The Conscious Disciple
The next place she guided me to was the Second Training Grounds. It was where the children between eleven and fifteen, now entering their teenage years, gathered.
“Don’t die out there. Take care of yourself. And if it gets too hard, you can always come back.”
As the children finally left the Garden to become independent, I called each of their names one by one and handed them weapons—swords, spears, axes, and the like. When I gave their shoulders a light, affectionate pat, their young eyes grew red with emotion.
Beside me, Iris performed one final inspection of the weapons. After checking the angle of each blade, she added briefly,
“Thank you! Director! Sister Iris!”
The children answered energetically, gripping their weapons tightly as they left the training grounds. Watching their retreating backs, Marina Nuna turned to me with worried eyes.
“They’re only fifteen… Can’t they stay with us just a little longer?”
“No one here is being forced out.”
Most of the children in the Garden were orphans who had lost their parents. In most cities, boys and girls were treated as full adults at fifteen, so they left on their own to find work—as mercenaries, estate guards, or in various other jobs.
I explained that we weren’t driving them away; these admirable kids wanted to stand on their own two feet and repay the kindness they had received.
“They really are all so wonderful…”
Nuna couldn’t tear her gaze away from the children’s fading figures.
“Don’t worry too much. All the kids who’ve left are doing well out there.”
I reassured her and led her toward a building on the outer edge of the training grounds.
When I opened the door, the first thing that caught my eye was the writing that covered every inch of the walls.
[I caught a goblin!]
[First mission complete!]
[I got a girlfriend lol]
These were the crooked sentences the children had scribbled after successfully completing their first missions and returning to visit. Beside the cheerful, laughter-inducing scribbles were proud records of the building’s expansions and lists of donors.
[Not C-Class anymore—now B-Class mercenary Hale. Donated 20 gold.]
And that wasn’t all.
On one display shelf, crude but heartfelt gifts sent by the independent children to me and the rest of the Garden family were neatly arranged. From clumsy dolls to accessories, not a single one had been thrown away; every item was carefully preserved.
This place was a historical space for the Garden of Salvation.
As Nuna slowly looked around the interior, her eyes gradually widened.
“This is incredible…”
She murmured in admiration, lips moving silently, before turning to look straight at me. Her expression had grown quite serious.
“Sian. Just who exactly are you?”
“Who am I?”
“No matter how successful a mercenary is, I’ve never heard of anyone defeating a demon lord single-handedly. And then there’s this enormous mansion and all these servants… The way they treat you makes it seem like you’re someone incredibly important.”
“Iris, wait outside for a moment.”
“Understood, Master.”
Iris bowed politely and stepped outside. Once the door closed and only Nuna and I remained, I let out a small chuckle and spoke.
“Nuna. I wasn’t really trying to hide it… but the truth is, I’m the Hero.”
“The… the Hero…?”
Nuna’s eyes widened into perfect circles as she froze in a daze.
Finding her blank expression adorable, I chuckled again and took a step closer. The great hero who had saved the world. For an ordinary village widow like Nuna, the enormous difference in status must have left her feeling intimidated.
I gently pulled her by the waist and drew her into my arms.
“Were you very surprised, Nuna? Even if I’m the Hero, nothing between us has to change. You can just stay by my side like you always have.”
It was meant to be a rather touching line. But the reaction from Nuna in my arms was strangely off. Instead of calling my name and burrowing deeper into my chest as I’d expected, she gently pushed against my torso.
“That’s not it…!”
“Hm?”
“The Hero I saw in puppet shows as a child was supposed to be incredibly sacred and noble…! But you act like a beast every night… Anyway! You’re way too good at handling women!”
It wasn’t worry about our difference in status. It was a ridiculous complaint that my attitude toward women didn’t match the image of a noble Hero at all.
That’s ridiculous. Sacred and noble?
I tightened my arms around Nuna’s waist. Then I gently bit her earlobe and whispered very quietly.
“So it sounds like a lie? Then how can I make you believe me? Should I wrap my cock in a ton of holy power tonight and show you? Would that make me look more sacred?”
“Hngh…!”
At the lewd joke and the hot breath against her ear, Nuna’s shoulders trembled. As if a sharp jolt of pleasure had spread through her, she panicked and pushed against my chest.
“Sian! Outside… Iris is right outside the door…!”
The moment Nuna glanced at the firmly shut door and squirmed in my arms—
“Master, are you inside?”
The butler’s voice came from beyond the closed door.
“It’s already this late!”
Startled, Nuna hurriedly straightened her clothes and messy hair. She flung the door open and bowed to the butler.
“I-I’m sorry! I didn’t forget the appointment, I just…”
The butler looked back and forth between the flustered Nuna and me, who emerged a beat later, and offered a thin smile.
“Not at all. It seems I arrived a little early. Starting today, I will be conducting basic etiquette lessons with Lady Marina over meals.”
At the butler’s report, I gave a light nod.
“Nuna, make sure you pay attention in class. I’ll head out to the capital with Iris for a bit.”
I gave Nuna’s shoulder a gentle pat, then turned to Iris, who had been waiting.
“Iris, let’s go out and grab some lunch together.”
“Yes.”
Iris usually maintained an utterly expressionless face, but she seemed genuinely happy about going out alone with her master for the first time in a while.
In front of a clean, elegant high-end restaurant located in the heart of the capital.
“This is currently the highest-rated restaurant in the capital. This way, Master.”
Iris extended one arm, attempting to escort me. But I let out a small laugh, gently pushed her offered hand aside, and instead linked my arm with hers as I led her inside.
“It’s fine. For today, let’s just be comfortable with each other like old times. You can relax your shoulders too. It’s been a while since you’ve been to a fancy place like this, hasn’t it?”
At my words, Iris’s shoulders stiffened for a moment, but she soon obediently matched her steps to mine.
Before long, the luxurious dishes we ordered were set on the table. Iris sat with perfect posture, cutting her meat with movements so elegant and refined that not even the clink of silverware could be heard.
It had been quite some time since she became an A-Class adventurer who rolled around on brutal battlefields, yet the noble grace of a highborn lady was still deeply ingrained in her body.
“You still carry yourself with such elegance, Iris.”
When I expressed my renewed admiration, Iris quietly set down her knife and dabbed her mouth with a napkin.
“I’ve been thinking… Now that the Demon King has been subjugated, there’s no longer a place for your blade to point. What do you want to do going forward?”
“I have not considered it.”
“If you want to restore your fallen family, I’ll roll up my sleeves and help with everything I’ve got.”
With the Hero’s name and vast wealth, restoring a count’s household would be more than possible given enough time. I naturally assumed she would welcome the offer.
“The name of my family no longer holds any meaning for me.”
Yet Iris refused in a resolute voice.
“For now… I simply wish to continue honing my sword by Master’s side.”
A lie, huh.
Come to think of it, Lia had mentioned it before. That Iris was a compatible partner. I twirled my fork and stared intently at Iris sitting across from me.
Behind that expressionless face that looked like it wouldn’t bleed even if stabbed, was she really hiding such sticky emotions?
“Iris. Since it’s just the two of us, can I ask you something completely out of the blue?”
Clink.
The knife Iris had been using to cut her meat was silently set down. She elegantly dabbed her mouth with the pure white napkin, then bowed her head toward me.
“Yes. Please speak, Master.”
“Someone once said something strange to me. I’m just asking to confirm.”
I paused for a moment, but her expression remained completely blank.
“Do you… see me as a man? In other words, as someone you have romantic feelings for?”
“…Your joke goes too far, Master. How could I possibly harbor such disrespectful thoughts?”
Her answer was far too calm and mechanical.
“It’s not a joke. You said you have no interest in restoring your family and don’t want to become independent, yet you insist on staying by my side. I was wondering if that was the reason.”
Even under my questioning, Iris’s upright posture didn’t waver in the slightest. On the contrary, as if to dispel the foolish misunderstanding, she spoke in a firm, cold voice.
“To me, Master is the lord I would serve with my entire life, and the only milestone my sword must reach. How could a mere disciple dare to covet her master as a man? There is not a single impure or shallow emotion of that sort inside me.”
“Not even the tiniest bit?”
“None. I would appreciate it if you did not disparage the loyalty I hold for you, Master.”
I smiled awkwardly and apologized.
“Really? Sorry. That was a weird question.”
“It is fine. I am glad the misunderstanding has been cleared.”
Iris picked up her knife again and tried to resume eating as if nothing had happened. Yes, if it were the usual Iris, the conversation would have ended there and she would have quietly focused only on her meal.
But then—
“…Master.”
Iris’s gaze suddenly locked onto me. Her face was still utterly expressionless, yet the atmosphere around her had subtly grown a little colder than before.
“That woman who came to the Garden with us this time.”
“Hm? You mean Marina Nuna?”
“Yes. What exactly did you like about her, Master?”