Clang!
With a clear crack of metal, Arthur was knocked backward.
Zzzing. He couldn't hide the pain on his face. His wrist must have been throbbing badly.
“Gah.”
It was the result of gripping the hilt as tightly as he could so he wouldn't drop the sword. The blade, worthy of a Grand Swordmaster, was undamaged. But that small body had been forced to absorb the full impact.
‘Even after taking a blow wrapped in sword energy, he managed to block it without letting go, despite how much I held back.’
He truly is a monster.
“You're a monster.”
“What? Ha-ha.”
The duke laughed when Arthur asked him what he meant.
“To be completely honest, I had some confidence. But I still have a long way to go. The path to becoming a Swordmaster, that is. I'll keep working at it.”
That wasn't something a fourteen-year-old should be saying. Even if he was only just past the age when saying he wanted something amounted to throwing a tantrum. Yet he seemed to accept defeat as nothing more than defeat. There was no anger or venom in his eyes. He simply swung his sword.
—Young Master William! Have you been training again without sleeping? You're exempt from training until your body returns to normal!
The duke let a scene that had flashed through his mind drift away.
“...You're better than I was at your age. Whenever I lost to my master, I trained in a fury.”
“Then I wouldn't like it. It would interfere with training the next day.”
“Yes, yes. Aren't you impressive?”
“Pardon?”
“I mean you're not far off. At your current level, you won't often lose to your peers. No—you won't lose to them at all. You have my word.”
Arthur paused for a moment, thinking, then continued with his question.
“Then how much would I have to train to avoid losing to you, Duke?”
“No matter what I tell you, you'll get there faster than that. Why? Are you in a hurry?”
“No. I only wanted to compare my training against a standard and correct it if I was doing something wrong.”
Huh. A hero like this, despite there being no war. Extraordinary. In all my years, I've never seen anyone fail for lack of talent. With effort grounded in principle and enough persistence, anyone can reach the level suited to their own vessel. Which meant the important thing was mental strength. It was something my master had repeated to me constantly.
‘So it was a lie.’
Those words hadn't included you or your bloodline after all. Looking at Arthur standing before me, I understood. That mental strength itself was the talent of the Graham bloodline.
“Let's head back now. The entrance exam is tomorrow. Go home, eat dinner, and get plenty of sleep.”
At that moment, Arthur grabbed the duke's clothes. Then he hesitated before speaking.
“I have something to say.”
Ah. I know what this is. Is he still just a child after all? He looked rather adorable.
“Do you want an entrance gift after all?”
But Arthur shook his head and spoke with a solemn look in his eyes.
“...You said light isn't something you produce, but something that shines. A pair of shoes kept perfectly polished is inferior to a pair that moves without even having time to be polished.”
“...Huh.”
The duke looked up at the sky for a moment and sighed. He'd been hit with a good one. What was with this insufferable little old man? The shock was much like walking into a room with a woman in a dazzling, bright-yellow dress whom he'd met at a ball, only to discover Leonhardt's muscles underneath it. I take back calling him adorable.
“Fine. I'll find you armor with simpler decorations. Leave the fine sword hanging in your room before you go.”
Arthur bowed his head deeply.
“Thank you.”
“My one and only son has no cute side to him at all.”
“I passed the age when I needed to be cute to survive a long time ago.”
“Fourteen is still plenty young.”
“That—well, that's not what I meant, but understood. If you wish, I suppose I could practice being cute from time to time...”
“No. I'm afraid you might even have a talent for that.”
“Leonhardt stopped by a little while ago.”
“I should have greeted him. I didn't know.”
“No need. We caught up on everything we'd missed, and he left satisfied. However...”
The duke let his voice trail off, paused, cleared his throat a few times, and finally spoke.
However? I tilted my head and listened closely for what came next.
“Well, you see. Leonhardt asked why I'd left him out of the running entirely.”
“Ah. Are you referring to that day six years ago?”
“Yes, that. Why me, of all people? Out of the three of us.”
The duke kept glancing at me, pretending not to care. Why? The answer had already been decided.
‘Because Leonhardt, the Lion Knight Commander, was...’
But the duke's demeanor suggested he was hoping for a particular answer, so I swallowed the rest.
“Because you looked the strongest, Duke.”
That should do.
“Ahem. I see. Ahem! Leonhardt was awfully curious, you see. I should go tell him as soon as possible! It's late. Hurry up, wash, and get some rest.”
I could see the duke struggling to hold back a smile. He walked away with an undignified, swinging stride. He definitely hadn't been this kind of character before. I wondered if regression had somehow changed him into a different person, but that didn't seem to be the case. Even when I'd first come to the ducal residence, his attitude had been markedly different from what it was now.
“The duke seems to be in a good mood.”
“Oh, Butler.”
“How many times must I tell you that you may speak casually to me? Ha-ha.”
“How could I? You are the duke's representative, after all, and an elder.”
The butler smiled warmly, clearly pleased.
“Ever since you entered the ducal household, its atmosphere has changed considerably. The servants aren't as afraid of the duke as they used to be, and he has genuinely become much gentler. We have you to thank for that.”
Not knowing how to respond, I simply answered with a smile.
“The bathwater is ready.”
A maid approached and took my clothes.
“Your name is Lucy, right? You always work so hard.”
“Thank you.”
Lucy smiled brightly and withdrew.
Splash.
I wet my hands in the hot water and pushed back my bangs. My body reflected in the mirror was completely different from the one I had in my previous life. I couldn't agree with the duke that my body was complete, but it was stable and well balanced. What I liked most, though, was how my appearance had changed. I'd never been called ugly in my previous life, but I looked subtly different now. More masculine, perhaps. Either way, a muscular body wasn't unpleasant to look at.
—Brute strength alone isn't the answer. —A balanced body is like wielding another fine sword. —Swordsmanship isn't performed with the sword. It's performed with the body. That's why posture matters, and good posture begins with a well-built body. —Training the lower body is especially important. The number of days you skip because it's hard will equal the number of swords you won't be able to stop in the future.
That was the result of hearing those lectures until they were etched into my ears. Training my body had been twice as painful as practicing magic, since it required overcoming instinct and temptation as well. But it hadn't been harder than that.
“Haaah.”
As I surrendered myself to the hot water, it felt as if the day's entire labor were melting away. I rested my neck against the edge of the tub and quietly enjoyed the warmth.
“Tomorrow, at last.”
My heart was pounding. The academy in my previous life had been the worst, so I never thought I'd miss it again. Yet the thought of returning still filled me with a certain excitement. I'd only ever seen the students of the swordsmanship department coming and going, so I didn't know exactly what they studied or how they trained. The duke had said I wouldn't have any trouble as long as I did what I'd been doing, but I'd have to see for myself to know for sure.
Slosh.
When I clenched my fist hard, the water rippled over the edge.
“This time will be different.”
I would save those who had died, and kill those who needed to die. Of course, even with regression, perfection would be impossible. But whatever was within my reach, whatever responsibility I took on, I would see it through. And at the end of the path I carved with my sword, the Demon King's head would be waiting.</p>