An Old Man from the Countryside Becomes a Swords Saint: I Was Just a Rural Sword Teacher, But My Successful Students Won’t Leave Me Alone! - Chapter 20

20 - The Old Man From The Countryside Is Borrowed

“Oh, Master Beryl,” Thyssel said. “Hello.”

“Hey, Thyssel,” I said.

It was the usual day.

Like normal, I had walked to the training grounds to instruct the Knights.

And at the entrance of their Headquarters, I ran into Thyssel who belonged to the Magic Division.

“… That’s some luggage you’re carrying,” I said.

“Oh, these,” Thyssel said. “It’s a delivery for the Knights.”

“A materials delivery?” I asked.

Thyssel’s usually wearing robes but her hands and back carry a not-so-light amount of luggage. I can feel they must be incredibly heavy.

“Potions,” Thyssel said. “The Magic Division wholesales to the Knights.”

“Huh, potions?” I asked.

Heave-ho, Thyssel took a breather and put down the luggage she was carrying in her hands. If I listened carefully, I hear rattling noises as they touch the ground and I can see the contents are in bottles.

Potions were widely used as drugs for wound treatment.

Drink directly, you could temporarily improve your body’s natural healing process, and for severe wounds, you could pour it directly on them.

“So these are magic potions the Magic Division wholesales?” I asked.

“Yes. Plus some ordinary herb concoctions, too,” Thyssel said.

And on that note, there are several types of potions.

There are 3 main types: 1 is extracted from medicinal herbs via decoction, 2 is extracted from medicinal herbs and combined with magic, and 3 is refined through magic alone.

The further down the list you go, the more effective it becomes, and the more expensive it gets, as well.

In Bidden Village, I’ve only ever seen potions decocted from medicinal herbs. Any magically refined potions are a precious commodity. I’ve heard that they exist and about the process, but I’ve never seen them in person.

Potions extracted from medicinal herbs can be made by local village pharmacists, but it’s a different story when magic is involved. Of course, if there’s no one that can use magic, you can’t make the advanced versions, so the amount of distribution will be limited and the value will increase in turn.

As long as I have the title of a Master Swordsman, I’m indebted to these potions.

I’m scratched and nicked on a daily basis. Wound healing is completely different with and without potions.

Oh, that’s right.

“By the way,” I said, “I met a person named Lucy the other day.”

Speaking of the Magic Division, I had to suddenly fight Lucy recently.

In the end, I was still unsure whether she was the Head of the Magic Division, but at least I knew she was a mage.

In that case, Thyssel may know who she is.

“Head Magus Lucy, you said?” Thyssel asked. 1

“Oh, so she is the Head of your division?” I asked.

“Yes,” Thyssel said.

It seems Lucy really was the Head of the Magic Division.

In that case, the next thing to worry about is her appearance and that mouth of hers. She looked like she was only 10-years-old but it’s hard to believe that she’s that age because of her aura and the magic she can use.

However, if her statement that she was older than me is true, she should at best be over 40. No matter how you think about it, her appearance and who she is don’t match.

“She said she was older than me, is that true?” I asked.

“Oh, that’s–” Thyssel started.

“Ms. Lucy is magically maintaining her current appearance,” another voice interrupted.

“Oh, is that you, Alexia?” I asked.

“Yes,” Alexia said. “Thank you, Thyssel.”

“It’s just… a job,” Thyssel replied.

Alexia may have already been listening in to our conversation as she was already heading to this building, so she happened to jump in then.

Thyssel has shrunken a bit. I love it when that happens.

“To keep her appearance like that…” I said. “It’s impressive magic, isn’t it?

“Yes,” Alexia said. “She was Head of the Magicial Divison since before I became Knight-Captain yet her appearance hasn’t changed. It’s quite strange.”

So as it turns out, Lucy wasn’t lying when she said she was my age or older.

Hmmm, magic can do anything, huh?

I’ve got no magical aptitude whatsoever, so I’ve already given up on practicing it, but I still feel envious.

Thyssel’s Sword Magic, Lucy’s Eternal Youth? Maintaining how you looked? However, I feel that the depth of magic was extremely wide. Kudos to mages.

“But why did you go with Ms. Lucy, Master?” Alexia asked. “Did you head to the Magician’s Academy?”

“Oh, about that…” I said.

It’s not something I thought of talking about, but if it’s with Thyssel and Alexia, why not?

My account of meeting Lucy starts with the spontaneous test of skill, I talked about it with some dismay. Alexia’s eyes went wide as I told the story, Thyssel looked down in shame.

“That was… exactly what Ms. Lucy would do…” Alexia said.

“By that you mean, she’s always like that…?” I asked.

“Yes,” Thyssel said. “She’s a person who loves to test her spells…”

I drop my shoulders unintentionally.

I’m not sure how you could be the Head of the Magic Division with an attitude like that. No, she may suppress it normally. Even when she was interacting with me, it seemed like she couldn’t hold herself back anymore.

“Forgive me, Master Beryl,” Thyssel said. “I should have warned you.”

“No, no, you don’t need to apologize, Thyssel,” I said.

If you ask me who’s to blame here, it’s definitely Lucy, not Thyssel.

“But what did you tell her about me?” I asked.

I’m not going to blame Thyssel but that fight was after she overestimated my power. Lucy herself claimed she’d heard much about me from Thyssel, so she must have done so.

However, I’ve got some doubts about how Thyssel said it.

“… Confidential,” Thyssel said.

“…. Huh, I see,” I said.

It can’t be helped if it’s a secret.

I have no way of prying anymore. A woman’s secrets should be protected above all else. I’m never going to know about it.

“By the way, why are you here, Alexia?” I asked.

“Right, I had to speak to Lysandera,” Alexia said.

“What about Selena?” I asked.

This is the entrance to the Knight Order’s Headquarters. There wasn’t a need for the Knight-Captain to be coming in and out during working hours.

And when I asked, Selena’s name comes up. No matter how big of a deal Black Rank adventurers are, it’s not easy to get into this building, so their meeting must have been at the front gates.

“Citrus, sorry to have kept you waiting… oh hey, is that Master?”

And as we chat with each other, a familiar red-headed woman arrives from across the street.

“Lysandera, I’m a busy woman, you know?” Alexia said. “I’ve got no time to waste.”

“Don’t be so hasty,” Selena says. “If Master here, just as well we don’t rush.”

Perhaps because of habit, Selena scoops up her much-prided red hair as she admonishes Alexia.

I wonder if there’s something I need to be doing.

“Well, I’ve delivered the potions,” Thyssel said.

“Ah, Thyssel,” I said said. “Be careful, alright?”

“Yeah,” Thyssel replied.

And since Thyssel was in the middle of a delivery, she just left.

Well, it was alright to bother her a bit with a chat while she was on duty.

“So, what was your business?” Alexia asked.

Now that Thyssel is gone, it’s just Alexia, Selena, and myself.

It’s still an unbalanced combination, but it’s alright because we’re in front of the Knight Order’s Headquarters. Being with these two people causes so much attention in public.

“Actually, I wanted to borrow Master a bit for the Adventurer’s Guild,” Selena said. “I came to get authorization. Here’s a letter from the Guild Master, too.”

“Why?” Alexia asked.

Why, indeed?

My straight man response was swept up in Baltrain’s wind.2

T/N: The rate of updates will slow down to about 1 per day. I can translate 3 a day mentally but my fingers physically cannot sustain this pace, I feel the warning signs of repetitive strain injury.