Chapter 72
Kaeha, Shizuki, Mizuha, ... Win, and all the other disciples wore equally gloomy expressions.
Kaeha's mother, who had always been frail, fell ill and became unable to rise from her bed.
Eight years had already passed since I returned to this dojo.
The greatest changes over those eight years had probably taken place in the twins, Shizuki and Mizuha.
They had grown considerably and were gradually changing from children into adults.
Once they passed the age of fifteen, they would technically become adults, so I gave them both swords.
When I tested their aptitude for magic, I found that they could both manipulate mana, so I gave them magic swords that would protect them from hardship.
Win's growth, meanwhile, amounted to less than half that of the twins.
As Win slowly came to understand that time flowed differently for those around him than it did for him, he... well, it was only natural, but he became a little difficult.
He had learned to read, learned about the world, and realized that the people close to him were completely different creatures from himself.
He even tried to undergo excessive training so he could catch up with the twins, at least with the sword, and rebelled against me in an attempt to push me away.
It was painful for me to watch up close when he distanced himself from me, but thanks to being surrounded by good-hearted people, Win had calmed down considerably by now.
I truly think it was the right decision to return to this dojo.
As an aside, I had continued taking first place in the royal capital's competitions.
But that wasn't because my skills had improved. It was because the dwarven master craftsman who had refused to yield first place at the previous competition had returned to the dwarven nation and was no longer there.
I suspect something must be happening in the dwarven nation as well.
I have that feeling.
As for Kaeha's mother, I had continued going into the forest to gather medicinal herbs as before and tried having her drink grated Apua fruit, of which only a little remained, but it hadn't helped much.
She wasn't sick, exactly.
In other words... her lifespan was simply nearing its end.
Even though humans already had short lives, for this to have come so soon was presumably due to her innate physical frailty.
One day, after having everyone else leave, Kaeha's mother summoned me to her bedside.
She had always been a slender woman, but the flesh had fallen away from her cheeks even further, leaving her with scarcely any vitality.
Yet the strength in her eyes had not diminished in the slightest, and Kaeha's mother fixed me with a steady gaze before opening her mouth.
"I am about to tell you my grievances."
That was how she put it.
But what she actually began with was a reminiscence of the time when I had first come to this dojo... though it had been a ruin back then.
Having lost everyone she could rely on and trapped in a situation with no end in sight, she had developed a disease of the lungs.
She had feared that she might die, leaving behind a daughter who could hardly be called full-fledged.
She had also been angry at her own helplessness, for she had become nothing but a burden to that daughter.
During those days when she was tormented by feelings she could do nothing about, that outsider suddenly appeared.
Naturally, she said that she had been wary at first.
Though he was an elf—a member of another race—she had been wary of a man's presence in a home occupied by only two women.
But that outsider quickly blended into their lives and began turning every part of their hopeless situation around.
He quickly cured her lung disease, ended the conflict with the feared Roadland Greatswordsmanship, spent no small sum to rebuild the dojo, and... above all, raised her daughter into a full-fledged swordswoman.
And without ever using those deeds to make them feel indebted, he was content with his position as a disciple and happily swung his sword with childlike innocence.
"You were like a light shining into the darkness where we could see no future. I am not exaggerating in the slightest."
She was putting me on an awfully high pedestal, but that was precisely why I was a little afraid to hear what came next.
Back then—and even now—I had simply acted however I pleased.
Of course, that was because I thought it would be best for everyone.
"...But on that day, the day you left this place, you placed a curse on my daughter."
Kaeha's mother's gaze pierced me with sudden intensity.
She wasn't joking. She was speaking in complete earnest.
She was saying that I had cursed Kaeha.
Kaeha's mother paused there and let out a long, deep sigh.
It was as though she were trying to expel everything that had built up inside her chest.
"You probably never intended anything like that. But bearing and raising children, raising disciples and protecting the dojo, and honing oneself as a swordsman—none of those things are easy."
Her next words wrapped around me like chains.
Even though her voice remained quiet and matter-of-fact.
"But my daughter convinced herself that she had to accomplish all of it. No, she decided that she would accomplish it, no matter what. ...For the day she could meet you again."
They burned like roaring flames.
Kaeha never spared herself in her pursuit of swordsmanship, while also using her fame as an adventurer to gather and train disciples.
Under those circumstances, she naturally hadn't had any time to search for a partner.
"That was why she sought children and not a partner. She apparently approached the person with the greatest talent for the sword and asked him and his wife to give her a child—and nothing else."
Her words were the answer to a question I had carried for so long.
Why had it come to this?
...Why hadn't Kreias and Maltena refused?
No matter how I looked at it, there was no way that was right.
"Yes, that is the curse you placed on my daughter. And presumably, that man and his wife were under some sort of curse as well. Perhaps, because it was a curse from someone other than you, they feared that if they refused, there was no telling whom that foolish girl might choose next..."
I couldn't understand.
What had I done to Kaeha?
How had I made such a complete mess of her life?
Kaeha's mother looked at my face and smiled gently.
Why was she smiling as she told me this?
"Don't you understand? ...Honestly, you really are hopeless. That curse is love—the kind of love that never fades over the span of a human life, an unchanging love. My daughter fell in love with you."
Love...?
I must have had a foolish expression on my face at that moment.
After all, the conclusion at the end of a story like this was that she had fallen in love with me...
"My daughter surely never wanted you to know. But I cannot pass away in peace while you remain unaware. On the night you gave up being a swordsman, my daughter trembled and cried."
Once again, Kaeha's mother spoke calmly, but this time with a gentle expression.
This was supposed to be a grievance.
"Yes, there were times when I resented you. I was angry with my stubborn, foolish daughter, too. But the truth is, I no longer resent you or feel much anger toward you—not when you're so innocent and free-spirited. My daughter truly loved her children as a mother, my grandchildren grew into good children, ...you returned much sooner than I expected and brought smiles back to us. And you even brought such an adorable child with you."
With that, she reached out and covered my trembling hand with hers.
And how long did it take me to calm down after that?
Kaeha's mother waited patiently for me to settle down before saying,
"There is no partner for my daughter in this house, and no father for my grandchildren. But you were here in their place. That must have been something precious and rare."
She continued speaking gently.
She must have had many more thoughts on the matter.
It could not have been so easy for her to put everything aside.
But she swallowed most of it and put into words only what was necessary to tell me the truth.
"I cannot ask you, a free spirit whose lifespan differs from ours, to walk beside my daughter. That would be like capturing a wild bird and... no, like putting the wind in a cage and locking it inside. But please, at least know how my daughter feels. Will you?"
Kaeha's mother squeezed my hand tightly and brought her story to a close.
Five days after that, she passed away.
Kaeha, Shizuki, Mizuha, Win, and the other disciples all wept... and, yes, even I shed tears.
For both Win and me, it was our first time losing someone close.
Kaeha's mother, Kuroha.
I never once called her by that name, but I will never forget it.