Chapter 61
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 61
Chapter Title: But You Were Different
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After sending Tail off, a sly smile crept across Allen's lips.
The corners of his mouth lifted high in a way that was utterly intriguing.
He slowly stroked his chin.
'That kid. He's grown so differently from back then.'
Allen recalled the boy he'd just seen—Tail.
Five years ago, the Tail he'd observed was mature for his age.
No.
To put it nicely, he was mature, but closer to an old soul who showed no real passion in anything.
Whatever he did, he was listless, exuding a cynical air.
It was as if he'd deliberately excised any spark of motivation from his life.
That was why, at first, he'd scrutinized whether the boy was fit to stay by Her Highness the Imperial Princess's side.
The kid's vibe was that peculiar.
Of course, things had gone smoothly after that.
But the Tail he'd seen today was different.
There was a burning passion rising in his eyes.
Recalling the fierce light blazing in those eyes, Allen continued his thoughts.
Originally, Allen hadn't expected Tail—the one from the past—to display such outstanding physical prowess, mental fortitude, and willpower.
That was why he'd lumped Tail together with the failing students under the pretext of remedial classes to keep him contained and under watch.
But things hadn't gone as planned.
Allen pictured Tail's eyes as he'd climbed the mountain earlier.
'More impressive than I thought.'
He didn't know what had changed him, but it was a good thing.
Those were truly exceptional eyes.
Even in wartime armies, eyes that alive were hard to find.
That was why today's Tail made Allen feel like he'd reconfirmed that grit he'd sensed the first time they met.
That tenacious, intense mental strength.
'What an interesting guy.'
Allen lifted the corner of his mouth in a grin.
Thanks to Tail's top-notch performance in climbing the mountain, the remedial class had suddenly turned into special training.
It hadn't gone as expected, but that had its own appeal—it seemed fun in its own way.
At the same time, Allen thought of the one person who'd followed behind Tail.
'Ethan Philoff, was it?'
Ethan had come out of nowhere, like stumbling upon money by the roadside.
Pure serendipitous luck.
Despite being a noble, he mingled well with Tail, so his character seemed solid enough.
And his stamina was impressive.
It'd be hard to find resources that well-trained at his age.
And now there were two of them?
This was real fortune.
The luck of teaching exceptional students, and a way to produce top talent.
Of course, he'd been assigned for surveillance purposes.
'Surveillance is surveillance. But teaching them will be satisfying.'
Drilling them properly would be rewarding too.
Allen began sketching out a training program in his head, more seriously now.
As he pondered just how much he'd push the two of them, a smile formed on Allen's lips.
"What?! Sir Allen?!"
Yujin let out a shriek-like cry.
Tail, who had run into Yujin while out buying snacks with Alice, was explaining why Allen had stayed behind.
Yujin continued in an excited voice.
"Well, yeah. That old man's always serious about training. Like that time...!"
Yujin clamped his mouth shut under Tail's piercing gaze.
After more than five years together, he knew what that look meant.
It was a silent "shut up."
And the reason was probably Alice, who knew nothing.
Yujin glanced cautiously at Tail, who shifted his eyes to Alice.
Seeing this, Alice let out a soft chuckle.
She spoke leisurely.
"Should I pretend not to notice? Or is it okay to be curious?"
She'd picked up on it after all.
At her words, Yujin floundered, and Tail let out a long sigh.
No dodging vaguely now.
'Fine. She'll find out everything eventually anyway.'
Deciding to give a brief explanation, Tail slowly spoke.
"I met him once briefly during wartime."
Wartime...
"Five years ago, you mean."
Tail nodded at Alice's response and continued.
"As a civilian and a soldier. It wasn't some grand connection by any means, but not something where I can just blab freely without permission either."
Alice nodded as if she understood completely.
Then, as if it all made sense, she added,
"I see. So that's why he had his eye on you, Tail."
Had his eye on him?
Sir Allen?
Tail furrowed his brow slightly.
"What do you mean?"
Alice blinked slowly and said,
"Sure, I knew the mountain well as an elf, but you and Ethan were real outliers."
That was true.
Tail and Ethan had led the climb with Alice, showing stamina that stunned everyone.
If the students were shocked, Allen must have been even more so.
"But Professor Allen's gaze barely lingered on Ethan. Not that it didn't at all—it was just the level he'd give any average student."
His gaze didn't reach Ethan?
Puzzled, Tail waited for her to continue.
"But you were different."
Alice said it with utmost seriousness.
"His stare on you was so intense, I thought you two might be blood-related."
Blood-related.
Damn.
Tail's expression crumpled a bit at that.
"You're not serious, right?"
His face didn't resemble Tail's at all?
Allen had a high reputation, but few women sent him love letters.
His looks were... well, what they were.
'No, this is too much. Even from Alice.'
Offended by the implication that he resembled Allen, Tail scowled, prompting Alice to shrug.
"I mean it was that intense—like he thought you were family."
She quickly added,
"As an elf, human faces all look the same to me."
Well, fair enough.
Like saying a Maltese and a bulldog look alike despite being totally different.
He decided to let it slide.
As he thought that, Yujin spoke up anxiously.
"But why would Sir Allen suddenly take an interest in Tail?"
Alice replied flatly.
"Maybe because he's the top enrollee?"
"Yeah."
Yujin beamed innocently and continued.
"Sir Allen didn't see the entrance exam or the duel with Cromhel, so he might be curious about Tail!"
But inwardly, Tail thought,
'No way. Absolutely not.'
He knew too well that Allen's curiosity and interest came with surveillance.
And Tail was even grateful for that surveillance, anticipating the special training it promised.
After classes ended that day.
Tail was alone in the academy's training hall.
"Huff. Huff."
His whole body screamed as he swung the sword fiercely.
His weakest spots were howling the loudest.
The hike hadn't been pointless after all.
But it wasn't so bad he couldn't move, so he kept swinging today too.
Whoosh—!
The blade tore through the air.
"Huff."
Tail caught his breath.
The special training probably meant ramping up this intensity daily.
A smile formed on Tail's lips.
'This turned out great.'
As a commoner, he only knew crude training methods.
Just reading books, mimicking, or fixing form under mercenaries' guidance.
Unlike him, noble kids started way ahead.
They'd been systematically trained since childhood, in environments perfect for honing their strengths.
So gaps were inevitable.
But conversely, that meant their weaknesses stood out more.
Like today's stamina drill.
Even with sword aura and great stamina, low martial skill meant nothing.
He had to surpass the middling techniques noble students favored.
Without sword aura in a spar, he'd be in real trouble against them now.
So to close the gap from here, he had to give it everything.
'Still, I need to keep training.'
And find a master to teach him cultivation methods.
'Above all.'
He lowered his sword.
At the same time, a blue window appeared before his eyes—the status screen.
Actual stats will display after talent develops through consistent training.
It clearly said actual stats would appear after sufficient training.
Yet even after years of training, the status screen showed no change.
'Why won't anything show up?'
Or maybe the moment it changed meant he'd grown.
'The key to getting stronger fast is Sir Allen's special training.'
This had turned out well.
Tail didn't care if Allen's motives were ulterior.
He just needed to seize the opportunity and grow stronger.