Chapter 185: The Knight Starts Anew (2)
by Afuhfuihgs
Since their instructor decided to take on a vacation after the ball ended, the Swordsmanship Department was currently on a break.
-I’m gonna kill some peo—no, I mean, run some errands for a bit and come back, so go and do some self-training, you guys.
-Sorry?
-I’ve set up a training schedule for you guys, so you can follow that. You also don’t have to come to the academy while I’m gone. I’ll still record your attendance, though, so don’t worry.
-??
-Alright, I’ll see you in 8 days.
Though the cadets felt like they had heard some disturbing words, they tried their best to pretend not to hear. Thinking about it would only make them have a nightmare, after all.
And so, just like that, they received a relatively long vacation.
Whoosh-!
Whoosh-!
However…
For some reason, the cadets still came to the Swordsmanship Department. Even though their instructor wasn’t there, they still came to class on their own and trained hard on the training field.
If someone were to ask them why they still came to class even when they didn’t need to, they’d probably give out this answer.
Because we’ll still get the ‘result’ from our training.
Just by completing the tasks the instructor gave them, they could feel their own growth, and that gave them a great sense of satisfaction and thrill. Considering that, how could they just slack around?
This was a time when they could experience rapid growth. Indeed, their instructor’s jealous words of, ‘You’re growing so quickly because you are young,’ weren’t completely untrue.
First, the noble ladies, the Chick. They now knew how to use simple submission and striking techniques. They’d spar among themselves while the knight candidates helped them out from the side.
They also learned simple weapon techniques such as throwing and short stick techniques. The instructor told them that if they learned them properly, they’d be able to ‘subdue most adult men on their own,’ hence why the ladies didn’t hesitate to sweat as well.
Of course, there were no noble ladies that were happy to sweat, but after realizing that their bodies were getting healthier over the past half-year, they stopped hesitating altogether.
“When I asked our family’s knight to spar with me, he was so surprised! He told me that I learned a great skill!”
“Hehe, that happened to me too! My mother was terrified when she saw me, though.”
“Same, but it isn’t like we can just stop doing this.”
“Right?”
The health benefit was one thing, but the fact that the result they received was proportional to the effort they put in also served as a driving force that made them work hard. Though their current level was nowhere near enough to let them defeat a monster single-handedly, they already set their sights on that for the future.
On the other hand, unlike the Chicks who were focused on learning various techniques, the Bears’ trained their bodies as hard as they could, to the point that their body had become considerably thicker. Their arms had gotten thicker, their shoulders had gotten broader, and their thighs had gotten as strong as a horse’s.
The reason behind their change was because the instructor told them that they had to be able to use ‘Vajra Body’ before they graduated. Moreover, he said that as long as they learned the technique, they’d be harder to kill, so it was an essential task for them.
Of course…
“I-Is this right…?”
“Even if it isn’t, there’s nothing we can do about it…”
“The instructor said this is the fastest way, so we have to endure this…”
“Damn it!”
Their training method was brutal, to say the least.
The way they trained their bodies was by hitting themselves with clubs or soaking heavy towels in water and sticking them into their bodies every day. They also asked others to beat their bodies relentlessly. Though it was painful, they had to swallow their tears since this ignorant training method was incredibly effective.
It would be a different story if they didn’t feel the result, but they could clearly feel that their bodies gradually changed every single day. Even if it was painful and torturous, they had no choice but to do it. After all, as long as they work hard without missing a single day, they’d definitely reap the result.
The Bears were those who were deemed the weakest and the ones that people used to look down upon the most. Now that they had the method to grow stronger, there was no way they could just stop.
No one would give up the drug called growth.
Lastly, the Young Masters who had lived the complete opposite lives of the Bears…
Since they were born under different circumstances, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that they were on a different level from the others, even if it was just due to their Combat Technique. The tasks they received from their instructor were mostly basic strength and endurance training, posture correction, and sparring.
…In addition, part of their training was to serve as the instructor’s sandbag. Though they had mixed feelings about it, the result it brought them was anything but ordinary.
“W-When I sparred with my family’s knights, I-I won…”
“T-This might sound unbelievable, but I received an offer to join Mordred’s Knight Order.”
“W-What?”
If they recalled correctly, the first time the instructor met them, he had told them they were severely lacking when it came to the basics. However, he also said that if they could improve themselves in that regard, they would become several times stronger.
Now, they realized how true his words were.
After doing the training that the instructor gave them for over half a year, at some point, they became several times stronger. It was to the extent that some of them received offers to join prestigious knight orders.
To them, that was like a dream come true.
More than 60% of the Young Masters received an offer to join various knight orders, and for those who originally aimed to become knights, they could simply quit the Academy and join the knight order of their liking. After all, the reason they entered the Academy was to become stronger so they could enter a prestigious one.
Now that they had achieved their goals, there was no need for them to attend the Academy anymore.
That should be the case, but…
“So why did you refuse to join? What a waste.”
“But, Number 12, that…”
“D-Do we have to use that name when it’s just us?”
Surprisingly, none of them decided to quit the Academy even after receiving invitations from the various knight orders. At first, they were happy. It would be a lie if they were to say that they didn’t want to join a knight order right away, but, as time passed and the excitement from the invitation died down, they realized that joining a knight order right away was a bad move.
“We are still far from perfect.”
After all, they knew that they’d only join in name. If they were to join now, they’d have to start as a squire, not full-fledged knights. Not only that, the training regime they’d undergo would also change. It wouldn’t be as autonomous as it was now, as it would be tailored to the style of the knight order they joined.
‘What they want is our future, not the current us.’
‘We probably won’t be able to train freely as we are right now.’
‘…Our skills might just regress.’
If they were to join right away, they’d only feel good for a moment, then that feeling would soon be replaced by worry because they’d become the person with the lowest rank in their order. They’d have to move around a lot, and their training regime would also be strictly controlled by the order.
Since they were still growing, that definitely wasn’t the direction they wanted to go. Besides, it would be better to join after they had sufficient skills to solidify their position in the order they wanted.
For example…
“We should at least be as strong as the trio.”
“That means we have a long way to go…”
The famous trio of the Swordsmanship Department. If the Young Masters could become as strong as them, they’d be able to establish a solid position in the order they picked, so instead of rejoicing about the immediate good fortune, they thought that it’d be better for them to train hard under the instructor for the time being. It might take some time, but it would definitely pay off.
They had the confidence that they could become a better version of themselves tomorrow. And so, just like in those ‘Youth Academy’ dramas, they swore to themselves to sweat bullets today in order to become a better person tomorrow.
But, on the opposite end of the coin…
“Huh? Why are you all here?”
“Assistant Damien?”
“You guys are so diligent. Not resting even though you got such a precious vacation…”
There was a boy who was living a ‘Tragedy’ on his own. Damien Paulet.
He stared at them with his usual tired expression and wide eyes. If he was asked what he’d do with eight days off, his answer would be…
“If it were me, I’d sleep for five hours every day…”
“Not eight hours?”
“Eight hours? Can a person sleep that much?”
“…”
“…I would be happy if I could sleep for even two hours a day… Well, there was a time when I slept for eight hours a day, but it’s a distant memory now…”
“…”
Sometimes, when they saw him, they felt like he was the most pitiful person in the world. At first, the Young Masters thought that he was just an arrogant and clueless brat, but after seeing him doing everything in place of the instructor…
Anyway, the reason why the instructor could take eight days off was because he ‘lent’ him to the other instructors and professors.
“Don’t give me that look. This sort of thing is doable once you get used to it.”
“It definitely doesn’t seem that way…”
“…”
“T-Try to wave a carrot if you feel sad. It’ll help you a little…”
“Dammit…”
Damien, who was being pitied by everyone, let out a curse. He thought that he shouldn’t be treated like this.
This is all…!
“Because of that damned beast…”
“…May I ask who the beast you’re referring to is?”
“Who else but that guy?!”
“U-Um… Be careful with your words, Assistant Damien. If someone were to overhear them, you might get into a problem…”
“Surely you won’t tell that beast about this, right? You’re not so corrupt that you’d sell your colleague, are you?”
“Y-Yeah, we aren’t…”
“That’s why I’m telling you guys this! Seriously, just thinking about what that beast, no, that monster did to me, makes me so angry…!”
Damien looked like he was about to talk shit, as if he wanted to vent about all of his sorrow. It was natural for someone to gossip about someone who wasn’t around. Even the king couldn’t escape that law.
But then…
Bang-!
“…Huh?”
He could not wrap his fingers around what just happened. All of a sudden, something strong grabbed his ankle. It was clear that if whatever the thing was applied just a little more force, his ankle would burst like a water balloon, and Damien’s face stiffened.
However…
“Assistant, you bastard. Are you talking behind my back? You really got that much free time, huh?”
“!!!?”
Now aware that the worst case scenario had happened, blood quickly drained from his face.
…A familiar voice. No, he convinced himself that it was just the whisper of the evil spirit that appeared in his nightmares.
He tried to deny reality in that way, but…
Bang-!
Right at the next moment, he was forced to realize that this was reality.
Damien felt as if his ankle had become a fish’s tail, and his vision was turned upside down. He saw his head forcibly touching the ground, as if the sky and the earth were reversed. Since his ankle was dangling in the air, he was unable to even resist.
And in front of him was the face of a savage beast…
“Instructor…! W-Why are you coming out of the ground?!”
“I dug a tunnel from my house to here.”
“…W-Why?”
“My body felt stiff, so I figured that I’d do a light stretch.”
“…The distance between your house and the Academy is at least dozens of kilometers, right?”
“So?”
“I-I’m going crazy.”
It was as if they were talking in different languages.
Even though the blood was gradually rushing to his head, Damien didn’t know what he should say. On the contrary, the other guy seemed to have a lot to say to him.
Especially…
“More importantly, Assistant. Is there anything you want to say to me?”
“…Yes?”
“Why did you get more stupid the less I see you, huh? How could you still act so brazenly after I caught you gossipping about me, huh?”
“Ah…”
The unrealistic situation made Damian forget what crazy thing he had done for a moment, and when he got reminded of it, he went silent. Countless possibilities appeared in his mind. For example, the possibility that this beastly instructor would forgive him.
But…
“…You won’t forgive me even if I beg, right, Instructor?”
“Yeah.”
“…I knew it.”
No matter how much he racked his brain, Damien could only see a tragic fate ahead of him. The silence didn’t last long, and Damien, who knew the instructor very well, just wore an indifferent expression, like a monk who had been liberated.
─It wasn’t a bad life.
He let out a bitter laugh.
* * *
“…This kid loves to pretend to be dead at every chance he gets.
It’s not like he’s a possum.
After looking at the guy who had fainted while laughing for a moment, Lee Han roughly put him down. If he were to keep holding him, people were bound to misunderstand, and he didn’t want that.
“H-He isn’t dead, right?”
“…No, he isn’t.”
Case on point. This alone was already enough to cause a misunderstanding.
“Instructor, when on earth did you… No, how did you come out of the ground?”
Fortunately, the conversation quickly shifted from Damien. Compared to the fact that he made his entrance by digging out of the ground, the fainted assistant wasn’t as important.
And to the students who reacted like that…
“Wanna go in?”
“…Yes?”
“It’s quite spacious inside.”
“…”
…They questioned if they had heard wrong when they heard that. For some reason, his question sounded as if he wanted to bury them.
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