By Zephyria 
I stood there for a while, with the surprised one in front of me.
It was amusing that the one who led me to this place was not a previous generation master who had already reached the Enlightened Realm, but a living knightly youth. In the Central Plains, I would have been moved to tears and bowed deeply, or perhaps left three or four Gratitude Tokens.
But Hugh Benson, this poor and kind soul, was rich in heart and gave without reservation, not even knowing what he had done for me. He merely stood there, bewildered and blank-faced, before quickly hiding behind his friend to whisper.
“Hey, fuck. Is this guy insane? Should we just leave it and run?”
“⋯Hmm.”
Only then could I straighten myself and compose my expression.
Clearing my throat and taking a breath, I then remembered that bowing was not a custom here. I had been so overwhelmed with joy that I was about to offer thanks without thinking. Trying to suppress the smile that kept tugging at my lips, I placed my fist, which had been clenched, over my chest.
In Sierren’s way, I bowed deeply at the waist and offered a proper greeting once more.
“Thank you. Thanks to your protection, I have received a great favor.”
“⋯Uh, hey. Do you even remember your name?”
“Yes. Michael Ernhardt, the eldest grandson of the Ernhardt family, born of the blood of Valentia and Ernhardt.”
“Fuck, is this for real⋯. Hey, let’s just go out for now. We can talk outside. I left the kids waiting outside. They’ve been out there a while, so just in case.”
“Yes. We will.”
Since reaching the realm of my previous life, I had been constantly anxious.
With the help of a great master, I had been gaining small insights bit by bit, but it was no different from panning for gold in a river. When would I gather enough to make a Golden Toad, or a Golden Calf? There were many moments of despair and vastness.
A premonition that something suspicious was happening.
And the intuition that my current strength was nowhere near enough to stop it.
After forty years, I had only come this far, so how much more could I possibly grow? Such self-deprecation had tormented me, leading to sleepless nights.
But now I knew. My insights were not insufficient.
What I lacked was the energy of the earth, potent spiritual medicine, and the mana of this land.
I had prepared the vessel, but I was anxious about not having anything to fill it with. The reason I so greedily absorbed all the mana I could upon arriving in the northern lands, like parched grass drinking water under a hot sun, was precisely this.
It was the first time I had increased my internal energy by this much with just one session of Qi Circulation and Regulation.
Even if I lived several more lives, I wouldn’t experience such luck again. And there was even more left over. The elation I felt upon opening my eyes and seeing the silver lake that filled my vision, unchanged despite sharing so much, was immense.
If I spent dozens of days like this, realms like Three Flowers Gather on the Crown
(A state where three flowers bloom above the head during Qi Circulation and Regulation)
or Five Energies Harmonize to the Origin
(A state where five rings appear during Qi Circulation and Regulation)
might not be just dreams.
Seeing me beaming with joy, Hugh Benson hesitated, and Elvin Brooks placed his hand on my forehead, signaling with a few nods that I had no fever and was in good condition.
The rough hands pulling me did not hurt, and unlike the warm interior of the cave, I did not feel cold from the cool outside breeze. I was led outside by their hands.
It was already dusk outside.
The children, who had been sitting in a circle around a bonfire, jumped up and rushed towards me.
Ruben, who ran as if flying, embraced me tightly, but I did not push him away. I could feel how frightened he must have been while waiting, and feeling pity for his hurried movements, I gently stroked his back, murmuring reassurances.
“I was worried,” his sweet, mumbled voice tickled my ear.
But I couldn’t help but laugh, so I couldn’t answer promptly. I was overflowing with joy, unable to contain it all. Seeing the shoulders of this lovely child tremble slightly, I hugged him with both arms, as I always did, and calmly comforted him.
Pushed by Rubel’s momentum, Marianne, who stood three steps away from me, clasped her hands behind her back, tilted her head from side to side, and observed me.
Marianne could see the flow of mana with her eyes. Even if I wasn’t in the middle of Qi Circulation and Regulation, she could tell that my Dantian had become plump.
Marianne nodded and shrugged her shoulders, smiling contentedly like a full cat. She moved almost as if dancing.
“Well, I can tell just by your expression. It went well, didn’t it? Are you okay? Did it succeed?”
“Yes.”
“No, it seems like something happened… the kid came out acting crazy.”
“Yes?”
As I replied, unable to think of what else to say, Hugh Benson, standing beside me, put on a pained expression and exaggerated his suffering. Startled by his nonsensical remark, Ruben, who had been looking at my face, was pushed forward to stand straight. I brought my face closer to let him confirm.
“No, it’s not like that. Senior is just joking. I gained something quite good. This, I think… it might be helpful for Rubel and Benjamin too, so I’d like to help them starting tomorrow.”
“Something good?”
“The Qi Circulation and Regulation Method and the Mana Concentration in this cave are a good match. I will guide your True Energy, so I’d like both of you to try circulating mana along your Acupoints. It seems like you can rapidly increase your internal energy.”
“Ah.”
Benjamin immediately showed interest.
“It should be alright, right?” I looked at my seniors. Hugh Benson ruffled his hair again, looking distressed, but he allowed us to try as much as we could.
As a token of gratitude, I treated them to a grand dinner that evening.
In the Widdrow Duchy, there were no restaurants like those in the capital that served small portions of exquisite dishes. However, restaurants that filled the table with a variety of beast meats, rare fruits not often seen in the Widdrow Duchy, and colorful vegetables were called high-class establishments.
We filled the table with more than enough for six people and ate and drank. Not wanting to drink alcohol in front of the children, everyone sat with cups of boiled grain tea instead of wine.
I couldn’t hide my continued joy and excitement. Seeing that Ruben was only attending to my food and not taking enough for himself, I placed a large, greasy piece of meat on his plate.
Hugh Benson, who had been glancing at the scene, sucked his finger and said something strange.
“Hey. I was really, really, really going to pretend I didn’t know.”
Know what? I looked at him quizzically, wondering.
But looking at his face, I couldn’t help but laugh. Even the sight of his dark bangs falling over one cheek made him look cute and amusing, making me laugh foolishly. If I met a walking humanoid ginseng
(A legendary spiritual medicine shaped like a human, said to be miraculously potent, capable of speaking and walking)
, I would feel this way.
“Ugh,” Hugh said, averting my gaze and moving a couple of handfuls of fruit and vegetables to his own plate.
“But your relationship is too obvious. Stop it, already.”
“Yes?”
Who? I looked back and forth between Marianne and Benjamin, just in case.
Benjamin laughed incredulously, and Marianne grabbed the edge of the table with both hands and buried her forehead on it. Hearing her shoulders shake with laughter, I belatedly realized what she had heard. My neck grew warm with embarrassment.
Hugh pointed his fork alternately at me and Rubel, speaking in a firm voice.
“Because I’m your senior, I’m telling you this, damn it. I get it, but, uh, it can be dangerous, so you shouldn’t be so close in the Yuil Mountains. Understand? And, well, anyway, that kind of thing.”
“⋯Yes?”
“What? Isn’t it?”
Seeing the sullen Hugh, Ruben politely bowed his head halfway.
“No, it is. I’m sorry.”
“What do you mean, it is—”
“⋯It isn’t?”
I asked back, stunned, without realizing it, but Ruben cut me off.
Seeing me with a disappointed look, my mouth closed. If it were true, I could say it was, and if not, I could say it wasn’t. But seeing Ruben answer so definitively felt very… strange.
My head grew hot and my heart pounded, so I quickly gulped down the tea water beside me.
Marianne, who had been watching, finished laughing, wiped her eyes, and made a joke.
“Ah, give up now, Michael. Love is like a sneeze, they say. You just can’t hide it.”
“No, that’s…”
“What? So, are you dating or not?”
“Uh, well. The Young Master Ernhardt here vowed not to date anyone until he became a Grand Sword Master. And then, you know, like this and that~.”
“⋯What?”
Elvin, who had always been quiet, put down the piece of meat he was chewing and stared at me intently. It was the first time I had seen interest flicker in his gentle face. He smirked and said,
“⋯Young.”
I felt so stifled, as if my mouth were glued shut, unable to say a word properly.
Hugh Benson, whose jaw had dropped open, made a comical gesture as if closing his own jaw with his hand and stared at me with wide eyes. Ha, his incredibly amused expression made me feel inexplicably embarrassed.
“Wow, really… Really young. Is that romance for kids these days?”
“Grand Sword Master? ⋯Hmph.”
“No, so you two aren’t dating now?”
“Yes, well… about half…”
Ruben mumbled hesitantly, glancing at me, his voice shy. Hugh Benson shouted.
“Hey, what do you mean half! You’ve already fallen completely!”
“No, it’s not!”
Greatly embarrassed, I quickly retorted, and Ruben subtly gripped my sleeve.
Even when I entered my crystal cave, I wasn’t this dizzy, but as he looked down at me, his eyes crinkling, I felt a wave of dizziness that made the ceiling and floor spin.
“⋯It isn’t?”
“No, it’s not, it’s not that it isn’t.”
After rambling on with various useless excuses, I felt so embarrassed that I called the innkeeper to order more food.
The group, who had been busy teasing and laughing at me, each mentioned a dish they wanted. Ruben was a picky eater and said he was fine as he was, so I ordered sweet pastries for him to share with me.
Hugh Benson, watching this, laughed again and made a joke, saying, “Are you just telling me to shut up and eat?” but I didn’t engage further.
All the children were so happy and noisy that we didn’t go back to our rooms until late into the night.