Chapter 108
"Eisa, once the trouble at the dojo is settled, I'm going to travel west."
On the night after the match, Win sat beside me on the ground and gazed up at the starry sky as he said this.
A journey, huh.
I had a feeling this might happen, but the west...
"I understand now that you've been trying to protect me from all sorts of things. I also heard that, if you hadn't intervened, I, a half-elf, might have died right away."
Win said it with a smile, but his words were heavy.
Who was it?
Who had told him about that?
Could it have been Airena? ... No, perhaps the likely culprit was Huresio, the bard.
Or perhaps it was another elf who was an adventurer.
But sooner or later, yes, perhaps it was something he needed to know.
If he had reached an age when he could accept it, I really should have been the one to tell him.
"But that's exactly why I think I need to learn more—the conflicts and tragedies created by differences between races."
That was why Win said he was going west.
The west was a land where beastfolk and humans fought one another.
The people there put their faith in a religion that rejected other races and taught that humans stood at the top of the hierarchy.
For Win, who had both human and elven blood, it was arguably the worst place imaginable.
He might be treated as an enemy by both beastfolk and humans.
Even so, Win said he intended to go west deliberately, knowing all that.
I couldn't stop him from striking out on his own.
But there was one thing.
"...Win, please, whatever you do, stay alive. Otherwise, the humans, beastfolk, and elves in the western lands might all be wiped out."
Let me threaten him just a little, at least.
Well, I wasn't entirely sure it would remain just a threat.
Win gave me a wry smile at my words, and
"You really are overprotective, Eisa,"
he murmured.
But I couldn't help it, I thought.
How could I not worry when my own child was throwing himself into danger?
Even if he was an adopted son with no blood relation to me.
"It's all right. I have a goal, so I won't die. I'll see lots of things, grow stronger, and become a man who can beat you, Eisa."
Win declared firmly.
Ah, apparently, I had managed to remain his goal after all.
"Then let's have another match. Next time, I'll make sure my sword reaches you instead of falling just short, and I'll beat you... Dad."
When he softly added that last word, I hugged Win tightly.
Because if we continued facing each other, he'd see the tears about to spill from my eyes.
That would be far too uncool.
He would leave on his journey.
I wouldn't try to hold him back anymore.
Win—my child—was a man in his own right.
It took another two years before Win actually set out—in other words, until the worsening relationship between Yosogi style and Lodrand Greatswordsmanship was resolved.
I hadn't known this, but apparently the Yosogi style had been barred from entering the martial arts tournament held in the royal capital and the royal court matches.
This was the country's ruling in response to the earlier incident in which senior disciples of the Yosogi style had attacked the Lodrand Greatswordsmanship dojo—in other words, a debt from the past.
Shizuki was seeking to have the restriction lifted through Rudoria Kingdom-style swordsmanship, which held considerable influence in the country, while Lodrand Greatswordsmanship had taken an antagonistic stance toward Yosogi to prevent that from happening.
The reasoning was that if trouble broke out now, the country would become cautious about lifting Yosogi's restriction.
Well, the martial arts tournament in the royal capital, especially the royal court matches, was an important opportunity for anyone seeking to make a living with a sword.
And since only a limited number of slots were available, it was only natural that Lodrand Greatswordsmanship—or even Glend-style swordsmanship—would resent Yosogi's participation in the royal capital's martial arts tournament and royal court matches.
However, Shizuki kept the disciples well in hand and refused to rise to Lodrand's provocations, so Yosogi was granted permission to enter the martial arts tournament and royal court matches held in the royal capital.
At the next martial arts tournament, Shizuki, Win, and the other senior disciples competed and all achieved excellent results, greatly raising Yosogi's profile.
Once that happened, Lodrand had no benefit left in quarreling with Yosogi.
On the contrary, continuing their hostility in the current circumstances would only tarnish Lodrand's name.
Thus, Shizuki and the head of Lodrand Greatswordsmanship reached a reconciliation, and the problem was resolved without incident.
This is hypothetical, but if I had involved myself in this matter, I doubt a resolution like this would have been possible.
Unfortunately, I couldn't understand the desire to seek fame through swordsmanship.
That was because what I sought from the sword was a more inward-looking kind of self-satisfaction.
Blacksmithing, on the other hand, only mattered when one's work was recognized and needed by others, so I didn't mind submitting pieces to exhibitions, though fame often came with its own inconveniences.
So, when it came to this problem, I couldn't see either what had caused it or how it should be resolved, leaving me no choice but to crush the enemy with force.
Even if that wouldn't have been a true solution to the problem.
As I watched Win's back while he set out west after the dojo problem was resolved, I thought.
From here on, he would encounter many problems and solve them in ways different from mine.
It was terribly regrettable that I couldn't watch him do so up close, but someday I wanted to hear Win's stories.
How he would solve them, and what he would feel.
Yes, someday I would hear from Win the story of his journey, the story of his life.