六話
棒切れに触れる指の先から、感覚が研ぎ澄まされていく。4年間振るい続けてきたこの棒切れ。
今ならば、己の手足のように扱える。根拠も理屈もないが、どうしてかそう思えた。煩雑にじんわりと胸に滲み込んでいた感情を捨て置き、俺は棒切れを正眼に構える。
それが———始動を知らせる音色であり、合図。
130cm程。
俺よりも随分と小さい小柄な身体が、「ギィイ」という鳴き声を大気に響かせると同時、僅かに飛び跳ねた。
まるでそれは暗がりに隠れるように。
だが。
「聞こえてる」
不自然な葉擦れの音が。
足音が、風が、そして———不快感を抱かせる鳴き声が。
「見えなくとも、聞こえてる」
きっと、この間合いだ。
胸中でそんな事を思いながら、俺は上段で棒切れを流れるような動作で、真正面に振るう。
「ぐ、ギィッ」
「当たり」
苦悶に酷く似通った声。
ゴブリンとの距離が縮まった事で鼻をつく異臭。
ゴブリンの体臭だろう臭いに顔をしかめながら俺は、一度、後ろに跳び退く事であえて俺とゴブリンとの間に距離を作り出し、正眼に構えていた棒切れを横に傾ける。
そして、跳び退いた事で浮いてしまった足が再び地面に触れるが早いか。
「これ、で......ッ!!」
面抜き胴のような要領で、首筋目掛けて棒切れを俺は振り抜く。距離を取ると見せかけ、虚をつくように切迫。
遅れて、呼吸器官を強く打ち付けれた事で生まれる痛苦の声。肉薄する勢いすらも利用し、打ち込んだは良いもののそれでも、倒すには至れなかったと肩越しに振り返り、倒れ伏しながら呻くゴブリンの姿を確認し、そんな感想を抱いていた。
意識を刈り取るつもりで放った一撃。
にもかかわらず、そこに至る事は現実、叶っていない。
己の力不足を否応なく肌で感じさせられ、表情に影を落とすが、それも刹那。
「悪いが、今お前に構ってる暇はないんだ」
不退転の闘志を瞳の奥に湛えた鮮紅色の瞳が、俺を射殺さんとばかりに凝視し続けていたが、のらりくらりとそれを躱し、暖簾に腕押しを体現するように相手にする事なく、再度接近を試みる。
「後から追い掛けられても面倒だから、対処させて貰うよ」
そう言って、俺は手にしていた棒切れを振り上げる。
魔法を扱えない俺が、棒切れ一つでゴブリンの息の根を止める。そんな事はいくら殴打すれば成せるか不明な上、どうしようもなく時間を食われる。
打ち込まれた喉が苦しいのか。
未だ蹲るゴブリンに向けて回復していないうちにと、俺は棒切れを振り下ろした。
魔物最弱。
そんな呼び名すらあるゴブリンに対してですらこの体たらくである。容赦のない一撃を与えて尚、満足のいく結果がやってこない。
対してオーガはゴブリンと比べてしまえば赤子と大人以上の差があると言われている。
ほんの少し、本当に大丈夫なのか。
といった不安に襲われながらも、超えるべき壁が低くてどうすると己を奮い立たせ、気絶したゴブリンに背を向ける。
溜め込んでいた息を、緊迫感を、不安を、懸念を。
それなりに上手くいった。という結果に安堵しながら俺はその深いため息と共に感情を吐き出し、強張っていた身体を和らげる。
初めての実戦。
初めて相対した魔物。
初めて、何かに向けて棒切れを振るったという事実。
未だ消えない手の感触がそれらが事実であると肯定していた。
もし仮に、この状況を第三者が見ていたならばオーガを倒すなど天地がひっくり返っても無理だと指摘した事だろう。もしかすれば、ゴブリンを倒してみせただけでも十分だと賞賛するかもしれない。
そこが、お前の限界なのだという指摘を言外に言い含めて。
俺は、笑っていた。
その理由は、あまりに遠かったから。
夢に見た剣士が立っていた場所が、あまりに遠かったから。
先ほどゴブリンに使った一連の動き。
そんな行為と相違ないレベルの当たり前。
オーガを倒す事は不可能であると到底思えなかった。
かたや、ただでさえ人間よりも戦闘に特化した身体の作りとなっている魔物。その比較的上位に位置するオーガ。
そんなオーガと俺とでは、個体としての性能の差はあまりに違いすぎる。
「なんで、だろう。どうしてか、負ける気がしない」
たかが、4年。
棒切れを振り続けた少年だけならば、恐らく天地がひっくり返ってもオーガには勝てなかっただろう。
しかし、ここに立っているのは『星斬り』を夢見た剣士の生涯を追憶した人間である。故に、オーガを倒す術すらも頭の中に存在していた。今の俺にあの剣士の絶技を再現する事は不可能だ。けれど、不完全で劣悪極まりない模倣ならば、なんとか出来る。
己が分を弁えない行為を強引に行使してしまえば、腕が、筋肉が、神経が懐死してしまうかもしれない。けれど。そんな模倣だとしても。恐らく、オーガに届く刃と化す。
それは間違いないと言い切れた。
『星斬り』に生涯を捧げた剣士の絶技。その模倣。
俺だけしか知らない修練の果てにたどり着いた到達点の一つ。それを見た人間だからこそ、断言が出来る。
とはいえ、今の己の限界を超える事は必須条件である。
「あの剣技が負ける姿を......俺には想像が出来ないんだ」
星を斬る。
ただそれだけを求めて研鑽し続けてきた究極の絶技。
俺は、それに対して絶対の信頼を寄せていた。
「勿論怖い。俺は、オーガが怖いよ。でも、『星斬り』を目指す以上、ここで立ち止まるわけにはいかないんだ。だから、抱かせてくれた『怯え』ごと、俺の糧となれ」
これを乗り越えた先に、今とは違う新しい世界が広がっている。そんな気がしたからこそ、俺自身に向けて言い聞かせる。
「さて、と」
どうなっているのか定かでない幼馴染の事を案じながら。
「......急ぐか」
村のすぐ側にまでゴブリンが迫っていたという事実に眉根を寄せ、駆け出した。
Chapter 6
From the tips of my fingers that touched it, my senses were sharpened as I held the stick that I had been wielding for the past four years.
It had no reason nor logic behind it, but it seemed like I could treat it as if it were my very own limb. I put aside the feelings that had been seeping into my heart and held the stick to my right eye.
That moment... was my cue to start.
It stood at about 130cm.
A small body, much smaller than mine, jumped forward slightly at the same time as a squeal echoed through the air.
The sooty green color was very similar in hue to the night darkness.
But--
"I can hear it."
The sound of leaves rustling unnaturally.
The sound of footsteps, the wind, and... its discomforting squeal.
"I may not be able to see you, but I can hear you."
It must be this timing.
With this thought in my mind, I swang the stick straight ahead in a fluid motion at head level.
"Ggh- Gii!"
"Bingo."
In addition to the hard feeling that came from the stick, I heard a voice that sounded to be very much in anguish.
Some strange smell wafted through my nose as I got closer to the goblin.
Frowning at the stench of its body odor, I created distance between myself and the goblin by leaping backward and tilting the stick held in my right eye to the side.
Then just as soon as my feet, which had been lifted off the ground by leaping back, touched the ground again, I bent my legs like a spring, kicked the earth with all my might, and began to close in again.
"Now, this...!!!"
I swang the stick through its neck in a manner similar to a dojo.
Taking advantage of the momentum of its thinning flesh, I looked back over my shoulder and saw that I was still unable to defeat the goblin, who was moaning as he collapsed.
A blow unleashed with the intention of mowing down his consciousness...
...is what I wanted to deliver, but I didn't succeed in doing so.
The lack of power of my own was undeniably felt on my skin and cast a shadow on my expression, but that too was only for this moment.
"Sorry, but I don't have time for you right now."
His crimson eyes, filled with an unyielding fighting spirit, kept staring at me as if they wanted to shoot me dead.
"It's a pain to be chased by you now that it came to this, so I'll deal with you now."
Having said that, I raised the stick in my hand.
I couldn't cast magic, but I could stifle a goblin with a piece of stick.
The enemy was suffering from a bruised throat.
I swung the stick at the still crouching goblin before it could recover.
Apparently, they were the weakest monster.
But they were as tough as this, despite having such a name.
And in contrast, goblins and ogres are comparable to babies and adults.
I wondered in the slightest bit if I was going to be alright.
I was worried that the wall was too low for me to climb over, but I pulled myself up and turned my back on the knocked-out goblin.
All my pent-up breaths, the tension, the anxiety, the concerns of mine.
I let out my emotions with a deep sigh of relief and let my body relax.
My first real battle.
The first time I faced a monster.
The fact that I swung my stick, my weapon at something for the first time.
The feeling still in my hand affirmed that all these things were true.
If a third party had been watching this situation, they would have pointed out that it would be impossible to defeat an ogre even if heaven and earth turned upside down.
That was exactly where my limitations lay, and that was the point I was trying to make.
I... laughed.
The reason for that was because it was too far away.
The place where the swordsman in my dream was standing was too far away.
The series of moves I just used on the goblin was not a matter of skill, but an act of imitation that the swordsman was doing as a matter of course.
The level of normality was no different from such an act, so I didn't think I could pull it off.
It seemed to me that defeating the ogre was far from possible.
Additionally, monsters had bodies that were more specialized for combat than humans.
The difference in performance as an individual between me and such a relatively high-ranking ogre was far too great.
"I wonder why... For some reason, I don't feel like losing at all."
It'd only been 4 years.
If it was just a boy who kept on swinging a stick, he probably could not have defeated the ogre even if the heavens and the earth were turned upside down.
It was impossible for me to reproduce that swordsman's masterful technique now, but if I could get away with an imperfect and inferior imitation, I could manage it.
If you force yourself to do something you didn't know how to do, your arms, muscles, and nerves might suffer permanent damage.
I could have sworn that would be the case.
The masterful technique of a swordsman who devoted his life to "Star Slaying" was an imitation.
It was because I was the only one who had seen it that I could assure everyone that the ogre was not an insurmountable wall.
However, it was a prerequisite for me to exceed my current limits.
"I just... can't imagine his swordsmanship losing."
To slay the stars.
The ultimate technique that I had continued to study in pursuit of just that.
I had absolute faith in it.
"Of course I'm afraid... afraid of the ogre. But as long as I aim to be a "Star Slayer," I can't stop here. So, let every "fear" be my food!"
After overcoming this, a new world will open up that is different from the one I live in now.
"Now, then..."
I was worried about my childhood friend, and I still wasn't certain as to what was going on.
"I should hurry."
I raised my brows at the thought of the goblins possibly closing in on the very edge of the village, and I began to rush off.
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