This was the entirety of Okita Souji's memories of training in Tennen Rishin-ryu swordsmanship from childhood to adulthood.
From the initial stage of understanding the basic teachings of Tennen Rishin-ryu, to the intermediate and advanced stages, and finally attaining full transmission—every kata, key technique, and insight had been passed on from Okita Souji to him.
It could be said that in that very instant, Roy had inherited all of Miss Okita's swordsmanship in a single moment of enlightenment.
This far exceeded the power granted by the terms of their contract.
Receiving these memories was clearly not a result of the contract.
So then, what was it—
"So that's it. This is the real newbie bonus!"
Roy muttered in sudden realization.
Needless to say, this was the work of the Root.
Using Okita Souji as a medium, It had transferred this knowledge to him to make up for one of his greatest weaknesses—his lack of close combat ability, which was practically nonexistent.
For the Root, transferring a body of knowledge was probably the least costly expenditure possible.
Essentially, Roy and the Root had a transactional relationship.
And it was a relationship that had only just begun. Each party sought their own benefit, and no real trust had been built—nor would true, absolute trust likely ever exist between them.
As evidence, while the Root had granted him many advantages, It had not helped solve certain inherent problems.
Furthermore, there was the fact that It could not be 100% sure Roy would remain on Its side.
Certainly, this world had many ties that bound Roy to it, but if one day he were to turn traitor, join another world's faction, and never return—wouldn't that mean the Root's operational rules would be completely exposed? That would be a direct betrayal.
No one could say with absolute certainty that such a thing would never happen.
Thus, the stronger Roy became, the greater the potential loss to the Root.
From that perspective, the Root would never strengthen Roy to the utmost—it was too risky. So instead, It handed over a method for growth in the form of a "reward."
Ultimately, the so-called compensation and rewards It gave Roy were a conservative means of enhancing him without exposing Its own rules.
Giving him one Okita Souji and the memories of Tennen Rishin-ryu swordsmanship? That was a trivial matter.
As for Tiamat, that was more of a "you can't catch the wolf without sacrificing the child" type of investment.
Roy understood that logic as well, so he didn't ask the Root to lift his curse, purify the Greater Grail, or grant him a spiritual foundation to make him a pseudo-Servant—an unspoken agreement between them.
But the fact that Tiamat had helped him purify the Greater Grail without interference from the Root suggested that the Root wasn't opposed to Roy gaining power by his own means.
Inside the bedroom—
Roy looked at Miss Okita lying on the bed and mentally gave the command to awaken.
In the next instant, Okita Souji's eyes snapped open. Without a word, she got out of bed.
"Wah!"
Miku couldn't help but let out a small cry of surprise, raising her hands to cover her eyes.
But the eyes peeking through her fingers betrayed her curiosity.
Standing on the floor, Miss Okita was dressed only in her underwear—an outfit that Miku had helped her change into, likely out of concern that sleeping in full clothes might make her catch a cold.
Roy moved closer to Miss Okita, carefully observing her.
Miku looked at him in shock.
Was Lord Roy not even going to spare Miss Okita…?
"Expression stiff… Eyes vacant…"
Roy examined Okita's face.
Just like an ordinary familiar—stiff, with no awareness or will visible.
In fact, in the world of magecraft, there were also high-level familiars capable of having personalities. A magus who could create such familiars was one in ten thousand.
With Roy's skill, it wasn't out of reach.
But he had already attempted it during the earlier ritual—no matter what he tried, he couldn't endow the familiar, Miss Okita, with a simulated personality. For reasons unknown, every attempt had ended in failure.
Could it be because Miss Okita was originally a Heroic Spirit, and thus couldn't be given a simulated persona?
Heroic Spirits were the highest grade of familiars. Almost no one in the Mage's Association could control such beings, and records of using Heroic Spirits as familiars were extremely scarce. So even Roy couldn't determine the exact reason.
"Materialize spiritual attire."
Roy gave another command.
A glow of magical energy flashed across Miss Okita's body. In the next instant, her familiar kimono with exposed legs and the haori manifested, wrapping around her.
"Go outside and perform a basic sword routine."
At this command, Miss Okita walked blankly out of the room, stepped into the courtyard, and manifested the famed blade Kojiki Kiyomitsu. She began practicing the fundamental forms of Tennen Rishin-ryu swordsmanship.
Her movements were sharp, her blade strikes still powerful, and the transitions between techniques remained impressive.
The only shortcoming was a slight stiffness in her movements.
"Still held back by the lack of self-awareness," Roy sighed lightly, feeling some dissatisfaction in his heart at this flaw.
Even so, she was still quite effective. But without a sense of self, she had no autonomy—no capacity to react flexibly to unexpected situations.
As a mere combatant, she was fine. But as a familiar, she was a little substandard.
The highest-grade familiars could handle emergencies on their own through their own personalities, even without orders from their master. But this Okita had no such ability—she required Roy to give explicit commands for anything out of the ordinary.
"Why is it impossible to give her a simulated personality?"
Roy watched Okita continue her sword practice in the courtyard.
Was it really just because she was a Heroic Spirit?
No, that couldn't be it. If the vessel had no soul, a simulated personality could still be imposed. The fact that even simulated personas were rejected…
Could it be that Okita's soul was still inside this body?
That was the most plausible explanation.
"Lord Roy, what's Lady Okita doing?"
Miku had stepped outside too, peeking cautiously at Roy.
"It's fine. There's nothing to worry about," Roy explained. "This is how a Heroic Spirit is meant to be used."
He then walked forward, ordered Familiar Okita to halt, opened his imaginary number pocket, and stored her inside.
No matter the drawbacks, Okita was an incredibly powerful familiar. She fully covered his weaknesses, and as far as rewards went, he was genuinely pleased to accept her.
After making Okita into a familiar, Roy dove back into the basement, using puppets to train his skills in body modification.
Tennen Rishin-ryu swordsmanship could be practiced anytime. The real problem right now was his frail physical condition. As the saying goes: "Sharpening the axe won't delay the cutting of firewood." There was no point in sword training if his body couldn't handle it. Besides, he already possessed all the knowledge of Tennen Rishin-ryu—it wasn't as if mastering the style presented any difficulty to him.
So he buried himself in his work underground for several more hours.
***
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