Master Scramble #02
We relocated to a new spot. It took a full twenty minutes to reach the salon inside the Gold Class Dormitory.
Of course, there had been plenty of cafés and restaurants near the church and along the way. The counseling office would have been much closer, too.
So why did we come all the way here?
“This place truly sparkles! I’ve wanted to visit at least once! When Shao Mei bragged about it in her letters, I was so envious!!”
“...What a shameless old hag. Did you really have to drag an injured person all the way out here?”
“What! I am a war hero, so I believe I deserve at least this much special treatment!”
That’s right. The Heavenly Demon had stubbornly insisted she wanted to visit this so-called salon at least once, so instead of a café, we ended up here.
“Artin, are you alright? Shall we sit down slowly?”
“Ah, I’m fine, Miss Senia. I drank a recovery potion on the way here...”
“Tsk tsk! A mere potion is not an all-purpose cure like an elixir! You must take better care of your body!”
Of course, the real reason I was perfectly fine was that I had thoroughly enjoyed the sensation of Miss Senia’s voluptuous body pressed against me the entire walk over. That alone had been pure bliss.
Besides, after claiming I was using a healing potion, I had secretly bought and downed an elixir from the shop. My physical condition was now close to perfect.
“Oh! Snacks and drinks! Prepare green tea and flower cakes for me!”
“...Sigh. I’ll have black tea. Artin and Miss Senia?”
“Ah, then I’ll have chocolate milk and castella, please.”
“Just coffee for me… I’m on a diet...”
“Hehe! Bring them quickly! My expectations are high!”
The moment the servant who took our order left, the Heavenly Demon’s eyes sparkled as she licked her lips in anticipation of the desserts. Was the entire reason she wanted to come to the salon just for the sweets?
‘This familiar feeling… It’s too familiar. This is bad…’
Marianne clicked her tongue at the Heavenly Demon’s behavior, and Miss Senia let out a deep sigh, but I alone could accept it with a certain sense of familiarity.
Because during my second round, the immature Unicor had acted exactly like this.
‘Her speech patterns are similar too. Mephisto talks exactly the same way… Is everyone who speaks like that mentally unstable?’
Her way of talking sounded like some thousand-year-old dragon, and I couldn’t recall many normal people who spoke that way. Then again, it was pretty funny that someone who wasn’t even on Mephisto’s level walked around talking like that.
“Anyway, I absolutely refuse to let Artin go. He’s my disciple, and I made a promise with Crown Prince Richard. I can’t just hand him over to the Republican Federation!”
“The drinks haven’t even arrived yet and you’re already starting this tiresome conversation… In any case, Artin is destined to come to Mount Tai Dojo!”
“Excuse me? Why would I? I said I’m not going!”
“Even if you reject a predetermined fate, you’ll only tire yourself out! Accept your destiny, Artin!”
“No thanks.”
I was certain that once this Heavenly Demon stuffed herself with food, she would cling to me again and refuse to let go. That fanatical certainty of hers had the same vibe as those religious zealots.
“Heavenly Demon, while I can acknowledge you as Shao Mei’s guardian, I cannot acknowledge you as Artin’s guardian. Therefore, you cannot take Artin away as you please.”
At that moment, Miss Senia, who had been sitting demurely beside me, spoke with a resolute expression I had never seen before.
‘As far as I know, she isn’t usually this strong-willed…’
I found Senia’s sudden change strange, but she firmly grabbed my hand as if to show it off and slowly raised her voice toward the Heavenly Demon.
“Moreover, I cannot send Artin to Mount Tai Dojo after seeing those outdated training methods that treat injury as nothing more than the result of rough training. I am his homeroom teacher, after all!”
“That’s right. Training should be systematic. What kind of test leaves someone half-crippled in the first place?”
“Ugh…! Ganging up on me? How cowardly, all of you!”
Under the barrage of facts from the two women, the Heavenly Demon seemed to have little to say. She sulked and began munching on the desserts that had arrived. The way she puffed her cheeks while eating without any regard for her age was exactly like Unicor.
“Still, I absolutely cannot give up! Artin is our Shao Mei’s—”
“Ow ow ow ow! My arm! My cracked arm hurts so much…!!”
Shit. I had been spacing out and nearly got screwed.
I quickly cut off the Heavenly Demon before she could spread the word “son-in-law” across the world, pretending my arm was in pain to draw everyone’s attention.
“Are you okay, Artin? Did walking all the way here strain you too much?”
“You poor thing…! If it hurt that badly, you should have said something…!”
“I’m sorry… But Shao Mei’s great-grandmother really wanted to visit the salon, so…”
“…Exactly. Dragging an injured child all the way here.”
“W-why are you all glaring at me! It’s because Artin is weak that he got hurt so badly!”
The mood naturally shifted to blaming the Heavenly Demon. Miss Senia looked at me with pity and gently stroked my arm, checking on my condition.
I enjoyed the soft, plush sensation transmitted through the thick robe for free, cleared my throat with a loud “ahem,” and put on a serious expression.
“And as Lady Marianne mentioned, I made a man-to-man promise with His Highness Richard Ermengarde, the Crown Prince and Student Council President. I promised to prove my worth by showing unrivaled grades in the upcoming midterms.”
“The Empire’s Crown Prince? What’s so important about being acknowledged by a guy like that! If you come with me, you could become the disciple of the Heavenly Demon and spread your fame across the continent!”
Because that’s the biggest stepping stone to getting permission to marry Agnes. Saying that out loud would flip this entire place upside down.
“It’s a great opportunity to let the whole world know that I am not simply the Hero’s companion or the third son of some insignificant noble from a remote kingdom.”
“…Hmph. As expected of my little brother. That’s an excellent ambition!”
When I spoke with a convincingly serious face, Marianne nodded, flashing a wide grin that revealed her fangs.
“Will you be alright? Crown Prince Richard achieved unrivaled scores in every field among all students in history. Of course you’re amazing, Artin, but… isn’t this too much?”
In contrast, Miss Senia spoke with a worried face. Honestly, if this had been my second or third round, I wouldn’t have accepted such insane conditions either.
Let’s be real—master-level swordsmanship, archmage-disciple level magic ability, and imperial court scholar level theory. What kind of bullshit condition was that?
The only one who could shine that brightly in terms of growth potential was probably Kaien.
“It will be difficult, but I will succeed. I promised my friends, Agnes, and Shao Mei that I would.”
Once I set a goal, I had no intention of backing down. And strangely enough, I didn’t feel like it was impossible.
“Therefore, I will not be dragged off to Mount Tai Dojo. No matter how much you insist, I have zero intention of changing my mind.”
“…Really! What kind of stubbornness is this! When an adult speaks, you should know to yield and accept it!”
“Is that something an old hag like you should be saying? Who’s the one acting shameless and stubborn in front of a child?”
When Marianne landed a refreshing verbal blow, the Heavenly Demon downed her scalding green tea in one gulp, snorted, and looked at me and the two women.
“Hmph. I did not say anything wrong. At his current level, becoming one of the Three Sword Saints or an Archmage? His mana and physique are both far too lacking. What exactly are you planning to do? He needs a master like me at the very least! With your level, it’s completely hopeless!”
“…I can’t just let that slide. You’ve been going on about a master’s level since earlier—what exactly makes you so great?”
“That’s right. I’m also one of the youngest people in academy history to complete the professor course, you know? I’m not someone who gets looked down on anywhere!”
At the Heavenly Demon’s words, both Miss Senia and Marianne glared at her with furious expressions. The Heavenly Demon simply snorted as if they were beneath her and gave them a sneering smile.
“Who do you think raised my late husband, my late son, and my grandson—the one called the War God?”
“…!”
“How well do I teach? I elevated the martial arts of the Republican Federation to an entirely new dimension. I raised the War God, current leader of the Five Divine Generals. With these very fists, I killed not only giants but also executives of the Demon King’s army. I became one of the Five Divine Generals at the youngest age in history, created the first female martial artists at Mount Tai Dojo, and I am a living legend.”
The three of us all frowned at the Heavenly Demon’s arrogant declaration, but we had nothing to say in return.
Those achievements were so great that it wouldn’t be strange if she had received faith and reached the realm of Transcendence. It was true that neither Marianne nor Miss Senia could match her in that regard.
‘…Is this really going to end with Miss Senia and Marianne losing the argument?’
While I was worrying about that, Miss Senia savored her coffee, slowly set the cup down, and dropped a bombshell.
“Then why don’t we compete? Whoever can teach Artin better will become his official direct master. How about that?”
“…M-Miss Senia?!”
What the hell was she saying? An educational duel? She was going to bet on who could teach me against that Heavenly Demon?
“How interesting. You won’t back out, will you? Though I doubt outdated martial education can accomplish much…”
“…Hoh, how amusing. A half-elf who hasn’t even reached thirty and a princess who has only just become an adult dare to challenge me?”
“Excuse me? I don’t remember agreeing to this bet, do I?”
I hurriedly tried to speak as the mood spiraled in a strange direction, but the three of them had already made up their minds. They smiled and began ironing out the details.
“Then let’s keep the conditions simple. We’ll divide the subjects each of us teaches and determine the winner based on the results, shall we?”
“Sounds good. If the old hag loses, she can go back to Mount Tai Dojo all alone and lonely, right?”
“Ha! Then if I win, you two will bow your heads and acknowledge my greatness! I will take Artin to Mount Tai Dojo!”
““Deal!””
No, I don’t agree at all?
*
And so, starting that day, I began receiving special training from the three of them in rotation.
Of course, I only learned the full story from Miss Senia later, but it had been a rational decision.
That stubborn Heavenly Demon had sky-high pride. There was no way she would throw a tantrum and refuse to accept the results if she lost the bet.
“Hey, Artin! Focus! Do you want to get dragged off to Mount Tai Dojo or something?!”
“N-no, ma’am!”
“Alright, tighten your core! We’re adding another three hundred sit-ups! Both studying and training begin with a perfected physique!”
Thanks to that, outside of regular classes with the professors, I was subjected to hellish training and special tutoring like never before. As a result, the time I could spend fooling around with my girls was drastically reduced.
‘I definitely said intense training was good before, but…’
I hadn’t wanted it to be this intense.
I was currently wearing a ridiculous number of restraints all over my body while performing bodyweight exercises, mercilessly abusing my physique.
The core of Marianne’s so-called “Kingdom-style Hell Week Training” was to push the body to its limits with modern, systematic exercise, then recover using potions and meals to stimulate growth.
“Once you’re done, it’s sword training next! It’ll be sparring with wooden swords, but I’ll be watching you personally, so prepare yourself!”
“Ack!!!”
“Your voice is too weak! Add another two hundred sit-ups!”
“Ack!!!!!”
To be honest, the way Marianne seemed to enjoy working me to death made me suspect this was revenge for the sexual harassment I had committed during the previous training session.
But I couldn’t say it out loud. If I did, I might get hit even harder during sparring.
‘My life is so fucking pitiful…’
That day, I only managed to return to the dormitory after finishing a thrilling four-hour hell week training session with Marianne.
In return—if you could even call it that—I got a little payback by stealing glances at Marianne’s chest while we showered.
‘Tonight, I’ll ask Sirca to transform into Marianne in my dreams.’
Even I thought it was a rather beastly form of revenge, but since it was revenge through love rather than blood, I decided to believe everyone would understand.