Chapter 58 – It’s okay. I won’t die easily.

The light sword I wield. Does it necessarily, absolutely, have to be the same as the sword I’m using now?

At that pronouncement, Luciel, without thinking, blurted out, “What are you going on about?”

Deus knows well enough that a blade is my romance. He takes it kindly, too.

He must, therefore, understand just how vital a familiar weapon is—on par with being in peak physical condition.

And yet, he’s suddenly questioning whether it needs to be exactly the same as what I’m used to?

“Ah. Please, don’t misunderstand. Even though my expertise lies in unarmed combat, I’m not entirely ignorant of weaponry. I’m well aware of the impact sudden changes can have.”

“…Hmm. In that case, could you elaborate a bit more on that statement?”

Whether it needs to be exactly the same as the sword I currently wield. That part still doesn’t quite click.

To Luciel’s query, Deus made a request of her.

“Senior. Um, would you perhaps be able to show me a sword made of light here and now?”

“My ability? Well, it’s not difficult.”

—Shhhwhooosh!

Instantly, a beam of light takes form in Luciel’s hand, shaped into a sword.

It’s identical to the one she wears at her hip.

The only difference is whether it possesses weight or not. That alone.

“It’s truly beautiful, every time, Senior.”

“Ahem! T-thank you.”

That’s a compliment for her ability, for the sword. She knows it.

Even so, she can’t help but be taken aback, precisely because it’s coming from a man who seems so unlikely to utter such words.

“Now. Then. Attack me with that sword.”

“Deus, Junior?”

“No need for worries about using full power or concerns about my well-being. You already know, don’t you, Senior? Those are just needless anxieties.”

“…”

It stings the pride a bit, but it’s an undeniable truth.

He is a junior who once achieved complete obliteration against a demon, and on another occasion, secured a partial victory.

Expressing concern in his presence would be tantamount to dismissing Deus.

And so, Luciel swiftly banished such foolish thoughts from her mind.

She readjusted her grip on the sword, just as she was about to approach Deus—

“No, Senior.”

“Huh?”

“Don’t move. You must attack me from that spot.”

“…What does that mean? You want me to swing my sword from here?”

—Nod.

“Hold on. Just a moment. Let me make sure I understand. So, without moving even a single step from this spot, you’re asking me to land a valid hit on you standing over there?”

—Nod, nod.

“…”

For a moment, Luciel wondered if Deus was toying with her. She tried to discern his true intent, studying his expression.

But he’s sincere. From the beginning until now. There’s no playfulness in that face.

Only a earnest demeanor, gazing at her as someone who wishes to aid her, and as the individual in charge of training, making a necessary request.

‘Attack from right here, from this very spot. Overcoming a distance that looks to be at least 10 meters.’

Why on earth would he make such an absurd request?

The junior standing over there. Deus. What did he want from her?

Like the top student of the fourth year. Like the leader of the Cradle’s dispatch team. Luciel began to deduce the reason.

Soon she was able to infer what could be called the answer.

It wasn’t difficult. The conversation she had with Deus just a moment ago was both a hint and the answer.

“A way to manipulate, the interval, at will.”

“…”

“Is that it? Junior? That you’re telling me to attack you right here?”

Deus nodded again.

Okay, so she knew what he wanted. Then, moving on to the next part. How to fill that interval.

The first thing that came to mind was a ranged attack. Something the weapons systems occasionally demonstrated, as an extension of the sword aura used by swordsmen and knights of the past.

‘…No. That’s not what Junior wants right now.’

If that’s truly what he wanted, he wouldn’t have told her to wield a sword made of radiant energy.

Then what was it? What aspect was he trying to teach her, which possibility was he trying to point out with these slightly bizarre words?

Meanwhile.

‘Still, befitting the top student of the fourth year, she seems to be grasping the concept, little by little.’

With his arms crossed, Deus recalled a question he had once held in his mind.

Space opera. In the very distant past, in a galaxy far, far away. The world of, what was it called.

A place where blaster rifles were fired and lasers were sprayed everywhere, there were those who wielded a single sword.

Light sabers with magnificent names. Lightsabers. A romance that made viewers lose their minds.

But wasn’t there something strange about it? In the first place, a ray of light. Light is supposed to travel in a straight line.

How does it stop at a predetermined position, as if by agreement, and take the form of a sword?

‘Later I found out that it wasn’t exactly a lightsaber, but a plasma sword, right?’

Anyway. What’s important here is that if it really is a sword of light. If it focuses on radiant energy.

There’s no need to be fixed in that form all the time, insisting on the shape of a sword.

In the first place, the power itself is a kind of gift from God that the user can operate as they wish.

So, depending on the user’s mind, couldn’t it suddenly become longer and then shorter again?

That’s right. What Deus wants from Luciel right now is this.

‘To combine a lightsaber with a wish-fulfilling staff.’

Whether it made sense or not was not even worth discussing.

In the first place, why couldn’t she do it when there was such a thing as a power? It was just that there was no such concept. And there had been no need to cultivate that concept until now.

“Deus, Junior. Um… no matter how much I think about it, I really don’t get it.”

“It’s simple. Luciel, Senior. That light that makes up your sword. You can freely lengthen it and shorten it at every moment you want.”

“So, you’re telling me to control the length of the sword?”

Correct. Deus smiled and nodded.

‘…It’s not that difficult?’

Luciel tilted her head. She thought it was some kind of amazing method, but that was it?

If she expanded the interval here, the length of the sword, by using radiant energy a little more….

“Wrong. Senior.”

―Whoosh!

“…!”

A shiver of death brushed Luciel then, a presence so close it stole his breath.

It was as if the Grim Reaper’s scythe had kissed his throat in passing.

“Too slow. Far too slow.”

In the blink of an eye, Deus was upon him. A fist cocked.

Had he not stopped, Luciel would have been a headless ghost, no doubt about it.

The truly frightening part? He hadn’t perceived the attack until Deus himself called a halt!

“You can’t be doing this, senior. Do you think your enemies will politely wait for you to extend your blade?”

“T-Then…”

“You must react instantaneously. Deceive with your very first movement, and never, ever allow your opponent the comfort of security, not until the very last instant.”

While Neferti focused on her buffs, Luciel had to master the dominion of all distances, standing his ground.

It was the advantage, the strength of the Sword of Light. He had to exploit it to the fullest, and this, he realized, was the most optimal path.

“And that’s not all. Just now, when your opponent breached the distance and stepped inside? You should have shortened your blade with the speed of light, driving a dagger into their heart before they even realized it.”

“…Extend it to over 10 meters, then shrink it into a dagger in less than a second?”

“Yes. And that, I assure you, is the bare minimum I’m suggesting.”

If you overwhelm the opponent with superior spacing, you naturally finish them with a flourish.

Isn’t that simply proper etiquette for the sake of romance? Deus mused, before continuing.

“Personally, I envision a blade of light that soars all the way to the heavens!”

“…Are you being serious right now?”

“I am always serious. And this is my true desire, senior.”

Like a dramatic ‘Fatal Thunder Split!’ where you stand perfectly still and just drop the sword.

Something that combines the romance of a greatsword and a lightsaber, in some shape or form. Or not.

In any case, Deus intended to vicariously enjoy all of this, as he was unable to fulfill his own fantasies due to the pact.

“I believe in you. Luciel, senior, I am certain you can accomplish it.”

Unlike Neferti, who still had flaws, Luciel was the highest-ranked student, acknowledged even by the Cradle’s instructors, who’d even managed to damage that demon to some extent.

He was already a promising talent. Moreover, he had even received direct training from Shabel, the Empire’s greatest ability user.

“It’s kind of you to have such faith, but… it’s easier said than done…”

“Indeed. It is not easy. Which is why I am offering my assistance.”

From now on, for a time, his demands would be the same.

Holding his ground without budging an inch, dominating all distance.

In attack, and in defense. Allowing not a single opening.

“Once that is perfected, we will move on to the next stage. Widening and narrowing the distance while moving, so that in the end, nothing can freely traverse your domain.”

“And until that happens… you will, well, attack me, Deus?”

“I will merely feign attacks, to be precise. There is nothing for you to worry about.”

Feign attacks? With strikes that seemed capable of instant death with the slightest touch!

He wouldn’t be able to slack off just because it was practice. His body would react faster than his mind!

To be precise, it would be a desperate struggle to survive!!

“Let us try for a month. Devote yourself to it for a month. I, too, will guide you with all my effort.”

Was it just his imagination, or did that sound like, ‘Consider yourself dead for a month’?

For a brief moment, he wondered if he had done something foolish. But Luciel quickly shook his head.

‘If, just if, I can grasp even a glimmer of understanding. If I can get a feel for it.’

Never again would they be mere victims, powerless and passive.

They would save countless souls from the clutches of demons, that new enemy threatening the Empire!

“Then, I shall return to the former Chairman,” Deus declared, turning toward the direction Nefertiti had vanished, and shortly thereafter…

“Kyaaack!!”

Luciel, hearing Nefertiti’s fading scream, steeled herself anew, a fresh wave of tension washing over her.