Episode 5
And so, I swing my sword again today.
“Hah, hoh, huh.”
In the end, I couldn’t find anything else to do besides swing my sword, so I’m stuck endlessly practicing my swings from morning till night.
The sword Older Brother gave me is completely unsuitable, so I’m spending my days swinging around a light, one-handed wooden sword that was newly prepared for me.
And regarding the Maid, there was progress three days after that incident.
My attendant Maid, whose position had been vacant, was decided. Or rather, it should be said that the decision was made that one wouldn’t be decided.
Perhaps due to concerns that having a specific person constantly by my side would lead to me forcibly laying my hands on them again, or perhaps all the Maids they approached refused, a caretaker now comes to look after me on a daily rotating basis.
I thought that if it were the relationship between a noble with considerable power and their servant, a little mischief would be forgiven, but perhaps this is because it’s an all-ages game being released on CS. It seems the ethical standards are no different from modern Japan in that regard.
Today’s attendant is Emi. A blue-haired Maid around twenty years old. Her Japanese-sounding name gives me a sense of familiarity, but she doesn’t seem to harbor any such feelings towards me.
Even now, she’s watching me swing my sword from a distance… or rather, monitoring me.
“Shih, huh, hah… ha?”
While swinging my sword and thinking of a witty joke to make that stiff Maid laugh, something changed. Something inside me clearly changed.
“…What?”
When I tried swinging the sword again, I felt like my swordsmanship had become sharper. It doesn’t feel like my strength has increased, but the act of swinging the sword has become smoother…
And one more thing. I don’t understand it at all, but I learned a Skill. A Sword Skill.
It seems I’ve just learned a Skill called ‘Double Slash’.
I don’t understand it, but I’ll try using it for now.
“Hah, hah!”
I slash downwards with the Sword and instantly reverse the motion to slash upwards. This is Double Slash. It’s a level of sharp Swordsmanship that I definitely couldn’t have achieved before.
“Ah… it was a game. Yeah, this is definitely a game…”
At first, I was confused by the strangeness of it all, but I have an idea about this phenomenon. Levels.
Nothing else seems to have changed besides the act of swinging the Sword, so perhaps it’s something like a Sword Skill level, but in any case, there’s no doubt that one of my levels has increased.
I had only thought of this as a world that resembled a game, but after experiencing it so clearly, I have no choice but to change my perception. This is the game itself.
…I’ll have to stop Training for now. This is more important.
“Um, is something the matter?”
“I need to think about something. I’m going back to my room.”
I usually swing my sword until it gets dark, so she must have found it suspicious that I stopped while the sun was still high. The Maid actually spoke to me for once.
I walk through the mansion with Emi in tow. I occasionally see Maids cleaning, but they quietly lower their heads and see me off as I pass by.
Well, well, I’ve attained quite the status.
“Phew.”
I return to my room and take a breather by lying down on the bed. Emi is waiting outside the room. Since that incident, the Maid and I have never been alone together indoors.
“Hmm…”
I tried to act cool by saying I needed to think about something, but I finished thinking about it while walking from the garden to the room.
I thought I would reconsider my future plans if there were game-like levels and such, but there was no need to change anything in particular.
I don’t have the ambition to raise my level and become the strongest. In my previous life, I was the type who was satisfied with studying just enough to get into a decent local university. I wasn’t the type to aim for Tokyo University or Kyoto University.
If life were difficult, I could make a name for myself with the Sword, but fortunately, I’m living a more than comfortable life. There’s no reason for me to work hard.
Realizing the world’s system is a major turning point, but a turning point is just an opportunity. Just because an opportunity has arisen doesn’t necessarily mean I have to change my plans.
“Now, I’m in trouble…”
I accidentally went back to my room and ended up with an incredible amount of free time. It would be stupid to say I was going to think about something and then come out of the room after a minute or so to start swinging my sword again, but I have nothing to do in the room.
“I have nothing to do. Then what do I want to do…”
It’s decided. Maids. I’ve reached my limit with just silently swinging my sword every day. I want some enrichment in my life.
But all the Maids are incredibly wary of me. There’s an incredibly high and thick wall.
Shino might be the one who’s least wary of me. But Shino will never be my attendant. I’m in a dead end.
“Should I just cry to someone? ‘I’m bored, play with me!'”
If I did that, the cool and handsome image I’ve built up so far would be shattered, but needs must… no, is this image a bad thing?
Cool is just one step away from scary. It might be easier to get along with me if I acted more foolish and idiotic.
And if I had something to talk about… no, I have just the thing. Let’s go with this.
I open the door and leave the room, and Emi, who was waiting nearby, is there. First, it’s you.
“Hey, there’s something I want to ask you.”
“Yes. What is it?”
She replies while subtly keeping her distance. If I didn’t have a steel mentality, I’d be crying right now.
“Before I lost my memory, do you know what I usually did?”
“Before you lost your memory, you say…”
Huh, I feel like her expression has become a little stern. And I haven’t even gotten to the main point yet.
“Geld-sama. Does that mean you want to regain your memories?”
So that’s it. The Maid would be troubled if I regained my memories, huh.
“Ah, no, no. It’s not that. It’s just that… I have too much time on my hands. To put it bluntly, well, I’m bored.”
“Bored, you say…”
“Yeah, yeah. So I thought if I knew what I was doing before I lost my memory, it would be helpful for killing time.”
“If that’s the case… hmm…”
She’s troubled. You’re troubled, aren’t you, Emi? If asked, you can’t not answer. But answering would lead to me regaining my memories. That’s what it is, right?
“Well, I don’t know much about Geld-sama’s private life… Shino might know, though.”
“Hmm. Shino, huh… That’s, well, it wouldn’t be good for me to ask her.”
Emi doesn’t say anything. It’s hard for her to say “That’s right,” huh. Because of that, the conversation has stopped. I have to throw the ball again.
“Well, then… I’m not expecting much or in a hurry, so if you happen to see Shino, could you ask her if you remember?”
“Understood.”
…Hmm. The conversation has stopped again. And I have no more moves left.
In that case, should I go for broke? You might hate me, but I don’t care anymore.
“By the way, Emi, what do you do on your days off or when you’re free?”
“Me, you say…”
Is this bad? I’m stepping into her private life, but since I have nothing, I have no choice but to ask her for a lead.
“I suppose it would be this.”
So saying, Emi takes out from her pocket… cards? A bundle of what looks like some kind of cards.
“Hmm. Do you use that for some kind of game?”
“Eh? …Ah, my memory… I’m very sorry.”
She spoke as if it were obvious, and if it’s a standard thing to say, then this game must be quite popular.
“No, it’s fine. Did I know about it before I lost my memory?”
“Yes. I don’t know if you actively played it, but I don’t think you were unaware of it.”
“That much… So, how do you play it?”
“Well, first you arrange the cards like this…”
Emi is looking around… does she need a table to arrange the cards? Is there a good place somewhere?
“Geld-sama, may I use your room?”
“Eh? Ah, yes. Of course, but…”
She must have found the table in my room, which was left with the door open. Emi proposed entering my room without hesitation. Is it okay for us to be alone together?
“This time, Geld-sama will use my spare deck, and first, you arrange the cards like this…”
Emi, who is sitting across the table from me, seems to be having fun. Or rather, she seems to be slightly forgetting herself.
“When it’s your turn, you draw a card from the deck… and that’s the end of your turn, and it’s the opponent’s turn… That’s right, that’s right.”
“I see, I see… I understand… like this?”
It’s simple but has some strategy, and the power of the cards themselves and how you build your deck are also important. It seems quite interesting… but it feels like I’ve seen it somewhere before… no, I definitely have…
Ah, this is that thing. Eternal… no, Legend… Legend something’s game. I seem to remember neglecting the boring main story and only playing this card game.
If my memory serves me right, you could challenge every character in the game to this card battle. If that’s the case, no wonder it’s so popular.
“Now, it’s my turn, and I’ll play Salamander. I’ll set it here… and yes, I win.”
“Ugh, so strong…”
“Normally, the winner gets to take one of the opponent’s cards, but since this is my deck, let’s skip that…”
Who crushes a newbie in a mock battle meant for teaching? And against the main family, no less… Couldn’t you show a little consideration or offer some leeway?
“What do you say? Want to try another round?”
“Bring it on…!”
I lost horribly after that.