Chapter 29
Chapter 29
According to my master, Sir Rekun—
The bastard I was after was a monster who far surpassed the warlords capable of taking on hundreds of men alone.
By the time I seriously began wielding a sword, he would likely have become an even greater superhuman.
And a half-baked brat who couldn't even use Aura should quietly stay home and protect the territory.
Honestly, those words hit one of my sore spots, so I was a little upset.
But I couldn't say I didn't understand where he was coming from.
The harsh scolding of a tsundere was just another way of expressing concern.
He was probably worried that a disciple with no talent for Aura would throw his life away for nothing.
Once he retired into the forest with his wife, he wouldn't be around to help me anymore.
Of course it weighed on his mind.
And he wasn't wrong.
That bandit wasn't some game NPC frozen in time.
He would've continued training and growing stronger.
By the time I reached adulthood, fourteen years would have passed.
Just as Master said, there was a high chance he'd become an even greater monster.
But.
So what?
Was I supposed to back down now?
The fact remained that the bastard had taken one of Eden's eyes.
That result had undeniably stemmed from my own recklessness.
And it was a debt I had to repay with my own hands.
If I didn't bring him down, I could never truly start my new life.
I could never move forward.
So, as usual, I planned to continue swinging my wooden sword after class.
But...
"..."
Before long, I put the sword down.
For some reason, I couldn't concentrate today.
Why was that?
Had I suddenly become weak-willed?
Was it because training alone felt inefficient?
Or was I subconsciously protesting against Sir Rekun for not providing enough practical combat lessons?
None of those explanations made sense.
Back when I was an athlete, solo training had been part of everyday life.
Even practicing alone helped improve technique and build muscle.
And protesting against Master?
All that would accomplish was adding another lump to my skull.
No.
The reason for my lack of focus was something else entirely.
"Hah! Ha! Hoooh! Kyaaah!"
Someone nearby was completely absorbed in self-admiration.
"Kuh! Chaa! Taaah!"
Flailing his tiny arms around.
"Chaat! Tsuat! Kwoooooh!"
Shouting meaningless battle cries.
"Kwoooooh!"
"...Could you be quiet?"
"Kyaaaaaah!"
"..."
The culprit was a certain little brat.
Ah.
I should introduce him properly.
The black-haired boy with narrow eyes was named Ezekiel.
He was the last member among the six apprentice knights besides me.
He was also the only one younger than me.
And the smallest among the boys.
"I've been going easy on him because he's younger, but..."
I glared at him irritably.
Not because I intended to use violence.
Quite the opposite.
I wanted to resolve things peacefully.
The message was simple.
You're disrupting my training, so please go somewhere else.
"...Oh?"
He saw me staring at him.
Yet he didn't lower his gaze.
Was Bentley no longer enough?
Had Ezekiel become the next challenger?
Male hierarchy games really started young.
Of course, I didn't own the training grounds.
But after watching him do this every single day, it was impossible not to get annoyed.
Even if I moved elsewhere, Bellark's tiny territory only had so many places to train.
Eventually we'd end up face-to-face again.
And I'd already been tolerating this for...
"...A week now?"
Yeah.
About a week.
My patience was reaching its limit.
No matter how young he was, I'd already given him plenty of hints.
There was no way he hadn't noticed.
The fact that he kept doing it meant he was openly challenging me.
"Sigh... Should I just flick him on the forehead?"
Just look at those tightly pressed lips.
Judging people by appearances wasn't right.
But that stubborn expression suggested he was unbelievably hardheaded.
Come to think of it, Ezekiel was easily the strangest among all the apprentices.
Not strange in a good way.
More like chaotic and impossible to predict.
"...What is that now?"
Even his current behavior was far from normal.
Looking down, I saw a pair of wooden swords in his hands.
Apparently that wasn't enough.
He had another wooden sword clenched between his teeth.
...
Good heavens.
Forgive my ignorance.
Could it be that you are actually a peerless sword prodigy training in the legendary Three-Sword Style?
...
Yeah.
No chance.
"Mmph! Mmmmph!"
The way his clenched jaw trembled was downright pitiful.
He hadn't even been swinging the swords for a full minute.
Yet sweat was already pouring down his face.
Before long, his strength started failing.
He shook his head back and forth.
"...Nngh."
Then he glanced at me before clenching his teeth even harder.
If nobody had been watching, he probably would've taken the sword out of his mouth immediately.
Just how hard was he trying to show off?
Anyone who thought about it for five seconds would realize a Three-Sword Style had almost no practical value.
The fact that he stubbornly insisted on it anyway proved he was still a child.
"Hup! Hoooop!"
A lonely boy sings:
Please pay attention to me.
"Hup! Hoo! Krrgh!"
Look at me handling three swords even though one is already hard enough!
Isn't it cool?
I'm way ahead of all of you!
And so on.
Honestly, even dual-wielding came with countless limitations.
There wasn't much point discussing the practicality of three swords.
Unless he grew extra arms, using three chopsticks would probably be more effective.
Eventually, though, even his bluff reached its limit.
"...Kuh! Cough!"
The boy's face turned red before he collapsed into a coughing fit.
Did he finally feel embarrassed?
Nope.
He stared at me with wide eyes and declared:
"M-Mana Rampage happened!"
Hmm.
My mistake.
Far from embarrassed, he looked completely confident.
Though he didn't really need to explain himself.
The excuse only made him seem more pitiful.
"Heh-heh-heh. My power is simply too great for even me to control."
Well.
You certainly do seem incapable of controlling yourself.
"...Do you even know what Mana Rampage is?"
"Hmph! I'm not the sort of person who explains things to weaklings. A-Ask Master!"
"..."
The kid was surprisingly quick-witted.
Already knew how to pass work onto someone else.
For reference, Mana Rampage in this world was basically the equivalent of qi deviation from martial arts stories.
Since little Ezekiel wasn't capable of controlling magical energy anyway, it wasn't something worth paying attention to.
"But don't be too afraid of me. Until I face the Red Dragon who killed my parents, I have no intention of unleashing this power."
For the record.
Ezekiel's parents were perfectly alive.
In fact, he was the only apprentice who wasn't an orphan.
His family had simply been evacuated somewhere far away, and he ended up getting separated from them.
"Still, the day I unleash my true power is near. The neighboring kingdom's princess, Ellabaterokkrokmushutraleodrios, whom the Red Dragon kidnapped... she's my fiancée!"
...
Good grief.
What was wrong with me?
Look at him.
Look at the things he was saying.
He was only nine years old.
No matter how much he'd been annoying me for a week, what was the point of getting angry?
"...There are two children here, aren't there?"
Maybe Master's lecture and all those memories of my mistakes had made me overly sensitive.
Normally I would've just let it slide.
Besides, Ezekiel and I didn't have a bad relationship.
We simply didn't interact much.
"Wow. That's. Amaaaazing."
Instead of getting angry, I decided to humor him.
He was trying so desperately to get someone's attention.
The least he deserved was a small reward.
Even if my acting lacked all sincerity, it was better than saying nothing.
Clap! Clap! Clap!
I even gave him a round of applause.
"Keheheheh. So you've recognized my power. You're no ordinary mortal."
"Is that so?"
At first, I'd been tempted to tell him off.
But now...
I mostly felt sorry for him.
Honestly, it didn't feel all that different from watching my younger self.
You know.
That phase every boy goes through at least once.
Punching the air in front of a mirror while imagining revenge against the kid who bullied you.
Pretending your trading cards contained real souls and making them battle dramatically.
Telling a girl you liked that you secretly led a hidden organization.
Going hiking with your mother, then putting on a hat halfway up the mountain and striking mysterious poses like a tragic hero.
...
Not that I'm speaking from experience.
Definitely not.
Anyway, I wasn't really in a position to judge anyone.
Pointing out his behavior would only wound his fragile pride.
And honestly?
Twisting himself into knots trying to get attention was a kind of effort too.
"Still, there's no reason to carry three swords. It just makes things harder."
I decided to offer a small piece of advice.
"W-What do you know? I'm destined to master the F-F-Five-Sword Style someday!"
"...Five-Sword Style?"
"That's right!"
The remaining two swords...
Was he planning to hold them with his feet?
How would he even walk?
"You may find it hard to believe, but that won't be difficult for me."
Hmm.
And this constantly evolving backstory.
"When I come of age, two more arms will grow from my back because I'm descended from the Asura Clan. Besides, my true power is sealed within this left arm..."
Exactly how long was this going to continue?