Chapter 219

“Yawn.”

I strolled out of the cafe, yawning leisurely.

I had pinpointed Old Man Baker’s location.

My gaze flickered towards him.

Old Man Baker was already pretending to read a newspaper, his face hidden.

He probably thought it was the perfect disguise, but it was useless since I had already spotted him.

I glanced around and slowly walked towards the bench where Old Man Baker was sitting.

He didn’t even flinch, which was impressive.

But as I sat down next to him, he finally flinched and practically slammed the newspaper against his face as if it were a wall.

I couldn’t help but chuckle.

“What are you doing here, sir?”

“…”

An awkward silence.

I could sense his embarrassment just from looking at him.

I spoke again, clearly,

“Old Man Baker.”

“Ahem… ahem, ahem.”

An awkward cough.

Old Man Baker slowly lowered the newspaper.

His eyes darted around nervously.

“Ahem… Well, well, fancy seeing you here.”

Old Man Baker even stuttered.

He looked so pathetic that I decided to play along.

“Indeed. What a coincidence.”

“Y-Yes… a coincidence. A coincidence, of course.”

“I didn’t think you would come to a crowded place like the central plaza. You prefer quiet and peaceful places, don’t you?”

“N-No… Of course not. S-Sometimes I miss crowded places, ahem.”

“Hmm, I see. So you didn’t come here for any particular reason?”

“Th-That’s right.”

“Alright. Then I’ll leave you to it. Enjoy the crowds.”

I stood up, as if I had nothing more to say.

I greeted him out of courtesy, but that was all.

I couldn’t show any regret or clinginess.

Because that would make me the subordinate, not the dominant one.

I had to be the dominant one.

To reel in Old Man Baker.

After taking a few steps,

“W-Wait!”

Old Man Baker finally stopped me.

He seemed to be getting worked up.

A triumphant smile appeared on my lips.

I slowly turned around.

“What is it, sir?”

“S-Since we’ve met like this, how about we have some tea and chat?”

Tea? He really was an old-fashioned man.

But I had to respect my elders.

I was a well-mannered young man, after all.

“Hmm…”

I pretended to think about it.

I even looked at my watch, acting busy.

Old Man Baker looked anxious, as if he was afraid I would reject his offer after he had mustered up the courage to ask.

“I have about 30 minutes to spare.”

“Oh, is that so?”

Old Man Baker’s face brightened.

He seemed relieved that he hadn’t been embarrassingly rejected.

“Then shall we go now?”

* * *

A tea house.

A traditional one, at that.

I didn’t know there was a place like this in the central plaza.

I glanced around the tea house, and most of the customers were middle-aged or elderly.

Hmm, so there was a steady customer base that allowed this place to survive.

“Green tea, please.”

An order that exuded the weight of seniority.

Was this the gravity of a menu with history and tradition?

“Lemon tea for me.”

The youth will enjoy something refreshing.

Even as I ordered it, I felt like a complete heretic.

But I had just had bitter coffee, so I needed something sour to balance it out.

“Ahem.”

Old Man Baker, now at the tea house, seemed to find it awkward to speak, looking down and stroking his beard.

I opened my mouth first.

“This is a quiet and cozy place. Is it your favorite?”

“You have a good eye, as expected. It’s not my favorite, but I come here often.”

After some light conversation, our tea arrived.

Slurp.

Sip.

We each sipped our tea.

I sensed a change in Old Man Baker’s demeanor.

He seemed ready to bring up what he really wanted to say.

Clink.

Old Man Baker put down his teacup and opened his mouth.

“You said you hit a wall, right?”

“Yes.”

Clink.

I also put down my teacup and replied.

“What kind of swordsmanship did your opponent use?”

“I don’t know. It was invisible.”

I wanted to know that too.

If I knew the swordsmanship she used, I might find a way to counter Natasha.

“Invisible…”

“Come to think of it, I did see one technique, even though it’s not much.”

I said, recalling the memory.

“Oh? What was it?”

“Moon Splitter.”

“Moon Splitter? Splitting the moon… What a grandiose name for a technique.”

“Well, aren’t all technique names like that?”

Just by hearing the names, they all sounded like invincible swordsmanship.

“Not mine.”

Old Man Baker immediately retorted.

“Hmm… Is that so? I think they’re simple and straightforward, yet still cool.”

“Ahem, of course, there’s that aspect too.”

Old Man Baker couldn’t hide his pleasure at the praise for his swordsmanship.

That’s why he was still reeling from the aftereffects of my bombshell declaration.

“Anyway, what about that technique?”

“It cut through several layers of ice walls I had created with magic in one go. Thick ice walls.”

“Hmm…”

Old Man Baker fell into deep thought with a serious expression.

He probably understood.

How impressive that was.

Especially if he was Killstein, the Master Slayer, not the Old Man Baker I knew.

Slurp.

Old Man Baker took another sip of his tea without saying a word.

Clink.

“Indeed. I don’t know how much of the Divine Sword’s power you’ve witnessed, but that opponent is definitely at the Master level. And…”

Old Man Baker trailed off.

There were naturally different levels even among Masters.

And he must have sensed from my words that Natasha was among the upper echelon of that lofty realm.

But he still held back his words.

He probably thought there wasn’t enough information to make a hasty judgment.

“A Master. I thought so too.”

I nodded in agreement.

“It’s only natural that you would feel a wall against such an opponent.”

If I had said I felt a wall against a weak opponent, Old Man Baker would have been disappointed in me.

It was because she was truly strong that this conversation was even possible.

You’re a perfect scapegoat, Red Rain executive.

“I understand how you feel. I understand completely.”

Old Man Baker continued to empathize with me.

Sensing the right moment, I smiled inwardly.

“Ah, yes.”

“Ahem, but even so, I think it was too hasty of you to give up so suddenly.”

“I’m sorry, but I’ve thought about it a lot. But with those five forms, I just can’t…”

“Ahem! Who said there were only five forms, who?!”

Old Man Baker finally couldn’t hold back and shouted.

As expected.

I suppressed my laughter and focused on my acting.

“Huh?”

I widened my eyes, feigning ignorance.

Perfect.

“What do you mean…? You were the one who said there were five forms when you taught me swordsmanship.”

“Ahem, ahem!”

“Sir?”

“D-Did I? Hahaha… I’m getting old, so I tend to forget things sometimes.”

Old Man Baker averted his gaze and stroked his beard quickly.

This is so embarrassing to watch.

“Yes, that can happen. So, the five forms…”

“No! It’s not five forms!”

“Huh?”

“Ah… I-I mean, it wasn’t five forms, but I must have forgotten and said it was five forms…”

“Huh, you forgot something so important?”

I looked at Old Man Baker with the most disappointed expression I could muster.

I couldn’t forget.

That I had to be the dominant one.

Right now, Old Man Baker had become a forgetful old man who had made an unforgivable mistake.

“S-So it seems…”

“…”

An appropriate silence.

I could see Old Man Baker’s eyes darting around.

“Ahem, ahem. So…”

“You think it’s something that could change my mind?”

“Of course it is.”

Old Man Baker said confidently.

I liked it.

If he was the creator of the swordsmanship I was going to choose, he should have that kind of confidence.

“Hmm, I see. Then what else is there?”

At my question, Old Man Baker changed his expression and set the mood.

An aura like that of a grandmaster.

“A secret technique.”

Short words carried more weight.

Old Man Baker’s eyes gleamed intensely.

But.

I already knew what that secret technique was and how powerful it was.

It was definitely a powerful technique, but it wasn’t what I truly desired right now.

I wouldn’t have gone through all this trouble if that was all I wanted.

“A secret technique. It’s not something like the Explosive Slash Form, is it?”

So I went straight for the kill.

“Cough, cough, cough, cough, cough!”

Old Man Baker immediately burst into a coughing fit, as if he was choking.

He was so flustered that his face turned red, and he couldn’t even speak.

I patted Old Man Baker’s back, worried he might faint.

Old Man Baker finally caught his breath.

“Gasp… gasp… gasp…”

“What’s wrong, sir?”

“H-How did you know…?”

“Know what? What are you…”

“H-How did you know it was the Explosive Slash Form?!”

“Huh? I was just guessing. Since you have all the other forms, I thought adding an explosive technique would be pretty cool.”

“…”

Old Man Baker was speechless.

“Huh? Is it really that? Is that the secret technique?”

“Y-Yes…”

“Hmm, I see. Well, well…”

I stroked my chin and shook my head slightly, as if I wasn’t satisfied.

“I’m sorry to say this without knowing much about it, but… I’m still quitting.”

“Wh-What? Why? You haven’t even heard the details yet!”

Old Man Baker was flustered.

“I’m sorry, but I just have a feeling. I don’t think something I can imagine would be enough.”

“Huh, huh…”

I casually checked the time.

“It’s already this late. I should get going. Thank you for the tea. I’ll pay for it.”

I stood up from my seat without hesitation.

At that moment.

“W-Wait!”

Old Man Baker shouted urgently.

It was as if he would regret it for the rest of his life if he let me go, feeling like his swordsmanship was deemed inadequate.

“Yes? What is it?”

I responded leisurely.

Because I wasn’t the one in a hurry.

“Ugh…”

“Are you feeling unwell?”

Old Man Baker seemed to be conflicted and troubled, even though he had called out to me.

‘Is it a technique that needs to be kept so secret? Is it a dangerous technique?’

As I was wondering,

Old Man Baker finally couldn’t hold back and shouted,

“Th-That’s not all! It’s not!”

“What do you mean…?”

“There is, there is!”

Old Man Baker’s voice was filled with excitement.

I could feel everyone’s eyes on us.

I calmed him down first.

“Um… I think it would be better if we moved somewhere else.”

“Ahem, ahem? Y-Yes, let’s do that.”

* * *

And so, we moved to a deserted area.

“What is it, sir?”

“The true…”

“The true?”

“Secret technique.”

“…Another secret technique? Your swordsmanship has so many secret…”

“No!”

“…”

“It can kill.”

Old Man Baker said with a serious expression.

His eyes gleamed more intensely than ever before.

“Kill…?”

“A Master.”

A short but impactful declaration.

‘Finally.’

My heart pounded with excitement.

“