Chapter 29 of 30

Chapter 29

The Reborn Swordmaster
Chapter 29
Several more weeks passed after Aries began training with the Soul Shackles.
The season had gradually reached the point where the blazing heat of summer was finally beginning to fade.
Beneath the vast, cloudless sky, Aries stood before Riyan with the mask covering his face.
Holding a wooden sword, Riyan lightly tapped Aries on the shoulder a few times before retreating about ten paces.
It was the signal to begin.
Tap!
Aries immediately kicked off the ground.
His training sword swept forward in a smooth, flowing motion.
Riyan lightly deflected the attack and prepared to counter.
But Aries had already moved to the right and was thrusting his sword forward again.
Riyan deflected the blade once more.
Using the force of the deflection, Aries lowered his body, spun around, and moved behind him.
His next sword strike came from the rear.
Clack!
Riyan instinctively twisted his waist to avoid it.
He used the momentum of that movement to launch a spinning kick.
"Guhhh...!"
The blow struck Aries in the chest and sent him tumbling backward.
Aries irritably tore off his mask.
"How is dodging fair? I can only rely on my sense of touch!"
"Getting hit hurts."
"..."
Aries stared at Riyan with his mouth wide open.
Then he collapsed onto the ground and lay there, gasping for breath.
Riyan approached him and picked up the mask he'd thrown aside.
He briefly put it on himself.
An unusual sensation immediately spread through his body.
It was the movement of Mana.
Thin, threadlike streams of energy flowed from the mask and penetrated his body.
They swam through every part of him, gradually taking control.
Then absolute darkness descended.
He could no longer see or hear anything.
Even the sense of smell disappeared.
It felt as though he'd been completely cut off from the world.
There's nothing wrong with the mask.
Riyan removed it and smiled faintly.
The training had been successful.
It seemed Aries had finally begun breaking out of his shell.
"Not bad."
Hearing those words, Aries abruptly sat up.
His face lit up with delight.
"Did I pass?"
"It's too early to say you've mastered it, but I think you've at least learned to walk."
"...Learned to walk?"
Aries's eyebrows twisted.
Learned to walk?
He'd spent nearly two months getting worked to the point of insanity, and he'd only just learned to walk?
All he'd been practicing was rushing forward, slashing, and moving.
That was all...
A stream of curses rose to the tip of Aries's tongue.
But he eventually regained his composure and swallowed them.
...No. It isn't something so simple.
Even the most accomplished liar couldn't lie to himself.
Through his training with Riyan, Aries had come to realize that there was a subtle but unmistakable difference hidden within those simple movements.
His previous movements had clearly been burdened by unnecessary thoughts and concerns.
Some unconscious pressure had been slowing him down and causing him to hold back when striking.
But now that he'd begun freeing himself from those limitations, his simple attacks had become astonishingly fast and decisive.
Having finally caught a faint glimpse of that underlying principle, Aries felt his heart begin to pound.
Tap, tap.
Riyan nudged Aries's foot as the young man sat there, lost in thought, and gestured toward him.
"Looks like you've made a breakthrough."
"...Yes. Definitely."
"Good. Then your next task is to practice until that understanding becomes second nature. Don't let go of the thread you've finally managed to grasp."
"Excellent. Pick up your sword. I'm perfectly capable of continuing."
Aries sprang energetically to his feet.
But Riyan snorted at his enthusiasm.
"Now that you've grasped the principle, the next stage is something you'll have to work on yourself."
"What? Aren't you supposed to teach me?"
"All that's left is repetition until you've mastered it. There's no reason for me to stand around watching you perform such tedious exercises."
Aries's eyes drooped in disappointment.
Seeing his expression, Riyan sighed and shook his head.
"Didn't you just say you've finally understood something? I've only opened a channel for the water to flow through. Even when water begins flowing through the same channel, the directions it eventually takes will depend on the soil and terrain it passes through. If you force it into a rigid structure and try to make it follow a predetermined course, problems are bound to arise."
"..."
"Don't worry too much. I'll check on you occasionally to make sure you're developing in the right direction."
"Understood. For now."
For now?
Riyan briefly considered giving him a smack.
But he decided Aries was probably feeling anxious because he couldn't clearly see what lay ahead.
He waved a hand dismissively.
"Stop worrying about pointless things. Practice until you've mastered it, and come up with a name while you're at it."
"What? A name?"
It was something Riyan had been considering for quite some time.
If he intended to establish the Eldred Style as a systematic school of swordsmanship, he needed to define its techniques.
And to do that, he would have to give them appropriate names.
For Riyan, the series of movements had already become so deeply ingrained that performing them was as natural as breathing.
But Aries wasn't in the same position.
Since he was learning something new, it would probably help him to develop a suitable mental image and practice with that in mind.
"A name..."
Aries's face brightened like that of a little boy who had just received a new toy.
It was a rather unusual expression for a fighter.
"Very well. I've developed quite a way with words from visiting noble households, so I'll come up with something impressive."
"Make sure you train hard. You'll be practicing against opponents who can actually move now, so your progress should become much faster."
"What? Opponents who can actually move?"
Aries looked around, wondering where these opponents were supposed to come from.
Riyan lifted the training sword he'd been resting against his shoulder and pointed toward a particular direction.
A group of men was approaching the secluded training ground with rather indifferent expressions.
They were elite fighters dispatched by the training centers that had previously agreed to cooperate with Rodus.

They had been sent to join the special detachment preparing for the mock naval battle.

Aries tilted his head when he noticed them.

"Sounds good, doesn't it? You've been under a lot of stress lately, so feel free to work them over a little."

At Riyan's words, Aries's eyes began to shine.

He remembered all the humiliation he'd endured during the past several weeks.

The Imperial Capital glowed red beneath the setting sun.

Riyan had changed back into his usual neat clothing before heading into the city.

As he walked, he remembered Berka's warning from earlier, which he'd heard so many times that his ears were practically growing calluses.

"Fine. I'll give you some time off. But remember..."

"I won't cause any trouble."

"Good! And here's some spending money. Make sure you enjoy yourself!"

Spending money...

Riyan tossed the jingling coin purse into the air and caught it, smiling faintly.

He wasn't a six- or seven-year-old child.

Giving him spending money seemed rather ridiculous.

Still, there was nothing wrong with it.

The more money he had, the better.

And this time, Haral wasn't tagging along like a stubborn leech.

For once, Riyan had a vacation that was entirely his own.

Of course, I still can't leave the Imperial Capital with this bracelet on.

Riyan examined the dark bracelet Berka had fastened around his wrist.

Like the Soul Shackles he'd used so effectively during training, this was undoubtedly a magical device.

It was probably designed to activate some kind of spell when certain conditions were met.

Since it was placed on fighters who had been granted leave, Riyan suspected that it either tracked their locations or sounded a loud alarm if they crossed a designated boundary.

For a moment, he considered trying to remove it.

But he quickly decided that would be a pointless risk.

He tucked the coin purse into his clothing and continued walking.

Once again, he entered the bustling streets, filled with a lively atmosphere he never grew tired of experiencing.

Unfortunately, it didn't take long for his hopes of a peaceful vacation to fall apart.

...So much for freedom.

Someone was following him.

At first, Riyan had assumed it was simply a curious admirer who recognized him from his recent rise to fame in the Imperial Capital.

But the person had already been following him for an entire hour.

For a while, he'd even considered the possibility that it was some shy admirer who was deeply infatuated with him but couldn't muster the courage to approach.

However, that no longer seemed likely.

Unless the person was an exceptionally peculiar stalker, there was no reason to follow him while maintaining such a carefully controlled distance.

Who could it be?

Riyan stopped briefly and picked up an apple from a mountain of fruit piled high on a street vendor's stall.

"They're perfectly ripe! Go on, have a taste!"

He flicked a coin toward the enthusiastic merchant and naturally turned around.

As he did so, his sharp black eyes quickly swept across the crowded street.

Buildings.

Windows.

Pedestrians.

The entrances to nearby alleys.

Crunch!

Riyan took a bite of the apple and resumed walking.

His pursuer was short, perhaps around 160 centimeters tall.

The person wore a loose robe and a hood pulled so low that Riyan couldn't see their face.

Judging by their presence and movements, they seemed to have considerable experience following people.

But their footsteps and the positioning of their hands suggested they weren't accustomed to handling weapons.

Who is it?

The question returned.

There was one obvious initial suspect.

The Secret Intelligence Bureau, an organization directly subordinate to the Imperial Inspector.

But that seemed unlikely.

Considering Haral's fear of the organization, as well as its responsibility for Imperial counterintelligence, its agents would hardly reveal their presence so easily.

Of course, they might be deliberately testing me...

But even then, what would they gain?

What benefit could they possibly receive from needlessly encouraging Riyan to become more cautious?

That brought him to the second possibility.

The Trident Training Center?

Joint training in preparation for the mock naval battle had already begun.

Naturally, Trident, which had historically dominated the event, must have heard about it.

Perhaps they were preparing to ambush him as a precaution against any unexpected variables, hoping to force him out of the competition.

No. That's impossible.

Training centers survived by submitting completely to the Empire and following the rules it established.

Would they really devise a scheme that could so easily provoke Imperial displeasure?

Hardly.

Besides, the person following him didn't seem experienced with weapons.

That left one simple possibility.

Someone who wants to talk.

The Rodus Training Center was a strictly controlled facility.

Since Riyan spent most of his time inside it, arranging a private meeting with him would have been difficult.

Someone could have sent him a letter through an instructor or another fighter, but anyone concerned about security would probably avoid that approach.

That raised one final question.

The situation inside the training center was understandable.

But why was the pursuer still keeping their distance now that Riyan had entered the city?

If they wanted to establish contact, this was the perfect opportunity.

The answer to that question was also simple.

The person following me knows.

They knew he was being watched by more than one set of eyes.

Which meant they were someone who had reason to be wary of agents working for the Imperial Inspector or the Treasurer.

Someone with enough resources to keep people stationed near the training center even without knowing when Riyan might leave.

Someone who could also employ a reasonably well-trained person to follow him rather than relying on some random amateur.

If they want to talk, I suppose I should hear them out.

They didn't appear particularly hostile.