The OP Lich is a Returnee, Chapter 43

Chapter 43 – Uninvited

The priest smiled at me, and bowed his head in greeting. “Ah, Akagawa-san, it is good to see you so well. And riding upon such a magnificent steed! That alone has made the trip worth it, in my eyes, but I did have another reason to come this day.”

He motioned to the young man. “This is Miyasato Makoto-kun. He is a student of the Kashima Shintō-ryū school. I’ve known him since he was a boy, and he is a diligent student. But I will allow him to speak his own case for why he is here.”

Turning to look at his companion, he said, “Miyasato-kun, this is my old friend Akagawa-san. She is the one I was telling you about, who returned from the other world. I warn you not to be judging her based on her looks, and mistake her for a schoolgirl playing dress-up. Others have made that mistake, and the lucky ones have passed on to the next life.”

The young swordsman bowed at the waist, and said, “Greetings, Akagawa-sama. I have heard much about you from Kinjo-sensei. As he said, I am a student of the traditional schools of martial combat. I do not know if you are familiar, but the Kashima Shintō-ryū was founded by those with experience on the battlefield, and used many weapons. I have trained with the yari and naginata, as well as the blade.”

He paused for a breath, and then said, “But even before the Awakening, the old ways were falling further out of practice, as first guns and then magic made melee weapons into an assassin’s tool, or the last hope of a desperate man. As a student of a style that was founded on the battlefield, this is discouraging, to say the least. I would have the traditional techniques recognized as more than just a charming exercise in discipline and physical training left over from a bygone era. I would see them returned to their former glory.

“To do this, I knew that I would need help and advice. And so, as I was seeking the guidance of the kami, I told Kinjo-sensei of my desires. He told me that I required the knowledge of one who has known the full extents of magic, and the ways that it might be used to improve the body. And then he showed me a video of the demonstration you gave at the practice ground in America, just after your return.”

He bowed deeply, now, a full ninety-degree angle. “Akagawa-sama, please take this swordsman as your student, and teach me the body strengthening techniques you learned in the other world!”

I glanced at the priest, and met his eyes, questioning. He nodded slightly, with a smile. Returning my gaze to the man who was still bowed in front of me, I considered his request. This could be an opportunity to further my influence, and to further spread magical techniques that, so far, no one had asked me much about. Everyone was too focused on the abilities I had displayed with my magic, and the knowledge I had from the other world.

But here was an earnest young man, who simply wished to learn the method to strengthen his body that I’d shown off to the magic sports teams while visiting with my sister. Not because he wanted power and glory for himself, but rather so that the school he learned from would be able to return to relevance. It was a plot that would not be out of place in a shounen manga, but I’ll admit that I was finding myself considering his proposal with the same intensity as it was given.

“Rise.”

The young man obeyed my simple command, and looked me in the eye, unflinchingly. Determined. That was good. I would not accept a student who could not meet my gaze.

“Miyasato Makoto, you ask for the techniques of body strengthening that I have learned in the other world. Do you think that this is a xianxia novel where there are special meditation techniques or medicinal pills or such things that will allow you to cultivate better than others? If so, you have wasted your time, and mine, by coming here. However, if you are looking for the knowledge of how to push your body beyond mortal limits, while retaining your mortality, then I can teach you some things.”

I held up a hand to keep him from responding. “Know this, however. Though we will be sparring so that I can gauge your progress, I will not be teaching you any techniques with weapons or martial arts. While I have mastered many weapons, I have not devoted enough time to develop my skills into something that can be taught.

“Instead, I will teach you how to infuse yourself with mana, both actively and passively. But it will be up to you to apply those ability to your existing skills. You will remain a disciple of the Kashima Shintō-ryū, and, when I have finished training you to the point where you can pass on the teachings to others, you may return to your comrades, and pass on the techniques I’ve shown you.”

“Thank you, Akagawa-sensei!”

I smiled at him, before turning to look at the priest. “Oh, and Kinjo-dono?” My smile got sweeter, but perhaps something in my voice spoke of danger, because I saw him retreat half a step.

“Y-yes, Akagawa-san?”

“Do not think that it escaped my notice that you’ve already unlocked some aspects of mana circulation through the body. I noticed it the moment we met again at the Hie shrine. You are going to take some time off so that I can properly teach you how to do this, and you can then teach others at your shrine.”

“Ah-heh-heh. But I do need to get back to the shrine, you know?”

Still smiling sweetly, I shook my head. “Oh, no, Kinjo-dono, I absolutely insist. Obviously, you haven’t progressed far enough that you’re able to teach, or you wouldn’t have driven this young man all the way out here. So, since we’ve known each other for so long, I’ll be happy to help ensure you never have to send someone elsewhere to learn these things in the future.”

“Ah, that’s really not necessary, honestly!”

“Oh, but it is! Otherwise, I’ll have to start looking into all the reasons why you might have tried to foist a student off on me that. And I guarantee that some of those reasons may make me… annoyed.”

The priest sighed, and slumped his shoulders. “Fine, fine. There are no major ceremonies scheduled for the next few days, so I can let the mikos handle things until then. I’ll just call, and let them know.”

“Excellent! One of my soldiers will show you where to park your car when you’re done, and bring you to me.” As I turned back to Miyasato, I said, “As for you, follow along. We’ll have a quick spar, to set a baseline before I set your training.”

The young man followed eagerly as I turned my horse, and rode back into my castle. As we walked in silence, I thought about this. In the other world, I had been alone, for the most part. The number of people around me who were not undead created by my own hand could be numbered on one hand, with plenty of room to spare.

Even when I returned, I held myself aloof, for the most part. It was only natural, after all. I had missed the last forty years, and was no longer the same person anyone remembered. It would have been the height of arrogance to believe that I could simply just slot back into the life I had lived before. I needed time to find my footing.

Now, I had connections to people. The studio was coming along nicely. The masters I had collected to work for me were already starting to enchant their first pieces. Oh, they were simple enchantments, of course. Minor things like reinforcing a blade to keep it from chipping or dulling, or a table that repels dirt and grime, allowing it to never need cleaning. They still came to me, so I could help plan out the enchantments with them, but they were learning, and those planning sessions became less about me showing them the steps, and more about problem-solving enchantments they had not done before.

In short, I was adjusting to my new life, and was starting to socialize more. I was still not eager to go and start throwing parties, or going to galas or the like, but inviting a few people to study in my castle retreat? That much was fine.

I slid off Shinotsubasa’s back as we arrived in front of a small training hall. It had been barely used since its construction. For the most part, my undead soldiers did little in the way of training, since their bodies never grew weaker, and their skills never grew rusty, thanks to the magic that made them. The more intelligent undead could learn and train new skills, and they were sometimes in here, but there were very few weapons of the old world that those undead had not mastered after forty years of war. The only weapons of this world that they would have no experience with would be guns, but getting approval to own enough guns for my soldiers to train with, at least in Japan, was a herculean task I had no interest in attempting, just yet.

Hmm. That brought up an interesting idea. I’d enchanted bows and crossbows before, which imparted magical effects on their ammunition, so I should be able to do the same with guns. Of course, guns were not something a person could hand-forge, as a rule, so I’d have to look into different ways of preparing the item for enchantment. Probably would have to consult a master gunsmith, as well.

But that was something for another time. No, today I was dealing with students. I paused just inside the dojo to slip off my shoes, and was glad to see out of the corner of my eye that Miyasato did the same. Even if I rarely practiced my martial skills, I still knew enough to offer respect to the practice space, and I was glad that my new student did, too.

Walking over to the rack of practice weapons, I selected two wooden swords. One was longer, the size and shape of a katana, while the other was shorter, a match in length to my wakizashi. I offered the longer blade to Miyasato, who hesitated for just a moment, before taking it.

I smiled, knowing what was going through his head as I walked onto the floor. “Don’t worry, there is no hidden meaning there, like ‘Ha ha! You are so beneath me that I will give you a handicap!’ or anything like that. Because of my size in this form, I prefer the wakizashi to the katana, because the length is better fit for my body.”

Miyasato nodded once as he followed me. “My apologies, sensei.”

“That is fine. You only know me from what others have said, or what you’ve seen on the internet or in the news. A bit of hesitation at the start is fine.” I settled into a ready stance, and Miyasato took up his own stance.

“Good,” I said as I centered myself. “Now, I want you to attack me with everything you have. We will go until three deadly blows. Deadly, not fatal. If it would spill your guts upon the floor or remove a limb, then that would count, just as much as a killing blow.”

Miyasato, to his credit, did not hesitate again. With the speed of one who has spent many hours in practice, he closed the distance between us, his sword slashing down from his top right to bottom left. He was careful to keep out of measure from my own blade, but that was fine.

I limited myself to moving only twice as fast as he did. Stepping forward and to my left, I brought my sword up, with the blade down, to deflect the strike while I moved inside his guard. Surprisingly, he managed to react, aborting his attack and dodging to the side, which meant my counter barely missed his torso. Off-balance and out of position, he jumped backwards, to reset his stance and regain the measure.

I nodded, approvingly. “You have good eyes, Miyasato-kun. This will be fun.”

And then, I went on the attack.