Ch.7575. Master and Disciple

Brianna quietly observed her disciple eating across from her.

His movements displayed an aristocratic demeanor and refined dining etiquette that had become second nature to him.

Who could possibly call such a person a delinquent?

His achievements could undoubtedly be described as the most groundbreaking since the founding of Demeia Academy.

Starting with winning the entrance mock battle, he had prevented the Resistance’s terrorist attack without casualties during the comprehensive evaluation, and had taken the lead in the campaign against the old Resistance, earning remarkable merits.

Moreover, he had recently repelled the new Resistance’s massive assault on the academy with minimal damage. Considering that he had to face 23 giant mechanized soldiers at once, one might question whether such an achievement was even possible for a new cadet.

With her previous disciple’s accomplishments being so dazzling, Brianna, as his former mentor, found the current situation quite pleasing. Though she was typically stoic, she wasn’t without emotions. She couldn’t help but feel proud that one of her only two direct disciples was making a name for himself in the Empire.

Furthermore, the swordsmanship he displayed while controlling the giant mechanized soldier showed that he had developed even further through that battle. He had even stepped into the threshold of the Limit Domain—his growth was so explosive that words were hardly necessary to describe it.

However, she was concerned that Gilbert had entered the Limit Domain.

The Limit Domain, as the name suggests, allows one to exert power beyond their current level of achievement. One can feel exponentially stronger with each wall they overcome, but crossing these walls is never easy.

Those born with exceptional talent who cross these walls more easily than others end up facing them sooner. When standing before a wall that most cannot overcome in a lifetime, most inevitably fall into despair and helplessness.

And around that time, they become drawn into the Limit Domain. The euphoria of momentarily surpassing the wall and experiencing a greater world is not easily forgotten, and it consumes people like an addiction.

But the Limit Domain literally means stepping beyond one’s limits and entering inside the wall. Using power from beyond one’s level with an unprepared body inevitably leads to physical deterioration.

Since it involved forcibly breaking through limits that shouldn’t be crossed, many ended up crippled or, in unfortunate cases, lost their lives.

Having seen too many such people, Brianna couldn’t hide her anxiety, even though she knew Gilbert wouldn’t be like them.

Still, I can’t help but believe in him.

She ate the food before her, shaking off her unease.

How could a master not trust her disciple?

Gilbert had never once betrayed Brianna’s expectations. He had never been lazy in his sword training and had firmly upheld the virtues of knighthood even in life-or-death situations.

It would be unbecoming of a master not to trust such an admirable disciple.

Having cast aside even the slightest worry, Brianna focused on her meal with a lighter heart.

As they continued their meal, exchanging small talk, her gaze suddenly fell upon the black iron sword leaning against the corner of a chair.

The black iron sword Gilbert had gifted her was excellent enough to be called a masterpiece without exaggeration.

The weight, hardness, and balance of the sword impressed even Brianna, who had handled many swords. It was puzzling that such a skilled swordsmith was still unknown.

But how did Gilbert know about this swordsmith?

The question suddenly occurred to her.

The place was in an old building that could only be found after walking through narrow alleyways for quite some time, with just a small sign depicting a sword.

She couldn’t understand how he knew about a place so difficult to find. It seemed suspicious how naturally he had found his way there, as if he had visited many times before. Even thinking about it now, something felt off.

Could it be…?

As Brianna connected the dots, she realized something.

“Gilbert.”

“What is it?”

Gilbert, who had finished his meal and was cleansing his palate with wine, looked at Brianna.

“How did you know about that swordsmith?”

“I found out by chance.”

“By chance… So you happened to discover a skilled swordsmith, and coincidentally, she was a beautiful woman?”

Brianna finally understood the source of her inexplicable discomfort at the weapon shop.

The owner and swordsmith of the shop called Ensis was a woman of rare beauty. Her toned, lean physique and bright auburn hair, combined with her radiant smile, gave her a refreshing aura.

Gilbert, who was rumored to have a questionable history with women, couldn’t have been immune to her charms. She seemed like someone he might have discovered during his days as a so-called delinquent.

As this thought crossed her mind, Brianna slightly furrowed her brow.

Though she hadn’t seen Gilbert engage in any delinquent behavior since his enrollment at Demeia Academy, his relationships with women were unknown to her. Since she wasn’t monitoring his every move, he might still be maintaining promiscuous relationships.

Of course, considering his rate of progress, he couldn’t be completely consumed by such matters, but as his mentor, she couldn’t stand by and watch her disciple stray. Isn’t a true master someone who guides their disciple on the right path?

“Master?”

“I have no intention of interfering with your private life. But I cannot overlook it if you neglect your training because of women.”

“What are you suddenly talking about?”

This time, Gilbert’s brows furrowed. He thought they were having a pleasant dinner, but Brianna had suddenly brought up something incomprehensible.

Private life and women?

This accusation felt unfair to Gilbert, whose days were packed with academy classes and training.

His goal wasn’t to live in this world but to return to his original world. Kang Do-jun—not Gilbert—desperately wanted to return to the place he and his comrades had defended with their blood.

Though he hadn’t found any clues for his return, analyzing the world of Tactical Combat and the system’s backup situation led him to one conclusion: if he progressed through the main story events that came one after another like in a game, he might find clues to return.

That’s why he prioritized growth to prepare for the main story. His tightly scheduled days were solely dedicated to training.

In the midst of such dedication, being reprimanded for indulging in pleasure felt unjust.

“That won’t happen.”

Despite his firm denial, Brianna remained skeptical. After all, he had shown a certain reputation in that area, and with the example of Gwendolyn from Ensis Weapon Shop, she couldn’t easily believe him.

“Just keep it in mind.”

“You know better than anyone that I won’t do such things, Master.”

“Hmm…”

Brianna swallowed. Rationally, she knew he was right. Gilbert’s recent behavior resembled that of someone obsessed with training.

But emotionally, several things bothered her. Though it was unlike her, the reason for her concern was clear.

Gilbert was someone who would one day stand where she stood, pursuing the path of the sword alongside her. Brianna didn’t want to lose a companion who would walk the infinite path of the sword with her.

This attitude might create resentment.

She sighed deeply, trying to shake off her discomfort. As Gilbert said, he was currently dedicated to his training, so there was no need for excessive criticism.

“It was a slip of tongue out of concern. You may forget it.”

“Not at all. I’ll take it as words meant for my benefit.”

“That’s fine then.”

Looking at the dessert being prepared after the main course, Brianna felt much lighter.

With Gilbert’s great passion for the sword, he would stand beside her without straying. Until then, her only duty was to show him the path and guide him.

Brianna decided not to make assumptions or press the matter further.

Meanwhile, unaware of Brianna’s thoughts, Gilbert…

[Sub-scenario “Seeker of the Sword” has been unlocked and forcibly accepted.]

What is this now?

He felt bewildered by the sudden appearance of a sub-scenario he had never seen before.

***

After spending a day with Brianna that felt both long and short, Gilbert returned to Demeia Academy and found himself pondering over the unfamiliar sub-scenario. Even for someone who had cleared all scenarios and achieved 100% completion in Tactical Combat, this was a first.

Given the word “unlocked,” it seemed that saving Brianna during the academy attack, along with some other condition he was unaware of, had triggered it, but he couldn’t guess what it might be.

Moreover, the description in the scenario window was so sparse that he had no idea what exactly he needed to do. The title “Seeker of the Sword” clearly related to swordsmanship, but he had too little information.

Despite formulating various hypotheses, he ended up with nothing but questions.

This isn’t easy.

Finally giving up on his analysis, Gilbert sighed and leaned back in his chair. His head felt like it might cramp from spending so much time pondering something without answers.

Saving Brianna was good, but having a sub-scenario he had never seen before forcibly accepted made him very uneasy. Usually, when scenarios were forcibly accepted like this, the difficulty tended to spike dramatically, proportional to the rewards.

Moreover, “Seeker of the Sword” seemed too grand a title for a sub-scenario. Just the name alone suggested it wasn’t a small-scale event.

Well, it doesn’t matter.

Gilbert stood up, dusting off his seat and stretching his stiffened body before opening the door. Though he had wasted quite a bit of time analyzing this unexpected variable, he had no intention of skipping today’s training.

Knowing better than anyone that diligence and effort never betray one on the battlefield, Gilbert was most wary of letting laziness take hold. The appearance of the sub-scenario was unexpected, but it wasn’t a reason to miss training. Skipping one day might not be a problem, but those days add up to 10 days and then 100 days.

So Gilbert headed to the training room, recalling today’s training schedule. Based on his muscle development check, he felt he needed to slightly increase the intensity of his leg training.

-Creak

Just as Gilbert was about to open the door to the training room, it opened. Was there still a cadet training despite the late hour?

He felt a wave of heat rushing out from the training room.

“It’s been a while.”

“Ian.”

But the cadet who had been training wasn’t a particularly welcome figure. Not that he was someone Gilbert disliked—if anything, “awkward” would be the most accurate description.

Ian Tigris Linebarrel, the playable character and protagonist of Tactical Combat.

He was the cadet who had opened the training room door.

The last time Gilbert had properly seen Ian was on the day of the competition finals. Seeing him caught up in his chuunibyou act that day, Gilbert had decisively given up on recruiting him as an ally. While his potential was certainly valuable, the drawbacks of his chuunibyou tendencies outweighed that potential.

Of course, if Ian had shown outstanding performance during the academy attack, things might have been different, but Gilbert had only heard about the exploits of others, excluding him. Consequently, Gilbert had tentatively concluded that Ian lacked potential.

“You did splendidly this time. As expected of my rival.”

“…”

Here we go again. Regardless of potential, Ian’s chuunibyou way of speaking was unbearable to Gilbert, who had the sensibilities of a modern person. It gave him that feeling of secondhand embarrassment that made his hands curl involuntarily.

Since continuing the conversation meant enduring more of that dreadful speech, Gilbert quickly wrapped it up.

“It was nothing. Now, if you’d step aside, I’m late for training.”

“My apologies.”

As Ian, who had been blocking the entrance to the training room, moved aside, Gilbert hurriedly entered, thinking Ian might try to detain him. Ian, for his part, didn’t seem particularly interested in stopping him, as he made no move to grab the door as it closed.

But for some reason, Ian silently watched the door to the training room that Gilbert had entered for quite some time.

Was he experiencing some kind of emotion?

If so, there was no trace of it in Ian’s eyes.

After some time had passed…

[Ian? Why are you just staring at the door? Is something wrong?]

“No, nothing.”

Ian let out a chuckle and headed to his room, once again reassured of his belief that he was the protagonist of this world.