Chapter 15

It’s already been a month since I started staying with the Kamui family.

I’ve been focusing on training to use body enhancement techniques alongside Kamui, without asking Mel to teach me magic.

I know well that I’m a single-tasker—if I try to take on too much, everything will end up half-done.

Through this training, I’ve come to realize I don’t seem to have any talent for the Zanshin-ryu sword style.

“It’d probably take dedicating half my life to the sword just to reach the level of a master.”

Apparently, like magic, swordsmen also have ranks of strength. In recognized schools around the world, strength is ranked purely, not based on the difficulty of techniques used:

Swordsman → Sword Master → Sword Saint → Sword Emperor → Supreme Sword

Incidentally, there’s some crossover in ranks; a Sword Master is said to be roughly equivalent in strength to an Advanced Mage.

In other words, no matter how much I practice, swordsmanship alone won’t make me any stronger than I already am with my full power.

I never thought of myself as particularly gifted, but finding out I lack talent still stings a bit.

…Well, it’s fine. After all, I have magic, right? (nervous laugh)

“You definitely have a knack for magic. You’re talented in casting without incantation and in adjusting magic power and speed. You could say you’re already at a master level as a magician.”

The fact that I can cast Intermediate Magic without incantation supposedly means I’m as strong as an Advanced Mage… or so they say. Since I’ve never managed to win even once against Kamui, I don’t really feel that strong. Maybe I should give myself a bit more credit.

“By the way, how strong is Kamui, exactly?”

I half-expected to hear something like, “He’s an invincible general!” But Kamui’s face was serious as he answered.

“I’m somewhere between Sword Emperor and Supreme Sword. I was once easily beaten by a Supreme Sword from another school.”

Kamui then told me in detail about his battle with a Supreme Sword. When he was still young and at the level of Sword Saint, he’d rushed in and been defeated in seconds. Hearing that story made me think, “Yep, that’s just like Kamui.”

“I could probably put up a fight now, but I doubt I’d win in a one-on-one.”

Kamui’s generally confident and lives by intuition, but he’s always sincere about his sword skills. He often tries lying clumsily to Mel, which gets him scolded, but when it comes to his sword, he’s truthful.

“If I gathered some comrades, I could take him down. Supreme Sword users are monstrous in strength, but they’re not inhuman. They’re just incredibly skilled swordsmen who use techniques.”

A Supreme Sword’s attacks are powerful enough to cause fissures and reshape the land. Honestly, it’s on another level, and it’s hard to even imagine. Honestly… how did Kamui even think to challenge someone like that?

And so, while learning battle tactics from Kamui, I continued my body enhancement training. But to be honest, I’ve made hardly any progress over the past month. But hey, it’s only been a month. I’ll just have to take the long view.

I’m gradually learning the nuances of battle, and I feel myself growing, so it’s not like it’s a struggle. The only drawback is that it hurts… a lot.

After a month, I’ve also gotten along pretty well with Mel. During breaks in our body enhancement training, she’s been teaching me the basics of magic. Right now, I’m working on using multi-casting.

It’s a bit like a vacuum cleaner that cleans in an instant. It involves using six wind spells simultaneously to lift and collect dust.

This technique isn’t in any books, but it’s said that a skilled enough mage can perform simultaneous spells.

Despite her fine control, Mel can’t cast spells without incantation. She can shorten the casting process to just the spell name, known as “chant omission.”

Magic depends heavily on one’s image of it. In this world, magic is fundamentally something that’s chanted before release. I guess that’s why non-chanting is naturally difficult to learn.

Maybe if someone were raised from a young age to think of non-chanting as normal, they could master it easily. Not that I have a way to test that theory.

Mel’s teaching style is very logical and doesn’t rely on onomatopoeia like “bam” or “whoosh” like Kamui’s does. Thanks to that, everything’s super clear. I’ve already grasped the concept, so it probably won’t take me too long to master double casting.

My relationship with Mel is great, but as for the other person…

“…(sulking)”

“Oh, Alisa, don’t pout. If you don’t eat with a smile, the food won’t taste as good.”

“…(still sulking)”

Alisa still hasn’t opened up to me in the slightest. Every time she shows open hostility, Mel tries to correct her, which might only be hardening her attitude further.

Thinking that time would help us get along, a month has already flown by. I feel like my presence has strained the relationship between Mel and Alisa. I don’t want to drive a wedge between them, so maybe I should have an open talk with her…

“…What?”

Alisa glared at me with a fierce expression. Faced with the intense gaze of Kamui, who beats me up daily, my words stuck in my throat.

…Right, maybe I’ll try another time.

“Thanks for the meal.”

After finishing her food, Alisa got up and returned to her room. Mel watched her go, placing a hand on her cheek and tilting her head slightly.

“I’m sorry, Kuhn. She’s going through a sensitive phase.”

“I understand.”

Honestly, I can’t say I don’t understand how she feels. One day, a boy her age suddenly shows up, moves in, becomes her junior disciple, and starts getting affection from her parents—it’s natural she wouldn’t like that as their real daughter.

I also remember having an awkward distance from my parents during my teenage years. But if I tried to talk to her about it, she’d only get more stubborn. I’m not sure if time will solve this… I might have to do something myself.

With that, I decided to ask Mel for a favor.

“Alright, let’s get started!”

“Why do I have to do this with him…”

“Oh, come on, Alisa, let’s work hard together!”

I asked to join Mel’s magic lessons with Alisa. Since I can train with Kamui whenever he’s available, I decided to join Mel’s lessons, which she holds in the mornings.

Since doing nothing for a month didn’t work, I decided to take a more proactive approach. If this doesn’t work… I’ll figure something out then.

After all, overthinking without action is just a waste of time. For now, taking action is the best approach.