Wound (2)
「We deeply regret that we are unable to deliver good news.」
Everyone has a path given to them. And a path is called such because anyone can walk it.
「Despite your outstanding talent and capability, the final interview result is…」
However, if one finds themselves unable to walk it, then perhaps it’s time to stop for a moment and look back at the path they've taken.
「…we regret to inform you that you were not selected…」
In my experience, there were countless cases where it was due to a flawed approach…
「…Thank you.」
…far too many to count.
“What you’re using isn’t ‘Aura,’ it’s closer to a ‘Circle.’”
Ellie and I were in Room 311 on the 2nd floor of the 3rd Training Hall, both wearing protective gear. As Ellie fastened the belt of her anti-magic uniform, she tilted her head.
“Circle? As in the one mages use?”
“That’s right. As a result, while the formation of the technique may have been stable, the outcome would have constantly deviated. For instance, phenomena like distortion in the string or curve after manifestation.”
“Oh, that’s spot on… Sword Masters really are different.”
Leaving behind the astonished Ellie, I recalled her technique from our last lecture. Ellie’s understanding of techniques was quite exceptional. Not only the placement of strings and curves but also gradients and corrections were textbook perfect.
The problem lay in the power source of the technique—specifically, the type of mana.
In this world, there were three types of mana.
First, just plain 「mana」. From an academic perspective, mana was one of many ‘elements’ in this world. But living beings, including humans, formed an organic bond with mana.
Simply put, mana was ‘life,’ a part of it.
Then came 「Aura」 and 「Circle」, both derived from this mana. Though similar, they possessed fundamentally different properties.
Both mages and knights used techniques. But depending on what type of mana was used, the way those techniques were constructed differed. For example, like this:
――<String·Curve arrangement>― = 「Aura」.
――<String·Curve arrangement>――― = 「Circle」.
When simply listing the stages, Aura seemed easier to use than Circle.
Naturally.
In techniques, the points of application for Aura and Circle were completely different.
Aura and Circle were evolved forms of using magic and swordsmanship more efficiently in the first place. Because of this, while Aura was suited for ‘manifestation’ or ‘concentration’ in swords or the body, Circle involved various properties like ‘ejection’ and ‘dispersion.’
Let’s stop here.
If not for Rohan’s memories, I wouldn’t have known this much either.
In any case, Ellie, who had talent for magic, had mana closer to Circle than Aura.
That was an innate gift. A power she inherited from her mother from the very beginning.
…No, a ‘setting.’
This was why Ellie couldn’t become a ‘knight.’
“Now, try manifesting the technique. But this time, don’t forcibly convert your mana into Aura.”
“…You knew even that much?”
“More or less.”
“Alright. Then step back a little. I need to concentrate.”
Taking five or six steps back, I activated 「Sixth Sense」 just in case.
Ellie took a deep breath and raised her right arm.
Buuung.
Even the sound, the color, and the wavelength of Ellie’s mana had changed. It was clearly Circle. Soon, she began constructing the technique. As I watched, I noticed something and spoke.
“Redo that part. To make the result of a Circle-based technique align with an Aura, you need to reverse the sixth string and second curve that connect wind and fire.”
“I… know that already…”
Ellie’s voice trembled, as if struggling. Yet she instinctively reinterpreted the technique in her own way. Fortunately, Ellie’s understanding of techniques was higher than I thought.
The steadily forming technique proved it.
“This is the final part.”
Sweat began to bead on my forehead as I watched her.
It must have been even more painful for her.
She was completely rebuilding the habits she had clung to since the beginning, like a toddler relearning to walk.
“……”
At that moment, Ellie’s hand drooped.
A silence where not even a breath could be heard. From within it, an ember bloomed before her eyes.
And then.
Saaah.
The lone ember was suddenly caught in a gust of wind and began to divide into countless petals. Soon, the training room was filled with pure white embers.
“I… did it.”
It was neither Circle nor Aura, but the result born from one person’s desperate resolve.
In the midst of a spring filled with blooming magnolias, Ellie looked at me with a face on the verge of tears.
“Well done, Ellie.”
***
While an excited Ellie threw herself into 「Memorize」, I headed next door to continue my own training.
Thanks to my recent effort, my understanding of swordsmanship had improved a lot.
I reached the training room and grabbed the handle without hesitation.
Creak— The door opened. Through the widening gap, I saw someone’s back.
The moment her hair, flowing like the Milky Way to her shoulders, swayed slightly, ‘she’ turned to look at me.
“…Ariel Lippenstein.”
I hadn’t expected her to be here.
Then again, she was also a Springwind student, so it wasn’t that strange.
What was strange was—of all the training rooms, why had she chosen the one right next to ours?
“Hello, Assistant Professor.”
As I nodded stiffly at the unwelcome greeting and was about to close the door.
“Just a moment. May I ask you for something as well?”
“What do you mean?”
“Your personal tutoring.”
…The soundproofing of these rooms was perfect.
No matter who you were, it was difficult to hear anything through these walls.
Which meant.
“I happened to see you and Éclat enter the room together.”
A chill like a blade pierced through me.
Could a human voice alone carry such coldness, absent of magic?
Ariel, who had somehow gotten right in front of me, slowly closed the door.
“Assistant Professor.”
“……”
“Am I not allowed? Or is it only me who’s not allowed?”
What was her goal?
For what purpose was she approaching me?
Getting involved with Ariel was something I found deeply unsettling.
“…Speak. If I can help, I will.”
“Really?”
Ariel beamed brightly.
I knew that innocent look was just a ‘mask.’
Still, you were also my student. I wouldn’t treat you unfairly.
“Then, could you help me correct my form?”
“What kind of form?”
“Thrusting. I think I lack the basics.”
…That was a welcome request.
“Get ready.”
“Yes, Assistant Professor.”
I followed Ariel to the rack and picked up a practice sword.
Ariel glanced at me and formed a stance with an unreadable smile.
“How is it?”
That stance—it was just like the one from 「The Aesthetics of Thrusting」. But there were flaws in several places.
As if she had intentionally made mistakes, hoping to be corrected by someone.
But Ariel…
“…It’s all wrong.”
“What?”
Thwack—!
Without hesitation, I knocked down Ariel’s sword.
As she lost her balance and fell, I pointed to her fallen sword with the tip of mine.
“Pick it up, Ariel.”
Today, I will teach you the essence of thrusting.
***
‘Why not me?’
She had lied deliberately.
She thought she had ‘passed’ his test.
But she hadn’t.
‘Ellis Éclat…’
The moment she saw Rohan comforting the weeping Ellie at the back gate, Ariel couldn’t stop her fingertips from trembling.
She also knew that Rohan and Ellis were tied together through the Éclat Knights.
There was no room for her to insert herself into their relationship.
So Ariel had purposefully accepted Ellie’s challenge head-on.
She thought that if she could make Ellie the ‘aggressor’ and herself the ‘victim,’ she could finally earn the attention she so desperately wanted from Rohan.
‘No way… it can’t be.’
That evening, watching them walk affectionately into White Hole together, Ariel’s heart creaked painfully. Wicked delusions began to torment her mind.
Still, she told herself it wasn’t true.
She wanted to believe it wasn’t.
But when she saw them entering the training room together, she couldn’t believe that anymore.
‘No…’
She resented herself for being powerless, even with just one thick wall between them.
The more time passed, the longer Rohan and Ellie were together, the more her jealousy began to twist into something else.
‘I can’t allow Rohan… to be taken.’
It was the moment Ariel decided to embrace a very ‘dark emotion.’
Creak.
From beyond the opening door, she felt someone’s gaze.
That gaze she had longed for.
The gaze that was always colder and more indifferent than anyone else’s—when it was directed only at her…
‘How is Rohan here…?’
It was all she could do to contain the overwhelming joy.
She wanted to run to him and grab his hand, but pretending nothing was wrong was the hardest part.
And the twisted emotion that had finished transforming—settled deep in Ariel’s heart as something entirely new.
“May I ask you for something as well?”
I have to create a connection here. If I don’t make a move now, I might never get another chance. He’s so amazing, it’s only natural he’d be popular.
…It was a completely self-centered delusion, but Ariel began to act based on it.
‘If it’s thrusting, I’ll get to feel Rohan’s touch… Good. Act well from now on, Do-ro—no, Ariel. You can do this. You’re a beginner now.’
She even gave herself a pep talk as she waited for Rohan’s hand.
“All wrong.”
Thwack.
“Pick up the sword, Ariel.”
Rohan’s gaze had completely transformed into that of an instructor—contrary to all her expectations.
“Hold the blade level with your line of sight. Extend properly.”
Thwack.
“Why are you focusing Aura on the blade? The center of a thrust comes from the lower abdomen.”
Thwack.
“Completely wrong. Again!”
Thwack⸺!
With each repeated correction and drill, Ariel was drenched in sweat, eventually collapsing to catch her breath. Wiping the sweat from her brow, she glanced at Rohan with a bewildered expression.
‘This isn’t how it was supposed to go…’
Something had gone wrong.
And yet, that shift stirred something unexpected within her.
‘…It’s not what I expected, but… this posture is new. So this is what thrusting is really about…’
What Ariel was learning was just the basics. But what Rohan was teaching was far from basic.
It was the pinnacle, the ‘ultimate’ that one might reach after decades of studying thrusting alone.
Even Ariel’s talent wasn’t enough to grasp it fully in such a short time.
However.
‘I’ve never felt this before…’
The joy of learning something completely unknown.
Of understanding something new.
Ariel trembled with exhilaration.
“That’s enough rest. Get up.”
“Yes!”
Without realizing it, she had forgotten her original motive and had become absorbed in the training.
Her voice was full of energy.
Just then, as she adjusted her grip on the sword, her body wobbled.
“Huh?”
Her legs gave out from the intense training.
She tried to regain her balance, but her vision was already tilting sideways along with her body.
Ariel clenched her eyes shut, bracing for the fall.
…Thump.
But what touched her face was not the cold floor of the training room.
It was something soft, firm, and warm.
As she slowly opened her eyes, a familiar collar came into view.
“…Ah.”
A familiar scent tickled her nose.
As she followed that scent and lifted her head, she found herself held in Rohan’s arms.
like an old daydream come to life.