The next day, during Elester’s class time, an uninvited guest arrived.
“For that reason… I’ll be joining you from today. It’s better if I introduce myself, isn’t it?”
A woman staggered onto the platform, one of the Empire’s Ten Swords and the eldest of the Lucid family, Lucia de Lucid.
“Aaahhh… At this age, morning classes are dreadful.”
Her coat, embroidered with a roaring lion, was half-draped over her arm, sliding off to the side. This scene offered a glimpse into Lucia’s somewhat clumsy personality.
“Hello everyone. I won’t bother explaining who I am since you probably already know… Somehow, I’ve ended up as a special instructor?”
Her introduction lacked seriousness, but the children’s eyes sparkled more than ever before. After all, Lucia was one of the heroes officially recognized by the empire. Just listing her achievements could easily take half a day, to the point where chronicles of her exploits were sold publicly. It highlighted the extent of her fame.
“I’ll be with you for about a month, and I hope you learn a lot during this time. Of course, only a few of you will receive my guidance. I’ll only teach those who catch my interest.”
The children began to murmur among themselves. The prospect of receiving guidance from a hero was exciting, but to hear that only those who caught her interest would be taught? Naturally, this caused confusion. I, too, was confused.
‘I’ve never seen this development before…’
Then, it hit me.
‘It’s a hidden piece!’
The game had significantly diverged from its original course, from the fragments of demons, the attack by Bineus, to Lucia’s arrival. A connecting storyline was evident.
The relatively short period of a month suggested that it wouldn’t significantly impact the future storyline, implying,
‘I have to gain something from Lucia within a month.’
What could it be?
I was already looking forward to it.
“Well, that’s all from me.”
“Hehe, Miss Lucia, where are you going?”
“Huh? Well, it’s Elester’s class time now, so I was going to take a break…”
“Hehe, what’s the use of listening to an old man’s class? You should attend the class of the youth.”
“…I’ve been far from youth for a while now.”
“The more reason to interact with the young. Haven’t I taught you that, Miss Lucia?”
Resisting her mentor seemed difficult for Lucia. She scratched her head and then blurted out,
“It’s bothersome.”
“Hehe.”
“No, I mean… not that it’s bothersome, but I’m a bit tired.”
“Hehehe.”
“I’ll take care of five students. That’s just right! It won’t take much class time.”
“Hehehehehe!”
Was it an illusion? The aura around Elester seemed to grow stronger.
Elester’s hearty laugh.
Lucia frowned deeply and then shouted softly,
“Everyone, go outside.”
“Huh?”
“Out! We can’t swing swords here, can we? Hurry up!”
The children streamed out of the classroom, Luna and I included.
Lucia’s voice followed us.
“Ah, to think I would see such a day. In my time, that was unimaginable. These days!”
…To become so old-fashioned at her age was remarkable in many ways.
The children lined up in the yard, maintaining a distance.
Lucia shouted loudly,
“Show me anything you want as I pass by. But! Only one move.”
The murmuring began again.
“I’ll only look at one move. Whether you show something you’re confident in or not is up to you. Then… begin!”
Before the confusion had even settled, Lucia started moving.
The children in the first row swung their weapons, each holding the hope of receiving guidance from a hero. However,
“Pass, pass, pass, what’s with you? Put some strength into your wrist properly. You’ll hurt your wrist that way.”
It was advice so poor it hardly seemed like advice at all.
Hearing harsh words from her was more beneficial.
When she reached the third row,
“Oh, what do we have here?”
It was Daike, delivering a vertical strike.
For the first time, Lucia showed interest.
“Relying on technique is good. But…”
With just two moves, Daike’s sword was taken from him.
“You might want to develop that ability sooner. It’ll be too late if you try to learn it all at once later.”
“Thank you!”
Daike bowed deeply, his voice louder than usual, as if he had gained some insight.
“Next, next, next.”
As Lucia quickly passed the children, she muttered in front of Raymon,
“Ugh, my least favorite style.”
“From my side, it’s even less appealing?”
“What are you talking about? Not funny at all. Never learn aggressive swordsmanship. You’ll lose that tremendous talent.”
Was she referring to Raymon’s excellent defensive capabilities? If so, Lucia was seriously offering guidance, recognizing Raymon’s talent at a glance.
Next, Lucia stopped in front of Alex.
“Hmm… a strange one.”
“Yes?”
“Don’t go down the wrong path. Then, you’ll achieve great success.”
Then it was Luna’s turn.
Luna swung her sword with force, and then,
“…Pass.”
Luna’s head drooped down.
Next was my turn. As soon as Lucia passed Luna, I swung my sword.
The first secret technique of the Fleur family.
Steel Storm’s Dance.
A straight, honest slash.
There were no effects. In fact, there wasn’t even a sound.
Lucia stopped in front of me.
All eyes were on me, as I was the third-place finisher in the entrance exam.
What Lucia said to me was…
“Ugh, you really need a lot of practice. It takes an eternity for your sword to come down.”
It was an insult, almost disdainful.
Lucia moved on to the next student, and at that moment,
[Main Quest#5]
— Gain recognition for your skills from one of the empire’s Ten Swords, Lucia de Lucid!
It’s not about wordplay, but genuinely earning recognition to clear the quest.
If you manage to surprise Lucia with your swordsmanship, you’ll receive an additional reward.
Time remaining: D-30
Lucia de Lucid’s Recognition (0/1)
Surprise Lucia de Lucid (0/1)
Reward: Swordsmanship (E) > Swordsmanship (D), 200exp, 10 gold, Increase in Lucia’s favorability.
Additional Reward: 50pt.
Penalty: All stats decrease by 5, Decrease in Lucia’s favorability.
The fifth quest has appeared.
It’s a ‘Gain Recognition’ quest, a type of training quest.
‘Raising the grade of the Swordsmanship skill…’
Ah, the [Swordsmanship] skill was something I could acquire during Lérang’s classes.
After the fight with Bineus, my Swordsmanship had upgraded from an F to an E grade.
‘Well, that’s not what’s important right now.’
The additional reward of 50pt.
An unbelievable figure. The amount of stat points one would normally gain after leveling up five times.
‘Gaining recognition… It’s going to be tough.’
The challenge of such quests depends on the opponent’s realm.
Meaning, the difficulty of the quest varies according to how strong the opponent is.
Lucia is an 8-star knight. Normally, you wouldn’t be able to seek her guidance until after chapter 5. So…
‘It feels impossible to clear, doesn’t it?’
Her standards are too high. Ordinary skills wouldn’t satisfy Lucia.
But no one would be crazy enough to pass up on such a sweet quest.
“All done! I’ll be off then. Bye everyone~.”
Lucia hurried away and soon disappeared from sight.
She fled.
However, Elester merely smiled contentedly.
“You might not know, but Lucia’s guidance is extremely excellent. Try to receive her teaching in any way possible for the next month.”
The time frame of a month.
Somehow, I need to make it count.
“Ah, it’s cold.”
A man wrapped his coat tightly around him, a coat that was almost like a rag.
But in the current situation, it was invaluable.
“I heard the Rohan Empire used to enjoy warm sunshine every day… Was that a lie?”
The man grumbled as he pushed forward against the harsh wind.
His name was Darwin.
A commoner born in the lands of the Annwood Empire and a graduate of Annwood Academy with excellent grades.
A family man with a boar-like wife and a rabbit-like daughter.
And…
“Why did I agree to become a rat…”
One of the rats working under Caron, that was Darwin.
He was currently on his way to Kalos, following Caron’s strict orders.
‘How did it come to this?’
Darwin recalled the events of that day.
“What’s going on? Why all the fuss?”
“All rats on B-grade missions or lower are to assemble.”
“Great, just got back from leave and this happens…”
The sudden summoning by Caron left the rats bewildered.
But they were well-trained rats.
Soon they managed to regroup, and the rats, meeting after a long time, feasted on rubbish while waiting for Caron.
Oh, not literally feasting on rubbish.
It’s slang for sharing information they had.
Anyway, Darwin was also “feasting” (metaphorically) on the information.
“The boss is here!”
Shush-.
No one saluted or adopted a particular posture. They just stayed quiet, each in their comfortable stance.
Caron, who valued efficiency, had long ago discarded any time and energy-consuming formalities.
“We have a mission in Kalos.”
About 30 seconds later.
The group of rats dispersed.
Kalos was the capital of the once-great Rohan Empire.
Those who didn’t know the way, had personal reasons, or were near completing their current missions left.
Since they couldn’t make it there anyway, they promptly left to avoid confusion and wasting time.
Had there been any important information to share, it would have been discussed before this announcement.
Therefore, the rats with no relevant business left without hesitation.
“We need to gather information stealthily.”
Meaning, those skilled in disguise or stealth were needed.
Another group of rats left.
“Quick feet and a tight lip are required.”
Good at escaping and having over ten years of experience as a rat.
After several rounds of selection, only Darwin and one other were left.
“The two of you will suffice.”
Darwin received a mission from Caron, filled with unbelievable tasks.
Thus, Darwin set off on a journey right after returning from vacation.
To the far end of the western continent.
Crossing the continent on a dragon, climbing mountains with a horse, fording through marshlands on foot, and competing for food with a boar that resembled his wife.
‘Rener… I won’t forget your sacrifice.’
Rener, the rat who had been assigned the mission with him, was trampled by a boar and ended up owing his life to the temple.
Darwin had no choice but to set off alone to complete the mission and finally neared Kalos.
But no matter how much he walked,
He couldn’t reach Kalos.
‘Honey, buy some meat on your way home.’
‘Daddy, bring me a bear doll when you come back! The biggest one!’
The images of his boar-like wife and rabbit-like daughter flashed before his eyes.
Ah, this must be the light at the end of the tunnel.
Is this how it all ends for me…
Thump!
Staggering through the dense fog that obscured his vision, he bumped into something.
Darwin finally came to his senses.
It was a door. So tall that its top could not be seen.
The pride and landmark of the once-great Rohan Empire.
‘The Gate of Glory’ stood before Darwin’s eyes.
–TL Notes–
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