[Chapter 6]
"What would reading about the past 20 years have anything to do with helping you recover your memories?"
"It will help me gain some perspective."
For those who were born and raised in the past 20 years it would be their entire lives. However for Asher, who had lived in times and generations prior to that, it was a necessary thing to research because it would help him in deciding the route to take in the future.
"But it's still just a history book, those are just things that tell us the stories of the times before us. It's got nothing to do with us."
"Right, haha."
Asher nodded his head and laughed. It felt sad that he didn't see his name recorded in the history book, but he was just the captain of the imperial guard. His name wasn't worth remembering in the first place.
Reika suddenly hopped up from the heap of hay she was sitting on and brushed her bottom to get the remaining pieces of straw off.
"Ah. Asher I have a request!"
"What is it?"
"Accept me as your disciple!"
Reika spoke while pressing her gleaming face right in front of Asher's. With her sparkling eyes, she came to a distance where he could feel her breath. Asher quickly backed away and pushed her back with one hand.
"No."
—
"That's not fair…"
Reika muttered with a blank face. She tried to contest Asher's spirit, but his will was firm.
Almost all of the guards in the empire had once been taught by him briefly at one point, but he almost never taught individually to solely one person for an extended period of time. He was just in the realm of being able to give little tips of advice here and there, but it was clear to him that he was not at a level capable of teaching anybody.
He had only practiced imperial swordsmanship, but that was also the only thing he could possibly teach. It was an incredibly simple swordsmanship that even a disabled kid could learn.
In other words, he wasn't a suitable teacher for Reika. She could reach a necessary level of mastery in imperial swordsmanship without needing to be taught. At least that was Asher's idea of it.
"But still, can't you at least consider it?"
"Then are you willing to learn imperial swordsmanship?"
As Asher laughed out loud and asked her that question she stopped her pleading for a moment. She didn't intend to learn imperial swordsmanship at all. Among those who walked the path of the sword, very few made imperial swordsmanship their preferred style of swordsmanship. Reika was the same as the many others who didn't plan on it.
"A disciple who does not want to learn their master's swordsmanship. Can that person even be called a disciple? What laughable logic."
"…Still there's a saying that one can learn from even their disciples!"
"I? Learn from the young miss?"
Asher laughed sarcastically. It was obvious mockery.
"You're laughing when I'm trying to be serious here!"
"I-"
Reika was clenching her fists and mad that Asher was ignoring her, but in fact it was quite the opposite. Asher was the one frustrated at himself for being unable to learn other styles of swordsmanship or even teach others.
"I can't learn anything from you as it is right now Reika."
Those who were talented, would never understand the struggles of those who were not. Eventually those who were talented who take what they had for granted and give up like a bunch of spoiled kids. The same could be said for those who were untalented and took a defeatist attitude from it.
"It would also be a waste to try and teach you in a swordsmanship style I am not proficient with, and I don't even have the time to do so if I wanted to."
"However, that doesn't mean you should give up."
Asher confronted Reika who was sitting with a despairing face.
Reika turned her head up to look at Asher with a confused look.
"If you go ask and get permission from the lord, I can definitely consider it."
Shocked and confused, Reika nodded blankly.
—
The trajectory of the sword danced beautifully in a wide arc through the air. His tight grip around the handle glided in the air like a kite.
"Hm. What to do, what to do."
He stopped swinging my sword and brushed the sweat off his forehead. He turned to look at the woman who just spoke. She was beautiful, but had unpleasantly, emotionless eyes. She shook her head in disappointment.
He looked at her with a puzzled look that contained a bit of irritation.
"It's nothing.", she said, picking up on his queue.
"Then are you going to leave me be? I need to train."
He spoke indifferently trying to get her to stop interrupting his training, and began to swing his sword again. But, she didn't move from her spot. She just stared at him with those same emotionless eyes.
'How annoying'
Her presence was annoying, but his sword did not stop moving. He already had seen her the past few days, standing there and making crude comments at him. More specifically, at his swordsmanship. He already knew she was not the type to walk away with simple gestures.
He tuned out his surroundings and continued to practice with his sword diligently. It was 20 years. The experience and training with the sword for 20 years was spreading throughout his fingertips as he continued to wield the sword.
"Hey. Why do you keep doing that?"
She blurted out for the seemingly millionth time.
"What do you want?"
He replied, and proceeded to continue his practice.
His eyes could visualize the strokes of the sword, but his body was repeating the same engraved memories and movements. He lowered his body and turned it sideways, propelling his sword forward with the recoil from his movements.
She continued to speak bluntly.
"You aren't talented at all."
"… …"
It was true.
He wanted to say something or try to refute her, but he knew it was the truth. He just paid no mind to her and continued once again.
If it were anybody else hearing this woman speak to them like this, with these words, they would probably throw their sword at her in resentment. However, he didn't respond. It wasn't the first time he was hearing those words after all.
He then stopped for a breather and replied coolly,
"So what?"
"You don't have to doubt it, since I'm the one saying it, you should definitely believe it. You aren't talented in the slightest."
He just looked at her indifferently and she continued to speak.
"You'll probably go through your entire life only being able to practice imperial swordsmanship. Of course as time passes and you accumulate experience with it, you won't be called weak by any means. But your talent with the sword will never change. Do you really want a life like that?"
"So what? Should I look for another job?"
"Yes. Then maybe you can actually find something you're talented at."
"I'd rather eat dogshit."
He replied bluntly and began to continue swinging his sword with the practiced movements. He continued to speak.
"Yes, I'm talentless with the sword. Even if you find some random kid by the side of the road, he'd probably have more talent than me, but why should I care?"
This was the path he had chosen. If he had caved in from being talentless with the sword, he would have given up years ago. Probably even when he graduated from the academy. But his resolve was, and always would be in the sword.
Continuing, he spoke once more.
"I do this simply because I want to. So stop making fun of me and go away."
"Hm okay, it's your life anyways."
"Why? Every day you come and say the same words to me. Every. Single. Day. Why?"
"Well, because my job just recently ended and I felt like taking a vacation to come and see the rumored man. And I'm pretty sure you're the man from that rumor."
"What a joke. You must be more famous than anybody on the continent right now.", he replied.
He stopped swinging the sword. He couldn't quite remember the name, but he knew more or less who the woman in front of him was. The genius of the sword. The most monstrous talent to ever exist. The Youngest Swordmaster. These were all the titles she had.
"Oh, you knew? I thought you didn't, seeing how stubbornly you've been swinging your sword the past few days."
"Should I shower you with praises or something? You're just as stubborn as me seeing how you don't know how to take a hint."
For the first time in the past few days, her expressionless face changed slightly into an annoyed look. But she smiled right after and laughed, as if this were fun to her.
"At least all the people who practiced the sword did. They praised me and revered me. Either that, or they looked at me with jealousy or hatred. But you're peculiar. You don't look at me with either of those two things. I would say it's complete indifference. It was definitely worth the vacation to come see you. Can I ask you for your name?"
"—–."
"Okay —–. I'll tell you one thing."
She laughed out loud and then turned her face towards him. A twisted, and completely crazy smile was directed at him.
"You will not achieve anything because your talent is absolute garbage and utterly worthless. You'll work the rest of your life trying to pick up wheat with a sore back and then eventually die from some silly disease without even becoming a 3rd rate swordsman. That's your future mr. handsome."
He looked at her blankly.
"Okay. Then what's your name?"
He asked with a stoic face. Hearing this, she smiled genuinely with complete happiness etched all over her face.
"Lepenia. Lepenia Harlest."
—
Asher opened his eyes.
"… …"
He lifted the blanket draped over him and raised his upper body. His youthful body felt starkly different compared to the one in his dream. He shook his head lightly to wake up.
'It was a dream.'
It had been a long time. Besides, it was the dream from his previous life. He tried to remember the way he was speaking in the dream to help him speak somewhat youthful.
Lepenia. Even when they grew old, she had never changed. She was still beautiful, and carried that twisted smile of hers. What would she be doing if she were alive right now? He sighed deeply with a hint of sorrow evident.
It was time to get going. Reika was probably waiting by now for him.
"Heh."
Suddenly Asher let out a small giggle and then broke out into a laugh. She had always told him that he was never talented and that he would never achieve anything in his life.
But now what? He was somehow living another life, and was about to go teach someone who was as talented as she was in with her own swordsmanship. She could even be called a successor of sorts.
It was so funny, Asher couldn't contain his laughter and burst out into a complete hysterical fit. When was the last time he had laughed like this? 30 maybe 40 years ago? It had truly been a long time.
"You were wrong Lepenia, I knew I was right in the end."
He went out of the room whispering to himself.