Chapter 25
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 25
Chapter Title: Disciple
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Dawn.
I was running laps around the training ground inside the Ruelverta mansion.
It was called a training ground, but it was really just an empty lot used for events like family gatherings or tea parties for invited nobles.
No one ever used it otherwise.
Recently, I'd started my morning jogs here.
Part of it was for dieting, but mostly I wanted to test the limits of this body.
"Hoo..."
How long had I been running? Maybe ten minutes?
The body definitely felt heavy.
My breath started coming in gasps.
Good. About time.
I kicked it into full sprint.
This time, though, with 'Patience' activated.
You are exercising 'Patience'!
My pace shot up in an instant.
My breathing grew ragged fast.
But I endured it.
Patience suppressed it.
It corked the rising shortness of breath.
My heart went eerily still, like it was plugged up.
'How long can I last?'
Patience wasn't invincible.
I needed to know its limits to handle any surprises.
I kept sprinting at full speed.
Pushing right to the edge.
Yet my breath stayed calm, like when I wasn't running.
It was an amazing sensation.
It felt like I could run forever.
After about ten more minutes...
My legs gradually slowed, and eventually, I came to a stop.
Without meaning to.
That's when I realizedthis was the limit.
'My body... won't move at all.'
It was like the switch had been flipped off.
Like after a blackout, only the bare minimum for survival kicked ineverything else froze.
"Haa... haa..."
Being fully conscious while my body wouldn't respond was deeply unpleasant.
If I abused Patience against an enemy, I could end up this defenseless.
Knowledge gained.
But...
"Haa... haa..."
Unable to take it anymore, I squeezed out the last of my strength and said,
"Wendy."
"H-Haa... Y-Yes...? Haa..."
"You've been noisy beside me this whole time."
"S-Sorry... haa... I'm s-sorry... haa..."
I'd told her I was running alone, but Wendy stubbornly insisted on following.
Coming out at dawn was tiring enough for her, yet she insisted on running with me...
Wendy was panting hard beside me.
She'd even bought actual workout clothes, planning to run for real.
Her effort was commendable.
Of course... in the time I'd done five laps, she'd barely managed a bit over one.
"C-Count... haa... y-you don't have to w-wait for me... haa..."
She hadn't been waitingshe'd just run out of stamina and stopped there.
But to Wendy, it must've looked like I was waiting.
"I wasn't waiting for you. I was just watching the sunrise."
Perfect timingthe morning sun was rising.
Seeing it lifted my spirits.
Even in a game world, starting the day with that view felt great.
I said to the heaving Wendy,
"Go rest now."
"N-Nooo... I wanna run with you, Count...!"
"Fool... I'll go ahead."
I left her there and started running again.
Much slower than before, though.
I'd hit my limit once alreadyno need to push it.
"Ehehe..."
Somehow, I could sense Wendy grinning as she trailed behind.
What was so funny?
As we ran a bit longer, I felt a strange gaze.
Spotting its source, I scowled.
Had it jumped the fence or something?
A cat was watching us.
Its tabby pattern looked familiar.
I sighed involuntarily.
"A stray cat's snuck in..."
!..
.....
"Heh heh heh. Good morning, Count."
The cat stood brazenly on two legs.
It was Myohail.
"This tea... this tea is exquisite. Heh heh. Who knew the mortal world had such delights."
The tri-colored cat set down its teacup and said.
We were in the outdoor parlor tucked in a corner of the mansion.
There I was, drinking tea with a cat from morning.
Well, technically a sage in cat form...
"But it's a bit hot for me. Cat tongue, you know. Heh heh. Next time, cool mine a little."
"Myohail, this is the last tea I serve you."
Thanks to him, my perfect morning start had plummeted to rock bottom.
He grinned at my mood.
Just looking at him irritated me.
Simple reason why I disliked this guy.
Couldn't read his intentions at all.
Partly because he was a cat with an unreadable face, but he was a 'bystander' character by nature.
In the original story, his role was just giving adventure advice to the protagonist's party and opening paths.
Little was known of his past.
The legendary first sage, founder of Cremont.
Now a spirit cat guarding the Great Wall of Truth.
Myohail spent his days holed up in the magic library, bossing around his minions and reading books.
Even in Sora's online game adaptation, he never did much.
For him to poke his nose into the mortal world like this...
'The story's starting to change...'
Not a great development for me.
Who knew what variables lurked?
If Myohail wanted, he could kill me in seconds.
But I'd already braced for it.
The moment I decided to save Tristan, this story's flow clashed head-on with the original.
Including all 526 scenarios where Tristan dies in the online version.
"You're cold to your guests, Count."
"Wendy, get this stray cat out of my sight."
"Y-Yes?"
Wendy paused mid-pour.
"Why treat this old timer so harshly? Heh heh, we've met more than once or twice."
"More than once or twice, my foot. Wendy, what are you waiting for? Get rid of it."
"Y-Yes...! Uuuh... S-Sorry, Myohail-nim..."
Wendy scurried over and scooped up Myohail.
His stubby legs kicked in the air.
"Whoa! Little miss, put me down! This won't do. Respect your elders!"
"Wendy, no need to respect a cat."
"It's the Count's... order..."
"Hold him gentler! His fur's shedding."
"S-Sorrrry...!"
Wendy hugged the wriggling Myohail tight to immobilize him.
That instant
Poof!
"Eek?!"
Myohail vanished from her arms in a puff.
"Heh heh heh. You sure are impatient, Count."
In a blink, he'd snatched a cookie from the table.
Sly as a foxor a snake, really.
"Sweet and delicious. Little miss, I finished themcould you get more? These are great."
"C-Count...?"
"...Go."
"Y-Yes! I'll grab some from the kitchen quick...!"
Wendy toddled off toward the mansion.
As her figure faded, I said,
"What's your business here at dawn?"
Myohail, like he'd been waiting, spoke up.
"I want to take Wendy as my disciple."
An unexpected bombshell.
A sage taking Wendy as disciple?
I kept my composure and asked,
"...Why?"
"You know it too, don't you, Count? She has talent. And she's a descendant of that legendary hero. Undoubtedly, she'll be a mage for the history books"
"Reasons like that? I refuse."
"Hoo...?"
Myohail raised a brow in surprise.
"Heh heh. Count, I can make her the kingdom's top mage. I have the skill, she's young with talent. A once-in-a-lifetime chance for you too."
"Could be."
"Then"
"But... Myohail."
"Yes?"
I leaned back in my chair.
"Did you ask Wendy? Or is this just your own idea?"
"...!"
"She's enrolling in the university soon. I made the opportunity, but she earned it herself. She'll mess up plenty, of course. Obvious for her."
I took a sip of tea.
Gathering my thoughts.
"Still, she'll become a great mage there. So why would she need to study under you?"
"Heh heh... Touché. You're right, Count, but..."
Myohail scratched his head and continued.
"The little miss is a hero's descendant. Even if she hides it, it'll come out eventually. When it does, they won't leave her alone. Destiny... won't let her be."
His words carried a strange weight.
"Too grand a fate for her to bear. That's why I want to teach her how to survive it."
The path for Wendy to survive.
Exactly what I wanted too.
I didn't want her to die either.
"Fine. If Wendy wants it, I won't object."
"Thank you."
"But I have one condition."
"What is it?"
"Protect her, no matter what."
For a fleeting moment, sadness flickered in Myohail's eyes.
He rose from his chair.
"...Heh heh. If you've forgotten, Counteven as a has-been, I'm the first sage in history."
He placed a paw on his chest and swore.
"This sage, Myohail, promises you: the servant you cherish will be protected until my last breath."
His face, filled with resolve, left me simply nodding.