Episode 21 – The Sword and You (3)

The Sword and You (3)

Still.

I remain in the swordsmanship training room.

The class ended a while ago, but I had a bit of work left.

“……”

Six straw dummies were placed in the training room. In the middle of them, I closed my eyes, gripping my sword.

Now, I attempt to feel the old world.

I try to find the memories before my regression.

The memory of a certain swordsmanship I saw in the future that no longer exists.

The memory of a woman who held vast talent.

A story that exists only for me.

Although it’s a memory that has already faded into oblivion, the “Notepad” that has accompanied my life and experienced my entirety will surely, vividly remember it……

……the sword that severs. A severing sword.

A faint voice permeates my ear.

When was this?

Above my dark eyelids, a memory before regression surfaces.

……Rise, Shion.

The hand offered to me, who’s terribly battered and full of wounds. The gentle smile on her lips.

No.

I rewound the 「Memory」 a little more.

The hand extended to me is withdrawn, Soliette’s voice is rewound, and the view expands again.

Numerous corpses lie scattered on the construction site’s ground.

In the midst of them, Soliette sheaths her sword, takes a few steps back, and then the bodies revive, standing once more.

Then, I played the 「Memory」.

……Stop.

Soliette, calmly stepping in between the killers trying to kill me.

……Retreat now, and I won’t take your lives.

The soon-to-be corpses grit their teeth and glare at her. They don’t seem to have any intention of backing off. Their determination is commendable.

……Yes. It’s your damn stubbornness that brought this on. Don’t blame me. Fucking bastards.

Soliette grips the sword at her waist. They charge at her then.

They’re too late.

One— two— three— four—

The circular slash flashed precisely four times. Immediately after, they were brutally scattered on the sandy ground of the construction site.

……the sword that severs. A severing sword. The severed sword.

Saying so, she again extends her hand to me, who’s terribly battered and full of wounds.

……Rise, Shion.

The gentle smile on her lips.

……Shion Ascal.

I opened my eyes.

My head was throbbing. It felt like a cricket was living in my temple.

“The memory…… is clear.”

The memory before regression was vividly engraved.

Indeed, the ‘Notepad’ knows all my memories. Were you secretly sneaking peeks, pretending to be a useless notepad? You bastard.

“Let’s see.”

I loosened up my body.

Now I intend ‘Manifest’ the memory I just had.

Of course, I won’t be able to replicate her sword exactly. I lack the magic, the intelligence, the experience, and the physical strength.

Therefore, what I’m trying to challenge now is just a single horizontal slash.

A necessary start before any swordsman enters battle. But it was special as Soliette’s ‘severing sword’.

With a clink-

I moved the scabbard to my back, gripped the handle with one hand, and swung lightly as I drew the sword……

Unsheathing

——Whooosh!

A shockwave occurred. A gust of wind cut through the space. The curve spewed from the sword struck all around. The straw dummies in the training room were evenly cut, and they lay on the ground like wilted grass.

As if a lawnmower had swept through, everything was settled in an instant.

It was a scene that seemed utterly surreal to me.

“What the…”

I stared blankly at my arm. My veins and muscles were swollen as if they were about to burst. I could feel every joint in my fingers. My whole body felt heavy and numb.

I had exhausted too much magic power with just one swing, but thanks to the adrenaline coursing through my body, I didn’t feel any pain.

“…”

I swallowed and sat down on a chair.

I looked at the tablet on my desk.

I rewound the footage to one minute ago.

[———Whooosh!]

“…Is this for real?”

Indeed, it was the sword I had swung.

In a somewhat dazed state, I checked the ‘Notepad’.

[95 / 100]

Capacity history within the last 24 hours: +4

Just one swing of the sword had consumed four units of capacity.

* * *

Friday morning.

I mindlessly changed my clothes and staggered to Clemen Hall.

-Hey, party after class today?

-Oh, sounds good. Let’s have champagne and all.

-Exactly. We can’t do it after the first week. Let’s go today.

From the back of the hall, the laughter of the wealthy, including Kain and Asher, was irritating.

What do these greenhorns know about champagne?

“Must be nice.”

I sat down in the available seat.

“Hey? Guys, the results from yesterday are out. Check the College Board app.”

A kind male student announced the release of the grades. At that moment, everyone picked up their smartphones.

Except me.

“…College Board app?”

What’s that? Do I need to download it?

Just as I typed ‘College Bo-‘ into the App Store.

“What the fu—X!”

Almost like a scream, closer to a fit, resounded. Clemen Hall shook.

I glanced over.

“Ah—no, fu—8! Why did I get a zero—!!”

A bear-like figure was throwing a fit as if he had been tazed.

I smirked satisfactorily.

Well, it seemed like my sniping was successful.

It’s a shame that he wasn’t my primary target, but his reaction was entertaining enough.

“Wow, I’m going crazy—!”

I watched with interest, as if watching a movie.

“Which son of a bitch stole it? No, this is fu—ing unbelievable….”

At that moment, he turned around abruptly. Our eyes met.

I raised an eyebrow and said nonchalantly.

“It wasn’t me.”

“…Who said it was you, dumbass? You don’t even know what a magic formula is, you gold medalist. Ah, fu—k, who the hell is it!”

Kain stomped around like a raging gorilla. I barely held back my laughter and finished installing the College Board app.

[Please scan your mana code on your student ID.]

Mana code?

It turned out to be the ‘Senior’ stamp engraved on my student ID.

I scanned it with my smartphone camera.

[Shion Ascal: CP Completion List]

1. Prism Disassembly: 1CP
2. Paper Bird Observation: 0CP, 3.5 CP

“?”

“Ah, fu—k! Fu—k! Fu—u—u—u—ck!”

Kain was still causing a scene, but something was strange.

Why do I have 3.5 points?

Wasn’t the maximum score for the second period 3 points?

“Ah, right, fuck. Some bastard must have copied mine and submitted it. Did I get zero because we tied? Really, fuck, who the hell-”

But now, his raging antics were starting to get on my nerves. The big guy kept moving around, making a racket.

Fiddling with my phone and muttered,

“Seems like the gorilla has a rag in its mouth.”

“…Fuck! What did you just say?”

Wow, he has sharp ears.

I looked at Kain. His face was practically a volcano. He was grinding his teeth as he glared at me.

“What did you just say? Fucking, Shion.”

I nodded my head and gladly responded,

“Do you have a rag in your mouth?”

“…”

Then, Clemen Hall fell silent. Everyone looked at me with shocked faces, and the guys around me quickly moved away.

“You fucking bastard—”

“Shh.”

Just before he exploded, Elise came over. She stopped Kain who was about to charge at me.

“Let me see.”

“…No, but that’s…”

She snatched Kain’s smartphone. She frowned slightly as she looked at the screen.

“File a complaint with the person in charge later. Don’t make such a fuss. It’s your loss.”

“…”

Kain finally shut his mouth. Like a dog that had met its master, he stopped all his actions.

Sit! He would sit if told.

The door opened just then.

It was Chedric, right on the dot at 9 o’clock.

“…Hmm.”

He looked around at Kain, whose face was now tomato-red, and the somewhat flustered seniors, and said in a dry tone,

“Sit down.”

“…”

Kain sat down without a word.

“We will start the last college board of the first week right away. Stand up.”

But he told us to stand up as soon as we sat down.

“Follow me.”

Chedric walked out. There were no further explanation. The seniors also got up, grabbing their bags.

Chedric walked down the corridor. 127 people followed him. We all exited Clemen Hall. It felt like we were on a field trip as we walked through the schoolyard.

We passed through the inner park of Endex and reached the main gate.

Where are we going?

“Don’t fall behind.”

As soon as we exited the main gate, Chedric suddenly started running. The students, who had been standing dumbfounded, hurriedly chased after him.

“I’m pissed off, what the hell is this again.”

“Ah, I shouldn’t have put on makeup…….”

Kain’s swearing and Layla’s grumbling. Elise ran without a word, and Asher ran rhythmically with some earphones on.

“Huff, huff…….”

Of course, I was running too.

My condition was obviously not good.

Because of the aftereffects of reproducing just one stroke of the ‘Severing Sword’ last night.

“Huff, huff, huff…”

After just 10 minutes, my body was faltering. My breathing became ragged, and thump—!

A stone-like pressence ram into me from behind. It was Kain.

“See you later. You’re falling behind today.”

He twisted his lips into a smirk and took the lead. Countless other students also passed me.

I let them go. Instead, I carefully observed the running postures of Chedric and Gerkhen, who were in the lead.

It’s not just a simple act; ‘running’ is a technique too.

The movement of stretching the legs. The foot touching the ground and then kicking off again. The angle at which the knee bends. The arms swinging rhythmically, the core of the abdomen that doesn’t shake in contrast, the breathing that maintains a constant rhythm.

I saw all of that and followed it with ‘Look-See-Do’….

“…Kheuuh.”

But my chest was pounding as if it was about to explode. I could taste blood in my mouth. My whole body was shaking like a quaking tree.

I was already out of stamina.

“Kheuk, kheuk, kheuk, kheuk.”

The students who were still fine glanced at me, chuckled, and passed by.

In the end, I bent over, resting my hands on my knees.

“Haa, haa….”

I can’t keep up with this.

That’s what I was thinking when.

“…?”

Something strange happened.

I rested for exactly one minute, and suddenly my body felt better.

My heart, which was about to explode, calmed down, and my calves and thighs, which had been tightly pulled, quickly recovered.

It was quite a surprising recovery.

Why is this happening?

I wiped the sweat off my forehead and straightened up. I ran again, albeit awkwardly.

“…Kheuu, kheuuhhh.”

But again, after just 5 minutes, my whole body’s breathing was ruined.

“Heu….”

I ran until I was 3 seconds from death, then stopped. Then I rested again for exactly one minute.

I didn’t need more than that.

“Hoo.”

I wiped the sweat off my forehead and straightened up.

I didn’t understand the principle, but after resting for just 60 seconds, I felt as refreshed as if I was born anew.

“What’s this?”

Of course, my stamina is still like that of a cancer patient. Naturally, because I am a cancer patient.

But it seems like the ‘efficiency’ of my recovery has skyrocketed….

Could this be the effect of ‘Embodiment’?

“Well, it’s good for me.”

Anyway, I resumed running. I stepped forward, looking beyond the horizon.

The sky was clear. The clouds looked like an artist’s sculpture. The shining sun felt pleasant.

After another 5 minutes, all of that became utterly detestable.