Chapter 4 – Reincarnation (3)

He had a gap from the death of his previous life to his new one that had lasted 20 years. What exactly had changed during these 20 years? If one simply thought about it, they would be confused. But since reincarnation itself was not even heard of in either of his two lives, there was nothing strange really nor was there anything normal about it.

But, Asher doubted that there was any special reason for it. He didn't have some revenge he was unable to fulfill or any grand purpose he failed to reach. He really was satisfied with his previous life. To him, reincarnation seemed not to be luck, but rather it was still unknown.

"Your expression is looking really serious… Are you okay?", Reika asked hesitantly.

Asher brought his hands to face to feel his jawbone and mouth. They were clenched tightly for some reason.

'I thought I wasn't too emotional of a person, but maybe I am?'

Asher smiled lightly.

"My memories are still jumbled up in a mess and it's still hard to sort them together, but I'm okay with it for now."

"That's good to hear. Do you have any more questions?"

"Ah yes, there are two more actually. Your last name is Halvark isn't it?"

"Yes.", Reika nodded in response.

It was the same lord of the territory from his previous life. For some odd reason, it brought a little bit of a sense of relief throughout all the new information he was receiving.

"And the second question… How did Inak II die?"

"He went out for a battle of conquest in the West, and died in battle."

"Is that so…"

Asher muttered to himself with a mixture of emotions. It was the emperor he had taught whole-heartedly in the past before he had started to seriously age. That child was one he taught the sword to and imparted all his knowledge and understanding of the imperial swordsmanship to. But ultimately, it was only because it was the request of his old friend the First Emperor to teach him. Though he taught the child earnestly, he didn't grow attached to him.

"Thanks, I think that's all the questions I have for now."

"If you're tired then get some rest, I'll let you take the day off."

"No I have to uphold my part of the deal as your employee, Miss"

Lepenia's Swordsmanship.

It was said to have been made by Lepenia, the ruler of the North. She was quite popular with the female swordsmen because she was one of the few female heroes of her era. However, the amount of people proficient with the swordsmanship itself that were capable of actually teaching it properly, could be counted on two hands.

People thought the reason it was so difficult to master was because it was a matter of talent. They weren't completely wrong in that conjecture. The Lepenia Swordsmanship was made for those who master it, to transcend their limitations of a human. There was nothing aside from talent that could allow one to completely master it.

But, there were other reasons as well. It wasn't just a problem of talent when it came to the learner.

"It would be better to slow down the movement in two of the moves."

"Which part? Is it slow enough now?"

"This part right here. This is one of the more typical mistakes made with this swordsmanship."

"Okay."

Reika gently lifted the sword. Recalling Asher's advice she brought the tip of the sword forwards and it bent smoothly like a snake. It was slower than before, but much more stable. Reika's eyes widened in disbelief.

"…Really how could this be?! There was no such instruction in the book!"

"Well the creator of the art actually uses a faster speed like the one you were trying to imitate earlier, but their movement speed is way beyond the speed of average people."

"How do you know that?"

"Uhm… that's…. Uh…"

Asher stammered since the reason the way the sword art was like that, was because the creator made this swordsmanship whenever they whined while being drunk.

Asher couldn't possibly say that to some ten year-old girl, so he just laughed it over and avoided directly answering the question.

Nevertheless it was trivial, since Reika smiled brightly and hugged Asher tightly.

"Thanks Asher!"

"Uh. well."(TN : Reika used hug… it was super effective!)

There was a gentle smell of perfume lingering in the air that permeated around Asher. He felt both their bodies touch and embrace while noticing the body heat. For some reason he could feel his heart beating loudly.

'…Are you telling me my mind is still that of an old man's but my body won't listen?'

The arousal was too much for the body of a young boy and Asher took her off of him.

"Well most people can't replicate what you just did since that kind of talent is only found in 1 person out of 100. Only someone as talented like you, young miss, could do something amazing like that."

Although Asher had no talent in his past life, he still had the eyes to see what those geniuses saw.

"What about you?"

"I am not talented."

It wasn't as if he didn't try to at least learn Lepenia's swordsmanship at least once. It was just that he couldn't find the fluidity and move his body naturally in such angles to pull off such movements to match the sophisticated swordsmanship.

In the end, he had only stuck to the imperial swordsmanship and honed it to the heights and limits it was capable of. He hadn't really improved since he was a young man, but through time and aging he had learned subtle differences he could apply and improvise to make the swordsmanship a bit more capable. But that was it. The swordsmanship itself would not change.

'No… it couldn't be different. Could it?'

He was born in a completely new body. Talent was something that was innate within one's body.

Suddenly, Asher's heart started to beat with excitement.

He had thought that he had met his limits long ago, and that he would never be able to learn different styles of swordsmanship in earnest. But now? There was a possibility that was never there before. It wasn't guaranteed he would have any talent. In fact the chances were still slim. However, he started to get excited and anxious. He wanted to swing his sword and see for himself.

'But, first things first.'

Asher shook his head and calmed himself down a bit. The excitement was still there, but he just cooled his thoughts to think more rationally.

He needed to train this body from the ground up. He wouldn't even be able to test himself to see if he had any talent until his body was capable.

Asher moved a bit farther away to  gather a space around him and swing his sword.

"I felt it from before… Are you really not talented?"

"What do you mean?" Asher responded.

"Your swordsmanship is too disciplined and refined."

Asher smiled and shrugged his shoulders. Despite his hands being soft and the calluses not visible, his skill remained with him.

"This is just imperial swordsmanship, it's only used for self-defense", he calmly stated.

"Ah, you're right. Wait! What time is it right now?"

"Lunchtime seems to have already passed.", Asher responded.

"Ah shoot!, I had an appointment! See you later Asher!"

Reika turned and rushed out of the courtyard. Asher looked at her as she left. She was such a cute little kid he thought. He would always have a soft spot for children and smile. But sometimes, he felt like he might have regretted it. Not getting married, having kids and starting a family that is. Would his life have been different?

"Hmmm.."

Asher picked up the sword and brought it in the air. There was nothing to think about, he was not possibly a changeable person by nature. As he thought that the air cracked and split apart with the fierce strike from the sword.

—

Asher grabbed the wooden sword in his hand. Taking a step back and formulating his stance with a firm grip, he swung widely and then retracted the tip of the sword. Twisting his wrists, he suddenly changed the trajectory in a sharp manner and burst through the air with an edge.

Hooowuk!-

The breeze was forced to split apart into two seams, and the leaves shook wildly in the air around him. Asher smiled slightly at the feeling of light pain in his forearms.

'Is it starting to reach a basic level of composition?'

Muscles had begun to start taking shape and form slight curves on his body. It was a pretty good result for only a week's worth of relentless training. It wasn't even close to his previous bodys' level of muscle composition but it was ridiculous to even compare the two in the first place.

"Huu…"

It was time for Asher to start his work for the day. He crouched down and picked up a fair-looking log from the pile and seated in on top of a tree stump. He then searched for his axe and gripped it in his hands and brought it above his shoulders. Swinging downwards, the log was split clean in two.