10. First task – 02

dream

With my eyes closed, I look into memories that are not my own in my unconscious.

It is a memory she has forgotten, but at the same time a memory she has not yet experienced.

It is a story of a future that has not come, and a story of the past that has already been buried in the soil of time.

He was, in fact, an ordinary man.

At least, from her point of view, there was nothing unique about the man.

I didn’t want to discuss appearance or physique. The ‘normal’ mentioned here simply meant the aspect of being a human being.

he was a hero At the same time, he was a seeker, a guide, and at the same time a savior who would save this world.

However, the man carrying such a heavy load on his back was so ordinary.

… No, I guess it’s a bit insufficient to simply describe it as ‘ordinary’.

He was a human who refused to interact with others. There was no such thing as revealing one’s true intentions or expressing the thoughts in one’s heart.

always alone And anywhere alone.

A person who is extremely picky, distrustful of others, and just cold-hearted to the point of absurdity.

yes. In a word, he was a machine.

Working endlessly for humanity and to save the world, but never having feelings and wishes of their own—

A machine that was plated as steel after firmly locking its own heart.

So many people looked down on him. I felt uncomfortable with him. At the same time as praising him as the savior, he did not understand the person and was just afraid.

… However, the way he looked in her eyes was a little different.

He was just a coward.

To her, he was like a hedgehog. It seemed that he was afraid to give affection to others, to be with them, and to feel happiness in them.

It seemed that he could not tolerate everything that made up his surroundings, meaninglessly scattering from his palms like sand dug up.

So she felt sorry for him. And every time I see him, my heart aches.

Like a child left at the water’s edge, he couldn’t stand it because he was on his nerves.

… Know. I can’t be your strength Not a single piece of the burden on your heart can be relieved.

If you care about me, if that’s how I become important to you, if you end up feeling happy being with me-

Because I know very well that all this time you and I have been together will eventually come back to you as a curse.

But she couldn’t stand it at all. I couldn’t stand it at all. I couldn’t stay still.

With only one sword in hand, he had walked a lonely road until now, and he could not leave him alone who would continue on such a journey in the future-

Alas, yes. I know.

Her actions are pointless. It’s just an act of hypocrisy full of self-satisfaction.

He is the one who transcends time. A person who repeats life and death countless times. The distinction between past and future is meaningless.

Someday, someday he’ll forget who she is. In the countless repetitions of time, the woman called me will lose its meaning in his memory.

However, even if that was the case, it was okay. It didn’t matter.

Even if my life was meaningless, even if all the times you and I were together ended up being nothing.

Even if you end up forgetting me and loving another woman.

Even so, if I meet you again someday and tell you that you like me.

That alone, I, you-

****

Open your eyes. When she opened her eyes, Altina realized that she had fallen asleep leaning against the wall of the gymnasium.

“… dream.”

Perhaps he has been too absorbed in training lately.

In addition to that, the number of cases of having strange dreams has increased dramatically.

Even though she can’t remember most of the contents after waking up, a strange dream that makes her feel very nostalgic and frustrating.

… Well, I think it’s just because I’m so tired lately.

No matter how much something remains in my heart, it will eventually be a dream. It is nothing more than an illusion that has no meaning in reality.

“But Jin… Aren’t you coming today?”

As always, she was waiting for him with two training swords in both hands, but Altina soon realized.

The fact that today’s Jin is not going to come to the gymnasium.

No, not just today. Until now, Altina used to practice with Jin at the training ground every day, but now she won’t be able to do it like she used to.

Because he officially became an executive of the student council from today, and went to work in the student council room to handle related tasks.

“…..”

For some reason, my heart is empty. A large hole was opened near his chest, and he felt the wind passing through it.

The place where I always swung my sword, the same time as usual, and even though I was holding a familiar training sword-

For some reason, the thought that the most important thing was missing made Altina unable to calm herself down.

No, but now that I think about it, since when did Altina become so accustomed to training with him and being taught by him?

It’s only been about two months since he taught him and she served him as a teacher and sharpened her sword together.

On the other hand, she had been silently swinging her sword in this gymnasium for years alone.

But how on earth did she come to feel his vacancy so greatly in just those two months?

At most, two months would be nothing more than a very small fragment of the entire life of Altina von Rudel Serias.

Why the hell is the current Altina feeling so empty and lonely in a gymnasium where no one but herself exists?

“… Ugh!”

To shake off her weak heart, Altina vigorously shakes her head from side to side.

This is not good. In other words, it was nothing more than unnecessary idle thoughts that were of no help to his own growth, and even to his training.

First of all, he is he and he is himself. Such weak wandering thoughts did not suit the sword path she wanted to walk.

In order to get rid of the agony that even she cannot understand, Altina stands in the center of the gymnasium holding a training sword. And he tried to put down another training sword he was holding in his hand to hand to Jin.

She doesn’t use twin swords. Therefore, holding a sword in both hands is meaningless and nothing more than an act that interferes with training.

Yeah, this is nothing. He never wavers on things like this. No, don’t be shaken.

At first, he was alone. From the very distant past, and until now, he has always been alone.

So, so, now, being alone again and silently swinging a sword is really nothing. Because, in the first place, it’s an extremely simple thing to just go back to the self you were just two months ago.

But, but-

“… ah.”

In the end, Altina did not put down another training sword she was holding on the floor. no, i couldn’t

He could have thrown his own sword to the ground as much as he wanted, but he could not let go of the training sword he had prepared for him.

shaking.

I couldn’t stand it. I didn’t know anything, but I felt like I could know one thing for sure.

The fact that the woman named Altina von Rudel Serias could never go back to the way she was two months ago.

Like a person who has lived in the cold for the first time in his life and experienced warmth for the first time, like a person who has lived in darkness all his life and one day sees a ray of light.

That a man had become so important in her mind that she could no longer imagine him without him by her side.

And Altina von Rudel Serias, so thin, fragile, and fragile-

The fact that she was nothing more than a cowardly woman who couldn’t even face her own heart.

“Ahhh… .”

again Again, a strange sensation invades her mind. Feeling the pain as if something was digging into her head, Altina carefully touched her hair.

Ever since Altina reached the level of Master, and after learning how to deal with intentions from Jin, strange memories have been intermittently popping up in my head.

– Altina.

– jin.

Confusing. Memories of the past two months with him and strange memories that do not belong to her run through her mind at the same time.

In that strange memory, Jin and Altina look at each other with a very loving expression.

They hold each other’s hands tightly and hold each other.

They whisper into each other’s ears that they love each other.

… Has he really gone mad? In the first place, he and I don’t have that kind of relationship, he’s just his teacher, and I’m just his disciple.

Why am I feeling so relieved and warm, having these ridiculous delusions in my head-

And, are you happy?

“… jin.”

In the end, as if giving up on something, Altina tightly closed her eyes.

Jin did not show up at the gymnasium even after the end of the day.

Altina was unable to swing her sword that day.