The Herb Hunt
“…Was it true when you said you’d never held a sword before?”
“Huh? Yeah, it was.”
Iris fell into confusion. Did that mean he had performed the vertical slash for the first time just now…? That was impossible. His movements were clearly those of someone who had studied the sword for a long time. But if what he said was true…
Iris needed proof for her own question.
“Um… Do ordinary people master a technique just by seeing it once?”
“No, they don’t. More importantly, could you show me that vertical slash again?”
“What? Ah, that’s easy enough.”
Cian gave her a puzzled look as he took the wooden sword back. Then his eyes changed. He stared at the blade and settled into a stance as if he had become one with it. It was almost like the posture of body and sword as one. He hadn’t reached that level yet, but his attitude was remarkably similar.
‘Oh…’
Iris, who recognized it, let out a quiet gasp of admiration.
‘There’s a stubbornness in his eyes.’
He drew both arms above his head in a practiced motion and brought the sword down with force.
“Hah—!”
—Wham!
A vertical slash. There was no doubt about it. And it was far better than the one Iris had secretly watched earlier. In that short span of time, he had identified the flaws and improved on his own. As expected, Iris thought her eyes hadn’t deceived her. She wasn’t sure if he was a genius, but he definitely had talent with the sword.
‘But… something feels off.’
Iris sensed something strange. Cian’s eyes after executing the slash were odd. Even though he had performed an excellent vertical slash, he didn’t look satisfied. It was as if he knew he could do it more perfectly, but his body simply wouldn’t cooperate.
‘How does he recognize that himself?’
A small spark of interest flickered in Iris. She asked him,
“Would you like to learn the sword from me?”
“Excuse me?”
Cian was taken aback by the sudden offer.
“…Are you serious?”
“I am. If you need it, I’ll teach you anything related to the sword, not just swordsmanship.”
Iris nodded once, her expression blunt. Cian fell into thought. Even though he was the veteran player Choi Jian possessing Cian’s body, actually wielding a sword was a different matter. He knew the fastest way to grow stronger, but learning swordsmanship through direct experience had been a stumbling block. He didn’t know what Iris had seen in him, but for Cian, this was an incredible stroke of luck.
“…I’d be happy to! But I only have one month left until the academy starts… I might not be able to train after that.”
“That’s plenty. As long as you come to me during every break like now, there won’t be a problem.”
***
After that, Iris’s swordsmanship lessons were added to my daily routine. Morning fasted cardio. Strength training with bodyweight before lunch. After Sara’s sword lesson, meeting Iris separately at night for sword training. It took about three weeks for this schedule to feel completely natural.
That night, another session in the training ground was coming to an end.
“Thank you again today.”
“…You’ve become quite proficient with the second form of the Thunder Sword Art. Achieving this much in three weeks is an impressive result.”
“You’re too kind. It’s thanks to your excellent teaching, Iris.”
“That may be true, but it’s also because you have talent, my lord. If only your danjeon were intact, I wonder how much faster you would learn…”
Iris spoke while I wiped my sweat with a damp towel. So, I had talent. I didn’t feel it that strongly myself. I was aware that my body was skilled with the sword, but…
The Thunder Sword Art was something I had mastered in a week back when I was a newbie playing as the protagonist. I didn’t know how remarkable my current talent was in this world, but there had been plenty of people with even greater talent.
I couldn’t afford to get complacent. I had to keep pushing forward.
“More importantly, the academy term starts in a week, doesn’t it?”
Right. Time had flown by already. It was about time to go fix my danjeon for real. I’d lost a lot of weight. I could even use basic sword techniques now. At this level, I should be able to take down a Great Eagle without much trouble…
“Yes. I suppose we won’t be seeing each other for a while.”
“Don’t come crying to me saying you’ll miss me.”
After three weeks, we’d grown quite close. Iris’s casual joke carried a hint of familiarity. I turned my head away from her and replied,
“…That won’t happen.”
“How cold.”
I brushed the dirt from my hands and turned my back to the training ground. Watching me, Iris asked in her usual straightforward manner,
“Are you heading to bed now?”
“No. I was thinking of taking a short walk at night.”
Tomorrow I would go hunt the Great Eagle. I needed to prepare. I had to head to the mountain behind the estate and gather the necessary herbs. The mountains behind Brace Duchy were rich in medicinal plants. If I ordered the maids to collect them, rumors would spread that the young master was up to his usual nonsense again, so I had to go alone.
Just as I finished that thought, Iris, who had been walking beside me, asked,
“May I join you?”
“Pardon?”
I was flustered. She wanted to tag along so suddenly? This was the first time the usually curt Iris had suggested something like this.
…Was it because we were about to part ways? With the academy opening soon, she would need to focus on Sara and wouldn’t have much time to teach me. If that was the reason… it should be fine. It would be troublesome if people found out I had gone to the mountain, but after two weeks of watching her, Iris didn’t seem like the type to gossip.
“All right. Just keep it a secret from the people in the duchy that I went for a walk.”
“Are you leaving the estate?”
“Yes. I’m heading to the mountain for a bit.”
“Understood. I’ll carry the secret to the grave.”
“…You don’t have to go that far.”
Grave, huh… Iris had a strange sense of humor in odd places. I left the training ground with her and walked toward the outside of the duchy. Neither of us was particularly talkative, so we didn’t exchange a single word until we reached the ornate iron gate.
Only after opening the gate and stepping outside did Iris speak to me.
“By the way, you seem to have lost quite a bit of weight over the past three weeks. Do you have some secret?”
“Eat less and exercise more.”
“That’s an answer anyone would know. I want the real secret.”
“…You’re already pretty enough, Iris. You don’t need to lose weight.”
“Are you flirting with me right now?”
“If you’re going to say weird things, I’ll go alone.”
“It was a joke.”
Iris smiled faintly at my serious expression.
…She really was like a cat. No wonder so many men were drawn to her in the story. Well, I knew her personality, so it didn’t bother me.
“Why are you going to the mountain?”
“To gather herbs. I need some.”
“Herbs…? You really are a peculiar person, my lord. You usually just repeat the same straightforward tasks, and now you’re suddenly going to collect herbs in the middle of the night…”
“Is that so? I think I’m perfectly ordinary.”
“Being ordinary is surprisingly difficult. It’s rare to find someone as diligent as you, my lord.”
“…Thank you for the compliment.”
Before we knew it, we had arrived near the mountain. We climbed together. Since we weren’t going deep into dangerous terrain, we hadn’t brought any climbing gear. After walking for about twenty minutes—
‘Found it.’
I spotted a herb growing beside the roots of a large tree. At first glance it looked like ordinary weeds, but I knew its use.
‘It temporarily overloads the body’s physical abilities. The backlash afterward is rough, though.’
Commonly known as Gangryeon Herb. Most people didn’t know about it, but veteran players who knew the game well often used it. I bent down and pulled up several stalks.
Iris gave me a puzzled look.
“Isn’t that just a weed?”
“No. It looks like one, but it’s an herb that temporarily enhances the body.”
“How fascinating… How do you know about something like this, my lord?”
“I suppose I just picked it up while living.”
“As expected, you really are a peculiar person.”
“……”
With the herbs secured, all that remained was heading back. The walk ended here. I retraced my steps down the mountain with Iris.
But I hadn’t expected what came next.
We reached the iron gate guarding the entrance to the duchy. The moment I opened it, I came face to face with a maid who had stepped out to use the restroom.
“……”
“……”
“……”
I should have been more careful and checked my surroundings… I had let my guard down. The maid stared back and forth between me and Iris, who had just walked in together through the gate.