A girl swung her sword.

It was an ordinary slash that was neither fast nor imbued with special enlightenment.

However, the rock in the path of the girl’s sword split in two, as if it was meant to happen.

The man watching from a distance instinctively felt something.

Even if it was not a rock that lay before her, anything would be cleaved in two by the sword the girl wielded.

The man, unable to comprehend the bizarre phenomenon, asked the girl.

“What… how did you do that?”

“This? Well, if you want to learn to wield a sword, they say to cleave a rock. I thought I wanted to cut it, and at some point, I could do it. I’m not really sure myself.”

The man fell silent for a moment, staring at the girl’s natural gaze as if she thought there was something wrong.

He knew that some people were born with unique abilities.

Those who could freely manipulate fire or water were not so uncommon.

However, the girl’s ability was of a fundamentally different kind.

Just by swinging her sword down, she could cleave anything in front of her.

He had already suspected she was not an ordinary person from the beginning…

“Are you really some kind of monster?”

Upon hearing the man’s question, the girl frowned and muttered her displeasure.

“Monster? Come on, that’s a bit harsh for a woman. At least call me… a witch or something.”

Clearly offended by the term ‘monster’, the girl crinkled her brow as the man nodded in reluctance.

Seeing that, the girl let out a snicker, then put down her sword and muttered while looking at her hands.

“Well, I guess it seems that way. I’ve seen enough things to realize I’m not normal.”

After that, the girl glanced at the man and asked.

“Honestly, wouldn’t you feel uncomfortable hanging out with someone whose identity you can’t even grasp? If you don’t like it, I’ll leave. Surely, even someone like me has a place to belong somewhere.”

She spoke in such a calm voice that it seemed she would truly leave if the man told her to.

However, the man noticed.

He saw the regretful expression on the girl’s face as she peeked at him.

Seeing this, the man replied to her.

“I don’t really care if you’re a witch or a monster, so there’s no need for that.”

The girl’s eyes widened in surprise.

“…Really? You’re not worried?”

“I’ve made a promise, haven’t I? I said I would teach you how to use a sword if you’d cleave a rock. But if you leave, I can’t teach you, and that wouldn’t be good. At the very least, I’m not the kind of shameless human who breaks a promise.”

For the man, what mattered most was the sword.

Breaking a promise was to deny oneself.

To deny oneself was to dull the sword he had kept in his heart.

Thus, it did not matter to him what kind of being the girl was.

He simply wanted to ensure that his sword remained sharp.

“…Is that so.”

It was definitely not because he disliked seeing the girl look disappointed that he replied that way.

He thought as he averted his gaze from the girl who was happily smiling.

*

From that day on, whenever the man climbed to the mountain peak to swing his sword, the girl would also swing hers beside him.

“You could choose not to use that ability, you know? While being able to cut anything is a wonderful weapon, depending solely on it won’t allow you to grow as a swordsman.”

“I know that much. When I learn from you, I won’t use that ability, so don’t worry.”

As long as it didn’t hinder her training, the man taught the girl how to wield the sword.

And every time he saw the girl wielding her sword, he felt anew.

“You’re a genius.”

“Hmm, is that so?”

“Yes. I was called a genius in my neighborhood when I was young, but I was nowhere near as good as you.”

If he taught one thing, she learned ten.

Such individuals were called geniuses, and she was one of them.

However, the man was not overly surprised by the girl’s talent.

He knew that in this world, there were monsters who could learn hundreds and thousands just by grasping one thing.

In fact, he initially thought the girl was one of those types.

He believed she possessed such unfathomable talent that merely by watching him swing his sword, she could reach a level where she could cut a rock with a wooden sword.

For the man, it was less surprising that she had the ability to cut anything than the fact that he was amazed by such limited talent.

However, there was one aspect in which the man highly regarded the girl.

“You always smile when I teach you how to use the sword.”

“Well, that’s because it’s fun.”

It was that she seemed to be enjoying learning how to wield the sword.

There is a saying that the talented cannot beat the genius, and the genius cannot beat those who enjoy their craft.

Training was inherently tough.

No matter how much talent one had, constantly persisting through difficult training was not an easy task.

Yet the girl was diligently training alongside him without slacking off, appearing joyful each time.

As a teacher, seeing the student so eager to learn was undoubtedly satisfying.

“I’m glad to hear that you enjoy learning how to wield the sword.”

When the man said this, the girl looked at him intently with a meaningful expression.

“The reason I’m enjoying it isn’t what you think… but, whatever. Just know that.”

The man, unable to grasp her words, merely blinked.

*

One day, while swinging their swords together at the mountain peak, the girl spoke to the man.

“Speaking of which, I tried making alcohol with some fruits I found around. How about having a drink this evening?”

“Alcohol? This cheeky little girl.”

“Haha, it’s more like a weak drink, almost like a beverage. We swing swords all the time, so having a bit of fun like this once in a while should be okay, right?”

The girl was making a plea, even putting on a somewhat cute act, which made the man sigh and fall into contemplation.

No matter how much she was not an ordinary person, she was still a child.

How tedious it must have been for her to constantly train with him in the mountains, doing nothing but swinging swords.

Softened by the moment, the man eventually nodded in response to the girl’s wistful gaze.

Seeing her smile brightly as if she had succeeded, he sighed internally, considering how he felt she had been getting the better of him lately.

And that night, after their training, a gathering was held at the bench the girl had hastily set up in front of her hut.

The fruit wine she mentioned, which had almost no potency.

But perhaps due to the long intervals since last drinking or the intoxicating atmosphere,

As the man discreetly glanced at the girl, who had slightly flushed cheeks from her mild inebriation, she spoke while sipping on the drink.

“…The real reason I suggested drinking was that I wanted to talk with you. We’ve spent quite some time together, and I’ve realized I know very little about you. I hadn’t asked anything before because you seemed to avoid it, but I really want to know more about you. So, could you tell me a little about yourself?”

“…I doubt my story would be entertaining.”

“…I want to know. I want to hear how you’ve lived, why you won’t tell me your name, and why you’re living in a place like this.”

The girl’s words made the man murmur in contemplation.

It was true that he had intentionally avoided discussing himself with the girl.

After all, there wasn’t much about himself that was fit to be shared.

Yet perhaps because of the alcohol, prompting him to feel more relaxed than usual, he found himself gazing into the girl’s eyes and slowly began to speak.

“…I was about five years old when I first held a sword. I came from a somewhat renowned martial family, so I had the opportunity to learn swordsmanship from a young age. To be honest, I wasn’t seriously committed to it at first. I simply took it up because everyone in my family wielded a sword as well. Then one day, I read a tale in the archives about a swordsman from the past. It was a story about a man who rose to become the strongest in the world with a single sword. Looking back, it seems like a childish aspiration, but after reading it, I found I had a dream. A dream to become stronger than anyone else, like the man from the story. That was when I began to take my sword training seriously.”

“…”

“At first, it was simply a childhood goal, yet as I continued to train, like all swordsmen, my aspirations grew serious. I began dreaming of attaining higher levels and becoming the strongest swordsman. Fortunately, I had some talent for it. So much so that everyone around me hailed me as a genius in my family. So I really believed that one day I could achieve that.”

The man, reflecting briefly on his past, spoke with a bittersweet smile.

“Truly, what an utterly arrogant thought.”

It seemed he was thirsty, as he poured the remaining drink into his cup and continued.

“When I reached the age of maturity, I became confident in my skills and wanted to prove my sword. At that time, I heard that a renowned strongman had come to the nearby area. In my youthful enthusiasm, I dashed off and challenged him to a duel. Not just a friendly spar, but a life-or-death duel to prove our strength. I was confident I would win, and even if I lost my life, I wouldn’t have any regrets. Either I cut him, or he cuts me. Such is the life of a swordsman.”

“Being alive now means you must have won, right?”

At the girl’s words, the man shook his head vehemently.

“No, I lost. No, it was a crushing defeat beyond that. It was then that I realized how strong a person can truly be. I was just a frog in a well, completely unaware of my own limitations.”

The girl, startled by his admission of defeat, inspected the man’s body.

Despite losing in a life-or-death duel, he still appeared perfectly fine.

Wondering if the person who won perhaps took his life in exchange for something,

But after examining him briefly, the girl confirmed that there was nothing wrong with him and sighed in relief, murmuring.

“…Still, it’s fortunate you survived.”

“…Fortunate, you say.”

And upon hearing the man’s soft murmur to himself, the girl understood.

“…If only I had died back then, it would have been a blessing.”

The fact that the man’s wound was not on his body but in his heart.

Beside the girl, who had firmly sealed her lips, the man continued with a despondent expression.

“After losing in that duel and waiting for death, my victor told me I was too weak to even be worth killing. He then left without another word, and in that moment, I felt as though my entire existence had been denied. Everything I trained for desperately was belittled, my pride as a swordsman was reduced to nothing. If I had died then… I wouldn’t have been left in such misery.”

After taking a brief sigh, the man looked at the sky and asked the girl.

“…Earlier, you mentioned you wanted to know why I ended up in a place like this?”

The girl silently nodded, and the man smiled bitterly, gazing at the mountain peak he usually trained upon.

The highest place around, the closest place to the sky.

“To be brutally honest, I came here to die. Having not reached the highest position while alive, I wanted to die at least at the highest point. Rather than live with such miserable feelings, I preferred to take my own life.”

“…”

“But when I tried to throw myself from the peak, I hesitated. The sword the man who defeated me wielded kept flashing before my eyes. At the very least, I wanted to wield such a sword once before I died. So, I abandoned my name and family and committed myself to being a swordsman, to continue this life. Just to take a single step into that higher realm… that is all you need to know about the man you were curious about. Has your curiosity been somewhat alleviated?”

The man spoke with an air of someone who might disappear at any moment, making the girl unconsciously grasp at his clothes.

With trembling hands holding onto the fabric, the girl asked him.

“…Do you still think about dying? Is it true you have no desire for life beyond swinging your sword?”

Begging him with her eyes not to leave her behind.

As the girl looked at him, trembling anxiously while gripping the fabric, the man couldn’t help but smile ruefully at the emotion that suddenly swelled within him.

He thought he had no lingering attachments to anything in this world aside from the sword.

Chuckling softly, he slowly patted the girl’s head and replied.

“Didn’t I make a promise? That I would teach you how to wield a sword? So as long as you haven’t become a proper swordsman, I won’t entertain thoughts of dying, so don’t worry too much.”

“…Is that a promise?”

“Yes. You know I’m the kind of person who keeps my promises.”

Upon hearing the man’s words, the girl seemed to relax, ceasing her trembling.

However, her hand still clung to his clothes.

Still holding onto his garments, the girl leaned her head softly against his arm and asked.

“…If I were to fulfill the dream that you couldn’t, would you be happy?”

“…You mean becoming stronger than anyone else? Don’t. Dreams should not be set for someone else’s sake, but must truly reflect what you desire.”

“It’s not particularly for you. It’s what I wish for, you see. Like you said, I’m a swordsman now too. Holding an ambition to become stronger than anyone else is only natural.”

“…You certainly have some talent, but even so, it’s far too early to expect to reach that level.”

When the man said this to the girl resting against his arm, she gazed at him with a smile.

“Hehe, if I swing my sword alongside you until you grow old and die, won’t I get there eventually? So you should live long and witness my rise to the pinnacle.”

Upon the girl’s words, the man let a slight smile escape and raised the cup.

“Well, if that is truly what you want, go ahead and do as you please.”

That late night, the moon fell into the wrist of the drink.