章 23: Chapter 23 - The Way of Water
— Leon Greyrat —
It was a normal day in Roa, just like any other.
I spent the morning training while Rudy taught Eris her lessons, as we always did, and after lunch, I went along with Sauros and Eris to guard the two as they swam in the river.
However, in the end, I ended up swimming along with her, but Sauros didn't seem to mind.
If anything, he looked happy to see his granddaughter giggling and trading splashes with me as we played.
After we got back, I expected the day to continue normally, with me spending the evening training my magic or perusing the library.
That was until Ghislaine suddenly stood with her tail bristled.
"Big Sis? What's wrong-"
That's when I felt it.
An overwhelming pressure, as if the air was no longer fit to breathe, squeezing my lungs as the hair on my arm rose.
This… was the pressure of the strong.
"With me!"
Following Ghislaine out the door, we sprinted toward the source of the power, which just so happened to be at the training ground.
And when we got there…
"Huh? Are you the brat I've heard so much about?"
There was an old woman with short white hair and clear blue eyes.
Although she looked good for her age, she was definitely past her 60s, yet… she was also the source of that discomforting level of power.
She… was strong. Incredibly so.
"Leon. Stay back," Ghislaine said, pulling out her sword. "You! What is the meaning of this? If this is an attack on the Boreas Greyrat household, then I, the Black Wolf Sword King, will respond in kind!"
As she stood firmly, she whispered to me in the Beast God tongue, "Leon. Prepare to escape with Eris and Master Sauros. No objections."
Nodding my head, I took out my sword and began to gather wind around my feet, but before any battle could break out, the woman spoke.
"Ghislaine? Where have I heard that before… Ah, right! Gal told me about you!"
Ghislaine flinched in surprise.
"But an attack? I'm not here for anything like that, so don't worry. After all… if I was, everyone here would already be dead," the woman then peered over to the bushes, which Eris and Rudy quickly rose from.
Haa… those two.
"…I hope that those words are true. But who are you? And how do you know my master?" Ghislaine asked.
"Hm? Ah, right. Introductions. I've been with my granddaughter for so long, I forgot about that stuff," the old woman then tilted her head down. "I am Reida Reia, although you probably know me better as the current Water God."
…Well, that explained her strength, but what the heck was someone like her doing here?
Sheathing her sword, Ghislaine then bowed to her. "I apologize for my insolence."
"No need. You just did your job as a guard. In fact…" she turned to me, her eyes glinting with intrigue. "You both did."
Ghislaine rose to her feet. "Thank you. But… why exactly are you here? As far as I know, Master Sauros has no connection to you or your school."
"Ah, I'm not here for him, but rather… for you," she said, nodding her head my way.
"Me?" I said in confusion.
Uhh… what the hell?
"I'm honoured, but… why? How?" I asked.
"You see… Augustus, a dear friend of mine, told me he had an interesting grandson with a talent for the sword," she said, pulling out her blade. "So hit me with your best strike and prove your worth."
…Okay, I was a bit confused, but she wanted me to attack her, right?
Looking over to Ghislaine, she gave me a nod before stepping away from between us.
"Just to be sure… you aren't going to split my body in half with a counterattack, right?" I said cautiously.
I was not so arrogant as to think I could actually beat the Water God, so I just wanted to be sure that today wouldn't be my last in this world.
"As long as you're good enough," she shrugged.
"…What?"
"I'm just kidding. Come on, I don't have all day here," she said with a smile.
…So she was a bit of a joker, huh?
But hearing those words from a Divine-rank swordsman… they didn't sound that funny at all.
"G-Go Leon! S-Show her how strong you are!" Eris cheered from the side.
Giving her a thankful smile, I set my stance as I prepared myself.
The more I practised with it, the more I learned just how amazing Eris' gift to me was, as not only was it a sword that could withstand a clash of Longsword of Lights, but it also acted as a staff that boosted my magic.
It made my magic faster, stronger, better, and easier to maintain without concentration.
It was difficult to numerically quantify its effects, but I would say it made my magic about 1.5 times better in terms of quality while reducing my concentration needed by half.
I coated my legs in wind magic as I crouched down, and with a thin veil of wind magic wrapped around my body to reduce air resistance, I launched forward, having a fire spell explode from the soles of my feet for extra propulsion.
Holding my sword to the side, I let touki flow over me, willing it to infuse and enhance every part of my form as I shot forward.
Feeling the world come to a stop as my vision shifted to monochrome, I found myself next to the woman an instant later as my blade arced through the air toward Reida's neck.
But instead of being blocked, and much less landing my strike, I was instead flung to the ground, crumpling into a heap.
I… couldn't even tell what just happened.
This woman… she really was a monster befitting the title of a 'God'.
"So you really are a Sword Saint," she said in awe. "And a complete one too… Heh. I'm not needed in the capital for three seasons, so let's see what I can do."
Slowly getting to my feet, I cast healing magic across my sore body before forming a response, "W-What do you mean by that?"
Her eyebrow raised at my magic, but she decided to answer my question before asking any of her own, "What I mean is that I'll train you for a while. Hopefully, if you're good enough, I can make you into a Water Saint before I leave. Hmm… hey, you don't have a wife yet, do you?"
I shook my head. "No. Just…"
I mean, there was Roxy, but that was a bit different.
"No, I don't. Why?"
And training me? What the hell?
"Great. Maybe after this, I can take you back to marry my granddaughter," she said with a smile.
"W-What!? Absolutely not!" Eris protested.
And that was how I gained my second swordsmanship instructor, this time being the greatest Water God swordsman in the world.
— Information on the Six-Faced World —
Water God Style Ranking
Five Secret Arts: The name of the five undisclosed ultimate techniques of the Water God style left by the founder of the style, the first Water God Reidar. Even one of these techniques is extremely hard to master.
Beginner: This rank is where practitioners begin learning the foundations of the Water God style. To attain this rank, they must have a basic understanding and ability in swordsmanship.
Intermediate: Intermediate Water God practitioners can contend with an average knight, and can swiftly cover their body in touki.
Advanced: This rank is attained when one can consciously use their touki and begin learning the basics of Flow.
Saint: This rank is attained once one has mastered the use of Flow and begins to learn one of the Five Secret Arts.
King: This rank is attained once one has mastered one of the Five Secret Arts.
Emperor: This rank is attained once one has mastered two of the Five Secret Arts.
God: There can only be one Water God, and it is the leader of the school. To attain this rank, one must master three of the Five Secret Arts and be the strongest practitioner of the Water God style.
— Leon Greyrat —
After the Water God's surprising reveal, she was quickly given the greatest guest room and treatment by Sauros and Philip, as having someone of her stature simply living in their manor would elevate the prestige of the family by quite a bit.
In an effort to appease the woman, Philip had written off all my guard duties, and simply told me to 'get stronger, and keep her here as long as I could'.
Which led me to now, standing in the courtyard under the summer heat, with a wooden sword in hand.
"So… Miss Reia-"
"Call me 'Master', alright?" she said, interrupting me. "That's my first rule. My second rule is that you only use the Water God style for this training, got it? It might be a bit hard, but the best way to reach the Saint rank in the time we have is to focus on only my school. No magic or anything else," Master continued.
"Understood, Master," I said seriously.
"Good," she said. "Augustus said you're at the Advanced rank in the Water God. Who trained you?"
"My father, Paul Greyrat," I answered.
Her eyes widened slightly in surprise. "That brat? I didn't think he had it in him to teach."
…I don't think he has it in him either, but that wasn't too important right now.
"You know him?" I asked.
"Yep," she nodded. "I trained him when he was a brat who just ran away from home. Who would've thought he would settle down and have a son?"
"Ah, we're… not related by blood. Rudeus, my brother is, though," I said.
"Huh, really?" she said, surprised. "You look quite a bit like he did when he was your age. Though your features are a bit softer."
"I do?" I asked.
"Yeah. It's like a memory. Are you sure you two aren't related?" she asked.
My forehead creased. "I… don't think so."
I had never thought of it before, but I had absolutely no knowledge of my birth father.
But as she had said, as I've grown older, I've slowly shown more features that were similar to Paul's.
Except for my golden hair and brown eyes… which were both from my mother.
Was Mom a 'conquest' of his that he had in his youth?
I mean, I would have to have been conceived right when he started adventuring, so it's not impossible.
But if he was… I would beat him to an inch of death.
Hell, I might even cross the line.
Being a single mother in this world was nearly a death sentence without the right supportive community, after all, so if he did that to Mom…
"…Is that so? Well, it doesn't really matter, does it?" Master said with a shrug. "Let's just see how well that dunce trained you. I'll be attacking, so do whatever you can to defend and counter. Just make sure to use only the Water God style."
Without giving me a moment to take in her words, she then began attacking in a flurry of strikes.
This… it was the Sword God style. And at a level above Paul.
Well, I guess once you reach such heights in swordsmanship, your base strength and technique would carry you to the Saint rank in all the styles no matter how much you trained, as long as you knew the techniques, that is.
As I quickly discovered, using only the Water God style was quite difficult.
I was just itching to use my magic or unleash a powerful strike, but I knew that doing that wouldn't help me.
I needed to get stronger in the Water God style and understand the principles from the basics so that I could raise it to the level of my Sword God abilities and have both styles balance themselves in perfect harmony.
Soon, with her relentless attacks, I was eventually able to find the perfect opportunity to parry.
Angling my sword, I let my touki flare along the blade, pushing her sword to the side before I carved my sword through the air, closing in on her vulnerable side.
But as soon as I reached it…
"Not bad. But still sloppy."
I felt my body get pulled forward by some unknown force, before landing on the ground face-first in a heap, almost a mirror image of when I tried striking her upon her arrival.
"Do you know what you did wrong?" Master asked.
"Urk… no. Not really," I responded.
"Tch. While your Flow was good, you only used the defensive side of it and quit before using the counter side halfway through. It's almost like you expected to shift to a Sword God technique, but you stopped yourself," she lectured, tossing me my dropped sword.
"My what? What is… Flow?" I asked.
She scrunched her eyebrow. "What do you mean, 'what is Flow'? Did your father not teach you it?"
I shook my head. "No. My father doesn't even know what touki is. He's the… instinctive type."
"Ha… and here I thought he grew a brain. How did you get so good with such a dunce as a teacher?" she asked.
"Umm… I watched him, and trained very hard since I was three?" I said in response.
"Hoh?" she exclaimed with a smile. "Three? Quite young for anyone not in the Sword Sanctum."
"Paul… really wanted to pass on his 'teachings'. Though I wouldn't exactly call them that," I said, getting to my feet.
"Hah. That's one way to say it," she laughed. "Anyway, at least I now know what needs fixing. You need to learn the counterattacking part of the Water God style without relying on anything but the Water God technique. You also need to learn some of the basics that idiot skipped over, such as reading the flow of battle, mana, and touki."
The Water God style could do that? That sounded extremely useful!
"And maybe, if you improve fast enough… I could get you started on one of the Five Secret Arts. You'll have to master Flow before that, though, haha!" she added.
…It seemed like I had a lot to learn.
But this was a good thing.
Under this new Master of mine, I would probably be able to grow at a much faster pace and see the peaks of swordsmanship that would previously be impossible.
Though… I would have to send a letter home, telling them I wouldn't be visiting for a while.
They should understand, right?
— Leon Greyrat —
Calm. Tranquil.
The complete absence of thought.
Letting the water cascade over my body, drenching me head to toe, I paid it no mind as I remained sitting cross-legged in meditation.
This was training for the Water God style, straight from the leader of the school herself, and as one might expect from the name, it involved water.
You see, there were two halves to the Water God, and conversely, two methods of training needed to master the style.
First, there were the swordsmanship skills, where one would learn how to cleanly cut through the air not by force, but by graceful technique.
After all, air was also a fluid, though it was much easier to navigate through, so the aspect of 'Flow' worked just as well within water as it did outside of it.
The second method was what I was currently doing… meditation, the training for the senses side of the Water God style.
According to Master, this was the side that I needed the most work in, as Paul had never taught me anything about these things.
I don't know if he knew how to do it and simply didn't teach it, or if he didn't know it at all, but either way, I needed to train up this side of the style before I started on my path to a Water Saint.
But of course, it wasn't just simple meditation.
That would be too easy.
Feeling my instincts flare, I raised my sword to deflect the oncoming blow.
Thwack!
Parrying it to the side, and sensing no follow-up, I brought my sword back to rest on my lap as I returned to absolute calm.
"Alright. That's enough," Master said.
Opening my eyes, I took a deep breath before rising to my feet.
As it happened, I quite liked meditation.
I used to use this method to train my magic when I was younger, but at some point, the process of thinking in tandem with casting spells was needed to improve my skills, so I stopped.
But now that it was a method of training my skills in the Water God style, I would be able to return to doing it without any guilt of wasting my time.
"You sure you don't need a jacket, kid?" Master asked.
"No, thanks. Magic is quite versatile, after all," I returned.
Feeling the cold air against my skin, intensified by how wet I was, I cast Burn in Place over my body while simultaneously creating a warm draft to heat my hair, raising my body temperature back to a comfortable level.
A few months had passed since becoming the Water God's student, and as the season slowly approached winter, it was becoming much cooler in the mornings.
Especially when you were just drenched in freezing river water.
Unfortunately, this meant that I had missed Aisha and Norn's second birthday, but considering it wasn't one of the three celebrated ones, I didn't feel too bad.
I just hope they didn't forget about me.
"…I still can't help but be amazed whenever I see it," Master said. "You and your brother are real monsters, you know that?"
"That's quite rude. I'm not the one who can flip an attacker upside down with a finger," I responded as I picked up my bag.
"Hah. Maybe. But at the rate you're going, it won't be long before you reach that level. And add to that the strength of casting magic without a chant… hell, you could probably become one of the Seven Great Powers," she said.
"I doubt it. It'd probably just be annoying anyway," I huffed.
Seven Great Powers?
Ridiculous. I had no need for such a title.
While I was aiming to get that strong, that was only in terms of abilities, I didn't want or need to flaunt my power past letting people know not to mess with my family.
In fact, if I got to that level… I'd probably get targeted so that someone could take my title.
"That so? Then why are you trying to get so strong?" Master asked.
"My family and friends," I said, kicking a rock down the path we were walking on. "Even if it's unlikely for them to run into such big problems, almost everything can be solved with enough strength. As long as you have a brain to properly use it, that is."
"Hmm? I see. A family man. That's one of the best traits to have when reeling in girls for the long haul, you know?" she said.
"Huh? Why would I need to do that?" I asked.
"Pff," she laughed. "Y-You're right. You definitely don't need it. Make sure you put a shirt on before we reach the city, though. Unless you make all the girls drool."
Pouting slightly, I took my shirt out of my bag before putting it on.
As I had grown both in age and strength, I was starting to finally show some muscle.
Luckily, whether it was just my combat-focused training or some aspect of touki enhancing my muscles, I was not bulky to a disgusting degree, but rather, extremely toned, with muscles that popped with every movement, pretty similar to Paul.
According to Rudy, I had the body of a 'Greek God', whatever that meant, but knowing what my lecherous brother liked to worship, I didn't want to know of any 'god' of his.
Anyway, with this new physique, I had also begun feeling an increasing amount of lustful gazes sent my way, both from the maids in the manor, and the townsfolk.
Which didn't help with the fact I was starting puberty.
Puberty was… weird.
Not much had changed, other than some faster physical growth and morning… mishaps, but I now knew that it was the cause of why I felt tingly and weird around Eris, or, as I now called her, 'Eri'.
But I was able to control myself to not make any rash decisions, unlike a certain brother of mine.
But despite it being controlled, it still didn't stop my confusion about the situation.
Did I like her? Or was it simply my roused hormones?
And those questions were the same with Sylphy.
But I decided to put those thoughts to the side for now and focus on what I could do in the present, which was swordsmanship.
If I liked them, then I would own up to my feelings, but I would only do so once I knew my feelings were pure and true, which could only come after some self-discovery.
"But you didn't have to learn the Water God style, you know. There hasn't ever been a Sword Saint as young as you, so I have no doubt you could become the Sword God with enough practice," she said.
Back to the strength talk, huh?
"Well, focusing on one style wouldn't be good. My father, while an idiot, can use the three sword styles in tandem, creating a perfect style of swordsmanship both in theory and practice… at least for the Advanced rank. So I want to follow his footsteps in that way, at least," I said.
"Heh. No kidding. Your dad was pretty good, at least from what I remember. Too bad he was such a lazy ass," Master chuckled.
"Mmm. But I wanted to take it a step further," I said, getting a raised eyebrow from the woman. "Moulding the three styles together, covering their individual weaknesses… I want to do all at a higher level than he did, and also add in an element that my father never had."
"Oh? Are you talking about your magic?" she said curiously.
"Yes," I nodded. "I want to make a new style of swordsmanship."
She looked at me for a moment before chuckling.
"Hah. Good luck, kid. I won't say it's impossible, but it will definitely be difficult. At least if you want the style to be any better than the current ones that have been perfected for centuries," she said. "So? You have a name for it yet?"
"Umm…" I trailed off, scratching my cheek.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
"I do, but… it's a bit embarrassing," I said.
"Huh? Just say it."
"It's… the Elemental God Style," I said.
Instead of being met with laughter, Master placed her hand on her chin in a pondering expression. "'Elemental God', huh? Not bad, but I wouldn't go adding the 'God' part until you reach the level of Gal and me, alright? Numerous styles pop up here and there, especially with those North God folks, but any of them with 'God' in the name quickly get laughed off or challenged to a duel."
Ah. I see.
"I'll keep that in mind," I said, bowing my head.
I guess for now, I'd just call it the Elemental Style.
— Leon Greyrat —
Watching a brown blur race toward my face, I sidestepped the strike as I raised my own sword to block.
Clack!
The familiar sound echoed across the riverside, blending in pleasantly with the background noise of running water.
Master backed up before raising her sword once again, this time, holding the handle close to her side.
It was a familiar position.
After all, I had practised that move day after day after first learning it.
It was the stance of the Longsword of Light.
I watched as mana began to clad her body and blade, twisting and converging like a violent, yet controlled storm as her feet dug into the ground.
And without a sound, she disappeared, leaving nothing but a small cloud of dust in her wake.
But this speed was still manageable for me, and with my now-trained senses, I could point out where she was going to attack.
Raising my sword, I angled the blade while letting my touki ripple across the side like waves in the ocean, and as her strike approached, I slid my blade under hers to deflect.
At that moment, I started to feel… something.
It wasn't anything explainable, nor some grand revelation, it just felt like something clicked into place… similar to my previous enlightenment.
My body turning along the path of her strike, I let my touki flare, disrupting her rhythm as I transferred the shape, the feeling, the pure technique from her sword into my own.
My vision turned monochrome, and with a twist of my hips and a flick of my wrist, I pivoted my feet as my sword reached Master's exposed side.
But this time, instead of using her hand to stop my strike, she dodged, leaving my sword to soar uselessly through her afterimage.
"Haa… haa."
Breathing heavily, I brought my sword back up in a ready position, but instead of unleashing an attack despite my fatigue, Master simply rested her practice sword on her shoulder with a wide smile.
"Congrats kid. That was a perfect use of Flow. Or at least, good enough to advance your rank," she said. "Take pride, Leon Greyrat. You can now call yourself a Water Saint."
I… was a Water Saint now?
Other than that weird feeling I felt before reflecting her attack, my abilities didn't feel all that different, but I suppose I felt the same when I became a Sword Saint.
"Thank you, Master," I said with a bow. "I couldn't have done it without you."
"Hmm… maybe. But you'd be strong either way. Anyway, I would have been leaving soon whether you got there or not, so good job on reaching the Saint rank in our time together," she said. "You're a good kid. Strong too. Just don't let others take that strength for granted."
She then gently lowered her sword, pointing the tip to the ground as she widened her stance.
"Now, while I will be leaving today, I'll show you what to reach for next as a final lesson. If I'm right, this technique should fit you perfectly, even if it's difficult to master," she said. "Now come take a step toward me."
Following her advice, I took a hesitant step forward, and as soon as I did, I felt a searing pain in my shoulder.
"Gah!"
Bringing my hand to the pain, I felt a stream of hot liquid, and I didn't need to look to know it was blood.
What?
That… was insane!
Quickly healing the gash, I tried to make sense of what I just saw, or rather, felt, since I didn't see anything, even with my mana sense.
"That was Dance of Deluge, one of the Five Secret Arts of the Water God style, and one of the two that is combined to make my Deprivation Sword Kingdom technique," she explains.
"W-What's that?" I asked. "Your technique?"
"It's my ultimate technique. Pray you never see me use it," she said, placing her sword back to rest on her shoulder. "Anyway, now that you've seen it, practice with the aim of replicating it. I don't expect you to be able to for a while, but once you do, you'll be a Water King, and then you can come back to the capital for some more training. Only if you want, of course."
"U-Uhh, yeah. Sure," I stammered, still a bit dumbfounded at what had just happened.
Such an inexplicable thing… it was practically out of the realm of possibility, at least for a mortal.
Well… I guess that's why she's called a 'God', huh?
"Good. Well, it's been fun, Leon," she said as she began walking away. "Say… are you sure you don't want to marry my granddaughter? She's quite beautiful, if I said so myself."
"No, thanks. I… already have someone in mind," I said, thinking of Roxy.
Though… at this point, with Sylphy and Eris, it might be better to said I had a few people in mind.
But god knows what Mama would do to me if I said that.
"Someone in mind, eh? Heh, you hear that, kid!?" she said toward a distant tree.
"Eep!"
'Eep!'?
"Come on out! Give this old lady one last laugh before I head back to those stuffy nobles," Master said.
Slowly, from behind the tree that the noise originated from, Eris emerged, with slightly rosy cheeks and eyes that darted around the forest before honing in on Master.
"H-Hmph! W-What's wrong with me being here, huh!?"
Wow… to take such an attitude with the Water God… Eris sure was amazing.
However, I was a bit confused as to why she kept sending short glances my way.
Oh, right. While I had healed my cut, there was still blood covering my bare chest, so she must have been worried.
Washing myself with some water magic, I then dried off with a quick burst of warm wind before looking back at Eris.
"I'm fine, Eri! See? Nothing to worry about!" I shouted.
But for some reason, instead of looking relieved, her mouth simply widened a little before she suddenly ran, her form darting away with a blur.
"Umm… Eri?" I said, confused.
Why'd she run off like that?
"Hahaha! Ahh, you kids are fun… reminds me of my youth. Maybe I should send Isolte over here after she becomes a Saint. That would surely be a treat to watch," Master said, wiping a tear from her eye. "Anyway, I'm off. Get strong, Leon, but don't forget to have fun too. If you only follow the sword, you'll end up old like me in no time."
With those final words of wisdom, my Master, the Water God, departed as quickly as she came, walking toward the city toward what I could only assume to be the carriage house.
Considering she didn't bring anything but the clothes on her back and the sword strapped to her waist, she didn't even need to stop by the manor before leaving, and as she didn't interact with anyone but me and the maids that took care of her, she probably wouldn't need to say any farewells either.
During her time here, she basically treated the manor like an inn, but no one took any insult from that.
After all, you would have to have a death wish to complain about manners to a Divine-rank swordsman.
Anyway, despite only teaching me for a little more than half a year, I learned a lot, and not only in aspects regarding swordsmanship.
From my mental training, I could now sense mana to some extent.
While I had always had the ability to sense my own mana, it now extended to others and to touki as well, though to a lesser extent.
Not only did this new sense aid in my control of touki and swordsmanship abilities, but it also helped with my magic, as the previous sense of my own mana was boosted.
Nothing too drastic, of course, but it was still good progress, and considering that I was now past the age of growing my mana capacity, I needed all the help I could get with increasing my magic abilities.
Tilting my head up, I felt a few snowflakes fall onto my face, instantly turning into water once they landed on my skin.
During my training, nearly a year had passed, meaning that I had become eleven years old, and with spring coming up, Rudy was soon to be nine.
Time passes pretty quickly, huh?
I guess I shouldn't take Master's words about it for granted.
Yeah… I should head back home for a while and spend some quality time with my sisters, Mama, Lilia, and Sylphy.
Oh, and it'd be fun to brag to my father that I was now a Water Saint, too.
And since I was now a Water Saint, and had also kept such a prestigious woman as the Water God in his manor, I'm sure Philip wouldn't mind me taking some time off with my family.
But if he wanted to renegotiate my contract… hehe, well, let's just say I would be able to get my sisters something very nice for their birthdays.
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