Episode 39: Seeker vs Top Student

Let me preface this by saying I’m neither a sword master nor a sage or anything like that.

I think a person’s character is well reflected in their sword strokes.

I’ve crossed swords with a fair number of swordsmen up until now, but each one differs quite a bit in things like their habits and judgments on when to press or pull back that come from their personality.

This is true even with the same school or style—for example, even with standard knight swordsmanship, each user’s individuality is reflected.

By that way of thinking, Razer’s sword strokes could be said to be quite distinctive.

“GRAAAAAAH!!”

Letting out a beast-like roar, Razer continues to swing his sword relentlessly.

What’s rather nasty is that it’s not just a straightforward, reckless assault.

Each strike is the kind that reliably chips away at the opponent—opposite to the one-hit-kill type of knight swordsmanship, it’s a fighting style that steadily wears you down.

He probably hasn’t received instruction in knight swordsmanship, and he did say something about having been a Seeker… so perhaps his way of using a “sword” is fundamentally different from mine.

“Quite the momentum. Don’t complain to me if you run out of breath, okay?”

“Ha, my training’s on a different level. I’ll knock you down before that happens”

“That’s quite ambitious”

He doesn’t rise to cheap provocations.

Well, if he got rattled by something like this, he wouldn’t have been able to enroll in this academy.

“What about you—aren’t you gonna use your specialty magic? You seem pretty relaxed, but aren’t you panicking inside?”

Razer put on an obviously smarmy grin.

Well, it’s not like I can’t use it though.

“…There are spectators all around us. It would be dangerous to bring out flames, wouldn’t it?”

When I returned his distasteful smile with a bright one, Razer’s eyes sharpened with displeasure.

“You’re mocking me. You think you can win even with magic restricted? For a duel, you sure are relaxed, aren’t you?!”

Razer swung his sword and deflected my attack with great force.

Sensing a follow-up attack, I took a backstep to create distance and captured Razer’s full body in my vision.

…This guy’s brute strength is incredible.

Considering the explosive power with which he swings his sword, facing him for a long time might be pretty tough.

But fortunately, he’s getting worn down too.

I’ve been peppering him with slashing attacks bit by bit.

It’s that whole “little by little” thing.

“Well, I suppose I might not have that much leisure. Either of us”

“Don’t lump me in with you, you idiot—it’s only you, you bastard”

Razer’s eyes glittered belligerently.

He was giving off an atmosphere like he’d pounce at any moment, but the fact that he was properly maintaining his stance showed he was steadily gauging the distance.

Was he ferocious or calm, stupid or clever.

I couldn’t quite figure it out.

“Is that so… Then I suppose I’ll try a bit harder”

I took a short breath and readied my sword once more.

“…”

We both watched each other’s moves as a silent moment passed.

The murmuring of the spectators grew quieter as if responding to our stillness.

When people who’ve held swords for a while go at it seriously, they often fall into this kind of standstill.

No, we weren’t actually standing still.

We were gauging distances of mere millimeters, truly minute measurements.

A battle between skilled fighters isn’t a war of attrition.

It’s decided by a single swing, a single strike.

I’m not being conceited thinking I’m some expert, but at least Razer has a fair amount of power.

If I were suddenly told to have a quick-draw match with him on first sight, even I wouldn’t know how the match would go.

…Well, that’s on the premise of suddenly on first sight.

“…”

The presence of the spectators disappeared.

If you asked whether they’d left, that wasn’t it.

It had thinned—relatively, their presence had.

Razer exuded an aura as if a demon god had possessed him.

His glittering eyes settled for just an instant.

At the same time, he took a killing stance.

“!”

He kicked off the ground.

The impact pierced through the air.

A dull-colored sword flash approached me, a vertical slash that seemed intent on splitting my head.

Or perhaps a horizontal sweep after moving to my blind spot.

Or perhaps a strike unleashed from a beast-like posture.

The next development would be something like this.

As if following that scenario, he rapidly closed in like lightning.

I slightly loosened my grip on the hilt and lowered my hips just a bit.

Razer reacted sharply.

Perhaps because he came up as a Seeker.

Razer was skilled at observing and acting on impulse, and that had become something of a habit.

Even in that earlier series of exchanges, he’d been delivering irregular slashes after watching my movements.

That’s why I got the impression he was more troublesome than knights with set movements, but that could also become a weakness at times.

I changed my sword grip slightly.

“…?!”

Razer must have noticed.

Impressive observational skills, I’d say.

But whether his body could react to that was a different matter.

“—Fuh”

I took a short breath.

I swung my sword.

A sharp CLANG rang out as sword met sword and sparks scattered.

In that instant, I added a discrepancy to the force adjustment.

This threw off Razer’s momentum, and his posture crumbled just slightly.

An unguarded state was exposed.

I reversed my swung sword.

A top-speed slash utilizing my entire body.

It was sucked in toward Razer’s neck without any obstruction.

***

“That’s enough!!”

Kiril-sensei’s voice thundered through the area.

I stopped my swung sword just before it could slice through Razer’s neck.

Even so, from the slight recoil, a red line trickled down from his neck.

“Winner, Arcs!”

The match was decided.

The spectators raised voices of admiration like “Ohhh!” and “Amazing!”

“Tch, I’m not done yet…”

Razer immediately tried to voice his protest, but—

“I won’t recognize any objections! If that had continued, you would have died! The dead don’t speak!”

At Kiril-sensei’s blunt words, Razer pressed his lips together tightly.

He put his hand to his neck and confirmed his palm, now completely stained red.

Seeing this, he couldn’t say he hadn’t lost.

“…Damn it. It’s my loss”

While spitting out those words, Razer extended his hand toward me.

“…? A-ah”

A handshake—this was a handshake, right.

I was momentarily confused by the unexpected action, but since it was offered, I grasped it in return.

“Tch”

While clicking his tongue in frustration, he gripped my hand powerfully for just an instant, then quickly released it.

And just like that, he unceremoniously plunged into the crowd of spectators and strode away rudely.

…While plagued by the tingling pain in both my wrists, I stood there dazed, watching his back as he left.