The Tale of A Man Who Believed That His Reincarnation Had Granted Him A Japanese Sword And The Greatest Battle Sense, Only To Have The God Finally Inform Him "Huh, I Didn't Give You Any Combat Sense… That's Scary…" - Episode 24

When I hurriedly entered the arena, I saw several people at the reception located on the outermost edge of the arena’s interior. They seemed to be the contestants for the second round.

“Hey, hey, hey, what the hell are those ‘Orders’ guys doing… taking over the venue for the historic swordsmanship tournament?”

“It seems that during the first match of the second round, they managed to sneak into the spectator seats when the security was lax… Rumor has it that someone from the organizers who was sympathetic to the clan lent a hand.”

“Bring the swordsman of the Grosvenor family… Is this some kind of revenge?”

“Not only are they pressuring the big shots of the merchant houses to not move, but they’re also taking ordinary citizens hostage… This will surely bring the ‘Orders’ reputation down to the ground.”

The players present seem to not fully grasp the situation either, and they are quietly murmuring to each other about this and that. Hostages, merchant houses, retaliation, “Orders.”

Well, no matter how you look at it, it’s probably because I took down Roga’s head yesterday. Give me a break, that was the result of a fair one-on-one fight.

“Enri, in the corridor leading to the arena… um, well, you see, the ‘Orders’ people are already standing by there…”

“Understood. Thank you for bringing me this far. I’ll go the rest of the way alone.”

The tournament staff, looking apologetic and with an expression that clearly said they couldn’t do any more, bowed repeatedly upon hearing my words and quickly left the scene. I placed my left hand on the sheath, lightly moved my right hand to prepare, and stared straight ahead at the corridor I was about to proceed through.

Well, I don’t know what you want, but if you’re going to do such a wonderful and audacious thing, anyone who stands in your way should be prepared to end up in a grave.

“Wait a moment.”

Someone spoke to me as I was filled with killing intent. Looking in the direction of the voice, a person in owl armor approached with a clattering sound. In their hand, they held a twisted, spiral-shaped, ominous red-black spear.

“Knight Owl, do you need something? I have to go and cut down the guys I’ve summoned.”

“I don’t understand their intentions, but my employer and the people I must protect are being held by that clan. I would like to offer my assistance in your advance.”

The height was taller than me, around the late 180 centimeters, with a full-face helmet and silver armor that dullingly gleamed, engraved with an owl design. The spear in hand gave the impression of being bloodthirsty, dark red. The aura they exuded was unlike any warrior I had seen before, truly a knight of unparalleled strength.

This person probably has no other intentions; they seem to be acting on a simple motivation to help their employer and those in need. If that’s the case, there would be no reason to refuse.

“I’ll head straight to the arena. Owl Knight, please take care of the people from the Five Great Merchant Houses.”

“Understood. I shall follow your lead. …I would prefer to be addressed as the Knight of Twilight Hollow, not the Knight of the Owl… Is that a trivial matter?”

The owl knight effortlessly lifted a spear that was about his height and slung it over his shoulder, then walked down another corridor. After watching his back, I drew my sword from its sheath, loosely gripped the katana in my right hand, and entered the corridor leading to the arena.

The straight corridor leading to the arena was filled with countless armed men. All their gazes were directed at me, and I could sense their anger, sadness, and emptiness. As I entered the corridor, a man who seemed to be an adventurer at the front trembled and spoke to me.

“Hey, swordsman from the Grosvenor family… first, tell me this. Why, why did you have to kill our brother? This is a place to compete and show off our skills, right? …You didn’t have to go and cut off his head…”

I look at the man who quietly called out to me. Then, as if overwhelmed, he takes a few steps back, breathing heavily and hyperventilating, “Hii… zeh… haa…” Another man then takes over, as if gathering his resolve.

“I know it’s not fair. You defeated Mr. Roga in the arena. In the process, Mr. Roga died. I understand that if you enter this tournament, there’s a possibility of death…”

“But, you know, I just can’t accept it. No matter how much I understand in my head that there’s nothing I can do about it, the fact that we’ve lost Mr. Roga is so frustrating and sad that I just can’t help it…”

“If we lose Arthur on top of that, ‘Orders’ will be finished. Everything we’ve worked so hard to build will be gone. So, please!… Can you forfeit?”

In response to the man’s words, the men occupying the corridor each ready their weapons.

“Even though it’s the clan owner’s unilateral decision, turning the honorable swordsmanship tournament into this and taking the members of the five major merchant families hostage… the clan is finished… but at least, I can protect Arthur… I know it’s selfish, but will you please withdraw and step back from this situation?”

Take a breath in, and breathe out. Gradually close the distance with the group in front of you smoothly. Relax your right hand, which loosely grips the handle, like an apple hanging from a tree. Throw some words at him.

“What if I said I won’t back down?”

“Ah! …W-We lowly underlings can’t stop you. We have no choice but to leave it to the A-rank adventurers waiting in the arena.”

“Good. If you stood in front of me as an enemy, I would have had no choice but to cut you down, but if you see me off, then I won’t have to.”

I intended to cut down everyone in the corridor, but it seems that the adventurers present here are aware of the difference in our abilities and are willing to clear the way. As I sheathed my sword, the metallic sound of the scabbard and tsuba clashing echoed through the corridor, and the group before me orderly stepped aside to clear the path.

Walking down the corridor with a slight hunch and a forward lean, swaying gently. The foot soldiers who had stepped aside on both sides seemed to regret coming here, some biting their lips so hard that bl00d oozed, some trembling with closed eyes as if praying to Buddha, and some clenching their fists, ignoring the pain of their nails breaking as they looked up at the sky.

I step out from the corridor into the arena. The arena is eerily quiet, as if the excitement of yesterday was a lie, and on the stone stage where the duel will take place, I can see a dozen or so figures. Looking around, I see that the stands are filled with spectators, but everyone seems to be holding their breath, watching the unfolding situation with bated breath.

“Here they come… here they come, finally here. The shameless swordsman who mercilessly cut down the adventurer I raised with so much care over the years like a dog!!”

When I stepped onto the stage, I saw about ten murderous adventurers, Arthur on the other side looking confused about what to do, and a middle-aged man in black armor tearing at his hair.

“You… you, you, it’s all your fault! Ever since the rumor spread that the Lightning of Roga was severed, everyone started laughing at the Roga I raised with so much care!”

“And then you went and killed Roga… that adventurer I even blessed with the goddess’s favor! This is Julian Black! The S-rank adventurer created by the clan owner of ‘Orders,’ the tree of honor and wealth!!!”

A wounded beast. It is the most fitting description for the man who, panting and shamelessly lecturing in front of me, is consumed by the accumulated resentment and bitterness, burning through even the precious things he has nurtured. He is merely walking towards a meticulously planned, self-destructive suicide.

“Hey, you. Are you the one who asked Lyra to arrange a duel between Arthur and me? Did you kill your precious swordsman and now you’re furious?”

“That’s right, that’s right! That’s right! It’s your fault! …Step back, forfeit! You!! You can’t beat Arthur with your own mouth! Pathetically declare that you forfeit because you value your life!!”

With his elbow resting on the Japanese sword sheathed in a black leather belt, he keeps an eye on the adventurers surrounding the wounded beast. There are a total of twelve: six wearing thick, rounded heavy armor, five holding breastplates and longswords, and one large man wielding a striking two-handed sword. Arthur, who is confused and looking down near Black, probably doesn’t count.

“Well now, this is quite troublesome. Even if you tell me to forfeit, I can’t do it on my own accord… I am Lady Lyra’s swordsman, so if she tells me to forfeit, I will obediently comply.”

“Lyra… Lyra Grosvenor. That vixen… Yes, that woman is in our hands! It doesn’t matter what she says! If she doesn’t obey, I’ll kill her!”

“Mr. Black! Please stop! Don’t involve Enri, Lyra, or anyone else any further!!”

“Shut up, you greenhorn from the North! You should just shut up and obey me!!”

The moment Black, who had been stopped by Arthur, shouted that. A thunderous sound, unlike anything heard before, echoed from the luxurious and wide VIP seats in the audience. Keeping his body directed towards the adventurers, he glanced towards the source of the sound, and the VIP seats seemed to have been crushed from above.

Though distant and unable to see the details, I can see the Owl Knight holding his spear straight up towards the sky. Additionally, from the crushed luxury seats, the cries of men in pain echo like a reverberation.

“If you don’t comply… what was it again? For some reason, my hearing seems to have gotten worse after cutting someone down yesterday. Could you please say it clearly one more time?”

Julian Black’s eyes widened, and it was clear he was clenching his molars so hard he could crush them out of anger. Without hesitation, he pointed his hand towards me and issued a strong command: “Kill him.”

The adventurers gathered by Black launch a simultaneous attack with perfectly synchronized movements. However, from their body movements, the way they exhale and inhale, their grip on weapons, and their gaze, it is clear that their skills are nowhere near comparable to Roga or Arthur. The beast that caused the chaos driven by a burning impulse, and those who come at me under the beast’s command, are so pitiful that I can’t find any words other than “pitiful” to describe them.

Place your left hand on the mouth of the scabbard and grip the hilt with only your right pinky finger. With your left thumb, flick the sword’s tsuba away, and then loosely but firmly grip it with your right pinky finger. The men in rounded, heavy armor, who charge forward with a roar, pull back their long spears once to thrust them forward.

Synchronizing his breath with the pulling motion, he leaps into the fray. Moving his body lightly like a piece of paper dancing in the air, with simple movements as if practicing his cuts, he swiftly and cleanly beheads four men in quick succession. The men he faced could no longer even follow his movements with their eyes.

“Ahh… every time I blink, my neck…!!”

“Wh-where is it, where did it go!?”

“Hey, behind you, behind you!!”

He crouched down, gripping the hilt with both hands, momentarily tensing all his muscles to build up power, then fully utilizing his entire body to swing the katana with a sense of release. He cut down the two men wearing armor similar to those he had just beheaded, slicing through their torsos horizontally along with their armor, and with a single swing, he flicked off the dirt that had clung to the blade.

The outcome was almost decided. The adventurer holding the longsword chattered his teeth and repeatedly muttered in a daze that he didn’t want to die, then fled the stage. If there had been a longbow, I could have shot an arrow at his neck, but unfortunately, there wasn’t.

The last one remaining was a giant of a man, holding a two-handed sword that seemed to be twice my height.

“What will you do, you man as big as a rock… will you swing that sword?”

The big man let out a roar as if to steel himself, raised his two-handed sword above his head, and then swung it down with all his might. Such determination was impressive. In that case, I will meet it head-on.

With the left hand, grip the hilt and raise the sword above the head. Pointing the tip towards the ground, grasp the spine of the sword with the right hand’s index and thumb, as if pinching it. Continue to hold the spine with a strength that feels like it could break, like a vice. The moment the two-handed sword strikes the sword held above the head, release the right hand to unleash the accumulated force.

The released blade sliced through the two-handed sword swung down from above as if it were a soft confection. The two-handed sword was cut apart without a single piece of iron flying off, and the big man, his weapon destroyed, lost his balance and collapsed onto the stage. If you fall on the battlefield, you will never again grasp the ground with your feet.

I stepped on the neck of the fallen giant with my foot and drove the tip of my weapon into his heart. The giant thrashed once violently and then fell silent.

It’s settled. There are no more fighters left in this place.

Swinging the sword, he shook off the bl00d and grease clinging to the blade. After twirling the hilt a few times in his hand, he quietly sheathed it. The duel was over.

“Mon-monster…! A monster, a monster! What the hell, why did my clan’s warriors disappear in an instant…?”

“There’s no point in discussing it. What’s done is done. It seems even Arthur-kun behind you has no intention of fighting anymore.”

Black, who had collapsed helplessly on the spot, clenched his fists and repeatedly slammed his gauntlets onto the stone floor. There was not a shred of dignity in his demeanor; he looked like a grown adult throwing a tantrum like a child. Black, with tears streaming down his face and bloodshot eyes, turned to Arthur-kun.

“Arthur! ……… That over there is the man who killed your big brother, Roga. He was beheaded like livestock…… You, you, you!! Aren’t you angry? This is your chance for revenge! Grab a dagger and kill him!!”

The screams of the sobbing man echoed and bounced back. In the silent arena where headless corpses and those split in half lay side by side, Arthur slowly opened his mouth.

“Indeed, I’m sad that Mr. Roga has died too. However, … I think Mr. Roga must have known that if he fought Mr. Enri, he might die without being able to be revived.”

“Arthur, you… you ignore the orders of your owner, me…”

I approached Black, who was about to scream again, and kicked his jaw with my foot. Black, who was kicked, collapsed onto the floor, choking on the bl00d that was flowing from his mouth. I quietly signaled to Arthur-kun, and he continued from there.

“When Enri-san spoke to me, he said, ‘When it’s time to die, it’s time to die, so be prepared.’ At that moment, I felt those words were an escape, but―――”

Arthur-kun’s eyes, visible beyond his translucent white hair, trembled with anxiety. He slowly closed his eyes once, and when he slowly opened them again, the anxiety had vanished from his gaze.

“Watching Mr. Roga and Mr. Enri’s duel, I felt it was very ‘noble.’ I think it was because they both fought with all their might, having resolved to face death, that it appeared that way to my eyes.”

“I think the meaning of the phrase ‘When it’s time to die, it’s time to die’ is not about abandoning thought and fighting, but about having the resolve to not regret no matter when you die.”

“I don’t have that resolve yet. I’m scared of dying… but after watching your battle, I thought that someday I want to be like that.”

The boy in front of me carefully chooses his words one by one and says his farewell.

“I can’t compete with Enri-san because I haven’t made up my mind yet. Besides, I still want to become stronger. Someday, I want to be able to face battles with the same resolve as Enri-san and Roga-san… So, I can’t fight Enri-san right now. I’ll also withdraw from the tournament.”

While fighting the adventurers sent by Black, there were many opportunities to catch them off guard. Given that Arthur-kun is known for his lightning-fast speed, it shouldn’t have been difficult for him to strike first at the fastest speed.

At the point when he didn’t do so, I somehow predicted this outcome. In the end, Loga completed the honorable duel, and Arthur-kun courageously declared his withdrawal for the sake of his future.

“Don’t mess with me, don’t mess with me! Do you have any idea how much I’ve invested in you, a kid from a backwater town? You are property of the clan! I decide who you fight, where you go, and all your training!!”

From the impact of being kicked, several of Black’s teeth were broken, his mouth was smeared with bl00d, and he looked pitiful with tears and mucus. Crawling like a slug, he clung to Arthur-kun’s feet, but Arthur-kun spoke gently to him as if he were a younger child.

“Thank you for recognizing my talent when I was in the Northern countries and for all the help you’ve given me so far, Mr. Black… But I’ve already made my decision.”

Then, I heard multiple footsteps coming from the corridor leading to the arena. When I looked that way, I saw several Owl Knights, accompanied by a dozen soldiers and an unfamiliar woman, entering the arena.

The owl knight seems to be escorting the unfamiliar woman, walking slowly with their strides matching, with his hand around her back.

“Lady Olivia, I apologize for the delay in your rescue.”

“Cough cough… Well, that’s not really a problem, but since you know the Five Great Merchant Families are inside, you should help them more gently!”

“As a result of prioritizing certainty and speed, we have also dealt with the hidden operatives on the management side who were aligned with ‘Orders’ on the way to the VIP seats. This place should now be safe.”

When I looked at the woman being supported by the knight owl, she was wearing a deep red long dress with frills, and her high heels made a somewhat irregular clacking sound. Her hair was beautiful blonde, styled in vertical curls that fell in front of her chest. If she weren’t a lady, it would be a fraud how much she looked like one.

The lady with the vertical curls coughed lightly as she received a handkerchief from the owl knight and wiped off the dirt and soot. The owl knight, leaving the lady with the soldier who had brought her, approached me empty-handed.

“Lord Enri. What is the situation?”

“The adventurers sent by Julian Black are either dead or have fled. Arthur-kun has lost his fighting spirit and is said to be withdrawing from the tournament. … Mr. Owl, are the Five Great Merchant Houses, or rather, Lyra-san, safe?”

“Ah, of course. …You don’t need to worry about the killing intent. I instantly crushed the joints of the adversaries inside the room with the magic spear. I made sure that the hostages inside weren’t hit by the debris. Don’t worry.”

If this person is saying so, then the situation is already under control, and there is no need to worry anymore. When the audience saw the figure of the Owl Knight, they knew the situation had been resolved and began to loudly curse Black.

The disgrace of the adventurer clan, the bastard who sullied the sacred duel, the money-grubbing swordsman who disturbs the sleep of the dead. Well, to put it simply, you can hear insults and curses coming from all directions.

“Lord Enri. Your performance this time was splendid. If you don’t mind, we would like to detain Julian Black.”

“The head of a beast that has ceased to be a warrior holds no value, so please, take it away.”

“Thank you for your thoughtfulness. And then, Lord Arthur Northridge, I extend my utmost respect for your decision.”

The owl knight, making metallic sounds from his full-body armor, bowed and approached the dazed Black, leading the soldiers with him. The owl knight spoke a few words, but when he realized that Black showed no reaction, he gave orders to the soldiers waiting nearby and took him away.

I couldn’t see Arthur-kun’s face as he looked at his former mentor being taken away from my side. Arthur-kun gave a final bow in our direction and then left the arena without looking back.

Thus, despite various events, the second round of the Redinbara Swordsmanship Tournament came to a successful close.