The Spear User that Couldn’t Become the Hero 《Protagonist》 Chapter 6

MTL: uniquegasuki
Editor/ Proofreader: (not proofread)

Souji regains consciousness; he sees an unfamiliar ceiling and a beautiful woman wearing a white coat.

「Kyouko, sensei?」
「Eh, are you hurting anywhere?」

Upon seeing the face of the beautiful nurse, Souji shakes his head no.

「Is Eisuke and everyone else safe?」
「……your a peculiar child, is this really the first thing you want to ask?」

For him to worry more about his friend and everyone else more than himself, Kyouko is surprised. In admiration of this selfless she smiles.

「Everthing is fine. Thanks to your efforts everyone was able to avoid a direct hit.」
「I see, that’s good……」

Having learned about the present situation, Souji exhaled and covered his face with his right arm.

「I lost, how vexing……」

Despite having lost to his grandfather thousands of times, Souji is still not used to losing.
Upon seeing the frustrated Souji trying to hide his face with his palm, Kyouko couldn’t help but open her mouth in surprise.

「Are you thinking that you’ve lost to Ayato-kun?」
「Yes, it was my defeat was it not?」
「Ah, umm, it wasn’t really a loss……」

It was a rather unusual conversation as Kyouko didn’t give Souji a straightforward answer.

「Were you not the one to first knock down Ayato-kun?」
「The referee didn’t declare it as my victory.」
「But――」
「Ayato stood back up, but I was knocked out. Doesn’t that mean it’s my loss.」

The order doesn’t matter, the true winner is the one who is last standing.
This universal rule not only applies to their fight but it will also apply to their future battlefield that they will be sent to.

「Do not worry about it.」

Souji had become conceited after his grandfather praised his skill. Admitting his mistake, he reflexed on his own ignorance.
However, there was something Souji wanted to know before he began his training.

「Kyouko-sensei, was that fantasy weapon really Excalibur? 」
「Yeah, that was the holy sword that King Authur (アーサー王) had received from the fairy of the lake.」
「But, Excalibur shouldn’t be able to release a blade of light.」

None of the legends pertaining to Excalibur mentions it having the ability to unleash an enormous beam sword.
However, the reality is that Tendouji Ayato possesses King Authur’s sword and that he was able to unleash such an attack.

「It must be similar to my Tonbokiri. Even though my spear is the same as the original, its seems to be a separate existence. But, the reality is that these weapons do exist.」

Souji stares at the small scar on the phantasm converter (on his right arm) that was caused by the direct attack from Excalibur.
If he were to activate the converter, the broken Tonbokiri would reappear fully intact.

「Sensei, what are these fantasy weapons?」

While on the battlefield, they must entrust their life to these mysterious and ominous weapons.
As long as Souji held such doubt, he wouldn’t be able to fight against the C.E.
When Kyouko could no longer stand Souji’s stubbornest, she sighed.

「I had planned to save this for later but…… because you had put up a good fight, I will give you a special lesson.」
「Thank you very much.」

When the beautiful nurse winked at him, Souji couldn’t help but blush a little.

「First off…… umm, do you think Excalibur really exist?」
「Well, I think the one Ayato has looked real enough.」
「Umm, what I’m saying is, do you think 『King Arthur’s legendary holy sword Excalibur』 actually existed? Did such a sword really existed hundreds or thousands of years ago?」
「Well……」
「No it did not. Such a fantastic magic sword did not exist in this world.」

Souji is puzzled by Kyouko’s statement.
The legendary sword Excalibur that was owned by King Arthur was something based on a made-up story.

「But……」
「The fantasy weapons are something a phantom child thinks up. You might be thinking, 『are you saying in the past magic never existed?』 I understand how you feel, but it is a fact that in this day and age, the sword Excalibur does not exist in this world.」

Having guessed what Souji was thinking, Kyouko supports her previous statement. (T/N: but mommy, magic does exist)
She wasn’t making baseless a.s.sumptions, Kyouko has stacks of research papers to backup her claim.

「You see, everyone knows of the holy sword Excalibur due to things such as manga, video games, and other various media.」
「Ah……」
「It is something that doesn’t exist but everyone knows it. You see, from their imagination―― something like a 『illusion』is created.」
「――Eh!?」

Upon hearing the ridiculous explanation, a cold s.h.i.+ver runs down Souji’s spine.

「Excalibur doesn’t exist, but it’s a legend that everyone is aware of. In truth, the 『fantasy weapon Excalibur』 is a figment of reality. It is like the saying, “what came first the chicken or the eggs? (元○玉)”」
「Chicken, egg…… what does that mean?」
「Oh, you don’t know, ahahah.」

Upon recalling their age difference, she made a stiff smile.
She and Souji aren’t from the same generation. Souji is from a generation where it is common for a child to use the internet.

「Anyhow, a person’s fantasy weapon will differ between individuals. For that reason, the weapon isn’ t always the same as the legend they are from. The effect of each person’s 『personal weapon』 will depend on the individual’s imagination.」

In the year 2031 A.D. there are probably merely a few people who known the original legend of King Authur’ Excalibur.
Most of the people probably know about the sword from video games or anime.
And thus, to excite and satisfy their audience, as a result of modern media and filter, it then became a 『invincible and famous sword』.
Tendouji Ayato’s 『beam emitting, Excalibur』 is a modern interpretation of the original.

「So, in other words, it is an imitation?」
「That rather a bit harsh to say. If there was never an original how could it be a fake? Are you aware of the big change made from the cla.s.sic King Authur legend? You see, the person known as the knight, Lancelot of the Lake (騎士ランスロット), didn’t exist in the original story.」
「Ah, I think I remember reading about that before.」

He recalls reading an article on the internet about legends & folklores from the computer at his school’s library. (T/N: this sentence alone has raised many potential plot holes, Author-san)

「I think it was something about the 10th century?」
「During the 10th century, the story of King Arthur was rewritten by Chrétien de Troyes (クレティアン・ド・トロワ). However, most of the modern day character’s are based on Thomas Malory’s (トマス・マロリー), 15th century, 『The Death of Authur』. Nowadays, people prefer a strong and beautiful “mary-sue” type of character. In modern writing, the 『greatest character is the lead』.」

Compared to the original: King Authur and Gawain play less of a role in the story, Guinevere’s betrayal (NTR) had caused the collapse of the round table, and the villain never received a proper punishment.
These events never happened in the original story. The modern day re-telling has the worst characters; it’s 「f.u.c.king bullc.r.a.p!」 and should be thrown away.

「I may as well say this, but the Arthurian romance (アーサー王物語) version is derivative from the original work. The detestable character, Lancelot, is also in Malory’s version of the story.」
「Is that so.」

Souji had read Sutcliff’s version of King Arthur so he doesn’t hold any hate for the modern stuff. However, in the world exists a sinful mania.

「Nowdays, there are few people who don’t know of Lancelot. After the postscript, fantasy was overwritten by fiction and as a result, a character like Lancelot became popular.」
「…………」
「Do you understand? Much like Lancelot, this is Tendouji Ayato-kun’s holy sword, his version of the 『the best and strongest Excalibur』. Whether it is genuine or fake doesn’t matter.」

From the beginning, Ayato’s sword is an original created from his imagination based on the warped idea of the Excalibur’s popularity and strength. There isn’t much left to say about the topic.
Although Souji still felt a lingering sense of fear, there was nothing he could do about it.

「In other words, fantasy weapons will take the form of the wielder’s imagination.」

Does Souji understand now? ――Kyouko tilts her lovely head, but Souji had yet to nod in response.

「Sensei, how do fantasy weapon’s exist?」

The first question was a good one; the second is more philosophical.
With a stern expression on her face, Kyouko gives him a reply.

「A fantasy weapon is created by a 『phantom child’s』 spirit. They are able to bring forth a ma.s.sive amount of energy…… 『the reason question is how is a phantom child able to do this?』. The thing is, no one has been able to come up with an answer.」
「Is it dangerous?」

Kyouko had a feeling that Souji would ask this question.
And thus, she tells him the answer she had prepared.

「It is dangerous. But, humankind has no choice but to use them regardless.」
「…………」

Although there is no data to support her claim, Kyouko had given her honest opinion. Her action is quite unbelievable.
To stop him from worrying, even more, Kyouko’s eye hint to Souji 「to not pry anymore and to not ask the reason why」.

「There are a lot of unknown points about phantom children. Although there are some known facts here and there, we don’t completely understand it. For example, gravity is something we don’t fully understand.」
「Gravity?」
「Yeah, things such as what causes the force of gravity, and what not. How is it we can stand on Earth, or how is it generated and transmitted. Even to this day, no one knows for sure how it works.」

Gravity is theorized to be transmitted by 『Graviton particles』, which hasn’t yet been discovered.

「Despite there being many mysteries about gravity, humans have used their understanding of the law of gravity and found methods to handle it. Likewise, we have found a way to use fantasy weapons and phantom armor.」

And thus, she more or less told him about the phantom child. Whether or not it was helpful is another matter.

「Are you afraid? I don’t mine discharging you from A.C.E. I don’t know the details, but A.C.E. won’t force members to fight with fantasy weapons against their will.」

It is possible that there could be an effects that might influence the nature/ heart of the phantom child.
So to not lost his way, Souji shakes his head in an attempt to strengthen his resolve.

「I don’t quite understand, but I won’t run away.」
「Oh, I’m glad.」

While she pats the top of Souji’s head, Kyouko shows a genuine smile.

「Oh, about our conversation, please keep the contents of our discussion a secret for the other students, okay.」
「Yes.」

Souji nods and once again shows a smile. The beautiful nurse exits the room.
As he watches her leave, Souji feels a slight sense of regret.

「What is suppose to happen now?」

Souji continues to wait in the school’s infirmary. He questions to himself as to whether his medical treatment is complete, or if he is free to leave.
For the ever so diligent Souji, this is yet another thing for him to ponder.