Chapter 22
"That's enough."
Ethan caught his breath, then went to Maiya's corpse and pulled out the dagger stuck in her head.
Bien said.
"There is no need to regret."
"Does it look that way?"
"I understand that killing a classmate is not a pleasant experience. But if things had continued like that, we would have died. We would have been swallowed by the Cochliod, leaving no corpse behind. Maiya would have led a deceptive life. Considering the potential victims in the future, this is better."
But Ethan's position was different from Bien's.
Even right before fighting Maiya, Ethan knew there was no need to fight Maiya. Ethan could have helped prevent Maiya from making a wrong choice by dying, meaning Koshe wouldn't have had an accident. If he had done that, there would have been no such thing as killing Maiya.
'This was entirely my choice.'
Until now, survival instinct had driven him to kill. Ethan himself knew that his hands had moved faster than his thoughts. But this time was slightly different.
'To see the next story.'
He killed Maiya because his conversation with Bien hadn't reached a conclusion. That was where the unease came from. No, he wasn't feeling sentimental simply because of the death of one person, Maiya. Ethan had realized his fate. That he would make countless choices like this in the future, and what he would lose because of them.
"...Ethan?"
Ethan put the dagger away in his pocket and said.
"No, I'm fine. My head felt dizzy because I moved too much."
"With apologies to Maiya, we must search her belongings for evidence of Black Magic. She likely has something, and if not, we'll have to hurry back and search her room as well."
"What then?"
"If we were ordinary students, it wouldn't be bad to reveal the fact that we discovered a Black Mage student and fought to survive against her. In fact, that would be better. The story of standing against evil Black Magic would enhance our reputation as mages. But neither of us desires ordinary recognition."
Ethan nodded.
"Recognition within the Empire will suffice."
From Maiya's possessions, a teal coin appeared. It seemed to be made of bronze, and both the front and back embossments were heavily damaged, making it impossible to identify anything properly. Even for a magic school student, it looked excessively old to carry around normally. But Ethan didn't pick up the coin for that reason.
[Quest Success!]
['Quest: Find Evidence that Maiya Onyx is a Black Mage (C)' Success!]
[Reward: Experience Points 60]
[Reward: C-rank Lottery Coupon]
He didn't know why it was evidence, but it was clearly evidence.
Ethan thought.
'It's convenient at times like these.'
Ethan picked up the teal coin, presented it asking if this could be the evidence, and Bien, though puzzled, accepted it.
Then he returned the coin to Ethan.
"Even if this isn't evidence, creating a detailed report will be enough to gain credibility. Among the Mazok at the Madowon, or rather, the Imperial Inquisition, there will be those who are well-versed in Black Magic. Please make sure to deliver this coin properly to the Madowon."
Ethan remembered the lie that the Madowon would pay Bien's contract fee instead. To be precise, rather than remembering it, the memory he had tried to push away came back thanks to Bien's words just now.
<I'm reminded of someone's words, 'You shall be destroyed.'>
<I don't find that funny.>
<It wasn't appropriate for the occasion. My apologies.>
<...The subject you're quoting isn't even appropriate.>
<My apologies.>
But it was a problem that needed to be solved. Ethan had no connections to the Madowon, while Bien intended to repay the debt related to the Contract of Pasitaros with Vine through his actions. If not resolved soon, it would escalate into an unforeseen problem.
"Perhaps it's only a temporary measure."
"What did you say?"
"Nothing, nothing."
∞
The disappearance of two students, Maiya Onyx and Koshe Ludirock, became known within the magic school. It would have caused a great commotion during the semester, but because the vacation had started and not many students remained at the school, their names weren't mentioned often. The Dean hired a search party, and a few professors took the initiative to search for the missing students, but not even bodies were found. In the entire history of Yurmus Magic School, it couldn't be called a major incident. Given that it was adjacent to the Great Library, it was common for one or two students to go missing or die during the semester, and being a magic school, there were even bigger problems sometimes.
Grim stories circulated within the Onyx family. Sixteen relatives and employees of the Onyx family were murdered at the mansion, seemingly the work of some lunatic killer. There were those who tried to connect Koshe's disappearance to that incident, which occurred while Baron Onyx was also missing, but thanks to those coveting the family's wealth moving quickly, it no longer became a significant matter. Baron Ludirock visited the school two more times.
During the vacation, Ethan was able to learn the Hunter's Sword from Rebilton. Rebilton praised the stabilization of Ruure's Breathing and Ethan's ability to use it somewhat freely, but pointed out that its efficiency was poor due to unfamiliarity. It was something that couldn't be filled with technique and required only mastery gained through enduring time. However, he thought Ethan was ready to learn swordsmanship beyond the basics.
The Ruure Hunting Sword, commonly called Hunter's Sword, was a swordsmanship style used to kill colossal beasts and magical creatures living in the far northwest region of Ruure, beyond Damarat Yuma. Ruure is an extreme environment to the extent that there is a joke that 'to survive the winter, you must get used to human flesh.' The joke is followed by this: 'The beasts of Ruure also know that joke.' Hunter's Sword was a swordsmanship that could not be taught to those who hadn't survived, so it was passed down only to those of strong character and required a higher level of physical ability than ordinary swordsmanship.
Rebilton spent more time sitting and talking with Ethan than practicing swordsmanship stances. He primarily told stories of colossal beasts and magical creatures living in Ruure. Stories like giant boars grinding their tusks sharp by rubbing them on rocky mountains, as ordinary boars rub their tusks on trees, or a giant hill moving in the spring, which turns out to be a giant bear waking from hibernation, or stories about tunnels dug by giant rats extending all the way to Yumaha. While wondering what the use of such stories was, Ethan enjoyed listening because the stories themselves were interesting. According to Rebilton, Ruure hunters had a custom of sitting near a bonfire at night and talking to each other about the strange things they had seen and experienced.
"Perhaps you might feel that stories are useless for now. But someday, when you look back, you will feel that everything except stories is useless."
Nevertheless, what Ethan felt was proper training was also included. Some thrusting and slashing movements were too large, and Rebilton pointed out that they lacked practicality against human opponents. However, that didn't mean the essence of the swordsmanship became useless. The trajectory of the blade, the intensity of the force, and the footwork clearly had meaning against any opponent.
Sparring time with Rebilton also increased. After crossing blades a few times with Ethan, Rebilton put away his wooden sword and picked up a real sword. It was the first time Ethan had seen him like that, so he looked on in surprise for a moment.
Rebilton said.
"Don't expect too much. Ethan's skill level still requires humility."
"...That wasn't the kind of expectation I had, but."
Rebilton stopped positioning himself and began to speak.
"...I suppose I should tell you the story. This is a story I heard from the knights when I was at the North Wall. One day, the knights were discussing who they would choose as a squire, a novice swordsman or a wandering knifeman."
"Novice swordsman? Wandering knifeman? Are they different?"
"I was curious too, so I asked that first. What they said varied a bit, but a novice swordsman referred to a noble from a good family who had properly learned swordsmanship. On the other hand, a wandering knifeman referred to a ruffian who lived by the blade in the back alleys. So, in terms of skill alone, the novice swordsman who knew swordsmanship was better."
"Then they should choose the novice swordsman as a squire."
"But there was quite a bit of counter-argument to that. They said that if the two were put in a fight, the wandering knifeman would definitely win."
"That contradicts what you said earlier."
Rebilton shook his head slightly.
"The novice swordsman would win the fight itself. But they would hesitate right before thrusting and mess things up, and ultimately the wandering knifeman wouldn't miss that opportunity, the story goes. In other words, a wandering knifeman is someone who has killed before."
"Ah, I see."
"I understood when I heard that. Although I've completely forgotten now, there are those who hesitate when they first try to cut down a person. And on the battlefield, such people are uniformly swept away and disappear. It's not a matter of skill. But then again, it wasn't just about swordsmanship in a fight. The story was that a wandering knifeman wouldn't know refinement or hierarchy, making them largely unsuitable as a squire."
This time, both of them laughed.
Rebilton's smile faded, and he said.
"Anyway, that's the point I want to make. Ethan's blade shows no hesitation. To erase such hesitation, there's nothing but the experience of killing several times or innate talent."
Ethan's smile changed into a wry smile.
"Then it must be talent, of course."