Chapter 176: The Last Possessed (1)

“Ian, are you really alright now? You’re not hurting anywhere—”

Everyone had been strangely kind to me since I woke up. At first, I thought it was because I’d suffered a lot from the medicine’s side effects while sleeping, but that wasn’t it.

Jessica told me that while I was asleep, my body had been repeatedly torn apart and regenerated back to normal.

Initially, I thought it was nonsense, but then I remembered what I’d gone through while sleeping and realized why things had turned out this way.

‘…Did that crazy bastard recreate my injuries in reality?’

The Swordmaster often called me crazy, but seeing this, it was clear who the real madman was.

“I’m fine now. And it wasn’t because of that medicine, so don’t worry too much about it.”

Hori, who usually grinned no matter how much blood I coughed up, was unusually fidgety and kept her head down.

Normally, she would’ve pestered me about the medicine’s effects or side effects, but she remained subdued.

“Hey, I’m telling you it really wasn’t because of the medicine.”

“But still…”

“I’m not just saying empty words, it really wasn’t. More importantly, don’t you want to know how amazing the medicine’s effects are?”

“…I do want to know.”

Though it might not be noticeable on the outside, my body had changed to the level of a different person compared to before I lost consciousness.

This sensation of overflowing strength throughout my body almost made me feel like I was borrowing someone else’s body.

If I had gone to that world where I faced my doppelganger with this body, I probably could have won easily even without encountering my inner Baldo and awakening new power.

It’s pathetic to say, but honestly, I felt like I might accidentally kill someone if I didn’t control my strength.

Nana, who had reached the realm of Swordmaster, seemed to have some idea of this fact, as her attitude towards me was much more cautious than the others’.

“Let’s go outside for a bit to test my skills.”

“W-wait… If you’re going to do that, it’s better to tell Headmaster Marina and prepare a separate location.”

As I was about to go outside to show Hori the medicine’s performance, Nana, who had been quietly listening, stepped in to stop me.

“It’s your first time using this power, so it’d be safer to prepare a separate location. Besides, those who attacked Julia might be watching.”

“…You’re right.”

Even though I felt like I wouldn’t lose to anyone now, it didn’t hurt to be careful.

Eager to test this power immediately, I rushed to the headmaster’s office where Marina was, without even showering or changing clothes despite having been bedridden for weeks.

“I-Ian?”

Marina, who was almost buried in an enormous amount of ancient books, was startled when she saw me but quickly regained her composure and asked,

“…I was worried when that strange phenomenon occurred, but you seem to be fine now.”

“Yes, I heard something like that happened while I was asleep, but I’m fine now. By the way, may I ask for a favor?”

When I asked for a place to test my power, Marina readily offered the training ground we had used the day before.

This training ground wouldn’t collapse if I controlled my power, and more importantly, it would prevent enemy spying.

Perhaps because the weather had turned chilly, the underground training ground wasn’t as cold as when we last used it for training. Before placing my hand on Jinta’s hilt, I shouted to Jessica and the others,

“Stay further back. I plan to control it properly, but honestly, I’m not too confident.”

The distance between us was already considerable, but I couldn’t help being extra cautious as I couldn’t easily gauge how much stronger I’d become.

After Jessica and the others moved even further away, I finally placed my hand on Jinta’s hilt and focused on my target in the empty space.

Perhaps because my hand was on Jinta’s hilt, the scene I saw just before leaving that world kept flashing in my mind, making it hard to concentrate.

That beautiful distortion of space and time, that technique interfering with space – it wasn’t complete with just that.

Completion meant not distortion, but cutting. However, at that time, my body and technique were immature, so it didn’t work as intended and stopped at distortion.

‘Can I do it again if I try?’

With this question in my heart, I focused all my nerves and drew Jinta towards the empty space.

-□□□….

After drawing the sword, what I heard wasn’t the familiar sound of air tearing or the friction between the sword and its scabbard.

It was a refreshing and beautiful resonance that I had never heard before in my life, yet somehow felt like I had been waiting for it all along.

Along with that beautiful resonance, a small line appeared and disappeared in the empty space, and Jessica and the others, who had been far away, were suddenly pulled forward by an unidentified wind.

“Ugh…!! W-what happened? How is there suddenly wind in an enclosed space…?”

While everyone was looking around in confusion, I alone knew what that phenomenon was and what it meant.

‘…I cut space.’

Today, I had cut something that most swordsmen couldn’t even imagine cutting.

And what it meant was that the technique I had only admired could finally be reproduced in reality.

“I want to be alone, so everyone leave.”

From today until the day I perfect that technique, I’m going into secluded training.

——

I suddenly looked up at the sky and saw clouds, torn by the cold wind, drifting leisurely.

I wanted to dedicate myself to training as freely as those clouds, but Jessica forcibly dragged me out, asking if I was going to stay cooped up in the training ground until New Year’s Day.

In fact, I had already completed the technique itself, but I hadn’t met an opponent to test it on yet, so I wasn’t entirely confident.

Time had passed while I was holed up in the training ground, and during my intense training, a new letter arrived from Elaine.

The letter was concise, containing a single message that didn’t particularly shock or impress me, as I had already anticipated it.

[Defeat. Returning to the academy with Father soon.]

This defeat was almost inevitable. Although Elaine is strong, her power is still like an undeveloped bud in the process of growth.

It would be stranger for such an Elaine to win against the current Sword Saint, who has reached a realm almost complete as a swordsman.

“If this arrived a few days ago, they should be near the academy by now…”

“Yes, they’re in the area. But they won’t be coming right away. I’ve sent Ganryu to keep them occupied so they can’t interfere.”

The one who answered my inadvertent musing was a man in his late 40s to early 50s.

This man, who looked like he’d have a full head of gray hair in a few years, sat down next to me without permission.

“You know this is private property, right?”

“I just confessed to spying on the Sword Saint, and that’s your first question? By the way, I’ve been thinking this for a while, but don’t you think the security at this academy is too lax?”

“Well… There’s a reason for that. They say the higher-ups won’t give us the budget.”

I knew this man.

Though this was our first face-to-face meeting, I could naturally tell who he was from the strength I sensed from him and his words.

“I thought you’d have a greatsword on your back, but I didn’t expect you to come empty-handed.”

“I’m not here to fight. If I brought a sword, I might be tempted to start something right here.”

“Hmm… That makes sense.”

I wouldn’t have been able to respond so calmly if he had come armed. Being unarmed was the only reason I could stay calm.

“It’s my first time having such a calm conversation with another possessed person. It feels strange.”

“Most of the time when we clash, it’s kill or be killed, so this is my first time having a calm conversation too.”

We, the only ones in this world who shared the knowledge of Earth, sat on the bench in silence for a long time.

A considerable amount of time passed without a word between us, but strangely, it felt like we understood each other without speaking.

“…You’ve had a few weeks, so I guess you’re used to that body now?”

“Yeah. Actually, I’ve been adapted for a while now.”

“Good. Then when do you want to fight? I could bring my greatsword right now if you want to do it today.”

“Not right now, let’s do it tomorrow. I have some things to prepare too.”

“Alright. Then I’ll send a letter to your room tonight with the location for our duel. Make up some excuse and come out.”

With the matter settled, the possessed greatsword user stood up from the bench as if there was nothing more to say.

There was no need for further conversation between two people who would be fighting to the death tomorrow.

‘…I guess I should start preparing too.’

The fight between possessed individuals that has continued for hundreds of years will finally be settled tomorrow.

—