Ever since meeting Tiara-san, I’ve been training with her every single day without fail.
That’s not to say she teaches me directly all the time. The pattern is: I finish the assignment she gives me before we part ways the previous day by the next evening—and then I’m nearly killed as a finale to the day. It’s a continuous cycle.
This way, I can learn her teachings without wasting her remaining time.
The near-death experiences I endure have become more brutal with each passing day.
It’s only natural to gradually increase the load as part of training, but honestly, some of it makes me question my sanity.
They’ll throw me into the labyrinth when I’m so exhausted I can’t even move a finger, or sink me into a lake with dozens of bleeding wounds, or stab me without warning while I’m walking through town—these diverse tortures are steadily eroding my sanity.
Tiara-san says, “I’m good at going easy on people, so you’ll be fine, fine,” but that also implies she’s good at torturing people to the point where they’re *just* about to die.
If I weren’t accustomed to being on the brink of death, I would have genuinely died several times.
I want to believe it’s my misunderstanding, but sometimes, when she sees me struggling desperately to survive, she’ll greet me with a full smile.
I remembered Christ, and it occurred to me that this might just be her hobby—
“—Ah, it appeared in my Skill display.”
Tiara-san looked up at the sky and said this the final time I recovered from the brink of death. We were training in the suburban grasslands where we first met that day.
Tiara-sama, a legendary saint, possesses the skill “Divine Eye” as per lore, able to extract all information about anything. It’s like an enhanced version of the Status confirmation priests use, and through it, she seemingly saw a new addition to my skills.
While observing my wounds heal with recovery magic, I asked for the details.
“It’s… finally here… If I hadn’t shown any growth soon, my body would have started fighting back on its own… So, what kind of skill is it for me…?”
“…Ah, crap.”
“Hey.”
Tiara-san, who had been staring intently at the sky, suddenly turned her face away. As if she had seen something she shouldn’t have.
“Well, I had a skill growing called ‘Sensitivity’ with a skill value below 1.00… and it’s now remarkably transformed into a different skill! After all, just pushing someone to the limit, you can’t reach the secret techniques of the Aleis family—even a saint like me couldn’t figure this out. The skill suddenly flips, you know. Can’t be helped, right!”
“W-what…!? You destroyed the skill that Mr. Rowen left behind…!?”
“But, but! That skill is the type that a genius learns, so I think you wouldn’t have been able to learn it anyway, Rainer-chan! Yes, yes, you wouldn’t have been able to learn it anyway! Don’t worry, don’t worry!”
“Of course, I’m worried!! That was a skill I admired!”
I had always wished to have the same skills as Christ and the others if possible, but judging by her words, it seems I’ll never obtain “Sensitivity.”
“I-I’m so sorry… By the way, the new skill is called ‘Evil Sense.’ Uh, let me see… it’s a skill specialized in sensing danger to oneself, right? It’s pretty similar to the skill ‘Sensitivity’, so don’t be mad~”
The new skill is apparently “Evil Sense.” Frankly, the name itself sounds ominous.
Since it’s a skill I’ve acquired, I can vaguely sense its effects. Through repeated near-death experiences, I’ve become accustomed to the moments before death. Thanks to that experience, it’s become easier to deduce why I’m falling into those situations and what the best course of action is in those dying moments—in simple terms, it’s a skill for struggling to survive.
“Haa… No, thank you, Tiara-san. I think this is also a good skill.”
When I think about it calmly, aspiring to possess the same skills as those two prodigies in swordsmanship was incredibly presumptuous. It’s more appropriate to thank Tiara-san for granting me new power.
“It’s definitely a good skill. This skill is also related to the ‘unseen numerical values,’ you know.”
“Ah… By mastering this, that has also grown…?”
“Yes. In fact, that was my main focus. Right now, Rainer, your ‘sixth sense’ and ‘intuition’—in other words, your ‘gut feeling’—should be considerably sharper. How about we have a sparring match one more time?”
Saying that, Tiara-san assumed a stance with her bare hands, just like on the first day. In response, as her disciple and a knight, I bowed deeply. The master and disciple, facing each other in the grasslands, exchanged greetings.
“…Please treat me well.”
“Un. Come at me from anywhere.”
With those words, I charged. Unlike our first spar, this time I crouched low, running close to the ground. Keeping my body low, I aimed for Tiara-san’s jaw with “Sylph Ruf Bringer,” still in its sheath.
Tiara-san’s eyes couldn’t keep up with my movements, which were now far from careless like on the first day. I was certain the sheath would strike her jaw—but then, I felt a black, cloudy sense of unease behind my head. The “unpleasant weight of things going wrong” that I experience in daily life bore down on my body.
I hastily abandoned the upward slash. At the same time, I saw Tiara-san execute a superb evasion, despite her face being turned in a completely different direction.
“—!”
Did I anticipate her evasion in advance…?
While surprised by this phenomenon, I moved on to the next attack. I aimed a horizontal slash at Tiara-san’s abdomen. This time, I felt nothing. With confidence, I swung my sword. Tiara-san easily evaded it. And as she dodged, she reached out to my arm. I wasn’t so naive as to be outmatched by a bare-handed opponent. However, Tiara-san wasn’t so dull as to let my sword hit her easily either.
Neither of us landing effective blows, we exchanged dozens of attacks alternately. During this exchange, the “unpleasant weight” I felt earlier descended again, from behind my head to my back. This time, it was significant.
However, even though I could sense it, I didn’t know how to process that information. Just as I sensed, Tiara-san succeeded in a narrow evasion, and I was tripped by the opening she created. I fell ungracefully, and once again, Tiara-san’s fist, stopping just short of contact, appeared before my eyes.
“Guh, I lost again… Even though I lost, is it a little different from before…? Just a little bit… What is this…?”
Despite the defeat, there was “something” I felt that I had never experienced in my life until today. If that baseless “something” were the “unseen numerical values,” then Tiara-san’s words up to now would be true. I had been slightly skeptical of her vague stories, but I now definitively felt my senses sharpening. There were times when I could anticipate Tiara-san’s evasive maneuvers thanks to this baseless “gut feeling.” But what was the principle behind it…? It was such a strange phenomenon. It had a magical effect without consuming any magic power.
Did Christ and Mr. Rowen also feel this sensation…? No, I feel it’s different from them. Unlike them, who possessed a genius-like sense for hitting the mark, my attacks haven’t connected at all. What came to mind were images of my attacks failing. I couldn’t conjure any image of success. Perhaps it was the opposite. A skill opposed to “Sensitivity.” Was this a skill for reading failure rather than success—?
As I pondered these questions alone, Tiara-san read them from my expression, and began her explanation in her own way, while I was still lying on the ground.
“Whoa, your fighting style is so distorted… Something strange is happening. Perhaps you can only sense your own ‘failures’?”
“Ah, ah… I’ve become strangely good at knowing what *not* to do. But I have no intuition on what *to* do…”
“There’s no other way to describe it but your personality. Rainer-chan, with your tendency to be self-deprecating, you’ve specialized in sensing ‘failures.’ No wonder you would acquire a rare skill like ‘Evil Sense.’ Ah, I was intending to teach you skills like ‘Sharp Sense’ or ‘Intuition’ that I also possess, but it’s turned out really strange…”
“No, it’s still definitely helpful. But what’s the principle behind this…? Honestly, this sudden surge of incomprehensible sensation feels unpleasant.”
“Well, near-death—meaning, Rainer-chan, by touching your own life many times, your soul has become more sensitive. If the soul’s sensitivity in producing magic power sharpens, then naturally, the ability to read the flow of magic power also sharpens—or so I’ve heard.”
“Death sharpens the soul’s sensitivity…?”
My brow furrowed at Tiara-san’s unique theory. Academy teachers would likely dismiss it as absurd. Church priests would shake their heads in disbelief.
“Yes. That’s what’s happening. Unlike geniuses who were naturally sensitive from the start, you had to go this far to reach the same level.”
However, the saint standing here believed in that theory. Even though she seemed to admit it was a bit strange, she insisted it was the case.
“Ah, by the way, this sensation will disappear within a few months if you stop experiencing near-death. Based on my experience, it’s certain.”
“Huh? So it’s a skill that disappears if I’m not regularly on the verge of death?”
“That’s why you need to constantly be in a battle environment… But I’m sure Rainer-chan will be fine.”
I had to agree. As long as I was with Christ, I would undoubtedly be fighting opponents stronger than me and repeatedly face death. And no matter how dangerous the situation, I would never leave him. It’s what I would continuously desire. The skill “Evil Sense” would likely be a unique power belonging to me, something even Christ’s companions don’t possess. I felt a slight sense of superiority and curved my lips upward. Seeing this, Tiara-san smiled with satisfaction and urged me to continue.
“You seem to like it. That’s good. …Now then, let’s try again with that skill in mind. Oh, and this time I want to use various techniques, so lend me your sword. I should polish your ‘Swordsmanship’ as well.”
“You’ll even look at my ‘Swordsmanship’? In that case, here’s my beautiful sword—”
As the skill I desired was mentioned, I immediately tried to hand over the most magnificent of the swords I wore at my waist, the “Twin Swords of the Helvirshine family.” I simply thought it would be fitting for a saint, but she interrupted me and pointed to the magic sword I was currently using.
“No, please use ‘Ruf Bringer’ because you’re used to it. Though it seems to be ‘Sylph Ruf Bringer’ right now.”
Since I had no reason to refuse, I handed over “Sylph Ruf Bringer” and asked,
“Used to it…? Ah, come to think of it, Mr. Rowen mentioned this was a relic of a saint.”
“Even so, I’m quite a decent ‘Divine Metal Blacksmith.’ In fact, this sword was made by my own hands.”
“Is that so? Ah… I’m sorry. For modifying it without your permission…”
“I don’t mind. Even as a relic, it’s one of over a thousand works. Rather, this modification is a fine job, I’m quite impressed. It was originally a sword that only resonated with its owner, but now it’s completely a magic sword for Rainer.”
“Whether you know this or not… Reinand Volz, one of the northern generals from a thousand years ago, did it for me.”
“That person? That means you met him in the labyrinth. The twists and turns of life are truly strange… To think that this would happen a thousand years later…”
Tiara-san gazed at the sword with deep emotion. She had the same look in her eyes as Mr. Rowen. That sword surely carried a nostalgia only those who lived a thousand years ago could understand. Being summoned to a world a millennium into the future and finding a trace of her former life there—that was a feeling I would likely never comprehend in my lifetime.
“Alright, enough reminiscing! The present is more important than the past! Now, let’s resume training! Quite a few days have passed, so time is precious, you know!”
Noticing me staring intently, Tiara-san snapped back to reality and immediately drew her sword from “Sylph Ruf Bringer,” assuming a stance.
“Ah, please give me one more round.”
To reciprocate Tiara-san’s feelings of cherishing our time for my sake as I live in the present, I suppressed my desire to ask about her relationship with Reinand-san and drew the “Helvirshine family’s Twin Swords,” then charged. The distance closed immediately, and our swords crossed. Tiara-san, avoiding a sword lock, pulled back her struck sword. As expected, she wielded a high-rank “Swordsmanship” and used technique to refuse a battle of strength. Unlike the earlier bare-handed versus sheath exchange, the fight didn’t end quickly. I continued to attack with speed and power, while Tiara-san skillfully parried them with her preternatural intuition. It felt like Tiara-san was intentionally prolonging the sword fight. The implication was that I should try using my new skill effectively during this time. I honed my nerves. Tiara-san had previously referred to it as “soul’s sensitivity.” If so, by feeling death close at hand, I could more deeply perceive the soul dwelling in the depths of this body, and—
“Hey, hey, Rainer-chan~ Do you have a girl you like~?”
Tiara-san disrupted my concentration. She was smiling slyly as she swung her sword.
“………”
Do I? If I had to say, it would be about that person. Ah, my concentration wavered slightly. The soul’s sensation is more important. Concentrate on death—on the tip of the enemy’s sword, and sharpen the senses further—
“W-well…? The first person you thought of was… your sister? I’m a little worried about your future. Judging by those from a thousand years ago who were similar, it won’t end well…?”
“H-Hey! Stop using that mind-reading skill!!”
I swung my sword wildly and shouted in a bit of a panic. I had suspected she was strange since we met, but now I was sure! She was reading my inner thoughts!
“You found out? But I won’t stop. I told you we’d be fighting using skills from now on, didn’t I?”
“That’s not what I mean! Stop with skills unrelated to combat!”
“This is also a valid tactic. If you let yourself be flustered by this level of attack, mastering ‘Evil Sense’ in practice would be a pipe dream~”
Tactics. In other words, provocation. If she put it that way, further objection would just be unsightly. Reluctantly, I calmed myself and refocused on my sword.
“That’s right, this is provocation. Even if you have a good skill, it’s a waste if you can’t use it due to fluster. First, I’ll get you used to verbal abuse. Fufufu~”
Tiara-san, with a face reminiscent of Palinkron, was determined to fight with words. It’s highly likely this isn’t Tiara-san’s usual fighting style. I’ve never heard of such a thing in legends from a thousand years ago, and it’s unlike her. When she said “I’ll give you training” before we began, it meant she’s preparing me for the typical strengths of the enemies I’ll face in the future. Therefore, what I need to do now is maintain my composure without being swayed by the enemy’s words.
“These past few days, I’ve taken a peek into your private life, and Rainer-chan, you’re really a siscon, aren’t you?”
No matter what slander I receive, I must swing my sword without wavering. Rather, I should maintain my composure and mock the enemy’s “provocation.”
“Of the many cute girls out there, how about my daughter~?”
Amidst the clashing of swords, I let out a light sigh and replied. Mocking her, I provoked her back.
“Hah. That’s a no. The biggest no.”
“W-Wha—? What’s wrong with my daughter!?”
“Honestly, everything.”
“Ev-everything…? No, that’s not true. She has good points, right? Like her face…”
“Conversely, doesn’t that woman only have her face as a good point?”
If this angers her even a little, there might be an opening in our sword fight…
“Guh, the fact that I can’t deny it is frustrating… I was told the same thing a long time ago. That’s right, that’s all we are. In the end, we’re just for ornamental purposes…”
For some reason, she genuinely agreed and became genuinely dejected. Like Rustiara, her self-evaluation is strangely low. Is this a matter of bloodline? However, the sword fight didn’t have any significant lull. Her quick recovery was also similar, and Tiara-san’s expression brightened, continuing the conversation and the combat.
“So, how about other girls close to you—Ragune-chan or Sera-chan? Are they fond of you, Rainer-chan?”
“…Are we still continuing this conversation?”
“We are.”
She answered immediately. I thought I had proven that I wouldn’t be flustered by words, but she’s unusually persistent. Come to think of it, I heard from Mr. Hein. Rustiara enjoyed chit-chatting, and was particularly fond of romance stories. …Perhaps Tiara-san just wants to chat. Since she has a short lifespan, she might be saving time and just making small talk during training.
“……………”
I’ll consider this mental training. It’s true that the “Thieves of Principles” I might face in the future tend to be chatty. If I can’t do other things while fighting, like Tiara-san and Christ, I won’t be able to keep up in future battles. Parallel to the combat, I answer her questions.
“I only have the impression that both were colleagues in the Seven Knights of Heaven. Besides, I don’t have the leisure to think about such things in my life.”
“…Hmm. You’re serious, how boring. Still, the Seven Knights of Heaven… That was a thing, wasn’t it? It’s strayed from its original purpose because the ‘Prophecy’ was relayed incorrectly.”
“Oh, is that so? As a believer, I’m interested. What was the original purpose of the Seven Knights of Heaven?”
“It was for my master to request a few escorts to reach the ‘Deepest Part,’ but somehow it became knights for me. I was surprised.”
“Ah, so that was the meaning. That’s a very important role.”
“I don’t know if it’s important. It was just created to counter the seven ‘Thieves of Principles’ from a thousand years ago.”
“But that ‘just in case’ was your ‘gut feeling,’ right?”
I’ve come to understand a few things through the training so far. Tiara-san never says anything carelessly. Even her seemingly meaningless training always has a reason, and all her words hold deep meaning. Even when she says “just in case,” it’s different from our “just in case.” A slight hunch that’s close to being correct a hundred percent. It’s like a ‘prophecy that is sure to come true.’ She was called a saint a thousand years ago because she possessed power comparable to Christ, the founder’s ‘precognition.’
“Ooh? Rainer-chan is starting to understand too. Yes, I felt it with my ‘gut feeling’ and was convinced that my master would definitely break down somewhere alone, so I determined that there were about seven reliable companions. But without me preparing them, the master just gathered them on his own.”
“Seven people…”
Tiara-san clearly indicated the number. I don’t know who they are, but I wanted to be among them. Counting the people who were with me during the ‘Dance Battle Tournament’ a year ago, there seem to be few remaining spots. To become a true member of the Seven Knights of Heaven, I vowed to become stronger and swung the twin swords I held. Tiara-san, surprised by the unexpected strong blow, flew backward without bracing herself.
“Oh.”
Tiara-san, who had been deflecting my attacks all along while chatting, retreated. My skills began to grasp the enemy’s movements. I declared, pointing the tip of my twin swords, that I couldn’t stop here.
“I will completely understand this sensation that clings to the back of my head—this ‘unseen numerical value’—before you disappear.”
“…I’m looking forward to it.”
Tiara-san accepted the arrogant statement with a pleased expression. Then, to realize that declaration, she intensified the training.
“Well then, I suppose I’ll use even more unfair skills to corner you. Since I’m an old woman, I have many skills. I’m good at inducing thoughts~ Fufufu~”
Tiara-san’s demeanor changed as she readied her sword. Until now, she’d fought evasively with a smile plastered on her face, but now she showed a hint of seriousness. With that sharp gaze, she took a step forward—but she couldn’t take a second step and suddenly became flustered.
“—! Oh no, Rustiara is approaching! She’s coming here!!”
With a sudden movement, Tiara-san turned around and looked towards the Allied Nations’ town. Rustiara’s figure was not visible in the open plain, but with her vast array of skills, she seemed to have sensed her approaching from afar. Without waiting for my reply, she ran towards a nearby bush.
“Has the ritual preparation all been completed already!? I’ll hold my breath and stop my heart and hide! Please do it for me!”
Leaving behind a rather ominous remark, Tiara-san expertly hid herself in the bushes. Perhaps it’s the power of her skills, but even though I saw where she went, I couldn’t see her anywhere now. Left behind to some extent, I turned my gaze towards the town, as she had said. Then, I spotted a person approaching—a figure no bigger than a small pebble, yet radiating a distinctly different brilliance. Immediately, I began a mock sword training alone. Cautiously welcoming Rustiara, so as not to let her sense Tiara-san’s presence— With this, the customary enhancement turn concludes.
