Published at 9th of August 2022 07:04:09 AM
32 - Selena Lsyandera
My life began with despair.
I was born as the daughter of traveling merchants.
I think I spent my childhood always on the move, watching my parents backs as they were always busy the moment we arrived at a big city.
I couldn't make any friends because I couldn't stay in one place.
It seemed I wasn't very good at talking to people in the first place. Every time we settled down at our temporary lodgings, I'd just relax in our room and feel the days pass by.
“Selena is a good and quiet girl, isn't she?”
That's what my parents always said.
It's not that I didn't feel their affection but my parents were always busy trying to earn a living. Perhaps they spent much less time than a normal parent-child relationship.
I had the vague feeling I shouldn't disturb my parents. I had hoped it would look good in their eyes.
As always, we go from city to city, from country to country.
We carry a lot of luggage and get the minimum of escorts.
Those days suddenly came to an end.
“Monster attack!! IT'S HUGE!!”
Whatever happened that day, I can't really remember.
Suddenly, the carriage was shaken by a tremendous force, the people around me started to scramble, and a moment later, shouts and screaming started to ring out.
“Selena! RUN!!”
That was the last thing I heard from my mother, her voice so full of grief and sorrow.
She pushed me out of the half-destroyed carriage.
It was so big and so scary.
I couldn't look at it directly for long. But, the image of it was burned strongly in my mind. I was struck by the instinctive fear and ran away without stopping.
“–Hey! Are you okay?!”
I have no idea how long I was walking.
When I think about it now, I wonder how that tiny body had so much strength.
A village far off the trade routes—when I reached the border of Bidden Village, I was discovered and taken in by the villagers.
Then it seemed I fell unconscious and didn't know what happened next.
When I came to, it seemed that I'd been taken to a house somewhere, I saw an unfamiliar ceiling and that my body had been treated of its wounds.
“Hey, are you awake?”
“…”
Don't follow strangers.
I remember the words my mother had said so sourly.
Although it was inevitable, there was a part of me that recognized that I was being a nuisance to this stranger, it was such a poor, childish impulse. However, the only thing that a young child could do was keep quiet.
“Hey, what's your name?”
“… Selena,” I said.
The person who picked me up off the road was patient with me.
The only thing I could squeeze out was my name after so much silence. I was too rude to the person that saved my life but I never wanted to talk about what happened or why I was there. I didn't even want to remember.
When I look back on it now, I wonder how shameless it was, but I couldn't help it as I was too young then.
After that, I spent some idle time at that house and got into trouble.
Although I was young, I had somehow realized that my parents would never come to pick me up. The threat that had attacked my parents was so scary I could easily figure that out.
“… What's this?” I asked.
“It's a wooden sword. How about a change of pace?”
How much time did I spend doing that?
One day, the person who saved me invited me to practice with a wooden sword.
Only then did I know this was a swordsmanship dojo.
“Yes, yes. Hahaha, you've got good senses, Selena.”
“……”
I spent my days quietly to some extent, not doing anything in particular, and I wielded that wooden sword at the dojo as I was encouraged to.
I didn't really like swinging that sword but I didn't hate it, either. Above all else, moving your body like this was a bit more distracting than when I lazed about not doing anything.
At that time, I had been cared for, for quite a bit.
I wanted to pay back that kindness.
So I thought that while I was young, I would swing that sword.
That strange man had become a dear man to me before I knew it.
“You're pretty light on your feet, huh? I think you'd do great with twin blades.”
“…”
For about 3 years at the dojo, I never got the opportunity to wield twin swords, but his words were strangely memorable.
When I think about it, it was my first time actively doing something.
When I was with my parents, I couldn't do it, I didn't want to bother to.
But, somehow.
Honestly, somehow, I was starting to think that the way of the sword was also good.
It could have been revenge, it could have been an escape, it could have been admiration.
""
It's been so long that I can faintly remember my feelings then but it was a fact that a path opened up for me there.
“Selena, take care, alright?”
As the days went by, I was put up for adoption.
Today is the day I meet my adoptive parents.
A couple, a man and a woman who looked a little older were looking at me.
From now on, I'm not just Selena, I'm Selena Lysandera.
Or so it seems.
“Master?” I asked.
“Yes?”
He taught me the sword in a roundabout way, so I thought that I shouldn't call him “Mister”, I decided to call him “Master” instead.
Everyone called him that and I don't think it felt strange. For some reason, Master had a bit of a troubled expression.
“Thank you, very much,” I said.
“You're welcome.”
I'm sure this was the day I thanked Master for the first time.
After being taken care of for 3 years, I had a feeling it was too late, but I intended to say something that encompassed all my feelings.
My new parents were good people.
Their neither spoiled me nor severely disciplined me. I think I was able to spend a lot of time with them.
When I said I wanted to be an Adventurer, they were surprised but not opposed. They just wished me well, which tickled me.
There were several reasons why I wanted to be an Adventurer.
There was my birth parents originally working around the world, so I wanted to see it for myself, too.
There was my wanting to make use of the swordsmanship skills Master had taught me in that short 3 years.
There was my vaguely wanting to become stronger.
There was my wanting to save people from experiencing anything like the incident I faced in the past, if I could help it.
All of these could have been dismissed as childish dreams.
But my parents didn't object.
So I became an Adventurer because of my ego.
As I learned the ropes, trained, and did requests, I somehow began to realize how amazing Master was.
At the same time, the confidence that I'd been trained by such a person pushed me to a higher level.
“Huh… oh… Master… Beryl…?”
It was a surprise to me. He was just as shocked.
As an Adventurer, I continued to work steadily while experiencing the pains and setbacks, and at some point I climbed up to Black Rank, what they called the highest.
I think I was able to get this far because of my efforts and my parents who gave me this body. However, I never forgot about my Master, who you could say started everything.
After reuniting with him for the first time in 20 years, he's got a lot more wrinkles.
However, as I could see at a glance, he was the same as ever.
“I wanted to tell you about the news but I haven't had the opportunity to visit since I started working as an Adventurer…” I said. “This was an unexpected reunion.”
The words I told teacher reminded me they were half true, half false.
If I wanted to see him, I could have seen him.
Quests certainly kept me busy but I was able to pick and choose around Platinum Rank, and I could afford to rent a carriage to Bidden Village.
What am I saying, come on, it's embarrassing, right?
Yeah, it surely is.
In any case, his being with Citrus was a shock and unexpected. What is this Special Instructor job? How sly. I want to learn under him again.
But I'm already a top rank adventurer. I was no longer in a position to ask people to teach me anything. If anything, the people I'm teaching have increased overwhelmingly.
Nowadays, the movements of Named monsters have been concerning, and at the same time, the training for the newcomers is–
That's it. The newcomer's training.
Naturally, supervisors are needed.
They should also stand out.
–This is it.
“Actually, I wanted to borrow Master a bit for the Adventurer's Guild. I came to get authorization. Here's a letter from the Guild Master, too.”
I made a huge pitch to Guild Master Nidas and insisted.
If this passes, both me and Master can go and see his power. How's them apples, Citrus?
… I don't really hate Citrus on a personal level. I think she's a great person.
However, the fact that we were attacked by monsters on a state-run trade route made me distrust the Knights themselves.
“FUCK YOU, YOU BASTARD!”
“GOOOoooooOOOHHHH…!”
Master's sword pierces the inside of Xeno Glaive's mouth.
—It's amazing. How many Adventurers can keep up with that speed? Master has surely bested Xeno Glaive, who moved unthinkably fast for something that gigantic.
I didn't expect to meet a Named here but it's also out of luck. Because it appeared when Master was here, it was more screwed than if it was just me.
“–You've been rampaging a lot, you shitty bastard.”
But, thank you.
Because I was able to fight with Master in this way.
To show my gratitude, I'll kill you instantly. Rest in peace.
“Are you interested in becoming an Adventurer?”
“No, I'm good.”
I had to desperately contain myself at the exchange between Nidas and Master.
Master doesn't fit such a small role as an Adventurer.
If anything, it's not strange that he's in such an incomprehensible position as Special Instructor to the Knights. I'm not sure if Citrus could have gotten him a better stage.
I look directly at Master's profile as he refused.
As usual, it's the gentle face that people like so much.
If Master continues to play an active role as it was, he'll eventually become known to anyone who aspires to become a master swordsman all over the country, no, all over the world.
With the title of Sword Saint.
Chapter end
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