A Ghost Joined The Party (3)

I was not that knowledgeable about history.

All I had was a jumbled mix of knowledge picked up from games and manga.

There was no way I could reach the right answer like this.

I let out a sigh.

“I am sorry that I could not be of help. I shall make up for it with swordsmanship. I do not know myself, but I do know the blade I have honed and this sword.”

“Indeed. It seems a suitable measuring stick has arrived.”

“Huh, a measuring—!”

I sensed the presence of monsters.

What appeared was a pack of Gray Wolves, the same kind we had encountered in the forest.

Their numbers were not that many.

About five of them by sight.

“Did they come lured by the smell of food?”

“It is faint, but I sense the same presence as that man.”

“You mean Barbatos?”

“Just so. Were they perhaps tamed?”

Now that I thought about it, the townspeople had said so.

That this area was safe, with not even monsters appearing, let alone demons.

So the Gray Wolves had not lived here originally, but were familiars released by Barbatos?

Beasts that had lost their master came searching for food.

“Even though the town is in the middle of a festival.”

“Disturbing such merriment is most inelegant. Very well, we shall deal with it ourselves.”

“…Yeah, I guess so.”

Was I going to fight alone?

Honestly, I was a little uneasy, but I had fought Gray Wolves once before.

As long as I did not let my guard down, it should be fine.

“Be at ease. If you grip me and this beloved blade, you too shall be a proper samurai.”

“Only in appearance, right?”

“No, quite literally.”

“Huh? What are you talk—”

Before I could finish, the pack of Gray Wolves lunged at me.

I instinctively drew the cursed blade.

My body felt lighter, and as if guided by someone else, I deflected the wolves’ attacks.

“This sword contains my experience and skill. While it is drawn, its master may read and wield them.”

“I see. That is why my body is moving on its own.”

A blade I had never used.

No one had taught me, yet my body remembered.

So the source of this discomfort was that Kojiro’s experience was possessing me.

The sensation of my body being moved by someone else was because what moved me now was Kojiro’s experience.

“However, merely reading experience is all. It is you yourself who moves. If you do not grow, you cannot draw out that power to its fullest.”

“So that is how it is.”

I cut down two Gray Wolves.

It was not my own experience.

If I was weak, then I remained weak—that logic made sense.

I had grown over the past month, but it was still nothing more than a quick fix.

“I could not lay a finger on Barbatos, after all.”

“In such times, it is my turn. Might you entrust your body to me for a moment?”

“How do I do that?”

“Grant permission in your heart. Permission to entrust your body to me.”

In my heart…

We were still in battle, but there was distance.

I closed my eyes and focused on Kojiro’s consciousness.

Um…

Please, come in?

Immediately after, a swapping of souls occurred.

The sensation of my soul slipping out of my own body was indescribably strange.

In its place, Kojiro’s half-transparent soul entered my body.

Our positions switched.

When I opened my eyes again, I was no longer myself.

“With this, preparations are complete.”

Kojiro, possessing my body, smiled and swung the sword.

Perhaps sensing the change through presence.

The Gray Wolves heightened their vigilance.

“There is no need to fear. Come now, beasts.”

He provoked them.

The Gray Wolves charged all at once, but Kojiro did not move a single step, swinging the blade at blinding speed.

The wolves that attacked passed straight through him with their momentum intact.

All three were cleaved cleanly in two.

The corpses hit the ground with a wet thud.

Even I, who should have been seeing it subjectively, could not fully perceive it.

Just like the battle with Barbatos.

So this was…

“This is swordsmanship.”

“—!”

I thought it was amazing.

I was honestly impressed.

A swordsman, swordsmanship itself… if mastered, could it become this powerful?

“I am glad for the praise, but I am still one in training.”

“No, no, that is more than enough. If you are this strong, couldn’t you even cut down the Demon King?”

After seeing the difference in power with Barbatos, I had grown uneasy, wondering if defeating the Demon King was even possible.

But now I felt a bit of hope.

When the battle ended and the cursed blade was returned to its sheath, control of the body switched back.

Immediately after, exhaustion washed over me.

“Whoa, my body feels heavy…”

“That is how great the burden is.”

“I-I see…”

So this was the risk of possession.

My body was immature, so embodying Kojiro’s perfected swordsmanship demanded considerable stamina.

This level of fatigue after only a few seconds.

Come to think of it, right after the battle with Barbatos, when I returned to myself, exhaustion had overwhelmed me and I had collapsed on the spot…

“So I cannot use it often.”

“If you aim for long-term possession, proper training will be required.”

“So it comes down to special training. Like running every day.”

“Building stamina is necessary. However, what must be noted is not only the burden on the body. Though it is not my place to say, this power—”

“Kojiro?”

“It seems someone is approaching.”

Where Kojiro turned his gaze, Erika stood there.

She spoke with an exasperated look.

“I sensed monsters and came over, but it looks like it is already over.”

“Hm? Oh, yeah.”

“I see. By the way, what have you been muttering to yourself about this whole time?”

“Uh… nothing? I was just thinking.”

She could neither see nor hear Kojiro.

From the outside, it would only look like I was talking to myself.

That was another risk.

“You are hiding something.”

Erika pressed closer.

“I-I am not hiding anything.”

“That is a lie. You know you open your mouth when you get flustered, right?”

“What!”

S-seriously?

Did I have such a habit?

“That was a lie.”

“It was a lie?!”

“Yes, but it seems I hit the mark.”

“Gah…”

“How cunning.”

Kojiro sounded impressed.

This was not the time to be impressed.