By Zephyria 
Monday, the fourth week of March. Already half the semester had passed.
Wisteria, blooming earlier than last year, was quietly budding.
After our last conversation, Maelo Sanson, who had been silently overseeing my training for a while, called me in and sat me down. He held my hand tightly and said in a grave tone that all the children he had raised were like his own, making it difficult for him to take sides.
However, he also said that Wesley and I were equally precious to him, and he hoped that Wesley would not harm me. I was grateful for his suggestion that I should not widely publicize my early attainment of Sword Master status and remain low-key for a while.
I had secretly feared that my master might have deeper ties with Wesley Kiadris. I felt guilty for doubting my master unnecessarily.
It wasn’t difficult to understand Maelo Sanson’s position.
If the Child I taught were to feud and harm each other, I wouldn’t be able to take anyone’s side either. I would scold them severely and force them to reconcile with my own strength. If the Imperial Family hadn’t intervened in our fight, Maelo Sanson would have done the same.
Yet, the answer he came up with after much deliberation was simply, “Don’t get hurt.” How bitter must he feel inside?
“I understand. I was too hasty and made a slip of the tongue. I’m sorry for troubling you.”
“…Yes. I thought… you would answer that way…”
I took Maelo Sanson’s thick hand and gently patted it. It was an act more like an old man comforting his friend than a disciple comforting his master. He seemed to need that kind of comfort, so I did it.
Instead of pushing me away, Maelo Sanson sighed deeply and made a quiet request.
“If… if you don’t have to get seriously hurt.”
“…”
“Before you cut him down, just once, just once, I hope you’ll think of me.”
“Yes, I will.”
I didn’t bother asking what I should do if I were to get hurt.
Even though he already knew that I wanted to eliminate Wesley, I couldn’t commit the unfilial act of telling my master to his face that I would kill his disciple.
I simply adopted a docile attitude and repeated the same words a couple more times, saying that I would, that I would definitely do so.
Instead of saying thank you, Maelo Sanson began to teach me how to fight against many opponents. He taught me how to survive when Wesley’s blade was aimed at me. I was worried about how difficult it must have been for him to make up his mind.
As I began to learn how to deal with a Martial artist of Hwagyeong, my Eye Technique opened, and I soared. Each time I swung my sword, the stride I took increased significantly. The size of Training Ground 1 felt too small, so we had to move the training location again.
Angela Sting, who came to Training Ground 7 to inscribe defensive magic Formula for learning Monster Illusion Magic, was particularly kind to me, and I even heard her jokingly ask if I would transfer to the Department of Magic.
Lately, Professor Angela Sting treated me as if I were something very pitiful whenever she saw me.
Well, I was pitiful enough. I barely managed to pass the mid-term exam on Circle comprehension, so I had been living with magic books in my hands whenever I had free time. More things brushed past my ears than I could understand, making each class painful.
Since the Upper Dantian is generally said to be in the head, studying like this might open my Upper Dantian sooner than I would achieve through training.
I also learned that people who read a lot can dream with their eyes open. If I were going to dream, I wanted to dream of becoming a Martial artist of Hwagyeong… It was a painful thing to dwell on.
Wednesday.
Maelo Sanson never mentioned the children of the Kiadris family, but Wilton Roberts was different. He generously shared various stories as a pastime while I endured the poison.
“Wesley Kiadris… wasn’t someone who had no one around him. He just didn’t bother trying to embrace them.”
“…You mean he didn’t try to embrace them?”
“There are people who don’t see others as people sometimes. Like stepping on an ant nest without a second thought when they’re busy. That guy was always busy.”
I was dizzy from the effects of the poison. I wondered why Wilton Roberts was calling him so affectionately, so I turned my head to look at him from where I was lying.
Wilton Roberts slid the dagger he had polished until it gleamed into its sheath and took out the next one to polish.
“Any questions?”
“Did you also teach Wesley Kiadris, Professor?”
“No.”
He smiled coldly. I was used to Wilton Roberts’ smile, so I wasn’t surprised. He immediately understood why I was asking this and answered in a casual tone.
“I followed him around for a while. He was my target at one point.”
“…”
To say he was a target meant that he had been following Wesley, targeting him.
Before I could say anything, he said it was time and gave me the antidote, so I took it and lay down again. I was dizzy, and my head didn’t clear easily. Various questions swirled in my head, but it took some time for them to be organized and come out of my mouth.
“Why did you stop?”
“Because he graduated. I couldn’t chase him all the way to the Yuil Mountains. He also noticed me.”
“What was the purpose of the observation?”
“It was a request from Duke Kiadris’ consort. He said he needed to confirm if he was his seed.”
“…Until he graduated from the Academy?”
“The Duke’s consort seems to have examined him directly before he entered the Academy. But there were no results.”
I didn’t know what to say, so I closed my mouth.
I felt like I understood a little why Wesley had stuck to Richard, leaving the beautiful Rubel behind. It seemed like those who had been hurt by their parents were sticking together. I didn’t want to feel sorry for them, so I shook my head and cleared my thoughts.
I swallowed the bitter blood that rose up. Wilton, who knew my condition without looking, handed me a handkerchief.
“It’s better to spit out the blood that’s mixed with poison. I must say, as expected of a Sword Master, your recovery is fast.”
“…Is that so?”
“Let’s finish Breathing and regulating energy before you go back.”
He knew some things about my Mind method. At his offer to provide protection
(Protecting someone from harm while they are Circulating Qi),
I obediently sat in the Lotus Position on the bed. The bed in this small space was hard and uncomfortable. My body, which had become accustomed to a comfortable bed, was creaking. Thanks to that, I could sit up straight on the bed as if I were sitting on the floor.
After training with Wilton Roberts, I would return late at night, wash alone, and go to sleep.
I was used to being alone. Any wandering knight other than me lived like that. I was a man who didn’t know loneliness well…
But now, I was in a situation where I hated studying for exams alone and dragged my friends to sit next to me. I missed Rubel, who used to chatter beside me. I couldn’t figure out why my heart felt so empty. Did I feel lonely when I was younger? I couldn’t remember well. It was too long ago.
Today, before falling asleep, I heard the crow doll chirping.
I didn’t want to act like a child, but I couldn’t sleep without it, so I couldn’t help it. In my dream that night, I saw Rubel smiling brightly with plenty of fluffy light powder on him.
My heart was troubled, so I woke up early and couldn’t fall back asleep.
❖ ❖ ❖
A fierce energy tore through the ceiling.
The wall, which had been slashed by a large, flashing light, was tattered. I stood there blankly, unable to let go of what I was holding, and looked around. Thanks to Mage Boulder, who had cast a Shield right away, both Douglas and Blanc Cooper were safe.
Following Douglas’ gaze, I also turned my head. The traces of everything except the bookshelves and desks, which were covered with layers of protective magic Formula, being burned black were clear. Douglas let out a hollow laugh, uncharacteristically.
“I thought I might receive death threats from students while setting exam questions… but I never imagined Young Master Ernhardt would be the first to try…”
“…I’m sorry.”
“No, no. I was too complacent…”
“…I’m really sorry.”
Today’s experiment topic was about Thunderclap.
The fact that I had become a Sword Master was one thing, but the main topic of the research I was currently doing was about recreating the Heavenly Thunder Emperor Divine Art, so experiments on it were necessary. When they said that since I could already emit Sword energy, we should just add the properties of lightning to it, I readily drew in aura, and this was the result.
If I had known in advance that lightning was not a docile energy in my hands but one that jumped around and played, I wouldn’t have caused such a mess. It was my fault for not worrying about my surroundings because all the research I had done so far was circulating within my body.
It was like giving a fire starter to a newborn baby. Sparks flew everywhere, making me dizzy.
“But still… it seems like we converted the properties easily.”
“Yes. Perhaps because Young Master Ernhardt originally used various types of power… At this rate, he’ll quickly learn to load something other than Thunderclap? It’s just difficult to organize into a formula.”
“However, the balance of that power is very unstable. Earth energy would be better… Unless it’s something more stable, Thunderclap seems too dangerous.”
While the two Professors and the Wizard were chattering among themselves, I focused my gaze on the golem that had become charcoal.
The one with the transparent and chewy outer skin had been sitting in Douglas’ office like an old decoration and had suffered an accident. Its hair was all burned and frizzy, making it look strange and grotesque, so I kept looking at it.
Ugh.
When I kicked away an eyeball that had rolled to my feet, Mage Boulder let out a piercing scream, belatedly discovering the sight.
It seemed impolite to cover my ears with both hands, so I surrounded myself with an Aura Barrier to block the sound.
Even though I couldn’t hear what Boulder was saying, I felt like I could. Blanc Cooper, who had inwardly disliked the golem, saying it was a creation that went against Shinui’s will, quietly put his hands together and prayed. Douglas comforted Boulder and grabbed his shoulder to lift him up.
Boulder seemed to have quieted down, suppressing his sobs, so I subtly dispersed the Aura Barrier.
All three of them standing in front of me were people who had mastered Mana. They had clearly seen what I had done. I coughed awkwardly. Blanc Cooper nodded with a benevolent smile.
“This is all Shinui’s first arrangement.”
“…Yes.”
“As expected, Young Master Ernhardt is a person worthy of being Shinui’s proxy.”
“…Is that so?”
“Next time, it would be better to borrow the Department of Magic’s auditorium properly… Is Young Master Ernhardt not interested in properties other than lightning?”
“Hmm… Yes. For now, that’s the case.”
“Alright. Let’s stop here for today.”
Douglas, swallowing a bitter smile, started to pick up the tapestry that had been split in half, so I quickly helped him. Servants who had belatedly heard the commotion rushed in to help clean up.
There was a commotion when one of the servants, who was greatly surprised to see the golem’s corpse, fainted, but it took less than an hour to throw away all the burned items.