The Master's Desperate Handover
The deep night enveloped the forest campsite. Tadak, tadak. The crackling of the campfire echoed warmly through the trees.
"Kuh~ This is great! Junior, your meat-grilling skills are pure art!" Kane exclaimed, emptying his cup in admiration.
Hans sweated profusely in front of the grill as he flipped the meat. "Big brother, your cup's empty! I'll pour for you!" Even while ensuring the meat didn't burn, his eyes stayed fixed on the cup. Whenever he spotted an empty one, he promptly grabbed the bottle and refilled it with impeccable courtesy. The max-level social skills he'd honed during company dinners in his past life were shining brightly in this new world.
The sleeping area had already been cleared of every single rock, and enough firewood was stacked to last through the night. The older men were genuinely moved.
"Man, I've never seen a young guy this thoughtful these days."
"Want to join our party permanently?"
After a few rounds of drinks, the atmosphere grew lively. Kane, pleasantly tipsy, gave Hans a light pat on the shoulder.
"By the way, junior. With a face like a pretty boy, why'd you follow a bunch of gloomy old men into the forest? You seem like you'd be popular with the ladies."
Hans paused, tongs hovering over the meat. A deep sadness filled his eyes.
"Big brother... it's like this."
Hans downed a shot of strong ale as if it were soju.
"Women... they're terrifying."
"Terrifying?"
"Yes. The moment they see me, they all try to devour me... sucking the life out of me. I can't survive it. So I ran away."
Hans confessed with genuine sincerity, conveniently erasing from his mind the fact that he had sometimes initiated things himself.
Kane stared blankly for a moment before slapping his knee.
"Aigoo! Comrade, we're comrades!"
Kane pulled Hans into a tight hug.
"I'm the same! I ran here because of some crazy woman too!"
"You too, big brother?"
"Yeah! She's a real piece of work. She's old enough to be my granddaughter twice over, yet she keeps chasing after me saying she likes me... I've been wandering the entire empire to avoid that girl."
Kane shuddered and took another drink. Hans nodded vigorously, the faces of countless women flashing through his mind.
"I feel like I'm going to die too. My... thing has declared a strike."
"Kuhahaha! That bad? You've really had it rough."
Kane carefully studied Hans's handsome face, his dutiful personality, and the scars left by women. A lightbulb went off in his head.
'Wait a second. This guy... might actually be useful?'
Face? Pass. Personality? Pass. Experience with women? If he's running away, he must have plenty. A wicked smile spread across Kane's lips.
What if he pawned off that troublesome disciple on this young, sturdy fellow? He'd gain freedom, his disciple would get a husband, and this guy would... well, he'd get a pretty wife. Everyone wins, right?
"Hey, junior." Kane whispered conspiratorially. "Become my direct disciple."
"Huh? Really?!"
Hans was overwhelmed with emotion. Becoming the disciple of such an incredible master!
"Of course. I'll teach you an amazing... ultimate technique. Learn this and your life will change."
"Thank you! Master! I'll serve you with my life!"
Hans bowed deeply, pressing his forehead to the ground, completely unaware that the "ultimate technique" was actually "bomb disposal skills."
Kane smiled contentedly and raised his cup.
"Good, good. I'll teach you at dawn tomorrow. Look forward to it."
In the deep predawn hours, only quiet breathing filled the campsite.
"......!!"
Kane, who had been asleep, shot upright. His eyes gleamed sharply.
"She's here."
Bloodlust. That familiar, utterly tiresome, obsessive presence was cutting through the forest toward them.
"Master? What's wrong?"
Hans rubbed his bleary eyes as he sat up. Without answering, Kane jammed his feet into his shoes.
"Huh? Is it orcs?"
"Worse than orcs!"
Just then—
Kugugugu-!
The forest trees split apart left and right, carving out a path. Like Moses parting the sea, someone was walking forward as trees were felled in their wake. A figure emerged through the morning mist, silver hair fluttering in the wind.
"Master..."
Her voice was calm, yet the obsession within it was chilling.
"I finally... found you."
It was Cecilia. She was slowly but surely closing in, tightening the encirclement.
"Why... did you abandon me? Did you hate me that much?"
Tears welled in her eyes, but her hand gripped her sword hilt tightly.
The moment Hans saw her face, his breath caught in his throat.
'Huh...?'
He remembered—not from his past life, but from this world's Hans. During his academy days. Someone he'd only ever watched from afar, an existence on a cloud. One of the academy's four great beauties, the goddess of the swordsmanship department.
Cecilia von Rosenberg.
'Th-that... Cecilia?!'
Hans couldn't close his mouth. Back when he'd been nothing more than a passing commoner, someone he'd never even been able to speak to—his one-sided crush. And now she was right in front of him.
"Ce... Cecilia...?"
Hans muttered blankly.
In that instant, Kane moved like lightning.
Whoosh!
Kane hid behind Hans, grabbing his shoulders tightly.
"Oh, Cecilia! I've been waiting for you!"
Kane peeked over Hans's shoulder and shouted.
"The truth is, I left... all to find this guy!"
"......What?"
Cecilia paused. Her gaze finally turned to Hans.
Kane shoved Hans forward.
"Go on, introduce yourself! This is my hidden disciple and..."
Kane took a deep breath.
"The perfect husband candidate I've spent years raising just to introduce to you!"
"......!!!!!!!!"
Silence. The entire forest froze.
Hans's eyes nearly popped out of his head.
'H-husband candidate?! Me?! With her?!'
His heart pounded wildly—ninety percent panic, ten percent insane excitement.
But Cecilia's reaction was ice cold. She scanned Hans from head to toe. There wasn't a single trace of recognition in her eyes. Academy classmate? Secret admirer? No. To her, Hans was merely a weed blocking her master's path. Or just a pebble underfoot.
"Master." Cecilia's voice dropped below freezing. "Your joke has gone too far. This... pebble rolling around on the roadside?"
Contempt. Complete dismissal. A nail drove straight into Hans's chest.
'Ah... she really doesn't remember me.'
But Kane didn't miss the opening.
"You two young people enjoy your time together! I'm out!"
Whoosh-!
Kane vanished like the wind.
"Huh...?"
Left behind was Hans, standing alone before Cecilia—who was now radiating killing intent as she drew her sword.
"Move. Before I cut you down."
A chill colder than the dawn air wrapped around Hans's neck. Any normal person—or the usual Hans—would have wet themselves and begged for mercy. His opponent was a swordsmanship genius. And the goddess he'd once secretly loved. She was trying to kill him. His heart should have been racing like mad.
But.
'......'
Hans's heartbeat remained eerily calm, like a tranquil lake.
The reason was simple. He had entered forced sage mode.
Pretty woman? Not his problem. One-sided crush? She doesn't even remember him anyway. Death? Too bothersome.
Hans stared straight into Cecilia's eyes with a blank expression. His gaze held no fear, no desire, not even the slightest pathetic attachment to life. Only profound weariness that screamed, 'This situation is extremely annoying.'
Cecilia flinched. A man who didn't even blink before her sword. Usually, men either drooled at her face or trembled at her blade.
'This man... what is he?'
Just then, Hans let out a deep sigh and spoke.
"Excuse me, knight."
His voice was dry.
"I don't mind if you cut me down."
"......What?"
"But won't that old man get even farther away in the meantime? If you chase him now, you could catch him."
Hans pointed toward the forest with his finger.
"That old man—if you run after him now, you'd catch him easily, right? But if you're stuck here with me, you'll lose him."
A perfectly logical fact bomb. Cecilia's pupils trembled as if struck by an earthquake.
Hans even yawned, looking thoroughly bored.
"Let's go. I have some things to say to that con artist geezer myself."
Cecilia was speechless. This man's bizarre courage. And the audacity to call her master a "con artist geezer."
'The man Master personally raised... my husband candidate?'
Doubt began to sprout in her mind.
"Tch."
Cecilia clicked her tongue and sheathed her sword.
"Follow me. If you fall behind, I'll cut you down."
She kicked off the ground and shot forward.
Shuuuung-!
Her speed was tremendous. Dust flew into Hans's face.
"Ah, ptooey. Wait for me!"
Hans chased after her.
Five minutes later.
"Aaaagh! Let go! Disciple! What kind of manners is this toward your master?!"
From behind the forest bushes, Kane was being dragged out by the scruff of his neck, Cecilia holding him firmly.
"You were the one who started this by running away first, Master."
Cecilia replied coldly and slammed him onto the campsite ground. The older party members watched with amused chuckles, as if this were a familiar scene.
"Kekeke. Father and daughter reunion, huh?"
"Quite moving."
Kane, covered in dirt, protested indignantly.
"No, I wasn't running away! I just went to take a leak..."
"Lies. I won't be fooled anymore. During this entire vacation, I won't leave Master's side for even a moment."
"What? Vacation?"
"Yes. I took a week off. During that time, I'll be joining this party as well. I don't need any compensation."
Kane's face turned ashen. Having to spend a whole week stuck with this obsessive disciple...
"No, we're all men here, and there's nowhere proper to sleep..."
"That doesn't matter. I'll just sleep next to Master."
Cecilia's eyes gleamed with obsession.
Just then—
"Right here."
Hans had silently prepared a spot. Right beside Kane's sleeping area, in the perfect position to stick close, he'd laid out an extra blanket for Cecilia. Very meticulously. Flattened perfectly, not a single pebble in sight.
"There. You can lie down here. It's the ideal distance to feel Master's body heat."
"Hey!! Junior!!"
Kane cried out in horror.
But Hans didn't even pretend to listen.
'No way I'm the only one suffering. Time for the old man to get a taste too.'
A petty revenge.
Cecilia looked at Hans and smiled for the first time.
"You... you're quite useful, aren't you?"
"Thank you."
Strictly speaking, they were the same age and academy classmates, so speaking casually wouldn't have been strange. But Cecilia showed no sign of remembering him at all, and naturally used informal speech toward Hans, whom she clearly saw as a lowly commoner. Saying "I'm your classmate" here would only earn him a "So what?" response anyway. Hans was simply too tired to bother.
"Well then, I'll be going..."
He walked over to his own spot, away from the two of them, turned his back, and lay down.
Cecilia lay down beside Kane, looking happy, yet she kept glancing over at Hans sleeping in the distance.
'What a strange man.'
He was utterly indifferent. Normally, men his age would either babble nonsense, entranced by her beauty, or tremble in fear of her presence. But he had simply turned his back, saying he wanted to sleep.
'Is he impotent... or is he truly the vessel Master recognized?'
The existence of Hans began to take root in Cecilia's mind as a massive question mark.