Volume 2
Side Story 6
Repeated
Training, Repeated Defeat
Translator : PolterGlast
Sometime before Akira
and Saki headed for Kamotsu―.
"Se~i~i~i~!"
Asogi Genji's fierce
fighting spirit echoed through the deserted dojo.
Genji's shinai
mercilessly struck Akira's shoulders, which had been strengthened by his
fighting spirit.
"Gah!!"
Akira's knees were
about to drop vertically due to the intense pain, but before they could,
Genji's kick caught Akira in the stomach and sent his body flying against the
wall.
The cedar plank
flooring and walls, which could withstand the training of dozens of soldiers,
creaked as they bent under Genji's brute strength.
"Akira! No time
to sleep!"
The stiff leg struck
his thin, though well-trained, stomach.
Akira writhed in agony
from the intense pain, but was immediately hit with a merciless yell from
Genji.
"O, Ooou~!!"
He managed to readjust
his stance, while desperately trying to regain control over his wobbling legs.
This is because Akira
knew that if he made Genji wait for even a moment, a swift blow would strike
him, no matter whether he was knocked down or not.
"What's wrong!?
You are losing your mind!? If you're not willing to do this, just stay
down!"
"―!! I can still
do it!"
Genji's provocation
was like a warning signal, and Akira's eyes lit up.
In his mind, the cub
wolf bared its fangs and screamed incessantly.
Then he took a step
forward and swung his wooden sword.
Kihoin-style Spirit
Technique, Shoden―
"―Hatoosho!"
With his spirit power
raging, he swung his sword downward,
―Genji's shinai slashed upward as it slid through the
cutting edge of Akira's wooden sword that slammed downward.
The tip of the shinai
struck Akira in the jaw, making a small, eerie sound for the first time that
day in the hot afternoon dojo.
By the time Akira had
mastered six spirit techniques, he had reached a standard that would allow him
to engage in actual combat, and he was ready for combat training with Genji.
Of course, they could
not fight under the same conditions.
While Genji's weapon
was a shinai (bamboo sword), Akira was given a wooden sword, albeit of poor
quality, with an iron core embedded within it.
A shinai does not
possess spiritual power. In other words, it meant that Genji had restrained
himself so that he could not use spirit techniques.
Since there was a fear
of destroying the dojo, Akira was allowed to wield a weapon that could use
spirit techniques, and he faced Genji with the minimum condition that he would
not use [Aragamioroshi].
―And the result half a day later.
The sight of Akira
lying in the corner of the dojo, with wounds all over his body, clearly
indicated to everybody around him the disastrous outcome of the combat
training.
"All right, I
guess it's not so bad."
In contrast, Genji,
who had finished the training without allowing Akira to land a single blow,
muttered to himself as he adjusted the collar of his sweat-soaked dōgi.
Akira was dissatisfied
with the way he was kicked in the stomach by Genji in an effort to inspire his
fighting spirit, and only to be told that the fight he had desperately tried so
hard to resist ended up with one word, "so-so". Without the energy to
argue, Akira got up in a discouraged manner and went back to the center of the dojo.
"......Now, let's
review our training. First, why do you think you lost?"
"That's ......
because captain is stronger?"
"You fool. That's
not a reason at all. That's just an excuse for you to console yourself after
you lose. It is true that I am stronger than you, but why do you think that I
am stronger than you?"
"That's
............."
Certainly. Body size,
weight, strength, experience, tactics. There were many reasons why Genji was so
strong, but Akira didn't even think about the reason because he was satisfied
knowing that Genji was a guardian.
After looking at Akira
for a while, who had fallen into a maze of thoughts and had fallen silent,
Genji began giving his opinion.
"The reason for
your defeat itself is simple. You don't understand the essence of spirit
techniques. Just look back on it. During the match, were you able to deliver a
proper blow?"
"...... No."
Looking back, it was
true that before or during his attack, Genji would strike him with a
counterattack.
"The main reason
why spirit techniques are more advantageous in battle than other techniques is
because they are much faster to use than any other technique. It was said that
the reason why Onmyoji was discontinued 1,000 years ago was because of the
disadvantage in actual battle. It was revealed that spirit techniques can be
shot several times before Onmyouji could unleash their attacks.
The techniques used to
overcome this disadvantage were talisman techniques, but they tended to be
uniform in power and were not very powerful.
The only thing that is
useful for protectors is recovery talisman, but it is expensive. It is not
something that can be consumed casually."
Wiping his face with a
hand towel, he continued as though admonishing.
"But when it
comes to fighting against defiled beasts, the common tactic adopted by
protectors is to drive the targets to a single location and then burn them down
by concentrating firepower on them. The reason this tactic is adopted is that
it does not require significant skill to use."
What is needed for the
group's armed force is only a high level of uniformed skill.
However, since spirit
techniques depend on the ability of the spirit that inhabits the body, it is
very difficult to achieve uniformity.
Since the combat
skills of the protectors cannot be relied upon, the only hope they have is the
firepower generated by medium-ranked spirits or higher.
In other words, the
lack of ability of the protectors was being burdened on the soldiers.
Akira's fists clenched
as he learned the truth behind the situation, which he never really wanted to
know.
But even Genji did not
choose this kind of tactic because he wanted it.
Because the quality of
protectors depends solely on their spirits.
Their skill is not
taken into consideration at all. The garrison does not have leeway to question
their quality when assigning personnel the rank of protector and above, who are
so highly individualistic that it is difficult even to have a sufficient number
of them.
The most prominent
example is the deputy chief, Niikura Makoto.
Although he is a
guardian, Niikura has a high affinity for administrative work and is skilled in
negotiations with foreign countries. He has little time to devote to training
and his spirit techniques seem to lack sufficient proficiency.
Genji shook his head
and returned to the main topic.
"In any case, the
most important factor to pay attention to in a battle, apart from information,
is speed.
If you are fast, you
will not be hit, and you will be able to strike the most effective blow first.
―In this training, you keep using spirit techniques for
all your initial blows. That is the biggest reason why you lost."
"Are you saying
that I was too slow in executing the spirit techniques?"
"Wrong. It is
true that spirit techniques are fast enough to be comparable to incantations. However,
once the intention to exercise the technique is involved, the speed of
invocation will definitely be slower than that of sword technique.
......In short, the
moment you chose spirit techniques for your first blow, you were guaranteed to
lose in terms of the speed of your first blow."
That was the cause of
your defeat. Hearing this, Akira's expression of confusion grew stronger than
his understanding.
"........................
In other words, the reason why captain chose to use a shinai is-..."
So you noticed. Genji
grinned at Akira's bewilderment.
"That's right.
When it comes to fighting against people, a strike using a shinai is faster
than a spirit technique.
Those who have just
learned spirit techniques tend to be eager to use them.
The main purpose of
this training is to give such people a blow.
―Now you understand, right?
Spirit technique is
one of the most powerful and effective methods against defiled beasts. But in
the end, nothing is absolute.
Remember, the only person
you can rely on in the end is yourself."
Genji smiled broadly
and patted Akira's head, who looked bewildered.
"Captain! I'm
already 13!"
"To me, you're
still 13.
―Don't be so grumpy. I've indeed beaten you so badly,
so I'll let you go home early for the afternoon training. You can go home after
lunch."
Akira was beaming with
joy at the thought of being dismissed after lunch, even though his hair had
become messy due to being swept back in the opposite direction with Genji's
hand comb.
Genji couldn't help
but smile as he watched Akira happily leave the dojo, seemingly unaffected by
the wounds he had sustained in his body up until just now.
"―Thank you for
your hard work, oji-sama."
"Ojou? How long
have you been there?"
Genji noticed Saki,
who was supposed to be training outside, standing at the rear door of the dojo.
Since he had expected
her to be back by now, he was not that surprised. But Genji noticed that she
had grown stronger that he failed to notice her presence.
"Since Akira-kun
was kicked at the very beginning. And since I was able to outwit Oji-sama, I
wonder if my concealment technique has passed?"
"If you don't
specialize in it, that is. That being said, I'll let you leave for lunch as per
your wish, is this okay?"
"Yes. Thank you
for your consideration, oji-sama."
With a ladylike smile,
Saki turned her body around. Genji watched over Saki, who disappeared out of
the dojo following after Akira's back.
Acknowledging her
steady growth as a woman, which he had rarely seen since she was appointed as a
guardian, Genji couldn't hide his deep sense of nostalgia and joy.
On the way back to his
tenement after lunch, Akira was unusually not alone.
On the long pathway
between rice fields, the shadows of three people coiled thickly around their
feet under the scorching sun without a cloud in the sky.
"―Thank you,
Saki-ojousama."
"Thank
Setsuko-san, not me. It was not me who noticed it, and she's the one who
prepared it."
"Hohoho. The food
that the gentlemen eat is merely a part of ladies' learning process after all.
―Vegetables are short-lived, so if you have enough
dried foods, you should be able to keep it for a few days."
Akira could not hide
his excitement when he felt the weight of the cloth bag in his arms.
The bag was filled
with dried boiled rice, which would last for at least a week if he saved it.
For Akira, who was
still receiving his salary even though he had become a protector, the food
provided by Saki was truly a blessing in disguise.
Since the amount of
food was too large for him to carry alone, he had to ask for help from Saki and
Setsuko Shibata, who helped the Wando family, but even so, he felt comfortable
relying on them even for the trouble.
When Akira arrived at
the tenement house in a buoyant mood, he found that Haru, as usual, had set up
a stall in front of the gate of the tenement house.
She must have heard
Akira's footsteps, as she turned her blind eyes on him, which should have
caught only a dim light.
"―Grams, I'm
home."
"Welcome home,
Akira-boy. You are back early today."
"Just in case.
What vegetables do you have?"
"Sweet red pepper
and eggplant. How about some for miso soup?"
Akira fiddled with the
pile of vegetables in the bamboo basket at his side and grabbed a few large
ones from the bottom.
The scent of the
morning's harvest emphasized their freshness.
"How much?"
"Fifteen yen.
...... How unusual to find Akira-boy with companions. Looks like it's going to
rain tomorrow."
After dexterously
counting the 15 coins handed to her with her fingertips, the old woman turned
her head toward Saki, who was standing next to Akira.
As though to protect
Saki from her blind but sharp gaze, Setsuko Shibata stepped forward.
"What a rude way
of speaking. This is Saki-sama, the princess of Rindo.
May I assume that you
are this tenement's landlord?"
"Indeed I am.
It's been a long time since my legs and eyes rendered disabled of their proper
function, and I hope you will forgive this old woman's disgraceful
appearance."
Hya~hyah. The old
woman laughed with her throat rasped and took a puff of her long smoking pipe.
Setsuko was irritated
by her manner, but she silently backed away when Saki stopped her.
The presence of a lady
of the nobility in such a remote place is a situation that would not normally
occur.
The old woman's
blatant provocation was a sign of caution. Although she would normally be
punished for it, Saki took into consideration that she and Satsuki were the
foreign ones in this matter and should be aware of the situation.
"......Don't
worry, we have no intention of disturbing you.
Akira-kun, let's put
the luggage in. Where is your room?"
"Y-Yes, it's the
second one from the back."
"Hoho. Please
wait here, Ojou-sama.
―I don't think it's appropriate to peek into a
gentleman's room so casually."
The conversation rang
an unsettling alarm, but for Akira, the food was more important than the
conversation.
Without thinking too
deeply about it, Akira followed Setsuko's urging and stood in front as the
guide.
".......You don't
have to be so cautious.
We have no intention
of doing anything to this tenement."
"This tenement
will fall apart as soon as you blow on it, and I know a young lady such as
yourself would never think of doing anything like that.
......However, to us,
the lady of the eight families is like a tiger that we ants look up to.
We have no choice but
to submit to being crushed if you were to make a move.
―I hope you understand that."
*Thump*. She taps the
neck of her long smoking pipe against the back of her hand and drops the stub
of her tobacco to the ground.
As Saki glanced toward
the back of the tenement, she heard a few rattling noises from the window
frames, which had only been propped up with a stick, as if they were afraid of
offending the tenement lord.
"......Yes, we
understand Madam's concern.
We don't stay long and
we don't come often, so please be sure to tell that to the residents as
well."
"......Looks like
you really have no interest in the tenement. Are you perhaps here for
Akira-boy?
What do you intend to
do with that boy? He's been through a lot before I picked him up. So I don't
want him to be treated like a plaything for the nobility now."
"I know that
Akira-kun had suffered a lot.
I've been assigned to
be his mentor, so I thought I'd take a look at his daily life."
"...... Well,
alright then.
This is an old
tenement house with nothing to hide, and I'm sure nothing will attract your
interest, so take your time and look around."
Fuh~. She breathed out
in a bored manner and filled her long smoking pipe with new tobacco.
The way she lit up the
pipe by rubbing the phosphorus was so refined and elegant.
"―Saki-sama,
sorry to keep you waiting."
Setsuko's voice breaks
the silence.
When they turned
around, Akira and Setsuko were standing in front of the tenement house before
they knew it.
Saki's eyes sunk
slightly without Akira noticing.
―Because Setsuko's expression was somewhat tense.
She tried her best to
keep her emotions from coming to the surface and raised her voice cheerfully.
"Setsuko-san,
good work.
―Akira-kun, if there is anything you need, please don't
hesitate to tell me."
"Yes,
Saki-Ojousama. Thank you very much for today."
His cheerful tone of
reply expressed nothing but gratitude to Saki.
Realizing this, Saki
felt guilty somewhere inside.
―Without mentioning anything about it, Saki responded
with a smile.
"So, Akira-boy.
What was their purpose in visiting our tenement?"
"It's for Food. I
told you I've become a protector, remember? They gave me food because they
thought my savings would run out before I received my salary.
They said they were
re-stocking the warehouse, so they gave me a lot of dried boiled rice for free.
Today I'm going to
make zosui nabe (rice porridge) with
fried miso. Would you like some as well, grams?"
"......Sure, it's
a good time. I'll have a cup of sake with you."
As Akira watched them
calmly walk away, she asked him a short question.
The reply was also a
simple one with a simple reason.
In a corner of her
mind, she wondered if her fears were unfounded, but she knew in her bones that
such simple good intentions did not exist among members of the nobility.
There must be some
kind of motive behind it, but she couldn't figure out what it was.
―But, well, it is not malicious.
It was hardly an
effort for them to crush the commoners. Then at least it would not be
malicious.
She muttered to
herself and consoled herself over the alarm bells that kept ringing.
――――――――――――――――
"―So, Setsuko-san.
Did you find something?"
"Yes, I saw a few
interesting things."
Saki's pace was a
little brisk as she hurried along the footpath between rice fields where the
summer insects were buzzing.
The real reason for
giving Akira a little extra food was to actually see the location and interior
of the room where he lived.
It would have been
better if Saki were able to take a peek as well, but Shibata Setsuko's vehement
opposition prevented that from happening.
However, Setsuko also
has a background as a shrine maiden before settling down as the Rindo family's
maid.
It was unclear whether
what they did would bear fruit or not, but it seemed that they struck a lucky
die.
"Ojou-sama, you
said that Akira-san could only make recovery talisman, right?"
She was silent for a
moment and then nodded.
The only thing that
Akira stocked for the garrison were recovery talismans, and nothing else.
If he can also write
offensive-type talisman, he should just sell that as well.
There should be no
reason to hide it.
But Setsuko shook her
head lightly.
"That must be a
lie.
What caught my
attention was the taiji diagram and the fairly authentic feng shui board.
Although it was still
in the process of being constructed, it also had precise feng shui calculations
that required a lot of skill.
The dragon veins were
also drawn in without any apparent incongruity, and Akira-kun's room is a very
high-quality Yin-Yang room in terms of feng shui alone."
To reinforce the five
elements, which are the vessels of the talisman, it is necessary to draw in
tributaries from the dragon vein, which is done with feng shui calculations and
a taiji diagram.
However, the simplest
talisman, the recovery talisman, has no distinction between the five elements
and does not need to draw in the dragon vein to reinforce the five elements.
The need for the Five
Elements should only come from talismans with higher levels of difficulty such
as offensive-type talismans and above.
"...... Are you
saying that Akira-kun can also write offensive-type talisman?"
If so, why would he
need to lie?
If he could write
offensive-type talisman, he would only have to supply it to the garrison.
Offensive-type
talismans that allow even commoners to use magic could easily be used for
crimes.
The possibility that
Akira might be involved in criminal activities became more and more intense,
and Saki's head ached.
However, Setsuko shook
her head more seriously.
"Near the wall at
the back of the room, I saw a bamboo tube filled with akamizu.
Like spirit vessels,
there are grades depending on the spiritual power contained in it.
There are two types of
Kumihimo that I was able to identify: the lowest grade, dark grey, and the
highest grade, purple. I could understand using dark grey in the recovery
talisman, but using purple wouldn't make sense.
―The only thing that requires the use of this is a
high-grade barrier-type or regeneration talisman."
"............What
did you say!?"
Saki stood dumbfounded
under the blazing sun due to the serious tone in Setsuko's words.
――――――――――――――――
TIPS: About Feng Shui
calculations.
A very troublesome
...... and advanced calculation.
The basic usage of
this calculation is mainly for divination to observe the land's phases,
structures, etc.
In Akira's case, it
was used to draw in tributaries from the dragon vein.
He was trying to
calculate the location of the vital points of the dragon vein.
The reason why he was
doing this was because the quality of the blessing that resides in him had
changed, and he could no longer create talismans based on the dragon veins he
had used up until now.
Although he wondered
why, he redid feng shui calculations to match his current circumstances.
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