From Old Country Bumpkin to Master Swordsman: My Hotshot Disciples Are All Grown Up Now, and They Won’t Leave Me Alone - Volume 1 - Chapter 1.1

Chapter 1: An Old Country Bumpkin Goes to the Capital

Early in the morning, in a dojo in the middle of the remote countryside, my dad started muttering some incomprehensible crap.

“Beryl. When am I finally gonna get some grandkids?”

“What’re you expecting from me out here in the sticks, pops?”

My name’s Beryl Gardinant—I’m an old man. Leaving out the details, I’ve long served as the instructor at a rural swordsmanship dojo that’s been going strong for generations. You might think I’ve omitted the specifics, but there’s nothing else to say. I’m simply an old man in a backcountry dojo who teaches students how to wield a sword. Nothing more and nothing less.

“It’s your day off, and you start meditating first thing in the morning. You’re not gonna meet anyone acting like that.”

“Weren’t you the one who raised me this way?”

Ever since dad retired and yielded the seat of instructor to me, this kind of nonsense was all he ever had to say. Though, he wasn’t alone in thinking that way—I wanted to meet someone too, dammit.

My family being what it was, I’d spent my life messing around with a wooden sword, practically for as long as I could remember. My parents had given birth to a healthy boy, and they’d raised me well, but it seemed I hadn’t inherited my dad’s outstanding talent for the blade. I had, of course, put in the effort. It wasn’t like I hated swordsmanship or anything. And above all else, I’d been unable to find any other immersive hobbies out here in the countryside.

When I started my training as a child, I was filled with curiosity. This extended to the peak of adolescence, through my teens and into my twenties, when my maturity caught up to my physical growth and enriched both my mind and body. Then, in my thirties, I further devoted myself to personal improvement. And with all that accumulation of experience, I’d reached my forties, having poured more effort into my training than was typical.

However, all I’d acquired as a result were somewhat better sword skills than the average person, a physique that at least allowed me to call myself a swordsman, and a reaction speed that could be considered keen for my age. That was about it.

If asked whether I was satisfied with this, I’d have to say no. But I wasn’t particularly disgruntled about it either. This was the end of my road—I was strangely convinced of that fact. Maybe I felt that way because my dad had allowed me to grow and grow without pinning too many hopes on my skills.

“Don’t you have at least one nice girl among your pupils?”

“Come on, pops. The dojo ain’t a place to pick up girls.”

I once more dismissed my dad’s nonsense grumbling. He was likely only acting this way because he was talking to his own son, but frankly, his tact was still pretty lacking.

Incidentally, maybe out of consideration for his old age, my dad had yielded the dojo’s ownership to me. Since then, I’d come to realize something: while I was only so-so with a sword, it seemed I had quite a knack for teaching others.

Even though our village was under the protection of the nation, there were many dangers in the backcountry. Take one step beyond our settlement’s fenced boundary, and you’d find yourself in wildland, home to ferocious animals and dangerous monsters alike. Of course, it was rare for monsters to come all the way to the village, but the world out here was still far from safe.

The capital and other urban areas were protected by splendid walls and patrolled by knights and soldiers. However, in this rural village, our defensive options were more limited. There were guys like me—an average swordsman trying to put food on the table by running a dojo—and then some hunters who delved into the wilds. Occasionally, soldiers, adventures, and the like would stay for some time, but that was about all we had.

Maybe that was why, despite being out in the sticks, our instruction was in relatively high demand. People wanted to acquire a means to protect themselves and learn skills that could lead to a successful career. Unfortunately, magic was foreign to me. I didn’t know the first thing about it. From the moment of my birth, I’d only wielded wooden and metal swords. Though, even across the entire world, wizards capable of using magic were a rarity. The capital apparently garrisoned a magic corps, but wizards were exceedingly few in number.

Oh, right—on the topic of pupils, I’d once taught a pretty girl with glistening silver hair. She’d once looked at me, her eyes earnest, and said, “When I grow older, I’m going to marry you, Master.” Unfortunately, she’d been too young for me to take her declaration seriously, so I’d just let it go.

Ah, we’ve gone off track. I’d been talking about teaching swordsmanship and how I was a little bit talented as an instructor. With a good balance of supply and demand, my dojo had quite a few pupils, despite being nestled out in the country. We taught all kinds—rowdy local kids, the village headman’s daughter, and even nobles from the capital, along with their children. I did sometimes think that there had to be countless other dojos like mine out there, but in any case, the number of students we had was directly tied to my family’s standard of living. We charged a monthly tuition fee, after all. The dojo definitely wasn’t running as some kind of charitable enterprise.

“Well, you know, it’s about time for you to show me some filial piety,” my dad griped.

“I inherited your dojo, enrolled more pupils, and am making us more money. What do you call that if not filial piety?”

“Add grandkids to that.”

“Oh come on...”

He was seriously energetic first thing in the morning.

Anyway, I’d been serving as the instructor here for a good while now. Among the graduates from our dojo, some had found significant success in life by becoming high-ranking adventurers or members of the nation’s knightly orders.

Some former students came back to the dojo pretty frequently to report on how things were going, while others sent letters. Though I had some talent for teaching, I was fully aware of my own abilities. I was grateful—it made me feel warm and fuzzy when my old pupils fussed over me like that—but a part of me thought they didn’t really need to pay attention to an old country bumpkin.

I mean, why’s the commander of the nation’s knights sending letters to me? Doesn’t she have more important things to do? Getting updates from such a VIP, one that was far beyond my station, made me understand that some of my pupils had really made it big. Overall, it was pretty bad for my heart.

If only I’d possessed a little more talent for the sword, then maybe, just maybe, I would’ve left this village too.

“You can at least give me a li’l hope, right?”

“Yeah, yeah. If I ever meet anyone, that is.”

At any rate, leaving here was no more than an impossible dream. I knew my abilities were at their limit, so at this age, I didn’t even entertain the idea.

After my dad left the dojo, I felt a clean breeze brush against my skin. It was the perfect morning for meditation.

“Haaah...”

I gradually focused my mind inward, but I was pulled right back out when I heard what sounded like a visitor. Hmm, who could that be? Today was a day off, so it probably wasn’t any of my pupils. Besides, pretty much all of my current students were children, so they were more likely to charge in without giving a proper greeting.

“Excuse me.”

“Yes, yes, who is it?”

I stood up—my hips had seemed to grow heavier and heavier over the years—and opened the dojo’s door. Standing outside was a beauty with dignified features. Her long silver hair fluttered behind her.

“It’s been a long time, Master.”

“Umm, are you perhaps...Allusia?”

Her noble expression loosened into a gentle smile. “Yes, Master. It’s good to see you again.”

Right. So why in the world was the great commander of this nation’s knights all the way out here in the sticks? Seriously, why? Showing up in person like this was obviously going to shock an old man.

Barely keeping those thoughts to myself, I said, “It really has been a long time. I hardly recognized you.”

“You haven’t changed at all, Master.”

I suddenly found myself in a boy-meets-girl situation in a countryside dojo. How easy life would be if I could only sum it up like that? However, I was far too old to be considered a boy, and Allusia wasn’t so young that she could be called a girl. She was still a beauty, though. I was unfortunately past the age where I could live with such romantic dreams in my head.

In the north of the Galean continent was our nation, the Liberis Kingdom. The capital city was called Baltrain—there, the Liberion Order, which directly served the monarchy, had its headquarters.

And now, the new commander of said Liberion Order, Allusia Sitrus, was standing before me.

During her time at our dojo, she’d been diligent and talented, possessing a gentle personality. As a little girl, she’d been good enough to replicate my swordsmanship by watching and imitating me. She’d also had a talent for taking care of others—I remembered that she used to trouble herself with her fellow pupils. All in all, she’d been really put together, which had seemed so refreshingly mismatched to this dojo in the middle of nowhere.

Allusia had attended my dojo for a period of about four years. In terms of age, she’d been here from twelve to sixteen, and during that time, she’d absorbed pretty much everything I could teach her. Looking to further devote herself to her improvement, she’d left this remote region—the village of Beaden—and had made her way to the capital, Baltrain.

“It’s been quite a while since I visited the dojo,” she muttered, a clear air of nostalgia in her voice. “The same goes for Beaden...” She peered past me, looking inside the dojo from the entrance.

“You’re right. How many years has it been now?”

Allusia hadn’t been born in this village. After hearing rumors about our dojo from somewhere or other, she’d made her way to Beaden along with her parents. According to what I’d heard, her parents were merchants, and their nice clothes had offered a glimpse of their wealth. They’d apparently wanted their beloved daughter to acquire the bare minimum skills needed to protect herself. One thing had led to another, and they’d extended their stay, allowing her to attend our dojo for four years.

Of course, it was strange for the daughter of merchants to become a knight commander. I had no clue how that’d happened. Incidentally, I wasn’t one to pry regarding my pupils’ birthplaces and such. If they were minors, I verified what I had to, but fundamentally, I never refused anyone who came to our doorstep. As long as they paid the monthly tuition fee, I had no complaints.

“Oh, yes, have you been reading my letters?” Allusia asked.

“Yeah, I have. Looks like you’ve been enjoying a good life.”

Ever since leaving the dojo, she’d sent me letters once every few months. By reading them, I’d been able to catch a glimpse of her day-to-day. I hadn’t, however, gotten the slightest inkling that she’d pay me a sudden in-person visit. Actually, if she’d been planning to drop by, I would’ve preferred that she inform me in one of her letters. Having such a big shot show up on my doorstep out of the blue was a huge shock for this old man.

She’d grown so much compared to my last memory of her. After giving it some thought, I figured that Allusia was now in her midtwenties—she was likely approaching the age of enrichment in both mind and body. She seemed to have quieted down a lot compared to the young girl I’d first met, even giving off a tranquil impression. Her facial features were more dignified than before, and her body was now that of a woman. It showed how healthily she’d grown since leaving the dojo.

As I observed my former pupil, my eyes fixed on the weapon at her hip. “I see you still have that sword...”

“Yes. It’s the precious blade you honored me with, Master.”

Allusia wasn’t currently wearing the gallant armor of a knight commander. Clad in a leather jacket, her garb was much more casual. Regardless, she kept a sword at her waist as a symbol of her duty—and it was a blade I recognized. I’d given it to her as a farewell gift when she’d left the dojo.

“I’m pretty sure a knight commander can easily get her hands on a much nicer sword,” I said.

“The definition of a good sword differs from person to person. This one’s good for me. This is my sword.”

“I see...”

Oh man. That made me happy, but it was still a bit much to hear. Realizing that my former pupil held such unexpectedly heavy emotions for her sword weirded me out a tiny bit. Still, I guess it wasn’t bad that she had an attachment to my farewell gift.

Pretty much all the kids who graduated from my dojo received a sword. I would’ve preferred to get them a nicer blade, but unfortunately, we didn’t have a stash of high-quality swords out here in the sticks. There was a limit to both quantity and quality, after all. We had a blacksmith in the village, but his skills and equipment were that of a so-so village smith, so I couldn’t expect masterworks from him.

I didn’t remember how many people I’d given swords to, exactly. I’d basically handed them out willy-nilly as farewell gifts. If I saw a former student with one of my swords in person, maybe I’d be able to identify them, but I wasn’t sure—if, like with Allusia, it’d been years since they’d been at the dojo, it would probably take me some time to remember. After all, more pupils meant more money, and I’d made enough money to fund ordering and gifting swords to all of them. It was no surprise that I couldn’t immediately recall every last student.

“S-So? What brings you here today?” I asked. “I don’t believe you ever mentioned anything about stopping by.”

Casting aside my idle thoughts, I focused on Allusia once more. I tried recalling the content of her letters, but I couldn’t remember her mentioning that she was planning a visit. Or, maybe I could. Now that I thought about it, she had written something like, “Now that I have the opportunity to speak with pivotal figures of the nation, like nobles, I’m working a lot more. However, good things have happened too. Please look forward to it.”

I’d figured she would send a follow-up report in another letter, but here she was in person. It was far beyond my expectations.

“Oh, right,” she said. “As a matter of fact, there’s something I simply must inform you of.”

“H-Hmm. What’s that?”

She maintained her smile. Actually, it seemed even deeper than before. It was a truly refreshing smile, without a hint of shadow hanging over it; however, after the ebb and flow of heavy emotions regarding her farewell sword, a part of me sensed something unsettling hiding beneath. Maybe it was just my imagination.

Anyway, what good news might she want to tell me face-to-face? Hmm, I couldn’t even begin to guess. If she’d gotten promoted even further, that was exactly the type of thing to notify me of by letter. But since she was here in person, it probably had something to do with me too—what matter could possibly involve an old man in his forties who lived out here in the sticks?

“To tell the truth, in addition to my duties as the knight commander, I’ve been given the honor of serving as the order’s swordsmanship instructor.”

“Hmm, that’s pretty impressive.”

Allusia was amazing. She’d likely devoted herself to her training even more since leaving the dojo, taking her abilities to greater heights. Frankly, by becoming a knight commander, she’d already proved that she had the skills to match the title.

“Upon my appointment, I recommended you for a position as a special instructor to the order. I’ve now received official approval.”

“Huh...?”

What did she just say? Thought I heard something weird a second ago. Ha ha ha—must be going senile in my old age.

“H-Hang on a sec. Can you repeat that?”

“Yes. I recommended you for a position as a special instructor for the order and have received approval. I’ve come here to inform you of such.”

“Hmm?”

Why? Why a position like that? I was nothing more than an old sword teacher at a dojo out in the sticks. Why would anyone send me to Baltrain as a special instructor for knights who carried the weight of the nation on their shoulders? That was far too much of a burden for me. What a nice joke. I had thought Allusia was the serious type, so it was a surprise to see that she’d throw around a gag like this.

I decided to check just one more time. “Wait...seriously?”

“What do I achieve by lying about this?” Allusia replied, her expression turning just a little peevish. “I don’t believe it’s the slightest bit strange considering your strength, Master.”

Despite her assurance, I still felt like this offer couldn’t be real. “So you say, but my abilities don’t amount to much.”

“Again with the humility.”

It wasn’t humility—I was telling the truth. It’s not like I thought I was weak or anything. If I was, I wouldn’t have any interest in swordsmanship, and I wouldn’t be able to serve as an instructor. Still, it felt far too inappropriate for me to teach the famed knights of the Liberion Order.

I had no idea what exactly a special instructor did, but taking the title at face value, I could at least guess that it involved guiding their swordsmanship. But...teaching swordplay among the elite of the elite? Me? She had to be messing with me. This whole situation came off as a malicious prank.

“Anyway...” I continued. “I’m surprised the order approved something like this.”

Right. Say that Allusia had massively overestimated my abilities. Her recommendation alone wouldn’t be enough to decide the teacher for such an important position. I had no idea how affairs related to a knightly order were managed, but at the very least, the organization wasn’t so simple that she would be able to make changes at her own discretion.

The fact that I’d been successfully approved meant that someone, maybe even the organization itself, had seriously considered Allusia’s recommendation. An enormous part of me wanted them to rescind this decision right away. However, the fact that they’d examined my credentials and cleared the recommendation meant that some tremendous idiot had been making the final call. Going right up to that person and giving them a good punch would be far too unrealistic, but I at least wanted to know how this had gotten approved.

“It wasn’t particularly difficult,” Allusia answered. “A good number of your former pupils have joined the order’s ranks. Besides, your swordsmanship is rather famous. You’ve gained a solid reputation as the Backwater Swordmaster, the man who has turned out many famous knights and adventurers. I’d rather omit the ‘Backwater’ part, but...um, Beaden isn’t exactly prosperous by the nicest standards, so...”

“That’s real funny,” I said, not a hint of amusement in my voice.

I couldn’t even laugh. Who were they calling the “Backwater Swordmaster”? The first half was correct, but the second half was a major inconsistency. I’ll say it again and again: I’m nothing more than a humble instructor at a dojo. Even if I was somewhat more skilled with a sword than the average person, I was no living legend or hero. I was just an old country bumpkin, and I couldn’t possibly become a swordmaster.

But Allusia was insistent, and she seemed to be growing a bit pouty at my denial. “I keep telling you that this is neither a lie nor a jest...”

“A-Aaah, sorry. It just doesn’t feel real to me.”

I wasn’t exactly trying to improve her mood, but she didn’t seem to be lying, so at the very least, there was no point in criticizing her. Though she was, in fact, seriously guilty of something: recommending the likes of me in the first place.

“Mrgh. Master, have you grown timid since I left the dojo?” Allusia asked.

“Not at all. Now, just as before, I’m nothing more than a humble man.”

She seemed to have an awfully high opinion of my skills, but that just didn’t sit right with me. It didn’t exactly feel bad, but when I thought about how she considered me to be better than I actually was...it made me fret.

“Let’s just say that everything we’ve talked about is true. What’ll happen to the dojo?” I asked. “I still have a lot of pupils. I can’t just suddenly move.”

If things had already gotten approved, I couldn’t do much about it. Still, there were many things I had to realistically consider. As mentioned, I’d been running this dojo for many years, and as an institution, this school had been going for generations. Though, because I wasn’t married, it was possible that the tradition would end with me anyway. Regardless, I couldn’t part with the dojo out of the blue. That would be far too irresponsible, and my dad wasn’t at the age to be swinging a sword around anymore.

“I know. That’s why the position is as a special instructor,” Allusia said. “There’s no need to remain stationed with the order. You can simply come to Baltrain a few times a month.”

“I-I see...” Was that really okay for a special instructor?

“So, to work out your upcoming schedule, I’d like you to come to the capital with me. A carriage is prepared for us outside the village.”

“Right now?!”

“It’s a day off for the dojo, isn’t it?”

“Ah, um, it is, but...”

She was right, but still... And also, it was a little scary that she still remembered our dojo’s schedule. Crap. Things were moving too fast. Was it really all right for me to just accept this job? Had I overlooked anything? Was it fine for me to do as Allusia had said and settle into this inexplicable special instructor position? Actually, did I even have the right to refuse an appointment from the order? How much legal force did this recommendation have?

This stream of questions dominated my mind. Allusia was fundamentally a good girl—there was no mistaking that. Even if she’d only been my student for a short four years, I could guarantee her good character. Had she always been this overbearing, though? Among my pupils, she’d been one who’d grown more emotionally attached to me. She’d been easy to teach and had absorbed everything quickly. That was exactly why I’d given her a sword as a farewell gift.

I stared at her, these vague thoughts running through my mind. Suddenly, Allusia seemed to remember something—her expression changed, and she pulled several letters from her pocket.

“Oh, right,” she said, holding them out. “This is a letter of appointment stamped with the royal seal, and this is your employment contract.”

“Ah, yup, okay.”

No doubt about it. That right there is the king’s seal. This is the kinda thing I absolutely have to obey, dammit. No refusing it, dammit. Allusia, you little...

◇

Surrendering myself to the clattering and shaking carriage, I peered out the window. The scenery didn’t really change as we traveled. Gently sloping plains continued alongside the road, and I caught glimpses of mountains far off in the distance. Once in a while, a river or the like freshened up the scene, but this road was a little too long to be admiring a nearly constant view. Beaden was as rural as rural got. We were able to live normal lives, and we didn’t want for anything, but you definitely couldn’t call it lively. As such, the land from the edge of the village to the beginning of the capital’s urban sprawl was nothing but identical backcountry emptiness.

“It’s been a while since I’ve visited the capital,” I mumbled out of the corner of my mouth, immediately bored by the view.

Allusia sharply picked up on my quiet remark. “You’ll have many more opportunities to do so from now on.”

She was sitting next to me, and to be honest, her profile was very picturesque. She had long silver hair and almond-shaped eyes. Her noble features made her seem like a statue that’d come to life. Compared to my last memory of her, she was far more womanly and composed...though that phrasing minimized how much she’d really grown. She’d always had good looks, but now, she was an astounding beauty. I wasn’t going to have any wicked thoughts about my former pupil, though.

My mind turned to the Liberion Order. They were famous for having an extremely strict selection test for recruits. Even living out in the sticks, I knew about it, so that just went to show how prestigious the knights were.

The order was the symbol of Liberis, so naturally, they had plenty of history and social standing. They were also the greatest military force under the kingdom’s command, and taking into consideration their immense skill, they served as a deterrent in the nation’s diplomatic strategy.

In terms of simple martial might, skilled mercenaries or remarkable adventurers were around the same level, but those groups weren’t under the jurisdiction of the kingdom. There were also those who favored Liberis and might help the country out in a pinch, but they couldn’t necessarily be relied on in a time of emergency.

A Liberion knight had a wide range of official duties, from maintaining public order in the city to subjugating large monsters. They were tremendously popular among the citizens. A large number of those who’d knocked on our dojo’s door had done so aiming to join the order. Though, I didn’t know how many of those had successfully gotten in.

Anyway, half the reason a bumpkin like me was so well-informed about this stuff was that publicity about the Liberion Order had reached as far as the backcountry. The other half of my knowledge had come from Allusia’s letters. Each and every time I received a large bundle of paper from her, I questioned where she found the time to write so much. After all, she was the order’s commander.

Because it was a hugely important organization to the country, its commander needed to have outstanding abilities, popularity, and character to suit the position. Was Allusia a woman befitting of such a heroic reputation?

“So, um, about what Mordea mentioned...” Allusia said, perhaps reading the intent of my earlier mumblings.

“Aah, he was just fooling around. Don’t worry about it.” Mordea was my dad’s name. He was in the latter half of his sixties but was still very energetic in both body and mind. His lower back had been bothering him every now and then, though.

The trip to the capital was actually fairly lengthy—it took the carriage half a day just to get there. Even if this was a day off for the dojo, I couldn’t suddenly leave the house for that long, so I’d explained the situation to my dad. There was no point in lying, so Allusia had accompanied me to go over the details, but...

“Ha ha ha ha! Well isn’t that an honor?! Go find yourself a wife in the city while you’re at it. How about that fine beauty right next to you?”

So he’d said. He really lacked any sense of tact whatsoever. Even now, I was truly astonished at how he’d managed to bag my mom with a sense of humor like that. I knew he was worried about me living as a bachelor at my age, but trying to pair me with Allusia was pretty questionable. In terms of looks, status, and abilities, she far exceeded me in every way.

“I see... He was fooling around? I don’t really...” Allusia mumbled.

“Hm? You say something?”

“No. Don’t mind me.”

“That so? Seriously, sorry about my old man.”

After apologizing for my family’s shameful behavior, I once more directed my gaze to the scenery. Not to condone anything my dad said, but this was a rare trip out to Baltrain. It was probably fine for me to let loose to a certain extent.

Setting aside having a fateful romantic encounter or anything like that, it was probably best to buy my parents a souvenir or two. While I was at it, it didn’t sound like a bad idea to acquire a nice sword. I no longer had any opportunities to swing a sword aside from training, but it was still ideal to have a quality weapon. It wasn’t like I had any other real hobbies, and as a boring old man in his forties who’d only ever lived for the sword, I had nobody besides my family to buy gifts for. So, you could say I had no reason to spend money on anything else—no point in tucking away more money in my pocket than I needed.

“Oh yeah, what’re we doing once we reach the capital?” I asked.

“First, I’ll introduce you to the members of the order. After that, we’ll work out your schedule for coming in and teaching lessons. Then, if we have the time, I think I’d like you to watch a little of our training.”

“Got it. My old man will get noisy about this visit, so if we have the time, I’d like to get him a—”

She cut me off. “Let’s work out those details immediately after we arrive. I’ll guide you to the stores.”

“S-Sure.” It felt like she was answering my questions before I could even ask them. Kinda scary...

I was a little nervous at the opportunity to see the knights’ training so soon, but their skill wasn’t something I could get a handle on until I got there and took a look for myself. There was no stopping the hands of the clock, nor was there any way of turning them back. Leaving all future problems to the future me, I decided to focus on the fun stuff.

This was a rare opportunity to be accompanied by a tremendous beauty, one who was practically wasted on me. Honestly speaking, there were the slightest—well, actually, tremendous—hints of some pretty shady things going on, as I still wasn’t convinced that I qualified for the special instructor position. But regardless, she was my cute former pupil.

“Speaking of souvenirs, does Mordea like anything in particular?” Allusia asked.

“Yeah. Despite his age, my old man has quite the taste for steamed buns, so...”

And like that, until our carriage arrived in Baltrain, I indulged myself in meaningless banter with Allusia.

◇

“So, Mr. Beryl Gardinant will be collaborating with us as a special instructor for the order. I expect all of you to devote yourselves to your training even more than before.”

The dignified voice I heard next to me was coming from Allusia Sitrus. Unlike when we’d been chatting just moments ago, her tone now was commanding and heavy. Was this what people called a formal voice? It would be hard for me to replicate.

There were dozens—maybe over a hundred—members of the order standing before me. They all wore identical sets of gleaming silver plate armor, exerting an incredibly oppressive presence. The knights were made up of men and women of a wide range of ages, but at a glance, none were as old as I was. That made sense. It would be difficult to be a knight in your forties when your body started to genuinely deteriorate. I’d want to spend my days lazing around in the countryside too, not on the front lines of conflict.

“Mr. Gardinant is strong enough that I’m not even worth considering as his opponent. Be sure to focus all your energy on your training.”

That was really going too far, but I didn’t want to draw any unnecessary attention by cutting in. I was already exposed to all their eyes—interjecting would’ve been far too much for me.

Even among all my pupils, Allusia was exceptionally talented and had learned very quickly. That was why I’d recognized her relatively quickly, despite how long it’d been since I’d seen her. She’d left that much of an impression as a pupil, though I was sure she’d long surpassed me by now.

“Master, if you would, offer a word to the knights.”

After losing myself in a few moments of reminiscence, the conversation suddenly turned to me. Huh? Seriously? I hadn’t come up with any kind of speech. If Allusia had expected me to speak, some advance notice would’ve been nice.

Not that there was any way for me to voice my complaints. So, I did just as Allusia requested. Somehow, I avoided all the eyes that were focused on me and put together a greeting.

“Uh... Just as you’ve heard, I am Beryl Gardinant. I don’t know how much my techniques will be of use to you, but I’ll do my best to provide you with what assistance I can. I look forward to working with you.”

After my greeting, the knights’ gazes focused even harder. Hmm, looks like eighty percent are doubtful and twenty percent hopeful. Among the doubtful eyes, some even surpassed skepticism and entered the realm of hostility.

Maybe it really was unreasonable to appoint me as a so-called special instructor... This old man was getting worried. Though considering everything, I also felt like it was pretty weird for any of their expressions to be hopeful. Several optimistic gazes came from vaguely familiar faces. I wasn’t confident I could identify them individually though, so considering the mood in the room, I decided not to call out to any of them. They were probably my former pupils, but it’d be embarrassing if I was wrong.

From my arrival in Baltrain, to my trip to the Liberion Order’s office, to being introduced in front of everyone, everything had thus far gone smoothly. There’d been four of five knights standing guard outside the building, but as the knight commander, Allusia had gotten through by simply being recognized. For some reason, that had even extended to me, and they’d allowed me to pass without any questions. The knight commander sure was amazing.

We hadn’t spent any time going around the capital after our arrival—we’d gone straight to the order’s office—but just looking at the streets as we passed was enough for me to understand how prosperous this place was. There’d been plenty of pedestrian traffic on the wide, carefully paved roads, giving me a glimpse of how lively things were here. We’d parked the carriage at what I assumed to be a carriage stop, and nearby, I’d spotted what looked like souvenir shops. The plan was to have Allusia guide me there later.

It went without saying that this environment was vastly different from Beaden. It was ridiculous to compare a village in the sticks to the capital, but I just couldn’t help myself.

Allusia spoke once more, and my mind snapped back to the room full of knights. “We’ll be working out the training schedule,” she announced. “All of you, return to your duties.”

With that, the meeting was apparently over. I’d felt restless with all those eyes on me, so I was grateful that it’d ended quickly.

“Master, shall we?” Allusia said, her tone suddenly gentle.

“Aah, mm-hmm.”

Apparently, she didn’t feel the need to use her formal voice anymore. There’d been a certain majesty to it, which suited her well. She really had become an outstanding woman.

“C-Commander! Hang on a tick!”

Just as I thought we were going to leave this place, which looked like a central plaza of some sort, one of the knights ran over to us in a fluster.

“Kewlny, quietly now. A knight must always remain composed.”

The knight called Kewlny gave an energetic “Yes, ma’am!” before turning toward me. She had dazzling light-brown hair cut in a short bob, and she gave off a very cheerful impression. Lookswise, she seemed to be a few years younger than Allusia. Her eyes were blue—their large and cute shape made her seem even younger and more energetic. She was far shorter than Allusia too. Quite frankly, you could call her petite. All in all, she gave off the impression of a friendly puppy. This image was something I remembered well.

“Kewlny?” I asked. “I’m glad to see you’re doing well.”

“Yup! Long time no see, Master!”

This girl—Kewlny Crucielle—was also a graduate of our dojo. She’d only spent two years there, even less time than Allusia, but her energy and affability remained so strong in my memories that I couldn’t forget her.

I hadn’t given her a sword as a farewell gift. She’d had a knack for swordsmanship, but two years hadn’t been enough for me to teach her everything. Though, being the order’s instructor, I would probably have the opportunity to train her personally again. If possible, it would be nice to watch her progress until I could hand her the sword I hadn’t given her back then.

“So you’ve become a splendid knight. I’m proud of you.”

“N-Not at all!” she stammered. “I’ve still got a super long way to go!”

Kewlny’s passion for joining the order had been even more apparent than Allusia’s. I clearly remembered her shouting, “I’m definitely gonna get into the Liberion Order, just you wait!” while enthusiastically devoting herself to her training. It turned out her dream had come true. I couldn’t have asked for more.

After I honestly praised her, she waved her hands about in a panic. I was vividly reminded of the familiar sight of an invisible tail wagging about. Yup. A puppy. Kewlny really was a salve for the heart.

“Kewlny, we have business to attend to. Return to your duties.”

Oh, Allusia had switched back to her formal voice. She did have a point, but...our business was to go look around for souvenirs. This old man wanted to get all the scheduling nonsense out of the way so that he could treat himself to some sightseeing.

“Ah, sorry... Master! Do you have any time later today?” Kewlny asked.

“Hm? Let’s see... If there’s time, I’d like to take a look around town,” I answered.

“Th-Then! I can go—”

“I’ll be guiding him,” Allusia said, sharply cutting her off. “Kewlny, hurry up and return to your duties.”

Why are you always jumping to your reply before people finish talking?! Kewlny is so scared! She’s like a wet puppy in the rain!

I decided to keep those thoughts to myself and instead offered some placating words. “Aah... Kewlny, that’s how it goes, so...”

I don’t really know how it goes...but I guess that’s just how it goes. Allusia’s pressure was just a little too strong. It looked like there wasn’t going to be an opportunity for the three of us to enjoy a shopping trip together.

“Erk, okay...” Kewlny’s head hung in a crestfallen manner for a moment, but then her cheerfulness took over once again. “Master! Baltrain is a great place, so enjoy yourself!”

“Yeah, thanks.” The speed at which she’d changed gears was the same as when she’d attended our dojo.

“Then Master, let’s go,” Allusia said.

“S-Sure. See you later, Kewlny.”

After parting ways with my petite former pupil, Allusia led me out of the order’s office. Baltrain’s central district, where the office was located, was home to many government facilities. We didn’t really have the time to go around at a leisurely pace today, but I did want to take a slow stroll around the capital one day.

A short while after leaving the office with Allusia, the two of us walked over to the line of souvenir shops near the carriage stop.

“This shop handles confections and the like,” she said. “It’s fairly popular among the order too.”

“Hmm, confections? Not bad.”

Anyway, I still felt bad for Kewlny. If I had time later, maybe it’d be nice to accompany her on a tour around town. Though, the thought kinda conjured the image of taking a dog for a walk...

“That’s Allusia for you... We’re attracting a ton of attention,” I remarked.

“The Liberion Order is very well recognized among the populace,” Allusia replied, not appearing the least bit nervous.

I could tell she was acting just like she always did—in a good way. It hadn’t been all that long a walk from the order’s office to the souvenir shops, but her beautiful looks and popularity stood out tremendously in Baltrain. A good number of the people we passed on the streets turned to look. Naturally, the majority of those gazes were filled with respect or admiration, but some were also filled with curiosity.

“Anyway, isn’t it rough walking around with someone like me?” I asked.

“Not at all. You’re overthinking things, Master.”

Most of the curious attention was directed at me. I understood why—the well-known knight commander of the Liberion Order was walking around with a boring old man. It was bound to attract attention. No one tried to strike up a conversation, but I felt a good number of curious eyes on us, even as we perused the souvenir shops.

“This is pretty much a da—”

“Hm? You say something?” I asked.

“No. Nothing. Ah, what about this?” Allusia pointed at some baked goods. I’d apparently imagined her mumbling next to me.

“Let’s see... Hm, looks tasty enough, and it should keep for a while.”

They were nice little desserts and seemed like the kind of stuff both my mom and dad would enjoy. They also scored highly for being relatively cheap. I couldn’t possibly go wrong with Allusia’s recommendation either. Not that I cared much.

With that quickly settled, I called out to the shopkeeper, “Excuse me! I’ll have two of these.”

“Right away! Thanks for the business!” he replied energetically, quickly putting the goods in a bag while stealing glances at me and Allusia.

As I thought, a beauty of her caliber was really mismatched with such an old man.

After paying up and wondering what to do next, I figured I’d go and look for a sword or something. After all, we had the time. Suddenly, from behind us...

“To think, the nation’s great knight commander is out shopping with a man. My, how you’ve fallen.”

The voice was awfully hostile. Allusia also seemed to hear it, and the two of us turned around pretty much simultaneously.

“Lysandra...” Allusia murmured. “What do you want?”

“Oh, nothing really. I was just thinking about how much spare time you must have.” The woman named Lysandra maintained her haughty attitude. As she continued to glare at Allusia, both her tone and expression remained overbearing and hostile.

I looked her over. She was taller than Allusia—her height was actually comparable to mine. That made her pretty tall for a woman. Her scarlet hair was like a blaze, and it was cut at shoulder length. Matching that, her red eyes flared with light, much like a roaring fire. Her beauty was that of someone with an unyielding spirit. To put it bluntly, she was like a handsome man with breasts.

She had two wide scabbards hanging from her waist, likely housing broadswords. Did this mean she was a practitioner of a dual-sword style? That was pretty rare. Her breastplate seemed to heavily favor practicality, and while it didn’t have the splendor of a Liberion Knight’s armor, it gave her the bearing of a warrior. Also adorning her chest was a black plate that signified her status.

On the Galean continent, there was an occupation known as adventuring. People who did this for a living fell under the jurisdiction of an organization called the adventurer’s guild, which spanned borders and covered an even wider breadth of activities than knightly orders. From errands for the common populace, to escorting merchants, to exterminating monsters, to investigating ruins and dungeons, to even going on quests in unknown lands, adventurers traveled all over the world without being confined to the concept of national identity. Being an adventurer could be numbered among the most sought-after dream jobs in the world.

Not everyone was capable of chasing that dream, however. The guild assigned ranks based on an adventurer’s abilities. Fundamentally, it was impossible to take on a quest higher than your rank. This was to prevent people from getting heavily wounded or dying from attempting something beyond their capabilities. The only way to raise your rank was the slow and steady way: by finishing jobs and passing a promotion exam set by the guild.

From lowest to highest, those ranks were white, bronze, silver, gold, platinum, ocean, and black. I glanced at the woman’s plate once more, and my eyes widened. Black! Seriously?! Black plate! This was my first time seeing someone of this rank in person. Lysandra was super strong.

Adventurers had dropped by Beaden before, but the highest rank we’d ever seen in the sticks was gold. There were very few adventurers at ocean ranks or above to begin with, and they tended to travel all over the world handling the toughest jobs. It was pretty much impossible to spot one randomly.

“Can you stop trying to find faults in me?” Allusia said. “I properly fulfill my professional duties.”

“Hmph. I wonder about that. You can’t see any of the world when you’re holed up in the capital all the time, you know?”

Their conversation kept escalating, though they ignored me completely. It seemed this Lysandra woman didn’t see Allusia—or rather, the order itself—in a good light. I didn’t know why that was, but I wanted a little sympathy for being stuck between what were probably two of the strongest swordswomen in the world. The pressure I felt coming off them was nothing to laugh at.

“We don’t exactly have time to lounge around here. Master, let’s go,” Allusia said. She didn’t seem keen on putting up with this and likely wanted to bring the conversation to an early end.

“S-Sure,” I replied. I didn’t really enjoy being glared at by a black rank adventurer anyway, so I obediently went along with her.

“Hmph, it looks like you pulled this man off the streets. Why’re you calling him your mas...ter?”

For the first time since she’d shown up, Lysandra’s eyes met mine. The sharp glare she’d been directing our way rapidly turned to one of bewilderment and confusion.

Huh? What? Had I done something? I was pretty sure I hadn’t. I was just here to buy baked goods. There was no reason to make any kind of face at me.

“Huh? Um... Master...Beryl...?”

“What?”

Hang on. I wasn’t acquainted with any handsome hunks who happened to have breasts.

In the spur of the moment, I stammered out, “Y-You must be mistaken...” I knew immediately that it hadn’t been the right thing to say—it was pretty rude to accuse someone of that when they saw your face and called you by name.

“N-No! There’s no way I’d mistake you for someone else!” Lysandra insisted, running up to me.

Whoa. Crap. I seriously had no memory of her. Since she was calling me “Master,” she must have studied under someone, but I didn’t remember ever teaching swordsmanship to such a lively-looking woman. She was probably, no, definitely mistaken. Beryl was a pretty common name, so she must’ve been thinking of someone else.

More importantly, the pressure of being so close to the highest rank of adventurer was overwhelming. Her face drew close. It felt like my knees were going to buckle.

“Sorry, I don’t recall anyone like you,” I said.

“N-No way... You don’t remember me...?” Lysandra asked, her bewildered eyes now colored with a hint of despair.

Not that there was anything I could do when she looked at me like that—I simply had no memory of her.

“It’s been twenty years already... But still...!” Lysandra mumbled, slumping her shoulders.

Twenty years... That was pretty long ago. It was just around the time I’d risen to the position of instructor at the dojo, so someone else must’ve also taught her. After all, at that time, I’d been so desperate to do well at my new teaching position.

As I thought back on such things, Lysandra grabbed my shoulders firmly.

“Master, it’s me,” she said, her voice quiet but her expression frantic. “It’s Selna Lysandra. Do you remember picking up a shabby child long ago and teaching her how to use a sword?”

“Hmm?”

A shabby child...? Selna?

“Ah.”

Was she... Could she be...?

It had, in fact, happened just around twenty years ago. One day, when I’d been patrolling around the village, I’d discovered a small child covered in wounds, dragging her leg as she struggled toward the village. There’d been no adults in sight. Judging that this was no trivial matter, I’d taken her in, but with no guardians to contact, I’d ended up raising her for a while.

Our dojo had trained quite a lot of pupils during my dad’s age, so we’d had some leeway with our expenses. It hadn’t been a problem for us to raise a child. Plus, it wasn’t like we could’ve just abandoned her, and seeing how I didn’t have any kids of my own, my parents had fawned over her quite a lot.

I figured that she’d been the daughter of some merchant or traveler. The wounds she’d suffered hadn’t been from a squabble or anything—they’d come from monsters or wild beasts. In this age, while such a thing wasn’t exactly commonplace, it wasn’t all that rare either—especially out in the country.

The girl had been in really low spirits, so as a change of pace, I’d had her join the kids at the dojo to take lessons. She’d been so docile. When I’d asked her name, the only thing she’d said in return was “Selna.”

Still, she’d taken an interest in the sword and had faithfully devoted herself to my instruction. I hadn’t seriously intended to train her, but having lost her parents, she’d had nothing else to throw herself into. The sight of her tackling something so passionately, as if she’d been trying to shake off the sorrows of her past, had brought a tear to my eye.

She’d spent about three years in my care. During a trip to the capital, my dad had talked to an organization that handled such cases. For a while, after she left the dojo, I’d prayed that she had gotten adopted and would live a good life.

All of this had happened a good while before Allusia had started attending our dojo.

“Are you maybe...that Selna?” I asked.

“Yes! The same Selna you picked up and taught how to use a sword!” she replied, her expression brightening in an instant.

Seriously? There was no telling how one thing could lead to another in this world, huh?

“Man, I didn’t recognize you at all,” I said. “I’ve met a few of my pupils since coming here, including Allusia, but you’re totally beyond recognition.”

I figured she’d be living a modest life in the capital. Never had I imagined that she might become an adventurer who traveled all over the world. It was a big shock for this old man. What’s more, as a child, she’d been such a docile girl. It felt like admiring flowers in the garden would’ve suited her better than fighting, so it was beyond surprising that she’d ended up looking like a ferocious lion.

“I wanted to visit Beaden and report back to you, but once I started working as an adventurer, I was never blessed with the opportunity...” Selna said. “I never thought we’d be reunited like this.”

“Don’t let it bother you,” I said. “I’m just glad to see you’re doing well.”

The pressure Selna exuded remained as strong as ever, but knowing who she was bolstered my emotions enough to handle it. Incidentally, I was hoping she would let go of my shoulders already.

“At any rate, why are you in Baltrain, Master?” Selna asked.

“Aah, about—”

“Lysandra,” Allusia cut in. “Starting today, Master Beryl has been appointed as a special instructor for the Liberion Order. He is scheduled to help with the order’s training. As such, unhand him immediately.”

Allusia! Why do you keep cutting people off and answering for them?! Well, her explanation was right, so that part was fine, but still...

“Master Beryl...training the Liberion Order...?”

“That’s right. I even have an appointment letter with the royal seal,” Allusia said.

Ow! Ow! Ow! Selna tightened her grip on my shoulders. Her strength was abnormal, living up to her reputation as a black rank adventurer. I really wanted her to let go.

Mostly because of Selna, the souvenir shop had suddenly been enveloped in a dangerous atmosphere. My sympathies went to the shopkeeper. It wasn’t really my fault or anything, but I just felt like I needed to apologize.

Selna glanced at the letter. “Tch. The royal seal? Looks like it isn’t fake, I guess.”

“What could I accomplish by lying about this?”

“S-Selna, can you let go?” I requested.

At this rate, things were going to get pretty bad...in all sorts of ways. I mean, for the last little while, Selna had been extremely close to me. She had the looks of an androgynous beauty, but from the point of view of my mental state, I was a small animal being glared at by a ferocious monster.

“A-Aah. Forgive me, Master. I wasn’t thinking,” Selna said, finally releasing me.

Well, I suppose reuniting with someone after so many years, only for them not to remember you, would be a pretty big shock. Still, to put it bluntly, she’d changed too much. It would’ve been stranger if I’d been able to figure out who she was at a glance.

“Master, now that you’re in the capital, please pay a visit to the adventurer’s guild too,” Selna said. “I’ll be able to accommodate you in all sorts of ways. If you’d like, I can even guide you there.”

Allusia shook her head. “No. He’ll be going around town with me after this, so there’s no space for you to butt in, Lysandra.”

“What? You’ve already appointed him as that special instructor or whatever you call it. You’ll be able to see him plenty after today. I, on the other hand, just reconnected with him after so many years, so the role of his escort should fall to me.”

“No. It’s been a while since he’s been to the capital, so he doesn’t have any knowledge of the area. It only makes sense for the order, who run their operations from the capital, to be the ones to guide him.”

For some reason, Allusia and Selna were now rapidly arguing without pausing to breathe.

Someone save me.

◇

“Anyway, I’m surprised you became an adventurer,” I said.

“Hee hee, it came as a surprise to me too,” Selna replied. “My current parents treat me well, but I realized a while back that I had to put the sword skills you taught me to use.”

“Lysandra, you’re too close,” Allusia cut in.

“Speak for yourself,” Selna retorted. “You’re all over him.”

“N-Now, now,” I stammered. “Let’s not fight.”

I had Allusia on the right and Selna on the left. Most people would call this having a flower in each hand, but I felt more like a tiny animal surrounded by wild beasts. The pressure crushing me from both sides was intense.

The three of us were walking together now. After leaving the souvenir shop, I’d mentioned wanting to look for a sword—this had led to Allusia and Selna arguing over who would introduce me to their favorite blacksmith.

I was, in fact, glad to see Selna again after so long. As such, I couldn’t really bring myself to part ways with her immediately. Unlike the knights who were stationed in the capital, it was rare to be able to meet with an adventurer who traveled (quite literally) all over the world. This was even more true for a black rank. Having apparently finished a request in faraway lands, Selna had returned to Baltrain, and she just so happened to have free time today. I’d ended up asking if she wanted to come along.

It would be a waste of time to fight over who should be guiding me around. I also wanted to return to Beaden within the day, so time was of the essence. However, having been so desperate to calm things down initially, I’d overlooked one factor.

“People are really staring...” Selna muttered, brushing back her red hair. “Well, I guess that makes sense.”

Yup, that was it. I’d been the one to suggest that we all go together, so I could only blame myself for being so thoughtless.

“I can’t get used to people’s eyes on us like that...” I muttered.

“Master, one day, such eyes will be directed at you alone,” said Allusia.

Selna nodded. “Though I resent it, I agree with Sitrus. Once word of your great tutelage spreads, you’ll be drowning in this level of attention everywhere you go.”

“Ha ha ha...”

The way they put me on a pedestal was insane. Great tutelage? What a good joke. I wasn’t anything that amazing, just a boring old country bumpkin. These two probably wouldn’t listen to me if I told them that, though.

I casually glanced around. All I saw were eyes, eyes, and more eyes fixed on us. The knight commander of the Liberion Order and a black rank adventurer—both top-class in terms of abilities and looks—were waiting on some geezer. Yeah, that’s bound to attract everyone’s attention.

I could hear people muttering, “It’s Knight Commander Allusia,” and “Ain’t that Twin Dragonblade Lysandra?” and “Who’s that old guy between them?” It was pretty overwhelming.

Selna had a crazy nickname too. Twin Dragonblade? So cool. As expected, she really did fight with two swords. I hadn’t taught her anything like that, so wasn’t her current strength completely unrelated to my tutelage?

“The blacksmith I’ll be introducing you to is the order’s purveyor,” Allusia said. “All of his works are of high quality, so we procure pretty much every piece of equipment from him.”

“H-Hmm. I’m looking forward to it.”

While I endured the inquisitive eyes from the passersby, we’d apparently arrived at Allusia’s recommended blacksmith. With my mind so occupied, I couldn’t even recall the path we’d taken to get here. Was this really all right?

“Ooh, if it isn’t Lady Sitrus.”

“Good day. I’d like to take a look at some swords.”

“Of course, of course.”

A muscular and affable smith peeked out from the workshop in the back alongside someone who appeared to be his apprentice.

“Oh yes, we got our hands on some quality ore recently,” said the smith.

“I see. Then, as you’ve offered previously, the order would like that ore to be used in the forging of our equipment.”

Being the knights’ purveyor was no lie. Allusia and the blacksmith started chatting about something in a lively manner. I also noted that he didn’t seem to be curious about why the three of us were here together. Maybe he’s used to having visits from bigwigs. Regardless, I was grateful for that. Such scrutinizing gazes were painful for this old man to handle, after all.

“Hmm... This is quite the blade.” I picked up one of the swords decorating the shop. It felt hefty in my hand but was very well-balanced, making the weight pleasant to handle. It was terrifically sharp too. The exquisite craftsmanship matched Allusia’s praise of the blacksmith’s work.

“Master, I see you still favor a longsword,” Selna remarked, watching me have a face-off with the blade in my hand.

“Yeah.” I held up the sword. “It’s suitable for teaching, and above all else, easy to handle.”

I was a rugged man at heart, so there was a time when I’d admired big two-handers like bastard swords or dual-wielded twin blades like the ones Selna used. Yet despite trying each style, in the end, I’d settled on the longsword. The balance and length of the blade felt just right. And, the skills needed to wield one were versatile—put another way, when you know how to use a longsword, you’re capable of applying those skills to pretty much any other sword.

The blacksmith wrapped up his conversation with Allusia, then turned to me. “Would you like to test the edge?”

Hm, a test slash, huh? Holding a nice blade did make you want to try using it. This blacksmith understood a swordsman’s feelings. His timing was perfect too—he was a damn good businessman.

“I can give it a test swing in your shop?” I asked. “If so, I accept the kind offer.”

“Yes, there’s a space for that in the back. Right this way.”

Given the chance, I really wanted to try it out, so I let the blacksmith string me along. We made our way to the back of the building.

“Master Beryl’s swordsmanship...” Allusia murmured. “It’s been a while since I’ve witnessed it.”

“Same here,” Selna agreed.

The two of them followed as if it were perfectly natural for them to do so.

Please don’t. I seriously don’t want my swordsmanship evaluated by the knight commander of the Liberion Order and a black rank adventurer...

Not that I could say that out loud. I was too scared.

The blacksmith led me to a large area in the back where several straw posts stood in a row. This probably also served as a place to test his own swords once they were complete. “Over there,” he said, pointing. “Please, go right ahead.”

“Thank you. Now then...”

Concentrate.

I held the sword straight in front of me, standing face-to-face with the straw post. A sword’s cutting edge was proportional to its wielder’s force of will.

Thinner. Thinner. Taper my spirit to its very limit.

I waited for the ripples in my mind to level out completely.

“Shah!”

My sharply tapered spirit rode the blade, and the sword passed through the post like a kitchen knife through tofu. The upper half of the post fell to the ground without putting up even a tiny bit of resistance.

Mm, so-so!

Having a well-made sword really was nice. The feedback I got from it was on a different level, and it was the right weight for me and everything. Despite only swinging it once, I was pleased. I considered buying it on the spot.

“As I’d expect, Master.”

“How wonderful. To think, you’re this good.”

Oh, I’d forgotten that those two were with me. Well, being able to let go of my surroundings and focus on swordsmanship was the whole point of concentrating. I hadn’t even registered that they were watching, but there wasn’t much I could do about that now.

“I mean, anyone with a modicum of interest in swordplay is capable of this much, right?” I asked.

These two really did praise me too much. All I’d done was cut a simple straw post. I wouldn’t go as far as saying that anyone who’d ever swung a sword around would be capable of it...but this was still a simple matter for someone with a bit of talent. Fortunately, I possessed that small bit of talent, and I had my dad to thank for that.

“Anyone can cut a straw post, yes,” said Allusia. “However, to do so this cleanly...”

Selna nodded. “It’s just as Sitrus says. I don’t recall ever witnessing such a perfectly clean cross section.”

“Oh, come on—you two are buttering me up too much.”

Their excessive praise was making me bashful. I’d managed to concentrate well today, so even by my standards, the slice hadn’t been too bad. Still, I honestly couldn’t see how it was as wonderful as they said.

“Haaah...” Allusia seemed to judge that they weren’t going to get anywhere by arguing with me, so she turned to the blacksmith. “How would you rate his swordsmanship, sir?”

Now that I think about it, he was watching too. I glanced over. Said blacksmith was staring, his eyes unfocused and his mouth stuck half-open. Was he okay? I was starting to get a little worried.

“Aaah...” After several seconds of silence, he managed to squeeze out a question. “Are you a famed swordmaster from afar?”

No, dammit! I keep saying I’m just a boring old country bumpkin!

◇

“Okay then, Master. I’ll see you another day.”

“Mm. Thanks for today, Allusia.”

We’d arrived back at the carriage stop in Baltrain. After expressing my thanks to the knight commander for attending to me for the whole day, I boarded a carriage.

Following the visit to Allusia’s recommended blacksmith, Selna had wanted to guide me to a certain smith who had ties with the adventurer’s guild. Unfortunately, there hadn’t been enough time. If I’d stayed any later, I wouldn’t have been able to get a carriage ride home.

Even if public order was relatively good in the vicinity of the capital, spending several hours on a rural nighttime road still posed a significant risk. Normally, a carriage would have an escort accompanying it after dark. But if you skipped out on the escort fee, it was possible to encounter bandits, stray animals, or worst case, monsters. Night in the backcountry was simply that dangerous.

My carriage, traveling to Beaden, had been paid for by Allusia’s status, but it was still a little too pricey to pay for an escort to accompany a nighttime trip. I couldn’t impose on her that much, and spending my own money on a guard would have tossed a fair amount of my funds out the window, so I’d refrained.

Selna had been reluctant to part ways with me, but she’d apparently gotten a summons from the adventurer’s guild—we’d said our goodbyes pretty much right after I’d tested the longsword.

I thought back to our farewell.

“Seriously, the guild admin can be such slave drivers... Master, I have to go. When you come back to the capital, I insist you drop by the guild. I plan to stay here for a while.”

“Yeah, sure thing. Stay safe, Selna.”

The adventurer’s guild, huh? That place had nothing to do with me. Beaden was too far out in the sticks for anything to happen that required the request of an adventurer—whenever a few beasts or monsters showed up, my pupils and I were able to handle things. We even had my dad around if we needed him.

I didn’t mind going to visit Selna, though. Besides, it was possible that some of my pupils had become adventurers too. So, I considered visiting the guild the next time I was in the capital.

“Right, I’ll be in your care,” I said to the driver.

“Likewise,” he replied. “The road is a little long. Just take it easy.”

I leaned back in my seat. Nobody took carriages out to the sticks at this time, so in essence, this one had been reserved just for me. Unlike on the way to the capital, I didn’t have the company of another passenger, so it was a little boring. And since it was dark, I couldn’t even direct my eyes to the passing scenery like I had during the day.

Given this, I figured I’d take a nap. There was no better way of killing time on occasions like this. I closed my eyes. Partly because of the fatigue from wandering all over the place today, I dozed off in an instant.

“Sir. Sir. We’re in Beaden.”

“Mmm...” Shaken by the shoulder, I woke up in a daze. I took a look outside and saw that the sun had completely set, giving me a hint at how long I’d been out. “Aaah, we’ve arrived?”

Mm-hmm, I slept like a rock. Well, whatever.

I turned to the driver. “Sorry about that, and thank you.”

“Think nothing of it. You must’ve been tired. Take care.”

I stepped out of the carriage, and despite having been gone for less than a day, I felt awfully nostalgic. Just visiting the capital was a significant event for me, but I’d even had touching reunions one after the other with Allusia, Kewlny, and Selna.

That was definitely worth rejoicing, but being in an unfamiliar city and meeting people I hadn’t seen for so long was also a mentally exhausting experience.

“Now then, time to get home and... Hm?”

Beaden was out in the sticks. This late at night, houses that still had their lamps on were in the minority. All the shops were closed, so at most, you’d see light coming from public lodgings. However, after walking a while and reaching my place, I spotted a glow coming from the dojo.

“That’s rare. Do we have a guest?”

Seeing a light on in my house would be one thing, but seeing one in the dojo at this time was quite unusual. I doubted that my old man had stayed up this late swinging a sword in there. Curious about what was going on, I quickly approached the dojo.

“I’m back,” I announced, sliding open the door. “Is someone here?” This was my dojo now, so there was no need for modesty.

“Yo.” My dad gave a nod of greeting. “You’re finally back.”

Next to him were some people I hadn’t expected to see: a young man and a quiet-looking woman who was holding a small baby in her arms.

“Master!” cried the young man. “It’s been a long time!”

“Hello. Thank you for your hospitality,” said the woman.

“Well, if it isn’t Randrid,” I replied. “Long time no see.”

“Yes! I’m glad to see you’re the same as always, Master!”

Setting aside the unfamiliar woman for now, I greeted the young man, who returned my greeting with vigor. He had intelligent features and short blond hair. Though he wasn’t exactly brawny, he had a good balance of muscles made for swinging a sword. He—Randrid Patlocke—was a graduate of our dojo.

If I remembered right, he was now just shy of thirty. His character matched his friendly expression, and he was pretty good with a blade too. The majority of our dojo’s pupils ranged from children to young adults, so he’d served as one of my senior students.

He was also another graduate I’d gifted a farewell sword to. After tempering his skills at our dojo for six years, he’d gone to Baltrain, saying he would become an adventurer. There was no reason for him to go out of his way to visit Beaden.

“And who is this next to you?” I asked.

“Allow me to introduce you.” Randrid turned to the woman and baby. “This is my wife, Fanery, and my son, Jayne.”

“I’m Fanery Patlocke,” she said. “I hear my husband is greatly indebted to you.”

“A pleasure to meet you. I’m Beryl.”

Fanery bowed. Seriously? Randrid got married? He was well into adulthood already, but he was still far younger than me. Seeing him married—and with a kid, even—was quite a shock.

“Anyway, what brings you here today?” I asked.

I was pretty sure he hadn’t come by just to introduce his wife and kid. If that were the case, he would’ve visited (or told us in some other way) when he got married. I couldn’t figure out why he’d come to our village at this exact moment.

“Well, to tell you the truth, once Jayne was born, I started considering retirement from the adventuring life,” Randrid said.

“Hmm...” I nodded. “I get where you’re coming from.”

Randrid was a platinum rank adventurer. Considering adventurers as a whole, that placed him above average. The general consensus was that gold ranks were full-fledged adventurers, whereas everyone beyond that was said to be talented or lucky. Naturally, luck alone wasn’t enough to carry you to platinum—achieving that rank was proof of significant effort.

I honestly thought it was a bit of a waste for him to quit. However, adventuring was a dangerous job. It was the stuff of dreams, but that dream was always accompanied by significant risk. In short, Randrid had chosen his family over his aspirations.

“I’d say it’s your choice. It’s not my place to judge. Just be sure not to regret it,” I advised.

Randrid exchanged a quick glance with his wife, then cheerfully replied, “Of course!”

It looked like he truly had no regrets. That’s great.

“So what’ll you do now?” I asked.

“About that—I’m thinking of moving here to Beaden,” Randrid answered. “It’s thanks to you that I was able to make it so far, after all. I’m here today to give my greetings.”

“Is that so?”

This village was smack-dab in the middle of nowhere, but it was a nice place to raise a family in peace. There were enough jobs to go around, and food scarcity wasn’t something that troubled any of us.

“By the way, I heard something from the grandmaster,” Randrid said. “You’ve become a special instructor for the Liberion Order, right? Congratulations!”

“Y-Yeah. Thanks.” I was a little embarrassed—being a so-called special instructor still didn’t feel real.

Incidentally, by grandmaster, he was referring to my dad. Once in a while, whenever I absolutely had to be away on other matters, my old man would still give lessons at the dojo. He had handed off the dojo to me, but I didn’t consider this as overstepping or anything. It actually helped me out a lot. I hated how little tact he had when talking about my life, but he really had it together when it came to the dojo.

“Beryl, I’ve been chatting with Randrid while waiting for you to come back,” my dad said.

“Hm? About what?”

He looked and sounded like he was having fun. In that sense, he still gave off a youthful impression. However, whenever my old man made a face like that, I just knew he was up to no good. What on earth had they been talking about?

“About the dojo,” he began. “Randrid will be looking after it.”

“Huh?”

What?

“Go settle down in Baltrain and fulfill your duty.”

“Hah?”

What?

“And while you’re at it, don’t come back until you find a wife. Gimme a grandkid already.”

“Ah?”

Whaaaaaat?!

“Wha?! Uh?!” I shouted in shock. “What’s the meaning of this, pops?!”

But my dad’s answer was indifferent. “You gotta ask? I just explained it.”

Oops. I’d forgotten that Randrid’s baby was here too. I had to avoid yelling too loudly. But still, how could I not be stunned by this? What the hell was my old man saying?

“Please leave the dojo to me,” Randrid joined in. “Though I am unworthy, I’ll perform my duties to the best of my abilities!”

“Ah, um, well, mmm...”

Randrid was a lost cause. In all likelihood, my dad had already coaxed him into this. Though the young man was my former pupil, he had a good relationship with my old man too.

“That’s the gist of it,” my dad said. “You can stay here tonight, but starting tomorrow, go to the capital and do your job.”

“I ‘can’ stay? Isn’t this my house too...?” I trailed off weakly, overwhelmed by my dad’s flippant behavior.

I knew him very well. When he was like this, he was never going to budge. His opinion was unyielding. I’d always considered the old man to be uninhibited, but I never thought he’d kick his own son out of his house.

Though I didn’t want to just allow this decision to be made for me, things had gone so far, and there was nothing I could do. It would be impossible for me to convince my dad otherwise. I really, really don’t want to accept it, though.

As all of this sunk in, I realized that I had to start packing. Fortunately, I didn’t have much to bring with me. To take it to an extreme, as long as I had a sword and traveling expenses, I could manage one way or another. I’d been appointed as a special instructor for the order too, so for the foreseeable future, I likely didn’t need to worry about my livelihood.

My dad stared at me intently. “I’m looking forward to it, Beryl.”

“I’ll refrain from asking what exactly you’re looking forward to...”

Turning my back to him, I left the dojo in low spirits, with no other choice but to return to my room.

◇

“And that’s what happened. Man, I’m at a loss.”

“That’s wonderf— I mean, terrible, isn’t it?”

The following day, after being politely driven out of my home and dojo by my dad, I found myself in front of Allusia once more. We were in a room at the order’s office. It had white walls and was furnished only with a desk and chairs. The space wasn’t exactly drab, but it was far from posh and luxurious. The fact that the order hadn’t taken to extravagance was proof of its proper management. Not that I ever imagined Allusia would embezzle funds to indulge in opulence.

I’d returned to Baltrain with my sword, all my belongings, and plenty of traveling expenses. It was a good thing I’d saved up a decent amount of money. Turns out, I’d been right not to buy that sword yesterday. I could afford it, but that one blade had a considerable price tag, which would’ve rendered my savings somewhat unreliable in the future. I never could’ve anticipated that it would turn out like this, though.

“I’ve gotta find some lodgings first,” I said. “Sorry, but I’ll need to rely on your help for this.”

“It’s fine, I don’t mind...”

Because of my dad’s personality, there was no budging him once he’d made his decision. My mom had been my last ray of hope, but apparently, she was on his side. I couldn’t exactly argue when they were both pestering me for grandkids in unison. What had I done to deserve this?

My old man had totally won over Randrid too. Randrid had given me a tremendous smile, saying, “Master! Please give it your best!” It was hard to say anything back when he was so optimistic. Fanery’s gentle eyes had also been hard to endure.

“A-Allusia? Is something wrong?”

It wasn’t like I had any special connections in Baltrain. I was seriously sorry to be taking advantage of her, but Allusia was pretty much the only one I could rely on right now. I’d come to her for advice, but she now seemed to be deep in thought. I guess it didn’t look good for the special instructor of the order to be reduced to such a predicament.

“I suppose...my house would be out of the question?” Allusia said after a long silence.

“Obviously!”

I’d been wondering about what had her so deep in thought, but that option was naturally out of the question. It would be bad in all sorts of ways for the young knight commander to be living together with an old man. I didn’t want to tarnish the order’s (or Allusia’s) reputation like that.

“Unfortunately, the order isn’t very well versed in matters such as this,” Allusia said. “An adventurer like Lysandra might know better.”

“I see. Now that you mention it...”

She had a point. Adventurers took jobs in every corner of the globe, so they were probably more familiar with finding places to stay. I’d never dropped by the adventurer’s guild before, but Selna had insisted that I visit, so if I asked, she’d probably at least tell me about someplace I could stay.

“I’d like to secure an inn within the day, so I’ll head there right away,” I said.

“In that case, I’ll show you the way. It isn’t that far from the office.”

“Thanks, that helps.”

We rose from our seats. I hefted my luggage on my back while Allusia only grabbed her sword, and we both left the office.

“It’s over there,” she said, pointing.

“That really was close.”

We soon arrived at the Liberis Kingdom’s branch of the adventurer’s guild. It truly was close to the Liberion Order’s office. We’d only walked one block down the street. It hadn’t even taken five minutes.

The guild wasn’t quite the size of the order’s office but was still on the larger side of buildings in Baltrain. Even when the building had only been a blur in the distance, I’d seen what looked like adventurers entering and exiting. Looks like business is thriving.

“Shall we?” Allusia said.

“Yeah.”

It was a little nerve-wracking to enter an unfamiliar building for the first time. Utterly ignorant of my mental state, Allusia swung the door open without any hesitation and strolled in. I followed in a fluster.

Inside was a large lobby with a counter in the middle. On either side of the counter were boards, and behind the board to the right was a staircase that led upstairs. To the left was what appeared to be a social space—there, adventurers lounged around several circular tables, just killing time.

As expected of adventurers, they didn’t give me weird looks like the people in town. Oh, but that guy just did a double take. He was probably shocked to see Allusia. She, on the other hand, ignored all such gazes and walked right up to the receptionist at the counter.

“Excuse me, could you get Twin Dragonblade Selna Lysandra for me?”

The receptionist blinked, tension and bewilderment clearly written on her face. “Y-Yes. Please wait a moment.”

Well, the knight commander of the Liberion Order didn’t normally visit the adventurer’s guild, but here she was, looking for a black rank adventurer. It would be natural to assume that some kind of major incident was on the move if the two of them were involved.

They’re actually just trying to secure lodging for an old man, though. Man, life is rough.

“Sitrus, if this is something stupid, I’ll—” Selna had descended the stairs with a somewhat annoyed look, but when she spotted me, her eyes shot open. “Master?!”

“Y-Yo, Selna. Been a day.” Never thought I’d be meeting her again right away. Feels kinda awkward to stand around in the guild like this.

“There’s nothing ‘stupid’ about my visit,” Allusia replied. “In a sense, this is of utmost importance.”

Selna’s eyes stayed fixed on me. “I didn’t imagine you’d be dropping by so soon.”

“Sorry for surprising you,” I replied. “Something unexpected came up.”

“Hmm, well, there’s no point standing around, so come upstairs. Are you coming too, Sitrus?”

“Obviously.”

I didn’t think there was anything so goddamn obvious about Allusia coming along, though. I just wanted a little help finding somewhere to stay, so why did we need a stacked roster to figure that out?

At any rate, if we were all heading upstairs, I wanted to get moving immediately. The eyes around us were staring like crazy. I was an old man coming in with the Liberion Order’s knight commander and asking for a black rank adventurer, all without an appointment. Then, the aforementioned adventurer (who was of the highest-ranking class) spoke to me with uncharacteristic amounts of reverence. This was basically as suspicious as it got.

Allusia and Selna didn’t seem to mind, but the whole thing bothered me intensely. As such, I wanted to be free of this atmosphere as soon as possible.

It wasn’t clear whether Selna could read how I was feeling, but regardless, she walked back upstairs. Taking advantage of the escape route, I followed her up. The second floor wasn’t a lobby—it was just a straight corridor with rooms lining the walls to the left and right.

“Over here. There’s a meeting room inside,” Selna said.

“You sure we can just use it?” I asked.

“It’s fine. I basically have permission to use it at my leisure during my stay.”

“That’s a black rank for you.” I shook my head in amazement. “You sure do get the red carpet.”

“It’s all thanks to your guidance, Master.”

How so? I couldn’t make heads or tails of that.

Once we’d arrived in the meeting room, Selna turned to me. “So? What is it that you need?”

“Aah, about that...”

We all took a seat and I gave her the same explanation I’d given Allusia. It was pretty embarrassing to talk about, though. Seriously, that damn old man...

“I see. If that’s the case, I know of several cheap but quality inns,” Selna said. “If possible, one close to the guild would be best in terms of public order.”

“Wait right there, Lysandra,” Allusia cut in. “Master Beryl will be going in and out of our office, and from a public order perspective, being closer to my house would be far nic— More convenient.”

“What?” Selna balked. “Are you saying that out of spite? The adventurer’s guild and the order’s office are right next to each other, so in terms of convenience, this neighborhood makes more sense.”

The two of them started up their rapid-pace arguing again, neither pausing to breathe. Frankly, I didn’t really care where I ended up. I just wanted to be introduced to some housing.

In the end, despite the short quarrel, I set up my base in Baltrain not too far from the guild and the order’s office.

◇

“This is the training hall.”

“Hmm. It sure is nice. Plenty of space too.”

The day after securing an inn, Allusia guided me to the training hall inside the order’s office. While on the topic of inns, I was staying at a cheap place just a small distance from the office and the guild—right off the main street. It was also only a short walk from grocery stands and many restaurants, and it scored points for being near some blacksmiths. I decided not to think too deeply about why Allusia was strangely sulky about it.

Also, a “cheap and quality inn” from Selna’s perspective was a “relatively pricey and nice inn” from mine. I suppose a black rank adventurer’s income was a lot higher than mine. It wasn’t too expensive for me to stay there, but if I was going to be in Baltrain for a while, I figured it would be best to keep my spending under control. The guild and office were pretty much in the middle of the city, which meant that the inns in the area were more expensive.

Selna had insisted that I could stay at a far nicer inn, but I’d pushed back, saying this was just about right for me. I didn’t really care about living in luxury. So long as my environment provided the bare necessities, I had no complaints. After all, I’d come from the sticks, so that kind of stuff didn’t bother me.

“In general, everyone trains here at their own convenience,” Allusia explained.

“Mm-hmm, seems so.”

Turning my attention back to the hall, I saw a good number of knights already devoting themselves to their practice. Some were swinging at wooden dummies, some were sparring, some were doing muscle training, and some were taking a break. They really were free to use the space at their own pace.

“Listen closely, everyone!” Allusia yelled, her powerful voice echoing through the room. All those present in the hall stopped what they were doing. “Our schedule has moved up. Mr. Beryl will be providing us with guidance starting today. I expect even more from your training henceforth.”

“Forgive me for interrupting. I look forward to working with all of you,” I added.

Oh man, their eyes were really piercing me. I’d already been introduced, but a lot of their expressions seemed to be questioning who the hell this guy was. After all, it was problematic to have some old man pop out of nowhere. Silence sank over the training hall.

Then, after a moment, a young man broke that silence and stepped over to us. “Please wait a moment, Commander.”

“Henbrits? What is it?” Allusia asked.

This man had been quietly focused on a wooden dummy earlier. He had tan skin, a prominent nose, and almond-shaped eyes. From the musculature I could see beneath his shirt, he had a well-tempered body.

“We are the proud Liberion Order,” he stated. “Our instructor must possess significant skill. I do not doubt Mr. Beryl’s abilities, but...please provide us with a demonstration of his strength.”

The man named Henbrits stared daggers into me. Well, this clears things up. He’d been the one who’d given me an awfully hostile look during my introduction yesterday. He wasn’t quite belittling me, but I could sense his strong spirit wordlessly asking, “Just who does this geezer think he is?”

“Allusia, this is...?” I asked.

“Henbrits Drout,” she answered. “He serves as the Liberion Order’s lieutenant commander.”

“Hmm, the lieutenant, huh?” I muttered. That made him a real hotshot. Scary.

“Anyway, this is a good opportunity to demonstrate your true strength, Master.”

“Huh?”

Seriously?

“Mr. Beryl, I’m well aware that this is rude, but please allow me the honor of a bout.” Henbrits passed a wooden sword to me.

No refusing at this rate—I have no choice but to go along with his request.

“This works out well,” Allusia said. “Shall we call all the other knights here too?”

“Huh?”

For real? If this went poorly, everyone might learn about my true strength and be disappointed. Not that I was concerned with keeping up appearances or anything. Still, it would be pretty embarrassing to be practically executed in front of all the knights. I couldn’t really argue, though. I was already their special instructor.

Man, life is rough.

“Are both of you ready?”

“I am.”

“I’m ready too...”

Using her authority as the knight commander, Allusia had gathered all of the off-duty knights. It seemed that the mock battle between Henbrits and I would happen in front of a fairly large crowd. Allusia was serving as the referee, though she probably just wanted a front-row seat.

As I prepared for the bout, my ears picked up on some of the chatter around me.

“Hey, what’s everyone doing here?”

“You haven’t heard? The new instructor, Beryl, is facing Lieutenant Henbrits in a mock battle.”

“Seriously? Guess I’ll get to see the lieutenant’s swordplay for the first time in a while.”

Hm. It seems like they all have a lot of faith in this Henbrits guy.

Despite his youthful appearance and behavior, it was clear that Henbrits had wholeheartedly devoted himself to the sword. It was also obvious that he had apprehensions about me appearing out of nowhere to be their special instructor. I sympathized with him in this regard. Earlier, he’d mentioned the great pride he had in the order—of course it would be difficult for him to accept an old man showing up out of the blue and milling about their ranks. If I’d been in his position, I probably would’ve thought the same thing.

“Mr. Beryl, may we have a good match,” Henbrits declared.

“Yeah, same here. Looking forward to it.”

We stood at the center of the training hall and bowed to one another. Hmm, his form is clean. I understood why his opinion of me might not be so favorable, and I could tell that he wasn’t a bad person. All around us, I felt the excited, expectant gazes of the other knights. Well, most eyes were on Henbrits. It was easy to see how popular he was with regard to his skill and character and such.

Right here, right now, the lieutenant commander of the Liberion Order was going to cross blades with me. This thrilled everyone, even if it was only a mock battle. Seriously, how did it come to this? I’m just a boring old country bumpkin. But at this point, it’s not like I could do anything to stop the challenge. I had to, at the very least, put in enough effort to avoid humiliating myself if I lost.

Concentrate.

I readied my wooden sword in front of me. Henbrits fixed me with a hostile stare—I even saw a tinge of bloodlust in his eyes. Crap, now I really have to give it my all.

“Begin!”

Allusia’s voice echoed through the training hall. Henbrits instantly and vigorously lunged toward me. My eyes tracked his movements, and the noisy clamor from our surroundings immediately vanished. It wasn’t like the crowd had fallen silent or anything—I’d just shut it all out. I was focused purely on my opponent, and the only stimuli my senses registered concerned his incoming attacks.

The waves in my mind calmed, becoming as placid as the surface of a tranquil lake. I observed him. Yup, he had a terrific fighting spirit. However, he was just a little too hotheaded.

Suddenly, Henbrits stepped in with a hardy yell. “Haah!”

Hmm. An upper thrust, but it’s a feint leading into a slash to the left torso, I guess. It wasn’t a bad move, but it left the forward leg too far out. It would be hard for him to dodge any follow-ups in the case that his attack was read or evaded.

“Shah!”

His wooden sword closed in exactly as predicted, and I intercepted his strike from above. I could’ve stepped back to dodge it, but if I had, we would’ve returned to square one. Besides, my read on him had turned out to be correct, so this was a good chance to look cool.

That greed drove me to go on the attack. The hearty thud of wooden swords colliding echoed throughout the hall. Unlike a thrusting attack, a torso strike lost a lot of strength if its trajectory was diverted in the initial phase, so I didn’t have to put much effort into my counter. After hitting Henbrits’s sword from above, I twirled the tip, diverting his weapon and pointing it in a direction that prevented him from using his full strength for another blow. My plan was to leave him completely open and throw him off-balance.

“Wha?!”

Ooh, that’s an exquisite face you’re making, Henbrits. But how unfortunate—my sword isn’t gonna give you the time to process this.

I maintained the momentum of my weapon, shearing it through the air in a straight line toward Henbrits’s neck. It would’ve been nice to follow through, but I pulled my sword right before I made contact. There was no need to finish this, after all. Besides, at the angle and speed with which I’d come at him, a strike to his exposed neck would be considerably dangerous. My read on him had just gone that well.

“Whoa, the instructor was able to counterattack? Amazing...”

“You’re kidding me... He could see the lieutenant’s slash coming?”

Oh crap. I could once again hear the chattering around me. My counter had gone so well that I’d lost a little focus—this was a failure on my part as an instructor. I have to concentrate. I can’t embarrass myself after coming this far.

The moment I lowered my sword from his neck, Henbrits charged again.

“Not yet!”

A high stance to a right shoulder strike, I think.

This approach focused on pushing through with sheer force. But he’d made another unfortunate choice: a powerful attack focused in one direction was extraordinarily weak against pressure from the side. So, I held my wooden sword vertically against his and warded off the strike from above. I had no sword guard, so I had to be careful not to get my hand caught in this. Henbrits had significant strength, so warding away his blow poorly could place me in danger.

“Hup! And...there.” I diverted his diagonal slash, twisted my shoulders, then delivered a blow from my dominant hand.

“Hrk?!”

Crap... I had meant to stop short, but I’d ended up hitting the tip of his jaw. Henbrits’s head reeled backward.

“S-Sorry! You okay?” I called out in a panic, but his eyes were still burning with fighting spirit. The fire in his gaze made it apparent that this mock battle wasn’t over.

“I-I’m fine!” Henbrits yelled.

“Hmm, that’s good.”

Great, he’s not bleeding. Still, I’d struck his jaw with my hilt at significant speed. He wouldn’t be walking away from that unscathed. He’d given me the all clear though, so apparently it wasn’t a problem. At the very least, he wasn’t visibly injured.

I took a step back to initiate a short pause. This mock battle wasn’t over, but if we reengaged right away, it looked like Henbrits would suffer a little too much damage.

“How terrifyingly fast,” he muttered. “I was pretty confident in my own speed...”

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” I replied. “But in my case, it’s more prediction based on experience. It isn’t all that impressive.”

There was no mistaking it: Henbrits’s swordplay was remarkably fast. His confidence was indeed well-founded. However, despite not being that strong, I’d accumulated significant experience when it came to crossing swords. Henbrits was still young. Being capable of such swordplay at his age was impressive, but in the realm of reading your opponent, I still appeared to have an advantage. My edge—in other words, my ability to predict his movements and counterattack—all came from years of exposure to swordsmanship.

“Here I come!” he roared.

Oops, I guess break time is over. Henbrits lightly cracked his neck, then rushed me with even more vigor, as if insisting that we were starting over. This time, he was even faster than before. He has good instincts for swordsmanship. It gave me a glimpse into his dedication, and I became aware of just how much training he likely did.

A low stance to an upward slash. Dodge it with half a step to the side.

Another step in, and a blow to the torso on the backswing. Block it with my sword.

Oh, he left his face open again. Should I go for the neck one more time? No, doing the same thing twice is a little pretentious.

Oops, here comes a spinning strike. Not a bad combo. His speed is wonderful too. I think I’ll take a page from his book and do a little twirl.

“Wha?!”

From my current position, I couldn’t see Henbrits’s face. The moment he spun, I also spun around his back. I knew he was surprised. After all, his sword had come to a stop in midair.

“That’s another.”

I brought my wooden sword down on the back of his defenseless head. A stiff thud resounded from his skull.

“Ow?!”

“Can you keep going?” I asked.

This was my first good match in a while. Maybe because of that, I was getting a little pumped up. Normally, I would never press my opponent for more.

“Of course!” Henbrits yelled, charging in for the fourth time.

And so, Henbrits and I crossed swords for a solid ten minutes. In the end, he fell to his knees, panting for breath, and accepted his loss in a truly vexed tone.

Man, that took a while. I mean, normal bouts don’t drag on this long. You’ve got crazy stamina, Henbrits.

Still, this had been my first good workout in a while. I’d somehow managed to maintain my dignity too. Not a bad result.

“W-Wow!”

“The lieutenant, of all people, couldn’t even score a single hit?!”

“What insane reaction speed...”

The moment I stopped concentrating, I heard voices all around me. Come on, it wasn’t that surprising, right? In truth, Henbrits’s speed and power were very impressive. But his movements were just a little too straightforward, so I’d simply exploited those openings to get my own hits in. I hadn’t done anything special.

“That was a splendid display, Master,” Allusia said, smiling with endless admiration.

“Aah, thanks, Allusia.” I grabbed the towel she’d suddenly held out to me and began wiping away my sweat.

“Hm-hmm.” She turned to Henbrits defiantly. “So? What do you think?”

“I’m utterly defeated,” he answered. “To think that he’s this strong... Please excuse my unimaginable rudeness, Mr. Beryl.”

“It’s fine—I don’t mind. Frankly, it makes sense to question the qualifications of a guy like me who appeared out of nowhere.”

Henbrits’s hostility was gone entirely, and the way he looked at me now was utterly different from ten minutes ago. Allusia’s triumphant expression stood out far more, though. It’s a bit...embarrassing. I kinda hoped she would stop.

“Anyway, it looks like there are things I can teach the knights,” I muttered, hoping to change the topic. “That’s a relief.”

“Again with the humility,” Allusia interjected immediately. “Everyone has a great many things to learn from you, Master.”

I wasn’t being humble or anything—I was simply an old man with a little talent for swordsmanship who had a slightly better reaction speed than the average person. This time around, my perception had easily been able to interpret Henbrits’s style.

The age gap between Henbrits and me was equivalent to the gap in experience. My manner of one-on-one strategizing wasn’t something that could be acquired over a short period of time. In all likelihood, if we’d been the same age, the outcome of our match would’ve been different. Put another way, I’d only triumphed over him because I had more years of experience.

“Everyone is already gathered, so shall we move on to receiving your instruction?” Allusia suggested.

“Sure thing,” I agreed.

I could tell that all the other knights looked at me differently now too. At the very least, things were way easier without all those dubious eyes on me. On the inside, I was no more than a boring old man, but being treated nicely was something to be grateful for. What’s more, teaching somewhere outside the dojo felt like such a fresh opportunity.

“First, I guess I’ll take a look around and try to assess everyone’s current skill level,” I said.

“Hee hee, please take it easy on them, Master.”

I glanced around the room and was met with respect, awe, and nervousness. Hmm, even if all the skeptics are gone, this is a little...

“Is everyone all right with that?” I asked the room.

“Y-Yes!” the knights responded timidly.

“Uh... You don’t need to be so stiff, okay?” They didn’t have to act so respectful either. Even if I was their special instructor now, I was no more than a humble old man.

Well, whatever. As long as we got along, they were sure to loosen up over time.

◇

“In celebration of Mr. Beryl’s appointment as our special instructor, cheers!”

“Cheers! Yay!”

After finishing our first day of training, I followed the lieutenant commander to a tavern close to the order’s office. Our group consisted of me, Allusia, Henbrits, and Kewlny. There was no point in forcing people to come to a party for some old man, so I was fine with how few people there were. And honestly, taking it easy and drinking with a small group suited my personality better.

“Sorry for having you set this up for me,” I said, taking a swig of my ale. We were all sitting at a circular table. Perhaps because the work day was just ending, men and women of all ages were seated along the counter and at the other tables.

“Think nothing of it,” Henbrits replied sincerely. “I must apologize for my earlier behavior too, so there’s no need for concern.”

Henbrits was a really serious guy. I hadn’t really minded his earlier behavior, though. I understood his feelings more than well enough, and nobody was really at fault for what’d happened. If forced to place blame, I’d probably say that this old man was at fault for nonchalantly showing up out of nowhere. Though, to be more accurate, it was Allusia’s fault for giving a huge promotion to said old man... It would probably be in poor taste to bring that up.

As such thoughts went through my mind, I casually turned to Allusia. I opened my mouth to speak, but then...

“Excuse me, I’d like more ale,” she said.

“That was quick...?!” Already on your second drink? Hang on, didn’t we just have a toast? Wasn’t your cup filled to the brim a second ago? Did it all vanish into your stomach already? That can’t be right.

“I love alcohol,” Allusia replied. “It’s delicious.”

“Th-That so?” I stammered, not really sure how to respond. “I guess it’s good to have something you like.”

The tranquil and imposing knight commander was the envy of all. As it turned out, she was also a heavy drinker. It was quite the shock for this old man.

“The commander is crazy at keeping her booze down!” Kewlny exclaimed. “I’ve never seen her lose a drinking contest.”

“That is pretty crazy.”

Don’t go having drinking contests after joining the Liberion Order, dammit. I kept that to myself though—it would’ve been a little tactless to say it here. Well, the knights weren’t causing trouble, so if they were just enjoying themselves, then that was fine. At the very least, it was hard to imagine them being a nuisance to the people here. As long as everyone was having fun in moderation, there was no point in being an old, lecturing grump. That wouldn’t make anyone happy.

“Does everyone drink a lot?” I asked, trying to get the conversation flowing. I picked at some of the fried yam—it was well salted and paired nicely with the ale. This kinda stuff is great...

“We don’t gather and drink very often, but everyone frequents the tavern on their own time,” Henbrits answered. “It’s one part of maintaining public order.” He seemed to enjoy a good drink too, judging by the hearty gulp he took from his tankard.

“I get it. If knights show up regularly, it’s hard for anyone to get up to no good.”

I’d initially thought they were all alcoholics, but it turned out that there was another facet to it. Beaden had an inn that doubled as a place to eat and drink, but there was no dedicated tavern in the village. The capital, on the other hand, had all sorts of people coming and going—combine that with the free-flowing booze you could enjoy at this watering hole, and trouble was bound to rear its head. In that sense, having the knights show up periodically was a good crime-prevention measure.

“Having the citizens’ support is vital for our work,” Allusia added, gulping down her ale at extreme speed. “It’s the reason we’re able to do our work so brazenly.”

Didn’t you just order a second drink? Your cup is already empty again... How fast can you put it away? I’m surprised you haven’t broken your body. I like a good drink too, but I can’t imitate that.

“I just sip little by little every now and then,” Kewlny said. “The commander and lieutenant both drink a ton, so I totally can’t keep up.”

Just as she’d said, she had her tankard clasped in both hands and was taking tiny, enjoyable sips of her drink. Yup. Just like a little dog. Kewlny had to be one of the biggest healing factors within the Liberion Order. I mean, she was probably a splendid knight too, but it was hard to shake off my old image of her.

“Well, it’s not my place to say anything at this point,” I said, “but keep things in moderation.” I didn’t want to witness the commander and lieutenant commander of the great Liberion Order drinking themselves dead.

“Mr. Beryl, your swordsmanship is truly astounding!” Henbrits said, his enthusiasm perhaps fueled by the alcohol. The tankard in his hand was empty, and he slammed it against the table with a thud.

“Didn’t I tell you from the very beginning?” Allusia responded immediately. “Master Beryl is very strong.” Her complexion was exactly the same as before—it was impossible to tell she’d had anything to drink. Nevertheless, there was an indescribable vigor behind her words, and she wore a triumphant expression. I really wished she’d cut that out.

“I must admit, I doubted your words, Commander,” Henbrits said. “I’m full of regret.”

“As long as you understand now.”

Somehow, this had suddenly turned into a bragging festival centered around me. Someone save me. In an attempt to forcefully change the subject before they killed me with praise, I spoke up again. “Anyway... It’s been a pretty long time since I’ve enjoyed a drink with others like this.”

On that note, I’d decided to drink at my own pace. If I tried to keep up with them, I’d be drowning in a sea of booze.

“Is that so?” Henbrits asked. “You seem like quite the drinker...”

I casually glanced around the table. Both Allusia and Kewlny didn’t say anything, but their expressions spoke to how unexpected they’d found this revelation. It was, in fact, true—I enjoyed my booze—but just imbibing wasn’t equivalent to sharing drinks in the company of others.

“I was raised in the sticks,” I explained. “We don’t have a tavern back home, and pretty much all of our dojo’s pupils are kids.”

Back in Beaden, I’d done most of my drinking alone. And when I’d had company, it’d been, at most, my dad. We’d shared plenty of drinks around the dinner table, but there’d been next to no opportunities to gather with a group specifically to enjoy some booze.

“Hee hee,” Allusia giggled, emptying her third tankard. “Then I insist that you accompany me next time, Master.”

“Ha ha ha, take it easy on me.”

Seriously—take it easy on me. I’ll collapse in seconds if I drink at your pace.

“I’ll come along too!” Kewlny cheered, a tremendous smile on her face.

Just as I’d mentioned, pretty much all of our dojo’s current students were children, and all of those who’d graduated had attended during their childhood. Instructors and their pupils shared close bonds, but I’d had surprisingly few opportunities to talk about anything other than swordsmanship.

“Yeah...” I muttered. “Sounds nice—gathering around a table with everyone like this.”

To drink the night away with my former pupils... This was another way of interacting with them. It was difficult to watch over the children of my dojo until they were full-fledged adults. They all had their own goals and lives, and I had no intention of binding them to that backwater village forever. However, now that I’d caught up with some of them, I felt like nothing would smite me for hoping for such reunions. There’s a lot for me to look forward to here in the capital. I’d been at my wits’ end when my dad had driven me from our home, but this wasn’t all that bad.

“Come now, Mr. Beryl. Let’s eat and drink the night away!” Henbrits exclaimed, taking a bite of the roast chicken that had just arrived.

“Right. This is a rare opportunity for me—I’ll take you up on that.”

It was ridiculous to question the manners or dignity of the normally noble knights of the Liberion Order at a time like this. They knew that well and were letting loose in a good way. I decided to simply enjoy the night. As mentioned, this was indeed a rare opportunity.

“Henbrits,” Allusia scoffed, “try not to be too much of a glutton.”

“I don’t want to hear that from you, Commander. How many cups are you on now?”

“It’s uncouth to fuss over minor details...”

I laughed uproariously. “Ha ha ha ha! Allusia, you sure are quick to change your tune!”

“Aah! That’s my meat!” Kewlny cried.

“Just order some more,” Allusia said.

“You’re the one who snatched it from me! I wanted! To! Eat it! Right now! Jeez!”

“Ha ha ha ha!”

My mirth overflowed, and just like that, the lively and fun evening passed by in a flash.