The Villainess Whom I Had Served for 13 Years Has Fallen - Chapter 176

Chapter 176 – The Will You Hold in Your Sword (1)

Training with Hanna began.

One day. Two days. Three days.

Until the promised day of the decisive battle approached, I remained in the capital with Hanna, and Hanna also came out to the promised place every night to swing her sword.

Hanna followed along well.

Perhaps because she was used to rigorous training, she approached the training without showing signs of hardship, and despite the start of a daily routine that was twice as grueling as usual, she accepted the beginning of training with a bright smile.

-Butler!

Every time she greeted me energetically, as if yesterday’s muscle pain didn’t hurt at all, I smiled at Hanna’s clumsy expression as she winced from muscle pain while stretching.

-Does it hurt?

-N-No…!

-Then we should push you harder today.

-Eek! I’m sorry!

I think I felt more attached because I knew what Hanna was working hard for. And it was good to see her efforts for that purpose.

If she had made halfhearted efforts, it wouldn’t have been enjoyable to teach, but Hanna gave her all every moment, and despite already being a sufficient model student, she tried as hard as a struggling student. This often made me want to teach her more.

“Butler?”

Standing in the middle of the training ground late at night, Hanna asked me as I stood still.

Why was I standing there blankly?

Surprised by Hanna’s question with a hint of curiosity, I shrugged my shoulders and answered.

“Ah, I’m sorry. I was momentarily caught up in the evening sentiment and didn’t hear you.”

“Puhah…! What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I guess puberty came late for me.”

“Puhahah! Butler, you’re going through puberty?”

“Yes, I’m in my stormy period.”

Holding her sword and sweating, Hanna burst into laughter looking at me. Whatever was so funny, she smiled at every little action and responded, and I found myself smiling along with her.

I must have embarrassed Hanna by saying I was just thinking for a moment. Feeling apologetic, I felt the cool night air and listened to Hanna’s question.

“By the way, why did you call me? Is there something you’re stuck on?”

“Ah… I wanted to ask if I’m doing well according to what you taught me.”

“I see.”

I nodded and said to Hanna.

“Then shall we take a look? To see if you’re doing well.”

“Yes…!”

Hanna raised her sword.

Closing her eyes and calmly taking a breath, a haze-like aura began to flow from Hanna’s hand.

A light brown aura.

It wasn’t an aura that gave the impression of strength. A warm and ambiguous feeling. Rather than an intense desire to defeat someone, it felt like an aura that wanted to maintain and be satisfied with the current situation.

Explosive power.
Overwhelming pressure that seemed capable of defeating an enemy in one blow, frankly speaking, was not felt.

I looked at Hanna’s aura dryly with my arms crossed. Whether the weapon of aura Hanna possessed could reach Michail.

This ambiguity wasn’t what I had hoped for.

I had given Hanna a difficult task.

I had asked her to create her most powerful attack. A finishing move, you could say. People who make ‘martial arts’ their profession should have their own ‘secret technique’ after all.

In Michail’s case, he had a secret technique called ‘Flash’, and Ruin had a secret technique called ‘Explosion’, so I had asked Hanna to create at least one such finishing move.

The request itself was vague to begin with, though.

Michail and Hanna’s skills were similar, but their directions were different.

Michail pursued unilateral justice.
Hanna yearned for recognition.

I don’t have such grand goals, but generally, swordsmen hold aspirations in their swords.

If I had to think about it, I suppose I hold the will to somehow defeat the enemy before me. It would be correct to say that my will is to swing my sword with the emotion of killing whoever the opponent may be.

Usually, the main emotion is the desire to protect someone precious, but perhaps because life is enjoyable, I find it more comfortable to swing my sword with a simple purpose rather than such heavy emotions.

Negatively speaking, it could be called killing intent, and positively speaking… I think the word ‘subjugation’ might be fitting.

Aura fluctuates and changes according to the swordsman’s emotions.

The way aura is used differs depending on what emotion the swordsman holds at the tip of their sword, and it fluctuates and changes according to the weight of the emotion held.

I stared silently at Hanna’s aura. Then, shaking my head, I said to Hanna.

“Miss Hanna.”

“Yes.”

Concentrating, Hanna was looking straight at the tip of her sword. Sweat beaded on her forehead, seemingly proving her sincerity, but I couldn’t give Hanna warm words.

What I was going to teach Hanna during this period was not the details of swordplay or tips for victory, but ‘how to use aura’ and creating ‘her own finishing move’.

The weapon of aura was what could achieve rapid growth in a short period of time, and fragmentarily, it was aura that could consistently achieve growth as a swordsman, so I wanted to teach Hanna about this.

I unfolded my crossed arms and said to Hanna.

“You’re wrong.”

“Pardon…?”

“Everything is wrong, from start to finish.”

Hanna looked at me with trembling eyes. She couldn’t understand what was wrong.

Trying to find the fundamental error, whether it was the way she held the sword or the direction of her legs, Hanna looked at me with the eyes of a test-taker who couldn’t find the correct answer.

I walked towards Hanna like that and began to draw Tirving from my waist.

A cool wind blows from the blade drawn with a ‘sring’ sound. A heavy and cool sensation, too heavy to be air created by the night and too cool to be an airflow created by the wind, brushed past Hanna’s cheek.

Taking a small breath, I said to Hanna.

“Ordinary swordsmen usually have something called will.”

“The will to kill the opponent before them…”

A heavy explosive sound ‘hung’ cuts through the air and spreads majestically.

Hanna flinched her shoulders and looked with round eyes at where the sword had passed, while I paid no mind and swung the sword again.

-Hung.

“Some have the will to protect someone precious.”

-Hwoong.

“In my case, I fall into the former category. The feeling of ‘I need to kill this person for my life to be easier.’ Though… maybe it could also be said that I want to protect someone. Since I’m included in that someone.”

“Then.”

“What does Miss Hanna hold when she swings her sword?”

“Is it the will to protect someone? Or is it the desperate desire to win?”

Red aura begins to form on the jet-black blade. The sword, coolly holding the aura, was reddening the training ground with a viscous killing intent.

Not a large amount of aura.
Not a vast amount of mana.
Just enough aura to draw a large line in the air, the sword’s armament overwhelmed the venue despite letting out a light breath.

“What I saw in Miss Hanna was, well, nothing. There’s enough will to become stronger, but where that’s directed, why you want to become stronger… to put it bluntly, I can’t see it.”

“It’s a chronic problem of the Academy.”

I said with a small smile.

“I think it happens because too much focus is placed on getting good grades.”

Hanna must be denying my words inwardly.

What I’m saying essentially means that she’s swinging a sword without substance. It was a denial of how desperate she was and how strong the will she held in her sword was.

However, it was an undeniable reality that something was lacking. Hanna’s aura was like that, and her growth had stopped.

Changing small things couldn’t achieve miraculous growth. The sword as a weapon wasn’t kind. Because a sword, a weapon that harms people, was too bad a friend to care about trivial things.

So I smiled at Hanna, who wore a stern expression.

“You don’t understand what I’m saying, do you?”

“No…”

Hanna told me that she was sincere about the sword.

“Butler, I’m always sincere. I swing the sword because I want to become stronger and become an upright person. You may not know, but I’m swinging the sword with a desperate heart, and I think my passion is stronger than anyone else’s. To say that I lack will…”

Hanna gripped her sword again.

“Honestly, I can’t accept your words.”

I nodded at Hanna’s honest response. I could certainly understand what she meant.

Passion for the sword. I think that’s also a good emotion and a good stepping stone for growth, but.

“Hmm…”

That alone is not enough.
It’s an emotion that will end someday.
It was a goal that would reach its conclusion.

“Watch carefully.”

I lightly gripped the sword in my hand.

The tip of the sword, trembling gently with the incoming wind, was pointing towards the empty air. Now, when even the ruffling hair in the blowing wind and falling leaves feel familiar.

I swung the sword lightly.

[Rustle.]

Everything is cut.

The falling leaves.
The blowing wind.
Even the small floating dust was losing strength and being split by the small blade extending with a single stroke.

Like soil getting soaked by water poured without any emotion, the night was slowly being dyed by the faintly spreading waves of the sword.

Hanna couldn’t forget her words. No, it would be more accurate to say she couldn’t speak.

Because what she saw was a sword surpassing her father’s, and for the first time while watching someone’s sword, she thought it was an unreachable realm.

“This is…”

I said with a small smile.

“Did you see?”

“…”

“This is how a sword should be swung.”

“What did you… No, how did you do that?”

“As a teacher, one should have at least this much ability.”

I called Hanna’s name and said.

“Sometimes, you know. You need to put the emotion of needing to kill someone in your sword, and sometimes the emotion of needing to protect. If you swing your sword looking only at success, it ends up bland, doesn’t it?”

Of course.

“My words may not be the correct answer, but still.”

Hanna nodded like a broken person.

What she had seen.
Where Ricardo’s limit was.
She couldn’t understand.

I sheathed the sword I had drawn and said to Hanna.

“You can do it too, Miss Hanna.”

“…Me?”

“Yes.”

With a smile and words filled with confidence.

“I will make it so.”

End of Chapter