Download App
34.95% My Trans-Dimensional, Overpowered Protagonist, Harem Comedy is Wrong, / Chapter 43: Interlude: The Student (Part 3)

Chapter 43: Interlude: The Student (Part 3)

Sensei fought differently from everyone else, as did Arde-senpai, and I knew that the same went for me. We… there wasn't anything beautiful about the way we fought, but it was pure. Like the Knife my Kami-sama gave me, the way each one of us fought was effective in nearly every case. Swiftness and efficiency, Sensei called it nothing more than that, with the brutality involved just an unfortunate side-effect.

I had hated it when I first saw it. It was an unclean way of fighting. Crushing, debilitating, and maiming were all just tools in Sensei's way of fighting. He didn't fight without advantages. He made them if he needed to. It took me a long time to realize that despite his carefree and bored attitude, he was still afraid of dying. No, that he was always afraid of dying, and that he fought this way to make sure that he lived. Every enemy he fought, he treated like it was a danger to him, and never took them for granted.

It was a coward's way of fighting, but as I grew to know Sensei… I realized he didn't care about what people called him as long he and his students were alive. I liked him for that. Arde-senpai did too. Possibly to a greater degree than me. The same went for Lyon-chan, Viridis-chan, and Alf-sama. By fighting in such a manner, without pride or art, he made sure that he always entered the Dungeon without an ounce of confidence… but always returned.

Sensei told me a person's choice in weapons and how they fought spoke a lot about them. There were some insults thrown into the mix, but I was able to ignore those, and I was slowly able to apply what he said to just about everyone.

Wallenstein… Aiz, was just like her sword.

Unbreakable, sharp, and in the right hands with the proper technique… unstoppable. As she went through the forms, and as I followed them, I could see that she was holding back. Constraining herself so that I could follow. There was always a spark of relief as soon she realized that I could mirror her movements to a greater degree than she originally thought. All of the physical training that Sensei made me go through every day allowed me the full range of movement required of his fighting style. I was confident that I could use any weapon adequately, as long as I used them simply. Aiz realized this as we continued and began to teach me in earnest.

I didn't have the heart to tell her that I wouldn't be able to make use of her style to its fullest.

Every lunge, swing, and swipe of her blade was meant to kill and scatter foes. All her movements were 'finishing moves' that I knew I couldn't commit myself to against anything in the Middle Floors. Her fighting style was… meant for a hero that stood against armies and armies of monsters that were weaker than them. I could see every blow killing a monster, or entire groups of monsters, by itself. An arc of indestructible metal swung with force that could shatter the walls of a castle and near-inconceivable speed.

Always heavy, always implacable, always powerful.

In a way, it told me a lot about her. I couldn't see her shifting and leaving other enemies to others. I couldn't see her fighting as seamlessly with someone else as Arde did Sensei. It was a sad technique. Built for someone who looked for danger alone, who always wanted to grow stronger, and who needed to prove something. Though she wanted for strength, she couldn't risk others in her reach for it, so she stood alone. That, in her success, she was alone and apart from others in her quest for strength.

Just as she called her sword Desperate, so was she.

"Is something wrong, Bell-kun?" I had stopped as the realization came over me. It was as clear as though Sensei had said it right by my side. Of course, Aiz had noticed my stilled form instantly. Meeting her gaze, seeing the concern and the worry, her fear of having done something wrong… I felt my throat constrict and an ache in my chest. Instantly, I wanted to tell her some excuse. That I was out of breathe, even though I wasn't, or that I had overexerted in a lunge, though I knew better than to do so. I didn't want to voice my thoughts. "Are you hurt?"

"…" I wanted to lie. To just let my realization go unsaid. However, Sensei's teachings came to mind. Overconfidence. Desperation. Pride. I knew that I only saw them that way because of how I was taught. I could have, before I met Sensei, seen them as courage, drive, and selflessness… but I met him. I had been taught by him. And, above all else, Sensei hated lies. Even words gone unsaid can fester and rot to become regrets. So, even though I didn't want to, I chose to speak my mind. Lowering my sword, I forced myself to speak as I matched her concerned gaze with my own. "Aiz-san, why do you fight like this?"

"Ah." It took a moment for her to comprehend my words. Immediately, Aiz's features changed. I felt my heart sink. Melancholy. Sorrow. Regret. I didn't know how I knew. But as she turned her gaze away, her smile slipping, and her eyes losing their splendor… I wished that I hadn't spoken. Perhaps, a part of me had hoped that she had been doing it all unconsciously, that I had to save her habits, not from herself. Now, I found myself opposing her, because she confirmed that she made this technique herself. "I… apologize, Bell-kun. The style isn't suited to you. I have another that is more-."

"That style isn't suitable for anyone, Wallenstein-san." I spoke without wanting to. As she flinched away from my words, as though struck, I wanted to do nothing more than run away. Maybe even plead for her to forget my words. She saved my life, yet I treated her so harshly. Who was I to judge her? Yet, even as those fears crept into my mind, I became aware of what could happen to her. An opponent that's far too strong, or the same strength, that is as skilled as her would kill her. She could be overwhelmed. She might die because of her way of fighting. All because I chose to stop at this moment. I owed her my life. If she hated me for this, but lived because she changed, then… it would be worth it. "No matter how strong someone is, if they fight this way, they'll die the moment they hit their limits. Wallenstein-san… please tell me that you don't fight this way."

There was no reply from Wallenstein. The silence that came was a terrifying one. One that I couldn't stand.

"Wallenstein-san, I know that you're strong. I know that we just met, that I have no place in talking to you like this, and that I could be completely wrong… that I could just not know as much about the sword as you do… " I rambled, spoke, and attempted to get Wallenstein to talk instead of staying silent. What if that silence meant the end? That there would never be words exchanged between the two of us again? An immense gap formed because of a single phrase. To go unacknowledged. To simply be forgotten. Ignored. I didn't want that. Being the target of her ire was better than that. Even if I was speaking out of turn, I didn't think I deserved being forgotten about and ignored. "But, this way of fighting is dangerous. Too dangerous. Fighting this way means that a single mistake means dying. Please." I was begging, pleading. There was no other way to describe how I spoke. Please. Say something. Anything. "Please tell me that you don't fight this way."

"…" I expected a reprimand. Even a few angered words. I was aware of the fact that I was a trespasser into Wallenstein's life. There was no reason for her to accept me, as the case had been for all the other Familias when I first reached Orario. Though I was stronger than I had been, I'm still nothing in comparison to her. Who was I to talk like this to her? I wasn't even part of her own Familia. Knowing all of that, thinking that way, and believing it… I wasn't prepared as she turned to me, tears glistening in her eyes, and with a small, sad smile on her face. "I'm sorry, but that would be a lie, Bell-kun." Turning away from me again, she shook her head. "I know how I fight is dangerous… but I can't stop. Not until I am strong. Not until I reach my dreams. My goal…. I'm so close. I can't. I'm sorry."

As those words left her mouth, the person before me was no longer an invincible, golden-haired swordswoman who saved my life. Not one of the most powerful adventurers in the entire word, capable of overturning entire countries, and who was dozens of times stronger than me. Instead, in her place, was someone I understood. Someone who wanted to become more powerful for some selfish, terrible reason. She was still strong, powerful, and so far away from my reach… but she was no longer the perfect entity who I met two months ago.

"I… I will teach you another method of fighting, Bell-kun. Something more suited for you. Something better." Aiz did not look at me as she spoke. It could have been because of any reason. She could've been angry, fearful, or worried about my reaction. I did not know which. But, steadfastly, she amended her plans to train me. Still keeping her word, even while doggedly persevering in her choice to risk her life. She could've ignored my words entirely. Never allowed them to reach her or put me in my place as a mere, friendly stranger. However, she did not. "And, Bell-kun, I believe I had spoken to you in regards to my name…"

"…" Though I was disappointed that she wasn't going to change, my fear was gone. She knew of her own weaknesses. It wasn't as I had feared. There was caution in her actions, and I took confidence in that. In that moment, I realized that I saw Aiz Wallenstein for the first time. "Hai, Aiz-san."

"I'm sorry." A slight, weak smile crossed her features as she apologized again. However, as she brushed aside the tears that didn't have a chance to spill, she spoke again. Grateful for the tiny amount of understanding I managed to convey. I knew then, that I was wrong in thinking that I was just a stranger to her. That Sensei had merely spoken up for me this morning for the sake of some sort of a joke. He was better than I was at knowing what went between people. He must have known, somehow, that both I and Aiz needed to speak like this. That I needed to see what he saw between the two of us. So that I could come to some sort of conclusion. "Thank you, Bell-kun."

Unsurprisingly, of course, and obviously… I fell in love again.

...


CREATORS' THOUGHTS
OmnipresenceBeing OmnipresenceBeing

Like it ? Add to library!

Like it ? Add to library!

Like it ? Add to library!

Like it ? Add to library!

Like it ? Add to library!

Like it ? Add to library!

Like it ? Add to library!

Like it ? Add to library!

Like it ? Add to library!

Like it ? Add to library!

Like it ? Add to library!

Load failed, please RETRY

Weekly Power Status

Rank -- Power Ranking
Stone -- Power stone

Batch unlock chapters

Table of Contents

Display Options

Background

Font

Size

Chapter comments

Write a review Reading Status: C43
Fail to post. Please try again
  • Writing Quality
  • Stability of Updates
  • Story Development
  • Character Design
  • World Background

The total score 0.0

Review posted successfully! Read more reviews
Vote with Power Stone
Rank NO.-- Power Ranking
Stone -- Power Stone
Report inappropriate content
error Tip

Report abuse

Paragraph comments

Login