*****
NOVELASIUS
- TL: the guild
- Discord: https://discord.gg/GBKEa55867
- Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/topasius
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ENJOY~ PYUUN~
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Sword Master Garrand (1)
It’s winter break.
The fourth winter in this world. Although I’ve repeated this time over and over again, much has changed from before.
“Faster!”
The silver blade surged forward, a triple strike so swift it was hard to even perceive.
Clang!
But I parried it perfectly with the same triple strike. It was a move close to a miracle, something I pulled off by pure instinct.
“The 97th form of the Six Harmonies Spear technique is complete. You’ve fully mastered the internal and external methods of the Six Harmonies formation.”
This was the final transmission of the Six Harmonies Spear technique, which I hadn’t received in the previous timeline.
From the ultimate secrets of the Six Harmonies technique to its peak, encompassing 100 different forms.
If my master hadn’t survived, I would never have known this.
“Shall we rest now?”
“Yes, let’s.”
It was midnight on the last day of the Harvest Festival.
The academy, which was supposed to have been destroyed, was peaceful and had safely entered winter break, just like any other year.
Because of that, I could now face my master, spar with her, and train together.
“Shall we have some tea?”
“Should I dim the lights a bit?”
“That would be nice.”
At my master’s words, I reduced the power of the “sun” I had projected.
The sun that had been illuminating the shadow world, a world without light, gradually dimmed. The bright, daylight-like illumination softened to a more appropriate level.
Simultaneously maintaining the energy-intensive projection of the sun and the precise movements required for the Six Harmonies Spear technique was a balancing act I had grown accustomed to.
“There’s nothing more I can teach you.”
“I still can’t beat you, Master.”
“Sparring and real combat are different. You’re the type who excels in real battles.”
“…I can’t rely on such uncertainties. I need to obtain even more power than I have now.”
Only then could I stand against Tates Valtazar. In the worst-case scenario, I needed to be able to defeat him one-on-one.
Understanding my desire, my master reached out and patted my head before extending her arm.
“Feel it.”
“Uh… sure.”
There must be a reason for this, I thought as I began to touch my master’s arm. It was a soft, delicate, and beautiful arm.
“Examine it closely.”
“May I ask why, Master?”
As I gently massaged her pale arm, I couldn’t quite grasp her intent.
“Tell me your thoughts.”
“Well… it’s a beautiful arm.”
Slap! My master smacked the back of my hand. It hurt.
“You silly boy! I didn’t mean it that way!”
“But I was just being honest.”
“Oh, really?”
Blushing, my master cleared her throat.
“Was there… a reason for this?”
“Compare my arm to yours. What’s the difference?”
“Well… your arm is slender, and mine… is thicker?”
“Yes, you have much more muscle and tendons. Compared to yours, the muscles and tendons in my arm aren’t very impressive.”
“But if you enhance it with aura… wait, what?”
I realized it late. Had my master ever used aura while sparring with me?
“No, this can’t be… that’s impossible…”
As I stammered in confusion, my master didn’t wait for me to process and continued speaking.
“Do you know Garrand Arden?”
“The Sword Master? Well, this time I’ve only seen his face once, but I met him a few times before.”
“Meet with him. And tell him about me.”
“Have you met Garrand Arden before, Master?”
“When he was still a young man… and a few times after that. Perhaps you might find the answer from him.”
“Can’t you just tell me directly?”
My master shook her head in response to my question.
“This is not something to be taught but to be realized. Your strength is already complete. What you need isn’t more power. Meet him and earn his recognition. That is how you’ll find a way to stand against Tates.”
Garrand Arden. I had thought of meeting him soon. With my master’s advice, I should arrange a meeting.
“Then let’s end today’s training here. Any more would be pointless.”
“Shall we?”
Lately, it felt more about quality than quantity. I did other training as well, but my master couldn’t always devote herself solely to me.
“Then, I’ll take my leave…”
“Ahem…!”
Suddenly, my master cleared her throat awkwardly, glancing at me with a hint of red in her cheeks.
“How about… a goodbye hug?”
“We’ll see each other again soon, won’t we?”
“Oh, that’s true…”
My master quickly became dejected. She was truly a lovely person, and I was glad that someone like her liked me.
I walked over and hugged her. Her soft body filled my arms.
“Thank you, always.”
“O-Oh! Yes! Ah, it’s hot. I need a cold drink!”
My master fanned her flushed face, looking adorably flustered.
The previous winter had been harsh.
The city was in ruins, the academy had collapsed, and I had lost my master.
Just as the players had experienced, we couldn’t stop Tates Valtazar and his forces with our power alone.
Because of that, I was unsure of what to do.
Normally, I would have traveled around following the player’s storyline…
“I’m bored.”
These days, I had nothing to do.
Dun Skai, Fermack Daman… even the issue with Miruam.
I had dealt with everything in advance, and since the academy hadn’t fallen, there was nothing left to do. It felt a bit pointless to continue training.
So—
“There. A bit higher.”
“Here?”
I was scratching Hua Ran’s belly.
Even through her nun’s habit, I could feel the softness of her belly, and as I scratched, she purred contentedly. She was just like a cat.
“There, there~ Do you like it?”
“I’m not a cat.”
“Alright, alright, my Hua.”
Lately, Hua had been quite tame. She still came to sleep with me every night, and she didn’t mind where I touched her, leaning against me freely.
“Does it feel good?”
“Yes.”
Hoo… this isn’t good.
I know this isn’t good…
“Oppa, could you scratch my back?”
“Oh… is that Ran?”
“Fairness is important, you know.”
She smiled sweetly, showing her back. When I scratched her back over her clothes, she squirmed.
“It’s ticklish. You can put your hand under my clothes if you want.”
“Meow.”
“You can scratch while touching me, too.”
“Meow…”
“Or you can touch my belly as well?”
“Meow…”
“Honestly, I’m okay with whatever you do, Oppa.”
“Stop teasing me… you’re tempting me.”
“Hehe.”
Ran smiled mischievously, tickling my chin with her hair.
“We’re a package deal, you know~ You’re basically marrying two people~”
“Marriage isn’t a buy-one-get-one-free sale.”
“But I like you, Oppa. I can handle that.”
Ran raised the corners of her lips seductively. Then, without hesitation, she kissed me on the cheek.
“Hua isn’t very affectionate~ so I’ll make up for that part.”
“Sigh…”
“Do you think I’m less attractive than the others? I’m still growing. I might even outgrow Marie unnie.”
“That might be a bit difficult.”
Marie’s… was in a league of its own.
“You already have perfect features, so you don’t need to get any prettier.”
“Hmmm…”
Ran blushed at my compliment. She often teased me, but when she was the one receiving compliments, she was surprisingly shy.
I hugged her tightly as she nestled into my arms.
Even though I kept a vague attitude, Ran didn’t resist. She seemed genuinely happy, without a hint of discomfort.
It was… a concern.
Eventually, I would have to choose one.
“Have you been practicing your martial arts?”
“Yes, surprisingly, I have some talent for it.”
“Hua seems to be struggling with it.”
“She’s too strong.”
Basically, regardless of personality, Hua Ran’s stats were the same. When it came to fighting, Hua had overwhelming talent.
Her natural ability to control aura and her straightforward personality made her well-suited for combat.
But she struggled with delicate techniques like martial arts due to her immense strength.
“You’ll have an evaluation by the association soon. You should be prepared.”
“An evaluation… Hua isn’t particularly interested in becoming a special-grade guardian, though?”
“It’s still good to become one. A special-grade guardian holds power.”
The player eventually becomes a special-grade guardian, and this is connected to what they can do in the final battle.
“No matter what crisis the world faces, the world will never unite to fight it. But if you have power at the top, it’s a different story.”
Would the world unite to fight back if aliens invaded like in a Hollywood movie?
Probably not. But what if all the presidents around the world were reliable people with a unified purpose?
“Can a special-grade guardian do that?”
“A special-grade guardian has the authority to challenge for the position of association leader.”
“The association leader?”
“It’s an old tradition. A rule that’s almost obsolete…”
A strong person can challenge and take the leader’s position. This rule still applies today.
But no one strong enough to defeat the association leader and their direct guardians has appeared so far.
Whenever someone like Garrand Arden, the Sword Master, appears, they voluntarily offer him the title of honorary association leader, so there’s never been a problem with one person taking over.
“But we’re all just rookies when it comes to being guardians. They won’t easily recognize us as special-grade guardians like they did with the Sword Master.”
Moreover, Marie and Hua Ran were once considered demons and treated as monsters.
They wouldn’t easily hand over a high position in the association to beings they once considered enemies.
Because of that, cooperation from the various branches was lukewarm in the previous timeline and in the game. Among our party, only Park Sihoo and I could be considered pure humans who could earn the “special” designation.
“Hmmm~ So you want us to become special-grade guardians and take over the association, Oppa?”
“They’ll likely feel threatened. It won’t be easy, but…”
Marie, Hua Ran… and me.
We’re extraordinary guardians. It’s possible.
“If we can take over two of the three, far fewer people will die.”
In the previous timeline, we had only achieved partial success. Aside from Park Sihoo, we didn’t have a reliable special-grade force.
I also tried to become a special-grade guardian, but my final evaluation was just sub-special. The barrier to becoming a special-grade was higher than I had expected.
But even with just partial success, we managed to suppress the damage.
Although the southern region was devastated by Dun Skai’s terror attack, we swiftly suppressed the resurgence of the western orthodox church and prevented the northern wall from collapsing.
“Oppa.”
“Yes?”
“I think it’s amazing that you want to save people. I really admire you.”
“Ahem… That’s a bit embarrassing…”
“Oppa, you’re the kind of person who saved us too, right? But still…”
Ran wrapped her arms around my neck and interlocked her fingers, drawing closer.
“After it’s all over, I want you to only look at us.”
“I can’t right now. I’m busy.”
“Ugh… Oppa, you act all shy, but you’re firm about these things, you know?”
“That’s right. I never thought I’d be like this. I wasn’t like this in the past.”
“Your hometown?”
“Something like that.”
Back on Earth, I was busy hanging out with friends. And I wasn’t exactly popular.
This is a problem… Maybe I should just live here, where I’m popular.
Usually, evaluations for guardians affiliated with the academy take place at the end of the semester, with changes being decided during the break.
But in my case, this rule didn’t apply because my official rank was ambiguous.
Korin Lork.
I entered two years ago as a 5th-class knight. However, within a semester, I was officially promoted to a 1st-class knight.
After that, starting from my second year, I became an unofficial sub-special-grade knight. But even that changed after the Mount Raid incident.
Stopping an army’s advance with the power of the sun, repelling countless challengers, and the prowess I showed in my final confrontation with Ohad demonstrated that I was clearly a superhuman among superhumans, a sky above the sky.
In other words, the public’s perception of me was already that of a special-grade knight.
Considering Marie, an unofficial sub-special-grade mage, and Hua Ran, an unofficial special-grade knight, I should have stood out a bit more.
In any case, Lady Josephine recommended me on behalf of the academy. Not just me, but also Marie, Alicia, and Hua Ran.
“Oh, Korin! Over here, over here!”
At the Central Guardian Association near the capital, Alicia, who had gone to the East with Lunia, had already arrived on the agreed date.
“Did you have a good trip home?”
“Yes! I brought some horse jerky. Do you want some?”
“Oh~ that sounds great.”
As I gladly reached out to accept the jerky, Alicia suddenly spread her arms wide.
“Huh?”
“We haven’t seen each other in two weeks, so… a hug.”
“Um… here?”
I glanced around nervously. In the association’s waiting room… Since she was a lady of the Arden family, all eyes were on us.
“My arms are getting tired. Hurry.”
“Um…!”
I hugged Alicia as she wished. Lately, Alicia had been asking for more physical contact with me…
“Hehe, pat my back.”
“Okay…”
As I patted her back, Alicia whispered into my ear, and I realized it was an unspoken signal.
“It’s been a while… How do I look?”
“Don’t you think you’re being too forward?”
“I was so cautious in the East. I don’t want to be like that in front of you, Korin.”
Lately, Alicia… is scary. She’s becoming more like Lunia.
“Then I won’t hold back…”
“W-Wait…”
At that moment, just as Alicia was about to bring her lips closer to mine, she let out a scream as she was pulled back.
“Hua Ran?”
It was Hua Ran, with her usual calm expression, who had pulled Alicia back.
“You’re… too close.”
“Ugh… but it’s been two weeks.”
“…”
Both Alicia and Hua Ran knew. They both liked the same person. It was just… I was the guilty one.
“Hahaha! As expected, a hero is quite the ladies’ man.”
With a hearty laugh, an old swordsman approached.
With wild, graying hair and a tattered uniform… Yet no one dared to drive this man away.
“Greetings, Sword Master.”
“It’s been a while, boy.”
Garrand Arden.
The only special-grade guardian of this era. The strongest swordsman who established the renowned swordsmanship family, Arden.
“Thanks to you, I’ve been enjoying the clouds.”
The eyes of the carefree beast bore into me.
Yes… between us, there was still some unfinished business.
*****
NOVELASIUS
- TL: the guild
- Discord: https://discord.gg/GBKEa55867
- Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/topasius
*****
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