Ren’s death changed nothing. The Empire continued on, the fallen ones were captured, and I was powerless. Guiding Irilen to the place where Ren was buried was all I could do.
"Thank you for everything."
Irilen said so, but I couldn't understand what she was thankful for. I watched Irilen’s back as she left, then headed for the carriage. Brimdal was waiting with his arms crossed.
I hadn't specifically asked him to come.
"Do you think I interfered for nothing?"
"No." "Hmph."
For a moment, I met Brimdal's gaze. The princess was right. Even if I went back to the past, I probably wouldn’t have made a different choice.
"You wouldn't have wanted this kind of result."
"No. But I did expect it."
"Are you not sad?"
"A little."
Brimdal looked down at my seemingly fine face and muttered in disbelief.
"... I wonder what I even asked. Let's just go. If you don't want to die with that talent of yours, you don't have time for this."
That's right.
In the end, all I could do right now was struggle to not die. Even having time to indulge in sentiment was a luxury. Rather than the big picture, I would focus on training my magic-reinforced body so it wouldn't melt.
That was all I decided to think about.
"You, I saw last time that you have a rather unique ability."
"... Yes?"
A few days had passed since I was accepted as his disciple. It was break time, and as I was lying on the ground panting, he started asking about my heart-realm.
"So... can you see things that are far away? With something like a superpower?"
"Um, yes. I'm a fallen one, you know."
"What else is there?"
Why is he asking now, all of a sudden? Until now, he hadn't even cared that I was a fallen one, so I was a little puzzled, but I told him all the abilities I had. After hearing everything, Brimdal looked down at me, his expression lost in deep thought.
"Hmm..."
"What is it?"
"It seems that can be put to use as well."
"What? Are these kinds of abilities necessary for magic-reinforced body training?"
"No, it's necessary for the knight's course."
"I have no intention of becoming a knight."
"You should have one now. No matter how you hide it, the rumor that you're my disciple will spread far and wide, and at your current level, you'll attract a mountain of suspicion."
"You have to at least maintain a similar appearance."
He was right. If Brimdal's disciple had the worst talent for the sword yet continued to stick by him, suspicion would arise one way or another. But my talent was completely nonexistent when it came to looking like a knight.
Brimdal himself had declared it.
"If you think about it, that could become your talent as a knight."
"What?"
That couldn't be right. As I was wondering what he meant, he added to his statement.
"That thing, the currents and Tide Sense."
"Isn't that magic?"
"The opposite. It's not magic, it's your talent. Think carefully. A knight with long arms and a knight with short arms. Who has the advantage?"
"Probably the one with long arms, right? They'd have superior range."
"Right. Then the knight with long arms has better talent, wouldn't you say? Don't think too deeply about it."
So, what Brimdal was saying was... that my ability to control currents or use Tide Sense was basically a slightly more advanced version of having long arms or a large build. I could almost understand... but it sounded like sophistry.
"I understand what you're trying to say, but isn't it a bit of a stretch? I can't use a sword."
"Exactly. You don't have to rely solely on the sword."
"?"
"Does a knight necessarily have to be good with a sword?"
"Yes."
It was an obvious answer.
Brimdal agreed.
"I suppose so. But what can you do? You're something that doesn't break when hammered or melt when heated."
Saying so, Brimdal shrugged and replied.
"We'll have to grind you down. You just need to look the part of a knight, so don't worry too much."
When I thought about it, he was right. I just had to look knightly, right? Not a particularly high level, and if it was just that much, well.
With little expectation, we began researching ways to imitate a knight using Deep Sea magic.
"Then, we must first know. With that ability, Tide Sense, how far can you see?"
"I can barely see you, Sir Brimdal, and I caught very intermittent glimpses of the knight named Hyeon-cheong."
"Ho ho, right. You seem confident. So, how far could you see?"
"What? I just told you."
"I mean, that's enough with the jokes—" About six months later, we learned a new fact.
"The winner of the Youth Knights Tournament is Sir Brimdal's disciple, Jern Aspandil!"
"?"
The Deep Sea. It is a world made for knights.
On a wide sand field, with countless spectators watching, a squire with a buzz cut pointed his sword at me.
"Today, I will defeat you."
A boy of about fifteen, clad in silver armor with a determined expression. At eleven, I was a full head shorter, but I wore no armor and even used a wooden sword. It wasn't because I was being discriminated against for being an orphan.
It was just that I recognized the need for a handicap, and everyone had accepted it. To be precise, I wasn't confident I could stop a real sword mid-swing. .. How did things turn out this way?
"Um, right... Good luck."
I could tell just by the stance he took as he drew his sword. He had honed his skills to the bone. I had also worked hard, but this kid had probably held a sword since he was a toddler, wearing down the hilt.
The problem was, yes. Tide Sense was too much of a cheat. -Tweet!
"Hap!"
With the sound of the whistle signaling the start, the boy charged. From the very beginning, I could see every single one of his trajectories without exception. No joke, I could dodge with my eyes closed.
All the information flowed in from the movement of his raised shoulder, the twist of his waist, the ground he stepped on. A flowing sword strike, falling from above, aimed for my face. I deliberately reacted slowly. -Clang!
"Ugh—" Even though I parried it perfectly, my arm throbbed, but my opponent didn't stop.
As if assuming I would parry, he placed his palm on the pommel and pushed. ... I expected that. I had seen the process of him opening his palm to grip the pommel, so I had already taken a step back.
Shwiik!
The thrust missed my forehead by a few centimeters.
"Haaat!"
Slash, slash, and slash again, and again. Dozens of sword strikes followed, each trying to find an opening. But I always knew before the movement was complete and the strike was unleashed.
There was no need to react. I could see the attack in the preliminary motions. As I continued to just dodge without attacking, my opponent suddenly gritted his teeth and shouted.
"... Fight seriously!"
"Uh, huh?"
"I probably look like nothing to you."
"Yes, it makes sense. To you, a mage overflowing with talent in swordsmanship, a commoner like me must seem pathetic!"
"Well, I'm a commoner orphan, too."
"But I trained for three weeks for this one day! I don't mind losing, but I'm your opponent right here!"
It was utterly unfair. My swordsmanship was so pitiful that even knowing all of my opponent's strikes, dodging was the most I could do. If we clashed, I would be pushed back even if I knew what was coming.
I was the owner of such miserably pathetic skills. So I just kept dodging, waiting for my opponent to get tired and make a mistake, then preying on that opening—a rather shabby method— ...but I guess it does look like I'm toying with him. I had no choice.
I raised my wooden sword and took a serious—or rather, a serious-looking—stance.
"Alright. I'll show you my true strength. Come."
"... Okay, I understand!"
The squire's eyes burned with determination. He did his best, meaning he ran with all his might— And I lightly nudged his foot with a current.
"Wh-what?"
He immediately began to stumble.
An opening.
Seizing that opening, I rushed in and swung my sword upward from below.
"... Not yet!"
His effort shone through. Even with his broken posture, the squire didn't give up; he gathered his strength from his unbalanced stance and reacted. . I'm truly sorry.
I used a tiny bit of water pressure to stop his hand. Interference at point-blank range. The situation was over.
"No, what, this...?" -Thwack!
The wooden sword landed squarely on the nape of his neck.
Match over.
With the whistle signaling the end, I sheathed my wooden sword. And then I extended a hand to the bewildered squire, whose face was covered in sand, still unable to understand what had happened.
"Here, get up. It was a good match."
"Why did I fall? There weren't any rocks... No, and at the end—" "I won this time because of your mistake, but if we had truly clashed, I don't know what would have happened. So, for our next duel, train your mind and come back. I'll face you with my full strength from the start then."
"... Uh, okay. Thanks."
After I gilded the lily a bit, the squire's expression became a mixture of confusion and joy rather than self-blame. On my way hurrying out of the arena. I could hear the other knights who had been watching, clapping and exclaiming in admiration.
"To think one could be a mage and a knight... I was half in doubt, but it's real."
"I heard his skills as a mage aren't that great. There's a rumor he's still 1-Star."
"What does that matter? The amazing thing is that he's a mage and a knight at the same time."
"That's true..."
By now, I felt nothing about it. I returned to the waiting room, changed my clothes, and came out to find Brimdal waiting for me. He had a very sullen, that is, a displeased-looking expression.
I handed him the wooden sword and asked.
"Your disciple won, so why the long face?"
"... Why."
"What?"
"Why... is your talent in such a miserable state...!"
Here we go again. Lately, he'd been like this after every match. I also furrowed my brow and walked to the carriage.
"What can I do if I don't have it? I can't just create it."
"Then you shouldn't have that ability in the first place! How can you possess an ability that all knights covet and dream of, yet have such pathetic physical capabilities!"
"To be precise, it's the price for that power."
The reason I have no talent as a knight—or rather, a complete lack of it—is, of course, partly my own fault, but the burden is also a big factor. Even though I was used to it now, every step felt like I was cutting through a current.
The water pressure was steadily and surely squeezing my body, and I felt resistance whenever I swung anything. If I think of it as the price for Tide Sense, there's nothing I can do. But Brimdal, seemingly still unable to accept it, glared at me with bloodshot eyes, his hands trembling.
"To be a mage while possessing an ability for which one would sell their very soul... my blood boils..."
"Is it really that great?"
"Of course! Do you still not understand what it means to have captured Hyeon-cheong's movements?"
"As long as you keep your wits about you, no knight below his level will even be able to graze your clothes!"
"But the same goes for me."
I sat in the back of the carriage and opened a swordsmanship manual. The way I reached this level was, really, just by reading. Twist and pull the foot, it's a charge.
Pull the wrist, it's a thrust. By cramming my head with everything from these simple movements to advanced muscle movements, footwork, and sword techniques, I could predict the future, but only for movements I knew. My evasion skill increased just by reading books.
To make an analogy, I felt like the protagonist of a poorly coded RPG.
"This is all just a trick anyway. Please calm down."
"... Right."
"It's okay to rest for a while now, right?"
"I said it clearly. You won't have to act as a knight for at least a month. I planned for you to do a few matches and then quit, but with everyone calling for you like this..."
It is helpful, though. That's why I'm reading books and studying. Overwhelming evasion in a fight against a knight couldn't possibly be unhelpful.
And ultimately, unlike currents or water pressure, the way Tide Sense is used leaves no trace, so no one can know no matter how much I use it. Even so, my real enemies are mages, the Red Lotus.
As long as it wasn't helpful in a fight against them, imitating a knight was nothing more than a means to learn the magic-reinforced body as Brimdal's disciple. The problem was that it worked a little too well.
"Maybe I should start losing from next time? Aren't I doing too well?"
"That would be better. If it's gotten to the point where you're receiving marriage proposals, it's better to tone it down a bit."
"... Huh?"
I asked, bewildered.
"Marriage proposals? For me? I'm eleven."
"?"
"Isn't that when engagements are usually arranged?"
Instead, it was Brimdal who asked as if I was the one saying something strange. It's at times like this that I feel this world's common sense is different. I furrowed my brow and asked.
"From who?"
"Several nobles. They should be stuck in the back of the carriage, take a look."
Rummaging through the books, I found a bundle of letters and was shocked to see there were four of them. I was shocked once more to see that the crests engraved on the letters were, without exception, those of nobles.
"Are these people crazy? I'm an orphan."
"And my disciple, an apprentice of the Black Magic Tower, an outstanding disciple, and you have that guardian named Aletus. Even the pit of being an orphan can be filled if you pour this much into it."
"No, but still."
"The number of nobles who know your name is gradually increasing. Don't think you can maintain that identity as a nameless orphan forever. You're already becoming a hot potato."
"Hmm..."
I thought for a moment, then asked about a possibility that came to mind.
"What if, in the next match, I lose miserably and beg for my life while sobbing—" "Don't." "... Yessir."
I was being highly praised, but I wasn't that happy. I am moving forward. My training of the magic-reinforced body had reached a certain level, and I was told it had entered a stable phase.
Not enough to slow my growth, though. The strengthening of my body was also helping me endure the burden. I still had plenty of the pearl-type restorative pill I received from Red Lotus.
As long as I had this, I didn't have to worry about dying from the burden.
But...
I couldn't seem to take that one decisive step. I just felt like all I was doing was enduring, day after day. Is this really the best I can do?
As I sighed and organized the letters, I saw a slightly unusual seal.
What's this?
Just as I was about to open it, Brimdal suddenly asked in a low voice.
"But this is strange. Why on earth are your marriage proposals coming to me?"
"Aren't you my guardian right now, Sir Brimdal?"
"I have no memory of doing such a thing. No, I know you grew up without parents, but didn't you say you had a separate Master? Why are they coming to me and not to them?"
"Ah, well..."
How am I supposed to explain this without mentioning Dersia? As I was pondering. -Knock, knock, knock! Someone knocked on the carriage before it departed.
When I lowered the carriage window, I saw a familiar face. It was the butler I had seen at Aletus's mansion. His name was...
"Hello, Luhannin... right?"
"I am honored that my benefactor remembers me."
Luhannin, with his graying white hair, seemed to have run here, as his whole body was drenched in sweat. Something about the atmosphere was unusual. I excused myself to Brimdal and got out of the carriage.
"Is something wrong?"
"I came here because there is news I absolutely must deliver. I'm afraid you will have to refrain from visiting the mansion for a while."
"What?"
I was taken aback by his overly serious expression. Did he find out about the time Elysia and I set fire to the kitchen under the guise of a lesson? But the words that came from Luhannin's clenched teeth were something I could never have imagined.
"... The head of the house has been accused of treason. If you come to the mansion now, you too will be in danger, benefactor."