The Strategist of the Magic Emperor Shatters the Second Destruction - Volume 1 Chapter 5

It had been seven days since I began receiving instruction from my teacher.

A week, the agreed deadline, had passed.

“Are you ready?”

“Yes, no problem.”

I took a stance with the new, lighter wooden sword recommended by my teacher.

My teacher, holding a wooden sword as well, peeked at my condition while holding his sword with one hand.

“Balam! Do your best!”

“Beat up that drunkard brother of yours!”

“Shut it, outsiders!”

Anim and Sister, who had been watching our training every day, heckled us noisily.

“Geez,” my teacher grumbled, swinging his sword lightly and curling his index finger.

“Shoot however you like. It’s been a week… well, effectively two days, but you should have improved slightly from an amateur… I hope.”

“…Here I go!”

Honestly, nothing much can change in a week.

I did some swings on the first day, took two days off due to muscle pain, did some swinging and form practice with the slightly smaller new wooden sword on the third day, took another two days off due to muscle pain, and now it’s today.

My teacher knew that too, so he suggested this sparring match.

The areas I need to train and the forms I should practice.

Things to be mindful of and various other things.

He laid them out so I could continue training in swordsmanship alone after he left.

Then, I’ll give it my all.

For now, even just imitating is okay. Actually, that’s all I can do.

Observation and understanding.

Thanks to the muscle pain, I’ll put into practice the two things I’ve managed to accumulate in my own way!

“Haaaah!”

Raising a spirited shout as a sign of motivation, I closed the distance between my teacher and me.

Swinging horizontally, I stumbled after being blocked, then, stepping back, I charged again.

This time, aiming for a thrust at the body, I was blocked by an overhead strike.

“I get what you’re trying to do, but you’re focusing too much on where you’re aiming. That’s what you need to work on.”

While effortlessly handling my attacks with one hand, my teacher listed the points I need to improve.

First clash, second clash.

Clang, clang, the sound of our wooden swords colliding echoed continuously in the courtyard.

My teacher could easily dodge, but perhaps wanting to teach me the sense of sparring, he received all my attacks.

My gaze… maybe I’ll try shifting it.

I briefly directed my gaze towards my teacher’s feet, pretending to aim for a sweep.

Of course, my teacher saw through it, but trial and error is the norm for success.

I hid a horizontal slash aimed at my teacher’s torso.

That’s when I experienced a strange sensation.

I could perceive the trajectory of the sword I was about to swing.

It might sound absurd, but I can’t find any other words to describe it.

A sword is a tool. An external function of the body, and without looking, I can only vaguely understand its movement.

Just like how hitting a small ball with a long stick is difficult, it’s naturally harder to handle than part of one’s body.

And yet, despite that…

“Hahaha! You’re making progress!”

Maybe, just by continuously observing my teacher’s sword and imitating his swings, I’ve grown a little.

As expected, my sword was blocked.

But the sense of accomplishment warms me up more than that.

This time, my teacher didn’t just receive my sword; he had to react with his sword.

The sweat on my face, the pain of the calluses on my palms, and the voices of Anim and Sister fade away.

Focusing on my teacher’s movements and defensive posture in front of me, I desperately tried to dodge the occasional counterstrikes that came my way.

Oh, to think there’s something as thrilling as this besides magic!!

I want to know more! I want to think more! I want to understand more and try it out!

It’s my usual bad habit, getting absorbed in trials and ignoring everything else.

Showing a feint as if it’s not a feint and then thrusting it straight.

After a slash, turning my wrist for consecutive slashes.

In the midst of a fencing scene where I had no time to indulge in sentimentality and had to breath harshly, I noticed the preparatory movement of my teacher’s leg sweep.

He must have shown it to me on purpose, knowing that one can’t always be on the offensive.

“!”

With a light kick to the ground, I dodged the leg sweep and unleashed a reverse diagonal slash from below, full of momentum.

I was easily anticipated, but that’s fine.

My body is catching up to my thoughts.

I thought I had failed because I was too immersed in “Conversion Magic” in my first life… and now, I might make the same mistake…!

After all, I’m selfish.

I want to drown more in this sensation.

■　　 ■　　 ■　　 ■

This is absurd. It’s got to be.

He only really swung the sword for two days.

The rest of the time, he was just watching me swing the sword with eyes wide as saucers.

“!!”

Despite the sword’s motion being far from precise, I can see it’s being maneuvered as intended.

The kid, staring at me without blinking, shifts his gaze across more than three spots in an instant.

He lacks power, technique, and his movement skills are still developing.

But he’s clearly deviating from someone who has only been practicing swordplay for a week…!

Even though he easily falls for feints, he…

“Hah, amazing!”

Every time I parried or dodged, this kid’s eyes sparkled.

He gets excited over his own mistakes.

Then, when making an unexpected move,

“As expected!”

He somehow tries to block it unconsciously or not.

Instead of dodging with the exceptional movement skills common among those who pursue swordsmanship, he continuously thinks, comparing predictions and results.

And again,

“I saw that earlier!”

He won’t fall for the same tactic twice.

Things like eyesight, reaction speed, and physical ability.

Elements required by those who wield swords, he struggles to compensate for those deficiencies with his thoughts.

He embodies an overwhelming rational approach.

Parallel thinking. He has the talent most needed by magicians.

Above all, a spirit that seeks failure more than success.

Magic geeks in the Holy City rejoice over failures. They shed tears of joy over failures that nearly cost them their lives.

They delve into the causes of those failures, eliminating miraculous successes.

They accumulate certain successes and aim for the peak.

Indeed, Balam, you were born to be a magician.

However,

“What— are you laughing at!”

I end up being unnecessarily cheerful.

A talented magician absorbed in swordmanship.

It’s strangely intriguing, utterly eerie—and exhilarating.

In a world where one’s talents are evident, to strive for something else.

There are many fools like that, and hardly any succeed.

But I’ve never felt such potential in a fool before.

Show me the sword you will complete with your overflowing talent as a magician.

It doesn’t matter how many years it takes, or even if it’s never completed.

Your struggle, your defiance against this world——

“Balam! Master the sword! If you become obsessed with magic, I’ll kill you!”

Show it to me.

…No, this won’t do.

Honestly, I was going to suggest that you learn swordsmanship at the Dazril Royal City’s training ground as you please after I leave.

A swordsman with a magician’s talent.

That completion, is what a swordmaster needs.

I have to raise this kid myself.

■　　 ■　　 ■　　 ■

“Haa… Haa…”

In the end, I didn’t land a single hit on my teacher.

But my teacher, looking happy, dragged me by the hand into the cathedral.

“Teacher?”

“What’s going on? Why did you suddenly drag Balam away?”

Sister and Anim, who followed the suddenly dashing teacher, looked at him and me, confused.

My teacher strode through the cathedral and placed some coins in front of a cleric, saying,

“I’d like to update the Blessing Gift.”

That’s what he says.

Updating the Blessing Gift.

Literally updating the ability information obtained or enhanced through effort.

But, normally, there’s no change in the “Oracle Talent Revelation” in just over a week.

Gaining abilities can’t happen overnight, growth requires years of training.

Or so it should be, but

“Balam, go ahead.”

Pushing my back, my teacher’s face was plastered with undeniable conviction.

The cleric pressed a magic artifact against my arm and traced it lightly.

A faint light enveloped me, and as the light faded, the results surfaced in my mind.

The Blessing Gift hadn’t changed much the first time.

But now,

●　　　　●　　　　●

Balam

Talent

『Conversion Magic』

Uses magic power to change any item into something with a different property.

The target changes into a form that matches its new property.

Conversion condition: Must be equivalent.

Limited to substances or phenomenons the user can imagine.

『Encore』

The mark of a returnee enjoying the second life.

Increases the rate of acquiring and enhancing Abilities that have been seen once.

Activation condition: Observation and understanding.

Effects increase with guidance from someone with superior Talents or Abilities.

Abilities

[Swordsmanship] G

Supplement the growth of skill and strength for handling swords.

[Clarity] D

Supplement to thinking ability when consciously observing and thinking about the target.

●　　　　●　　　　●

It increased.

And by two.

“They’ve increased…”

“Swordsmanship, huh?”

“Yes.”

“Wow! Crazy, in just one week…”

Shaking his head, my teacher turned to Sister and Anim.

They looked at me with mixed expressions of joy and surprise.

[Swordsmanship].

I had seen many possess this Ability before, so I thought it was within the range of the talent “Encore”… but not to this extent.

The proficiency is G, but having it is incomparably better than not.

The difference between G and S in proficiency levels is huge, and now I have to keep this proficiency level in mind as I continue training.

And the second one… [Clarity].

There’s no mistake. It’s an ability I had before.

The proficiency remains the same.

My consciousness is still the same as before, and the thoughts that accumulated during this week manifested.

Anyway…

“I did it.”

I muttered in dazed joy.

Noticing the clear difference from the first time.

Savoring that difference, I sank into a sense of accomplishment.