So You've Been Hiding It
While the others began setting up camp, I took Iris aside and led her to a secluded clearing. Gerard and seven knights were already waiting for us there.
“Master.”
As Gerard bowed his head, the knights followed suit. I acknowledged their greeting and quickly assessed their condition. Individually, their combat strength couldn’t be called outstanding. But seeing them together like this made it clear they had worked in perfect coordination for a long time.
“You screened them very thoroughly, Gerard.”
“Of course. How could I possibly handle your request half-heartedly?”
“You did such a good job that it actually makes me a little worried.”
Iris suddenly narrowed her eyes at me. Her glare asked exactly what I meant by that remark.
“Are you looking at your master because you truly don’t understand, Iris?”
“Yes, I don’t get it at all? Why are you staring at me like that?!”
“Isn’t it obvious? Starting tonight you’ll be on night watch—more precisely, taking the first shift. That’s why.”
“Ha?! Do you really think I can’t even pass a test like this?!”
At Iris’s outburst, the knights’ expressions stiffened slightly. Come to think of it, they still didn’t know she was a Hero. They knew she was my disciple, but to them she was a girl who had only just outgrown her youthful appearance. She lacked a serious demeanor and even came across as rather lighthearted, so it was understandable they would struggle to see her as a Hero.
“Gentlemen.”
“Yes!”
When I called them, their response snapped with disciplined energy. The looks they gave me were utterly different from the ones they gave Iris; they showed me extreme respect. Perhaps they had sensed something after watching how reverently Gerard treated me. After all, I was the master of the Guardian Hero they served with such devotion. It made sense they would treat me with respect whether they wanted to or not.
“Without a single lie, I will say this once. The one standing beside me is also a Hero.”
“…?”
The knights all turned to stare at Iris at once. Their eyes clearly asked, Really? or That girl? Fortunately there was no contempt—only pure surprise. Honestly, Iris didn’t give off the mature aura that the other Iris or Gerard possessed, so her youthful side stood out more strongly. I didn’t find their reaction strange at all.
“It hasn’t been long since she began carrying out her duties as a Hero. Isn’t that right, Gerard?”
“Correct. The youngest still has much to learn.”
“You all heard him. Therefore, I hope none of you will take her lightly or let your guard down.”
“…”
“Also, seven healthy knights ganging up on a young girl is nothing to feel ashamed about. You all understand me clearly, yes?”
The knights nodded in unison. They probably already considered her strong simply because she was my disciple. On top of that, both Gerard and I had personally called her a Hero. At that point, they would judge her as an overwhelmingly powerful opponent. Whether the opponent was a child or a woman no longer mattered. A being called a Hero existed on an entirely different plane from ordinary people.
“The rules are simple. Iris fights alone. You gentlemen attack simultaneously. The battle begins, and you win by forcing your opponent to surrender by any means necessary. Minor wounds and injuries are permitted. We will intervene before anything fatal occurs, so there is no need to worry. Do you all understand?”
“Yes, Master!”
“Yes! We understand completely!”
“Then let’s begin.”
I took several steps back, and the knights immediately formed their formation. They had powerful physiques and were fully armored. Adding shields to that tight formation created an overwhelming sense of intimidation.
People who had only seen such scenes in games or movies might scoff and ask what was so scary about men approaching with shields. That was foolish talk. If you had never experienced it, you had no right to speak. The bone-shaking terror and suffocating pressure could only be understood by those who had faced it firsthand.
When you stood alone while the enemy vastly outnumbered you, when a wall of gleaming steel and unyielding hardness advanced—most people would unconsciously retreat.
“…”
But Iris showed no sign of that whatsoever. Facing the sturdy knights and their massive shields, she didn’t shrink back even slightly. Instead, she glared at them. That look reminded me once again that she was unmistakably a regressor.
“What do you think, Master?”
“…Iris has more backbone than she appears. Her heart isn’t soft, either.”
I couldn’t tell Gerard about the regression, so I simply said this was her original nature.
“It seems so. Her opponents are at least a head taller, fully armed, and advancing in formation to surround her, yet she shows no sign of faltering.”
“Good spirit is a passing grade. But that alone isn’t enough, which is the problem.”
If I had been worried about the psychological aspect, I would not have chosen this method. What concerned me was Iris’s current physical condition. A regressor would have brought back the memories and experiences, but she could not bring her original body. Knowing that, it was only natural to grow stronger as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, Iris’s growth potential did not seem particularly high in my eyes.
Perhaps she had received some kind of penalty regarding the weapon known as regression. If someone who had become strong only after years of effort returned to nothing, no matter how many memories and experiences they retained, the limits would be clear.
“She needs to become stronger. Faster. More efficiently.”
“Didn’t you teach the youngest that cultivation method as well?”
“I did. However, unlike the rest of you, the speed at which she improves from it is quite slow.”
“…That’s strange. Every Hero, including myself, grew stronger thanks to it.”
The Hero characters each possessed nearly identical passives. They were modified versions of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, said to have been created through instruction from the Heavenly Demon NPC. Originally the Heavenly Demon—my master—would have taught them personally. But I had stepped in during the process and taken over those duties. Thanks to that, I became the Heroes’ master, my master was spared the hassle, and the Heroes could grow stronger faster and more effectively. Three birds with one stone.
Yet Iris either lacked that passive or was structured in a completely different way. No matter how much effort she poured in, she never seemed to grow as quickly as the other disciples.
“Master. They’re about to clash.”
Almost the moment Gerard spoke, Iris charged at the knights without hesitation. From what I could see, she had at least reinforced her body with the cultivation method. Otherwise she could never have thrown herself straight at that massive steel wall.
BOOM!
The ones who let out involuntary groans were, of course, the knights. Iris looked smaller and more delicate than any of them, yet when she collided with the shield it must have felt like being rammed by a rhinoceros.
“Pressure!”
At the leader’s command, the knights formed a semicircle and surrounded Iris. No matter where she attacked, she would have to watch her sides and back. Yet Iris did not shrink away at all. The most vulnerable point was the edge of the formation. If she focused her attack there, she could shatter the encirclement instantly.
“Advance!”
But if Iris knew that, the knights naturally knew it too. If the opponent refused a frontal breakthrough, there was only one place to target—the corner of the formation. Whenever Iris tried something, they expanded and contracted their line to maintain pressure. If a comrade was attacked, nearby knights would defend together while the rest struck at Iris’s flanks or rear to prevent any follow-up.
This was completely different from fighting the Demon God Worshippers. Those fanatics simply tried to harm Iris at all costs, with no cooperation between them whatsoever. These knights, however, worked together with the clear goal of defeating her as a unit.
Ten people moving as one were far more terrifying than a hundred acting individually. And those ten were far stronger than a hundred.
Tap!
Iris, who had retreated slightly, glanced at the knights. Whether she struck the corner or the center, the result was the same. The seven knights Gerard had carefully chosen left no openings and steadily drove her back. They understood that simply overpowering her with brute force was not the best approach. Exhausting her stamina this way while dealing psychological damage until she collapsed on her own was more than enough.
The knights continued their gradual, grinding pressure.
“Does the youngest still not have a fixed weapon?” Gerard asked, watching the scene quietly. As the Guardian Hero, he used a shield. The Fighter Hero Iris used only her fists and feet. The other Heroes each possessed something distinct, yet Iris alone showed nothing unique.
“For now I taught her the sword since she seems to handle it decently.”
“…It’s not that she can’t use a sword. How should I put this…”
“You’re saying it lacks that intense feeling Garam has, right?”
“Exactly. She doesn’t seem all that different from the knights.”
I nodded. It was true. Unlike the other disciples, Iris did not possess anything definitive. She had simply watched me and my master use swords and swung one beside us.
“The youngest doesn’t seem likely to lose easily, but I doubt she’ll win smoothly either.”
“Not unless she reaches something new.”
Right then, Iris launched another fierce barrage. It was threatening, yet it probably couldn’t inflict much real damage. Nevertheless, she hammered the knights with tremendous momentum.
“At this rate her stamina will run out quickly.”
“…Gerard. Watch carefully.”
Iris’s energy had grown far denser than before. Although her rough movements had increased her stamina consumption, the internal energy that should have been depleted at the same rate had instead become even thicker.
Huff!
Iris exhaled roughly and glanced at me. Then she turned her gaze back to the knights.
“You should all prepare yourselves.”
“…”
“It finally feels like the blood is circulating properly through my body.”
As she spoke, a streak of haze rose from her hand.
The moment I thought, Could this kid be…? the haze began to take on a faint but distinct shape.
“…”
I couldn’t help but chuckle. This adorable little fool—so that’s what she had been hiding all this time.
“…That idiot disciple of mine.”
“Master?”
“You’ve been deceiving even your master with pointless things.”
Now I roughly understood why, despite all the effort she poured in, her skills had barely improved. All the time and sweat she had spent had gone into hiding this. It was only natural.
Shaaaaa!!
With a sword in one hand and a cluster of light in the other, Iris exhaled roughly.
“Let’s finish this quickly, gentlemen knights.”