various meanings to them. A tool that takes lives, a shield that protects loved ones, a dream, justice, a sense of duty.”

“Everyone thinks differently.”

“But in the end, when everyone reaches enlightenment, do they all think the same?”

“How?”

“A sword is just a sword.”

Emika chuckled at the obvious answer.

“Heh, what’s that…! Are you telling me to find my beginner’s mind?”

“No. Initially calling a sword just a sword comes from having no thoughts about it. The latter comes from recognizing that the external world exists independently of subjective perception. I hope Emika doesn’t attach too much profound meaning to swords. A sword is just a sword.”

Tap-

I gently patted Emika’s head and stood up.

“Oh, by the way. This isn’t meant to be disparaging, but Katsuhata-style swordsmanship seems designed for ordinary people. It doesn’t really suit the external manifestation of aura.”

“How do you know that!”

“I’ll be going now. Is 1 PM on Saturday okay?”

There was no answer.

No need to disturb Emika while she’s lost in thought.

We parted that day without even saying goodbye.

* * *

Meanwhile, Emika stared at the spot where Namei had been for a long time.

‘How did she know?’

Somehow, Namei had guessed the secret origin of the Katsuhata family that was only passed down to official successors.

Their ancestor, Katsuhata Hideyo, was the most talentless student of the Tenshin Shoden Katori Shinto-ryu school.

He was expelled from the school after fighting with the family successor, and nothing was known of his whereabouts until he reached his forties.

One day, the man, harboring a 20-year grudge, formed a band of 100 thieves and killed the head of the school and all 15 council elders.

Then he somehow took control of the entire family.

Losing due to being outnumbered wasn’t a valid explanation.

The head and council members were known to be skilled enough to each fight 100 opponents.

It was said that Hideyo couldn’t even create a single sword technique that even elders could use.

The man who inherited the family decided to erase this history.

He claimed to be the hidden, ill-fated successor of Katori Shinto-ryu, founded the Katsuhata school, and gained public support by revealing aura techniques that had previously been passed down to only a select few.

Thus, Katsuhata now teaches swordsmanship for the untalented.

It gives meaning to the process of effort, even for those without the ability to handle aura.

One becomes stronger in proportion to the time spent training, so there are no insurmountable walls.

Rather, Emika, who didn’t improve despite training, was the unusual case.

“What should I do…”

The position of successor that requires talent, a martial art that requires lack of talent to excel.

Enduring the contradiction between these, Emika fell asleep.

* * *

“I’ve decided. I want to learn advanced—no, cutting-edge swordsmanship!”

After much deliberation, Emika expressed her consent.

I smiled pleasantly at my disciple’s resolution.

“I knew Emika would say that! Today I’ll teach you about the scientific manifestation of aura.”

“Scientific manifestation? External manifestation?”

“It’s a different concept from external manifestation. Typically, aura isn’t well-associated with scientific concepts because the more concrete the imagery, the less room there is to expand your will. When you think of the law of gravity, you think of an apple falling to the ground, not when and where the apple fell, right?”

“Really? That’s the first thing that comes to my mind.”

“That’s exactly why you’re suited for this. When you handle aura as a scientific system, it’s not much different from the grammar of magic. Now watch what I do.”

I infused aura into a children’s wooden sword.

“You can follow this far, right?”

“Yes…! But how did you create a sword aura!”

“If I can do external manifestation, don’t you think I can manage this little technique?”

“Oh, right.”

Emika quickly agreed and similarly wrapped her sword in aura.

“Here’s a bit of trivia—the mana-aura equivalence principle. It states that if the source of mana particles is unknown, you can’t distinguish whether probability-altering phenomena are caused by mana or aura.”

This means highly developed external manifestation is indistinguishable from magic.

“Now I’ll use some magic here.”

[Composition: Iron oxide-aluminum-magnesium]

[2nd Circle Cast: Thermite Reaction]

Whoosh-

White flames, hazy smoke, and thousands of sparks covered the entire wooden sword.

The 60cm wooden sword instantly transformed into a magnificent magical sword over 3m long.

“Wooow!”

“Don’t just stare at the fire, watch carefully. Now see what happens when I remove the magic circle.”

I canceled the magic circle I was casting.

But the wooden sword still maintained three times my height.

Instead, the flame’s color changed to golden, and the fierce blaze became more subdued.

“Phew. Did you see that? Right now, this magic is being maintained by my aura alone!”

“Yes, yes, I’m watching!”

Using something I don’t normally use makes efficiency poor.

My light sword quickly faded and returned to being a humble children’s wooden sword.

“I can only go this far because it doesn’t suit me, but Emika will probably be able to develop this further. When you become familiar with external manifestation, you’ll be able to use it without magic.”

“Wow… even more than now?”

“Isn’t it cool? Can’t you picture it? You lose your sword, but then—bam!—your hidden magic sword appears! A dramatic victory!”

“I can! This is amazing, Namei! So how do I do this?”

I was about to say she’d figure it out after being stabbed by the light sword enough times, but I held back.

This is 21st century Korea.

You can’t just stab people recklessly.

You can’t just turn people into kebabs.

To preserve the girl’s innocence, I smiled brightly and answered.

“We still have plenty of time. Let’s figure it out together, sis!”

“Yes! Namei, I’ve never felt so excited about learning before!”

I pretended not to hear.

If Emika abandons the curriculum halfway, I won’t get paid.

I should have asked for payment upfront.

* * *

Katsuhata Akitaro recently observed Emika’s complexion with satisfaction.

‘The wall that was holding Emika back is disappearing. Has she rediscovered the joy of swordsmanship?’

He contacted Emika’s birth parents to update them on her situation.

Although Emika was adopted as his daughter, this was merely to continue the Katsuhata name.

Her parents were good people who worried about their daughter daily, so Akitaro often contacted them like this.

“Yes, yes. Korean life seems to suit her. You can look forward to this year’s National Exchange Competition. Overworked? On the contrary, she’s so energetic she’s running around trying to learn more. Yes, I’ll contact you again soon.”

Emika is growing day by day.

‘The day she awakens to external manifestation doesn’t seem far off.’

Had he forgotten that premature hope invites disaster?

The girl who never complained despite grueling training came out of the training hall in tears.

“Waaaaaah! *sob*… *hic*… Master, I really… *sob*… I really can’t do this! Please send me back to Japan, I beg you!”

Two weeks into intensive training.

A crisis had come to Emika.