Chapter 315: You are an Official Disciple of the Twin Dragon Sect (3)
Chapter 315: You are an Official Disciple of the Twin Dragon Sect (3)
The Blue Dragon departed.
Patrick decided to stay behind for a while to train Persona.
Once the Blue Dragon was gone, Persona glanced at Patrick and asked, "May I continue the training I was doing?"
"Go ahead."
Who was he to stop her?
Persona checked Patrick’s reaction, then moved to one side and began swinging her sword again.
Patrick simply sat down, pulled a bottle of liquor from his robe, and took a sip as he watched the scene.
Whoosh!
The way she gripped the hilt.
Her stance.
Even her breathing...
‘There isn't just one or two things to point out.’
Her basics were practically non-existent.
However, despite that, the fact that her swings produced a sharp whistling sound suggested her natural physical strength was quite remarkable.
‘For a beginner like that to become useful in a short time...’
Patrick pondered how he should teach Persona. Meanwhile...
"Phew..."
Persona lowered her sword and let out a long breath. That was the end of today's training.
Seeing that attitude, Patrick frowned and spoke up.
"You're finishing already?"
"Yes. Any more than this is impossible."
"Hmmmm..."
Patrick had been thinking about teaching her since she had a good physical foundation, but at that moment, his desire to teach vanished instantly.
The most important thing in practicing martial arts isn't a great physical build or exceptional insight.
It is the grit to persevere without giving up.
He had no desire to teach a young lady who lacked that. But then...
"Patrick Schneider-nim."
"Hmm? Why are you calling me?"
"Please, help me."
"I don't know. From what I can see, you don't seem all that desperate."
"No. That's not true."
"..."
"I am extremely desperate."
At those words, Patrick’s brow furrowed.
‘You don't really look it, though?’
It was Patrick’s philosophy that desperation isn't something you put into words, but something you show through actions.
And right now, Persona’s attitude didn't seem desperate at all. However...
* * *
"You really were desperate."
Patrick realized his assumption had been wrong.
Following the training, he was led by Persona into their base of operations.
From the moment he stepped into the space carved out inside a small cave, what Patrick witnessed was hell.
"Waaaaah! Yula hit me!"
"Lord-unni, Caronian is eating my food!"
"Lord-nuna, look at this! I can fly this high!"
Dozens of hatchlings were entangled in a chaotic mess. And in the middle of that absolute shambles, Persona was...
"Please... just speak one at a time! Please!"
She was clutching her head in agony.
Indeed, she was in hell.
The hell of childcare.
A few hours later.
After soothing and coaxing every single hatchling, breaking up fights, feeding them, and finally putting them to sleep.
Patrick cautiously asked Persona, who was slumped over as if her soul had been put through a thresher.
"Are you... okay?"
"Do I... look... okay?"
"..."
Whoa, scary.
It wasn't often that Patrick felt intimidated by someone's gaze.
But this time, it was actually a bit frightening.
Persona spoke through gritted teeth.
"Why must I, who has never even been in a relationship, let alone married, look after dozens of children... Of course, I am the Lord now and the oldest, so I must, but still, this is..."
Seeing her tearing at her hair in distress...
Well, honestly, he felt quite sorry for her.
He couldn't even remember the last time he had felt this much pity for someone.
She had to avenge her father, but she also had to raise dozens of kids. At this rate...
"It's only natural that you lack time for training."
"That's exactly what I'm saying."
"..."
"It's hard to even train for an hour a day. Sometimes I can't do it at all."
"That is quite pitiful... Wait? An hour?"
"Yes. That's right."
"You said earlier that it's been two months since you first picked up a sword, right?"
"Yes. That's correct."
Two months.
And she couldn't even manage an hour of training a day.
Sometimes she couldn't train at all.
That meant her total training time was less than sixty hours. Yet, her sword swings had produced a decent sound. This meant...
‘This lady is a genius too.’
It wasn't just her physical build that was exceptional.
She possessed an outstanding insight that allowed her to achieve high results with very little practice.
With this level of talent, she might be in the same league as April.
With this kind of build and this kind of talent...
"This might actually work."
"What do you mean?"
Instead of answering Persona’s question, Patrick thought deeply.
It was certainly better to do whatever could be done before the battle with the Heavenly Demon.
And it would be a waste to give up on such talent.
Having made up his mind, Patrick spoke.
"Hey, kid... no, Persona."
"Please, speak."
"You really intend to receive training from me, right?"
"...Of course."
Persona replied with a brightened expression.
She would do anything if it meant she could become stronger. In her current situation, Patrick’s teaching was like rain during a drought.
"You won't give up halfway, will you?"
"Of course not."
"Can you do whatever I tell you to do?"
"Of course."
He liked her decisiveness.
Patrick nodded and said, "From today on, call me Master."
"Yes. Thank you, Master."
And so, Patrick took Persona as his disciple.
* * *
After accepting Persona as his disciple, Patrick decided to first create an environment suitable for training.
"Did you call for us, Patrick Schneider-nim?"
Arriving at his call and kneeling politely were the direct familiars of the Four Calamities.
Edward, Luna, Storm Spear, and even Daji...
They had rushed over at Patrick’s summons and knelt respectfully.
Now that it was certain Patrick was the Prophesied Human, their attitude had become even more deferential.
"Good work, everyone. It's nothing else, but I have a task I want to entrust to you."
Edward, the representative of the vampires and a direct familiar of the Blue Dragon, spoke solemnly with a hand over his heart.
"Just give us the command, whatever it may be."
"It might be a somewhat difficult task."
"It is fine. If you grant us the honor of serving the command of a Great One, we shall simply follow."
"Reliable as always."
Patrick nodded as if satisfied.
And Edward inwardly pumped his fist.
‘I did it.’
If Patrick was the Prophesied Human, they had to get on his good side no matter what. Because when the world escaped its end and moved to the next stage, it was the Prophesied Human who would decide who was chosen and who was cast aside.
"Please, just give the order."
"Excellent. Then..."
A short while later.
"Giddy-up! Giddy-up! Run, Griffin! Fly, Griffin!"
"Waaaaah! No! I hate this! Not boar meat, I want deeeeer meat!"
"Wow! The fox tail is so waggy and cute!"
The direct familiars of the Four Calamities were thrown into childcare hell.
The mischievous hatchlings quickly identified them as toys, nannies, and pushovers.
As a result, the four big shots who ruled the great city of Pabera were spending a period of great suffering.
"Fly, Griffin! Don't stop!"
"Fox-nuna. Tail! I want to touch the tail!"
"Deeeer! Deer meeeat!"
In the midst of that hell, the gazes of three of them turned toward one person.
"Edward!"
"You son of a bitch!"
"Because of you... because of you, I...!"
"..."
Edward had no words to offer his colleagues.
How was he supposed to know it would turn out like this?
* * *
In a wide clearing outside the cave.
There, Patrick spoke to his new disciple, Persona, with a solemn expression.
"Disciple, keep this in mind."
"What is it, Master?"
"As a rule, if there's something you don't want to do, make someone else do it."
"Ah..."
"That solves most problems."
"Yes. I will keep that in mind, Master."
Persona seemed truly moved by her Master’s teaching.
It appeared she was deeply touched by the heaven-like grace of her Master, who had rescued her from childcare hell.
[Jincheon, you bastard! You... you... you rogue!]
It felt as if someone was fiercely protesting, but Patrick just picked his ear and ignored it.
Regardless, Patrick was quite excited.
Since coming to this world, he had bestowed his teachings upon many people.
Thanks to his kind and gentle guidance, the waddling, pathetic soldiers had become dependable knights, the timid Matthew had grown strong, and the seniors, juniors, and professors of the Academy had all become a level stronger.
"Ah, I'm just too kind."
...Anyway.
Despite all that, this was the first time Patrick had officially taken a disciple.
And being Patrick’s disciple meant...
"From now on, you are an official member of the Twin Dragon Sect. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Master."
Patrick’s body trembled slightly.
He hadn't realized it before doing it, but saying it out loud filled him with deep emotion.
‘I finally have a disciple of my own.’
Even in the Twin Dragon Sect, Patrick hadn't raised a disciple. No, he hadn't been able to.
As the Twin Dragon Sect grew, he gained junior brothers and many nephews in the sect, but there was no disciple of the Radiant Dragon Hero, Jincheon.
‘Wait? Come to think of it, why didn't I have one? I'm sure it wasn't because I didn't want to take a disciple.’
At that moment, a memory from the distant past surfaced.
It was around the time the Twin Dragon Sect had grown quite large and his junior brothers had begun taking disciples.
[Master, I think I'll take a disciple now as well.]
[A disciple?]
[Yes. As long as their grit is good, I don't mind if their build or insight is just okay.]
[Ho ho ho... I see. Is that so?]
[As long as they have grit, I'll turn them into a human... no, a master, by any means necessary.]
[Ho ho ho ho ho...]
[Who would be good?]
[Ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho...]
And then it had just fizzled out.
Uh, so that means...
Master? Was it perhaps because you didn't trust me?
[Ho ho ho...]
That old man...
Patrick felt a sudden surge of irritation.
Now that he was reborn and seeing things from a different perspective, he was realizing many things anew.
"Grrr, well, I was busy back then, and there wasn't anyone who caught my eye."
But it was fine now.
Even if it was across worlds, he had obtained a useful disciple.
"Persona. I shall give you your first command as your Master."
"Yes. Please speak."
"Give up the sword."
"Yes, I under... what?"
"Give it up."
"..."
"The sword."
Persona’s face flushed red.
Regardless of whether he was the Prophesied Human or not, she looked ready to pounce if he weren't her Master.
Though the Great Demon before her wouldn't have budged an inch even if she did.
"May I ask the reason?"
The voice she barely managed to squeeze out was as cold as falling frost.
To her, Patrick said, "Everyone has an aptitude."
"I am a dragon, though?"
"Dragons have aptitudes too."
"..."
You've never even seen another dragon besides me...
With her lips pouting, Persona’s face showed no sign of understanding.
Patrick continued.
"Well, if I taught you the Twin Dragon Sect’s swordsmanship normally and had you train, you would eventually become strong."
"..."
"In about ten years or so."
Persona’s expression flinched.
In truth, considering her talent, the energy already accumulated in her body, and her racial characteristics, it wouldn't take ten years.
Even with just one year of teaching, she would become stronger than an average 7-Star swordsman. However, Patrick deliberately exaggerated the time to ten years.
"If your situation were relaxed enough that taking a long time was fine, I would teach you the Twin Dragon Sect’s swordsmanship normally. But that's not the case, is it?"
"That is..."
"Right now, you must lead your tribe as the Lord, you must avenge your father, and you must join me in the battle against the Outer God."
"..."
"In such a state, can you leisurely devote yourself to the sword for ten years? A war might break out within this very year."
"..."
Persona had no rebuttal.
‘Master is right.’
Even she thought she needed to obtain power as quickly as possible.
Ten years was by no means a long time for a dragon, but the story changed when the situation was as urgent as it was now.
"If I discard the sword and follow your instructions, Master, can I become strong quickly?"
"Martial arts is something that takes time."
"..."
"However, if you only want to obtain a level of combat power useful in war, there is a way."
"..."
"I'm not telling you to give up your growth as a martial artist. I'm just saying you should prioritize what is immediately necessary for now."
"Then... I will follow your words, Master."
In the end, Persona was persuaded.
Because every word Patrick said was undeniably true.
At her answer, Patrick’s lips curled up into a smirk as he thought.
‘Good. She fell for it.’
This Great Demon never misled people with lies. He told the truth while guiding the situation to move exactly as he intended.
Having persuaded Persona, Patrick pulled something out of his artifact backpack and handed it to her.
"What is... this?"
It was a long, heavy, single-edged weapon that brought to mind a crescent moon.
It was her first time seeing it, but Patrick nodded and said, "It's a weapon called a saber."
"It's quite different from a sword."
"Very different."
Though they were both bladed weapons, a sword and a saber were completely different.
Actually, this was something he had made to give to Tutan once he grew a bit more.
But it seemed it was destined to find a better owner here.
Patrick held it out and said, "Grip the saber."
"..."
"I shall pass down the Five Tigers Single Gate Sword to you."