Human history progresses through the process of thesis, antithesis, and synthesis.
Just looking at the heliocentric theory is a prime example.
The initial heliocentric model was far more complex than the geocentric theory, and it failed to provide evidence for annual parallax or to scientifically explain celestial motion.
The reason the heliocentric theory was not accepted was not simply because the idea that the Earth must be at the center was deeply ingrained, but because the theoretical foundation itself was too weak.
Thus, the Church wanted solid evidence that could be accepted as truth, whether it was the geocentric or heliocentric theory.
Eventually, it took two thousand years before the geocentric theory was completely buried by Kepler’s laws of elliptical orbits, the dismissal of the impetus hypothesis due to the advent of Newtonian mechanics, and observations of aberration and parallax.
So is that the end?
If it had stopped there, history would not have been able to progress any further.
With the emergence of the general theory of relativity in the 20th century, it became not absolutely wrong to say that the Sun revolves around the Earth.
The geocentric theory—a zombie breaking through its coffin to wave at us once more.
Contradiction and opposition of contradictions.
As long as humanity exists, contradictions will arise, and overcoming them allows humanity to take a step forward.
“What is a sword? It’s a long knife used for cutting or slicing things. Then what does it mean to cut? It’s to use a tool with a blade to sever or divide something. So, does a sword have to have a blade? If a swordsman overpowers their opponent with the hilt or scabbard instead of the blade, does that mean it’s no longer a sword? What about a wooden sword? What about a bamboo sword? They all lack a blade, right?”
I took the Socratic method to systematically torment Emika.
Using it recklessly on anyone else might as well mean poisoning them, but Emika was a good kid, so she wouldn’t send me to trial or anything.
“Uwaaa!”
Emika’s eyes were glassy.
I waved my hand in front of her to check if she was conscious.
The errant focus snapped back into place, and she regained her senses.
“But if Master finds out, I’ll be kicked out, heir or not… Plus, the Senate members absolutely hate it when we use Adele magic.”
I asserted that even Katsuhata Akitaro, the most progressive head of the clan, would raise a fuss if anyone started talking about laser swords.
“I can’t do it…”
“No, but in my opinion, you have a bit of rebellious nature.”
“Rebellious? What do you mean?”
“It means you don’t conform well to authority.”
“No way, I’ve been obedient!”
“Isn’t it because you don’t have much choice but to be obedient?”
“Umm…”
The Katsuhata School itself is a group made up of strong individuals from across the country.
If anyone strayed from the norm, their head would be smashed in, and that’s why such behavior doesn’t manifest easily.
“Just in case, what genre of movies do you like?”
“I don’t watch movies much, but superhero, action, sci-fi, stuff like that.”
“See! I told you it was certain!”
There are indeed people with tendencies like Emika.
These people can’t resist the urge to buy when they see unique inventions like flower-shaped egg fryers, glue stick butter, or accordion portable keyboards.
To put it negatively, they would get a smack on the back of the head from their mom, but to praise them, they’d become early investors in Bitcoin.
“How about I capture the emotions Emika is feeling these days? You’re definitely feeling boredom and tedium. You’re a genius, so you probably came this far without a hitch in receiving your master’s and seniors’ teachings. Once you know what’s lacking, compensating for it won’t be hard for you.”
This is a dilemma that geniuses usually face.
The speed of learning is so fast that they deviate from the normal orbit.
Even if I present the shortest route to hit the moon and return, the rocket engine’s thrust is so strong that it shoots out of the solar system.
“If you lose sight of your destination, you lose interest first. Why must I win at the national exchange? Is it good to gain honor? I already have enough honor. Then I find myself more interested in 7-circle mass destruction explosive techniques than in penetrating my opponent’s intentions and winning the tournament, right?”
“No way, how could you!”
Emika hurriedly glanced around.
And finally, she found the source of information.
Her Vtuber viewing history floating at the top of her hologram.
[100 times the power of Hiroshima explosive technique! Operation to recover the lost hydrogen fusion circuit | National Geographic · View count 325,000]
“No, no, no! I just clicked because it appeared in the algorithm while I was training at dawn, and it seemed interesting!”
“Hmm.”
“I swear, believe me, Nameya…!”
Emika raised her voice, feeling wronged.
What’s there to be ashamed of in watching this? Is it something a Japanese person should be a little ashamed about?
I cleared my throat and preached my belief to her.
“When you ask a beginner what a sword is, they’ll say a sword is just a sword.”
“Yeah.”
“And then as they learn more about swords, they begin to understand that a sword carries various meanings. A tool that takes life, a shield to protect a loved one, dreams, justice, a sense of duty.”
“Everyone thinks differently.”
“But ultimately, when one attains enlightenment, don’t they all think the same?”
“How?”
“A sword is just a sword.”
Emika let out a small laugh at the obvious answer.
“What’s that supposed to mean…? Are you saying to find my original intention?”
“No. Calling a sword just a sword at first is simply an expression of thoughtlessness. Whereas after that, it’s the world existing independently of subjective interpretation and possessing a watching attitude. I hope you don’t wrap too profound meanings around the sword. A sword is just a sword.”
Pat—
I lightly patted Emika’s head and stood up.
“Oh, right. This isn’t meant to belittle it, but the Katsuhata-style swordsmanship seems to have been made for ordinary people. It doesn’t quite match with external manifestations of aura.”
“How did you know that!”
“I’m heading off for today. Is it okay if I come around 1 PM on Saturday?”
There was no answer.
No need to disturb Emika, who was lost in thought.
We parted that day without even saying goodbye.
Meanwhile, Emika gazed at the spot where Name left for quite some time.
‘How on earth did they find out?’
For some reason, Name had figured out the secret background of the Katsuhata family, which was only disclosed to designated successors.
Their ancestor, Katsuhata Hideyo, was the most outstanding dullard in the Tenshin Shoden Katori Shinto-ryu school.
Having fought with the heir to the clan and being expelled from the school, there were no records of his activities until he reached the age of forty.
Twenty years ago, a man harboring resentment from that time assembled a group of a hundred bandits and slaughtered the clan leader and fifteen senators.
And in a twist of fate, he seized control of the entire family.
The claim of having lost due to numerical disadvantage wouldn’t hold.
Because the clan leader and the Senate members were all powerful individuals known to be capable of fighting one against a hundred.
It is said that Hideyo at that time couldn’t even create a single sword technique that one could use until reaching the elder level.
The man who inherited the clan decided to erase this history.
Claiming himself the hidden tragic heir of the Katori Shinto-ryu, he founded the Katsuhata School and publicized the aura techniques that had been passed down to only a select few to gain public favor.
Thus, the current Katsuhata teaches the art of swordsmanship of a dullard.
Even without the ability to handle aura, the process of effort itself holds meaning.
Because one becomes stronger in proportion to the time invested in training, they are not blocked by a wall.
Rather, Emika, who couldn’t seemingly elevate her level even after training, was an odd case.
“What should I do…”
The position of successor can only be held if one has talent, yet one can only achieve great success without it.
Enduring the contradiction in between, Emika fell asleep.
“I decided. I want to learn cutting-edge, no, state-of-the-art swordsmanship!”
After a long period of contemplation, Emika expressed her willingness to consent.
I smiled pleasantly at my disciple’s decision.
“I knew you’d say that, Emika! Today, I’ll teach you the scientific manifestation of aura.”
“Scientific manifestation? External manifestation?”
“It’s a different concept from external manifestation. Generally, aura isn’t linked well with scientific concepts because the more concrete the mental image, the less room there is to expand the will. When considering the law of universal gravitation, you think of an apple falling to the ground, but you don’t think about when and where that apple fell, right?”
“Really? I think of that first.”
“That’s why you’re precisely a fit for this. If you treat aura as a scientific system, it’s not so different from the grammar of magic. Now watch closely.”
I injected aura into a child-sized wooden sword.
“You can follow up to this point, right?”
“Yeah…! But how do you form the sword aura!”
“I’m also doing external manifestations, so do you think I can’t pull off this small technique?”
“Oh, that makes sense.”
The quick agreement showed Emika wrapping her aura around her wooden sword just like I did.
“Now here’s a little nugget of knowledge: the principle of equivalence between mana and aura. If you can’t identify the source of mana, there’s no way to distinguish whether a probabilistic manifestation is due to mana or aura.”
This means the highly developed external manifestation cannot be distinguished from magic.
“Now, let me use magic here.”
[Conjuration: Iron Oxide-Aluminum-Magnesium]
[2nd Circle Casting: Termite Reaction]
Flare—
White flames, billowing smoke, and thousands of sparks covered the entire wooden sword.
The 60cm wooden sword instantly transformed into a grand and beautiful magic sword over 3 meters long.
“Wow!”
“Don’t get distracted. Watch closely what happens when I remove the magic circle here.”
I dispelled the magic circle I was casting.
However, the wooden sword still maintained a size three times my height.
Instead, the color of the flames changed to a golden hue, and the once raging flames calmed.
“Haah. Did you see? Right now, this magic is being sustained solely by my aura!”
“Yes, yes, I’m watching closely!”
When using something I don’t normally utilize, efficiency drops.
My laser sword quickly flickered out, returning to its humble state as a child’s wooden sword.
“I can only get this far due to my lack of aptitude, but I think you’ll develop it further, Emika. Once you become accustomed to external manifestations in the future, you’ll be able to use it even without magic.”
“Wow… even more than now?”
“Isn’t it cool? Missing the sword and having the hidden magical sword dramatically win!”
“Yes! That’s amazing, Nameya! So how do I do this?”
I was about to say that you’ll learn by getting punctured by the laser sword until you understand, but I held back.
This is 21st-century Korea.
You shouldn’t stab people recklessly.
You can’t turn people into skewers carelessly.
To protect the young girl’s innocent heart, I replied with a bright smile.
“There’s still plenty of time. Let’s think about this together, you and I!”
“Yeah! Nameya, this is the first time I’ve been excited to learn like this!”
I feigned deafness.
If Emika gives up on the curriculum midway, I wouldn’t get the money I need.
If I had known this was going to happen, I should have asked for payment in advance.
*
Katsuhata Akitaro felt a sense of satisfaction as he observed Emika’s complexion.
“The wall that had blocked Emika is disappearing. Has she regained the joy of the sword?”
He contacted Emika’s biological parents to update them on her condition.
Though Emika had been adopted as his ward, this was primarily to carry on the Katsuhata surname.
Her parents were good people and worried about their daughter daily, so Akitaro sometimes contacted them like this.
“Yes, yes. It seems life in Korea suits her well. You can look forward to this year’s national exchange. Overwork? On the contrary, she’s energetic and running around wanting to learn even more. Yes, I’ll contact you again next time.”
Emika was growing day by day.
“It seems the day she awakens external manifestation is not far away.”
Had he forgotten that hasty hopes bring disaster?
The girl who had never uttered a complaint despite the grueling training emerged from the training hall, her face streaked with tears.
“Uwaaa! Kugh… Waaa… Master, I really can’t… Please send me back to Japan!”
The second week of training.
A crisis had approached Emika.
