04. The Vague Magic System

What is swordsmanship... it's a very important question for anyone wanting to learn such art.

Or to be more precise, what is swordsmanship for... there are a lot of different intentions for swordsmanship itself.

With a first being the people who thinks of swordsmanship as what it names entails, "The Art of the Sword", which is presented as a beautifuk form of art for peoples own entertainment. These are the type of people that creates the real art of sword that only focuses on the presentable nature of such a precious item.

There are also people who uses swordsmanship as their passion. It is their goal to perfect and master the art of the sword and test it to their very limits. This are the type of people that believes that they are born to weild a sword and truly show the world the perfect weapon.

And speaking of weapons, there are also people who just treats swordsmanship as the pure art of killing. As an art that uses a convenient item known as a sword into a precise art and movement to take another's life. Probably the most common of people and are just the most basic use of it, as killing is the main purpose of a weapon.

There are also people that are just filled with their natural instincts of something called "Greed". People use swordsmanship as an easy way to earn fame at the greatest reward yet the most dangerous prize.

And there are those people, that despite what anyone say, may be the most cliche type of people, yet I still very much love them. And those are the type of people that treats or knows swordsmanship as a way for survival. The people who knows nothing but the use a sword to survive even for just a single day. Sufferening forever to a little possibility of actual succes and a high probability of just constant survival. Which I guess is what they are known for.

And so all these people as even the ones that uses survival all suffers from one thing. Despite the fame, glory, money, pleasure, survival, even your own life, swordsmanship will never win on something called...

***

"Magic, is arguable the strongest profession in the world. But don't be fooled, that is only said in history, but the sword is truly the greates-"

"Aren't the three professions, academic, magic, and fighter? It's supposidly a fighter right? So why am I learning the sword?"

"Are you fucking telling me I wasted my time lecturing you!"

This is Knight Captain Gordon, and is also one of the few Court Nobles. And right now his nostrils are fuming, his eyes are colored red and his head was like a steaming bun.

"Just follow what I fucking say! The sword is the most elite of any weapon, just learn it snd don't worry about anything! The other weapons are for the commoners!"

Oh and yes, my father added curse words as a normal word in this world. But they are not categorized as cursed words at all in this world. They are known in a simple description of being words of "strong affirmation".

"Ok..."

I couldn't really fight him, he looked so angry he couldvd turned into an actual demon. Is he just that ugly or what? I mean his face is quite normal if I would say so myself. With a full beard and an even face. He can be quite popular with just a proper posture.

"And because you have made me angey at our first meeting, you will swing your sword until your time here is up!"

Well that is quite harsh. And what is with this pattern of my classes being absolutely useless. I am not gaining anything new in this class just like last time. I hope this won't happen on the magic class.

"Well, i'm sorry I didn't discipline my brother enough."

My sister may not know it, but the time I started to gain "realization" at least in their eyes, my sister changed from her very caring nature to a "tsundere" one.

On this type of people I just truly wonder 'Is it really that hard to just express your real emotions?'.

After what my sister said to Gordon he just left. So then am I good to stop now? My arms are still good but they are starting to hurt a little.

When I was about to slowly drop my sword, my sister then stopped me from doing so.

"Just do what he said, don't even try to think you can get away just because he isn't looking."

Well I guess sometimes she can be normal too. Just a normal caring sister is always better than a crazed and a tsundere one.

But... I don't think I can do this for more than a dingle hour...

...

And so my time on the swordsmanship class ended with both my arms so tired I couldn't feel them. But of course my time wouldn't be stopped by measly broken and tired arms. I still had a magic school next. And I quite have a really good regenetative qualities.

"Go to your next class now Ryu."

Not even as much as a goodbye, how distant you have become my sister. Maybe a timeskip should have been "skipped", I liked your past personality more.

And so finally I went on to the class I have actually waited the whole day for. And while walking I tried to think if any repetative action the a mage would even need to do, and I couldn't think of anything so i'm probably safe this time... right?

"So why are we in a forest? And why is the forest surrounded by knights?"

"Well that is because your magic teacher would be an elf!"

Well that certainly is interesting, but still doesn't answer the question of the knights. Don't tell me it's a crazy elf thst needs gaurds to not let it escaoe as it still has its uses. Ok, that sounded a little bad.

"But why are there gaurds?"

"Well that is because if anyone learns there is an elf in this far country, there will be a huge problem."

Say what? I mean I of course learned a lot about the history of the world. But most of it are the history of Hannan, it didn't really hold much about the history of the entire world. The only major thing I got was the map of the continent.

Which now that I think sbout it... It is weird for an elf to be here, when their home is in the literal furtherst country from us.

"This is as far as we could go." Said by Claris as Lacy has been quiet the entire time.

"Ok..."

Well this is quite scary. I mean of course I really shouldn't and that will be quite pathetic of me, but this is truly an interesting experience.

The forst was deep, so deep it has been a couple minutes before I could even actually see an open area. But of course getting there wasn't easy at all.

From the moment Lacy and Claris left and couldn't continue anymore. I was ordered to follow this shining gold butterfly into the forest that the deeper I went, just the darker and creepier the trees become.

But of course soon enough, it was just a few struggle for the body of a four year old. I wss finally in an open field and then.

*Screech.

'Did the butterfly just screeched.' The betturfly died and it was shocking. A man, who I guess wss an elf apprared out of nowhere.

"So you're Ryu. I look forward to teaching you."

"Uhhh, hello."

"First, let me introduce myself, I am Fredryr, an elven mage."

"Nice to meet you... Master Fredryr."

Tho moment he opened his mouth, I just felt like I should respect him. That was weird, but maybe this elf was actually older than me, and elves are the actual only ones that could even make that a possibility.

"Then let's start. First, what do you know about magic?"

"That it is a form of profession that controls a foreign energy and uses it as it's own."

"That is a very broad description."

Oh...

"Even warriors have a foreign energy called Eather that they use."

"..."

"Magic is not just a foreign energy used to create multiple different elements. It is also the energy that builds the foundation of life."

"..."

"Life energy, if you want to name it."

"So you mean the lifespan of people?"

"Good guess, but not quite. Life energy isn't the account or number of a person's existance. Life energy is the energy that makes a person even exist."

"So the lifespan?"

He then chuckled a little like he was just politely talking to an ignorant child. He is quite a calm person, and it really is soothing.

"No... it is not the lifespan, but the soul... maybe I should have said that in the first place. Magic is the fallen or stripped energy of someones soul."

"So it's necromany?!"

"No, if a person dies then their magic and soul disappeares. But it is more like a rampat soul that cannot fully rest in it's body. That is what magic is. And magic could be used in many different ways. With two different methods respectively."

"Can I try to think about it?"

"Ok, go ahead."

"Is it the virtue magic and evil magic?"

"Close, it's just plain magic and evil magic."

"..."

"Can you try to guess the difference?"

"...hmmm..."

I pondered for it for quite a while till I tried to put the words even I have already said. It seems like I was already quite there.

"Normal magic is the use of your own soul and refining it so it doesn't leak any "magic". Then evil magic is the use of other's own soul."

"Correct! You are an amazing child."

...

And so my class soon came to an end. There was no actual teachings of real magic in the class at all, but only the theories behind it. Which I have to be honest is truly interesting to me.

The simple reason to that is that I have never learned any magic theory, as my school just teaches magic and tells us to follow it. That is not really studying, more like copying.

And so our conversation ended with me gaining a lot of new different knowledge about magic and its elements.

Truly the amazing nature of magic... it truly gives you a sense of anticipation, doesn't it?