Love Letter From The Future

As I drew my sword, Celin could only stare at me with a bewildered expression. There was no other reason for it. It wasn’t every day that one was asked to engage in a real sword duel out of the blue.

Moreover, we had just had a big argument. There were even tear stains around Celin’s eyes. And her quivering voice indicated that she had been struggling emotionally as well.

Since long ago, Celin had always come to comfort me whenever I was angry. It seemed she had intended to do the same today, but it would have been meaningless.

After all, the relationship between Celin and Ceria was like a time bomb waiting to explode. It was no small matter when a quarrel escalated to the point of drawing swords. A few bouts of anger followed by apologies wouldn’t resolve the conflict simply.

In that case, there was only one answer.

To create a reason for her to accept defeat, and the only way to ensure that a swordsman would concede was through one thing.

A real sword duel.

There was no need for persuasive speech, social skills, or anything else. A battle fought solely with blades left no room for afterthoughts; it was clean and straightforward.

Celin still wore a look of incredulity. She hesitantly opened her mouth.

“W-what, I-an oppa… w-what is this?”

“Just as it sounds, let’s fight with real swords,” I replied.

Her amber eyes gazed blankly at the scabbard I was dragging along the ground. Then she looked back at me, alternating her gaze back and forth several times.

A half-hearted laugh escaped from Celin’s lips. She asked me,

“…Why?”

“Because you wouldn’t accept it just by talking. It wouldn’t be over just because we bypass the situation… And also, you seemed wronged when you fought with Ceria,” I said.

I squared my stance. The blade was pointed forward, my eyes solely on the opponent.

Celin still hadn’t drawn her sword. Yet, it was clear she would soon. That was not the only condition of our duel.

“Let’s settle this cleanly with a real sword fight. The wager is that the loser grants the winner one wish.”

“…A wish?”

“Yeah, a wish. Anything at all,” I said.

At that, complex emotions flickered in Celin’s eyes. She seemed to begin weighing her options. I could guess what thoughts were racing through her mind.

I imagined it might involve severing ties with Ceria or something of that nature.

Of course, I would have to adjust any overly excessive wishes to a reasonable level, but if Celin truly desired it, I would be willing to help reduce how often she met with Ceria. Only then could the promise be valid.

It seemed Celin had come to a conclusion. The sparkle in her amber eyes dimmed ominously.

She was indicating that she was serious. Her hand moved towards her waist.

“…How will the winner be decided?”

“Until the opponent acknowledges it.”

“Don’t get hurt and cry, I-an oppa.”

No swordsman ever picked up a blade without being prepared for bloodshed. I simply nodded in response to Celin’s chilling warning.

I had my own calculations. Before losing my memory, Celin and I were roughly of equal skill. And now, I had achieved significant growth compared to then.

Furthermore, with an axe as a secondary weapon, my advantages in real combat were even greater. Of course, there would be variables, but statistically, my chances of winning were high.

Yes, statistically. I clung to my somewhat complacent thoughts and spoke.

“Then… let’s begin!”

The moment I called out, the two of us slammed our feet into the ground. Celin still hadn’t drawn her sword. She seemed intent on settling this with unarmed techniques.

However, unarmed techniques are primarily centered on rapid strikes, so if the flow is interrupted even once, returning to the original state becomes quite difficult. I decided from the start to put everything I had into blocking Celin’s blade.

It didn’t take long for the stillness of time to break with the sound of a clash.

It was because my blade had met Celin’s. The space that had been extremely compressed erupted as soon as I exerted force on the hilt.

Finish it as quickly as possible. A duel fought with real swords poses a high risk of injury. The sooner it ended, the less likely Celin and I would suffer wounds.

Thus, I poured the maximum amount of my magical power into my sword and struck down. A silver line marked the spot. And at that moment, Celin’s arm muscles tensed.

Next came the clash.

A loud, powerful shockwave erupted as our blades collided. It sounded almost like an explosion. I had no choice but to widen my eyes at that moment.

The power of her unarmed technique exceeded my imagination. A downward strike followed by an upward cut typically favored the former due to enhanced weight. Yet, Celin, who belonged to the latter category, overwhelmed my blade with her power.

This was not an unarmed technique aimed at rapid strikes. It was a single, complete strike in itself.

With a loud bang, my blade shot backward as if it had been repelled by the clash of our magical energies. If a rapid strike continued after this, it would be game over for me. I gritted my teeth and deliberately threw myself off-balance.

As my body dropped, Celin’s second strike followed. Her amber eyes tracked me sharply.

And with all her might, she swung down again.

I had to roll on the ground to escape the spot. Dust and debris erupted with a loud thud.

The sound of compressed air bursting once more echoed loudly in my ears. Amidst the urgency of getting back up and regaining my stance, I could only stare blankly at Celin.

Was Celin really this powerful? Her magical energy was indeed impressive, but the force behind her strikes wasn’t at this level. If we were just measuring power, perhaps I should compare her to Tean.

As the dust settled, I could see Celin catching her breath. The ground where her sword had struck was deeply gouged. It looked as if it had been hit by a bomb.

“Hey, have you been taking some elixir or something?”

“What are you—huff—talking about…?”

As Celin began wiping the sweat that was trickling down her forehead with her sleeve, she gave me a bewildered glance.

“You taught me how to, huff, use my magic best, right? You said I should put everything into a single strike,” she replied.

So she got just a couple of swings out and was already breathing heavily. I realized that indeed, if one uses magic as freely as water, the consumption of stamina would surely follow.

Investing all that tremendous amount of magic into power was terrifying. Though it was advice I had given her, it was truly excellent advice.

The only problem was that I had no recollection of giving such advice.

No matter how much I tried to recall, if I remembered nothing, there was only one answer. Cold sweat trickled down my back.

It meant that this was something I had done during the lost memories. Back then, Celin had come to understand. Instead of obsessing over rapid strikes or speed, the focus should be on pouring magic into each swing to enhance its power.

For someone like me, whose magical energy was only average, this was the most difficult type to deal with. Unbeknownst to me, I had confidently requested an actual sword duel, so it was no surprise that Celin accepted straightforwardly.

Ian Fercurus, you damned fool. What on earth did you do while you were losing your memory?

Even if I muttered insults quietly in my heart, the reality before me wouldn’t change. Celin took a deep breath once more and pointed her blade at me.

“Be careful, I-an oppa… As much as I put my all into this, it’ll be hard for me to stop midway.”

“No, if you’re truly that worried, you can just…”

But my timid suggestion didn’t reach Celin. She was already kicking off the ground and rushing towards me.

Though her stature was small, she faced less air resistance, which made her charge quite fast. It was fortunate that most of her magic was invested in enhancing the power of her sword, making her slower than usual.

However, it wasn’t a decisive weakness. After all, her aim was to gain distance for a back-and-forth exchange. And the force behind Celin’s wielded sword was enough to discourage any kind of engagement.

If we collided, I would just bounce away like earlier. I had used all my power, and it was still the same. In that case, it was better to avoid her entirely.

Celin’s sword drew a vertical line again. From the sky down to the ground, it was a textbook downward slash. The intensity was rather overwhelming.

With a thud, the ground vibrated again. I could see the imaginary trajectory unfolding before my eyes, and I had already twisted my body just in time to narrowly avoid her sword.

Even so, the aftershock felt like it would tear my skin. If I allowed such a strike once, there would be no recovering. It could have been a matter of life and death.

I grit my teeth to maintain my balance on the shaking ground. I looked for an opening and thrust my sword toward Celin’s arm.

Celin was no pushover to easily fall under it. As I tried to stab her, she pulled her sword from the ground while crouching. With her already small stature, curling up restricted any openings to strike.

In a roll, Celin swiftly passed in front of me. Then she tucked her sword back into its scabbard while still on the ground.

Here she came again. An unarmed technique.

Celin’s body bounced back up towards me. In the next moment, her scabbard erupted with light once more.

The accelerated charge of Celin was faster than I expected. With not enough time to respond, I gritted my teeth and drew my sword down again.

I knew it was a shortcut to defeat, but there was no choice. I had no means to block Celin’s strike right now.

With a loud bang, my sword flew through the air. It spun wildly as I deliberately loosened my grip on it. In a situation where I held it with both hands, I used only one hand to strike downward.

My remaining hand had to go to my waist. Immediately, I pulled out the hand axe from my belt.

A sharp silver trajectory was drawn between Celin and me. Celin leaned back slightly with all her strength, avoiding my hand axe. The front hem of her clothing was slightly cut.

I could follow up with strikes, but there was also a possibility that Celin would retaliate. I couldn’t defend against her sword with my axe.

As if we had made a promise, Celin and I both took a few steps backward. Before I had realized it, I had successfully reclaimed my sword from the ground.

It had been a short exchange. Yet, that alone forced Celin to gasp for air, and I found myself sweating coldly.

Celin was panting as she stowed her sword in its scabbard. It seemed she intended to resort to an unarmed technique again.

“…That hand axe, huff, is no joke, huh…?”

“I want to curse the past me who gave you that advice right now,” I replied.

Celin and I faced each other, wiping the sweat that was streaming down our faces with our sleeves. The sharp glint in her eyes remained. It was an instinctual sense. I could feel that a resolution was coming soon.

Celin was at her physical limit and could not afford a prolonged battle. Likewise, given that I was at a disadvantage in terms of absolute magical energy, the risk of continuing further exchanges was too great. At any moment, either of our swords could soar once more.

Then, the fight would have to reach a conclusion soon. My worries weighed heavily.

Though I had utilized the element of surprise with the hand axe so far, it would be impossible now. My hand axe had become too famous. Just moments ago had confirmed that.

If she had been unaware of my axe’s presence, Celin might have been confident of victory as soon as my sword rebounded. However, she didn’t take that route; instead, she simply avoided the hand axe that came out from my belt as if it were natural.

There was no answer but one. I secured my sword back to my waist, which had been held in both hands. Though it felt somewhat cumbersome without a scabbard, I had no choice.

After all, it would soon come out anyway, and Celin looked at me with a puzzled expression as I held the hand axe.

That was only for a moment; as if recalling a scene she had seen somewhere, Celin quickly adjusted her stance. Just as I expected.

With a sharp whistling sound, I threw my hand axe. The high-speed thrown axe surged towards Celin with terrifying speed.

Celin’s scabbard erupted with light once more. The sword, shot like lightning, knocked the hand axe away. With a loud clang, the axe sorrowfully flew through the air.

However, what Celin did not anticipate was that my sword would follow, flying in right after it. Perhaps she had never imagined I would throw my primary weapon as well, as confusion filled her eyes.

Even so, Celin still had some leeway. She gritted her teeth and twisted her body, barely striking down with her sword.

Once more, the sounds of metal clashing echoed, and her sword barely lodged itself into the ground. But because of how hastily she twisted her body, Celin’s footing was unstable, and her center of weight swayed heavily.

It was but a moment. Yet for me, it was the only opportunity.

My gaze traced the hand axe that was falling. Despite its weight, the axe had ascended to a considerable height as it fell. Given that it had endured Celin’s powerful strikes, I should be grateful it was falling now.

What mattered was its position. Celin’s unarmed technique always drew from below to above. Therefore, the hand axe would naturally soar opposite to its trajectory. And it was now falling in a parabola right in front of me.

All it took was a single leap from my sprinting form, and I reached for the familiar axe handle. If I continued running, it would be too late. I channeled the force of my landing directly into the hand axe as I hurled it.

With a clang, the hand axe struck Celin’s sword sharply. Celin, who had been struggling to maintain her balance, lost her grip on the sword due to the sudden blow.

Yet Celin was desperate. Perhaps wanting to rid herself of me and Ceria, she threw herself on the ground.

She could have opted to seize my sword, but the distance between us was already close. It seemed she preferred to choose the option to buy even a little time.

But it was already too late. I had begun my charge, and I could retrieve my sword from the ground merely by bending my upper body. There would not be enough time for Celin to grip her sword and regain her stance.

No matter what she did, my sword would be quicker. My charging body thrust the blade toward Celin’s arm.

Though an arm wouldn’t be a lethal wound, it was the perfect spot to make her concede in a real sword duel. It would also make treatment easier in the temple.

Originally, the fight should have ended like this.

If at the last moment, Celin hadn’t tried to swing her sword while in a kneeling position.

Seemingly acting on the desire to win, she had inadvertently shifted the position of her body and the point of the sword’s trajectory.

Instead of her arm, it was at an angle that threatened her heart.

Yet there was no way to stop now. If I hesitated, that trajectory would claim a victim.

It was a situation where anyone could expect a fatal wound.

My eyes widened as this realization hit me. Celin’s did too. Perhaps sensing her impending fate, she tightly shut her eyes.

I’m going to die. At the very least, it would be a grievous injury, a catastrophe borne from excessive competition. As she anticipated the pain to come, Celin’s body stiffened.

The blade sank deep. Blood splattered against me. I could hear the sound of dripping blood. And that warmth, that wet iron stench.

Finally, Celin’s eyes slowly opened. Her amber irises stared at me blankly.

Celin’s sword had plunged into my arm. It was a grotesque angle. My sword had paused right before Celin’s heart, and as a delayed reflex, her sword had sunk into my arm.

Thank goodness for Celin’s attempt to stop at the last moment, or it could have been much worse. That level of power, no matter how it had been hurled from a collapsed posture, remained threatening. My arm could have been severed, or perhaps Celin’s blade could have even reached my heart.

That was why Celin had kept her eyes closed. It was a matter of life and death. Should we survive, I would be the one holding the choice as the victor.

Yet even then, I could not bring myself to wield the blade.

It hurts. The burning sensation and the blade half-buried down to the bone sent sharp pangs coursing through my nerves without mercy. It felt as if my brain would burn up from the heat.

The blood that flowed from my arm dripped down my hand and down the sword. Just before it pierced Celin’s chest, the tip of the blade froze in place, and a drop of blood fell.

Celin was holding her breath, unsure of what to do. It seemed she didn’t understand what situation we were in or why it was I who was bleeding, not her.

So, I smiled at her instead.

At one time, I had done the same to Celin. In a flower field, back then, Celin had been unusually cold for a child.

“…I won, Celin.”

Her amber eyes were fixed on me without a word. Simply dazed.

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