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 5

5 - The old man from the countryside is introduced

“—and that being said, Mr. Beryl Gardenant will be henceforth working with us as the Revelio Knight’s special instructor. I expect you to cooperate with him and train even harder.”

The regal voice coming from next to me was that of Alexia Citrus.

Her tone was authoritative and imposing, completely unlike how she was chatting with me just a moment ago. Is this what you call a “business voice”? This was rather jarring…

Standing in ranks in front of me were dozens, maybe more than a hundred, members of the Knight Order. All of them were wearing the same silver plate armor. They looked really intimidating, standing there without moving.

Their age and gender varied, but it took only a glance for me to notice that none of them were as old as I was. Not surprising, it would be hard for someone like me, a 40-year-old man with rusty joints and sore muscles, to be a good knight. All I wanted to do was relax in the countryside.

“Alright then. Master, is there anything you’d like to add?”

Seriously? I didn’t have anything in mind.

I mean, if you were planning on having me speak, please tell me in advance.

Well, not like I could complain now.

I look away to avoid Alexia’s insistent gaze, scrounge up my words, and manage to come up with a greeting.

“Hello, my name is Beryl Gardenant, just as Alexia said… I don’t know how useful my skills will be to you, but I’ll do my best to be of assistance. I look forward to working with you.”

After listening to my introduction, the knights looked at me even more intensely.

Hmm… I’d say this was 80% doubt, and 20% excitement.

Some of the questioning glances went beyond skepticism and were borderline aggressive.

I guess anyone would find it strange for a strange old man to come out of the blue and suddenly get appointed in a position as important as a special instructor. This uncle is getting worried. Well, it was strange that there was some excited looks mixed among them in the first place.

I was vaguely familiar with some of the faces that looked at me positively, though I didn’t quite remember their exact names, and considering the atmosphere of the whole situation, I didn’t want to call out to them. It’d be pretty embarrassing if it turned out that they weren’t one of my former students.

The whole process from the moment I arrived in the capital city of Baltrain all the way to the Revelio Knights headquarters, up to this moment, went as smooth as butter.

There were four or five knights standing guard when we arrived in front of the building, but Alexia just waltzed in. Just her identity seemed to be enough to go through the checkpoint.

And for some reason, I also walked in without an issue. Amazing what a Knight Captain can do.

I was brought to the Knight’s Hall as quickly as possible. We didn’t have any time for sightseeing, but just taking in the cityscape as we passed by, I could tell how prosperous it was here. The wide, cobblestone streets were carefully constructed and laid out. The roads were clean and there were plenty of pedestrians going about their daily activities.

I think I saw some souvenir shops near where our carriage was parked. I’d have to ask Alexia to show me around later.

Really, this is entirely different from a rural village like Bidden. It’d be ridiculous to even compare the two.

“We will now be scheduling the special instruction. Everyone, return to your duties.”

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As I was thinking about shopping, it seemed that the gathering was about to be dismissed. I was glad the meeting was over. It was getting uncomfortable with how many eyes I had on me.

“Master, let’s go.”

“Ah, right.”

Alexia’s tone softened.

Looks like the need for the “business voice” was over. Really, this suits her better. She’s become a fine adult.

“Ah! Captain! Please wait!”

Just as we were about to leave the Knight’s yard, I saw one of the knights rushing over.

“Kuruni, be quiet. Knights should always be calm and collected.”

The knight called Kuruni replied cheerfully, “Yes, sir!”, and then turned her gaze towards me.

Her dazzling, short brown hair, cut in a bob made her look like a lively child. She was most likely just a little younger than Alexia. Her large, round blue eyes made her look ever more innocent.

She was even shorter than Alexia – a distinctly petite physique.

She gave me the impression of a friendly puppy.

And this mental image made me remember who she was.

“Kuruni? You seem to be doing well.”

“Yes! Master, it’s been a while.”

Her full name was Kuruni Krussier. She was also a former student from my dojo.

She studied there for about two years, about half as long as Alexia, but I still remembered her clearly. Her energy and friendliness left a mark on me.

Ah, how nostalgic…

However, I wasn’t able to gift her a sword when she left.

She had a good foundation and a great attitude, but I just didn’t have enough time with just two years to teach her everything.

Now that I’m an instructor for the Knight Order, I’ll have the opportunity to have her as my student again. Maybe I’ll be able to give her the sword that I could present to her last time.

“You’ve become a fine Knight. I’m proud of you.”

“No, no! I still have a lot to learn!”

Kuruni was much more straightforward than Alexia and had always been eager to join the Knight Order. “I’ll definitely join the Revelio Knights!” she would tell me. I remember how enthusiastic she was about the training. I’m glad to see that her dream has come true.

After hearing my honest praise, she was not flailing her hands in the air.

I could almost see an invisible tail wagging behind her,

Hmmm, a puppy.

Ah…Kuruni was a real soul soother…

“Kuruni, we don’t have time for this. Go back to work.”

Oops, looks like Alexia is back in “business” mode.

Well, we certainly weren’t completely free. We still had plans to go see the souvenir shop. This old man wants to adjust his schedule as soon as possible and go sightseeing a little bit.

“Ah, sorry… Master! Do you have time later today?”

“Hmm? Well, I’m thinking about taking a look around the city if I have time.”

“Alright! Leave it to me! I’ll show you around!”

“I hope you will, Kuruni. Now quick, go back to work.”

Ah… I could feel a pit in my stomach…

Kuruni, please, was too eager and it’s scaring me a little!

You’re like a wet puppy playing in the rain!