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 30

30 - The Old Man From The Countryside Wins

“Selena…!” I cried.

The one who’d stopped Xeno Glaive was the top Black Rank Adventurer joining us on this training.

After she climbed Xeno Glaive, she launched herself far up above it then stabbed both her blades into her target’s eyes.

How sly.

The feeling of the longsword in my hand changes, probably because the twin swords just stabbed into Xeno Glaive’s head had affected it. Selena seems to have dislodged it, thank goodness.

“GUH… GRRR… GAAH…!” Xeno Glaive groans.

“… So stubborn…!” I grunt.

Even if its throat had been pierced through its mouth and it has got swords stabbed in both eyes, Xeno Glaive refuses to die.

Then it’s best for me to pull my sword out and stab it to end it.

“DE-YAAAH…!”

But before I could pull out my sword, Selena kept attacking.

She grabbed one of her swords in both hands. With the point already stuck in Xeno Glaive’s eyeball, she rotated herself and used the centrifugal force to slash it to the side.

I feel in my hands the vibrations of the blade slicing through meat, bone, and whatever else was in the way.

What power and skill. As expected, Black Ranks are just different. Even if I had stabbed my sword in the same situation, it would probably have been impossible to display that much dexterity.

I’m keenly aware of Selena’s strength. She didn’t need me after all.

“… Fuu…” I sighed.

With my longsword dislodging and falling out from the impact, I sat down unconsciously.

Selena’s sword was thrust deep into its eyeball then ripped out the side of Xeno Glaive’s head. Even if it was a Named, so long as you’re a living being death will be inevitable.

“You bought me time, Master, so I was able to beat it easily,” Selena said, twin swords now in her scabbards. “Thank you.”

“No, no, I should be thanking you. I couldn’t beat it, after all,” I said.

I’m being honest. It was going well until I stabbed my sword but I couldn’t pull it back out, so I was completely prepared to die.

“… Hmm?”

It was as I was thinking of putting my sword back in its scabbard.

I noticed that the weight in my hand is suspiciously light and the balance was terrible.

“…. Aah…”

Broken. Of course.

My longsword has been broken clean in the middle.

At the same time, I realized it: the blade broke while it was stuck inside Xeno Glaive, so it came out only because it snapped.

“So-Sorry, Master!” Selena said. “I didn’t realize it’d get caught up…!”

“No, you don’t have to apologize,” I said. “The actions you took were for the best, Selena.”

Maybe I lost this sword because it was caught up in Selena’s broadsword.

I’m not saying that this longsword was of poor quality but it’s a mediocre blade with no special inscriptions. On the other hand, Selena’s are top-of-the-line masterpieces as you’ve seen. And if mine comes against that sort of power, no wonder it broke.

“I don’t care about my sword,” I said. “How about Porta?”

Xeno Glaive’s mangled and frozen face is pointing toward the cave entrance.

Nedley and Salkatz were looking at us in astonishment and shock. And behind them, I saw Porta leaning against the cave wall.

“We’ve saved his life,” Selena said. “I think he’ll recover if we get back and rest.”

“That’s good,” I said. “Above all else.”

As long as you’re an Adventurer, risks would always accompany you.

So the best result for any excursion is to come back alive. At least I think it is. I’m not an Adventurer, after all.

No one is happy with the trade-off between your life and your honor. It’s of the utmost importance to live and return from an unprecedented crisis, unexplored lands, and so on.

In a sense, you could say these people were both catastrophically unlucky and miraculously lucky at the same time.

“Anyway, we’re saved, aren’t we?” I said. “Thank you, Selena.”

Aah, I’m glad Selena was here.

I don’t know if I could have won by myself, and if I had lost, the lives of those three would have also been lost. They were young with bright futures ahead of them. It’s the most important thing to protect them.

“No, don’t be ridiculous,” Selena said. “More than me, there was your sword, Master…”

“It’s alright,” I said. “This sword’s grave will be here. That’s just the way it is.”

Normally, Selena has a courageous expression but she seems to be struggling to squeeze the words out.

I’m also worried about Selena. I wish it was different.

I’d be lying if I said I didn’t feel anything for her but it’s nothing special.

“M-Mr. Gardenant! Ms. Lysandera!”

We declared the threat was gone. Nedley, who seemed to have realized that, too, rushed out to us and shouted.

Salkatz was walking with Porta on his back. Well, we can’t just leave him in this place, can we?

“Nedley,” I said. “It’s such a relief to see you’re all safe.”

“It-It’s nothing!” Nedley said. “Ah, umm, thank you, very much…!”

“Hahaha, you’re welcome,” I said.

It seems Nedley hadn’t stopped shaking yet, her voice trembled as she said her thanks.

I didn’t protect them because I wanted to get their thanks but it’s still appreciated.

Well, it wasn’t me who worked hard, it was Selena, wasn’t it?

But it’s not good to sustain this tension for too long. There will be mental fatigue and I want to return to Baltrain soon.

“Well then, let’s head back, shall we? … Selena?” I asked.

Selena seemed to be searching Xeno Glaive’s remains.

“Because it’s a Named, you have to bring proof of your killing it,” Selena explained. “The mane and… these claws should be fine.”

“I see,” I said.

That’s right, now that she mentioned it again, it’s a monster that the Guild has specifically put a bounty out on. It’s plausible that you couldn’t judge a successful hunt purely through oral claims.

“Fuh…!”

In the time it’d take to make a small sigh, Selena swung her blade towards the base of Xeno Glaive’s claws.

After a hard, ringing sound, what seemed to be its paws got declawed, the nails fell onto the ground.

“… It’s pretty tough, isn’t it?” Selena said. “It’ll make great material.”

“Hmm, will it now?” I asked.

I’ve only heard second-hand accounts but it seems that some adventurers turn the monster materials from their hunts into weapons for their use.

I’ve got nothing to do with that kind of life so I use a sword made of ordinary ore. However, that sword completely died in this recent battle.

Yeah, not having a sword on hand makes me feel uncomfortable as a swordsman.

I have to get a new one made when I return to Baltrain. Could I get one made at that blacksmith I went to with Alexia?

“Maybe we can make a sword for you out of Xeno Glaive’s claws, Master?” Selena said.

“No, no, this is your kill,” I said. “I’ll have to pass.”

I feel bad I rejected her offer.

I didn’t beat it, anyway. Besides, it seems that you could make something ridiculous with these, so I’m hesitant. I can use a normal sword, made from normal materials.

How do you even forge a sword from claws? I could understand how you’d forge a spear with it.

“Is that so…?” Selena asked. “Well then, let’s head back. Master, when we get back to Baltrain, I’ll have to report on the successful subjugation of a Named, so can you accompany me?”

“Oh, that’ll be fine,” I said.

Anyway, I’ll have to report the training for this new time is over and that wouldn’t take much time.

“Hee-hee, it’ll be your triumphant return, Master, won’t it?” Selena said. “I’m proud of you, too.”

“No, no,” I said. “You defeated it, Selena.”

I happened to stab it with my sword and do some damage but the killing blow was definitely Selena’s. And on that note, she was the one who helped Porta and I felt it would have gone smoother if Selena had been fighting Xeno Glaive from the start.

Anyway, I’m glad no one died.

The best result would be no one dead. I’d be dead, too, if someone had.

“Alright then, let’s go home,” I said, “To Baltrain.”

“Right!” Selena said.

In this manner, the on-the-job training of the new adventurers that would cause waves instead of ripples came to an end.