Ch.48Duel (1)
by fnovelpia
The word “liking” encompasses many things.
It could be the attraction between people who just met, or the bond between friends who have known each other for a long time. It could be love between family members, or the strong connection between a teacher and student.
Either way, it was an ambiguous expression.
[Rustila Kersil has taken a liking to you. She wishes to help you as much as you have helped her.]
According to the status window, Rustila has taken a liking to me. The question remains: what kind of liking is this?
I decided not to think too deeply about it. It’s not a problem I can solve. Human psychology is complex and subtle, not something to be carelessly judged or decided.
To the rambling Rustila, I said:
“Shall we go practice sparring?”
“Huh? Sparring?”
“Tomorrow’s class is combat training, right?”
“Ah, you mean prepare for class? Sure. If that’s what you want…”
Rustila’s face, which had been mumbling, turned as red as a ripe persimmon.
“I’ll check your form! Like last time!”
Oh. Well, I’m grateful for that. Private sword training from the future Sword Saint.
Actually, sparring with Rustila had been a daily routine only until I passed the entrance exam. After passing, I spent most of my time reading papers. I didn’t have much time to hone my swordsmanship.
But I felt I couldn’t put it off any longer.
If I remain physically weak, I won’t accomplish anything.
“Miss! Are you alright? Miss!”
“Young master, how could you leave me behind?”
The two androids approached with frowning expressions. Berdia plodding along, Sonia scurrying.
Sonia approached with quick steps, her long apron half-folded up, and for a moment I sensed a certain persistence in her manner.
“Sonia. I’m about to go practice sword fighting with Rustila.”
“Sword practice? I have no objections… but please allow me to watch in case of any emergencies.”
“I don’t mind.”
Sonia bowed her head slightly. It was a sign of agreement. She added that as long as she could keep me in her sight, she would be satisfied.
Berdia, on the other hand, was not so accommodating. As the guard assigned by Rustila’s parents, she was stricter than Sonia.
“No matter how much you call it sparring, what if the young lady gets hurt?”
Rustila glared at Berdia. Berdia flinched and hastily added:
“—is what your parents would worry about, Miss.”
“Forget about mother and father. I’m an adult now.”
“You still have about 2 years until you come of age…”
“I’m mature enough. I came to Stellarium, didn’t I? I can take responsibility for myself. Whether I get hurt or not, I’d appreciate if you didn’t interfere unless it’s life-threatening.”
Rustila spoke with intense fighting spirit. Under her gaze, heavy as if pressing down with bizarre rock formations, Berdia froze like plaster.
I could clearly feel that pressure too. A resolute attitude. The aura that Rustila, bearing the title of Sword Saint, would always emit.
That’s fascinating and amusing. That this tender-hearted girl would later become a cool, cold-hearted beauty of a commander.
In the novel, she died single, but if there’s a happy ending here… then she would probably start a family and live happily.
Considering the personality she’ll show then, her husband would likely be kept on a tight leash. I don’t know who she’ll bring home as a groom, but I think he’ll be both enviable and pitiful.
I shook my head casually as I walked away.
***
On the west side of Academia, there are numerous fields. They’re called “stadiums” in fancy terminology, and they double as training grounds for combat.
In an era where humanity’s living space has expanded to an entire galaxy. The dawn of a great civilization that has reached level 3 on the Kardashev scale. In such a world, human thinking has regressed beyond progress.
One such regression is the spirit of chivalry.
A swordsman was essentially a knight. They fulfilled the role of being loyal to superiors and protecting those below them.
Therefore, “swordsman” was a term that encompassed both regular army soldiers and private mercenaries. And these swordsmen literally use swords as their main weapons.
This is the regression.
No, should I call it regression?
To borrow a term from physics for a moment, Aether behaves similarly to the “strong force.”
So, what is the strong force?
It’s the strong nuclear force.
The force necessary when making atomic bombs or hydrogen bombs. A stubborn force that makes positively charged protons stick together as if glued—that’s what I mean.
The characteristic of the strong nuclear force is as follows: extremely powerful at close range.
The strong force only works at very short distances, and within that effective range, the force gets stronger as the distance increases.
Simply put, it’s like a rubber band. If you tie two particles with a rubber band and stretch it, a proportional force will act on the two particles, but if you separate them beyond a certain level, it will snap.
Aether is the same.
Aether is a magical-like force that mainly appears in living beings, and it has the physical property that its power drops dramatically the further it gets from its source.
That’s why guns can’t be used.
To catch monsters or incarnate bodies, you need to cauterize them with plasma containing Aether, but if you put Aether in a gun or beam, it quickly loses its power.
And having a person directly grab a beam and fly? That’s insane.
Because of this background, the soldiers of this era carry plasma swords instead of guns.
What naturally arises when holding a sword is the spirit of chivalry.
Unlike guns, swords fully reveal the capacity of the person wielding them. The same sword can have different power. The standard between the weak and the strong becomes clear, and this is true even at the learning stage.
Thwack-!
A clear, deep sound rang in my head.
Ah. I see stars.
Altair, Deneb, Vega. The Summer Triangle.
The stars corresponding to the famous three constellations seemed to expand and contract repeatedly. Then some became white dwarfs, and others transformed into quasars.
Pain followed around that time.
“Aaaaargh!”
It hurts. No joke, it hurts like hell. My trembling left hand was screaming at me to put down the sword.
“Eidel.”
“Urgh!”
“You need to become stronger.”
“Gugh!”
Rustila’s swift sword mercilessly penetrates my openings. There was no holding back. Her eyes were as serious as a knight in a life-or-death battle.
After being beaten like a dog, I was sprawled out on the grass field like a mess.
“Get up.”
Rustila said in a low voice.
She looked colder, more stern, and even scarier than ever before. She didn’t seem like the Rustila I knew.
What’s this? Has she awakened?
The awakening timing seems a bit early.
Anyway, the Rustila I knew from the novel had this precise, soldier-like personality. I got up with all my might, willingly.
“You need to be able to take care of yourself even when I’m not around. That way, whether you meet an incarnate body or a high-level monster… you can survive in any situation.”
“Rustila, you…?”
“I’m going to get stronger too.”
She put down her sword and approached me closely. A fresh floral scent mixed with sweat created a strange, murky fragrance.
Rustila stepped on my shadow in the blink of an eye and said:
“Show me your stance. I’ll teach you everything I can.”
Hearing that, I took a stance based on what I felt. For reference, I had never properly learned swordsmanship except what Rustila taught me.
In other words, it was an amateur teaching an amateur.
But that was fine. I could learn proper training in combat class from now on.
Also, I didn’t have the luxury of going out for PT outside school.
Rather than paying that much money to learn swordsmanship from a stranger, I’d rather pay for journal subscriptions. That was my determination.
“First of all, your hands are twisted strangely. You’re not following anything I told you last time. Such clumsiness is a beginner’s movement.”
While I was lost in thought, Rustila touched my wrist. Unlike moments ago when she was beating me like a dog on a hot summer day, her touch was extremely delicate.
As she was helping with my hands from behind me, Rustila’s face inevitably came closer. Seeing this, Berdia shouted:
“Hey! Get away from the young lady!”
“It’s fine, I said it’s fine! Berdia!”
Rustila immediately retorted. By now, she had started checking my center of gravity with the corner of her mouth raised.
Her hands started from the lower erector spinae and waist. Then she gently stroked and corrected my posture.
Like an excellent masseuse, Rustila’s hands, which were adjusting my lower body, lingered especially long on my thighs and calves.
This is twisted. Should we pull it forward a bit? No. You’ve gone too far. Now, back again…
Rustila, making all sorts of comments while playing with my legs like toys.
“Huu, huu.”
Her breathing sounds strange.
“Hey, are you okay?”
“Haa, ha… Huh? W-what?”
Rustila jumped up as if she had done something wrong. She even mispronounced in the process.
Her deep blue eyes were spinning around. Her entire face was flushed as if she had a fever, perhaps from the exercise. She didn’t look very well.
She blurted out:
“It’s nothing. I’m just checking your posture. Just posture. I’m definitely not having any strange thoughts…”
“Young lady-!!”
Berdia separated me and Rustila, fuming.
“The skinship is excessive!”
“D-don’t interfere with me…! I still need to check his torso!”
“What would your parents think if they knew you were having this much physical contact with a strange man? It’s indecent! Exaggerating a bit, it’s almost like losing your purity!”
“Again with mother and father? Please stop! I’m all grown up now! And Eidel is a friend. This much is normal between friends…!”
This is driving me crazy. I expected some flexibility since she’s a 5th generation android, but Berdia seems to be as conservative as Zermel.
While the two were bickering, Sonia approached and said:
“Such a fuss over merely touching arms and legs.”
“I know, right?”
“It’s not like you were intimately embracing at the torso level. This is common contact between close friends. That’s why I, Sonia, cannot understand.”
Thud. Sonia took another step closer. My gaze turned. I was reflected in her snow-white eyes.
“I’ve become curious. If you don’t mind, may I hold your arm once?”
“Do as you please.”
I willingly gave my arm to Sonia. She’s just an android, so she’ll probably fiddle with it a bit and stop. As a 5th generation, she has her own intelligence and curiosity, which is likely why she made such a request.
However, that expectation was slightly off. Sonia wrapped my arm with both her hands, then folded it inward.
She crossed her legs like hugging a long cushion and intertwined her arms. Then slowly, leisurely, she pressed against my right arm.
“Hmm, oh. Hmm.”
Sonia, who had been making incomprehensible exclamations, gently placed her head on my shoulder the next moment.
That sight felt so out of place that goosebumps rose on my forearm held by Sonia. I reflexively pulled out my right arm.
“W-what did you do?”
“…Nothing.”
Sonia adjusted her headband and added:
“I was merely experiencing what emotions humans feel at the level of skinship in a relationship that could be called friendship. It’s still difficult to understand.”
She’s a robot, but is this a new pattern? Indeed, the 5th generation androids aren’t called innovative for nothing.
I thought that if I could defeat all the foreign forces in the future, I’d like to major in computer science too. I’m not sure about a PhD, but at least a master’s degree.
However, I didn’t have the luxury to continue these idle thoughts right now.
A wild Zernya has appeared!
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