The Master's Demonstration
After finishing a leisurely shower in the bathroom provided by the baron, I stepped out feeling refreshed. Gerard, who had been waiting, handed me a bottle of water. My throat had been a bit dry, so it was perfect timing. At least my disciple knew how to look after his master.
“Looks like you went another round with Iris.”
“What can I do? If I don’t spar with her quickly, she’ll just keep clinging to me.”
I downed the bottle Gerard gave me in one go and answered. He nodded.
“Iris is great in every way, but that fiery fighting spirit and personality of hers are the problem.”
“She doesn’t act like that with anyone else. Only with me.”
“She charges in even though she knows she’ll lose?”
“Yeah. And even after losing, she looks satisfied. It drives me crazy.”
“That’s Iris’s trademark. Still, maybe she’ll improve someday?”
“I kept telling myself she’d get better one day, but…”
“But your expression, Master…”
“The more I think about it, the more I’m convinced Iris will never change, even if she dies trying.”
Gerard burst out laughing, agreeing with me. Just like how Garam and Jenia had come under my wing around the same time, Gerard and Iris weren’t far apart in age either, so they had trained together under me. Because of that, the two of them knew more about each other than the other disciples did.
Since I had taught them both around the same period, their strengths and weaknesses stood out clearly whenever they were together. One was a pure tanker who specialized to the extreme in defense, while the other was a damage-tanking style fighter skilled in both offense and defense. Though their combat styles differed, they both ended up at the front of any party. That gave me plenty of opportunities to offer advice and point out weaknesses.
“Iris used her technique three times already.”
“Three times? Huh. Last time she only used it once against me.”
“She wasn’t showing you her full power. She probably knows she can’t break through your Absolute Defense anyway.”
Even I had to grit my teeth and prepare to smash through Gerard’s Absolute Defense. For the current Iris, it was practically impossible.
“Still, it’s impressive. Using it three times must drain an enormous amount of stamina.”
“She made a choice. When fighting me, there’s no one behind her she needs to worry about.”
If this had been real combat instead of a spar, even Iris wouldn’t have used the technique three times in a row. Among my disciples, Iris had the second-best stamina after Gerard. At the very least, it was comparable to two Garams combined. Yet even Iris herself couldn’t endure more than three uses.
Yeoryong wasn’t a simple martial arts technique. It was a “spell” that broke through boundaries. It didn’t circulate internal energy to strengthen the body or shoot it at an enemy. It burned everything at once to strike at an opening.
“Honestly, I’m torn between praising her for using it three times and scolding her for being reckless.”
“Hmm… That’s a decision only you can make, Master. I can’t really comment.”
“Still, you must have your own thoughts. What do you think?”
“…Even so, I think the first thing to point out is that she didn’t consider her stamina.”
“Yeah. I knew you’d say that, Gerard. I feel the same way.”
“I’m glad. I was worried I might be wrong.”
“More importantly, you’re fully armed since morning. Looks like you scheduled morning training.”
“Yes. I can’t afford to skip even a single day.”
“You’re right about that. Now that I think about it, this is the first time I’ve seen you teaching the others.”
“Ah… If you’d like to observe, it would be a great honor for me and my subordinates.”
Observe, huh. That didn’t sound bad. To be honest, sparring with Iris since morning had piqued my interest a little. Just how much had my disciples grown? Iris had already proven her growth through pure physical strength. And Gerard, true to his nature as a knight and soldier, was showing he could lead people well. Leadership was one of the basic qualities a Hero needed to possess. The other disciples were relatively lacking in that area.
In the game, raw power was always the top priority, so I hadn’t paid much attention to it here either. But now that leading people mattered just as much as strength, someone like Gerard was absolutely necessary.
“Are all the guys following you free knights?”
As we headed toward the training ground where his knights were waiting, I asked Gerard about his subordinates.
“For now, yes.”
“For now? Sounds like there’s more to it.”
“Actually, about half of them originally served other lords.”
That made sense. Any knight with a decent reputation would have nobles lining up to sign contracts with them. Being a free knight didn’t automatically mean lower skill, but it was true that more than half of them were far below standard.
“While I was traveling around protecting people and fighting monsters and demonic beasts, they were only following orders to guard nobles, their families, and their castles.”
“In other words, no one was protecting the ordinary people outside the castle walls.”
“That’s correct. Some knights protested, but a contract is a contract. Prioritizing the employer’s safety above all else is what they call the most important honor.”
Exactly. Contracts were extremely important. People usually thought of mercenaries when they heard the word, but knights were the very embodiment of contracts. If they broke one, they could point a sword at their employer without any issue. Conversely, as long as the employer paid wages properly, the knight had to fulfill the contract no matter what.
Even if innocent people were being devoured by monsters right in front of them, even if they were being torn apart by demonic beasts, standing in their assigned spot for the assigned time was their duty and honor.
“Bunch of rich bastards.”
It was because of those rotten people that Demon God Worshippers kept increasing. When people were exposed to danger with no hope, they eventually fell into true madness. If they clung to something trying to kill them, it would pass them by and go after someone else. To escape this hell, sacrificing others was the most effective method.
Once that kind of thinking spread everywhere, there was no stopping it. If no one was protecting them, why would they shout about hope or justice? The moment someone whispered “There’s a way to not die,” they would accept it, whether it was a cult or complete nonsense.
“I went to those places and saved innocent people. Sometimes I saved everyone, sometimes I couldn’t save them all… and very rarely, I was too late.”
“It must have been hard, but you endured well, Gerard.”
“Because you told us, Master. That we Heroes must become their only hope. So I couldn’t show any despair or frustration. Since my hero said so, I, his ardent follower, simply had to obey. And as I kept fighting and fighting, before I knew it, people following me appeared by my side.”
“Those guys are your subordinate knights, then.”
There were free knights, but most were official knights who had held grudges against the nobility. The moment their contracts ended—or even by breaking them themselves—they came looking for Gerard. That was how they became the massive group of free knights under his command.
“That’s how I came to be called the Guardian Hero and the Crusade by the people of the world.”
“You did well. The other disciples are only called by the weapons they use or their unique traits, but you, Gerard, seem closest to the kind of Hero I wanted.”
The other disciples would have been quite disappointed if they heard that. But what could I do? This was the image of a Hero most needed in the current situation. Not just someone strong, but someone who could properly lead people. I should have paid more attention to that instead of focusing so much on raw power. Thanks to that, from my first disciple Garam to Jenia and Daisy, they were all individually skilled but lacked something special when it came to leading others.
Of course, that didn’t mean they had nothing at all. If they truly had no talent for leadership, someone like Ester would have stayed solo. Still, compared to Gerard or Lily, there was an unavoidable gap.
Swish! As Gerard and I entered the training ground, the lined-up knights snapped into attention. Being under Gerard really gave them a mix of knight and soldier vibes.
“Everyone here?”
“Yes, Hero. All personnel are on standby.”
“Good. As I mentioned yesterday, we’ll be doing defense training today. And!”
Gerard stuck right next to me and continued. Don’t get so close, disciple. It’s creepy.
“Today, my master will be observing your training. As I said before, not only I, but the Brawler Hero Airis Freesia and the other Heroes were all raised by this person.”
“…”
“We never allowed even a single gap in training to begin with, but today you must be even more diligent than ever. Understood?”
“Yes, Hero!”
“Then split into attack and defense teams immediately! Prepare for combat!”
Maybe it was because they had done this battle training countless times already. At Gerard’s single command, the knights moved in perfect unison. Half raised shields, the other half drew swords. The moment the sword-wielding group charged, a battle scene unfolded before my eyes in an instant.
“Waaaaah!!”
Thud thud thud! Dozens of burly knights clashing was certainly intimidating. They weren’t using real blades, but everything else was a perfect combat situation. On top of that, it was much rougher than I had expected.
“…Hmm.”
At first, I really had only planned to observe. I wasn’t Iris. There was no need for me to jump into a fight between these kids. But if these guys were at least trying their best, if they were putting in thorough training, bone-grinding effort, and gritted-teeth patience, then where in the world would you find a veteran who could just walk past rookies like that?
“Gerard. Hold on.”
“Ah, yes! Everyone! Halt! Stop immediately!”
At Gerard’s shout, all the knights froze. Compared to the followers of my other disciples, their discipline was very satisfying.
“What is it, Master? Is there something you don’t like…?”
“No. It’s not that I don’t like it. I like it so much that I want to help.”
“Help… you say?”
“Yeah. From now on, you and all your knights are going to stop me.”
“Pardon? Y-you, Master?”
“That’s right.”
For the record, any refusal had already been rejected in advance.