Ex Strongest Swordsman 12 is out!
TLN:
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A year and a month had quickly pa.s.sed by since he took lessons from Camilla.
Recently, the lessons also covered various disciples, but since the contents were as easy to understand as always, there were no particular difficulties for him.
A while ago, Soma finally came to learn about magic, and there was a lot more coming.
He heard about magic yesterday as well, and he proactively asked questions over and over again.
“Well, as always, there is no indication that I can use magic.” (Soma)
“…You can’t do it, huh?” (Aina)
Immediately after, Soma indifferently waved his arms, while shrugging his shoulders at Aina, who was sighing in amazement.
The arms were raised up and dropped down… while adding the foot-stepping, he was matching the image created before him.
This didn’t happen in only several years, it had been repeated for decades.
He was talking without stopping his movement, and he continued doing it without worrying about it.
“Although it is certainly hopeless, I also don’t think that it is easy to use magic from the beginning. As usual, I am a person who already expected this.” (Soma)
“Within your expectations… Say, although you understand this much, you keep doing something that has no outcome… I wonder why are you doing this? Is there any meaning to keep going for it?” (Aina)
“…I don’t think so? There is no meaning to continue this, you know? At least, I don’t think that there is any meaning here.” (Soma)
“…Eh?” (Aina)
Soma heard a mutter of amazement, but he kept on going without even turning his eyes.
Swinging down with his arms and stepping with his foot—
“It’s just that… you must consider that the things you are doing now have meaning, and that’s why you are doing this every day, correct?” (Aina)
“Hmmm, I’m not sure why I am doing this, but… you’re not asking the meaning of the things that I am doing right now, right?” (Soma)
In the first place, what Soma was doing everyday was not training.
There was no meaning, and he basically didn’t hope that there was a meaning.
Soma kept doing it as a daily routine because it was simply a daily routine.
He had been doing this for several decades, and if he didn’t do it, he would reach to a point that he wouldn’t feel good. Therefore, for Soma, it was a custom.
He did similar things when he had reincarnated.
That meant, he didn’t do it because there was a reason, he actually continued doing it because there was no reason not to do it.
Therefore, this was a daily routine for Soma.
“…He-hey. There is something I want to ask you, is it alright?” (Aina)
“If I can answer it, sure.” (Soma)
“Ye-yeah… well, let me ask you a question. Don’t you think that it is meaningless to do or to overdo something that doesn’t produce any results?” (Aina)
“I’m not sure why you said it, but… hmm, yeah, I don’t know why. I think that I can only say that there is a meaning if there is a result here.” (Soma)
For example, he was proud about himself for working hard in order to reach the top of swordsmanship in his previous life.
However, he thought that there was a meaning when it was in his previous life, and he was able to reach the top because of that.
For argument’s sake, if he didn’t achieve anything, Soma would say that this had no meaning, and that was why he declined to say anything.
Whether there was a meaning or not, he would only say it if there was a result in this life.
“Ooh, alright. If that’s the case, what you are doing now is—…” (Aina)
“However, as to whether there is no merit to do it, that is another story.” (Soma)
“…Eh?” (Aina)
“What’s with that strange looking dance? The meaning is determined by the result, but the merit is determined by the individual. Even if there is no meaning, if you think that there is some merit, it will be worth doing it.” (Soma)
“…Well, even though you think that it might end with no meaning, the reason you continue studying magic is because of that?” (Aina)
“Hmmm, maybe it is like that… No. It is probably different.” (Soma)
“What do you mean?” (Aina)
“It’s just that I don’t think it will end up with no meaning.” (Soma)
To put it simply, he was doing it on the basis that there was a possibility.
Nevertheless, Soma wasn’t giving up.
“…Even if the possibility to be materialized is really small?” (Aina)
“If the possibility is not zero, it is still good enough, right? Although this argument is a bit extreme, I am satisfied as long as I can use magic before I die.” (Soma)
“…What is that? Are you a fool?” (Aina)
“If I am not a fool, I think that I would not do such a thing from the beginning.” (Soma)
“…That is true.” (Aina)
The voice heard didn’t make a fool of him. Rather, it was filled with warmth and consent.
Her intention was… well, it wasn’t necessary to know it.
“If I had to say, then… you are right. This daily routine is something closer to that.” (Soma)
“Daily routine?” (Aina)
“Hmmm. Although I don’t believe that there is a meaning to this, I think that it is worthwhile.” (Soma)
“You have said that there is no meaning to that, but what kind of merit is there?” (Aina)
“You see, by continuing this daily routine just like this, it is possible to deepen my relationship with Aina.” (Soma)
“—Wha!?” (Aina)
Yeah, although it was a daily routine that had been done for a long time, the content was not similar all the time.
Certainly, after being reincarnated, while waving a sword in this way for the past year or so, he also spoke with Aina, and it was a part of the daily routine.
Well, from the day they met again, Soma went through his daily routine every time he saw her, and they started to exchange words, little by little. Although it was only that, it could be said that the daily routine was splendid, so it wasn’t wrong for him to say it like earlier.
However, although they were talking, it was basically idle chat. Furthermore, most of it was about what Soma had done the day before.
He was in a situation where the only thing he knew about Aina was her name… but like what happened earlier, Aina was opening her heart for a bit.
If it was like this, this daily routine was sufficiently worth it for Soma.
“Wha-what are you talking about…!? Are you a fool!?” (Aina)
“Hmm, so it is confirmed earlier that I am a fool, huh?” (Soma)
“Tha-that’s not what I meant…!” (Aina)
Soma’s mouth naturally loosened at that fl.u.s.tered and irritated voice.
It didn’t mean that he was proud. It was just that he was finally able to come to know her better.
Especially for the past year, he felt that there was a strange wall between them.
“Hmmm, for her to be able to show such an appearance, I guess she finally opened her eyes and started to trust me?” (Soma)
And she unconsciously did that…
However, that was an indication that her heart was starting to accept him.
“…You, did you notice…?” (Aina)
“Well, even if we talked a lot, we didn’t get along very well. I understood that while wondering why you had been wary of me.” (Soma)
“What do you mean… rather, what are you thinking and talking to me, who is suspicious? In that case, shouldn’t you be more cautious?” (Aina)
“Hmm? Aah, maybe, that can also be the cause of cautiousness?” (Soma)
Indeed, if she had an awareness that she looked suspicious, it might seem strange to go to the other party without being cautious.
And Soma admitted that whatever he thought about it, it was to confirm that ‘wall’.
“In other words, I would be alarmed if you came sooner? Whether you like it or not, it’s not necessary for me to feel that…” (Soma)
“Why it is not necessary for you to stay cautious? Even though I say it myself, don’t you think that I am obviously suspicious? That happened when I came to help you in a forest where people shouldn’t come. Well, is that not similar to me telling you that I am suspicious?” (Aina)
“That’s is not something you should say about yourself, you know?” (Soma)
“You should be, more or less, cautious!” (Aina)
“A really suspicious person says such a thing about herself… In the first place, you are right.” (Soma)
To say it in general, Soma was also doubtful when he fell in the forest where people should not come.
At that time, Soma had no right to doubt the other side.
In addition, a suspicious person wouldn’t help a person who fell down.
“…That’s not necessarily the case, right? Isn’t it normally possible that I was trying to gain your trust by helping you?” (Aina)
“You didn’t come to help me, but you came to gain favor. It is easy to discern the difference.” (Soma)
That was true.
For swordsmen, one of the most important things was an eye that accurately discerned everything, and it was similar to swordsmanship.
Although he didn’t plan to go towards that aim again, once he already trained with that ability, it wasn’t easy to disappear.
It was easy for Soma to determine up to that extent.
“And then…?” (Aina)
“Hmm? What do you mean by ‘and then’?” (Soma)
“…Aren’t you waiting for me to relax my wariness?… Well, yeah. Or you wouldn’t talk with such a suspicious person every day.” (Aina)
“No, I didn’t feel doubtful in particular, but… well, I won’t deny that there is a purpose.” (Soma)
“…Right. Well, anyway—” (Aina)
“Hmmm. Well, I was concerned about what kind of problems you had. Only that much.” (Soma)
“…Eh?” (Aina)
“Hmm? Is something wrong?” (Soma)
“Problems… why?” (Aina)
“Whatever you want to say, it is fine…” (Soma)
Everyone had one or two problems… so when making jokes or something like that, when someone was observed, it was easy to grasp.
There were times when she occasionally showed a depressed face when listening to Soma’s story. More than anything, he was expressively doing such daily routines for that purpose.
It wasn’t difficult to think that there was a purpose.
“There were times when I really thought that you might’ve been scheming something in the earlier days, but I knew that there would be a change of pace soon.” (Soma)
“Ye-yeah… and? …If you know my problems, what would you do about it? …Are you trying to threaten me?” (Aina)
“Are you going to have that kind of thinking on the day after tomorrow?” (Soma)
When he stopped moving his arms and legs that he had kept moving all the time, he took a breath.
There were times where this kind of situation would happen when the daily routine was over. It wasn’t something he could do with one hand because he had something he wanted to properly say.
“Didn’t I say it in the beginning? If something happens, I will help you. The reason why I wanted to know about your problems was probably because the time was right. And that was the only thing I had in mind.” (Soma)
Yes, to make it simple and clear, Soma wanted to know the girl’s problems because of that reason.
He just wanted to help her with her problems.
“…What is that?” (Aina)
When Aina muttered that, she had various expressions on her face.
It was difficult to express it in one word, when various things became a mess, but… if he dared to say it, it was probably close to a smile in tears.
“…Well, yes. It is certainly true that the wariness towards you has significantly disappeared, and it is also true that there is trouble. Besides, it is only my side listening to your story.” (Aina)
“Hmm, then, it is unfair if you do not tell me about you soon.” (Soma)
“…You’re right.” (Aina)
As Aina said that, she relax her mouth and exhaled a breath.
And…
“Actually, I am known as a failure by everyone.” (Aina)
She started talking about her problems.