Chapter 4

EP.4 Regression-4

"Are you okay?"

I didn't expect Ariasfil to suddenly appear from behind the tree. Did she see all the crazy things I did just now?

[Who said I was a troublemaker?]

"I get it, so shut up! A bit!!"

Is it because I'm a troublemaker? Why does this so-called sage have less empathy than a fingernail?!

"...Uh...? Sorry..."

When Leo suddenly shouted, she apologized. From Ariasfil's perspective, it must have looked like he asked if she was okay and then immediately told her to shut up.

"Ah, sorry. I wasn't talking to you."

"What...?"

"How's your body? Are you hurt?"

He asked as calmly as possible to hide his crazy actions.

"Uh, I'm fine."

Ariasfil's face was flushed, and her heartbeat could be heard even from her wrist.

Even though she spoke so strongly, she was just a 13-year-old kid.

'It's not surprising that she's shocked.'

Thinking this, Leo carefully put her down.

"Sorry, I was too focused on training."

"Training...? What do you mean...?"

Vaguely, she recalled his actions from earlier.

There was no need to recall; just looking around at the chaos was enough to understand the madness.

[Anyone would have thought you were crazy. That was.]

Because of whom, that old man

While Leo might have been overly excited, from his perspective, he had every reason to be furious.

Imagine if an old man's ghost suddenly superimposed itself on your face.

And not just the face, but a perfect replication of the intricate internal organs?

Even if you weren't eating, you'd still feel like throwing up.

'Even now... Ugh, especially the kidneys...'

At that time, he had just eaten stir-fried beans. Trying to supplement protein, he ended up vomiting everything.

"...I've never seen such an angry training method before."

Leo had never done it before either. He didn't want to do it again.

"That's... because there were circumstances. To maintain human dignity..."

[You don't have any dignity yourself.]

Should I really kill him? He's already dead.

"...Uh! Anyway, I really didn't mean to! I'm really sorry!"

To calm down the anger he felt towards the old man, Leo bowed to Ariasfil and apologized.

After all, she was the one who got hurt.

"...It's okay. I'm not hurt, and I came on my own."

"But... why did you come?"

There was still plenty of time before the sparring date. It had only been a day since they made the agreement, yet she came today.

"...That's... "

Ariasfil hesitated to answer.

After all...

'...Why did I come...?'

She herself didn't know the reason.

Drawn by the beating of her heart, she ended up here.

'...But...'

She couldn't say it outright.

If she did, he would definitely think she was strange.

"...I... I was curious about the unique training method you used..."

"...Training method? You mean that thing just now?!"

Leo recalled his earlier madness. Being interested in such crazy actions was a serious sign of mental health issues.

Ariasfil, thinking the same, shook her head rapidly.

"Not that! The mana training method!"

"Oh... You mean the mana conditioning technique?"

At the name, the sage's eyebrows twitched.

[Mana conditioning technique? You named it that?]

Leo minimized his mouth movements and answered in a low voice.

"The name is a bit lame, but it's good to have a name, even if it's rough."

[No, for something like that, it's not bad. I didn't teach you any conditioning techniques, though.]

"What are you mumbling to yourself?"

Even if he mumbled, the person right in front of him could hear.

Somehow, he needed to find a way. If he didn't, he would really look like a crazy person.

"...No, just. I talk to myself a lot."

"Is that so? That's unique."

Fortunately, she let it go.

"...I've never seen such a training method before. Our family doesn't have anything like that."

Did the sage's lips curl up at that? Was it just a feeling?

[Of course, you're a descendant of Ruben! You're different from some idiot I gave a chance to!]

It wasn't just a feeling. His lips were rising, almost vertically.

"Your character is a bit lacking, but you have a good teacher."

[No, that's not true.]

Ah, really not true. Not a little, but a lot.

"Is that so..."

Ariasfil, nodding, looked at the sword Leo was holding. Leo could easily tell what her gaze meant.

"Since you're here, do you want to train together?"

"...Train?"

At the word "train," Ariasfil's expressionless face lit up.

"...But I don't have a sword..."

"Then take this one."

When she said she didn't have a sword, Leo drew the sword from his other hip and offered it to her.

"It's cheap, but it's usable."

For a lady from a hero's family, who had only used famous blacksmiths' swords all her life, it might not be satisfactory, but to Leo, it was a decent weapon.

"...Thank you."

"What?"

It felt strange.

Leo hadn't heard many thanks while living as a member of her family. Probably, if you counted on all your fingers and toes, it would still be a small number.

"...Why?"

But it was rude to react that way when someone was thanking him.

"Ah... Nothing. I just thought I didn't hear it clearly."

Leo wiped the awkward expression off his face and lifted the sword.

"Then let's start."

"Uh, okay."

She also picked up the old sword and began to gather mana.

[...Who is this kid?]

The moment she started her training, the sage's jaw dropped.

"She's a genius. A real genius."

Ariasfil Linhardt, upon seeing Leo's training, immediately began to split mana particles in the same way.

No, not the same way.

'She's splitting the particles more finely than I am.'

At that level, it wasn't just splitting; it was grinding the particles. She could absorb mana sufficiently without even using the conditioning technique.

'...Wait...'

But when she started the conditioning, he felt a sense of dissonance.

"...What is it..."

[What? Why? Isn't she doing well?]

She was doing well.

"At the average person's level."

The talent of a genius, Ariasfil, doesn't end there.

It doesn't just stop at being "good."

'Remember, the first time we fought, it was the same.'

The first time they fought, he thought she might be weak because she was young. But watching her sword skills the second time, he could clearly see the problem.

"Wait, stop."

"...Why?"

"That's not it."

At this, Ariasfil tilted her head.

"...The particles are split well."

"Not that. I mean your sword skills."

Leo took her sword.

"Your sword skills are wrong."

At this criticism, Ariasfil's eyes sharpened. She was proud of her sword skills.

The knights of her family, her mentor Jihard, and even her father, the head of the family, had acknowledged her skills.

"What's wrong with them? I did what I was taught."

She was angry at the criticism of her sword skills.

"Who? That bodyguard knight?"

"Uh, Jihard taught me."

Despite his character, Jihard was a knight recognized by the Linhardt family. His skills and achievements were unmatched by those of other families' knights.

"Then that's the problem."

"...What?"

[...What?]

The sage and Ariasfil asked in the same tone and pitch.

"...That's the problem?"

"Uh, it's a problem."

To Leo, it was an obvious problem.

"...Why is it a problem?"

"Then, what do you and this Jihard guy have in common?"

At this question, Ariasfil hesitated to answer.

"Common... points?"

"Right, do you have any physical similarities?"

She didn't hesitate to answer.

'That's...'

There were none.

Jihard and Ariasfil were different in gender, build, height, flexibility, muscle mass, and even talent.

"None?"

"...Uh."

"Then what's the point of copying his sword skills exactly? They're completely different cases."

Copying a teacher's sword skills is a natural part of learning when you're a beginner.

'But that's only when you're just starting out.'

Once you're familiar with sword skills, you need to develop your own techniques and style. The more talented you are, the more important this becomes.

'But Ariasfil didn't do that.'

It wasn't because she lacked talent. On the contrary, it was the opposite.

'She's still inflexible.'

Ariasfil was too stubborn. She always prioritized rules and discipline.

So she always used what she learned as taught. She could develop higher than anyone else in the direction she was taught, but she couldn't adapt it to other directions.

[Her growth potential is insane, but her adaptability is lacking.]

It was a perfect summary.

'Before the regression, that idiot definitely got cut and then rose to greater heights.'

But there was no need to wait that long.

"Try this stance."

At this, Ariasfil took a stance with her sword.

"...Roughly..."

Leo began to move her legs lightly with one hand.

"Is this about right?"

"...?!"

The sudden contact made her face turn red. Her heartbeat quickened, and her face felt hot. But Leo, focused on her legs and body, didn't notice.

[Can you just touch her like that?]

<It's fine. I've studied her muscle and bone structure over the years of fighting.>

In this field, Leo was the best.

[That's not what I mean... It's a bit creepy in several ways.]

What do you want me to do? If this was to fulfill some ulterior motive, she would either swing her sword or slap him.

[Wait, how are you communicating without speaking?]

<Oh, I'm using aura.>

[What? Aura?]

<It helps with mana replenishment and core formation.>

While not perfect, he could emit this level of aura.

[Does that mean you can use telepathy? Aura doesn't have that function, does it?]

<It's not telepathy. I'm creating small sounds near the heart by vibrating the aura.>

He thought the sound would resonate through the sage's stone and be heard.

He was half-skeptical, but it actually worked.

[...Hey, if you're this good, what are the others? Losers? Scrap? Something like that?]

<Just look at the kid in front of you.>

Leo finished correcting her stance and let go of her hand.

"Now, try swinging the sword."

"...Uh?! Uh!"

Why is she so flustered? Is it because I touched her so much? But she's not the type to be bothered by such things.

Whoosh!

The flustered girl swung her sword.

A short, sharp sound.

A long, thick wind pressure followed the strike.

[Crazy...]

The trees in the forest swayed,

[What...]

The summer leaves fell like autumn leaves.

The scene was like the arrival and disappearance of a storm.

This is what a true genius looks like.

What I couldn't achieve in my lifetime

The true form of a genius.

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