十九話
その日の夜は、とても
俺の夢の中に存在する一人の男は山の上で咆哮をあげていた。
屍山血河
ただ————一人を除いて。
当時、『**』と呼ばれたその男は、天下無双を名乗っても異論は出ないと呼ばれた程の男であった。剣を振れば大地を割り、背を向ければ後には屍しか残ってはいない。
そんな伝説すら残した男。
そんな伝説とも言える人間に立ち向かったのは末端の兵士だった。
立ち向かおうとするその行為は、決して勇気などという綺麗なものではなく、蛮勇でしかないのだと。
しかし、男はそんな周囲からの視線に当てられて尚、引く事はせず、それどころかさも当然のように宣ったのだ。
『お前を倒す事が出来たならば、私はもう少し前へ進めそうだ————』と。
『世界に、私の名を轟かせたい』
天下無双とまで呼ばれた男を前にして、倒す事が出来たならばと宣い、静寂に包まれる場。
そんな中で、火に油を注ぐように兵士の男は言葉を付け足した。
程なく、どっと場が湧き、嘲弄といった感情が一斉に兵士の男に向けられた。
しかし、彼は気にも留めない。
天下無双が相手だから足を竦ませるのではない。天下無双が相手だからこそ、全てを喰らわんと試みるのだ。
強くなる為には、自身の『限界』以上を、絶対的強者との死闘にて、掴み取る他ないと彼は知っているから。
故に剣を執る。
『お前にとって私はただの雑兵だろう。それは否定しない。戦場でゴミのように死んでく筈だっただろう一人だ。だが、私を他と一緒にしてくれるな』
少なくとも、己は地べたを見詰めやしない。後ろだって見る趣味もない。
『最強なのだろう? 天下無双なのだろう?』
......そんな、前代未聞の挑発から始まった命の取り合い。欠けた『星斬り』の記憶はその情景を鮮明に映し出す。
それが、後に『剣鬼』や『星斬り』と呼ばれた男の英雄譚の序章であった。
誰もが不可能であると断じた行為をひたすらに望み、敢行し、傷を負い、それでもと手を伸ばし続けた男の生涯。
その根底に据えられた『星斬り』への情熱の輝きといえば、黄金よりも眩くて。
「............ん」
気付けば、俺の意識は覚醒していた。
窓からはまだ月が見える。雲の隙間から差し込む月光が俺を照らしていた。
外の景色を見る限り、全然眠れてはいなかったのだろう。眠る直前と然程窓の外の景色が変わっていなかった。
「......久しぶりに見た」
そうして生きてきた男を映す欠けた夢のお陰でぐらりと揺らいでいた心は決まった。
故に、笑う。
「王都の騎士ですら死ぬような場所。そんな場所で、俺という人間が生き延びる事が出来たならば、少しはまた、前へ進めるかな」
雲に隠れる星に向かって————俺は問い掛ける。
人は死ぬと星になる。
俺の憧れはそう言っていた。そして俺も、それを信じている。故に、俺は己の憧れに向かって問い掛けていた。
『星斬り』という規格外でしかない行為に憧れてしまった。その時から俺の先は決まっている。
その過程で死ぬのであれば、所詮俺はそこまでの人間だっただけの話。
ソフィアや親父には悪いが、俺の根本は『星斬り』だ。『星斬り』を成す為に剣を執り、『星斬り』を成す為に、
のだ。今更変わらない。変わるはずが無い。
この熱だけは、変えられない。
これがきっと、俺の天命なのだろうから。
むくりとベッドから起き上がり、縁に腰掛ける。そして右の手に意識を向け——剣を創造。
創り出した剣を腰に差し、俺は立ち上がった。
「......まだ、居るといいんだけど」
玄関から出ると親父や母にバレてしまう危険性があった。だから俺は自室の窓をゆっくりと開け、そこから身を乗り出した。
言わずもがな、辺りは暗い。
ひと気も皆無で、村の入り口へと駆け足で向かおうものの、やはりそこに人影はなかった。
村長であるアレクさんの姿も何処にも見当たらない。
............遅かったか。
色々と親父に世話になった手前、言う事を無視してあの場で我儘を貫く事は憚られ、今回の事は忘れようと無理矢理に睡眠を取ったのはやはり間違いだったか。
そんな感想が胸の中に生まれ、蠢いていた。
月の傾き具合から察するに、まだ時間はあまり経ってはいない。
間違いなく近くに居るはずだと思い、そのまま村の外へと一歩踏み出した俺の視界に映る三人分の人影。
幸運にも、地図を広げ、何やら話し合っていたビエラ・アイルバークを始めとする者達はまだそこにいた。
程なく、俺が声を掛けるより先に俺の存在を知覚したビエラ・アイルバークが口を開き、声を発した。
「......まだ何か?」
親父やアレクさんが既に彼女と話を付けたのだろう。彼女の表情は相変わらず人形めいており、そこから判断する事は難しい。
けれど、彼女の供回りと言われていた騎士達の様子からそれを察する事は容易であった。
「話があります」
そう言うと彼女は呆れたような息遣いをし、首を微かに振った。
「......既に話は終わりました。これ以上、話す事は何も無いかと存じますが」
村を去ろうとしていたのがその証左。
けれど。
だけれど、それでも、俺はあえて言葉を口にする。
しかし、返ってきたのはやはりそれかと言わんばかりのため息であった。
「私が申し上げるのも変な話ですが、もし仮について来たとして。まず間違いなく、貴方は死ぬでしょうね。あそこは思い上がった馬鹿ほど早く死にます」
、俺は付いていきたい。何より、俺はこの目で、上というものも見てみたい」
夢でなく。
追憶でもなく。
現実世界の、己の目で。
〝戦姫〟なんて大層な名で呼ばれるくらいだ。
きっと、とんでもなく強いのだろう。......佇まいからしても、それがよく滲み出ていた。
Chapter 19
That night was very quiet.
One man who appeared in my dream was roaring on top of a mountain.
He roared on top of a mountain of bloodied, dead bodies.
Except for-- one person.
At the time, he was known as "***," a man who was referred to as a peerless warrior and had no objection that he certainly was.
He left such a legend.
A soldier in the guise of a swordsman stood up against this legendary warrior.
The act of facing him wasn't considered an act of bravery... but of savagery.
However, the man did not back down even under such pressure and instead declared as if it were a matter of course--
"If I can defeat you, I'll be able to move forward a little more."
"I want to make my name known throughout the world."
The place was filled with silence as he declared such a thing in front of a man called the "peerless warrior."
But in the midst of all this, the soldier added a few words, as though to add fuel to the fire, and spoke of his dream as if it were fact.
Soon after, the place was abuzz, and all the sneers and taunts were directed at the soldier man at once.
But he didn't care, not one bit.
It wasn't that he was cowering in fear because he was dealing with the peerless warrior, but it was precisely because he was against such a mighty individual that he was set on trying to devour his entirety.
He knew that in order to become strong, he had no other choice but to go beyond his own limits and grasp it in a life-and-death struggle against an absolute powerhouse.
And thus, he held up his sword and took a step forward.
"You probably think I'm just a small fry, and I won't deny that. I may look like one who'd die on the battlefield, but don't lump me in with the rest of them."
He declared that he didn't stare at the ground nor look behind him, all the more reason why he was different from those spineless insects.
"You're said to be peerless, so you're the strongest in the world, right?"
...And so their fight for life began with such an unprecedented provocation.
That was the beginning of the heroic tale of the man who was later called the "Sword Demon" and "Star Slayer."
The life of a man who earnestly hoped, dared, suffered wounds, and still continued to reach out for an act that everyone else had declared impossible.
His brilliance and passion for "Star Slaying" which laid the foundation of his life were more dazzling than gold.
"...Nn..."
I found myself awake.
I could still see the moon through the window, with the moonlight shining through the clouds illuminating me.
The view outside the window hadn't changed much from just before I fell asleep.
"...I hadn't dreamt of him for a long time."
Thanks to that short dream that showed the life of the man who had lived such a way, my wavering heart had been settled.
And for that reason, I laughed.
"A place where even the knights of the royal capital die... If I, a regular human being, managed to survive in such a place, I wonder if I could move forward a little again."
I asked the stars hidden away in the clouds--
When people die, do they become stars?
That's what my longing had said, and I believed it.
From the moment that I first longed to be a "Star Slayer," my future was already set in place.
If I were to die in the process, then I've only gone so far.
I certainly felt bad for Sofia and my father, but my route was set to being a "Star Slayer." I took up the sword and waited for two years to be one.
It wouldn't change now, there's just no way it could.
Just like this heat that I felt.
This must be my destiny.
I rose from bed and sat on the edge, then turned my attention to my right hand and created a sword.
I put the sword I created at my waist and stood up.
"...I hope you're still here."
If I went out through the front door, I'd be just risking my father and mother finding out about it, so I slowly opened the window of my room and climbed out.
And needless to say, it was dark.
I ran towards the entrance of the village, but there was no one to be seen.
I couldn't see the village chief, Alec, anywhere.
...I guess I was too late.
I was afraid to ignore my father's words and be selfish right at that moment despite all he had done for me, so I forced myself to sleep to forget about this incident.
Such thoughts were stirring in my heart.
Judging from the tilt of the moon, not much time had passed yet.
I took a step out of the village, thinking that they must definitely be nearby, and three figures appeared in my field of vision.
Luckily, Viera Islebark and the others were still there, spreading out the map and discussing something.
And soon after sensing my presence, she spoke before I could even call out to her.
"...Do you still need something?"
My father and Alec must have already talked to her about this.
However, it was easy to guess from the appearance of the knights who were said to be accompanying her.
"I have something I want to talk about with you."
She took a breath of exasperation and shook her head slightly.
"...Our discussion is already finished. I'm afraid there's nothing more for us to talk about."
The fact that she was about to leave the village was proof of that.
But...
I dared to say a few more words.
But what came back was just an exasperated sigh.
"It is certainly strange for me to say this, but if you were to follow me, you'd probably die. And the more conceited and stupid you are, the quicker you do."
"I'm not conceited, and the proof for it is... the fact that I want to come with you. Besides, I want to see with my own eyes what it's like in that place."
Not in a dream.
Not in a flashback of a memory.
But in the real world, with my own eyes.
She's called the "Warrior Princess."
She must be incredibly strong, even her appearance exuded it.
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