Ch.5050. Ripened Spring

In the end, I didn’t remove the training armor even when sleeping. Lying in bed wearing armor of ridiculous thickness was quite uncomfortable, but remembering Berger’s words about rapid growth, I forced myself to close my eyes.

After tossing and turning for a long while, I finally managed to fall asleep. Surprisingly, though it felt like I had merely blinked once, morning arrived quickly.

‘Steel is tempered in fire…’

Rex sat on the edge of the bed, reciting the verses of the Celestial Steel Mantra. Divine power circulated throughout his body once before returning to the pattern. The holy technique had the effect of clearing the mind, completely washing away what little fatigue remained.

‘Good.’

His body felt refreshed as if he’d had a good night’s sleep.

The increase in energy was subtle. No matter how excellent the Celestial Steel Mantra might be, it couldn’t produce dramatic changes in just one day. He needed to practice consistently and accumulate merit by slaying monsters in dungeons.

To advance to higher realms, honing his techniques was also essential. Though the path wasn’t yet clear, learning from Berger would surely provide clues to reaching the Radiance stage.

“Good morning.”

When Rex came downstairs and greeted him, Wolfram, who was wiping plates with a dishcloth, responded gruffly.

“Good morning to you, you incredibly lucky bastard.”

“I told you to stop teasing me…”

“It’s my prerogative.”

Rex let out a hollow laugh and sat down at the counter.

“Eat.”

Despite his grumbling, Wolfram brought out food. As always, the menu was a steaming hot stew. With plenty of meat chunks and a touch of spices, it was quite palatable.

As Rex wolfed down the stew, Wolfram crossed his arms and spoke.

“Going to the lord’s castle again today?”

“Yes.”

Rex nodded, wiping the stains around his mouth with his sleeve. He planned to leave right after his sparring session with Chloe.

Wolfram smirked mischievously.

“When I first saw you, I thought you were just a greenhorn. Now I see you’re a genius with a bright future.”

“Come on, enough already. Thanks for the meal.”

Rex shook his head and got up from his seat.

Having already made his preparations, he headed straight to the courtyard.

A cool spring breeze blew in. It carried a slight moisture, as if summer was slowly approaching.

The ripened spring sunlight was dazzling. Seeds that had held their breath deep underground all winter were sprouting, now preparing to fully bloom.

Looking at the flowers growing in a corner of the yard, Rex fell into contemplation.

When those colorful flowers fully bloom, summer will arrive. By the time the rainy season comes, would he have become a better person than he is now? Surely he would.

‘A genius, huh.’

Wolfram’s joking words floated in his mind. Until leaving the village, he had never once thought of himself as a genius.

Now it was different.

Since coming to Lindveil, he’d been called a genius multiple times. Objectively speaking, Rex was indeed a genius. Even setting aside the fact that he was favored by Kaordix, his talent was undeniably exceptional. He himself was aware of this fact.

However, in Rex’s opinion, “genius” was just an empty word.

What did it matter if he grew faster than others? His opponents wouldn’t wait for him to become stronger.

Rex drew his greatsword and brought it before his eyes. He silently gazed at his face reflected in the blade. His blue eyes were looking not at the present, but at the past.

An imaginary enemy, visible only to Rex, appeared in the courtyard. Once again, it was Darbein. The figure, holding a long sword, beckoned as if urging him to attack.

With an expressionless face, Rex swung his greatsword. The sunlight shining from the sky pierced through the hazy dawn mist and touched the blade.

After slashing Darbein six times—

—Thud.

Suddenly, footsteps sounded from behind. Rex slowly lowered his greatsword and turned around.

“S-sorry.”

Chloe flinched at his sharp gaze and mumbled.

She had arrived at the inn about ten minutes ago but hadn’t spoken up because Rex was so focused. She had been absentmindedly watching his training when she accidentally stepped on a fallen twig.

Feeling somehow guilty, Chloe fidgeted with her fingers.

“When did you get here?”

“Just now. Not long ago.”

“You should have said something.”

Rex sheathed his greatsword. With each deep breath, his heightened aura gradually subsided. His half-open eyes were once again calm as usual. Only then did Chloe inwardly sigh with relief and approach Rex.

“Here.”

“Oh, thanks.”

His entire body was drenched in sweat, making him feel uncomfortable. Rex wiped his sweat with the towel Chloe handed him. He felt much refreshed after wiping his neck, chest, and abdomen by slipping the towel under his tunic. By the time he had wiped every corner of his body, the towel was as damp as if it had been soaked in water and wrung out.

‘Maybe I should have just wiped my face.’

Thinking he had used it too much, Rex shifted his gaze slightly.

Chloe was staring blankly at the towel in Rex’s hand, with an indecipherable, strange expression.

The towel Chloe had brought wasn’t two, but one. That meant she had lent him her own. Having soiled it, she might be upset inside even if she didn’t show it outwardly.

Rex awkwardly scratched his cheek and said,

“I’ll wash this and return it to you later.”

Chloe blinked, then shook her head in startled denial.

“…Huh? Oh, no. It’s fine!”

Before Rex could respond, Chloe snatched the towel away. The once snow-white cloth was now marked with sweat stains. The previously stiff material had become soft from being soaked. The sensation against her fingertips made her skin crawl. Chloe involuntarily shuddered.

‘Oh!’

Belatedly coming to her senses, Chloe blushed and cleared her throat.

“I was planning to do laundry today anyway. One more towel won’t make it any harder, so I’ll take care of it this time.”

“Even so—”

“I said it’s fine!”

“O-okay.”

Rex agreed with a disgruntled expression. It was the first time he had seen Chloe assert herself so strongly. Her voice clearly conveyed her determination to accept no objection.

Chloe quickly stuffed the towel into her backpack and casually blurted out,

“You said we need to be at the lord’s castle by noon, right?”

“Yeah.”

The massive bell in the city center rings at hourly intervals. Since each hour has a different sound, it wasn’t difficult to gauge the time. It was just past eight o’clock now.

“We don’t have much time, so let’s start right away. I’m ready.”

Chloe drew her stiletto dagger and short sword.

Yesterday’s promise was to spar until she became accustomed to the blessing. Rex felt a faint excitement spreading as he raised his greatsword. He recalled her promise to pack a lunch box as payment for the sparring.

‘I wonder what it will taste like.’

It should be worth looking forward to. Rex curled up the corners of his mouth and took a step back.

“I’ll let you attack first.”

Regardless of his anticipation for the lunch box, he intended to take the sparring seriously. They needed to increase the intensity as much as possible without hurting each other. That way, Chloe would benefit too.

Of course, he had no intention of letting her win.

***

In the end, Rex claimed victory in the sparring match.

Even with his abilities restricted by the training armor, there was an unbridgeable gap between Rex and Chloe. Despite her fierce movements using Gale, she ultimately couldn’t reach Rex.

—Let’s do this again tomorrow!

Chloe had grumbled while catching her breath roughly before leaving. Recalling the entire sequence of events from beginning to end, Rex continued walking.

Reviewing is important. Apart from the outcome, simply recalling how the fight unfolded can lead to growth.

Winning doesn’t mean he made no mistakes. He could have acted better in certain situations—should have thrust instead of swung here. Recognizing such mistakes helps develop better skills than before.

“Who are you?”

His thoughts were interrupted. As he was about to pass through the outer castle entrance, a guard standing to one side blocked his way.

There was no need to introduce himself.

“Hey, you idiot, that’s Sir Berger’s disciple.”

A senior-looking man chopped down on the head of the guard who had addressed Rex.

Rex stared at the guard with bewildered eyes.

Since yesterday was his first visit to the lord’s castle, he had assumed people wouldn’t have memorized his face yet. He had been mentally preparing what to say in case they restricted his entry, but it seemed his concern was unnecessary.

“I’m sorry! I’m new, so I didn’t recognize you…”

“No, it’s fine. You’re working hard.”

At a glance, the guard appeared to be a young man about his own age. The guard turned pale and hurriedly bent his waist at a right angle.

Becoming a knight’s heir or disciple meant ascending to a position respected by everyone living in the domain. Newly realizing this fact, Rex smiled bitterly, waved his hand dismissively, and continued walking.

Unlike the outer castle, the guards stationed in the inner castle didn’t stop Rex. They merely cast curious glances at him occasionally. It wasn’t unreasonable for them to be interested—a commoner had suddenly become a decorated knight’s disciple.

Rex easily ignored those gazes and headed for the knights’ hall. He had already memorized the way. After passing through the complex, winding corridors for quite some time, a three-story building finally came into view.

As he passed through the snow-white walls that surrounded it in a circle, dozens of pairs of eyes suddenly poured onto Rex.

Yesterday, the training ground had been empty, but today about ten young men were gathered together. They were swinging crude wooden swords while maintaining a consistent distance from each other, looking as if they were conducting joint training.

“You’ve come?”

Rex turned his head at the voice coming from beside him. Berger was leaning against a tree that had sprung up in a corner of the training ground.

“Come in. It’s hot today.”

As a wind laden with heat blew in, the leaves rustled and fluttered. The shadow pressed against the ground also swayed with the movement. Rex willingly walked into the shade.

“It’s cool here.”

“It was unmistakably spring at dawn, but it quickly became this hot. Summer is approaching.”

Berger lowered his gaze to look Rex over and murmured,

“Have you been wearing the training armor continuously?”

“Yes.”

“Good. And the Celestial Steel Mantra?”

“I practiced once before bed and once after waking up. I’ve been reciting the verses all day.”

Berger nodded with a satisfied smile.

“Well done. Then as I mentioned before, today I’ll teach you swordsmanship. Those fellows over there would make perfect practice partners, so it wouldn’t be bad to have some simple sparring matches.”