Chapter 367

“Since I’ve already fallen, I won’t bother receiving feedback. This year is my last time participating in the national exchange tournament.”

“Of course, a single piece of feedback won’t change a person. If a person could change so easily, then going through tough training would have no meaning. But is Larsson going to give up on this path just because he can’t participate in that national exchange tournament? He must have come here because he is the strongest in his country, right?”

“There are other competitions besides just the national exchange tournament, you know.”

“You’ll probably laugh when you hear this, but I seriously aimed for victory in this year’s competition.”

“It’s frustrating to hear you can’t even unleash half of your power.”

“From watching the matches, the gap between Katsuhata and me was overwhelming, wasn’t it? Do you think I would have beaten Katsuhata if I had been in top condition?”

“Not easily.”

“See?”

“But if Larsson had just a month more, it wouldn’t have been impossible to win.”

“What?”

Larsson’s eyebrows twitched.

A month is by no means a short time, but considering the vast difference between them, it doesn’t seem that long either.

“Due to the nature of the match, even a slight superiority in skill can drastically tilt the outcome. From what I see, the gap between Emika and Larsson isn’t that huge. What exactly made you feel so helpless?”

“Everything. If I had to pick one, I couldn’t keep up with the speed of the sword at all.”

“Was it when we exchanged the fourth strike?”

“The fourth, the fourth… How did you remember that?”

Larsson recalled the last match and narrowed his eyes.

I simply gave a soft smile.

“When a katana, significantly faster than a great sword, thrusts toward the center, Larsson has no choice but to retreat. But what if you hadn’t gone back four steps, but just three and a half? What if you swung your sword at Katsuhata without shifting your weight on the last step? What do you think would have happened?”

“Then… uhhh…”

“The answer is clear: Katsuhata would either have to give up his sword entirely or sustain significant damage to the barrier. If you don’t believe me, analyze it with your coach later.”

“Is that Harald?”

“I haven’t done the match review yet.”

Harald, the coach, scratched his head awkwardly.

“Alright, let’s say that’s true. Why did Katsuhata voluntarily put herself in such a clear weak position?”

“If Larsson realized that he couldn’t react there, she would gain the upper hand throughout the match.”

Once a weakness is exposed, one must play the game at a significantly disadvantageous level compared to their own abilities.

Emika was discerning enough to catch those subtleties, while Larsson had no choice but to play from behind throughout the match.

“Katsuhata isn’t without weaknesses either. Her left arm is weak, making her attacks from the upper right to the lower left clumsy, and when one technique succeeds, she has a habit of trying to reproduce the technique she linked just prior.”

“So what should I have done? I was barely managing to deflect swords in a dizzying melee!”

“Mistilteinn.”

I pointed to his sword.

A sword that cuts through aura.

The sword’s power is determined by the user’s grip strength.

And to exert greater power than they possess, swordsmen wrap their arms in aura.

This applies to both Katsuhata and Larsson.

“When the ninth strike comes with Katsuhata’s upper right attack, you could have countered by raising Mistilteinn to cut through the aura support.”

I picked up the wand and replicated the stance Larsson had taken during the match.

At that time, the prince had confidently placed his sword in the center, adopting a standard defensive position.

Contrastingly, I flipped the wand and swung it one-handed.

With my empty left hand, I concentrated the aura and shot it forward.

Now, my height wouldn’t fit, but if Larsson had her physique, this might be where Emika’s head would be.

I stopped in this position and looked at Larsson.

“A month to control the great sword with one hand, that’s where my one month period comes from. If this were possible, it wouldn’t be Katsuhata Emika preparing for the top 32 tomorrow, but Elias Larsson.”

Somehow, I ended up giving feedback not about my own match, but about the match with Emika.

Larsson suddenly pushed herself up.

“Don’t overdo it, Larsson…!”

“I’m fine. Just give me some water.”

The prince gulped down the cold water and continued.

“Mistilteinn weighs a good 7kg. Unspecified, do you think you can swing this with one hand?”

“I can’t. But you can. Listen, Larsson. Everyone has their strengths. And with your talent, you could have beaten Emika. If there were hundreds of parallel worlds in this universe, there would be one where Larsson defeated Emika.”

“So you’re saying I’m a failure?”

“No. Your life is long, and I hope you show us many more surprises. There’s a saying in Sweden, isn’t there? Fear less, hope more. Then all the good things in the world will belong to you. Practice thinking positively about everything.”

You can’t live just comparing yourself to others forever.

Everyone is born with a raw talent that shines, but they often get stuck in a warehouse after facing early setbacks.

In contrast, Larsson is in a very fortunate position.

Born into a wealthy family, he can develop his talent without worrying about money.

It would be too wasteful to give up on dreams just because of one loss.

Larsson had a deeply troubled expression.

There were a few more exchanges afterward, but most were trivial.

“How did you get to Japan? By boat.”

“Is Korea really that close? Don’t you, being a prince, look at the world map?”

Anyway, it was a memorable meeting; we took a photo together and parted ways.

Later that night, Larsson sent me a message of thanks.

He conveyed that when he replayed his match against Emika, it didn’t seem as disadvantageous as he had thought.

Of course, the match where the outcome was overwhelmingly tilted was the one I fought, but perhaps the shock was too great.

It seemed he completely erased it from his mind.

That night, Prince Elias Larsson posted a photo of us on his social media.

[@eliaslarsson] [Followers: 8.83 million]

(In a training hall in Fukuoka.jpg) [+6]

[Honestly, after losing to Katsuhata Emika, I even thought about retiring from the national team. The wall of the world was high, and I couldn’t shake off the thought that I was not qualified to represent my country as a mage. But after meeting this brilliant little girl, I was able to gather my thoughts. Today, I have to make one thing clear. This year’s national exchange tournament, I don’t care who wins. This little one is xxxxxxx the all-time world number one. What does that mean? I got knocked out in just 14 minutes in the match with Katsuhata, but I couldn’t last even five minutes against her. (Holy moly, I was confident I could last five minutes even if I brought in last year’s champion!) Who is Unspecified? To the blind, she is an eye. To the hungry, she is a chef. To the thirsty, she is water. If there is just one fan of Unspecified, that would be me. The moment I realized that the genius of the world is solely her, all other people began to appear ordinary to me. So, I decided to participate in next year’s Europa League. And I will go and tell them. ‘You all are not Unspecified?’ My challenge as Elias Larsson will continue into 2053, so please give your support.]

[Likes: 124,197]

[Comments]

– Nobody else writes their SNS like a diary like you do!

– Larsson, you did your best. You’ve gained experience in this vast world, so I expect great things in next year’s Europa.

– Who is this cute girl?

– She looks like a princess and prince from a fairy tale ❤️❤️❤️

– wtf? He couldn’t last five minutes against Unspecified? This must be a joke!

– I’m sure Larsson just used easy words, but I didn’t understand any of it.

– Did they have a match against each other?

– Unspecified > Katsuhata Emika, is that what you want to say?

– OMG, I found out Unspecified is now 9 years old?!

* * *

A strange rumor is circulating in Japan.

It was news that a girl under ten years old was systematically defeating participants who were eliminated from the national exchange tournament, one by one.

[Unspecified: (Photo.jpg)]

[Unspecified: I met my Italian friend Federico today.]

[Emika: Did you win?]

[Unspecified: Yeah, we did three sets, and I won 3-0. He was good since he made it to the top 16.]

[Unspecified: Emika, fighting all the way to the finals! I know you’re good, but don’t let your guard down too much! Oh, and by the way.]

Emika swallowed hard and closed her phone.

Unspecified wasn’t just good with a sword.

“Is it really effective in actual combat? With that physique? How?”

Although Unspecified had guided her during training, it was only about the theoretical aspects.

Having a genius brain proficient in theory and actually moving one’s body is worlds apart.

Emika wondered just how Unspecified managed to defeat such formidable participants.

“Hello, successor of Katsuhata!”

“Huh? Yes, hello.”

At the voice calling her while tapping her shoulder, Emika reflexively responded.

Turning around, she saw a young girl of Latin descent with slightly tanned skin staring blankly.

‘So young…!’

Emika, at 157cm, was well below average compared to the participants of the national exchange.

Even the handsome Prince Larsson, whom she met in the top 64, was over 180cm.

In contrast, the girl in front of her was barely 150cm.

“Nice to meet you!”

“Uh?”

The Westerner spoke fluent Japanese without any translation magic.

“We’ll meet in the quarterfinals!”

“Oh! Where are you from…?”

“Brazil. I’m on the Brazilian national team. Hey, are you ignoring someone like me? Even if I’m a championship candidate, it’s annoying!”

“No, no, that’s not it. I’m sorry.”

“Hehe, I’m just joking! My name is Cecilia Nieto de Saampaio. Just call me Cecilia!”

Cecilia extended her small hand forward.

Emika took her hand and finally recalled the information about her opponent.

Cecilia, a Franco-Brazilian, graduated from Texas Rice University at 11 and is currently the lead researcher at NASA’s Johnson Space Center.

She had been in the media as the person with the highest IQ in the world, and until Unspecified broke the record, she was the youngest to cast a 5-circle spell.

“I learned a fun magic from that friend, want to see? I hear you can use this too?”

Cecilia smiled brightly and skillfully drew a magic circle.

[Minor Summoning: Horn of the Demon Lord]

Suddenly, a pair of horns sprouted between her long hair.

“Friend? Who are you talking about?”

“Huh? Didn’t Unspecified introduce me? I should tell Unspecified about this later!”

Emika looked puzzled as she checked her phone.

[Unspecified: Oh, by the way.]

[Unspecified: I had a chance to briefly meet your quarterfinal opponent, and he was formidable too. If you underestimate him just because he’s young, you could lose, even if it’s you, Emika.]