I attacked.
There was no time to consider anything else.
Goosebumps prickled my skin, and my body moved beyond my control.
Upon witnessing that choice being made, I cried out loudly.
Though my body defied my will, I could still issue a warning through my voice.
“Grandfather! Get back!!!”
I screamed at the top of my lungs, and it was only then that my body moved.
My sword was unsheathed.
Never before had I felt such a disturbing naturalness in gripping a sword and attacking another person.
The old man, betraying not a hint of doubt at my frantic cry, drew the very sword he had always carried since our training began.
The blades met.
Clang! A jarring metallic shriek echoed through the antique shop.
Instinctively, the old man brought his sword to bear against me.
Though a flicker of surprise crossed his features, he remained composed.
The old man seemed to intend to observe the situation first, but such an easygoing approach would prove disastrous.
Even with this newfound autonomy, I had yet to fully reclaim control of my own body.
I bit down on my lip.
I reversed my grip on the sword.
Placing my hand flat on the table, I drove the blade down.
—! With a sickening crunch, the back of my hand was pierced, and a tidal wave of agony washed over me, threatening to rip a scream from my throat.
Yet, I knew that if I allowed myself to scream here, neither I nor the old man would escape this situation favorably.
I bit down hard on the forearm of my sword-wielding hand, forcing back the scream.
Tears streamed down my face, mingling with cold sweat and blood that dripped steadily, staining the floor.
[This autonomy thing truly sucks.]
The voice carried a distinct note of irritation, tinged with a hint of disappointment.
It seemed to register my defiance of its instructions with annoyance, yet at the same time, it dismissed the transgression as inconsequential.
[That NPC’s weapon looked really good, what a shame… I wanted to kill him and transfer it to my main character.]
A surge of revulsion at the utterly inhumane remark made me want to curse, but the searing pain clamped shut my throat.
As I bit my forearm in an attempt to stifle my cries, a strong, coppery taste of blood flooded my mouth.
[Anyway, I came here to change the nickname, so let’s not dwell on it!]
The player had ordered the attack on the old man simply for his sword, yet upon its failure, their attitude—a fleeting disappointment quickly dismissed as trivial—ignited a powerful revulsion within me.
[It’s only right for my main to use the nickname Rie, isn’t it? Rather than some character like this.]
As if it were their inherent right, this act of casually renaming me caused my hand, still clutching the sword, to clench with impotent fury.
But I was powerless.
There was nothing I could do.
The old man observed the situation for a moment, then slowly advanced, his sword still pointed at me.
Even though it wasn’t by my own will that I had launched the initial attack, I knew that being attacked in return was an unavoidable consequence, yet a profound sense of injustice gnawed at me.
[But what is this character, really? Even if I neglected them, Swordsmanship F is a bit much, isn’t it? The character I made three days ago is already Swordsmanship B. This one was a lost cause from the start.]
A playful tone and a boisterous laugh, as if the current dire situation were nothing more than an amusing spectacle, reached my ears.
I hated hearing it.
If I could, I would have ripped their mouth apart.
Who was it that subjected me to this, yet dared to utter such callous words?
The old man took another step closer.
[Idle Type 1? Isn’t that a bit too uninspired? It should at least be a human name.]
[Let’s just reverse it. Eri. Hmm, that doesn’t quite work… How about Ellie?]
The old man took yet another step closer.
He extended a hand toward me.
[Alright then… Done! They’re Ellie now. Not that I’ll ever see them again, anyway.]
As those words concluded, I felt the control of my body finally return to me.
The voice fell silent.
It seemed I had somehow made it through.
The old man approached, gently extracting the sword that had impaled my hand, and tossed it aside onto the floor.
He lifted my injured hand to inspect it, then let out a low sigh as he looked down at me.
“…Ellie.”
As if it were the most natural thing, he called me ‘Ellie’.
I detested it.
While my own helplessness fueled an intense anger, it was overshadowed by a profound sense of regret and apology.
“I’m sorry… I’m so sorry… I’m truly sorry….”
It wasn’t my desire to attack him.
Yet, I knew that any explanation would only sound like a pathetic excuse, and the sheer injustice of it all brought tears to my eyes.
There was nothing more unsightly than a grown man shedding tears,
The harder I struggled to suppress them, the more ungracefully they streamed down my face.
“I know you did not act of your own volition, but…”
Though I dreaded the words that were sure to follow, I knew I had to bear them, and so I bowed my head.
“Even if it wasn’t by your own will, I cannot simply continue to live with someone who suddenly lunges at me with a blade.”
“……I understand.”
It had happened so suddenly.
Had the old man failed to react, he would have surely perished on the spot.
And so, the old man would have died in vain, his weapon seized by the newly created character, a mere instrument of greed.
A fierce animosity flared within me for that newly created character, whom I had never even laid eyes upon.
To be compared to that character and judged as worthless was a matter of indifference to me, but the attempt to harm the old man, who had saved my life, all for that character’s sake, was utterly unforgivable.
But once again, I was powerless.
“However, to simply cast you out would be akin to sentencing you to death. Therefore, for the next few weeks, I shall endeavor to teach you to the best of my abilities.”
“……What?”
“Honestly, it is difficult to comprehend. Perhaps I am merely sharpening a murderer’s blade.”
Even as he spoke, the old man lifted my sword, presenting it to me.
The blood-stained blade did not gleam.
“However, I witnessed you endure such pain to restrain yourself in the end, and for that, I wish to place my trust in you.”
“I’m sorry…”
“Let us tend to your wound first.”
With those words, the old man retrieved a box of medicinal supplies and carefully bandaged my hand.
Though not intentional, the blade had pierced only flesh rather than shattering bone, rendering the wound less severe than it might have been.
And so, that day passed in silence between us.
We slept, and the following day dawned with no words exchanged, as we simply resumed our training in silence.
Neither of us voiced any doubts.
We simply acted as if this was the natural, inevitable course of action.
His promise to train me enough to avoid a meaningless death within a few weeks proved to be no idle boast.
The old man’s teachings were no longer lighthearted; they were stern and demanding.
They were harsh, even frightening at times.
But I endured.
Knowing that the old man was training me not out of dislike, but out of a profound regret for being unable to remain by my side, I gritted my teeth and persevered.
Our initial connection stemmed from the old man’s goodwill, and our continued shared existence had likewise blossomed from his kindness.
And even now, the old man continued to aid me out of the goodness of his heart.
Therefore, I could not voice any complaint.
As I was a person capable of gratitude, not an ungrateful beast, I gripped the sword even when my hands were raw and bruised, and by the third week, my relentless efforts finally bore fruit.
—Military Swordsmanship F
▶ Military Swordsmanship E
[Military Swordsmanship E]
Due to your small physique and a constitution that struggles to build muscle, you are ill-suited for swordsmanship. Your talent, too, is shallower than most, leaving you deficient in every aspect.
However, through your perseverance and under the tutelage of an exceptional master, you have advanced a single stage, finally acquiring enough proficiency to legitimately employ the title of ‘Swordsmanship’.
“With this much, at least you won’t be beaten to death by some low-life thugs.”
At the old man’s words, I understood that the time for my departure had arrived.
That evening, the old man began gathering my meager belongings.
I should have had no belongings of my own.
They were all items the old man had painstakingly prepared for me.
“Listen carefully: you may take the sword you’ve been using, but if anyone questions why you carry a blade, and you can deceive them, say it’s not yours but that you are simply delivering it. If the situation makes concealment impossible, then state it’s merely for self-defense.”
People are less likely to accost a mere delivery person, wary of unknown repercussions, so they will usually leave you be.
In essence, he was telling me not to reveal that I wielded a sword.
“If you are not strong enough—no, even if you are strong enough—using a sword must always be your last resort. The moment you injure another with your blade, you forge a bond of enmity, and such a bond can never be easily severed.”
The old man murmured in a low voice, as if recounting a tale from his own past, and I, too, nodded in solemn agreement.
“I’ve included three silver coins for your travel expenses. I truly should have given you more, Ellie, but as you know, my shop doesn’t exactly thrive, so this is all I could manage.”
“Oh, no! It’s perfectly fine!”
It truly was fine.
If anything, I was the one who should have been paying him!
While I had helped with the shop to pay for my food and lodging, swordsmanship training was an entirely different matter.
“I’ve also packed some jerky and bread, but it’s only enough for five days, so be sure to restock a day before it runs out.”
“……Grandfather.”
“Is there something you’re curious about?”
“Well, I do have one question… why are you being so kind to me?”
“……It’s simply that you remind me of my daughter.”
“…I’m sorry.”
Feeling as though I had asked something I shouldn’t have, I quickly apologized, but the old man blinked twice, then chuckled softly.
“What for? She’s alive and well, married with children!”
“What?”
“This antique shop was even set up by my son-in-law, so why are you thinking such strange things?”
“Then why did I remind you of your daughter…?”
“My daughter had a miscarriage, you see. Had that child grown up healthy, they would be about your age now….”
It truly was something I shouldn’t have asked.
Noticing the sudden heaviness in the air, I cautiously looked up, but the old man, rather than blaming me, continued to pack items into the bag, resuming his explanation.
****
Thus, dawn broke, and in the early morning.
“Then, I’ll be going.”
“First, seek out the Adventurer’s Guild. The status of a rookie adventurer is far better than that of someone from the slums.”
“Grandfather.”
I gazed at the old man, my lips parting with difficulty.
“Your name, please tell me.”
“…Leon.”
“……We’ve lived together for nearly seven months, and only now do I hear your name.”
“I am sorry to send you away like this.”
On the contrary, the old man protecting me and teaching me, even after I had attacked him, was an unforgettable kindness.
“It’s alright… I was the one who was sorry.”
I bowed my head in a swift farewell and walked away quickly.
I feared that if I lingered, I would be left with lingering regrets.
My adventure had two goals.
To find a way to escape this cursed situation.
And to hunt down and kill that newly created character of the accursed player.
If possible, even the streamer themselves.
The unpleasant, scrutinizing gazes of the people on the street now felt utterly natural to me.
