Chapter 7: Bleak Reality Suffocates

Since he had quickly finished lunch as if it were merely a palate cleanser before coming straight here, he had plenty of time.

-But it seems you aren’t as bothered by me clinging to you as I thought?

Silence in the library.

However, given the sheer scale of the library compared to the number of people using it, it would be enough as long as he didn’t raise his voice.

“…What difference does it make whether I’m bothered or not?”

-No, but accepting this so readily is also suspicious.

Learned helplessness.

Self-esteem crushed into the dirt.

There were many other reasons, but…

‘Rather than being passive, has he given up on thinking for himself?’

In other words, it meant he had been pushed into a corner to that extent.

He may be a ghost, but he was still a Demon King.

And yet, he was brushing this off so nonchalantly?

That in itself meant he wasn’t in his right mind.

-Well, I understand that it would be troublesome for strange rumors to spread if you were to keep looking around, so I get that.

“…….”

His expression said: If you know, then stop asking.

The Demon King let out a hushed laugh.

‘The fear of others’ eyes and the desire not to provoke them… those things bother you more than my very existence?’

How absurd.

-More importantly, don’t you think I’m just unilaterally bullying you?

“…….”

After a brief silence, Kariel replied with a furrowed brow.

“If it were just reckless, malicious intent… I would have taken some measure to survive.”

-Is that so? I guess life is worth living then?

“At least.”

Kariel let out a short breath.

“Come to think of it, I felt that there was some logic to it.”

-Huh? What?

“…If I can endure and overcome this situation, it means things will be better than they are now, right?”

-…….

No, he’s taking it in this way?

What on earth is wrong with this kid’s heart?

Even if we assume he could intellectually understand and accept the advantages of this, accepting it emotionally was another matter entirely.

‘Actually dying and coming back to life isn’t an experience a sane person can handle.’

Since his body was fine, he just had to endure this too… was that some kind of tough mindset?

‘It’s strange to say he has a strong sense of constancy or a Drive for Progress.’

Was it a strong Need for Approval? No, not that either.

There were some signs of Attachment Deficiency Syndrome, craving positive attention due to indifference, neglect, and insult…

Even so, this was an incredibly peculiar way of thinking.

What kind of guy is he? He’s not a gold mine, so why do gold nuggets keep popping out every time I dig a little?

Or did he grasp it instinctively?

No matter how much he resisted or struggled.

Unless he reached the level she aimed for.

…She would absolutely not stop this mindless method of growth.

-Right. If you take it that positively, it motivates me too.

“…If you get any more motivated, won’t it actually become torture?”

-Training and discipline are always like torture. The difference is that one’s final goal is to ruin and break the body and mind, while the other is the process of breaking the body and mind to reassemble them into the correct form.

“…….”

She makes it sound sophisticated, but the conclusion is that both are hell, isn’t it?

“If.”

-Hmm?

“If I… endure it… how far can I grow?”

-I told you, didn’t I? I only provide the opportunity. The rest is up to you. Still, I’ll tell you the one most important thing.

“What is it?”

-Wouldn’t it be faster to experience it directly than to have it explained in words?

As she spoke, the Demon King shifted her gaze.

-You’re not planning to just collapse here, are you?

Under a demand that wasn’t quite a demand, Kariel found a spot as secluded as possible.

Soon.

As if his insomnia were a lie, Kariel’s consciousness immediately plunged into the depths.

====

“There are three things you must keep in mind.”

“Three things?”

More importantly…

“Why do you look like that?”

“Hmm? What’s wrong with it?”

When she was a Wandering Spirit hovering around, she was a mature woman.

But the one before him now was a girl.

Having transformed from the Golden Woman into a girl… she still boasted peerless beauty, but.

“You have a suspicious look in your eyes.”

“Not at all.”

“But it can’t be helped. My human form was born by mimicking your ideal form—your ideal type.”

“What? What kind of nonsense is…?”

“I am not human, kiddo.”

The woman, now looking much younger, curled the corners of her mouth into a smile with the girl’s face, yet possessing the Demon King’s intimidation and characteristic aura.

“The fact that you perceive me as a human is entirely an expression of your imagination—in other words, a construct of your mind.”

“It doesn’t… feel real.”

“Perhaps it’s because you’ve been so thoroughly persecuted by the world. Your capacity for thought and imagination has become impoverished.”

Accepting things blindly.

In other words, he was good at submission.

…Because that’s how he had been educated and brainwashed.

“Well, enough small talk. The point is, you can think of my current appearance as a combination of the ideal woman you’ve imagined and my characteristic gold. Simple, right?”

“…….”

“Now, to the main point. The three things are very simple. First is accuracy. Second is efficiency. Third is sincerity.”

“……?”

“Why? Too ordinary?”

Kariel unconsciously nodded.

“Given the foundations of your Abina Empire, you’ve held a sword for a long time, so you should know. If you train with the wrong posture, efficiency drops. Your hard work will betray you then. In fact, you’ll suffer more later trying to correct your posture, and it’ll just be a waste of time. Isn’t that right?”

“…That’s true.”

“It’s the same with magic; memorizing useless formulas or equations is a waste of time. Everything is like this—the method is what matters. That’s why countless families and schools research, develop, and evolve their own best, most optimized methods.”

It was all sound logic.

“On the other hand, those who don’t know this, no matter how hard they struggle, eventually linger in a shallow realm, give up, and fall into despair. Even if they don’t give up, they inevitably hit a wall.”

Occasionally.

“There are those who escape that valley, but that cannot be explained by mere luck. Unless they have heavenly fortune on their side.”

Therefore, unless one is a genius, self-made success is impossible.

Even geniuses must overcome all sorts of hardships and trials to stand on their own.

“What if you had received proper guidance? What if the realm you achieved by desperately rolling and struggling for ten years, barely surviving, was actually a realm that could have been reached in less than a year, let alone ten? But because you developed bad habits and built your body wrong… you hit a limit without even knowing it? And now you’re told to throw away everything you’ve spent your whole life polishing? Not only that, but what? To learn again from scratch like a toddler? Do you think that’s possible at your age?”

“…….”

It was a miserable story.

“At that point, the only assets left to you are experience—mere seniority. But can you truly achieve strength with that? Unfortunately, that’s simply being good at tricks. It’s closer to a survival skill or a way of navigating society.”

“So, you’re saying I need to build a foundation and develop my skills using the correct method?”

“You catch on quickly. Your attitude toward learning is excellent.”

For now, he was passive and his creativity was diminished… but for the time being, that was actually the correct answer.

Rather than clumsily scribbling on a piece of paper, it’s far better for it to be a blank slate.

For acquiring something new.

However…

‘His physical condition is a mess, though.’

The fact that this was the result of effort made it even more painful.

The Demon King clicked her tongue briefly and asked.

“That’s why the swordsmanship you learned is a problem.”

“My swordsmanship?”

“In the current Berg Empire, they have the Berg Imperial Swordsmanship Forms 6, 9, and 13, and they’ve made everyone learn them equally, right? The Emperor, and your father too.”

“That was over 300 years ago.”

300 years ago.

The era when the existence of knights was just beginning to emerge.

The strongest of that age.

The swordsmanship that Illand, called the strongest knight of the Empire, had synthesized and presented to the Royal Court.

Currently, it was the most popular and versatile swordsmanship belonging to the official Imperial swordsmanship manual.

“It’s true that it’s an excellent style. If you build a solid foundation, this alone is enough to reach the realm of a top-tier knight. That much is certain.”

But.

“…With the current Imperial Sword, that’s impossible. It has been modified significantly compared to 300 years ago.”

“Modified… you say?”

“Yes. Shall I show you properly?”

The Demon King created an iron sword out of thin air and gave a simple demonstration.

Exactly six movements.

It was impeccably clean.

But it was plain and simple.

“How is it?”

“It’s a bit different from what I learned. Is that the Imperial Form 6?”

“No.”

She shook her head.

“The original Imperial Swordsmanship Form 6 is exactly what I just showed you.”

“Huh? It’s different from what I learned.”

“I told you. It was modified.”

Worthless insects had played worthless tricks.

“The current swordsmanship you learn is the result of vain insects and arrogant insects adding things in the name of ‘improvement.’ It’s been modified and expanded quite a bit, hasn’t it?”

“…….”

“It’s true that those were improvements in their own way.”

Instead.

“They are sword forms suited for those whose talent and innate nature align—so-called ‘aptitude’—perfectly.”

If the original Imperial Form 6 was a masterpiece of swordsmanship that allowed anyone, regardless of physical condition or level of talent, to elevate their realm depending on their effort, leading from the basics to the advanced realm…

“The Imperial Swordsmanship you know now is strictly a ‘noble’s swordsmanship’ for those who meet certain conditions.”

“…What do you mean by ‘meeting conditions’?”

“First, an innate understanding of Mana. Second, the physical flexibility to handle it. And finally, extraordinary concentration.”

“…….”

“Yes. All of those are talents you don’t have. Therefore.”

Because he had sunk his time and effort into the hollow shell of the Imperial Swordsmanship without such talent.

“That’s why your skills are in such a pathetic state.”

“…….”

“If you try a little harder, you’ll grow. You lacked effort. You need more time. Put your life on the line and put your heart into every swing. If you fight real battles and keep polishing your skills, you will surely reach your target realm.”

How about it? Quite familiar comforts and advice, right?

“It is the worst kind of deception that makes a person rot, but surprisingly, the people who throw out such advice and comfort aren’t even aware they are committing such a sin. Isn’t that a true comedy?”

Why were they allowed to say such things?

“I did it~ so it’s fine! We did it~ so it’s fine! So if you can’t do it! That’s! Your fault! Your mistake! I made it! But you can’t? Why didn’t you try harder? Put your heart into it, put your life on the line, with all your sincerity!”

However.

That was like telling a man without arms to grip and swing a sword.

It was like urging a man without legs to run harder.

“How about it? Isn’t it utterly pathetic?”

“Then… .”

“That’s exactly your story! Your story! You have no arms, no legs, your limbs are all cut off—how on earth are you going to grip and swing a sword? How to step? Swing the sword not with the strength of your arms and shoulders, but with your waist and lower body? You don’t even understand a single bit of this yet, do you? You just vaguely thought, ‘Oh, I see’?”

“…….”

“Shall I tell you an even more interesting story?”

The Demon King smiled mischievously.

And spat out the worst confession.

“You see, I don’t know the first thing about ‘swords’ in swordsmanship.”

And for good reason.

“I’m more of the type to tear things apart with my claws than to hold a sword! Why would I need such a thing? To begin with, my hand structure isn’t designed to grip anything!”

How about it? Isn’t it quite funny?

“And yet, why is it that you don’t know the reality of your precious Imperial Sword, which you’ve guarded like a treasure for 100 or 200 years, while I do?”

He didn’t know why, but a chill ran down his spine.

Still, Kariel reflexively pulled out a specific word.

“Wis… dom?”

“Ah, that’s a bit off, but you hit the mark. Correct.”

That is why I…

“Am the Demon King of Wisdom.”

Simply possessing knowledge is not enough to reach the realm of wisdom.

The amount of knowledge.

Whether it is large, small, many, or vast.

Such things don’t even come close to the foothills of wisdom.

Therefore, wisdom is.

“The ultimate knowing, and the correct and just understanding and grasp of the laws. In other words, insight into the essence. That is what wisdom is.”

And if one reaches beyond that.

“Only then do you enter the Realm of Truth. Oh, and after that is the Realm of Providence. Realms and domains are endless like that.”

In that sense, aren’t you curious?

“Am I, who was defeated by your father and mother, truly a failed Demon King? Could I have really failed to predict my own defeat and death?”

Suddenly, Kariel realized belatedly that he had forgotten to breathe.

The cold sweat that had soaked him began to chill.

His mouth had gone dry, and the inside of his throat had stiffened like dry tree bark.