Chapter 8
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 8
Chapter Title: The Hero's Master?
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Pretoria.
A world far removed from modern science. A realm driven by the trinity of swords, magic, and divinity. As one might see in novels or anime, it was a place where good and evil struggled to coexist. The demon forces centered around the Demon God clashed against the human forces led by the Hero and the Saintess.
From a modern person's perspective, Pretoria was a place you wouldn't want to visit even in your dreams. Thinking back to my twenty years on Earth—spent at PC bangs or lounging in bed devouring novels—it was clear this wasn't a world for someone like me.
If I'd been dropped into an apocalypse world, at least I could've scavenged a gun and felt a bit more confident. But learning to wield things I'd never even seen before, let alone touched? It was bound to feel off-putting. This wasn't a hobby. Failure here meant death, not just quitting or trying again.
As I sighed with those thoughts, Seren approached, looking every bit the young angel. Her youthful face, clearly younger than mine, practically glowed.
Silver hair flowing gracefully, skin as white as snow, pale lips, amethyst eyes, and a neatly worn priestess robe. More exotic—more otherworldly—than anyone I'd met here, she easily captured my attention.
"Hello, Hero?"
Her voice flowed gently, even in a question, steadying my resolve and propelling me to take my first real step as a Hero. Looking back, I think I was just enchanted by her as my sole sanctuary. Turns out I was something of a looks-ist myself.
Of course, Seren's sweet, considerate personality played a huge role too. Truly.
Anyway, after chatting and growing closer with her, I soon learned about holy power. Bless to strengthen the body, Divine-type attacks infused with holy power, even healing. Seren demonstrated a wide variety, and surprisingly, I could replicate most of them right away.
"Eh...? Y-You can already copy this...?"
Her dazed voice from that moment remains a treasured memory. It sparked my confidence in my talents.
Hey, if I've got talent in holy power, maybe I've got it in other areas too? That half-baked thought crept in.
But that was a mistake.
"Hero, I've brought the Sword Saint to train you."
Sword Saint? Like a master swordsman? As embarrassing a title as Hero.
"Um, do I really have to wield a sword? Can't I just stick to holy power?"
I'd committed to playing the Hero, but having discovered a talent that suited me, this question naturally arose.
"The Hero must be a flawless, perfect being. For that, you cannot neglect holy power, magic, or swordsmanship. Not a single one."
"Ah... Okay."
Her tone was so firm I couldn't muster a rebuttal and just nodded. Maybe it was the emperor thing, but her speech carried this forceful, lecturing vibe from the start.
Or not. With the emperor showing up for every little thing and guiding me like this, maybe it wasn't that.
"So this kid's the precious Hero? He's too young."
As I pondered, a gravelly voice approached from beside me. I flinched and glanced over to see a young-ish man tilting his head at me. His cocky demeanor soured my impression immediately.
"Sword Saint, regardless, he is the Hero. Mind your title and tone."
"Psh~ I don't use that stuff for anyone weaker than me. And this guy looks weaker anyway—makes you wonder if he's really the Hero."
"Of course I'm weak. You guys just called me Hero. I was originally a regular civilian. Anyway, you elites always have the worst personalities."
I can't stand losing arguments, so my retort bypassed my brain entirely, coming out as rude as his own speech.
"Hah? Look at this Hero, all bold. Might actually be fun to teach."
You're the ones who slapped the Hero label on me arbitrarily. His flippant attitude still grated, so I just stared silently. The so-called Sword Saint grinned and continued.
"I'm the Sword Saint, as far as I know. Name's Sio. Sio Tripolius. Call me Master from now on."
Every gesture screamed trouble—if I got tangled with this guy, hardship awaited. The thought slipped out before I could stop it.
"Wow... I really hate this."
"Then test your skills against your oh-so-hated Master. Follow me to the training grounds."
Ah.
I was dragged to the training grounds just like that. His strength was insane—my Bless-enhanced body got lifted and carried effortlessly.
"Alright~ Let's see what you've got. Pick up a sword first."
Sword. Which one? The only blade I'd ever touched was a kitchen knife after one of Mom's nagging sessions. I stood there blankly, unsure.
"What're you doing? Grab a sword already."
"I've never held one—how should I know? I'm telling you, I'm basically a civilian."
"Hah? You weren't kidding? They really brought a damn baby?"
Yeah, fuck. I'm a baby, boo-hoo.
"You don't look that experienced yourself. Face-wise, you seem about my age."
His boyish face and cheap speech felt lightweight, even to me who'd been polite until now. So I dropped the formalities, like I had with young Seren at first.
"Pfft! How old are you?"
"21."
"Right, I'm exactly 14 years older. My baby face might make me look young, though."
Ugh. I'm from the land of manners and respect...
"Sorry... Master. Could you teach me from holding the sword?"
"Kahat! You've got a cute side. Fine~ Let's take it slow. We've got plenty of time to train."
The Sword Saint, Sio, laughed heartily, slapped my back, and dropped an ominous line.
"Two more laps!"
"Huff... huff. Crazy Master. W-We've already done over 40...? Huff... haa. Feels like you're adding two each time now. This isn't training—it's torture. Right?"
"Shut up and run~ Your Master doesn't waste time on useless stuff."
The first time I gripped a sword, I was drunk on the Hero title people tossed around—or maybe buoyed by my holy arts practice with Seren. I thought it'd be light, but it was impossibly heavy.
Sio's baffled look soon shifted blame from the sword to me. He moved me to this track for basic conditioning, where I've been running ever since.
"Yeah, build stamina first. Run."
That's what he said. Definitely the path of suffering.
This was probably the first time I regretted declaring I'd be a Hero. Too soon, maybe.
It was so tough, I really missed Seren.
The morning sun peeked over the horizon at dawn. I woke as usual. Even the plush bed couldn't break my habit of shallow sleep—Earth's gates were what I missed most about home.
I sat blankly on the bed before heading to the living room. It felt empty and hollow, mirroring Sihyun's personality, but sunlight filtered in, adding some life.
Ah, yeah. Coffee hits different at times like this. Pretoria lacked everything, but having coffee was a relief.
I slipped into the kitchen, filled the coffee pot, and hit brew. It hissed as it heated. The kitchen matched the monochrome living room—stark and sparse.
"What's a girl doing living so drab? Should decorate the place."
Back in my day, just having a house had me excited about furniture.
"If it's comfy for me, that's fine. Why decorate? I'm not a kid."
A slightly raspy voice came from behind as I watched the pot.
"Up early? Want some coffee?"
Sihyun nodded quietly, so I prepped an extra cup.
I carried the steaming mugs to the table and sat. Naturally, I slid one toward Sihyun across from me.
"Here~ Freshly brewed by Chef An."
"Thanks."
I thought she was just groggy and curt, but apparently not.
"What's wrong, dear sister? Confide in your reliable big bro?"
Sihyun let out a chuckle at my cheeky tone.
"Nah... Yesterday felt like we were goners. If reinforcements hadn't come, Team 1 and 2 would've been wiped out. Right before I passed out, all my team was down."
I'd actually seen that scene and handled everything before reinforcements arrived, but I stayed quiet and listened.
"It was a weird gate. Started as a perfect B-rank orc horde. But after the boss, a lich pops up? Haha... Total bullshit. Our luck sucks."
Her grumbling continued.
"Or maybe not. We survived, so good luck? Ah, you must've called quick, bro~ Thanks, you saved us."
Sihyun reached over, resting her hand on my head and ruffling it.
"Heh~ I'm great at everything but fighting, right?"
I grinned playfully, hamming it up.
Until Sihyun finally relaxed.