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The afternoon sunlight poured into the spacious infirmary, casting a warm glow on the pristine white walls.
After Senior Sister left, only Ryoji and Kanata remained in the room.
"Click."
Kanata glanced over her shoulder.
Though the corridor appeared empty, she cautiously closed the door behind her.
Then, she walked to the windows, shutting each one, effectively sealing the infirmary.
Wait.
'Why is she closing all the doors and windows?'
'Is she planning something suspicious?'
Ryoji regarded Kanata with a mix of curiosity and concern.
Despite feeling physically drained, his Magic Power had mostly recovered.
'Haha, having low Magic Power has its perks— it refills quickly… Ugh, as I laugh, I can feel tears welling up in my stomach.'
"Don't worry, I just want to talk to you about something, and I'd prefer not to be interrupted."
Kanata approached the bedside, picked up one of the apple rabbits, and popped it into her mouth.
"Thank you for showing mercy during the match."
As she chewed, she settled down beside him, appearing completely at ease.
"At the last moment, you transformed your Spiritual Item (Device) into an Illusionary Form, right? Otherwise, I would have been in real danger."
Her demeanor had shifted back to its usual gentleness, fitting for someone of her noble status. The fierce aura she had during the fight was nowhere to be seen.
At the end of the match, Ryoji's point-blank Sound Speed Bomb had shattered her defenses, but when the blade struck her, it only caused a sharp sting without inflicting any real harm.
"It's nothing. After all, you're Touka Nee San's close friend. I couldn't really hurt you; she would definitely blame me for it." Ryoji replied casually.
If that blade had truly pierced her, it would have been no laughing matter.
Had Shinguuji Kurono not intervened in time to pause her ability, she might have faced a grave fate.
"Touka Nee San would blame you… That's enviable."
Totokubara Kanata paused for a moment, a hint of envy flickering across her face as she thought of Touka.
"Why?" Ryoji was puzzled.
'What's there to envy? I'm the one who should envy you— your family is so wealthy it's practically overflowing with riches!'
"No, it's nothing." Totokubara Kanata shook her head, seemingly reluctant to elaborate.
"What I really want to ask is— why are you so fearless in defying fate?" She looked intently at Ryoji as if she desperately sought an answer.
"Why are you so obsessed with discussing fate with me?" Ryoji was utterly confused, his expression betraying his bewilderment.
"I heard about your childhood from Touka, so I'm curious… I also want to know if you can become my role model."
Kanata fell silent for a moment, contemplating whether to share her own struggles. After some thought, she decided that if she wanted to know his secrets, she shouldn't hold back either. She opened up about the turmoil she had been feeling in recent days.
"So that's how it is— a family marriage arrangement. That's such a cliché plot you'd find in any story."
Ryoji lay back on the bed, shifting his sore shoulders slightly.
He then fell into deep thought, lowering his head as he considered how to explain.
"…Kanata, do you know what it feels like to be weak?"
After a long pause, Ryoji finally looked up.
His expression turned serious, the usual playfulness vanishing in an instant.
"No, I've never experienced such a problem." Totokubara Kanata shook her head, her soft golden hair swaying gently.
She had been successful in everything since birth, never facing any real difficulties, and any obstacles were easily overcome by her family's influence and her own strength.
Ryoji's mouth twitched slightly, involuntarily reacting to Kanata's words.
"I'm different. I've experienced the terrifying weight of weakness." Ryoji turned his gaze to the snow-white ceiling, his expression tinged with nostalgia.
"Being weak is incredibly painful. It's as if your life is no longer in your control. That fear, that unease, turned even my only refuge— sleep— into a torment. I was terrified I might die in my sleep without even realizing it, never to open my eyes again the next day…"
Extreme weakness can push someone toward despair.
In the first few years after crossing over, he lived in constant pain and panic.
"At first, I hated everything."
Lost in his memories, Ryoji seemed to recall his past experiences, his eyes darkening slightly.
"..."
Totokubara Kanata was taken aback to see this usually vibrant and positive young man display such a dark and resentful expression as if he had been abandoned by the world.
That's right.
Ryoji hadn't pulled himself together from the very beginning.
In the early years after crossing over, when his body hadn't matured enough to train, he harbored a deep-seated hatred for everything around him.
Self-pity had been his constant companion back then.
He certainly hated himself, but while playing a life simulation game, who hasn't thought about creating an extreme character to experiment with? So this kind of thing is actually understandable; what he should truly resent is the act of crossing over itself.
No one informed him that creating a character meant he would have to cross over, and this "taking without informing" was the real culprit.
However, the thing he hated the most was his own weakness.
Weakness was the root of his suffering.
In the years following his rebirth, steeped in pain and panic, he radiated an aura of hatred toward everything, as if the entire world had turned its back on him.
"But sometimes, hatred can also become a source of motivation."
Unwilling to accept a life where his existence could be snuffed out at any moment, Ryoji, fueled by negative emotions, began to train himself relentlessly as his body gradually matured.
His anger, unwillingness, panic, and fear became the driving force that pushed him to repeatedly overcome the pain and limitations of his body, surpassing his own boundaries time and time again.
Since he couldn't get any worse, he didn't need to hold back; he could give it his all.
At first, every movement led to muscle tears and bone fractures, and each training session required a doctor to be present, using special abilities to heal him in time.
However, over time, he gradually became accustomed to this grueling training.
Hard work pays off; the good news is that years of relentless effort finally improved his physique, bringing it closer to that of a normal person.
Until a year ago, he had finally managed to get out of bed, and over the past year, he restored his body to a normal level. Now, with the help of the petite yet wise Toudou Touka, he was aiming for extraordinary physical abilities.
"...I can't believe you managed to stick with it."
Kanata listened intently to Ryoji's story, remaining silent for a long time before shaking off the goosebumps that had covered her arms and letting out a sigh of admiration.
No wonder he could train so recklessly in the forest yesterday; he had long since become accustomed to pushing himself to the limit.
"Because I have a group of good people around me."
Ryoji shrugged, stretching his body slightly.
The luckiest thing in his life was being taken in by the God of War.
He was an old man who treated him like his own child. Although he appeared unserious, when Ryoji began to train desperately, he immediately found the best doctors in Japan to support him.
Over more than a decade, he invested time and resources, utilizing many connections to help Ryoji grow successfully.
Touka was the same, always gently caring for him without complaint.
"I hate weakness. No, I despise weakness." Ryoji declared, "Even now, I still despise weakness."
Totokubara Kanata noticed that when he spoke these words, the gloom that had previously clouded his face had lifted.
That was probably proof that he had emerged from the darkness of his past.
She continued to listen to Ryoji's narration, her heart beginning to clarify everything, and her thoughts becoming increasingly focused.
"—So I want to become the strongest person in the world."
The words that slipped from Ryoji's mouth captured Kanata's attention, leaving her staring at him in disbelief.
"—Because the Strongest Person In The World is precisely the existence furthest from weakness."
Ryoji was hopelessly filled with disdain for weakness.
Thus, the pursuit of strength became his obsession.
And becoming the Strongest Person In The World was the ideal he would strive to achieve in this life.
To become the Strongest Person In The World, he needed to constantly surpass his own limits, continuously overcome opponents he deemed impossible to defeat, and absorb all knowledge and skills to facilitate his growth.
Ryoji felt indifferent after defeating Shinguuji Kurono.
But after overcoming Totokubara Kanata, he was filled with joy, experiencing an extraordinary sense of satisfaction.
Because defeating an opponent deemed impossible to defeat meant he had once again surpassed himself, allowing him to grow.
His previous life had already faded away.
In this life, he found a brand new ideal and forged an iron will, possessing effective abilities and innate skills, so he could never abandon himself.
What he aimed for was to become the Strongest Person In The World!
And when he achieved that, even reaching a realm beyond, he would confront the true culprit behind his crossing over, delivering a powerful punch to their face, demanding to know why they had arranged such a difficult second life for him— if there truly was a culprit.
"...Do you know about the power of destiny?"
Totokubara Kanata fell silent for a moment, her gaze on Ryoji shimmering with intrigue.
"The idea that Magic Power represents destiny?"
"Exactly."
"I know."
In the world of 'Chivalry of a Failed Knight', Magic Power does not refer to a life force but rather an innate mental and energetic essence.
The total amount of this mental energy does not change according to a Blazer's will; it cannot be increased through training. Whatever amount one is born with is what one will always have.
Thus, some propose the idea that "the amount of Magic Power a person possesses represents the share of destiny they bear and their influence on the world."
This is an extremely pessimistic notion; just hearing it feels like a compromise with fate, which Ryoji finds very distasteful.
However, this idea holds a significant truth—historically, all renowned Blazers have had a high total of Magic Power, while those with extremely low Magic Power are almost nonexistent in the annals of history.
Therefore, the notion that Magic Power represents the power of destiny is quite popular among Blazers.
(End of Chapter)