Chapter 67

Was it the guide’s skill or just pure luck?

Nah, probably both.

“So, if I had been dragging an ordinary human around, we would’ve definitely spent at least three times as long on this journey, right? And that’s assuming everything went smoothly.”

That’s true.

Even though we’d entered the Metran Kingdom by now, camping continued since even spotting a village was rare. During this time, I gave some basic lessons—sparring sessions more than anything else.

“See, it’s not about stealing or forcibly taking mana like some kind of dark magic or sorcery. It’s following the Principle of Circulation: returning it, tangling it, binding it…”

And there goes Louilin repeating what she’d learned from me, kinda like a broken record.

“…I don’t get any of it.”

“It’s not about going against the flow of a river. If you want to change its course, you either block its path or break down existing barriers to redirect it. Or build new ones.”

“I sorta get that, but how do you apply that with your body? That part confuses me.”

…Honestly, I don’t have much to say about that myself. See, I only understood all this after spending years emptying my mind while repeatedly practicing Grandeous’ bizarre sword techniques. The Demon King said that’s why he could do it too. Still, I tried teaching her the motions anyway.

“So, where exactly do we use these moves?”

So, I showed her an example using the sword Ellie gave me—even though it bent a bit, it was still usable in both hands.

“I still don’t get it! Your movements and posture are all wrong!”

“But the principles are the same.”

“What?! When you’re wielding a big sword, sure, you talk about trees and rocks, and I can kinda see that. But when you’re using one hand, suddenly it’s water and wind? How is that even remotely the same? Are those metaphors even accurate?”

“…”

Surprisingly, they are. But how do I explain this…

“You know, on this land, you’ve got trees growing, water flowing, and wind blowing. So, in a way, it’s all interconnected—one entity.”

While explaining, I realized something strange: I already knew this stuff subconsciously rather than consciously.

So… did I already know all this deep down?

“Why’d you stop talking?”

“The point is, no matter how different things might seem, they’re fundamentally the same.”

“That kind of vague explanation is the worst.”

Look, it’s the truth. And during this explanation, I realized something important: even if the core idea remains the same, people perceive, feel, and interpret it completely differently. This made me finally start understanding something the Demon King had told me before—though I’m still just scratching the surface.

No matter how clearly you explain or demonstrate something, others won’t necessarily understand or accept it. Thinking about all the secret teachings out there that people try so hard to hide… maybe Grandeous’ methods aren’t worth the trouble after all.

-It’s not just about repetition; it’s also about how sincerely and wholeheartedly you put yourself into it.

That makes sense. The Demon King wasn’t just being random when he made me attempt suicide 100 times for practice, right?

Even someone like me, who pays attention to every detail, can lose myself if I zone out or let my guard down.

-And without basing it on the spirit of chivalry, even if you learn all this, it won’t resonate with you.

That’s why, instead of forcing Louilin to repeat specific movements, I decided to trust her to find her own path. My role was simply to guide and encourage her along the way.

For instance…

“Giving your all. Trying, training, striving for something wholeheartedly—I assume you already understand this to some extent.”

“Duh.”

“But even that has room for improvement, doesn’t it?”

If there’s anything I can do for her…

“…It’s about helping you understand what true sincerity is and enabling you to use it effectively.”

She seemed mature compared to others, but mastering this concept isn’t easy—it’s rarely straightforward. Besides, this idea isn’t widely known in the world, and even those who use it often don’t fully grasp it.

“Is this like… how different people interpret things differently? Like that heart-and-mind thing you mentioned?”

“Exactly.”

If her comprehension was slower, I’d need to physically demonstrate it. Luckily, she’s pretty sharp, so I decided to give explanations a shot first.

“Sincerity and earnestness are forms of vital strength—or ‘mind power,’ if you will.”

“Mind power?”

“Yeah. You know how thinking hard, concentrating, or stressing over something can make you tired without moving much? Same deal here.”

“Oh, yeah, totally get that. That’s why I try to clear my mind sometimes.”

“This is about controlling and expanding that mental energy intentionally and physically.”

“Kinda tough to wrap my head around, but I think I get it.”

“For example, thoughts and ideas don’t always go according to plan, right? Usually, they just drag you along. Don’t they?”

“Hmm…”

Louilin tilted her head thoughtfully.

“Maybe? Kinda feels like it sometimes? Other times not so much?”

“Simple test: when you’re tired, sleep comes easily, but if you force yourself to sleep, all sorts of random thoughts pop up, right?”

“Yeah… but if I focus on tomorrow’s schedule, I can manage to control it somewhat.”

“That just shows how good you are at self-regulation.”

“Wait, is this a compliment?”

…Didn’t I already praise her constantly?

“And when you’re focused on something, if you’re interested and feel it’s necessary, concentration comes naturally, right? But for things you dislike, not only is focusing hard, but it’s annoying and troublesome altogether, isn’t it?”

“Well, duh.”

“But suppressing the resistance you feel when doing something unpleasant is also a form of willpower, isn’t it?”

“Uh… I guess?”

“For example, imagine willpower as money. Things you enjoy cost little, while things you hate cost a lot. To pay for expensive items, you need to spend more, right?”

“Okay, this is getting weird, but I follow.”

“Thinking, willing, focusing—all these consume mental energy. Even emotions, whether stirred up or suppressed, take their toll.”

“Ah, I get that. Like when I really want to eat something but can’t, sometimes I can hold back, other times I just cave in, even if my wallet says otherwise.”

“Right. There are times you can resist and times you can’t. What’s the difference?”

“…Maybe it’s because my mental energy runs low?”

Good job guiding her there. Now that she understands, things should progress faster. People need to recognize necessity to stay motivated. Vague talk about thoughts and such won’t cut it—you need concrete reasons to push forward. Similarly, without feeling the need, there’s no drive to work hard. Without motivation, pursuing something becomes wasteful and exhausting.

“Like how you work harder at things you feel are necessary, even if you don’t like them?”

“Exactly.”

Humans and beasts alike operate this way. We naturally throw ourselves into enjoyable tasks, but when forced to do unpleasant ones, we eventually sacrifice many things to endure them. Over time, even thinking or feeling becomes exhausting, leaving us zombie-like in our duties.

“…”

Slaves enduring hard labor often tell themselves to clear their minds and avoid thinking about how tough it is… likely for this reason. Still, they endure because they can.

In other words, even if they push through for a while… there comes a point when they simply can’t anymore…

“So, learning this sincerity or earnestness you talk about means I’ll be able to control it?”

“…Partially.”

“Tch? Partially?”

“Because trees have their ways, rocks, water, wind, fire—they each live and pursue life differently.”

Wishing water could burn like fire? That’s wishful thinking. At best, it’ll boil or evaporate into steam.

“Natural tendencies differ. Once you understand yourself—if you’re fire, you’ll know you can’t mix with water. This avoids conflict and reduces pain.”

“…Wait, so if I want to become fire instead of water, what then?”

“You die.”

“Huh?”

“To change your nature, you must kill yourself. And even then, there’s no guarantee you’ll truly change.”

The reason the Demon King forced me to commit suicide… was this the reason?

Realizing this after speaking, I suddenly understood.

“…”

I glanced at Louilin, who looked intrigued, chin resting on her hand.

Hmm. Is this what wisdom looks like?

Knowledge and wisdom are different. When I asked the Demon King about knowledge…

He used an example to simplify it.

“Let’s say, roughly speaking, knowledge requires three things: justification, belief, and truth.”

“Take a river over there.”

“There’s a river over there, right? That’s the truth. You see it and acknowledge it. Even if you check again later, it won’t change, so you believe in it. However, this is still just your personal experience. To justify it as knowledge, others must confirm the same belief and truth.”

“And thus, knowledge is born.”

But this isn’t absolute.

“What if one day a meteor falls and wipes out the river? It’s gone now. What happens to the knowledge that the river existed there? It transforms into ‘there once was a river.’ And as time passes, even that truth becomes questionable unless recorded and verified.”

“Too complicated?”

“…”

Of course, the definition of knowledge he provided wasn’t absolute—he admitted that himself. He called it a subjective standard for defining knowledge.

Thus… the Demon King distrusts knowledge. It’s merely a tool, not absolute truth.

However… those unaware of knowledge’s essence blindly believe in it like baby birds trusting their mother’s food.

Such ignorance is called delusion.

And after hearing all this, I once asked him… “Then what is wisdom?”

“The question itself is the height of foolishness,” he scoffed.

And now… I still haven’t found the answer to that question, though I may have uncovered part of it regarding previous topics.

“Anyway, this ‘you must die’ thing—is that literal?”

“…”

Yeah, it’s literal. Real death or experiencing layers of extreme shock and pain—likely far worse than actual death.

“So… I guess I should live according to my nature, whether it’s water or fire, huh?”

“Just nurture your unique qualities accordingly.”

“Exactly what I meant!”

Not clinging to useless or absurd things might also be a form of wisdom, I thought while looking at Louilin, pondering silently.

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