Side Story – Sword Saint Fries, Part 2

His fangs might have dulled a bit, but as long as he could still fight to some degree, that was enough for me.
After we exchanged a few words, I’d ask him for a duel.

“You haven’t changed a bit, Fries. Still walking the adventurer’s path?”

“No, I retired a long time ago. I wanted to devote myself fully to mastering the sword.”

“Hah, you always were like that. And now you’ve gone and become a Sword Saint… you really are something else.”

“You, on the other hand, seem to have changed quite a bit, Gutie. Once feared as the Demon of the Battlefield, and now you’re here training your juniors… it’s frightening how age softens a man.”

“You can’t stay sharp forever. Besides, at my age, I’m getting to experience things I never would’ve before. To someone like you, who knew me back then, it might look like I’ve settled down—but honestly, I’ve never been happier.”

His eyes were steady and sincere—he wasn’t lying.
And because he wasn’t, I couldn’t help feeling a little lonely. The man who once surpassed me had found a future outside of battle.

“I see… I suppose that’s good to hear, but still, it saddens me a little. I always thought you’d walk the same path as I—seeking to perfect the sword.”

“Heh! You don’t have to master the sword to become strong. In fact, I’m stronger now than when we used to spar, and I’ve met people stronger than any swordsman—even those who don’t wield blades at all.”

“Stronger than before, you say? That’s quite the joke. You seem to me like nothing more than an aging soldier these days.”

“Ha ha ha! —Want to test that theory right now?”

“To challenge a Sword Saint… have you truly gone senile?”

“You’ll see soon enough. —Hey, you lot! That’s enough practice swings! Go run a few laps outside!”

After dismissing his trainees, Gutie cleared the courtyard.
My blood was already boiling—I’d intended to fight him, but honestly, I was afraid I might go too far.

I’d have to make sure not to kill him by accident. Holding back wasn’t exactly my specialty.

“Pick whichever wooden sword you like.”

“Then… I’ll take this one.”

“Fine by me. I’ll use this.”

We each took up a wooden sword and stood a few paces apart.

It had been nearly twenty years since we last faced each other, but Gutie still had that same overwhelming presence.

“No openings at all, I see. In twenty years of duels, I’ve met few with pressure like yours—you’re top class, no doubt about it.”

“Don’t start praising me before the fight. Might be you’re the one who loses, you know?”

“If that happens… I suppose I’d be pleased.”

“Alright then. Here’s how we’ll do it. I’ll toss a coin—once it hits the ground, we start. First to land three clean hits or render the other unable to continue wins. Sound good?”

“That’s fine by me.”

As soon as I agreed, Gutie flicked the coin into the air.
We both raised our guards, ready to move the instant it hit the ground.

And the moment it did—

—I rushed in to finish it in a single strike.

The ground split beneath my feet as I kicked off, closing the distance faster than his eyes could track.

“—Divine Flash!”

A technique I’d spent decades refining—the fastest slash in existence, a blow that could reach even the gods.

Even with a wooden sword, that strike could easily kill a man.

But this was Gutie. I couldn’t afford to hold back.

I aimed straight for his abdomen and unleashed Divine Flash.

He should have gone down, unable to fight—
—I should have heard the sound of him collapsing behind me.

Should have.

“Too soft. Without adding a blinding flash to mess with my vision, there’s no way you could finish me with that first strike.”

The blow that should have felled him had been perfectly deflected.
Gutie was behind me—completely unharmed.

I couldn’t even comprehend what had happened. My mind went blank, and before I knew it, I’d taken three clean hits and lost.

“See? Told you—I’m stronger.”

“I—I don’t understand! How did you block that strike!?”

“Hah! You’re stuttering. Fine, I’ll tell you. First, my eyesight’s improved. Second, I recently fought someone who used a technique even nastier than that Divine Flash of yours.”

“Improved eyesight? Someone with a technique worse than Divine Flash? That’s absurd!”

“Fries, you already lost. That’s proof enough my words aren’t lies. —Heh heh heh. Embarrassed to have talked big and still lost?”

He grinned smugly, and I could feel the heat rise to my face.

“I—I’m not embarrassed. I was simply caught off guard, that’s all.”

“Oh? The great Sword Saint got careless, huh? Then how about another round?”

“Gladly. Since you’re the one suggesting it, I won’t hold back this time. I’ll crush you completely.”

“Come at me anytime. I told you—this is my prime. Against someone who fights fair and square, I can’t lose.”

“Then I’ll show you the true strength of a Sword Saint. You won’t be making bold claims after this.”

This time, I swore I wouldn’t let a single opening appear.

But even after a fierce, drawn-out battle… I lost again.

And before I could even recover, we had a third bout—
—I lost that one, too.

Completely defeated by the man I’d dismissed as a relic whose fangs had long been pulled.

Frustration, emptiness, humiliation—all swirled inside me.

But more than any of that, one question burned brightest: how had Gutie become this strong?

It was a bitter loss, but also a chance—an opportunity for me to climb even higher.

Swallowing my pride, I resolved to learn everything I could from Gutie about what had happened to him.

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