Chapter 39
Chapter 39
Fifteen days had passed since Master regained consciousness.
Yet the training grounds were filled with nothing but us youngsters.
With our leader temporarily out of commission, our days were now spent conducting awkward self-training sessions among the disciples.
The reason we were still doing this even after Sir Lekun had awakened was simple.
Regaining consciousness and recovering were two entirely different things.
According to the physician, even under the best circumstances, Master would need at least three months of dedicated rest before returning to his former condition.
Of course, that stubborn old knight was never the type to obediently follow such instructions.
But there happened to be a certain elf living under the same roof who could keep even him under control.
And honestly, just looking at the current situation...
"Aaaah!"
Wasn't she the type to scream the moment Master even tried to get out of bed?
A familiar scene entered my view through the window.
Lady Selene had once again collapsed into tears, convinced her husband was trying to leave her behind.
Meanwhile, the old man was desperately trying to calm down his crying wife.
From what I could overhear, he had merely wanted to use the restroom.
"Hic... I don't believe you anymore!"
Apparently none of his explanations were reaching the ears of his anxious spouse.
"You were trying to leave me again, weren't you? How can the head of a household be this irresponsible?!"
What exactly should this be called?
Not jealousy.
She wasn't suspecting him of cheating.
Separation anxiety?
Obsessiveness born from worry?
"I've had enough! We need to lock the door right now so this old man stays put! Emma! Bring me a padlock!"
...Master was probably suffering quite a bit.
Still, watching all this made me fairly confident that his injuries wouldn't worsen from overexertion.
"Conrad! What kind of stance is that?! I clearly told you yesterday to plant your shield into the ground while defending!"
Of course, things weren't exactly smooth over here either.
"Ezekiel! There is no Black Dragon living in your right hand! Stop talking nonsense and pick up your sword!"
What should I even call this situation?
"Pan! If you behaved like that on a battlefield, you'd lose your head!"
Ah.
I've got it.
"Anna, do you think I'll let it slide just because you're my sister?"
If I had to describe Boong-Boong's current behavior, that would be the perfect expression.
The fox was acting like king because the tiger was gone.
Other suitable sayings might be:
The sparrow trying to imitate the stork.
The mice running wild because the cat is away.
The servant sitting in the master's seat.
I didn't know exactly why, but after Master butchered Kraksion the Butcher, Bentley's admiration for him had doubled.
Maybe it was simple respect for strength.
Honestly, I didn't care enough to find out.
Anyway...
"Ahem! Everyone, pay attention!"
...Well, look at this.
What nerve.
Now he's standing on the platform with his hands behind his back?
"For the time being, I will be leading the Black Lion Order as acting vice-captain. Keep that in mind."
Excuse me?
Acting vice-captain?
That was the first I'd heard of it.
"No objections will be accepted."
I was deliberately staying quiet because I didn't want unnecessary conflict, but this was getting ridiculous.
More importantly, why was he suddenly trying to act like our senior disciple?
Master had clearly ordered self-training.
"...Sera."
"What?"
"What's with that expression? Do you have a problem with the acting vice-captain's decision?"
Ah.
Maybe I hadn't hidden my expression very well.
Then again, who cared?
There was no need for commoners to walk on eggshells around each other.
Watching Boong-Boong throw his weight around was irritating.
"It's not that I have a problem. I just don't understand."
"What don't you understand?"
"Why are you the acting vice-captain?"
Bentley's head tilted dramatically.
As though he genuinely couldn't understand why anyone would ask such a question.
"Isn't it obvious?"
"...What?"
"I'm the strongest one here."
"Huh...?"
"Do I really need to explain further?"
"..."
...What nonsense was that?
Did Boong-Boong eat poisonous mushrooms for lunch?
When did this guy become so shameless?
Did learning a little aura make him think he owned the world?
"Do you not remember who killed the wild boar?"
"Hmph. Maybe you've forgotten who hunted the most wolves recently."
"What?"
"And who defeated the most goblins?"
"That's because you're always at the front! I don't care about those achievements."
"Tch. The excuse of a loser."
"Loser? Hey! How about I remind you who's actually the loser?"
"...I don't fight girls."
"Scared?"
"Enough. This conversation isn't worth continuing."
Whoosh. Whoosh.
His hand waved dismissively right in front of my face.
As if saying:
You're still a kid, so I'll let it slide. Now run along.
Is this one of those "I'm not the same person I used to be" situations?
...I'm getting really annoyed.
Come to think of it, Boong-Boong had been looking down on me a lot lately.
Especially after hitting puberty, getting taller, and developing a deeper voice.
As if I wasn't even worth being his rival anymore.
'Now that I think about it, it's been a long time since I put him back in his place.'
Probably five years.
Long enough for Boong-Boong to forget.
Eden and Master had spoiled me so much that I'd become much softer than before.
Maybe it was time for a reminder.
...
...
No.
"...Hoo."
I quietly calmed myself and suppressed my irritation.
Master wasn't here right now.
Why cause trouble?
If anything, a disciple wants to behave even better when their teacher isn't watching.
And honestly, I didn't want to start punching fellow disciples over something so stupid.
Once Master returned, this little disturbance would disappear on its own.
'Fine. Go ahead. Be the neighborhood boss, the leader, the vice-captain, whatever you want.'
Including my previous life, I had lived far longer than Boong-Boong.
And the older I became, the easier it was to maintain my composure.
Sure, hormones sometimes made me overly emotional.
And sometimes my younger body made me act childish on instinct.
But compared to before, I rarely lost my temper.
'Come to think of it, I can't even say Bentley's perspective is unreasonable.'
Putting aside the fact that Bentley was a prideful teenager, there was a three-year age gap between us.
In terms of my previous life, Bentley was roughly a second-year middle school student.
I was an elementary school fifth-grader.
What did it matter that I'd been an adult in my previous life?
Nobody would believe that story anyway.
At that age, even a one-year difference feels enormous.
Kids are often more afraid of older peers than actual adults.
And this world wasn't any different.
Even Conrad, who was the biggest and most mature among us.
Even Pan, who was freer-spirited than anyone.
Neither of them dared challenge Bentley.
Regardless of skill, there was an unspoken hierarchy between older and younger children.
So of course it annoyed him when a younger girl ignored that hierarchy and talked to him however she pleased.
And naturally, as the oldest boy, he wanted to act like the senior disciple.
'...There's no way I'm suddenly going to start calling Bentley "big brother" or anything like that.'
Let's just agree to go our separate ways.
Just as Bentley didn't make an issue out of age hierarchy with me, I shouldn't deliberately trample on his pride.
'Beating him was fine when we were little.'
But not anymore.
If that happened now, Bentley's pride would be crushed into dust.
A girl three years younger than him.
In a medieval society.
Defeating him.
And not just any girl, but a disciple who had only been training for a little over a year.
'Wow. That's rough.'
Even if I were in his position, I'd want to avoid that outcome at all costs.
At his age, emotions were already unstable enough.
A clash like that could easily destroy our already distant relationship.
Maybe Bentley really had ignored my challenge because he was scared.
'Besides, it is true that he's improved dramatically. Someday he might actually become the captain of the order.'
Putting aside our current amateur level, hadn't Sir Lekun personally called us the Black Lion Order?
When Master eventually retired, the disciples—including me—would inherit that grand title.
Granted, the only true Black Lion was Sir Lekun himself.
But a struggling territory didn't have the luxury of worrying about technicalities.
'How long will I stay in this territory? Five years? Ten? Bentley probably plans to stay here until he dies.'
The truth was that even I couldn't decide.
I loved this place.
But settling down forever was an entirely different matter.
Once my revenge was complete, I couldn't predict what path I would take.
I've never been the type to stay tied down.
I wanted to see more.
Experience more.
It would be a waste to spend my entire life inside a small territory when this vast world existed beyond it.
If that was the case, then Bentley becoming captain really was the right outcome.
"Hoo..."
As soon as I reached that conclusion, my mind felt clear.
"Everyone, positions!"
So even if I was a little annoyed...
For the peace of Bellark.
And for the pride of its future captain.
"Maintain a single-file formation!"
For now, I'd follow Boong-Boong's orders.