What Is Passed Down (6)

The bowstring creaked as it was drawn taut.

She took careful aim, pointing her nocked arrow at a lone rabbit that had pricked up its ears after sensing our presence.

The rabbit suddenly dashed away, and the arrow was released almost simultaneously, as far as I could tell.

"Ah, come on! Why did you run away?"

As a result, the arrow sank into the ground with a dull thunk, while the rabbit bolted away.

Aiha, who had loosed the arrow, pursed her lips in displeasure as she complained.

But no matter how angry she got, there was no way to change the result.

Besides, the only reason it had missed was that her skill simply wasn't up to the task.

Aiha at least knew how to handle a bow, but she was still very inexperienced, and her technique was not yet enough to bring down wild game.

In fact, even if the rabbit hadn't run from that last arrow, the outcome probably wouldn't have changed.

"Of course it ran. Arrows hurt when they stick in you, after all. Once it realizes it's being targeted, it's not going to meekly let itself be killed."

She nodded at my words as if convinced, though she still looked somewhat dissatisfied.

Lately, I had been regularly taking Aiha out of the royal capital to teach her how to hunt in the forest, dress the game she brought down, and make camp as safely as possible.

In other words, it was training for her to become an adventurer.

To fulfill Aiha's wish to 'wield a sword to uphold justice and help the weak,' I believed becoming an adventurer was probably the quickest path.

Shizuki, Touki, and Aiha herself all agreed that it was the best course.

Of course, Aiha had other paths she could choose, but none of them came particularly close to what she wanted.

For example, if Aiha inherited the dojo, she would always wield her sword for the sake of her school.

Alternatively, if she made a living by the sword and entered the service of a country or noble, she would wield it for her lord.

As an adventurer, however, she could at least choose which quests to accept and decide for herself why she fought.

She could learn about the world and about human beings, and if she still wanted to help the weak after that, she could accept quests to do so.

Adventurers still had ties and obligations, but those who could stand on their own abilities had the freedom to choose their own path.

I had never been an adventurer myself, but ever since I met Airena and her companions, I had seen countless adventurers.

I had appraised weapons and armor for them as a blacksmith, shared tables with them on my travels, and seen acquaintances make a living as adventurers.

From one-star novices just starting out to seven-star adventurers at the very pinnacle, I had encountered adventurers across the spectrum.

From my perspective, the way of life Aiha wanted was closest to establishing herself as a capable adventurer.

Because if you want to save someone, you need the leeway to do so—and you need to be free.

Alternatively, if Aiha wished, she could set her sights on the Huanggu Empire after establishing herself as an adventurer.

If she did that, then truly living as a knight-errant would not be impossible.

However, to do so, swordsmanship alone would not be enough.

As an adventurer, she would need to protect herself from all manner of danger.

If she wanted to pick and choose her quests, she would first need to earn a living by gathering resources and hunting beasts and monsters, so she would never be short of money.

And at times she would have to cut people down without hesitation.

That was why she would need a broad range of skills, knowledge, and resolve.

Hunting game, dressing and eating it, and making camp safely were only the very basics of the basics.

Through hunting, she would grow accustomed to taking life, sometimes encounter unexpected dangers, and learn what fear was.

She would learn that charging in head-on was not always the right approach, and acquire the skill of masking her presence.

In addition, if Aiha were ever injured, I intended to teach her how to identify medicinal herbs and use them for first aid.

I would gradually help her acquire the skills, knowledge, and resolve she needed.

Even if she stopped wanting to become an adventurer along the way, the experience she gained would not be wasted.

Even if it did not take the form she had envisioned, it would still surely have some meaning in her life.

But if I left all the hunting to Aiha at this rate, it seemed we would be going without dinner tonight.

Going without a meal because the hunt had failed was not a particularly pleasant experience.

Should I join the hunt, or teach her which wild plants were edible and have her gather them while we hunted?

I pondered that for a little while.

"Oh, come on! It got away again!"

Just then, Aiha missed another arrow and let out an angry cry.

That was not a good sign.

The more emotional she became, the narrower her field of vision grew, making it easier for beasts to detect her presence.

If that happened, she would not be able to bring down even prey she could otherwise have caught.

Or monsters might sense her angry cries and the presence she was giving off, then come after her.

Aiha would eventually need to fight monsters as well, but... it was probably still a little too soon for that.

I reached out to the fuming Aiha, lightly patted her on the head to calm her down, and then stroked her hair.

Aiha complained that I was treating her like a child, but she did not try to brush my hand away.

Well, she might call it treating her like a child, but she was actually a child, so there was no problem with that.

Now that I had calmed her down, we might as well continue the hunt, teaching her about edible wild plants as well.

Since we had come all this way, it would probably be more fun if she gathered the ingredients herself.

Rather than rushing headlong, she would get better results by keeping a broad field of vision and acting calmly.

There was still a great deal to teach her, but if possible, I wanted her to learn all of it happily.

Because that would surely be more fun for me, too.