Chapter 9: The Unfortunate Rain
The next morning, I awoke to the unmistakable presence of my Sensei. It was a summons from her room, urging me to come quickly now that I was awake.
After tidying myself up a bit, I headed to Sensei’s room, where she seemed to be waiting for me.
Sensei was quick to get to the point. I immediately recounted what had happened yesterday—the exchange with Pulmy-san and the dream I had found myself in for the third time.
During this conversation, there was a minor disagreement between us, but I was entirely at fault, and she bore no blame whatsoever.
Despite that, Sensei said, “When something happens, I will share the responsibility with you,” ultimately encouraging me. I truly couldn’t hold my head high in front of her.
Before the fog-clearing mission began anew, I took immediate action to prepare for any unforeseen circumstances.
“In the past few days, the manifested fog has increased significantly,” Deete remarked.
I couldn’t help but agree with her.
“Yeah, we’ve been encountering them more frequently.”
What started as a rare encounter once a day had now escalated to multiple sightings each day. It wasn’t uncommon to defeat one only to think, “Not again!” when another appeared shortly after.
Moreover, it was no longer surprising to see not just the fog-like monsters but also the corporeal Bone Warriors and Corpse Persons (Ghouls) appearing simultaneously. According to Sensei, there should have been a bit more time before it escalated to this point compared to the last time, but the speed of this development was unexpected, and it wouldn’t be long before the Sealed Labyrinth made its appearance.
As I discussed these matters with Deete, Miro returned after taking down an enemy.
“Hey, did you see that?” he called out.
“Yeah, I saw it!”
Miro skillfully twirled his spear, creating a whooshing sound as he did so. Behind him lay several dismembered Bone Warriors. They weren’t particularly formidable foes, but his ability to dispatch them so swiftly was impressive.
“Please give me some advice!”
When he asked, I felt it was only right as an elder to oblige.
“Hmm… let’s see.”
Miro, tall and slender yet possessing a supple and robust physique, wielded his spear as if it were an extension of his body. There were no obvious weaknesses to exploit against someone of his caliber, but—
“I don’t use a spear myself, but I can still offer some insight. At your level, I think it’s crucial to pursue the Principle and Intuition relentlessly.”
“The Principle and Intuition?”
“Yeah. The Principle refers to the reasoning behind things. How can you swing your spear faster than before? How can you deliver sharper thrusts? How can you move your body more ideally? There are endless challenges to consider for improvement. But the key to becoming stronger is to keep each of these thoughts in the back of your mind and seek out the answers—the Principles—while you train.”
When I first set out from the castle to explore the 《Mirror Labyrinth》, I had no clear mentor, and I had to think for myself to grow stronger. I always kept in mind the belief that I needed to be a little stronger and move a little further. That’s how I was able to steadily elevate myself, step by step.
“Whoa,” Miro exclaimed.
“As for Intuition, it’s hard to put into words—”
For some reason, I had become the older brother figure to him. I decided to show him a cool side of myself.
“I’ll demonstrate. Come at me as if it were the real thing.”
I drew Gram and took my stance.
Miro hesitated for a moment, exclaiming, “Huh?” but quickly tightened his expression and readied his spear.
Miro’s expression grew serious. I could feel his anxiety. When facing someone stronger, it’s natural to hesitate before charging in. The image of being struck down no matter where he attacked loomed in his mind, causing him to hesitate. The opposite was true for me; countless strategies on how to take him down flooded my thoughts.
It seemed Miro possessed a talent that could surpass even his father. While he was already a capable fighter by general standards, he still had a long way to go compared to his aspirations. He was at a level where he might struggle to hold his own against the elite members of the Order of Knights, let alone the captain or vice-captain.
“Ahhhhhh!!”
He let out a beastly roar and charged forward, kicking off the ground. His movements were supple, light, and powerful—truly his forte.
Thrusts, slashes, and sweeps—each one displayed a sense of finesse.
I believed he would understand what I wanted to convey as we exchanged blows, one after another. After a while, I finally said,
“I yield…”
Miro, drenched in sweat like a waterfall, dropped to his knees, collapsing.
“I call it Intuition—the feeling that if you go now, you’ll be defeated. The sense that the opponent is aiming for something. Conversely, the feeling that if you charge in now, you can win. I refer to this sensation, which transcends the information gathered through the five senses, as Intuition.”
“Intuition…”
“To hone this, you need to maintain an awareness of reading some kind of information from the moment you start training.”
That had been my experience. Battles were always against opponents far superior to me, always desperate, always life-threatening.
“Fighting someone stronger is usually beneficial. Sometimes, you can only grow by willingly immersing yourself in adversity. Your father understands this, which is why he always leads the charge into battle.”
Miro nodded, seemingly moved by my explanation. Deete, who usually stared at us with a scrutinizing gaze during our conversations, was now watching intently, appearing to understand something.
Could this situation be—
“Wait, did I say something profound?”
I thought it was a bit over the top. Please forgive me; it was just my way of hiding my embarrassment.
After finishing my training with Miro, I was ready to tackle the fog-clearing mission once more, but the fog had become annoyingly abundant.
Just then,
“Oh, rain,” Deete murmured.
A raindrop hit my forehead and trickled down.
“Finally here, huh?”
The rain, which had been expected to start falling soon, had begun. Looking at the dull gray clouds that had accumulated moisture over a long time, I let out a sigh.