The Sword Demon Tears People Apart

On the night of Medea’s attack.
Zeron sighed deeply as he drank.
Glancing down, he saw the ashtray full of cigarette butts.
Empty bottles rolled around under the bed.
Unable to hide his complicated feelings, he picked up the communication orb.
After a brief connection tone, David’s voice came through.

-Oh, what’s the occasion?
“Hey… You know…”

-What is it? Did this bastard cause trouble again?
David teased with a chuckle, but Zeron couldn’t bring himself to say anything.
It was trouble alright.
A fucking huge trouble.
“…Shut up. What would you do if I told you the kid got a boyfriend…?”

-……Which son of a bitch? Who is it? Tell me his name first.
It seemed he meant to secretly send someone to bury the guy.
Zeron sighed deeply and asked,
“The guy is 12 years older than your daughter.”

-This fucking…!
“Well, his abilities are pretty good. A Master level isn’t bad even on a continental scale, right?”

-…….
A moment of silence.
Over the communication orb, David could be heard catching his breath.
Waiting to hear what kind of curse he would unleash, surprisingly, a calm voice returned.

-Did he touch our daughter…?
No, rather than calm, it would be more accurate to say he was on the verge of exploding.
Zeron sighed deeply as he took a drink.
“Would he have?”

-Then…, Medea?
“She didn’t do anything, you idiot. She just brought it up.”

-Phew….
A deep sigh could be heard.
From what he could tell, it seemed David was somewhat aware already.
Of course.
With how obvious she was being.
When she was young, it might have been taken similarly to saying she’d marry her dad, but if that continued into adulthood, it becomes somewhat strange.
Of course, Medea is still young.
It could be a childish love, or she might be intoxicated with maintaining such a long one-sided love, or she might just be confusing admiration or closeness for something else.
But even so, it’s not quite…

-What about you.
“What?”

-What do you think about it.
“Why are you being stupid?”

-…If Medea likes it, I don’t intend to stop her.
His brow furrowed at those words.
He opened his mouth to say something, but just sighed and said,
“I’m hanging up.”

-Ah, but if you really touch her, you’re dead for re…!
Click-, the communication cut off.
Zeron clicked his tongue and paced around the room for no reason.
As he paced, a sigh escaped without him realizing, and he leaned against the window frame to light a cigarette.
Elena. Her daughter. And his friend’s daughter.
Age difference aside, she’s a child he’s watched since she was a newborn.
And was there another reason?
He felt an inexplicable resistance that he couldn’t understand himself.
“Fuck. This is giving me a headache.”
Zeron ruffled his hair.
By the way, why did the kid suddenly bring that up?
Was there something that made her feel rushed?
“Haah….”
Even as he tried to cut off his worries, they kept connecting one after another.
He knew the solution for times like this.
Just sleep.
Zeron flopped down on the bed.
He closed his eyes.

He couldn’t fall asleep right away.
*
One day. And another day passed, and it was Wednesday.
Zeron packed his bags with a strangely unsettling feeling.
From today, there would be about a week of field training.
Was it fortunate or not?
He shook his head vigorously, his mind in turmoil.
He recalled yesterday’s class.
That practical swordsmanship class or whatever it was on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
The kid didn’t do anything particularly special.
She just called him “oppa, oppa” and clung to him a bit more than usual.
But even that was quite different from usual.
Enough to make people around them suspect their relationship.

It was a small change if you could call it that, but it was still a big change nonetheless.
Especially the look in that rude young lady’s eyes was unforgettable.
It was the kind of look a child might have upon discovering the shocking truth that their father was actually a woman.
Thinking about it makes me feel like shit.
Zeron clicked his tongue and left the room.
Luna was waiting in front of the door.
“Are you leaving?”
“Yeah.”
“Be careful. In many ways.”
“You heard too?”
“If you mean about that Medea person from before, yes. I heard.”
“Fuck.”
How do such rumors spread so quickly?
In fact, all sorts of fucked up rumors were going around, like they were in a romantic relationship, there was a hidden child, she was raped, and so on.
Maybe it’s because the kid is famous in Class A for various reasons.
The speed at which rumors spread is abnormally fast.
Should I just cut off all their heads?
“Anyway, I’m going. Don’t believe such stupid rumors.”
“Yes, of course.”
“That’s unexpected.”
Luna smiled faintly.
What does that mean?
Anyway, he waved his hand casually and left the dormitory.
Lighting a cigarette, he walked and found Class A all gathered at the training ground.
Students, Pingcheng, and four people who looked like assistants.
Including Zeron, that meant six leaders.
Since each of them was beyond Expert level, there shouldn’t be much danger barring extreme circumstances.
Plus, the nobles have their guards.
Of course, that doesn’t mean there are no accidents at all.
Apparently, one or two people die occasionally.
I heard that they agree to such conditions when enrolling in the Academy in the first place.
That’s why noble families usually don’t send their heirs, I’m told.
“Ah! Zerong! Come quickly!”
As he approached with such thoughts, Pingcheng greeted him enthusiastically.
Ignoring her, he scanned the students.
About 50 of them.
That’s quite a lot.
“Is everything ready? We’re about to leave!”
“Yeah, whatever. I don’t have anything to do, right?”
“Nope! Nothing until we arrive!”
Pingcheng led the students with a bright smile.
A bus parked right in front of the Academy’s main gate.
The students were herded into it and the vehicle departed.
“A bus, huh…”
Self-driving cars powered by magic, rather than horse-drawn carriages, are the privilege of nobles.
Even though David has a lot of money, he’s not a noble, so even Zeron was riding a car for the first time.
“Hehe, is it exciting? Actually, once you ride it, it’s not much!”
“I guess. Cars break when you hit them too.”
I haven’t ridden one, but I know from breaking them.
“Yep! That’s right! Correct!”
Pingcheng agreed.
*
The returner, no, Ed, watched Iris talking with Zeron.
He had to be careful.
Iris was unpredictable.
She’s as troublesome as Zeron, or perhaps even more so in some ways, which is quite a headache.
But now wasn’t the time to think about that.
The timing was too early anyway.
Such worries could be postponed sufficiently.
What he needed to worry about right now was his own growth.
He already knew the path to Master, and he needed to take steps to accelerate that speed.
Things he currently knows the location of, or even those he’s guessing about.
He had taken everything he could from the Academy at this point in time.
Hidden minor opportunities, connections with capable talents, mastering subjects he had struggled with in previous cycles, and so on.

Although he was hiding his power to avoid standing out too much, his current level was Expert.
Even though it’s just the beginning, for a student, and a first-year at that, to be an Expert is quite remarkable even on a kingdom-wide scale.
Considering that he’s only 17 years old, and the son of ordinary farmers who only started wielding a sword recently, it’s even more so.
And what could further accelerate such growth…
‘It’s this field training.’
Ed’s eyes sank.
It’s an opportunity he absolutely can’t miss.
If he misses it…, he might have to consider giving up on this cycle.
‘This time, for sure.’
Peace for the world.
And, a happy ending.
The returner wished.
*
Traveling by bus, the arrival was quicker than expected.
It wasn’t very fast within the crowded capital, but once they left the capital, it boasted a speed that horse-drawn carriages couldn’t possibly match.
“It’s definitely nice.”
“Really? Want me to gift you one?”
“I can’t ride it even if you give me one.”
“Zeromy can if he becomes a noble!”
“Putting aside how, that fucking name is getting worse every time.”
Zeron clicked his tongue and looked around.
A vast forest spread out under the darkening sky.
A small village situated at the edge of that forest.
The fact that there was an excessively splendid lodging for the size of the village was probably because it was frequently used as a training site for the Academy.
“The method isn’t that difficult! Just marry me! You’ll become Zeron de Polhwiang!”
“Yeah, fuck off.”
“Aw, that’s a shame.”
As he walked, pushing away the clinging Pingcheng, the kid who had been talking to a friend nearby slowly approached.
She grabbed his sleeve tightly and asked, glancing up,
“Oppa, you won’t, right?”
“What?”
“You won’t get married, right?”
“I probably will someday.”
“With who…?”
“I don’t know either, kid.”
As he shook off the kid, this time Pingcheng sidled up.
“What is it, what is it!? No way! A forbidden love between teacher and student…!”
“Ah, for fuck’s sake.”
Suddenly feeling overwhelmed with fatigue, he widened his stride.
He was thinking of just grabbing a room and resting.
The rest, well, they’ll figure it out themselves.
All Zeron had to do was guard duty.
*
As the sun peeked out after a day had passed, the students gathered in front of the lodging.
Even in front of the students, Pingcheng showed her disappointment without hiding it as she began to explain.
“Here in Rempit, there aren’t particularly dangerous monsters! At least not in the shallow areas! We swept through thoroughly just recently too! Of course, you still need to be careful, right? People tend to die unexpectedly quickly!”
The students’ faces hardened at her words.
Zeron, too, looked at her with a strange expression.
Her last words smelled of blood.
It seemed to be from personal experience.
And for some reason, hearing those words made him feel like a big accident was bound to happen this time.
“But as long as you don’t stray too far from your leader, nothing much will happen!”
That statement just confirmed it.
“Oh right, I told you before why we don’t use the forest inside the Academy, right? To develop adaptability in unfamiliar lands and environments! So don’t be too relaxed, okay?”
Well, there’s also the complicated adult circumstances of not wanting to reduce the monster population in the Academy forest too much, but anyway! Pingcheng added, raising both arms high.
“Now then, please gather in your pre-assigned groups! From now on, you’ll be moving in groups!”
Field training starts now!