Book 20 Chapter 30

Your last six months with me,

You for me, I for you (1)

It seems there was a very cruel culture in Gamesses, the eastern satellite city of the Red Holy Land, Shuriganakus.

It was the arena!

They would turn the demons captured from the Great Demon Front into combatants, forcing them to kill and be killed by each other.

"It was held about two or three times a year. This event could only be seen here, and it was so popular that even the abnormally large audience stands were packed, and scalping was rampant. If someone was aiming for the mayor's position, holding this arena event and scattering some bread would guarantee their election. The problem is that it costs an enormous amount of money."

Friede said.

Lynn looked around and grumbled.

"What was the Red Dragon Legion doing instead of stopping it?"

"In the early days of the Republic's rule, they did stop it, but since about 150 years ago, when they began to hand over general governance to human autonomy, they haven't interfered."

"Why?"

"Wouldn't the efficiency of combat increase if everyone became accustomed to the demons' fighting style through this culture? The oracle of that era persuaded His Holiness the Fire Dragon like this. She was a woman with a very mysterious way of speaking. In her later years, it was discovered that she had taken bribes here and there, and she was stripped of her oracle status."

"You should be careful too."

"Hey, what does that mean!"

"Apapapapapapapa, Apaaat!"

The 35 rows of audience seats were almost half-destroyed during the great demon invasion.

However, the arena still stood tall in the solemnity of the red scent of blood.

Even during breaks, the arena was bustling with warriors who came here, saying they needed to wield their swords and spears lest their bodies stiffen.

Such enthusiasm was no exception for scholars like mages and witches.

They occupied a spot and practiced magic and spells.

"Lynn, this way."

Lista, who caught Lynn's nape as she was naturally about to run in that direction, smiled brightly.

"Ack, no! I don't want to! Why do I have to be here swinging a wooden staff, it's so embarrassing!"

At that commotion, the awestruck gazes of the warriors and scholars naturally converged.

"…H-Hero's party!"

"…L-Lord Lista! It's my first time seeing them this close!"

"…The Great Mage and the Fire Dragon's Oracle are here too!"

"…Surely they've come to guide us?"

Lista greeted everyone warmly and said.

"Well, is there anyone among you who would like to spar with me, Lista, in a practice match? Any profession is fine."

Everyone exchanged glances with expressions of disbelief, then rushed forward without exception.

"Please, guide me!"

It couldn't be helped.

Lista is the strongest soldier currently existing among humanity. And given her personality, she wouldn't just end with a spar but would point out flaws and areas for improvement.

A match against the pinnacle gives more valuable enlightenment than years, or even decades, of training that those aiming for the pinnacle must face alone.

"Alright, form a line. I'll spar with every single one of you."

Lynn watched the scene with a regretful and wistful expression.

I'm envious…

I don't have…

Someone to lead me…

The only such being was Julac Keppel, but he was an enemy who had to be defeated as the adversary of their mission, so the time to learn something was extremely short.

"Lynn, Tureina. Watch closely."

Lista took the wooden staff from Lynn's hand and said.

"I'll show you now that you can solve most situations with just those five moves I taught you, those five combinations."

The five stances that would later become famous as the Osarius-style staff fighting technique are as follows:

First Form, Wildcat.

Second Form, Wolf.

Third Form, Snake.

Fourth Form, Elephant.

Fifth Form, Rhinoceros.

In each of these intuitively named moves, likened to the characteristics of animals, lay everything necessary for combat.

"First Form, Wildcat!"

The First Form is a preparatory stance.

The key was to stand with a wide stance, but with heels lifted and body weight supported on the toes.

The staff is held in the right hand behind the back, and the left hand measures distance by extending only the index and middle fingers towards the opponent.

- Why lift the heels?

- Just by lifting your heels ever so slightly, your body enters a state of tension.

- Is that important?

- It's important. It allows for an immediate reaction to any danger. It's a mechanism that amplifies reflexes.

The first opponent was a knight belonging to the Imperial Army.

Being part of the Imperial Army, and as a knight at that, was an indicator of his exceptional skill.

The knight held a sword and seemed to gauge the distance from Lista, who had taken her preparatory stance, then quickly charged forward with a powerful strike.

"Second Form, Wolf."

That one, that single flow, made the eyes of those with a deep understanding of martial arts widen.

'Can the transition between stances be so natural? This person's martial arts are already at the level of art.'

The Second Form, a stance anticipating a powerful strike.

From the First Form, which spreads the stance left and right, it transforms forward and backward simultaneously, while pulling the pelvis back to its extreme to set the center of gravity to the rear.

"Fifth Form, Rhinoceros."

The center of gravity, pushed to the brink of collapse, soon acts as the force of a fall.

This force, using the centrifugal force of rotation applied to expand all muscles, is put into the tip of the staff and thrust out in one breath… a single strike!

The staff stopped just before piercing the knight's chest, but the wind pressure generated by its momentum was enough to push the knight back and knock him over.

"Wow…!"

"What were those forms just now…?"

"You are truly amazing, Hero…!"

As the warriors poured out praises and Lista took the knight's hand to help him up… Lynn merely let out a bored yawn.

'I don't really understand what's so great about it, and I don't know why I have to diligently learn something like this.'

Just one of my spells could sweep away dozens, even hundreds, of the country's most renowned swordsmen right here.

"Lynn. Lista is called the pinnacle of the unorthodox path, but to walk the unorthodox path, one must not only be completely proficient in the orthodox path but also understand it thoroughly."

Friede said to such a Lynn.

"Look closely. Lista's usual stride and arm length don't fit, and the way she uses force or distance is mostly short, isn't it?"

"What are you trying to say?"

"That's a staff fighting technique Lista made for you, Lynn. How much has she seen? With eyes that miss neither an opponent's movement nor their breath, she's watched every single one of your movements. Considering everything from your physical characteristics to your breathing method… it's a staff fighting technique made only for you."

"Why does she go out of her way to do useless things? She just seeks out hardship."

Lynn expected Friede to agree with her as usual and chuckle, but Friede said with a smile that looked like it might shatter at any moment.

"You know that Faequeryers go missing between their 20s and 30s, right?"

"Yeah. I asked Lista, and she said that's just a saying, and they actually retire quietly and live leisurely."

"That's probably… Lista's first and last lie to you. No, it's probably the first lie she's told in her whole life."

Yes, it was a lie.

A lie of someone who chose a life with a time limit, hidden in your smile from the beginning of the journey.

"Lynn, Lista told me not to tell you… but Lista is going to die soon."

"What?"

"She'll die shortly after this journey ends, or she'll die before that. Her body is in that condition now."

What on earth was she talking about?

She wanted to say, 'Don't joke around,' and retort with a sarcastic smile, but she couldn't say it, probably because of the tears.

Water droplets, transparently streaming down from beneath the brim of Friede's miserably lowered conical hat, leaving stains on the sand.

"In short, this staff fighting technique… is a gift Lista wants to leave you with as her last. So… I know you might not feel like it… but please learn it diligently, even for her sake…"