Chapter 485: The Virgin Master and the Perverted Disciple (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 485: The Virgin Master and the Perverted Disciple (3)
With a flushed face, Angela abruptly thrust a hammer from beside the anvil at me.
I explained the whole story to her, as she seemed to have misunderstood something.
The disciple she wanted wasn't a blacksmith, but a tanker.
“Ah, a tanker…”
Her expression quickly darkened.
What was this?
Why did I feel like I'd committed a crime when I hadn't done a thing?
“So you want to learn as a tanker, hmm…”
With a somber expression, Angela stood with her arms crossed, glancing sideways at Shin Yu-jeong.
Under her gaze, Shin Yu-jeong's already stiff body grew even more rigid.
She must really want to learn.
Seeing someone who rarely gets nervous look so tense proved it.
“This is difficult.”
A troubled expression.
So it was a failure after all.
In a way, it was to be expected.
Even if the byproducts of Cerberus were valuable, it was unreasonable to push her to take on a disciple for them.
“I understand. It must be a burden to suddenly teach a complete stranger…”
I was about to offer a long-winded justification for her refusal to prevent things from getting awkward when she cut me off.
“No, that’s not what’s burdensome.”
It wasn't the teaching part that was a burden…?
“Then what is?”
“Well, the thing is…”
She began with an awkward expression, a faint smile playing on her lips as she continued.
“I’ve never taught anyone how to be a tanker before.”
“Ah.”
“That’s the problem. Even if I were to teach, I… hmm, I have no idea what to teach.”
“I see.”
Definitely.
That was a problem in its own right.
Reaching a certain level of mastery and teaching others are two completely different things.
A highly skilled person doesn't necessarily make a good teacher.
This is especially true for those who improve by instinctively identifying and correcting their flaws, rather than by deeply analyzing their movements and techniques theoretically.
And considering Angela’s personality… she was clearly the latter.
“Yu-jeong, was it?”
“Ah, yes.”
“This kid seems talented, and just by looking at her muscles, I can tell how hard she works.”
“Th-thank you.”
Overwhelmed by the praise, Shin Yu-jeong lowered her head, not knowing how to react.
Angela continued.
“She’s at a prime age for growth. That’s why I’m even more worried.”
A Hunter’s growth is no different from an ordinary person’s.
When you’re younger, even by a single year.
It’s easier to absorb and learn new things, and you’re a clean slate with no bad habits.
Shin Yu-jeong is still in that period.
That period lasts two to three years at most.
How much she learns and broadens her horizons during this time will have an enormous impact on her future.
I was already worried about finding good mentors for Yu-jeong and the other team members.
That’s why I’d hoped Angela would be a good teacher for her.
“That’s a shame.”
It was a shame. Truly.
But it couldn’t be helped.
A teacher who can’t teach properly and a disciple who follows them devotedly anyway. That combination is full of passion, but instead of improving, they might just run in place or even regress.
“Let’s just forget we had this conversation…”
Just as I was about to quietly drop the matter, Shin Yu-jeong, who had been standing there with a crestfallen face, stepped forward and cut me off.
“I absolutely want to learn from you, Angela!”
A desperate cry.
At her words, the burden on Angela’s face deepened.
Her sudden outburst was startling, but I understood how she felt.
The person who embodied her ideal form was right in front of her; giving up wouldn’t be easy.
I gently patted her shoulder and began to speak.
“Yu-jeong, I know how you feel, but…”
But her resolve was far stronger than I had thought.
“You don’t have to teach me anything specific. Just tell me your daily routine, Angela! I’ll follow it exactly and learn on my own!”
Her will to learn, no matter what, pierced through the heavy burden on Angela’s face.
She fell into thought, looking slightly bewildered.
“My daily routine…?”
It wouldn’t be easy.
Everyone has a different personality and disposition. The way they achieve enlightenment varies just as much.
It meant there was no guarantee she would achieve anything just by following another person’s routine to the letter.
Even someone as straightforward as Shin Yu-jeong couldn’t be ignorant of that.
In other words, she was desperate enough to try it anyway.
After thinking deeply, Angela finally spoke with an awkward look on her face.
“If you want to follow my routine, you’ll have to learn how to swing a hammer first…?”
That was right. She was someone who preferred working as a blacksmith to acting as a tanker.
To speak of such a woman’s routine, working as a blacksmith would naturally be a necessary part of it.
I thought that would be the end of it.
Shin Yu-jeong was the type of person whose efficiency dropped if she wasn’t genuinely interested in something.
I thought she knew that about herself and would back down, despite her disappointment.
“I’ll do it!”
At her firm reply, both my and Angela’s eyes widened.
“Does that mean… you’re willing to learn blacksmithing too?”
“If it’s necessary to replicate your routine, Angela, then I’ll give it my all.”
The corners of Angela’s mouth shot up.
“Haha… well, that changes things, doesn’t it…?”
Her heart was swaying.
Not missing the opportunity, Shin Yu-jeong bowed her head again.
“I will serve you as my master!”
“Hmm…!”
That sealed the deal.
Her respectful words toppled Angela’s wavering heart.
Moved, Angela placed the hammer from beside the anvil into Shin Yu-jeong’s hand and shouted fiercely.
“Allllright! Then let’s start with a light 10,000 hammer swings!”
“…Yes, Master!”
And so it was formed.
A master-disciple relationship between two people, so similar yet so different.
At the same time, a sound echoed.
The powerful sound of tempering for the future.
Clang!
Thud-!
“Not like that! You’ll get tired quickly if you only use your arm strength! You swing a hammer with your whole body!”
“I’ll try again!”
Clang!
“Good, that’s it! 10,000 times in that posture! Sloppy swings don’t count!”
“Gasp, yes…!”
…This is a good thing, right?
* * *
The Cerberus incident had been resolved, but the world was still in an uproar.
Articles fiercely criticizing the World Hunter Association.
The absurd tales of conspiracy theorists and doomsayers spread across the internet.
What was surprising was that this bullshit, which people would normally ignore, was beginning to cause ripples in their hearts.
Because they had seen it with their own eyes.
The disaster from Greece suddenly materializing and rampaging in the heart of South Korea.
That became the proof.
A faint piece of evidence suggesting that the stories of doomsayers and conspiracy theorists might not be mere lies.
On top of that, the chaos was being amplified by those who enjoyed stirring up trouble, inventing and spreading plausible-sounding stories amidst the commotion.
“…This is serious.”
Amidst the ever-growing chaos, the Saintess worried alone.
The reports from the Guardians’ branches in each country were all filled with bad news.
That wasn’t all.
Visits from wealthy, anxious patrons had doubled, even tripled.
They even brought up strange topics.
“Saintess, does the Vatican’s Orthodox Church not sell indulgences?”
“Excuse me…? I-indulgences?”
“The ones other denominations have started selling recently! They say that if you have one, God will forgive all your sins…”
“How…!”
Indulgences.
Who on earth was selling such a ridiculous thing!
It was a story that defied common sense.
How could buying a single piece of paper with a few words written on it possibly erase all the sins one had committed?
But surprisingly, in the current climate, it was working.
“Are there really… religions that sell indulgences?”
“Sadly, it is true, Saintess.”
“And people are paying money for them.”
“…That is correct.”
If there is no demand, there is no supply.
The fact that other religions were selling indulgences meant there were enough people seeking them out.
It was deplorable. The current state of affairs, where religious figures who should be guiding people down the right path according to God’s will were instead using the chaos to make money.
“Saintess, what if we were to sell indulgences as well…”
“Ahem, it’s not that we want the money, but it is what the other followers desire.”
“If it truly brings peace to their hearts, would that not also be a good thing?”
Even within the Orthodox Church, a movement to sell indulgences began to stir.
Naturally, she refused flatly.
“If anyone brings up selling indulgences one more time… I will immediately strip them of their position and declare them a heretic. Make no mistake.”
She didn’t forget to leave them with a chilling warning.
She was certain. This chaos would not subside easily.
Because.
‘Someone is clearly fanning the flames of this chaos.’
The Seven Deadly Sins.
Or something else.
They want the world to be chaotic.
It makes it easier for them to operate.
And if this chaos continues, the existing powers will become the villains, and the new power that overthrows them will reign as the heroes.
If that happens, a level of chaos incomparable to the present will descend.
‘I must stop it. I absolutely must.’
The chaos had to be quelled.
To do that, she had to catch the ones who were fueling it.
Fortunately, the Guardians’ current strength was at its peak.
Not only the Apostles of the Seven Heavenly Virtues, but heroes with positive influence were also joining one after another.
If they joined forces, this chaos could also be easily subdued.
Thus, she decided to move up a planned event and handed her lady-in-waiting a letter written in her own hand.
“We must move up the Exchange Meeting. Please deliver this to each branch.”
“Yes, Saintess.”
The lady-in-waiting took the letter and quickly disappeared.
Left alone, she gazed down at the garden where large, magnificent flowers were in full bloom and thought.
The Exchange Meeting.
An event held quarterly or semi-annually for the members of the Guardians, who operated in secret all over the world, to get to know each other and build friendships.
This was both her desire and her belief.
The desire for the members of the Guardians to become like close friends, like family.
The belief that the power of the strong bonds forged in such a way was the true power that would save the world.
“I’m looking forward to it.”
She wondered what kind of bonds the people she had so carefully selected would form.
And what kind of synergy they would create to surprise her, and by extension, the world.
She was so filled with anticipation that she couldn’t wipe the smile from her face for a long time.