After scarfing down lunch like it was nothing, I headed straight over, so there was plenty of time to spare.
-So, you don’t seem too bothered by me sticking around as much as I thought you would be?
Library silence must be observed.
However, given the size of the library compared to the number of people using it, as long as no one raises their voice, it should be fine.
“…Would anything change even if I did worry about it?”
-Nah, but accepting things too readily like that is kinda suspicious too.
Learned helplessness.
Self-respect crushed into the ground.
Though there are many other reasons too…
“Rather than being passive, have you just given up on thinking for yourself?”
In other words, it means you’ve been backed into a corner.
You might be a ghost, but you’re still a Demon King.
And yet you take this all in stride?
That’s gotta mean something’s not right upstairs.
-Meanwhile, I’d be pretty worried if strange rumors started spreading because you were snooping around everywhere, so I get that much.
“…”
That’s the “if you knew, you wouldn’t ask” face, isn’t it?
The Demon King chuckled quietly.
“Are you seriously more concerned and irritated by avoiding trouble and not drawing attention than by my very existence?”
This is ridiculous.
-Are you not thinking I’m just one-sidedly tormenting you?
“…”
After a brief silence, Carriel furrowed her brow and replied.
“If it was random and malicious, I probably would’ve done something about it already just to survive.”
-Oh really? So you’re enjoying life then?
“At the very least…”
Carriel took a short breath here.
“Thinking about it now, it seems like there’s some merit to it.”
-Huh? What do you mean?
“…If I endure and overcome this situation, I’ll at least end up better off than I am now, right?”
-…
No way, you’re seriously taking this kind of thing so positively?
What exactly is wrong with your heart?
Let’s say you understand and accept the benefits of this intellectually.
But accepting it emotionally is an entirely different matter.
“It’s not like experiencing near-death situations is something most people can handle while staying sane.”
Yet somehow you seem to have this tough mindset like if you just survive this, everything will be fine…
It’s weird though. You don’t exactly radiate ambition or initiative…
And it’s not like you have a strong desire for approval either.
There are traces of affection deficit syndrome – seeking positive attention due to indifference, contempt, and humiliation…
Still, this is quite an unusual way of thinking.
What the hell is going on here? Every time I think I’ve got you figured out, another gold nugget pops up.
Or maybe you instinctively understood something deeper?
No matter how much this kid resists and struggles, until they reach the level they’ve set as their goal…
…this reckless growth pattern will never stop.
-Right. If you can take it so positively, then I’m motivated too.
“…If you get any more motivated, it’ll turn into real torture, won’t it?”
-Training and cultivation are basically torture anyway. The difference is one aims to destroy body and mind, while the other breaks them down to rebuild properly.
“…”
Sure, you make it sound fancy, but both are basically hell, right?
“If…”
-Hmm?
“If I could endure it… how far could I grow?”
-Told you already, right? I just provide the opportunities. The rest depends on you. Still, there is one crucial thing I can tell you.
“What’s that?”
-Wouldn’t experiencing it directly be faster than just talking about it?
Saying that, the Demon King shifted their gaze to the side.
-Not planning on collapsing here, are you?
Under what amounted to reluctant coercion, Carriel positioned herself as far in the corner as possible.
Before long…
Despite supposedly suffering from insomnia, Carriel’s consciousness quickly sank into the depths.
====
“There are three things you need to master.”
“Three things?”
More importantly…
“Why do you look so different?”
“Huh? What about me?”
When she usually roams around as a wandering spirit, she appears as a mature woman.
But the figure before her now looked like a young girl.
“You have a suspicious glint in your eyes.”
“No, I don’t.”
“Still, can’t help it, can I? My human form is modeled after your ideal image, your type.”
“Eh? That doesn’t make any sense…”
“I’m not human, kiddo.”
The greatly diminished woman smiled with a young girl’s face but retaining the Demon King’s imposing presence and aura, lifting the corners of her mouth.
“Recognizing me as human is merely an expression of your imagination, a construct of your mind.”
“It’s hard to wrap my head around…”
“Probably from being persecuted endlessly. Your thinking and imagination have become impoverished.”
Accepting things without question.
That’s because she’s been educated and brainwashed to do so.
“Anyway, let’s cut the chatter. The gist is that my current appearance combines your idealized vision of a woman with my characteristic gold. Simple enough, right?”
“…”
“Alright then, onto the main points. Three simple things: Accuracy first. Efficiency second. Sincerity third.”
“…”
“Why? Too ordinary?”
Carriel unconsciously nodded.
“With all the influence from your old man and the empire’s principles, you’ve surely handled a sword for a while, so you know training with bad posture reduces efficiency. Your efforts will betray you later on. Instead, you’ll waste time and effort correcting mistakes. Right?”
“…Yeah.”
“Learning useless formulas and incantations in magic is the same waste of time. Everything comes down to method. That’s why countless families and schools research, develop, and improve their own optimal approaches.”
All solid arguments.
“On the flip side, those who don’t know this, no matter how hard they work, will eventually stagnate and give up in frustration. Even if they don’t quit, they’ll inevitably hit a wall.”
Occasionally,
“A few manage to break through, but that requires extraordinary luck. Pure dumb luck.”
Which is why self-made success without being a genius is impossible.
Even geniuses must overcome immense hardships to stand on their own.
“What if someone received proper guidance? Say, a level achieved after ten years of desperate struggle between life and death could actually be reached in less than a year? But because of bad habits and improper conditioning, they hit a wall without realizing it. Now tell them to throw away everything they’ve worked so hard on their whole lives? And worse, start over like a toddler learning to walk? Do you think that’s possible after a certain age?”
“…”
A truly miserable story.
“That’s when all they have left is experience and seniority. But can that alone lead to true strength? Unfortunately, it’s just cleverness. More like survival skills or social tactics.”
“So… you’re saying I should build a solid foundation with accurate methods and develop my abilities that way?”
“Got it in one? Excellent attitude for learning.”
Though currently passive and lacking creativity, this is probably best for now.
Better to have a clean slate than one filled with poor scribbles when trying to learn something new.
Still…
‘Her physical condition is far from ideal.’
Which makes it all the more painful knowing it’s the result of hard work.
The Demon King clicked their tongue and asked.
“The swordsmanship you’ve learned has problems too.”
“My swordsmanship?”
“In the current Berke Empire, everyone equally learns the Berke Sword Techniques 6 Forms, 9 Forms, 13 Forms, right? Even the emperor and your father.”
“It’s a story over 300 years old.”
300 years ago.
When the concept of knights was just emerging.
The strongest of the era.
The empire’s greatest knight, Illand, compiled his knowledge and presented it to the royal court.
Nowadays, it’s part of the official imperial swordsmanship curriculum – the most common and versatile style.
“Still, it’s excellent swordsmanship. With a solid foundation in basics, this alone can bring someone to the uppermost tier of knighthood. That’s certain.”
But…
“It’s impossible with today’s imperial swordsmanship. It’s changed a lot from 300 years ago.”
“Changed… you say?”
“Yeah. Shall I show you the original version?”
Summoning an iron sword in mid-air, the Demon King demonstrated briefly.
Six precise movements.
Impeccably clean and efficient.
Simple and unadorned.
“How’s that?”
“It’s different from what I learned… Is this the original Imperial 6 Forms?”
“No.”
She shook her head.
“The original Imperial 6 Forms are exactly what I just showed you.”
“Eh? It’s different from what I learned…”
“As I said, it’s been changed.”
By tramps behaving like tramps.
“Foppish tramps and arrogant ones claiming to improve it added modifications, transforming it into what you learn today. It’s changed and expanded a lot, hasn’t it?”
“…”
“That approach does have its merits.”
However,
“Thoroughly tailored to those whose natural talents and dispositions suit it.”
While the original Imperial 6 Forms were masterpieces designed for anyone to reach higher levels through effort regardless of physical conditions or talent,
“The current imperial swordsmanship you know is thoroughly noble swordsmanship requiring specific conditions.”
“What does ‘conditions’ mean exactly?”
“Talent for understanding mana comes first, followed by physical flexibility to handle it. Lastly, extraordinary concentration.”
“…”
“Exactly. All talents you lack. Therefore…”
Because you wasted time and effort on this fancy-sounding imperial swordsmanship without such talents,
“This is why your skills are in such a sorry state.”
“…”
“A bit more effort and you’ll grow. You just need more time. Swing the sword with your life and sincerity. Through actual combat and constant refinement, you’ll definitely reach your goal.”
Sound familiar? Quite the typical encouragement and advice, huh?
“That’s the worst kind of deception that rots people, yet surprisingly, those spouting such nonsense don’t realize they’re committing such sins. Isn’t that comedy gold?”
Why can they say such things?
“I’m fine! We’re fine! So if you’re not, it’s YOUR fault! YOUR problem! I succeeded, didn’t I? Why can’t you? Put in more effort! Sincerity! Dedication!”
However,
That’s like telling someone without arms to wield a sword.
Like urging someone without legs to run.
“Isn’t that ridiculous?”
“So…”
“It’s YOUR story! YOUR story! You’re missing all four limbs, yet how do you expect to wield a sword? Find footing? Use waist power instead of arm and shoulder strength? You still don’t understand this basic concept, do you? You were just vaguely nodding along, weren’t you?”
“…”
“Here’s an interesting story for you.”
The Demon King grinned mischievously.
And delivered the worst confession.
“You see, I don’t even know the first thing about ‘sword’ techniques.”
Which makes sense since,
“I prefer tearing things apart with my claws! Why would I need that? My hands aren’t even made for gripping stuff, you know?”
How entertaining, right?
“Yet you’ve guarded that precious treasure of yours, that invaluable imperial sword technique, for hundreds of years without knowing its true nature. Why don’t you know, but I do?”
For some reason, the hairs on the back of her neck stood up.
Still, Carriel instinctively latched onto a particular word.
“Wisdom?”
“Ah, slightly off the mark, but close enough. Correct.”
That’s why I’m…
“The Demon King of Wisdom.”
Possessing knowledge alone doesn’t bring one to the realm of wisdom.
The amount of knowledge.
Big or small, much or vast.
Such things don’t even come close to reaching the feet of wisdom.
Thus, wisdom is…
“The ultimate understanding, the proper and righteous comprehension and grasp of principles. In other words, insight into essence. That is wisdom.”
And beyond that…
“The realm of truth, and beyond that, the domain of providence. Such is the endless nature of realms and levels.”
In that sense, aren’t you curious?
“Am I, who fell to your parents, truly a failed Demon King? Did I really fail to predict my own defeat and death?”
Suddenly, Carriel realized she had forgotten to breathe.
Cold sweat poured out, chilling her to the bone.
Her mouth was parched dry, and her throat felt like cracked bark, stiff and rigid.
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