Eris Greyrat was swinging her sword. She stood in a place with no one else around.
She did so single-mindedly, completely single-mindedly.[1]
Practice swings where you had unnecessary thoughts were useless practice swings.
Practice swings where you simply imitated someone else had no meaning at all.
As long as you continued to swing your sword single-mindedly, without a single other thought, with each swing you could sharpen yourself.
The amount you could improve by was a tiny amount, like a tiny layer of skin, completely transparent; even so, you could sharpen yourself.
Though it was just like a tiny leaf of skin; you would strengthen yourself.
But for how long would you have to pile these layers up?
How long would you need to continue this to reach Orsted's level of strength?
Eris didn't know.
No one knew.
―――― It could have been that no matter how many of these layers you piled up, you would still never reach Orsted.
But it was exactly this idea that was an 'unnecessary thought'.
"...Tsk."
Eris clicked her tongue, shook her head, and sat down. Then she began to think.
It was something troublesome. She wanted to defeat Orsted. The more she thought this, the further away Orsted became.
In the past, Eris's Shisho, Ghyslaine, had said this;
[Think]
she had said.
However, Eris was bad at thinking. No matter how much she thought about it, she couldn't come to an answer after all.
In light of this, her second Shisho, Ruijerd, was a godsend. 『Understand?』 he would ask. Beating Eris down, and then asking only [Understand?]. Until Eris understood, they'd repeat it, and repeat it, again, and again. Even when her head no longer worked, she'd stand up on the spot and repeat it.
Eris respected Ghyslaine. She respected Ruijerd as well. Because the Sword God's lessons were irritating, she came to understand the good parts of the two that she respected.
She continued to swing single-mindedly. She'd swing her sword until she was tired, and then she'd sit down and rest whilst thinking. Then when she was tired of thinking, she'd stand up and continue to swing her sword.
This was what the Sword God had ordered of Eris. Eris swung her sword as she was told. She'd swing, she'd sit, she'd swing, she'd sit. When she grew hungry, she would eat something. She'd then swing again, sit again, and continue to repeat this. At first she did so in the dojo. However, someone or other would always interrupt.
The ones who interrupted were mostly other women in the dojo.
[Hey, you join in on our morning sword rallies as well.] for example.
[Hey, the food is done so come eat.] for example.
[Hey, come practice with me for a little.] for example.
[Hey, you smell so go have a bath.] for example.
Because it got irritating, Eris left the dojo. After leaving the dojo, she walked straight forward. She found a peninsula with no one else around, and there she did her practice swings. For food she would eat what she brought from the dojo's kitchen, or she would kill and eat monsters that attacked her. Because it was winter she brought firewood from the dojo which she'd light with magic. When she became tired she'd return to the dojo and slept as much as she wanted.
Eris had already continued such a lifestyle for half a year.
She'd swing, she'd think, she'd swing, she'd think. There was one thing that Eris had come to realize as well: swinging a sword was difficult.
When she was small she had thought that it was a lot easier than studying, and that she was a lot more suited for it. That thought hadn't changed even now. She was more suited for swinging a sword than studying.
However, at the very least, it wasn't easy. Thinking about it, since it was just learning things that others taught you, studying might be easier.
Just raising her sword, and swinging downwards. Though it was just that much, she couldn't become good at it no matter what. That she should be raising her sword faster. That she should be swinging down faster. Thinking these two thoughts, she'd swing her sword.
She had become a lot faster than she was half a year ago. However, Ghyslaine was even faster. Ruijerd was even faster. The Sword God was even faster. And Orsted was much, much faster.
Eris sat down. She began to think. She began to think about how to swing her sword. She recalled the Sword God, Ruijerd, and Orsted's figures.
How was it that the Sword God moved? How did Ruijerd, and Orsted?
She would try to imitate them, imitate their every cell from their fingertips to their shoulders. Then, whilst aiming for even greater heights, she'd imitate them. She wanted to transcend them.
However, she didn't know how to do so. She didn't know. There was no way she could know. Eris was bad at thinking.
Once she got tired of thinking, she'd stand up and continue swinging her sword. Without thinking a thought, she'd swing her sword.
-Raise it up, swing it down.-
[It has to be faster.]
-Raise it up, swing it down.-
[It has to be faster.]
Tens of times, hundreds of times, thousands of times, she'd repeat this. When she did, worldly thoughts would interrupted her. This happened when she was tired.
"...Tsk."
Clicking her tongue, Eris sat down. Her hand hurt. Her mind wasn't working properly. She produced a cloth from her chest and carelessly wrapped it.
Eris didn't think that this was tough. She would always recall that incident three years ago, at the Lower Mouth of the Red Dragon. When she compared it to that, she felt like she could endure anything else. That's why this wasn't tough. Whether it was the pain, the harshness, or the frustration, it wasn't tough. Even if it was the fact that she was now alone, or that he wasn't by her side, it wasn't tough.
"Rudeus..." she muttered.