Lord of Disease (JP-GL) 86

86: Effort to Crush Effort

In one week, I would face ten Dark Knights in a mock battle with wooden swords.

If I fought a Dark Knight, even a low-ranking one, in a one-on-one, honorable duel with wooden swords, I would lose 100% of the time.

That was a simple fact.

Therefore, I needed a way to overturn that simple fact.

“Ouch…”

“Let me see, my master.”

And now, in the hotel courtyard, I was being beaten with a wooden sword by Harken.

I’d removed my amulet with the physical defense enchantment, so the blows landed with their full force.

According to Harken, “Feeling the blow, and the pain it inflicts, is also part of training.”

He had a point.

Samarkand rolled up the sleeve of my robe and inspected my arm, where I’d just been struck.

“It will bruise, but the bone is fine.”

“I see. So, we can continue?”

“Yes… but please don’t overdo it.”

“We’re trying to bend the rules to our will. We have to do everything we can.”

Effort was a noble thing.

But sometimes, effort wasn’t rewarded. If you were competing against someone more talented, that was the end of it. There were moments when effort was meaningless, when the efforts of the untalented were crushed.

That was why I was working so hard now.

For the moment when I would crush the efforts of the talented.

I shook my arm, and the sleeve of my robe fell back into place.

“My apologies, my master. It is for training.”

“It’s fine, Harken. Like you said, it’s just training.”

I raised my wooden sword, facing Harken, who was also holding a wooden sword.

“Come.”

“Thank you.”

“…So? Will that last-minute training be enough?”

“No.”

Rebecca and Liz watched the training from a distance, keeping an eye on the surroundings.

“Then what’s the plan?”

“As far as I can tell, that’s just for the finishing blow.”

“The finishing blow?”

“Master’s sword skills are no match for a Dark Knight.”

“Right.”

“So, we’ll make it so she can win, even with her current skills.”

“…Is that… honorable?”

“To Master, it probably is.” Liz sighed.

“I have to get back to work. Rebecca, I’m counting on you.”

“Alright. Leave it to me.”

“And please don’t spoil Master too much.”

“…Leave it to me.”

Even though I was in Litalside, I’d only done some sightseeing on the second day.

It couldn’t be helped, since I was on official business.

The highlight of my day was pampering Liz when she returned from work in the evening, seeing her reactions.

And today was the day before the joint training exercise.

The training was light, so as not to be exhausted for tomorrow. As a final touch, I was repeatedly blocking Harken’s sword, swung with ‘just enough speed and force that I could barely block it if I reacted correctly,’ while wearing my defensive amulet.

In between, he would show me ‘obvious openings,’ and I would practice striking at them.

It was a charade, but a very serious one. And in a way, that was the essence of training.

I swung my sword horizontally, aiming for Harken’s torso—or rather, his spine.

“You have endured this week of rigorous training well.”

Harken easily blocked my final blow with his wooden sword and declared the training over.

“Thank you, Harken.” I smiled, thanking the teacher who had been so patient with such a hopeless student for the past week.

“By the way, how strong am I, really?”

“About as strong as a new recruit after a week of training.”

Reality was harsh.

“You’ve come this far in a week. You have no special talent, but you have no bad habits either. If you train for another eighty years, you might even reach a level worthy of being called a master.”

“Harken, I’m human. That’s impossible.” In eighty years, I’d be an old woman… or, more likely, dead.

I’d heard that humans with high magical power had longer lifespans. But there was no magic to extend one’s lifespan in this world.

Those with high magical power, regardless of their faction, received preferential treatment as mages, so they likely led more comfortable lives. The long lifespan of modern Japanese people was also largely due to their living environment, rather than their race.

That said, it wasn’t unheard of for a human mage to live beyond a hundred years—whether they were still functional was another matter—so the average lifespan of a mage might be longer than on Earth.

“But my master, I’ve only been told of my role, and I’m still concerned. The Dark Knights are the elite of this nation. Considering your current skill level, to challenge them with a sword… is, to put it mildly, insane.”

“I agree with Harken-dono, my master. Even with wooden swords… there are no absolutes in this world. I am concerned for your safety.”

“Harken, Samarkand, I might lose. As you said, there are no absolutes in this world.” I stated the obvious.

“But let me declare this. It is because you think it’s insane that I will win.”

“…Hmm?”

“You should understand, if you consider your roles. I will fight with a sword, but that’s not the main issue.”

This time, I would fight alone.

But until then, I was not alone. Harken and Samarkand were directly assisting me, as were Liz and Rebecca.

Liz, in particular, was working behind the scenes to ensure my plan didn’t leak. And with Rebecca, magical surveillance would be impossible.

It was a bit much, to be so cautious against our own allies, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

—There were no absolutes in this world.

And yet, I made my declaration.

“I will win. That’s why I’ve come this far.”