NOVEL WEB Chapter 145
Chapter 145: The Story of Fabre
“The master quickly calmed his astonished eyes like a true master and swiftly checked Jiryeon’s appearance.”
Shoes, clothing, hair accessories, and finally, the broken sword.
He seemed to scrutinize whether Jiryeon’s words regarding her shoes, attire, and hair decoration were true.
Considering her shoes and clothing were what one would wear during training, it seemed impossible to discern Jiryeon’s status as a princess from those.
Her hair was hastily tied up with a string, leaving no hint of her royal lineage.
However, the master’s final gaze rested on the broken sword’s hilt.
While Jiryeon was holding it, he hadn’t noticed, but the sound of him gulping down his saliva was audible upon seeing the many jewels embedded in the hilt.
– Gulp.
After a long silence, the master’s mouth finally opened, bringing forth one question.
“Is this… for real? No, really?”
It seemed the master was genuinely astonished.
It hadn’t been long since he had accepted her as a disciple, and Jiryeon, fearful of being dismissed or put at odds, picked up the broken sword blade and pressed it against her neck, exclaiming.
“If you’re considering dismissing me or pretending this didn’t happen, I will end my life right here!”
But who was her opponent?
The head of Botam, widely known for being the highest martial artist among women.
– Clang!
Jiryeon couldn’t even notice the master’s swift movement, and in an instant, the blade she held slipped from her grasp.
She truly wished to learn the sword, to master the techniques suitable for her, to slay the dusk, the darkness, and the moonlight just like her master, but in that moment, the flicker of hope she had briefly grasped vanished.
“Ugh… I really, really want to learn the sword…”
If only she weren’t a princess, she could learn the sword freely…
Tears burst forth uncontrollably.
Then, without saying a word, the master looked down at her and asked quietly.
“Why do you want to learn the sword so much?”
“Why do you want to learn the sword so badly?”
“Sniff. I don’t know. Ever since I picked up the sword at six years old… sniff… it has been everything to me.”
There was no grand reason behind it.
Since she first held a sword at six, all of Jiryeon’s thoughts had revolved around swords.
Isn’t it a delight to swing a sword all day?
The master nodded in agreement.
“Then, I would like to hear that story.”
Rather than considering dismissing her, the master expressed a desire to hear her tale.
With wide eyes, Jiryeon began recounting her experiences since she was six years old.
“So, at first, I was at the waist of the royal gold army…”
As she concluded her long story, with the dawn breaking, the master gazed at the rising sun, drawing his sword and placing it on Jiryeon’s shoulder, he spoke.
“Is this also a form of fate…? Very well. Initially, I thought it was due to your remarkable talents that Buddha might want to send you as my successor, but I will accept you as my direct disciple.”
Even though there were no direct disciples in the main text, he decided to make an exception.
Although known for not involving itself much in the major and minor affairs of the Martial World, it would generally be problematic to accept a princess as a disciple… No, it would be problematic, but somehow, he felt he could manage it. He would ask the royal family to deal with the princess.
Jiryeon trembled at the words of being accepted as a direct disciple.
She had finally obtained the status of a disciple she desired so much.
“Th-thank you! Thank you!”
Then, under the pretext of offering a hundred-day vegetarian meal, she stayed in the hermitage and secretly learned swordsmanship from her master every night.
On the day a hundred days had passed, she would part from her master.
“Truly, you progress quickly. In just one hundred days, to master the One Hundred Eight Temple Sword, the Prajna Bodhi Sword Technique, the Great Mercy Thousand Hands Sword, and the Great Mercy Thousand Mile Royal Sword.”
“It’s all thanks to your teachings, master.”
“No, it’s due to your talent. One disappointment, though, is that since you are a direct disciple of the secondary line, I cannot pass on the essence of the sword technique, the 84,000 Bodhi Conquering Demons Sword Technique. What a pity.”
“That’s…”
The sword techniques she had learned thus far were already impressive, but how much more magnificent would the 84,000 Bodhi Conquering Demons Sword Technique, which was taught only to the successors of the sword clan, be?
On her way back after receiving a hundred days of instruction, Jiryeon’s mind was filled with an even stronger desire to learn more sword techniques from her master and the thought of the 84,000 Bodhi Conquering Demons Sword Technique.
And upon arriving at the imperial palace, she made one determination.
She would become her master’s successor no matter what.