The Hero’s Disciple Has Returned

A blessing…

There’s nothing bad about receiving it.

That’s only if what this elf Riel is saying is true.

The possibility isn’t zero that an elf who has already lied about being a ‘Lucky Elf’ might lie again about being an ‘Elf of Blessing’. The fact that it’s not zero is enough reason to be suspicious. Therefore, my suspicion here can be said to be rational and efficient.

When the future of ‘getting tricked’ is certain

Is it better to get tricked while being suspicious?
Or is it better to get tricked without being suspicious?

Which of these two is more rational and efficient?

If asked this question, everyone would give the same answer. (Ah… of course, excluding those who are so faithful that they think it’s wrong to carelessly doubt God)

They would say it’s better to get tricked while being suspicious.

In that sense, being suspicious in any situation is rational and efficient. Of course, there will be times when it backfires. There will certainly be cases where the suspicion is wrong. But what about the cases when it’s not? If you don’t suspect at all out of fear of a backfire and end up getting pitifully tricked? Isn’t it clearly better to be suspicious for your own protection rather than that?

Well, it’s clear that no one will remain around someone who’s always suspicious. But if you’re prepared to bear that risk, it can certainly be said that suspecting all possibilities is rational and efficient.

That’s why I think it’s rational and efficient to be suspicious of the elf Riel who has lied to me once at this moment.

…But you know.

‘I didn’t teach Sera like that.’

I didn’t teach Sera like that. Of course, I taught her to be somewhat suspicious, but I didn’t teach her to examine and suspect all possibilities. Even though I know well that it’s clearly the most efficient skill for survival. The reason I didn’t is simple.

Because a being who suspects everything and remains alone in solitude is infinitely empty. Like how I was before I met Sera. I couldn’t find meaning in this world. And I thought I wouldn’t be able to find it in the future either. That’s why I retired and went into seclusion. I thought my life would end like that.

Then Sera came to me

And I gained meaning through Sera.

It wasn’t that the meaning was something incredibly great. My world didn’t drastically change because I had that meaning. But if I had been alone in this secluded place like that, I would never have been able to get that meaning in my lifetime. In the end, people can’t exist alone in solitude like that. That would be the same even for a hero.

It’s truly inefficient and irrational.

Even though getting involved with others can lead to getting hurt by them, humans can’t even gain the meaning of life without others.

So what am I trying to say?

It’s simple.

Being suspicious of everything and shutting yourself in your small world might be efficient, but it looks pathetic. No matter what, looking pathetic is not good, right?

As a man, I can’t help but care about style. Above all, I’m a master to a child. A master can’t become a pathetic master, can he? So here…

“Alright. I’ll believe that you’re the ‘Elf of Blessing’.”
“It’s not about believing, it’s true!”
“Okay, okay. So you want to bestow a blessing on me?”
“…Wow. Thinking about it again, it’s ridiculous. I’m not asking for anything in return and just want to do it for my life-saving benefactor. Why do I have to be doubted this much?”
“I was just about to let go of my doubts… Should I keep doubting?”
“I absolutely didn’t mean to complain! So don’t doubt!”

…But this one is quite different from the elf I imagined…

♧♧♧

The reason Riel wanted to bestow a blessing on Jade was certainly because what she saw in his soul was so special that it drew her heart, but it was also for Jade’s sake.

Just as it’s natural for moths to chase fire, for bees to seek honey, it’s the law of nature that there are things that chase and seek such special souls.

Throughout her long life, all the slightly different souls Riel had seen had to endure all sorts of hardships and adversities. Having seen such scenes not just once or twice but many times, she couldn’t help but conclude that fate never leaves such souls alone.

Then

For this special soul that Riel had never seen before

That made her think only this human man could show her

What kind of hardships and adversities would fate bring

Riel couldn’t even imagine.

It certainly won’t be easy.

It might be a future that makes one think it’s better to die.

Of course, there’s also a possibility that nothing will happen.

There are exceptions to everything, and this human man with a special soul could be that exception. But fate always tends to bring the worst scenario to humans rather than the best.

In other words, it’s more rational and efficient to prepare for an ending you hope won’t happen rather than just sitting still hoping for how you’d like things to be.

‘Above all, it’s troublesome for me if this man dies.’

If Jade dies, of course his soul will disappear and she’ll never be able to see what she’s seeing now again. That was the worst ending that Riel absolutely wanted to avoid. Having seen the light of Jade’s special soul, she could no longer live indifferently as she did before meeting him. Just as one who has experienced paradise considers everything outside of it hell, having seen paradise in him, she could no longer live as she did before seeing him. So she was the one who had to be urgent. Because she was the one who couldn’t lose paradise.

“But there’s a condition.”
“…You’re going to attach conditions to bestowing a blessing?”
“I’m fine with not receiving it.”
“…So what is it?”
“After you bestow a blessing on me and I confirm its effect, could you also bestow a blessing on my disciple?”
“…So you mean you want to experiment on yourself, and if it’s certain, you want me to do it for your disciple?”
“Yes.”
“……”

Riel was evaluating that whether it’s because he has a special soul or not, he seems to be a disciple-fool to a seriously special degree…

♧♧♧

‘Swordsman Slayer’ Karon

A man who wielded the sword only to become the strongest swordsman

If you just say this, it might sound a bit cool

The problem is that this man knew nothing but that.

He lived only looking at that.

Even at the moment when humanity was in crisis due to the ‘Human-Demon Great War’.

As a result, he died when even one more master was needed in that situation. Saying he would become the strongest swordsman, that he would wield the strongest sword. After exchanging swords with the hero, the strongest of humanity, he even sided with the Demon King’s army, thinking he could become the strongest if he defeated that hero.

A man who literally abandoned everything else to become the strongest. Therefore, a man who is nothing but human folly. Therefore, a man who must be eliminated. That was the conclusion Sera drew.

Clang!

“…You’re strong.”
“Am I?”

Although he hadn’t yet earned the title ‘Swordsman Slayer’, Sera discovered Karon, who was already going around killing famous swordsmen, and swung her sword without hesitation. Karon, who instinctively sensed the killing intent, drew his sword and defended.

The fact that Sera was a girl didn’t matter to Karon. What mattered to Karon was that Sera was strong. So he swung his swift sword, his specialty, without hesitation.

A speed so fast that ordinary swordsmen wouldn’t even realize it had been swung. Karon’s sword had reached the realm of magic where ordinarily, one would only realize the result of ‘my neck has been cut’ and die.

Clang!

Sera blocked such a sword so simply right in front of her neck. Although it was clearly a close scene, Sera was utterly calm. Karon thought it was natural confidence. Because his hand was screaming.

‘It feels like swinging a sword at a tree without knowing anything about aura or anything else’

Despite having nothing

Just because he liked swinging the sword

He swung the sword aimlessly without knowing anything.

It was powerless and weak.

But that’s why it was good.

Even if it’s powerless now

If you keep swinging at that hard tree

You’ll be able to become strong someday!

And finally, he felled the tree.

He became stronger and stronger until he could cut even steel.

Cut, cut, cut, cut, cut, cut, cut, cut, cut, cut, cut, cut, cut, cut, cut, cut, cut, cut, cut, cut, cut, cut, cut, cut, cut, he cut.

When he thought there was nothing left to cut

He saw a swordsman holding a sword.

That swordsman boasted.

That he was the strongest.

So he cut him down.

He was certainly strong.

And it felt much better than cutting wood or steel. From then on, he started seeking out all sorts of strong people. But it wasn’t as enjoyable as he thought. It wasn’t much of a big deal as he thought. It wasn’t as satisfying as he thought.

And then

It appeared.

A strong one that made him feel like a city wall

A true strong one that the expression ‘strongest’ suits best

Is right in front of his eyes.

“What’s your name?”

It was a first for Karon. To ask for a name instead of swinging his sword when faced with a strong opponent. He wanted to remember. He wanted to remember the name of the true strongest he was about to cut down from now on.

“Shut up and swing your sword.”

To begin with, one person was enough to know her name and call her by it. No one else had any meaning. For Sera, who thought like this, there was really not even a grain of sand’s worth of reason to tell Karon her name.

“Keke. That’s good too! Let’s swing until death!”

Karon smiled and was about to swing his sword.

But

“Wh-What? Why is my body…”
“Sorry. You were much weaker than I expected.”
“…?”
“You’re already dead.”
“What…”

Thud!

Karon’s body fell helplessly.

There’s a saying that a sword swung by someone who has reached the path of the sword and seen its end can cut even the soul. It doesn’t literally mean cutting the soul. It means being able to swing a sword so accurately and perfectly that one doesn’t even realize they’ve been cut. And Karon had fallen victim to that sword. He had been so perfectly defeated that he didn’t even realize he was dead, and he collapsed helplessly while trying to swing his sword.

The man who dreamed of being the strongest and desperately longed to see even a fragment of it experienced the strongest sword personally, but he didn’t realize this fact until the moment of his death, and he ended his life wasting the opportunity he had gained so meaninglessly.

“That’s how it usually is. Just because you want something doesn’t mean you can get it. And no one can guarantee that what you wanted will be exactly as you imagined it to be. Can’t you hear me?”

It wasn’t particularly something she said hoping Karon would hear, so she just turned her back without hesitation.

“William.”

The Great Magician William, who had been hiding his presence, revealed himself.

“Did you call, Miss?”
“Go to Master.”
“Already? It’s not yet time to deliver the potion…”
“Go quickly.”

Seeing that her intuition built up through infinite regressions was uneasy, there was a need to check on Master.

Stray cats appear from anywhere, so even with such thorough security, there might be a stray cat that could break through.