After Ihan's blunt rejection, the verbal sparring continued.
“Not necessary.”
“D-Don’t say that...”
“No, I’m telling you it’s fine.”
“Ah, whyyyy!?”
“Why would I use a blowfish?”
“What’s that supposed to an?”
“It’s exactly what soone like you is.”
“!!?”
It was like a contest between spear and shield, but from a third-party's perspective, it was utterly absurd.
Receiving a blank promise from an aura user—it felt like a deception, sothing so clearly detested that it almost seed manipulative.
However, the person involved never intended to deceive and was speaking only from the heart.
...The aura user who’d returned to the world was like a child holding a bomb, with absolute conviction.
Pure evil, no different from an overwhelming danger.
“If I get involved with you, it’s because I don’t want the trouble, so I’ll pass, alright?”
“You’re such a cruel child.”
“Cruel? I think you’re the cruel one.”
“......”
“Why are you choking up again? Always trying to make the bad guy!”
Ihan clicked his tongue at the sight of her choking up once again.
If they were any other nobles or knights, they might have been swayed by a lady’s tears. But Ihan, unless she was his woman (or close friend), saw no reason to be swayed by tears.
He was trying to maintain his firm coldness, but...
“Right, Elza said the sa thing, calling cruel... It's because I'm worthless, utterly worthless, that all of this happened...”
“?”
Suddenly, a mix of tears and complaints poured out, and Ihan tilted his head in confusion.
Why was she suddenly ntioning a traitor’s na?
“I-I’m sorry, Instructor. It’s just that, after this incident, my grandmother’s emotional instability flared up again...”
“Emotional instability? Is that another side effect of her youth-regression?”
“...Y-Yes.”
“...Worse than a blowfish, this.”
Ihan took a step back.
It was exactly the kind of person he didn't want to get any closer to...
***
“-I never imagined that Elza would harbor such feelings. But to , that child was nothing more than a friend and comrade.”
I don’t really care.
“From the first ti she owed her life, she beca strangely devoted, always guarding my back. Even when we left the battlefield and beca adventurers, she supported . When I returned to the family, she helped greatly. Did you know? In this family, many of her disciples still exist. She was also good at being a maid, but her sword skills were even better. If you judged her by skill and talent, she was on par with Gardin.”
Really...
“Oh, speaking of Gardin, he wasn’t so corrupt when he was younger. Even though he hated , we competed in good faith, and at tis, he even supported . If I hadn’t gained fa across the continent, I’m sure Gardin would have been the heir of Offen. ...Looking back, I think I made a mistake by inheriting Offen. I didn’t want Gardin’s position or have any great ambitions. I just wanted to live peacefully and train my sword, but... hmm... now that I think about it, I have many regrets.”
What’s the point of telling this?
“Also, among the two traitors this ti, they were cute when they were young. So cute, in fact—”
...When will this end?
“Is this normal?”
“When emotional instability starts, it’ll be like this for a while. As long as the source of stress isn’t removed, she’ll stay like this.”
“Is it serious? Should we run away now?”
“You don’t need to worry. She talks a lot more, but she won’t cause any harm. Actually, while my rejuvenated grandmother is playful and a bit clueless, she doesn’t harm anyone. She just gets really annoying with all the long-winded talk.”
“...You little wolf, do you dislike your grandmother?”
“I respect her, but on a personal level...”
“......”
...It seems like family isn’t sothing you can just blindly approve of.
“You’re going through a lot.”
“Not really.”
“You have a troubleso grandmother, a father who causes trouble with food, and a cousin who starts rebellions—don’t you?”
“...When you put it that way, I guess it is a bit troubleso.”
“I, Ihan, am here too, you know...”
Iliad, who had been called a troublemaking father, awkwardly reacted, but no one paid attention, continuing their conversation in silence.
“So, what are you going to do now? Take a leave of absence? Or drop out?”
“?”
“Are you going to keep attending the academy? You’ve got family matters to settle, and you’re pretty busy, aren’t you?”
“True, but I don’t plan on taking a leave or dropping out. My family’s affairs will be sorted out soon enough, since my father and grandmother are behind . Offen’s strength doesn’t co from one genius; it cos from the countless disciples who contribute.”
“Oh?”
“It may sound arrogant, but with Offen’s influence, we could call on over ten thousand people for help. After all, more than 150,000 swordsn have risen through the Offen swordsmanship school.”
“...You guys are no joke.”
“Well, most of them are scattered, so it doesn’t affect our military strength.”
Ihan nodded as though it was best not to worry about the nobility, or the Pendragon family’s prestigious house.
‘No weaklings among these aristocrats.’
It felt like every major family, except for the royal family, had terrifying reserves of strength.
Maybe the rumors about Pendragon’s true military power coming from the major families weren’t far off.
‘Though, I’m sure the royal family has its own secrets.’
You can’t judge everything based on appearances.
“Also...”
“Hmm?”
Ihan’s thoughts were interrupted by the determined gaze directed at him.
The little wolf, Arno, was staring at him with bright eyes.
“I want to learn more from you. Your way, no one else’s.”
“......”
“For that reason, I’ll call you ‘Master’ from now on. I would call you ‘Sifu,’ but I think Lady Levi would get jealous if I did.”
“I’m not really the type of person who should be called ‘Master.’”
“To , you are the most ideal and greatest knight.”
“......”
“My goal is you, Master.”
“...Well then.”
He certainly knew how to flatter.
Must be a noble thing.
But...
“Instructor, you’re smiling.”
“...Punishnt. Stand up straight.”
As he had been told, Ihan unknowingly smiled, and Arno, as if emboldened by his own words, felt encouraged.
To have soone take you as their goal...
‘It feels kind of good.’
Becoming soone’s master enriches the heart in ways you never expect.
***
Ihan, feeling a sense of pride as he thought about his disciple declaring his desire to beco a formal disciple, briefly entertained a thought: Should I make him bow for respect too?
“That’s wonderful. My son is getting a teacher, and that teacher is soone I would even want to take as my own master,” he said, a touch of sincerity in his voice.
“You sure know how to flatter,” Ihan replied.
“I’m not flattering you. This is my true feeling,” ca the earnest response.
“...You two are so alike.”
He certainly knew how to make people feel embarrassed.
Ihan felt his face heat up at the genuine complint, but at the sa ti, he couldn’t help but feel a bit puzzled.
“By the way, you speak as if you’ve never had a teacher.”
“That’s correct. I never really had a teacher. I learned the basic martial techniques, but everything else was mostly self-taught,” he explained.
“Ah, this is what they an when they talk about geniuses...”
“Haha, I won’t deny that, but if I were to offer an excuse, I’d say that even just looking at swordsmanship books, I learned most of the basics. The few who tried to teach ended up giving up in less than two days.”
“Oooh...”
“In that sense, I probably wasn’t a good disciple. I might’ve even been a delinquent student.”
“...It’s not that you were a delinquent. Maybe you were just so outstanding that it was intimidating to teach you.”
He absorbed everything so quickly that the teachers likely just gave up in frustration.
He was simply too good for anyone to teach him.
He was so overwhelming that there was nothing left to teach him.
But...
“That’s not really your fault. It’s more the teachers’ fault. If you’re an educator, you shouldn’t give up just because a student is brilliant,” Ihan remarked.
“...?”
“I’ve learned this through my own experience as a teacher. No matter how talented a student is, you should still teach them. If I were teaching you, I would’ve pushed you like crazy.”
“You would’ve ‘pushed’ ?”
“I would’ve made you curse , that’s for sure. It’s the kind of teaching where you learn from irrational hardship.”
“....”
“Why?”
“...I don’t know, but I think I’m getting chills.”
“It’s just a misunderstanding.”
Ihan was a perceptive guy.
If he had been the one teaching Iliad, he imagined Iliad wouldn’t be the polite person he was now, but rather soone who swore like a sailor.
Still, one thing was clear.
“If I’d taught you, I might not have been able to make you the greatest swordsman in the kingdom, but I would’ve been able to turn you into soone who could always rise again, no matter how hopeless the situation was. That’s one of the things I emphasize to my own disciples.”
“......”
“My teaching isn’t really anything special. It’s not difficult or fancy. It’s just about making soone experience the irrationality of the world and teaching them how to overco it. It’s a bit of a crude thod, to be honest. By that asure, I guess I’m not really a conventional teacher either.”
Ihan smiled to himself.
He thought of the eighty disciples under him, who had suffered because of his teaching style.
But still...
“—One day, when they’re faced with despair, my disciples will rise up quickly. Because I taught them how to get back up from the irrationality of life.”
He believed that the hardship they went through would soday beco a great asset.
“If I were to give it a na, I’d call it Unshakable Heart—a heart that does not waver or bend.”
“......”
“It’s nothing special, really.”
Ihan said it so casually, but the response was...
“...You are truly a respectable person.”
“Hmm?”
“I’ve lost. Completely. In terms of strength and in spirit. I’ve completely been defeated.”
The response was intense, and Iliad laughed heartily, genuinely pleased.
It filled him with pride to know that the one who had defeated him was such a person of respect.
***
Iliad gazed at Felicia, who was muttering to herself, still lost in her own world, and spoke up.
“...To be honest, I never wanted to beco a swordsman. Others said I was born for the sword, but in truth, I found more joy in drawing than in wielding it. In that sense, when I broke my leg, I secretly felt relieved. I thought that I no longer had to et anyone's expectations. ...But, foolishly, I....”
Iliad spoke with sincerity.
Perhaps this was the first ti he was revealing this to anyone.
It was a shaful truth, but he wanted to share it with him, of all people.
"If I told him, I feel like I could accept even the harshest words."
"You missed the sword, didn't you, ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) after it was gone?"
“...Exactly. It’s embarrassing to admit...."
Yes, how shaful was it? When it was there, I hated it so much, but now that I’ve lost it, I regret it.
And so...
“My mother saw through my foolishness. She knew I wanted to walk again.”
“......”
“Do you know? The reason my mother rejuvenated herself was because of .”
“?”
“If she could reverse her body’s age, she hoped it would help fix mine. So, she sacrificed her own body and experinted. However, the result was that while her body beca younger, not all of her physical impairnts were healed. The only remaining option was perhaps the blessing of a fairy, but fairies don’t often bless humans. So, realistically, there was no way to fix my body.”
“......”
“...That’s what I thought, anyway.”
“Hmm?”
“After hearing your story, Ihan, I understand now. The truth is, I’ve done nothing yet.”
“My story?”
“Yes.”
As he listened to Ihan, he realized sothing.
He had wanted to fix his leg, but he hadn't actually tried.
“I should have struggled. Instead of relying on miracles or blessings, I should have resolved to walk sohow. I shouldn’t have given up. I should have at least tried sothing. But I never even attempted that, and this is where I ended up.”
Hearing his words, he understood that he didn’t know how to stand up again. He had been too proud of the praise from others, believing himself to be a genius, when he was, in fact, just a lazy fool.
Iliad realized this far too late.
It was a painful truth...
Shivering.
“Look at now, I can’t even lift my arms, let alone stand. This is the price I’m paying for my foolishness.”
“Foolish? Can soone who’s so foolish create a masterpiece? All that was possible because of your effort.”
“Haha, Ihan, you’re such a considerate person.”
“Not consideration, I an it.”
“Hahaha!”
“Why are you laughing?”
“Because it’s impressive.”
How can every single word feel so genuine?
‘He never says anything just for the sake of saying it. This man is sincere.’
That’s why it stung, and why he envied him.
If only he had a teacher like that, maybe he wouldn’t have lived such a foolish life.
Iliad’s heart swelled with regret, but he pushed it down.
His ti was over now... or so he thought.
“Would you like to teach you?”
“......”
In an instant, it felt as though Ihan’s eyes were piercing through his heart.
“Teach ... what?”
“This.”
Whoosh.
“??”
Ihan’s fingers tapped Iliad’s chest, stomach, and forehead three tis, precisely.
It was an action that might feel insulting to so, but Iliad didn’t feel insulted.
Instead, he felt a surge of warmth and heat like a blaze.
“!?”
“It’s hot, isn’t it? Don’t worry, it’s not dangerous. I just injected so of my ‘power’ into you.”
“......”
“Focus your strength.”
“?”
“Yeah, it’s working.”
“...What?”
Iliad tilted his head in confusion, wondering what exactly was happening, but as he did, he noticed sothing.
His son and his son's friend wore shocked expressions, while his mother, who had stopped muttering, stood with her mouth wide open like a fool.
And soon...
“Eh...?”
Iliad, too, had to make the sa foolish expression as they did.
──His toes were moving.
“Well, this works?”
Ihan, perhaps realizing his own talents, absentmindedly scratched the back of his head.
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