十四話
ピキ、リ———。
何かが決定的に毀れてしまう壊音を耳にしながら、俺は振り終えた剣を取りこぼした。
右の腕に倣うように、だらりと垂れ下がる左の腕。落下し、音を立てる無骨な剣。
地に足をつけ、立っている。この状態を維持している事自体が俺にとっては奇跡とさえ言えた。
「勝っ、た。俺が......勝った」
「は、ぁ———」
闇夜に覆われた空を見上げ、溜め込んでいた空気と共に緊張感、不安、逼迫、高揚感。
全てを吐き出していく。
俺のすぐ側では、胴体が斬り分かれたオーガの亡骸。加えて、どこまでも続く一本線が、大地に深く濃く刻まれていた。
その威力に関しては、撃ち放った張本人でありながらも乾いた笑いしか出てこない。
それ程までに、その威力は衝撃的過ぎた。
後に残ったのは地割れでも起きたのかと疑ってしまう程の一直線に伸びる亀裂。
これだけの威力であるにもかかわらず、夢に見たあの『星斬り』の剣士が放ったものと比べれば、この流れ星の完成度は恐らく2割にも満たない事だろう。
......劣悪も良いところだ。
しかし、そんな劣悪ですらここまでの威力を誇り、立ちはだかった壁を粉々に打ち砕いていた。
やはり、あの剣士は俺にとって遥か先に位置する憧れであると胸中で再認識をする。
「漸く」
一文字一句噛みしめるように。
「漸く、一歩進めたような。そんな実感が出来た」
ただただ無我夢中に棒切れを振っているだけではきっと、この感情を抱く事は叶わなかっただろう。
「感謝するよオーガ。俺の糧になってくれて———ありがとう。お陰で俺は、こうして一歩、進む事が出来る」
言葉はもう必要ない。
そう言わんばかりに、俺はくるりと踵を返し、背を向けた。事切れて尚、どこか不敵に笑ったかのような面持ちを浮かべていた
「オーガの討伐レートはB。だが、ソイツはオーガの中でもワンランク上の変異種。恐らくレートはひとつ上がってB+。オマケにこの暗がり。レートはAでもおかしくねえ」
不意に、俺の鼓膜を揺らす野太い男の声。
村へ戻ろうとボロボロに疲弊した身体に鞭を打ち、踵を返した俺の瞳に映る二つの人影。
オーガとの戦闘の中で薄々は感じていた人の気配。きっとその正体が彼らなのだろうとすぐに理解した。
戦闘が終わるや否や、姿を見せた二人組。
ただ、俺は彼らが誰なのか。
「だから問おうか。一体、てめえは何者だ?」
だから、俺はあまりこれといって慌てていなかったのだろう。だから、回答次第では斬ると言わんばかりに、圧搾された殺意を向けられながら問い掛けをされても動揺しなかったのだろう。
俺が思うに、彼がそんな問い掛けをしてきた理由は彼が俺を『異常』であると認識しているからだ。
人という生き物は、他者と異なる部分。つまり、『異常』に対して執拗に理由を求めたがる。夢で見た『星斬り』の剣士もそうだった。彼も、『異常』であると捉えられていた。彼の言動の大半が理解の埒外にあると常に思われていた。
今できる精一杯の屈託のない笑みを表情に、これでもかと貼り付けてやった。
「............」
怪訝に目の前の男は眉根を寄せる。
きっとその理由は、俺が破顔する理由が分からないから。
憧れであり、終生、『星を斬る』事にのみ心血を注ぎ続けたあの『剣鬼』と同様に『異常』であると己が捉えられている。
普通であっては、間違いなく星を斬る事は叶わない。その自覚は誰よりもあった。
故に、嬉しくて仕方がなかった。
あれ程人という枠組みから外れていた『剣鬼』のように『異常』であると己が他者から捉えられている。
その事実がこれ以上なく俺に歓喜の感情をもたらす。漸く、『星斬り』の剣士に至る為のスタートラインに立てたような気がしたから。
これが歪んだ認識であると自覚して尚、その歓喜は止まらない。
笑うたびに傷が開く。
身体を震わせるたびに、血が己の身体の中から失われていく。
ここで笑わずして、いつ笑うというのだ。
相変わらず、声から覇気は失われている。
でも、それでも笑う。己の感情を素直に吐露しようと試みる。たとえそれで、目の前の彼らに不審がられようとも。
この瞬間だけは笑っていたかった。
「俺が、だれ? ......んな事は4年前のあの日からずっと同じ。村にいる誰もに笑われようと、これだけは変えられなかった」
彼が問うたのは間違っても俺の名前ではない。
俺の正体。
つまり、本質だ。
「俺は『星斬り』。『星斬り』に憧れた、ひとりの剣士だよ」
既に俺は剣を手にしている。
ではなく、歴とした剣を執り、剣士として剣を振るった。
だから、俺は剣士と名乗った。
「......星、斬りだと?」
「そうだよ。『星斬り』だ。言葉の通り、それは星を斬る事。俺は星を斬りたいんだよ。星を斬って、俺が憧れた剣が最強であると証明したいんだ。だから———『星斬り』」
疲労困憊の状況下に置かれているからだろう。
俺は普段よりもずっと早口にそう述べた。
ゆっくりと、足を進める。
村の方へと一歩、一歩。
しかし、身体を動かせば動かす程痛みが全身に襲い掛かる。裂傷はさらに開き、赤く滲む。
袈裟に斬られた胸の傷が刺すような痛みを伴ってひっきりなしに俺を襲う。
暗がり故に視認は困難を極めていたが、身につけていた衣類にはべっとりと血が付着し塗れていた。
それは見た者誰もが例外なく目を剥くほど。
立っている事が不思議と思えるほどの凄絶な傷がずきりと疼き続けていた。
「ぁあ......」
目の前がぼやけていく。
足の感覚も失われていき、俺の世界が揺らいでいた。
血も流し過ぎたのだろう。
歩いている筈なのに、本当に俺は前を歩けているのかという不安にすら襲われる。
思考はまともに機能していなかった。
「ソフィアには......少し休憩してから帰るって、伝えて———」
冒険者だろう
彼らがここに来たという事はソフィアが上手くやったという事なのだろう。
......しかし、身体が重くて口ですら満足に動かない。喉を震わせてる筈なのに、声が出てこない。
だったら、少しだけ休んでいこう。
休んでから家に帰ればいい。
少し休めば、きっと身体も回復してくれるだろうから。
そんな根拠もない願望を抱きながら俺は近くに生えていた木の幹に手をついた。
「......ぁあ、だめだ。本当に、」
冒険者の2人に、ソフィアにはオーガを相手に上手くやったと。でも、疲れたから少し休んでから帰ると伝えて貰おうと思ったのに、それを口頭で伝える気力すら俺には残っていなかった。
木の幹に身体を
Chapter 14
Creak--
I dropped the sword that I had just finished wielding, hearing the sound of something being definitely... broken.
My left arm hung slackly, as if to imitate my right arm.
The fact that I was able to maintain myself in this state was a miracle in itself.
"I... won. I really... won..."
"Haa-- Ahhhhh..."
Looking up at the sky covered with darkness, I felt the tension, anxiety, pressure, and elation along with the air I had stored up.
I let it all out.
Right next to me, there laid the corpse of the ogre, whose torso was cut into pieces.
I could only laugh at that technique, even though I was the one who unleashed it.
Its power was that shocking.
What was left behind was a crack that stretched in a straight line, so straight that one might have wondered if the earth had been split open.
But despite its power, this Shooting Star was probably less than 20% as complete as the one released by the "Star Slayer" swordsman in my dream.
My inferiority was as bad as it could get.
But even such inferiority had boasted such tremendous power and shattered the wall that stood in its way.
I reaffirmed in my heart why I was a life-long admirer of that swordsman.
"At last."
As if savoring each and every word, I let it out of my mouth.
"At last, I felt as if I really had made a step forward."
I was sure that I wouldn't have been able to feel this emotion if I had just been waving a stick around selflessly.
"I'm truly grateful-- ogre. Thank you for being my sustenance. If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't be able to take a step forward."
Words were no longer necessary.
So I spun around on my heel and turned my back to my rival, the ogre, who was still smiling at me.
"The subjugation rate for an ogre ranks at a B, but this one, who can speak, is a mutant, so he'd be one rank higher among other ogres. Probably a B+, I wouldn't even argue if he got rated as an A."
Then abruptly, I heard a thick voice of a man that shook my eardrums.
I urged my battered and exhausted body to return to the village, and as I turned on my heel, I saw two figures appearing before my eyes.
I had felt the presence of people during the battle earlier, so I immediately understood that it had to be them.
As soon as the battle was over, the duo appeared.
And as to who they were, I already knew the answer.
"Let me ask a question. Just who the hell are you?"
I guess I wasn't too flustered about all this, that was probably why he asked me with such pressing, murderous intent, as though he'd cut me down depending on my answer.
And I figured that the reason he asked me such a question was because of his perception of me being "abnormal."
Human beings tended to be different from others, so in other words, people were relentlessly seeking reasons for being unique, being "abnormal."
I made the best laugh I could with the carefree look I had on my face.
"..."
The man in front of me raised his eyebrows dubiously.
I was certain that was because he didn't know why I did so.
I was perceived as "abnormal" just like the "Sword Demon" whom I admired, an amazing individual who devoted his life to "Slaying the Stars" all his life.
If he were ordinary, he would definitely not be able to slay the stars, and he was more aware of that fact than anyone else.
Therefore, I couldn't help but be happy.
I was considered to be an abnormal being, just like him, who had deviated from the norm.
I felt as if I had finally made it to the starting line to becoming a "Star Slaying" swordsman.
Even though I was aware of my distorted perception, my joy persisted.
Each laugh opened a wound.
Every time I shook, blood was lost from my own body.
If I didn't laugh now, when would I laugh?
As one would expect, my voice had lost its spirit.
But I still laughed and tried to be honest about my feelings, even if it meant making the people in front of me suspicious.
I wanted to laugh just for this moment.
"Who... am I? ...I'm still the same person as I was that very day 4 years ago. I couldn't change anything, no matter how much everyone in the village laughed at me."
The question he asked was not my name by mistake.
But my true identity.
In other words, my real nature.
"I'm a 'Star Slayer.' A swordsman who's longing to be a 'Star Slayer.'"
I already had a sword in my hand.
An actual sword, not a piece of stick, and wielded it as a swordsman would do.
That was why I called myself a swordsman.
"A... 'Star... Slayer,' you say?"
"Yeah, a 'Star Slayer.' As the name implies, it means to slay the stars. I want to slay the stars, and I want to prove to everyone that the sword of the person I admire is the strongest. So... I'll Slay the Stars."
Perhaps it was because I was exhausted.
I said all this much more quickly than I'd normally do, as though I was about to give up my consciousness.
Slowly, I moved forward.
Step by step towards my home, the village.
But the more I moved, the more pain attacked my whole body.
The wounds widen further and blurred into a reddish blotch, especially the wound on my chest, which was cut in an exaggerated manner, attacking me relentlessly with a piercing pain.
It was extremely difficult to see in the darkness, but one thing I could make out was that the clothes I was wearing were being coated with sticky blood.
Everyone who saw it, without exception, peeled their eyes.
I was so badly injured that it was a wonder that I, myself, was still standing, and the wounds that I had, kept on throbbing.
"Aahhh..."
My vision blurred out.
I was losing the feeling in my legs, and my world was shaking.
I must have pushed myself too hard.
I was supposed to be walking, but I was worried if I was really walking forward.
All of my thoughts weren't functioning properly.
"Tell Sofia that... I'm going to take a short break, so I'm going home--"
They must be... adventurers...
If they came to me, then it must mean that Sofia was safe and well, so I told them to relay a message for me.
...But my body was so heavy that even my mouth wasn't moving properly. My throat should've been doing its job, but my voice wasn't coming out.
Let's take a little rest, then.
I could go home right after I rest.
If I rested a little, my body would surely recover.
With such an unfounded wish, I put my hand on the trunk of a nearby tree.
"...Aahhh... I'm... really tired..."
I wished to tell those two adventurers to tell Sofia that I did well against the ogre, but I ended up telling them that I was tired and that I wanted to rest at home.
Leaning my body against the tree trunk, I slumped to the ground, unable to resist the pull of gravity.
Star-Slaying Swordsman
星斬りの剣士
https://www.novelupdates.com/series/star-slaying-swordsman/
Action Fantasy Martial Arts Mature Psychological Shounen
Adapted to Manga Dark Fantasy World Male Protagonist Mature Protagonist Medieval Philosophical Romantic Subplot Sudden Strength Gain Sword And Magic Sword Wielder Transplanted Memories
https://ncode.syosetu.com/n7336gg/
アルト／遥月