Volume 1
Chapter 2
This time, the protagonist's master appears.
Now, please enjoy.
---
The academy city of
Arcazam.
It was the city where
Solminati Academy was built, and it was famous throughout the continent as a
city of learning.
The academy was
located in the center of the city, and roads were laid out around it like a
spiderweb.
In the northern part
of the city, government offices and the residences of wealthy individuals such
as nobles and officials from various countries who oversaw them were gathered.
The east was the
citizens' quarter, where many academy students and ordinary citizens lived, and
the south was the commercial district, where goods and products from various
countries gathered, making it the economic center of the city.
There was also an
adventurer's guild, and students could take on jobs depending on their rank.
The west was the
artisans' quarter, where many craftsmen utilizing the techniques of various
countries, such as blacksmiths, doctors, and tailors, gathered and competed
fiercely daily.
Outside the city,
roads ran north, south, east, and west, but dense forests spread out on either
side of each road, hindering people's entry.
Many magical beasts
appeared in these forests, ranging from those that ordinary people could defeat
to those that veteran adventurers struggled with.
However, generally,
powerful magical beasts lived deep within the forests, and powerful magical
beasts did not appear around the towns or highways.
In such a forest, a
single hut stood hidden from public view. In the garden of that hut, a boy and
an old woman were clashing swords.
One was the academy's
dropout, Nozomu Bountis.
The old woman's name
was Shino.
The clash was
overwhelmingly in the old woman's favor. It was incomparable to his clash with
Mars at the academy.
In the previous match
at the academy, he had somehow managed to withstand Mars' slashes, but the
clash with the old woman was even more one-sided, and Nozomu was truly like a
toy in the old woman's hands.
After about three
exchanges with their swords, his posture was broken, and he was punched away.
The old woman immediately pursued the rolling Nozomu and swung her sword down
without hesitation.
Nozomu focused his Ki
on his legs and exploded it. It was one of the Ki techniques, "Flash
Step."
He accelerated and
disengaged in an instant, but the old woman immediately used Flash Step as
well, accelerating while sheathing her sword. She moved ahead of the disengaged
Nozomu and unleashed a quick draw with her unsheathed sword.
Unable to stop his
momentum, he rotated his body on one foot and parried the quick draw, but his
stance was greatly disrupted.
The old woman's
counterattack came closing in.
Nozomu laid his sword
diagonally against the old woman's sword trajectory, intentionally releasing
the power in his legs to drop his body. The old woman's counterattack slid over
his laid-down sword and did not hit his body.
However, at the same
time, the old woman's kick attacked.
Nozomu judged that it
was impossible to evade while his body was lowered. He instantly put strength
into his legs and jumped backward, simultaneously placing the hilt of his sword
between the kick and his body, but he was blown away significantly.
Before Nozomu, who had
rolled on the ground, could regain his posture, the old woman pursued him and
thrust her sword at his neck.
"...I give
up."
"Hmm, still not
enough. You need more training."
The old woman said
this and sheathed her sword. This old woman, Shino, was Nozomu's master in
swordsmanship.
He had met her when he
was training in the forest.
At that time, he had
been dumped by Lisa and had become despondent because he couldn't fulfill his
promise, so he was training recklessly.
It wasn't training,
but an escape. He tried not to think about his lover by training until his body
was in tatters.
Unable to bear the
excessive harshness and meaninglessness of it, the old woman called out to him,
and that was the beginning.
"It's almost
dinner, Nozomu. Go prepare it."
"Yes,
Master."
Nozomu answered the
old woman's voice.
Although there was weariness
in his voice, he started preparing dinner in a clear tone.
***
(He's still
struggling, but he seems to have improved.)
I muttered without
making a sound, watching his condition.
When I met him, he was
training in the forest, but his condition was terrible.
His muscles had
atrophied because he kept training without giving himself time to recover from
the accumulated fatigue, and his cheeks were sunken, making him look like a
starving child. The skin on his sword-wielding hands was peeling off, his
joints were inflamed, and his body was battered.
It was so bad that I
interfered, but he showed no sign of stopping.
The look on his face
at that time was lifeless, and there was an even darker negative emotion deep
in his eyes.
Seeing my own past
self in those eyes filled me with terrible disgust, and I immediately left the
place.
I decided to ignore
him for a while, but as time passed, his dark eyes bothered me.
Annoyed by his eyes
that kept flashing through my mind no matter how hard I tried not to think
about them, I went to check on him, and he was being attacked by a magical
beast.
It was a Wild Dog that
was attacking him. They lived all over the continent and usually acted in
packs.
Their rank as magical
beasts was low, and even ordinary adventurers could defeat them, but for him,
who was exhausted to the limit, they were a threat equal to a dragon.
His body was covered
in wounds, and as blood flowed out, Nozomu's consciousness grew hazy. There was
no one around to help him.
Where an ordinary
person would give up in such a desperate situation, he did not give up.
Even after losing so
much blood that he should have already died from blood loss, he was resisting
the Wild Dogs.
"I don't want to
die." "I won't give up."
His swordsmanship and
tactics were still immature. However, the eyes that had held dark emotions now
shone with a clear and strong will to "live."
The moment I saw that,
I had already slashed away the Wild Dog that was attacking him.
A week later, there
was a boy in front of my hut, swinging not a straight sword, but a katana.
***
After finishing dinner
and cleaning up, I sat across from my master, who was drinking after-meal tea,
and drank my own tea.
I had met my master,
asked her to teach me swordsmanship, and learned various things from her until
today.
I felt like I had seen
a light in the darkness where I had been struggling.
Dumped by Lisa, unable
to fulfill my promise, and with no one around me. In an escape from such a
daily life, I continued reckless training, and a Wild Dog attacked my battered
self.
In the brink of life
and death, the thought of "I don't want to die" welled up.
The feeling of "I
don't want to die" turned into the feeling of "I want to live,"
and became the will to "not give up."
I was saved from that
desperate situation by her, became her disciple, and continued training.
Thinking about Lisa is
still painful. But now, my feelings are lighter than before.
That is probably
because my master is here.
Thinking about this
and looking at her, she was stuffing her cheeks with a sweet with a full smile.
I felt a little amused by the age-inappropriate appearance of my master, who
possessed the strength of a demon god.
"What is it?
Staring at someone's face. Could it be that you've fallen for me?"
I immediately retorted
at my joking master.
"Please consider
your age before you speak. Even for me, your age is completely out of my...
guh!"
A shock ran through my
face as I said something unnecessary. Master had swung her fist like a quick
draw, releasing a shockwave with pinpoint accuracy.
Moreover, not even a
breeze stirred the sweets on the table, showing her complete control.
"Nozomu, what did
you just say?"
Master glared at me
with an expression that could rival a dragon's. Overwhelmed by her appearance,
I reflexively ran to self-preservation by apologizing.
"N-No, it was
nothing. I was just captivated by your beauty, Master."
Master displayed an
unnecessarily advanced technique just for a tsukkomi.
She was living in
seclusion in a place like this, but her ability was undoubtedly among the top
on the continent. She herself said, "I'm probably on par with the top
swordsmen in the academy."
By the way, the best
swordsman in the academy was Jihad Roundel. He was an S-rank knight and a
swordsman whose name was extremely well-known throughout the continent.
Master was on the same
level as such a person. Who on earth could she be?
While I was lost in a
sea of thought, I finished my tea, and soon it was time to return to the dorm.
"Well then,
Master. I'll be returning to the dorm."
"Right, see you
tomorrow then."
"Yes, Master.
Good night."
***
I saw Nozomu's back as
he left and returned to the hut.
He had become
stronger. Due to the physical abilities suppressed by Ability Suppression, he
himself wasn't aware of it, but it was only a matter of time before his
swordsmanship reached my level.
His growth in the past
year had been extraordinary.
Originally, his habits
were more suited to using a curved sword than the straight swords used on this
continent.
He moved in a way that
cut by using his whole body rather than just hacking with his arm strength.
More than anything,
what made him strong was probably his own effort. Even if it came from an
escape from reality.
At first, I made him
do nothing but simple swings all day long and just run through the forest
relentlessly.
Naturally, he was
attacked by magical beasts, but I made him deal with them on his own. I
discreetly dealt with opponents that were too much for him without him
noticing.
Next were endless mock
battles.
Naturally, I used all
the techniques I had against him, just enough not to kill him.
He was defeated by me
without being able to do anything, and fractures, vomiting, and fainting were
commonplace. Now he has somehow become able to handle it, and he rarely suffers
serious injuries like fractures anymore.
He has endured the
training I imposed on him. An average person would have quit within a week.
If it weren't for
Ability Suppression, there's no doubt he could fight me on equal terms.
Even so, the reason he
can't win mock battles and his grades at the academy don't improve is still
because of Ability Suppression.
His strength and Ki
capacity are limited, and his magical power is almost nonexistent, making it
impossible for him to even use basic magic.
Enhancements through
Ki techniques and items have almost no effect, and he can't use enhancement
magic either.
To compensate for
these handicaps, he has honed his techniques and Ki control, but the techniques
he uses are necessarily focused on a single point and have extremely high
killing power, so he can't use them in the academy's mock battles.
However, although the
muscle strength required for instantaneous power is affected by Ability
Suppression, fortunately, his basic abilities such as motor skills and
endurance don't seem to be suppressed, so he has been able to train them.
However, even if he
tries to enhance himself with Ki techniques, the effect isn't noticeable, and
if his opponent enhances themselves, they can easily overtake him.
It's not going well at
all.
Another thing that
concerns me is that he hasn't determined his future goals.
"To live"
might be a good enough reason in the heat of battle, but it won't be enough in
the long run.
He needs a "core
in his heart"—a reason "why he wants to become strong."
If he gains power
without a "core in his heart," he will eventually be swayed by that
power.
And his core has
already been broken once.
I don't know what he
will do in the future, but I will teach him everything. So that he doesn't end
up regretting things like I did.
-----
Thank you for my Patrons !!
[Platinum]
MaxKne
Swagaraga
[Gold]
B random
DavidA
Nepheos
[Silver]
Creris
Fred A.
Frédéric Bertrand-Hudon
Matthew Fraser
Anton Lim
Ctdela
Curious Panda
Read Advanced Chapters only on my Patreon
-----
