[165] A Dangerous Deal (2)
"Huh? The government is restricting access? But the Galliant government and the native autonomous district are different administrations. If we insist on going in, they can't really stop us, can they?"
"Of course—that's true. It's only nominal control, though. Still, I thought there might be a reason they're blocking it so tightly. Sorry if I said something pointless."
"No, it's fine. We didn't know either. But I haven't changed my mind about going. Of course, if Jis guides us."
"Of course! Who else would guide you but me?"
Jis thumped his chest confidently, then sucked in a sharp breath from the pain. It took a long while for the ache to subside before he spoke again.
"B-but with my body like this, I don't know if I can move around properly."
"Don't worry about that. Tomorrow we'll visit the healing mage Freeman recommended. Most of the external injuries should be fixable there."
"A healing mage? That'll be ridiculously expensive, won't it?"
When Jis widened his eyes in surprise, Amy blinked at him lazily and said, "It'll be cheaper than the guide fee you quoted."
Jis scratched his head. Hearing it put that way, he suddenly realized how much he'd tried to overcharge.
"Ha ha, why bring that up now? It's all in the past."
Shirone sank into the plush sofa.
"Anyway, we should rest today. Your minds will recover after sleep, but Rian and Tess will be uncomfortable until they get healing magic."
"Huh? No, I'm fine. My wounds are already healed."
At Tess's words, everyone looked at her. Indeed, the cuts on her cheeks and arms had neatly closed.
"Wow, how'd you do that? Something like what Freeman did?"
"Yeah. I set my second schema to mitochondria."
"Mitochondria?"
"It's the cellular organelle that produces energy. Using a mitochondria schema drastically boosts basic physical abilities like reflexes, regeneration, and endurance. So swordsmen without exceptional talent often choose mitochondria as their base build. I'd imagine kingdom soldiers or mercenaries use the mitochondria build a lot."
"I see. But what's with 'second build' and 'base build'?"
Shirone—who'd taken a beating from the parrot mercenary troop and wanted to know more about schema—asked. The fighting had been very different from magical combat. Since they didn't know what dangers lay in the ruins ahead, it was wise to gather as much information on combat as possible.
"A build is a technique tree. People say to picture a virtual body when explaining schema, but the sensation when you actually learn one is different. As the body's cells awaken, clarity spreads. Now here's the question: how do swordsmen stack multiple builds?"
Amy and Rian knew the answer but stayed silent. Tess had the highest understanding of schema in the group, so they let her explain.
"Maybe they develop it in parts—arm, leg, and so on?"
"Most people think that. It's not impossible, but you can't balance the body that way. If you keep developing only the nervous system, the muscles will rupture. Conversely, if you only develop strength, your fists might break when you punch."
"So that was the problem. I've always wondered how they keep balance while strengthening the body."
"It's similar to magic. You probably have systematic ways of handling the mind—specific patterns and such."
"Yeah. We call it the Four-Directions Method. There's also methods like the Sequence Method."
"Swordsmen are the same. That's what a build is. You create several virtual diagrams and stack them. For example, lay a mitochondria schema as the base, then put a strength-enhancement schema on top, then an ocular technique schema above that, and so on. By completing the base and then following the technique tree, the risk of bodily imbalance and destruction is greatly reduced."
"Ah! I get it."
"The most efficient slot is the base schema. If the base's efficiency is 100, the second sheet is 50, the third 25—the efficiency drops sharply like that. You can change the order, but unless you're a master of technique trees, it's hard to apply in combat. There are exceptions, though—techniques called inversions, for example."
"The technique Freeman uses, the one Amy mentioned? How does that work? Is it about creating a specific pattern like the Four-Directions Method?"
"No. Schemas don't work that way. Simply put, inversion is possible because you can change the point at which you perceive the schema."
Tess demonstrated by lifting a sheet of paper on the table and moving it.
"Imagine stacking three transparent sheets. Looking down, your sight penetrates them in order. If we call them 1, 2, 3, inversion flips the viewpoint so you see from the bottom up—3, 2, 1. Besides that, there are many techniques related to the technique tree: separation, penetration, folding, crossing, and so on. Building a schema while considering all these is what we call a build."
Shirone was impressed. He'd thought swordsmen simply strengthened physical abilities, but now he saw the system was as technical as a mage's.
"So Tess put the mitochondria schema in the second technique tree. Its efficiency is half that of the first."
"Right. Mitochondria builds are common, but it's wasteful to dedicate the slot where a schema can function at full 100 percent efficiency to mere bodily activity—unless it's pure body-versus-body combat. So swordsmen who really perform pick schemas best suited to their technique. I, for example, chose a nervous-system build. Precision matters most in my swordwork."
Shirone finally understood. If two people used the same sword and the same schema ability, a nervous-system build would overwhelm a mitochondria build.
"The mercenaries from the Chamber of Achievement and Sacrifice weren't bad because they didn't pick mitochondria. The warriors seemed to choose strength-enhancement, and the archers probably went for sensory builds."
"Huh? Nervous system and sensory system are different?"
"They're similar, but they enhance different parts. Think of it as the difference between internal and external senses. My nervous-system build is internal sense—it lets me execute movements more precisely than anyone. Sensory builds are external sense—primary senses like sight, smell, hearing, and secondary senses like taste and touch. An archer naturally hones primary senses. Their vision, smell, and hearing are far keener than most. I've got a sensory build as my third tree, too."
"Ah, so that's why it's hard to sneak up on an archer."
"Right. The important thing is to find a build that fits you. Of course, you still have to train each schema thoroughly. Even if you pick mitochondria, if your training is lacking, you might be physically weaker than a swordsman who put mitochondria in their third technique tree."
"I get it now—what a schema actually is. No wonder they call it a body diagram."
"In the end, it's another self-image. Like phantom pain—someone who's had an arm amputated still feels pain when an object passes through where the arm used to be. That's the reality of schema."
Listening, Amy felt the same way as Shirone. At first she'd assumed a mage's explanation would be easier and left it to Tess, but as the conversation went on she found even she was learning things she didn't know.
"So Tess, how many layers did my dad stack in his schema? I remember his techniques being overwhelming when I was little. If each layer's efficiency drops, wouldn't building beyond the fourth layer be pointless?"
"Usually, yes. But there's a way to make the second technique tree's efficiency reach 100."
Shirone, already fascinated by schema, leaned forward with interest. "Oh? Really? How?"
"Swordsmen call it internalization. Like I said, picture a shadow of your own form. Opening a schema is like removing the opaque parts. But how many people perfectly understand their bodies? Someone who strips away every opaque part on a single schema—that's what internalization is."
"That sounds impossible."
"It takes immense training and genius talent. But there are people who've done it. They become perfectly transparent, eventually fusing the schema with their body. So someone who has internalized five schemas is effectively without those layers—the sixth schema's efficiency becomes 100. But it's a matter of time and effort. Talent can shorten it, though."
"Wow."
Shirone exhaled the breath he'd been holding. He'd dreamed of becoming a mage since childhood, but when he'd dueled Rian with real swords he'd also realized the infinity of swordcraft.
Mage and swordsman. Spirit Zone and schema. There was reason these were called the two great martial forces of the world.
"You're amazing, Tess."
Tess blushed at Shirone's sincere praise.
"Ah, it's nothing. I learned it from childhood, so I know. I rambled because I thought it might help a mage like you."
"Yeah. It really helped. Now I think I could handle a situation like today better than before. So Tess is already recovered, and tomorrow only Jis and Rian need healing magic."
Shirone said it lightly, but Tess suddenly stiffened as if she'd realized something.
Come to think of it, Rian hadn't said a word during the whole discussion about swordsmen and schema.
Tess quietly glanced at Rian. He'd been listening with his usual impassive look, but his eyes lingered on his own body.
It was, quite literally, a wreck.
Though he'd overwhelmed Falkoa with an imagined schema at the end, his failure to internalize schema was a glaring weakness.
Even now he felt his injuries worsening instead of improving.
"Damn it! Why am I like this…?"
Tess looked at Rian with pity, and her heart pounded with tension. She felt guilty, as if she had somehow hurt him.
"His pride must be hurt. You'd be the one who'd be the most upset."
Realizing his friends were looking at him, Rian hastily forced a change of expression. As if nothing had happened, he put on a bright smile and thumped his chest.
"Ha ha! I'm fine. Even without healing magic. I'm tough."
Rian struck his body with tremendous force yet showed no sign of pain, not even a flicker of expression.
But everyone knew. He was enduring it solely through superhuman willpower.
That mental fortitude was remarkable, but without treating his wounds his combat ability would fall dramatically.
Still, no one urged Rian again to receive healing magic. They understood the humiliation of being forced to show weakness.
Shirone, however, was different. On this trip Rian had earnestly fulfilled his duty as a guardian knight. If Rian was serious, Shirone felt he should meet him with the same resolve.