Chapter 29

Chapter 29

Otherworld Cheat Harem.

Episode 29: Charlotte (1).

Eunha went to the dojo alone. As before, it was bustling with people.

The number of practitioners didn’t necessarily indicate the excellence of the dojo, but with dungeon exploration being a livelihood, a crowded dojo meant it had considerable value.

As she crossed the threshold of the dojo, Hoyeon, familiar with her scent, quickly raised her head and ran to her.

“You’re here?”

“Oh, yes…”

“You’re alone today. No, you’ll be alone from now on, I suppose.”

“Yes, I’ll keep coming alone from now on…”

“Why are you so intimidated? Come in.”

Hoyeon’s tail wagged lightly as she led the way. Eunha followed, her eyes on the tail.

Numerous trainees watched Eunha walk with Hoyeon. It was overwhelming attention for the timid Eunha.

That was why she slightly shrank back and tried to avoid eye contact. Hoyeon wondered how such a person came to be while watching her.

“It’s been a while since we’ve had a female trainee… It seems we’ll have to train one-on-one, is that alright?”

“Yes, it’s fine…”

Rather, it was a relief. Being with her, a fellow woman, was more comfortable both physically and mentally than being among those dark-looking men who seemed ready to devour her.

“Let me introduce myself again. I’m Hoyeon, the head of Tiger Dojo.”

“I-I’m Sim Eunha…”

“Hmm, don’t be too scared. I don’t intend to be as rough as I was back then.”

Hoyeon said this as she handed her a training uniform. Eunha received it and went to the changing room to change.

The martial arts uniform that Hoyeon handed her fit perfectly. As she came out wearing the uniform, Hoyeon began a basic interrogation.

“You said you were a level 2 adventurer.”

“Pardon? Yes.”

“Then you must have a specialty, what is it?”

“Specialty…?”

There wasn’t anything like that. Eunha wanted to say so, but couldn’t speak so rudely. She racked her brains for an answer that would please Hoyeon.

“Well, I mean… fighting?”

“Everyone fights. I asked what only you can do.”

“Enduring, I’m good at enduring.”

“What?”

“Enduring pain…”

“Hm, enduring pain, you say.”

Hoyeon, upon hearing those words, swung her hand at Eunha before she could even react. Her palm, like a whip, struck Eunha’s back, and simultaneously, a sharp pain burst from Hoyeon’s back.

“…Are you a Skill Holder?”

“Skill Holder… What is that?”

“Someone with special abilities. Those blessed by gods, born with a special lineage, or mutants with powerful abilities.”

Eunha recalled her own abilities. Pain Immunity and the derived Pain Reflection. She could also be considered a Skill Holder.

As she nodded, Hoyeon asked about her ability.

“Do you… share the pain? The pain given by others?”

“No, it’s just that… it reflects.”

“Reflects?”

“Yes.”

Of course, she would also experience that pain, but she was immune to it. In the end, it was like reflecting all the pain onto the enemy.

Eunha explained her ability, which she didn’t need to hide. Upon hearing this, Hoyeon closed her eyes and fell into deep thought.

Watching her as she pondered something, Eunha also fell into a trance.

After a moment, Hoyeon opened her eyes and looked at Eunha. Startled, she snapped back to attention as she felt her gaze.

“Yes, I see. So back then, it wasn’t just a simple level-up of physical abilities, but a technique so extreme it could destroy your body?”

“Yes, yes. What was it called again? Releasing the muscle limits…”

“Good. Very good.”

Hoyeon looked down at Eunha with sparkling eyes. Despite being human and having finished growing, she was below average in height and weight.

A physique not very suitable for martial arts… but her talent and ability surpassed such a physique, making her a worthy prospect to covet.

“Would you like to become my disciple?”

“Disciple… you mean? Is that different from a student?”

“It’s different. Those guys pay to learn from me… they’re not my direct disciples. But you… you have the qualifications to become my disciple, to learn the secret techniques passed down among the Tiger Tribe.”

“M-me?”

“Yes.”

Hoyeon looked at Eunha. Her toughness in the face of pain, her recklessness in putting herself on the line, and her talent for returning the pain of attacks back to her opponents.

This was a talent not easily found.

There were many who could endure pain.

There were many talented people who were not afraid to give their all.

There were also geniuses who could effortlessly deflect attacks and counter them.

However, it was rare to find someone who possessed all three qualities at once. No, not just rare, but in over fifty years of life, Hoyeon had never encountered such a person.

Now that she had found one, it was impossible not to be excited.

“Why me, of all people…?”

“Hmm?”

“I’m short, weak… timid, and easily frightened…”

“Nonsense.”

Hoyeon grasped Eunha’s shoulders. Startled, Eunha looked up at her.

“Don’t belittle yourself. You are the talent I’ve been searching for… because I need you.”

“Can I really do it…?”

“Of course.”

She said not to worry, that if it was her, she could definitely do it. She encouraged Eunha. She was a bit flustered as it was the first time someone had demanded something from her like that, but she soon steadied herself and nodded.

“I’ll give it a try.”

“Good decision! You’ll never regret it…”

“I have one question.”

“What is it?”

“If I learn from you… can I be of help to someone?”

Although she referred to “someone,” in reality, there was only one person she had in mind. Hoyeon guessed this and told her,

“Don’t worry about that. There’s something you must achieve if you become my disciple.”

“What… is it?”

“To become the strongest.”

Hoyeon extended her clenched fist.

“From now on, you have the duty to become the strongest.”

I laid Seoyoon in her room and returned to my own before heading straight to the mansion’s backyard with a wooden sword.

One of the reasons I bought the mansion was this: not having to bother going to the training ground every time.

Upon arriving at the backyard, I placed the sword down in the spacious garden and lightly stretched.

Having realized that there was no need to further grow my muscles, I maintained just enough intensity to prevent muscle loss.

Once I finished exercising lightly enough to break a sweat, it was time to refine my skills.

I swung the sword. Having grasped it before I even learned to walk, I was more familiar with wielding a sword than using my own limbs.

After swinging the sword in accordance with the set forms three times, an hour passed, and when I felt loosened up, I conducted image training. I imagined orcs or monsters stronger than the real ones.

Boxers often referred to it as shadow boxing, wishing for a sparring partner, but finding someone as skilled with the sword and trustworthy was not an easy task.

‘No, wait.’

I moved my gaze, sweating profusely. Inside the mansion, Charlotte, who had been pretending to clean the windows while watching me, naturally shifted her body out of sight.

There she was… the strong Holy Knight who had come to this mansion due to some twist of fate.

I approached her.

“Are you asking me to be your sparring partner?”

“That’s right.”

“How could a mere maid like me…?”

“Oh, didn’t Deokgu tell you? I asked him to find a maid who could also serve as a sword training partner.”

It was a lie. I never said that, so she must not have heard such words either.

But she couldn’t afford to be kicked out of this mansion. She was a spy tasked with monitoring me, and she undoubtedly understood that giving me a reason to evict her was out of the question.

In the end, she slightly bit her lip and spoke.

“Though my skills are lacking, I can manage self-defense.”

“Really? That’s a relief.”

She didn’t seem lacking at all, but I was glad to have found a sparring partner and called her to the backyard.

I tossed her a wooden sword and watched as she took her stance. I realized that I had never seen the swordsmanship of this world.

‘Who will be better?’

The swordsmanship I learned or her swordsmanship.

The swordsmanship of Earth or the swordsmanship of this other world.

Which side had the superior swordsmanship?

I swallowed my anticipation and approached her.

‘How did it end up like this?’

Charlotte sighed inwardly as she picked up the sword. Hired for swordsmanship? She’d never heard of such a thing, and she was sure she hadn’t misheard.

But was it even conceivable to say she couldn’t do it on the spot? She was a maid, and for a maid to say something was impossible was akin to saying she wanted to be fired.

At least, that was how she understood it.

‘It’s not some absurd order or something like sexual favors… This much is fine.’

She couldn’t deny having such thoughts. If Dojin had demanded sexual favors, she would have simply smashed his head and denied the existence of the prophecy… But when it came to swordsmanship, wasn’t it a field she was confident in?

Dojin assumed a stance. The characteristic middle guard of kendo. In response, Charlotte raised her sword beside her head.

A stance similar to the upper guard of Western swordsmanship, specialized in defense with the sword tip pointed at the opponent.

In this stance, there wasn’t much the opponent could do. Dojin was aware of this fact.

Thus, he approached cautiously. Charlotte did not attack first. Once she took this stance, attacking first would be disadvantageous.

So she waited for him to attack first. And Dojin did so. A light horizontal slash, meant to gauge her reaction.

She lightly parried the sword and then changed her position left and right before pointing her sword at him again.

Even after a few more clashes of swords, Charlotte did not engage. Her intent was to fight only when she had a clear advantage.

Dojin, aware of the disadvantage, forcibly pressed forward. If this were a real battle, he would have waited for her concentration to falter, but wasn’t this a sparring session for skill improvement?

There was value in challenging despite the disadvantage. As he charged in, her sword flew at him as if she had been waiting for it.

He blocked the incoming sword with a head block from kendo. The two swords clashed. From here, it was no longer swordsmanship but the realm of sword wrestling.

Dojin immediately grabbed her hand and the sword’s hilt, hooking her leg. She didn’t fall. With the strength of powerful muscles, Charlotte withstood it and promptly countered, toppling his balance.

Then Charlotte seized the opportunity and charged. Even with his balance broken, Dojin didn’t let his guard down and kept his eyes on her.

And when she attempted to wrestle him by grabbing his arm, she felt the pain of her arm being twisted and rolled onto the floor.

Thud!

That was the end of it. Dojin quickly raised his sword to her neck, as it was typically considered a state of complete subjugation.

“Done.”

“What the…?”

“Wow, you’re really good. You call that self-defense level? You could probably take down a monster, too.”

“Thank you for the compliment.”

However, before she could shake off the bewildered feeling of defeat, Charlotte remembered her mission and returned to her role as a maid.

‘What was that just now?’

There was a technique she couldn’t understand. A skill not seen from any race…

‘Could he really be…?’

The existence of a fallen star.

Charlotte instinctively felt that it might refer to someone who had fallen from another world.