Isekai Tensei - Kimi to no Saikai made Nagai koto Nagai koto

Chapter 10

The Long Journey Until I Reunite With You

What I, As A Foolish Child,Aimed For

Shalt has been pretty down. He"s been sitting on thefloor hugging his knees in the corner of the weapon shop.

「Oi, stop being like that andcheer up will you~ It’s not like I was bullying you or something.」 (Velt)

「It’s not that. It’s just, itwas shocking...... How weak I was... Even though...... I believed that I couldjoin the hero and spread the light of justice......」 (Shalt)

「Well, you were able to learnsomething good right? There are countless people in the world who won"t playfair.」 (Velt)

「But......」 (Shalt)

Our duel ended, the spectators dispersed, and theatmosphere of the royal capital returned to normal. n.o.body agreed to theoutcome, but either way I had pulled down Shalt’s pants and gave him bruiseswith my low kicks, causing him to be unable to fight any further. The old manat the weapon shop told me I didn’t have the qualifications, competency, talentnor readiness, but Taira said the opposite, giving me a seemingly frustratedlook.

「Velt, have you not decided ona weapon yet?」 (Taira)

「Hm? Ah, not yet. After all,there’s nothing that gives me that sort of “pow” feeling. Rather, is it reallyfine for me to buy anything?」 (Velt)

「Yeah. Today’s fight wasinteresting after all. In addition, it was a good experience for the path Shaltis taking.」 (Taira)

Against my words of protest, Taira had raised hisvoice.

「If you’re a kid likeShalt...... Then between the artisan Hasan’s Lightning Blade and the favoredsword of the Dragonslayers, the Dragon Buster Sword, it would be difficult foryou to choose a weapon right away wouldn’t it?」 (Taira)

「It’s not that, I don’t knowhow to handle weapons like that you know. I want to carry around somethingshorter, lighter, and easier to wield.」 (Velt)

「Easier to use? But shouldn’tyou find a weapon fit for your spells? For example, since Shalt’s forte is inwind and ice magic which emphasizes speed, he is using a rapier.」 (Taira)

「I’m the opposite. I’ll firstfind a suitable weapon, then learn spells to combine with it.」 (Velt)

Taira was unbelievably generous. For some reason hepraised my efforts and offered to buy me a single weapon I wanted. With anamount of money I’ve never seen before, he mainly used this store whichattracted customers and admirably carried out its duties without a problem.Well, it’s not like I know how to properly wield a weapon anyways.

「Fu~n.」 (Taira)

「Wha-What is it?」 (Velt)

「Well, it’s as I thought. In away it’s shallow, but your way of thinking is a bit different.」 (Taira)

With Taira’s words, I internally retorted with, 「That’s how it is.」

In actuality, my mental age is 17.

「To tell you the truth, whenShalt first came to this store, he naturally demanded a strong weapon like theDragon Buster Sword. As expected, he longed for the age of brave warriors,master swordsmen, and heroes. After thinking about that kid’s const.i.tution andmagic techniques, I chose the rapier as his most suitable weapon.」 (Taira)

「Err, exactly what do you wantto say?」 (Velt)

「Kids pick up weapons becausethey yearn for them (heroes). However, you’re a lot more pragmatic compared towhen I met you, and you’re even asking for a weapon focused on functionality.As I thought, you’re not ordinary.」 (Taira)

「Heroes, huh... It’s not likeI have much of an interest in em’. In any case, it’d be fine if I were tobecome an old man that tends to his crops.」 (Velt)

「That... are you serious?Recently the princess has been borrowing agricultural books from the castle library...」 (Taira)

「No, she’s not related to it.」 (Velt)

A brat that doesn’t seem to think like a child. Thatmight be how I am.

For example if we were talking about baseball, it’dbe like a beginner aiming to be a pitcher or cleanup hitter. That’s how childrenshould be, full of possibilities. However, my way of thinking was efficient andunlike like a child’s wasn’t it. If I were to give an example, I would be thetype of person who would start with the dream of bunting. Because of that,Taira was somehow internally conflicted due to me.

「Hey Velt. Don’t tell anybodyelse about this, but in two years, Shalt will leave this country after hegraduates and attend the Great Empire’s national military academy.」 (Taira)

「The Great Empire’s nationalmilitary academy? By that, you mean in the center of the continent...... Whereheroes and the like go?」 (Velt)

「That’s right. The center ofthe continent, where the royalty and aristocracy first began, the number oneeducational system in the continent where mankind’s most talented childprodigies gather. The princess will also be going there after two years.」 (Taira)

I’ve heard about it before. The academic city wherehumanity’s elites and the wealthy a.s.semble. Frankly somewhere I have no fatewith.

「So, what about it?」 (Velt)

「Then, once those two graduatefrom the military academy... they will immediately enlist in humanity’s unitedarmy.」 (Taira)

「......To partic.i.p.ate in war?」 (Velt)

「That’s right.」 (Taira)

Even though it’s not related to me, when it comes tosomeone I know partic.i.p.ating in war, it’s... Difficult for me to say. To befrank, there is war in this world, and I have heard of many countries fallingto ruin from it, but I have yet to understand what war is. In my time asAsakura Ryuuma, the world I lived in had many wars. But, I didn’t have interestin any of them. The majority of high school students wouldn’t have any interesteither. That is, I was in a world where I didn’t have to take up arms to end awar, there shouldn’t have been any anyone with eighth grader’s syndrome whowould either... War was something I’d see on the other side of the televisionscreen, it was a world with no relation to me.

(TN: 8th grade syndrome = chuunibyou syndrome.Basically where someone imagines fantastical things and daydreams of glory, andsometimes act upon it.)

With sarcasm, I asked, 「I wonder, since General Taira knows that I have no intentions ofpartic.i.p.ating in war, does he think I’m a coward? I’m in the same cla.s.s and ageas my childhood friend who wants to change the world with his strong will afterall.」 (Velt)

However Taira didn’t seem to mind with his response.

「It’s not that. Shalt and theprincess are hard workers, and aside from becoming powerful, they have cleargoals in mind. That is what the other kids will also...... No, in this day andage, with children having natural talent in magic and combat techniques, thatis how most of them will think. However, you have not partic.i.p.ated in war, nordo you have any interest, as you’ve said. But I can’t help to think that youhave some sort of goal in mind. Exactly what are you trying to accomplish bygaining power?」 (Taira)

Although I don’t plan to partic.i.p.ate in the fighting,what am I trying to do? It’s not like I can say it, but If I had to state my intention......

I sighed.

「If you wanted to hear it,it’s not something grandiose. In the first place I had already said that I haveno interest in war nor heroes, but rather than indifferent, it’s more like Ijust don’t know anything. The point is, I don’t understand anything about theworld you see.」 (Velt)

「Hmm. In that case, what issomeone like you aiming for then?」 (Taira)

「Like I said, It’s not likeI’m going out to do something big. If I had to say it... Regret... I have someserious regrets left from dying in my previous life.」 (Velt)

「......I see...... All themore I don’t understand.」 (Taira)

「Listen, don’t figure it out.It’s possible that just about n.o.body in this world will understand you know.」 (Velt)

I’ll let him in on this much.

Having died and been reborn in this fantasy world, Iand am now looking to find some sign of the girl I liked that I died with whomay have reincarnated. With that, who the heck is going to believe me? For now,living with that as my objective will be fine. It doesn’t matter if n.o.bodyunderstands.

「Well, it’s those two’s choiceif they want to go to war, I don’t want them to die, but I expect it would be anatural result...... Hm? That’s......」 (Velt)

At that moment, I had casually looked over andstopped my gaze at a mountain of boxes. Placed at the corner of the store wereboxes with a mess of swords and bows sticking out.

「Old man, what’s with theseboxes?」 (Velt)

「Ah, those are the goods thatI can’t sell anymore, I plan to dispose of ‘em.」 (Shopkeeper)

「I see.」 (Velt)

「Right, when it comes to thosethings, all of their edges have been blunted to make it safe. Like that it’llbe fine to just pick ‘em up.」 (Shopkeeper)

「Huh, inventory disposal.Well, these worn out items wouldn"t have much use as expected.」 (Velt)

They were just a bunch of useless items.

Thinking that, when I was about to abandon hope,something at the corner of my eye caught my attention.

「Ah? What’s this?」 (Velt)

It was something like the hilt of a sword. However,there was no blade. Despite that, it felt heavy and stiff.

「Ah, that’s not a weaponya’know? It’s somethin’ mixed in with the wholesale goods.」 (Shopkeeper)

「Not a weapon? Then, what isit?」 (Velt)

「That’s a Congo Demi-humantribe’s teacher’s cane.」 (Shopkeeper)

「Teacher’s cane? Somethingthat is as thick as a sword hilt?」 (Velt)

「Umu. Try swingin’ it downwith some vigor.」 (Shopkeeper)

Doing as he said, I swung the cane downwards. I couldfeel the weight of the swing.

「O-Ooh!」 (Velt)

「The Congo tribe members areno less than twice the size of a normal human being. Because of that, evensomethin’ like a teacher’s cane would be as thick and heavy ta" match.」 (Shopkeeper)

Something like a teacher’s cane... I had seensomething like this before during Asakura Ryuuma’s lifetime, but I’d never heldone before. Despite that, I had found something that fit well in my hands. Thatis, rather than a teacher’s cane, it seemed to me that it was nothing else buta flexible baton.

「Why is something like this ina weapon store?」 (Velt)

「Umu, there was once a timewhere I was able to enjoy dealin’ with the weapons of the demons anddemi-humans, but that was unintentionally mixed in with the rest. There was nobuyer for the teacher’s cane, nor a way to use it, so I was thinkin’ of gettingrid of it.」 (Shopkeeper)

My heart began to throb, and in some way I feltsomething that I was lacking.

「I’m interested. So give it tome」 (Velt)

「Ho? Is that really fine?」 (Shopkeeper)

「Yeah. It’s not a weapon, andit was going to be thrown away, so it’s not a big deal right?」 (Velt)

「U-Umu, well, it’s notsomethin’ to sell anyways.」 (Shopkeeper)

As I thought, he’s an old man. Why doesn’t he realizeit? With this, no matter how hard you hit, it"ll be powerful. I guess he wasn’table to figure it out? No, he’s the same as Taira.

(TN:Used to traditional weapons)

They stared at me in amazement as I chose somethingthat wasn’t made to be a weapon. However, it’s convenient for me.

「Give me two of them.」 (Velt)

「Yeah, go and playmake-believe with those things, do whatever you want.」 (Shopkeeper)

I’m pretty sure I’ll be laughing like a kid who’sbeen playing tricks, but it’s just because I’ve finally gotten something I’vereally wanted.

「O-Oi Oi, no matter how youlook at it, is that really fine? I can buy something else for you, you know?」 (Taira)

「This is fine. With the money,treat me to a steak instead. Right now, I’ve found something better for me thantraditional weapons.」 (Velt)

「A weapon? Teacher’s canes?」 (Taira)

Once I left the store, I immediately prepared thecanes in both my hands. Then, I began to fight an imaginary opponent. I wouldparried my opponent’s attack with my left, and struck my opponent’s throat withthe right. Then I delivered a roundhouse kick. Not bad at all.

「It"s a bit heavy for me rightnow, but I"ll become accustomed to the weight soon enough.」 (Velt)

I was able to see clearly, and I will master these.Even though this is a fantasy world, it’s not like I have to fight the way theydo. With a way that has the most potential, I’ll deal with what"s to come atthat time. I will deflect dangerous weapons with the sweep of my baton, anddisrupt my opponents with kicks like I did in my high school days. Through fireand lightning, I will continue forward even without magic, this I swear tomyself.
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