The Extra who regained his past life memories

[Gray’s POV]

After listening to Mother’s instructions, I carefully examined my body.

Yeah...

It was still weak.

That much was obvious.

But the first swing I’d made earlier...

That wasn’t my limit.

Even I could tell.

Taking a slow breath, I tightened my grip around the wooden sword.

I recalled every word Mother had said.

Feet.

Hips.

Core.

Balance.

I closed my eyes for a brief moment, picturing the movement in my mind before opening them again.

Then I swung.

This time, I didn’t rely on my arms alone.

I planted my feet firmly against the ground, feeling the floor beneath me. My hips rotated naturally, my core followed, and only then did my arms guide the sword forward.

Whoosh!

The difference was immediate.

The swing carried more weight.

More stability.

More force.

It still wasn’t perfect...

But it was undeniably better.

Not enough.

So I swung again.

And again.

Each strike taught me something new.

At first, every movement felt awkward, as though my body refused to cooperate. My shoulders stiffened. My footing shifted too much. My balance faltered whenever I tried to put more power into the swing.

Mother said nothing.

She simply watched.

Whenever she noticed a mistake, she corrected it with only a few words.

"Lower your shoulders."

"Don’t grip the sword so tightly."

"You’re leaning too far forward."

"Let your hips move first."

Every correction was precise.

Every correction mattered.

Slowly, my body began to adapt.

One swing became ten.

Ten became twenty.

By the time I reached fifty, something finally clicked.

I no longer felt like I was swinging a sword.

Instead...

It felt as though my body itself was swinging.

The sword simply followed.

It was exhausting.

Sweat rolled down my forehead.

My breathing became heavier.

My arms trembled from fatigue.

Yet...

I couldn’t stop smiling.

This was the first time in both my lives that I had truly trained with a sword.

And I was improving.

That alone filled me with excitement.

When I finally lowered the wooden sword, Mother spoke.

"Good."

Her voice remained calm.

"If you wish to become a true swordsman, you must stop thinking of your sword as a weapon."

She stepped closer.

"It is an extension of your body."

"If your body is unstable, your sword will be unstable."

"If your resolve wavers, your blade will waver."

She looked directly into my eyes.

"And Gray..."

"What do you expect from a sword without intent?"

I remained silent.

She continued.

"It becomes nothing more than decoration."

"A sword without purpose has no meaning, no matter how many times it is swung."

Her gaze sharpened.

"I know you’re still young."

"But now is the time to begin asking yourself why you seek strength."

Her words echoed in my mind.

Why...

Did I want power?

At first...

I couldn’t answer.

Then memories surfaced.

My previous life.

My current life.

The helplessness of losing everything.

The cruelty of people driven by greed.

The monsters that threatened innocent lives.

The countless dangers that filled this world.

Without strength...

You couldn’t even protect the people standing beside you.

Slowly...

The answer became clear.

I looked up.

"My resolve..."

"...is to become strong."

Strong enough that I never have to watch someone precious disappear before my eyes again.

"To protect myself."

"To protect my family."

"To protect the people precious to me."

"And..."

I tightened my grip on the wooden sword.

"...to stand in front of anyone who threatens them."

My voice never wavered.

Silence followed.

Amy looked at me quietly.

Even Selena, who had been observing from a distance, paused for a brief moment.

Mother studied me without speaking.

For the first time since training began...

I noticed a trace of surprise in her eyes.

Not disbelief.

Recognition.

As though she hadn’t expected such conviction from someone my age.

After a long pause, she nodded.

"Good."

"That is a worthy resolve."

She folded her arms.

"This world is not kind."

"There will come a day when you must choose between protecting what is precious to you... or losing it."

Her voice softened slightly.

"But those are burdens for your future."

"For now..."

She pointed her sword toward me.

"Continue."

I smiled.

"Yes, Mother."

⸻

Training resumed.

Swing.

Correct.

Swing again.

Again.

Again.

Each strike was immediately followed by another correction.

"Relax your shoulders."

"Your footing shifted."

"You’re putting too much force into your right arm."

"Use your waist."

"Again."

At first, the constant corrections frustrated me.

Every time I thought I’d improved, Mother pointed out another flaw.

But strangely...

That only motivated me more.

Each mistake corrected was another step forward.

Another weakness eliminated.

Another improvement.

The foundation she was building wasn’t flashy.

It wasn’t powerful.

But I could already tell...

It would support everything I learned in the future.

After watching for some time, Mother finally turned toward Selena.

"If you notice any mistakes that I miss, correct them."

"Yes, Matriarch."

Then she looked toward Amy.

"And continue supervising Amy’s training as well."

"Understood."

The training ground fell into a comfortable rhythm.

The sound of wooden swords cutting through the air echoed throughout the hall.

Occasionally, Mother corrected my posture.

Occasionally, Selena corrected Amy.

Hours seemed to pass without anyone noticing.

Eventually, Mother raised one hand.

"Rest."

I immediately lowered my sword.

The moment I relaxed, exhaustion rushed through my body.

My arms ached.

My palms stung.

Even lifting the wooden sword now felt surprisingly difficult.

Amy, meanwhile, looked almost completely fine.

She walked over with a smug grin.

"You’re slow."

I rolled my eyes.

"No, I’m not."

She pointed toward my arms.

"They’re shaking."

"That’s because I’m actually training properly."

She placed both hands on her hips proudly.

"I’m simply talented."

I looked at her for a long moment.

"...Which makes you incredibly annoying."

She gasped dramatically.

"I’ll take that as a compliment."

"You shouldn’t."

She laughed.

Our usual argument continued.

Mother didn’t interrupt.

Instead...

She simply watched us.

A gentle smile appeared on her face.

Not the smile of the Starlight Matriarch.

Not the smile she showed nobles.

Simply...

A mother’s smile.

Seeing that expression somehow made today’s exhaustion worthwhile.

⸻

After resting, we practiced a little longer before the atmosphere gradually relaxed.

The conversation drifted from swordsmanship to awakening, future training, and random topics.

Then an idea suddenly crossed my mind.

"Mother."

She looked toward me.

"Yes?"

"I have a request."

She waited patiently.

"When my training settles down..."

"...could you arrange for someone to teach me how to cook?"

Silence.

Amy blinked.

Even Selena looked slightly surprised.

Mother tilted her head.

"Cooking?"

I nodded seriously.

"It’s an important life skill."

"I don’t want to rely on other people forever."

"And..."

"I think it’d be fun."

Mother studied me for several moments before smiling faintly.

"...You’re serious."

"I am."

She nodded.

"I’ll make arrangements once your basic training is stable."

Before I could thank her, Amy suddenly raised her hand.

"If Gray’s learning..."

"I’ll help too!"

I smiled.

"Perfect."

"You can be my taste tester."

Amy froze.

"...What?"

"My taste tester."

She stared at me in horror.

"Mother!"

"Gray is trying to poison your precious daughter!"

"I haven’t even cooked anything yet."

"Exactly!"

"That’s why I’m scared!"

I folded my arms.

"Fine."

"Then don’t eat it."

"I’ll keep everything for myself."

Amy’s expression changed instantly.

"W-Wait!"

"I never said I wouldn’t eat!"

"I’ll bravely sacrifice myself for the family!"

Her overly dramatic declaration made everyone laugh.

Even Mother couldn’t hide her amusement.

⸻

As the afternoon came to an end, Mother finally looked toward Selena.

"From tomorrow onward, you’ll oversee their daily foundation training."

Selena bowed.

"Yes, Matriarch."

Mother looked back at us.

"I’ve already spent far more time here than I originally planned."

There was no regret in her voice.

Only satisfaction.

Amy and I exchanged a glance before walking over to her together.

Without saying anything...

We hugged her.

For just a moment, Mother stood perfectly still.

Then...

She gently placed one hand on my head and the other on Amy’s.

Her fingers lightly ruffled our hair.

A warm smile appeared on her face.

Not the smile of the head of the Starlight Family.

Not the smile of one of the strongest women in the world.

Just...

Our mother.

"I’m proud of both of you."

Those simple words carried more weight than any praise.

Eventually, she let us go.

"I’ll see you both at dinner."

"We’ll be waiting," Amy replied.

Mother gave us one last smile before leaving the training hall.

Amy and I stood there quietly, watching until she disappeared from sight.

Only then did I realize something.

Today...

Wasn’t just the beginning of my training.

It was another precious memory with my family.

And somehow...

I had a feeling those memories would become my greatest source of strength in the years to come.

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