「それで、リーゼ様。剣聖様へのご報告はいつ頃いきますか?」
サムの問いかけに、少し悩んだリーゼ。
「そうね。お忙しい方ではないのだけど、手紙でお伺いを立てたいわね。私からご連絡しておくわ」
「わかりました。お願いします」
すぐに剣聖に挨拶しにくわけではないことに、若干安心する。
手土産を用意しなければならないし、挨拶の言葉も考えておかなければならないのだ。
こういうところは元日本人らしいサムだった。
「ねえ、リーゼ。剣聖ってどんな人?」
花蓮の疑問にサムも反応する。
「そういえば俺もあまり知りません。王国で一番の剣士と伺っていますが」
話が始まるのに合わせて、三人はグラス片手に地面に座る。
お行儀が悪いが、それを咎める人間はここにはないので構わない。
「剣聖様のお名前は、雨宮蔵人とおっしゃるの。島国日の国から剣一本だけで大陸に渡ってきた剣士だったというわ」
「あの国の剣士はでたらめに強い人間が多いですからねぇ」
「......そんな国があるんだ。行ってみたい」
サムはウルと日の国に渡った時のことを思い出す。
侍と呼ばれる剣士たちは誰もが皆強かった。
魔法を使いたくても詠唱させてくれないし、なんとか魔法を放っても、その魔法を切り捨ててしまう。
まさに魔法使い殺しがたくさんいる魔境のような国だった。
「蔵人様は剣一本で大陸中を旅している頃に、当時王子だった現国王陛下のクライド様と戦場で出会い、意気投合し友人となったというわ」
当時はスカイ王国も戦争や内戦が少なからずあったようで、クライド国王も前線に立っていたという。
その時、傭兵として雇われていた蔵人に命を救われ、友人となり、国の騎士にならないかと熱心に誘ったという。
蔵人は落ち着く場所が欲しかったことと、クライドを仕えるべき主人として認めたことから、誘いを受けてスカイ王国で暮らすこととなった。
「戦場で鬼神のごとく敵兵を斬って回った蔵人様の功績は、前国王陛下に認められたわ。騎士団入団後にも、数々の功績を残し、そのことを讃えられて伯爵位と『剣聖』の称号を与えられたの」
そして、雨宮流剣術道場を開いたという。
スカイ王国では王国流剣術というものが主流であり、道場という習いの場はない。
多くの剣士が騎士を目指すため、学校や、引退した騎士を雇い習うことが通例だという。
そんな中、異国の剣術道場を開いた蔵人は異例だったという。
もちろん反対する声もあったそうだ。
だが、国王が諸手を挙げて賛成したことから、彼の道場は開かれた。
一時期は、騎士団副団長の地位にいた人間であり剣聖の称号を持つ剣士から剣術を学べることが魅力となり、多くの騎士を目指す若者が門下生となった。
時間が経ち、決して多くはないが雨宮流剣術を使う騎士は増えた。
ただ、王国流剣術とは違う実戦形式の過酷な訓練や、相手を殺すことだけを徹底的に仕込まれることから、現在でも野蛮な剣術と蔑む者もいる。
訓練に根を上げてしまう者も多いが、一定の技術を取得した者は例外なく強者の部類に数えられている。
リーゼも、雨宮流剣術を学び、師範代まで到達した強者だ。
彼女の実力は毎日手合わせしているサムが一番よく知っている。
身体強化魔法を使ったサムが、魔法を使わないリーゼに剣術だけで叩きのめされる光景は、いつものことだ。
雨宮流剣術がどれほどのものか嫌なほどわかる。
「蔵人様には娘がおふたりいるわ。ひとりは剣術に優れた水樹様と、もうひとりはお体の弱いことみ様よ」
「奥様は?」
「ことみ様の出産後に体調を崩してしまい亡くなってしまったわ」
「そうでしたか」
「門下生は現在はわからないけど、私が剣を習っていた頃は三十人ほどいたわね」
「意外と少ないですね」
「ついてこられる弟子ばかりじゃないの。私だって、何度投げ出そうと思ったかわからないわ」
過去を思い出すように遠い目をするリーゼの体が、小刻みに震えているのは過酷な訓練を思い出したからかもしれない。
「リーゼは師範代って言っていたけど、どのくらいなの?」
「師範代といっても大したことないのよ。水樹様に比べたらだいぶ劣るわね」
サムにはリーゼが謙遜しているのか、それとも剣聖の娘が想像を超える実力を持っているのか、どちらか判断つかなかった。
「人に教えるということもしたことがないわ。サムが初めてね」
「ん? 剣聖がひとりひとり教えている?」
「剣聖様もお教えくださるけど、細かく指導してくださるのは水樹様よ。あとは、お弟子の中でも経験の長い方達ね」
「おかしい。話しか聞いたことないけど、水樹という子は剣聖に匹敵すると言われているはず。なぜ跡継ぎじゃない?」
「花蓮の言うように水樹様は本当にお強いわ。でも、なぜか後継者候補から外れているの。後継者候補の三人が束になっても水樹様に勝てるわけがないのに」
「どうして?」
「私にはわからないご事情があるのでしょうね。それに、最近の道場の事情はわからないわ。ときどき、剣聖様と水樹様が便りをくださるけど、後継者問題に関することは書かれていないもの」
貴族だろうと、剣術道場だろうと後継者問題は難しいようだ。
(剣で思い出したけど、マニオンとかどうしているんだろうねぇ。今じゃ顔も思い出せないんだけど、ま、いいや。あ、そうだ、ダフネたちに手紙を送ってないじゃないか!)
剣にまつわる話を聞いたので、剣の天才と呼ばれていた弟を一瞬だけ思い出すも、すぐに記憶の奥底に沈めてしまう。
それよりも、世話になったダフネたちに近況報告が滞っていることを思い出し、慌てた。
(あとで手紙を書こう)
「リーゼはなぜ道場に通わないの?」
「......あまりサムの前では言いたくないけど、剣聖様の後継者候補のひとりが私の元夫なの。あまり道場に足を運んでいないようだけど、進んで会いたくなかったのよ」
「......ごめんなさい」
「謝らなくていいわ。もう過去のことだし、今はサムがいるもの」
「うん」
元夫、その言葉を聞き、サムの胸の中がかき乱される。
リーゼに元夫とその家族がした仕打ちは以前聞いたので忘れていない。
だが、まさか元夫が剣聖の後継者候補だとは思わなかった。
(仮にも剣を学び、誰かに教える立場にある人間が、リーゼ様にあんな仕打ちをしたのか。もし顔を合わせたら、感情を抑えることができるかわからない。会わないことを祈るしかないな、だけど、もし、会ってしまったら――)
「サム?」
「あ、はい、なんですか?」
「ごめんなさい。元夫の話なんて聞きたくなかったでしょう。もし、気に入らないのなら、剣聖様へのご挨拶も私だけで」
「いいえ、気になんてしません。だからリーゼ様も気にしないでください。リーゼ様には俺がいます。幸せにします。だから、どうでもいい過去なんてさっさと忘れましょう」
「――サム。ありがとう」
リーゼが、サムのそばに移動し、抱きついてくる。
彼女を優しく抱きしめながら、今もなお彼女が元夫のせいで苦しんでいるのだとわかった。
怒りを表に出さないよう、深呼吸をしていると、
「サム、よく言った」
親指を立て頷く花蓮と目が合った。
(――それでも、俺はリーゼ様の元夫にあったらなにをするか自分でもわからないや)
そんなことを思いながら、リーゼのためにも何事も起こらないことを願うのだった。
[So, Lise-sama. When will you report to Sword Saint-sama?] 
Lise was a little troubled by Sam's question.
[Right. I know he's not a busy person, but I would like to write to him. I will be in touch with you.] 
[I understand. Please do.] 
Sam is slightly relieved that it is not difficult to greet Sword Saint right away.
He had to prepare a gift for him and had to think about what to say.
This was Sam, a former Japanese. magic
[Hey, Lise. What kind of person is a Sword Saint?] 
Sam responds to Hualian's question.
[I don't know much about him either. I heard that he is the best swordsman in the kingdom.] 
The three of them sit on the ground, glasses in hand, as the conversation begins.
It's bad manners, but that's okay because there is no one here to blame them.
[Sword Saint-sama name is Kurando Amemiya. It is said that he was a swordsman from the island nation of Land of the Rising Sun who came to the continent with only one sword.] 
[Many of the swordsmen in that country are very strong.] 
[There is such a country. I'd like to go there.] 
Sam recalls the time when he and Ur crossed over to the Land of the Rising Sun.
Every one of the swordsmen, called Samurai, was strong.
Even if you wanted to use magic, they would not let you chant, and even if you managed to unleash magic, they would cut it down.
It was truly a magical land full of wizard-killers.
[It is said that while traveling across the continent with a sword, Kurando-sama met the then prince, His Majesty Clyde, on the battlefield, and they hit it off and became friends.] 
At that time, the Kingdom of Skye was also experiencing not a few wars and civil wars, and King Clyde was also standing on the front lines.
At that time, Kurando, who had been hired as a mercenary, saved his life, became his friend, and enthusiastically invited him to become a knight of the kingdom.
Kurando wanted a place to settle down and recognized Clyde as a master to serve, so he accepted the invitation and came to live in the Kingdom of Skye.
[The former king recognized Kurando-sama's achievements in slaying enemy soldiers like a demigod on the battlefield. After joining the Order of the Knights, he left behind numerous achievements, for which he was praised and given the title of Count and the title of{Sword Saint} .] 
He then opened the Amamiya-style Kenjutsu Dojo.
In the Kingdom of Skye, the Kingdom style of swordsmanship is the mainstream, and there are no dojos for learning it.
Many swordsmen aspire to become knights, and it is customary for them to learn at a school or from a retired knight.
It was unusual for Kurando to open an exotic dojo for swordsmanship.
Of course, some opposed it.
However, the king unanimously agreed, and his dojo was opened.
For a time, the attraction of learning swordsmanship from a swordsman who held the title of{Sword Saint} and was a vice-commander of a knight was so great that many young people who wanted to become knights became his students.
As time passed, the number of knights using Amamiya-style swordsmanship increased, although not by many.
However, some people still despise it as barbaric swordsmanship because of its harsh training in actual combat style, which is different from the Kingdom's swordsmanship, and the fact that one is thoroughly trained only to kill one's opponent.
Although many of them lose their roots in training, those who have acquired a certain level of skill are, without exception, considered to be among the strongest.
Lise, too, is a strong fencer who learned Amamiya-style swordsmanship and reached the rank of master.
Sam, who has been training with her every day, knows her ability better than anyone else.
It is always a sight to see Sam, who uses body enhancement magic, being beaten by Lise, who does not use magic, using only swordsmanship.
He knows how good the Amamiya style of swordsmanship is.
[Kurando-sama has two daughters. One is Mizuki-sama, who is an excellent swordsman, and the other is Kotomi-sama, who is frail.] 
[And his wife?] 
[She became ill after Kotomi-sama's birth and passed away.] 
[Is that so?] 
[I don't know how many students there are now, but when I was a student of swordsmanship, there were about thirty.] 
[Surprisingly few.] 
[There are a lot of disciplines that can't keep up. I don't know how many times I wanted to give up.] 
The reason why Lise's body is trembling slightly as she looks into the distance as if recalling the past may be because she is remembering the harsh training she went through.
[Lise said she was a teacher. How long have you been?] 
[I'm not much of a teacher, you know. Compared to Mizuki-sama, I am much inferior.] 
Sam couldn't decide whether Lise was being modest or whether the daughter of a Sword Saint was more skilled than he had ever imagined.
[I've never taught anyone before. Sam is the first.] 
[Hmm? Sword Saint is teaching everyone?] 
[He also teaches me, but it is Mizuki-sama who teaches me in detail. The rest are the more experienced disciples.] 
[That's strange. I've only heard stories, but it is said that the girl named Mizuki is comparable to Sword Saint. Why isn't she the heir?] 
[Hanae is right. But for some reason, she is not a candidate for successor. Even if the three successor candidates were all together, there's no way they could beat Mizuki-sama.] 
[So why?] 
[There must be some circumstances that I don't understand. I don't know what's going on in the dojo these days. Sometimes Sword Saint-sama and Mizuki-sama send me letters, but they don't mention anything about the succession problem.] 
Whether it is an aristocrat or a sword dojo, the succession problem seems to be difficult.
(Sword reminds me, I wonder how Manion is doing. I can't even remember his face now, but that's OK. Oh, that's right, I didn't send a letter to Daphne and the others!)
As he heard the story about the sword, he remembered for a moment his brother, who was called a genius with the sword, but he quickly let it sink into the depths of his memory.
More than that, he was flustered when he remembered that he was late in reporting the latest news to Daphne and the others who had taken care of him.
(I'll write to them later.)
[Why doesn't Lise go to the dojo?] 
[I don't like to say this in front of Sam, but one of the candidates for Sword Saint-sama's successor is my ex-husband. I know he doesn't visit the dojo very often, but I didn't want to see him willingly.] 
[I'm sorry...] 
[Don't be sorry. It's in the past. I have Sam now.] 
[Yes.] 
Sam's heart stirred as she heard her ex-husband talk.
He had heard what his ex-husband and his family had done to Lise before, and he had not forgotten.
But she had never thought that her ex-husband was a candidate to become the successor to the Sword Saint.
(Even if he was in a position to learn the sword and teach it to someone else, how could he treat Lise-sama like that? I don't know if I would be able to suppress my emotions if we met face to face. I can only hope we don't meet, but if we do----)
[Sam?] 
[Uh, yes, what is it?] 
[I'm sorry. You didn't want to hear about my ex-husband. If you don't like it, I'll just say hello to Sword Saint-sama myself.] 
[I don't care about it. So please don't worry about Lise-sama. Lise-sama has me. I will make you happy. So let's quickly forget the past that doesn't matter.] 
[----Sam. Thank you.] 
Lise moves to Sam's side and hugs her.
As she hugs him gently, Sam realizes that she is still suffering because of her ex-husband.
Sam took a deep breath, trying not to let my anger show.
[Sam, well said.] 
His eyes met Hanae, who nodded with a thumbs up.
(----I still don't know what I would do if I met Lise-sama's ex-husband.)
With this in mind, Sam hoped for Lise's sake that nothing would happen to her.
The Reincarnated Wizard Who Will Eventually Become the Strongest
いずれ最強に至る転生魔法使い　〜異世界に転生したけど剣の才能がないから家を追い出されてしまいました。でも魔法の才能と素晴らしい師匠に出会えたので魔法使いの頂点を目指すことにします〜
https://www.novelupdates.com/series/the-reincarnated-wizard-who-will-eventually-become-the-strongest/
Action Adventure Comedy Fantasy Harem Romance Slice of Life
Abandoned Children Adapted to Manga Age Progression Aristocracy Child Protagonist Childcare Cute Children Death of Loved Ones Demon Lord Demons Depictions of Cruelty Dragons Fantasy World Female Master Kingdoms Magic Male Protagonist Marriage Monsters Multiple POV Nobles Older Love Interests Overpowered Protagonist Polygamy Pregnancy Reincarnated in Another World Reincarnation Resurrection Royalty Student-Teacher Relationship Summoned Hero Sword And Magic Time Skip Weak to Strong Wizards
https://ncode.syosetu.com/n1154gq/
飯田栄静＠市村鉄之助