Kanata seemed to possess a skill for intimidation, whether it was due to Iska’s influence or something inherent in him.
“Seiyaa!”
I unleashed a full-force sweeping cleave at the veteran soldier, referred to as a Divine Soldier.
“Too easy! Toryaa!”
Unable to withstand the fast, heavy, and skillful upward slash, my training sword was sent flying!
The training sword, slipping from my grasp, twirled through the air and rolled onto the poolside, making a shrilling sound.
…Damn it, I still can’t compete with genuine top-tier fighters.
“I surrender.”
“Indeed, but you seem to have improved remarkably. Not many can spar with me like this. …Given your short career, it’s rather daunting.”
Those are kind words, but a short career means nothing on the battlefield. The battlefield is an equalizer, regardless of whether you’re a rookie or a seasoned soldier.
“Good work. Here, a towel.”
I wiped away the sweat that had drenched me with the towel Lilith brought. While I had been exempted from practical exams, I had used my free time to insist on a five-match bout with Lieutenant Colonel Kurando, but I didn’t win a single point. I had to accept this as my current strength, however frustrating it was.
“Lilith, don’t I get a towel?”
“If a rag from the restroom will do, I have one.”
“Is my face the floor of a restroom?”
The Commander draped a towel over Lieutenant Colonel Kurando’s shoulders as he grimaced.
“Iska, were you watching?”
“Yes, I came to enjoy the break. Kanata, there’s no need to be so frustrated. Kurando was the captain of the personal guard for ‘Asura, God of War,’ and is known as the ‘Divine Soldier.’ Only Marika and Tozen from the Asura Unit can defeat Kurando.”
…He might be a clumsy bowling old man usually, but I now understand that his skills are truly first-rate. The Lieutenant Colonel is a seasoned veteran who has experienced numerous battles and possesses perfected skills; he’s not an opponent for a new soldier like me. That’s why there’s so much to learn. The sheer number of tactics available to him, and his ability to adapt to any situation, are characteristic of a veteran. Olsen was a scumbag, but he taught me the fear of veteran soldiers. There are no soldiers with a shorter career than mine. If I don’t learn greedily, I won’t survive.
“I now understand that you’re even better with a sword than you are at bowling. Thank you, Lieutenant Colonel.”
As I bowed, the Lieutenant Colonel nodded magnanimously and offered advice.
“Kanata, your swordsmanship doesn’t have any strange habits. That’s likely thanks to Shigure’s tutelage. However, to reach an even higher level, deliberately adopting strange habits could be a viable path.”
“But wouldn’t adopting strange habits make me vulnerable to counter-attacks?”
“Only if they’re half-baked. But look at Tozen. He’s practically a collection of strange habits, isn’t he?”
But Tozen-san is a genius, so I can’t really use him as a reference. Or rather, I shouldn’t.
“I can’t imitate Tozen-san. ”
“I’m not telling you to imitate him. By mastering the basics and movements that adhere to logic, you’ll gain strength like Shigure. However, in my opinion, Kanata, you are an ‘ability-type’ swordsman. I believe you can aim higher by mastering heretical paths rather than the orthodox one.”
This is advice from a veteran who has observed countless soldiers. I should listen to it sincerely. An ability-type swordsman, huh? I suppose my personality does lean towards the heretical path.
“My opinion differs slightly, Kurando.”
“Iska?”
“Well, let’s discuss this over some tea.”
The Commander snapped his fingers, and a female concierge appeared, pushing a cart laden with a tea set. I was just about to take a break, so I gratefully accepted the offer.
The Commander enjoyed the aroma of expensive tea and asked, “Kanata, how far have you mastered the techniques of Mugen Ittouryu (Dream-Illusion One-Sword Style)?”
“Up to the fourth stance, Kōryū. I’m currently practicing the breaking form of the fourth stance.”
“Master all nine stances of Mugen Ittouryu and their breaking forms as quickly as possible. First, master the orthodox path.”
“Yes.”
“However, as Kurando said, Kanata’s essence is that of an ability-type swordsman. Become a swordsman who wields heretical paths through orthodox means.”
“A swordsman who wields heretical paths through orthodox means, you say?”
“Exactly. Wielding divine techniques with demonic wisdom—that is your ultimate form as a swordsman. That’s how I see it.”
The Commander is truly greedy, isn’t he? Even mastering divine techniques alone is a high hurdle.
“I’ll try. Commander, changing the subject, is the owner of the Arabian Rose Department Store a rich person?”
“He’s a tycoon representing Ligrit. He holds patents for many things besides Arabian Rose. That’s his main business, and he owns Arabian Rose more for prestige. What about it?”
A tycoon representing Ligrit, huh? Then I don’t need to hold back.
“That’s convenient then. He’s someone I can shamelessly extort.”
“I see. Kanata, you dedicated yourself to solving the case. There’s no reason to let it end as unpaid work.”
“They apparently plan to give me a letter of appreciation from the police, but please tell them to decline it.”
I didn’t get involved for the sake of a piece of paper.
“You want a wad of cash instead of a piece of paper. Kanata, you’ve become quite greedy. Did Olsen’s ghost possess you?”
If a ghost possesses me, who is already a Clone, it’ll be a three-person act rather than a two-person one.
“I don’t want anything for myself. But the families of the terrorism victims will be compensated. They’d be killed for nothing if this continues.”
“Evergreen is at fault, not the department store, right? Rather, isn’t the department store also a victim?”
“It’d be fine if Evergreen compensated the victims’ families, but that’s unlikely. In that case, we have no choice but to take from those who can afford it. We can’t let Arabian Rose claim they had no flaws.”
“Oh? What flaws do you claim Arabian Rose possesses?”
“Three of the eight terrorists were wearing Arabian Rose security guard uniforms. I confirmed with Inspector Jasper, and they weren’t taken; they had infiltrated as security guards from the start. Furthermore, the department store directly hired the security guards. The flaw is there. The department store should have had the responsibility to hire legitimate individuals as security guards.”
The Commander knows that too, doesn’t he? Testing people is a bad habit.
“Hahaha, quite right. But knowing Olsen, he would have carried out the act one way or another even if he couldn’t infiltrate with his men as security guards.”
“Probably. But that’s not the issue. If he couldn’t infiltrate with his men as security guards, Olsen might have changed the location of the attack. More importantly, the problem is that ‘hiring terrorists as security guards enabled their attack to proceed smoothly’.”
The Commander nodded with satisfaction at my answer and spoke to Lieutenant Colonel Kurando.
“Your negotiation skills as a well-armed grumbler are impressive, Kurando.”
“…It’s understandable that the Asura Unit is called a bunch of thugs.”
“We’ll give them honor in exchange for money. Commander, you plan to establish a relief foundation for the victims of terrorism, right? Please arrange an honorary director position for the owner of Arabian Rose there. It would be even better if he contributed to the foundation as well, but I’ll leave that to you.”
“…You learned about the foundation from Lilith, didn’t you? You’re a shrewd one.”
“I’m deeply honored by your praise.”
“Kuhuhu, what a villain you are, Kanata… Good. That’s how it should be. I detest do-gooders who only speak platitudes and moralize.”
“We have a lot in common. What good are mere words? Are you going to feed them to dogs?”
“Even dogs wouldn’t eat mere words. Even if the methods are dirty, if the result is positive, it’s far better than doing nothing. Should we call it ‘good deeds done with bad intentions’?”
“Good deeds done with bad intentions,” huh? The Commander is eloquent because he’s well-read.
“The wealthy should help the less fortunate. Of course, within reason. If the world isn’t structured that way, then we’ll force it to be. At least, that’s how I intend to handle matters I’m involved in.”
Lilith, who had been listening silently, poured a generous amount of brandy into her tea as she said,
“Is this Warrant Officer’s life philosophy, ‘If something doesn’t fit, make it fit, and if necessary, by force’?”
“Lilith, brandy in tea is still alcohol. You’re incorrigible.”
“Iska, tell the owner of Arabian Rose that I demand an haute couture dress as compensation for ruining my date with the Warrant Officer. I’ll consider it settled.”
That mischievous demoness, joining in on the profiteering.
“Understood, I’ll tell him… Kanata, you were truly a great find. Use that clever mind of yours for my sake. Let’s change the world.”
Unlike the Commander, I don’t have such grand ambitions as changing the world’s structure. I just want the world to be a little kinder. I’ll do what I can to achieve that. That’s all.
However, for matters I’m directly involved in, I will see them through to the end… I won’t leave any lingering regrets.
I apologize for the inconvenience of mistakenly posting ahead of schedule yesterday.
