By Zephyria 
As Maelo Sanson’s words grew long, the children plopped down here and there on the bare floor to listen to his story. The faces of the children, sitting in a circle around the large-bodied Maelo, were innocent.
It was hard to believe they were the same people as the martial artists who had been charging at them as if to kill just moments before.
“So, I volunteered for the Special Imperial Knight Order with my friends. The support funds and supplies were generous, and I heard it was safer than individual subjugation because we’d be traveling with experienced knights who had been to the Yuil Mountains. It was the most fun hardship of my life. I almost died several times…”
“…”
“Before entering the Yuil Mountains, there’s a procedure where you write a consent to death and a will. Since they wouldn’t be deterred even if we tried to stop them, we were told to think about what to write in our wills beforehand.”
“Can you quit midway?”
“Would that be possible? It’s better to stand watch together, guarding each other’s backs, than to return alone. Once you enter the mountains, you can’t leave until you complete the scheduled tasks, so I saw many unpleasant things.”
Maelo Sanson suddenly rolled up the sleeve of his left arm.
Sanson, who wore long sleeves even in midsummer to prevent his skin from burning, meant this was the first time anyone had seen his bare arm. His left forearm, stretched out straight, was strangely twisted.
“This is a medal I earned in my third year in the Yuil Mountains.”
“Was it a wound from a monster?”
“From myself.”
“What?”
Maelo Sanson burst into laughter.
His laughter bore a strange resemblance to Cedric, the professor of Alchemy and Camping, making it understandable why the two were close.
Maelo Sanson lowered his voice to gather the children’s attention.
“Subjugation in the Yuil Mountains is usually done in groups of eight, with two or three such groups traveling together. However, for reconnaissance missions, we usually travel in groups of two or three. As soon as a monster is spotted, we have to return to the main camp to report it.”
“…”
“But after about three years, people get cocky.”
I knew what was coming without him needing to say it. I swallowed a gasp.
There were always those who met great misfortune by overestimating their own abilities.
What hunter would fear being eaten by a rabbit? Young Maelo Sanson, who had been hunting monsters without incident for years, was filled with arrogance.
While trolls did have regenerative abilities, they didn’t usually roam in packs. Maelo Sanson, who had already reached the realm of a Sword Master at the time, thought he could easily defeat a single troll alone if he just took his time.
“That’s when I learned that some trolls live in tribes. They poured out from caves and from behind trees in an instant. I realized this was bad and ran in a different direction with the friend who was with me. He found his way back to the main camp, but I ran in the opposite direction of my friend, and before I knew it, I was at a cliff’s edge.”
“…”
“What else could I do? I jumped off, plunging my fingers into the cliff face.”
His arm broke from the force, but he crawled down the cliff with his broken arm, desperate to survive.
Finding an empty cave halfway down the cliff was a stroke of luck. Medical Artifacts were not as advanced as they are now, so it took time for his wounds to heal. During that period, the knight party that had repelled the troll horde searched the area and, assuming Maelo Sanson was dead, even held a makeshift funeral.
Seeing the children listening with tense expressions, Sanson smiled and continued.
“I’m telling you this because I know you’ll go into the Yuil Mountains even if I tell you not to. If you ever have to jump off a cliff, make sure to dig in with your non-dominant hand. If I had broken my right arm then, I wouldn’t be here today.”
“…Yes.”
“Also, it’s good to learn about the types of monsters in the Yuil Mountains beforehand and study their tribal characteristics. There should be classes like ‘Introduction to Monsters’ or ‘Monster Compendium’ at the academy, so look them up.”
“Yes!”
Truly a great teacher. I firmly decided on one class to take next semester.
❖ ❖ ❖
After finishing lunch, I headed to Douglas Mustang’s office.
Today was the day I had promised to perform True Energy Induction for Douglas.
Just a week ago, Professor Mustang had pleaded, saying sitting in seiza was awkward and asked if he could kneel instead. Seeing him now sitting in seiza on the floor with considerable skill made me feel very fond and pleased.
I suppressed a smile, not wanting to tease an adult, and sat behind him.
Mage Boulder, ready to take notes, sat beside him, his eyes shining.
A quick glance revealed that he had apparently studied the notes from our last True Energy Induction session on his own, added explanations, and prepared a report. My job wasn’t to use my brain, so I focused on my own task without adding any comments.
Douglas Mustang’s acupoints were better cultivated than Mage Boulder’s, making it much easier to manage his internal energy. His energy channels were robust and his bones and muscles strong, so I even guided his energy slowly through the minor meridians instead of just the belt meridian. As a result, he emitted a more pungent odor than Boulder when the Qi circulation was complete.
“So, this is…”
“It’s the turbid qi that had accumulated inside your body being expelled.”
“Young Master Ernhardt, you’ve never experienced this before, have you?”
“Well, I practice Qi Circulation every morning.”
Since a strong and clean body allows one to see higher realms, I had been taking time to observe my internal state at least once a day since my rebirth.
In my past life, as a child, I lacked the stamina and perseverance to do this.
I was consistently practicing what my friends in the Central Plains used to lament, “If only we were ten years younger, we’d definitely do this,” so it was natural that I hadn’t shown such dedication in front of Douglas.
Douglas had a bewildered expression as he went to the shower room to wipe off the waste products.
I felt pleased, thinking that if I could experiment on these two, I might be able to perform True Energy Induction for those I cared about in Sierren, even if I couldn’t teach them the Qi Circulation and Regulation Method.
Mage Boulder’s casual chatter didn’t bother me.
Most of his conversations were relatively trivial, as discussions about the flow and movement of energy could only be held with Douglas Mustang present.
The types of Artifacts Boulder had developed, the magic he specialized in, his favorite and least favorite foods…
I listened quietly, and when Boulder mentioned he had also been to the Yuil Mountains, I showed interest. Boulder laughed heartily.
“It seems Young Master Ernhardt is indeed a Swordsmanship Club Member. Of all the things we’ve talked about, that was the best expression you’ve shown. What are you curious about? I’ll tell you everything I know.”
“Hmm. …I heard the areas around the mountains are quite dangerous.”
“The Duke Widro Family and the Duke Grimsbein Family maintain a strong guard between the Sierran Empire and the Yuil Mountains, so as long as you don’t leave the Sierran Empire’s borders, it’s generally fine. Besides, I’m a Research Mage, not a Battle Mage, so I usually hid among the mercenaries during battles.”
“How many did you hire?”
“Ten is usually the standard. I’m a safety-first kind of person, so I’ve hired up to fifteen. Mercenaries willing to go to the Yuil Mountains are expensive, so more than that is difficult. Though I don’t know the current rates.”
Boulder explained the costs and methods of hiring mercenaries with various examples, which I listened to, but in my past life, I never needed bodyguards.
Since I had never hired a bodyguard, I had no idea if people were expensive or cheap in this land.
Seeing my weakness in matters of money, Boulder soon changed the subject. He began describing the dangerous areas he had visited.
Like many talkative people, Boulder was excellent at imitating voices and modulating his tone to tell stories vividly.
The mercenary group Boulder had traveled with was called the White Lion Mercenary Group.
I felt like I had heard the name before, but couldn’t recall where. Boulder spoke at length about how manly the mercenaries he met were.
“One of them didn’t shave his beard for a full three months while traveling. Every meal, I couldn’t tell if he was eating bread or plucking his beard. Even when growing a beard, one should shape it and trim it neatly to look stylish.”
“Did he shave it after three months?”
“Yes, on the way into town. The reason for that is also funny.”
“Hmm?”
“He said that in the mountains, growing out your hair makes you look more beast-like, so monsters wouldn’t see him as easily. No, he was this tall and broad-shouldered, how could they possibly miss him? It was hilarious.”
His exaggerated voice and gestures were utterly amusing.
Mage Boulder might be an excellent talent as a mage, but he could have earned a fortune as a storyteller.
Just as Boulder was rambling on about the uncouth behavior of the White Lion Mercenary Group members and was about to talk about his trip to the Shatun Desert, Douglas returned.
I told him it was fine, as it had taken him a long time to wash off the smell from his body, even after showering multiple times.
I drew lines on the Human Body Diagram Boulder had brought, roughly pointing out the acupoints where I circulated my internal energy during Qi Circulation and the acupoints I used when performing True Energy Induction on Boulder and Douglas, and explained them.
Even without my detailed explanation, the two intelligent men put their heads together, and progress was made in finding answers.
They understood the principles of Qi Circulation and Regulation, but they found it remarkable that I could intuitively move my internal energy while avoiding the bloodletting acupoints
(Acupoints that cause death when touched with internal energy)
.
While half of it was intuition, the other half was due to having already learned the Pressure Point Technique
(A martial art that neutralizes or tortures an enemy by striking specific acupoints or meridians on the human body)
.
When Mage Boulder fearlessly begged me to experiment on him, I touched the speechless acupoint
(An acupoint that renders one unable to speak when touched with internal energy)
, and he was so delighted he almost fainted, which was absurd.
Douglas Mustang, who had been diligently watching me channel internal energy into my hand to strike acupoints, followed suit with considerable skill, which I greatly admired.
For the remaining time, I was busy filling the Human Body Diagram with the names and functions of the acupoints I knew.
Douglas Mustang, sitting close by, smelled pleasantly of soap.