Episode 8.
I put on my school uniform and headed for the classroom. Today’s lecture was the history of swordsmanship.
Arriving at the classroom, I saw a student and involuntarily shouted his name.
“Moredt!”
Then Moredt looked at me.
“Do you know me?”
“ah… .”
Come to think of it, I overlooked that at this point, few people I knew, and few people knew me.
“There’s no way you don’t know the restraints of Duke Faust’s family.”
“Strange. I don’t think I’ve done much outside activities.”
It was an outcall. In fact, I didn’t know much about Moredt. After I became a count, he was someone I only got to know.
I discovered that Moredt was wearing a necklace.
“I recognized it when I saw the necklace.”
The necklace had the pattern of the Faust family drawn on it. Despite my excuses, Moredt did not dispel his suspicions.
“Even if they knew that I belonged to the Faust family, how would they know my name?”
“There are a total of three descendants of the Faust family. Among those children, if you are my age, there must be three sons. And the third son’s name is Moredt. I am so interested in nobles that I remember the names of all the other children.”
It was Moredt who still looked uncomfortable.
“Anyway, I understand that you know my name. Don’t you need to introduce yourself now?”
I forgot that too because I was embarrassed. He asked for a handshake with Moredt and said.
“Sorry for the late introduction, my name is Suhar. The youngest of the Caldert family.”
Hearing my name, Moredt’s expression frowned. And he went back to his seat, ignoring my handshake.
I couldn’t help but be taken aback by Moredt’s attitude. Before returning, it was Moredt, who had been friendly with me for no reason.
I returned the hand that had asked for a handshake and sat down in a corner. No matter how old you get, this kind of rejection hurts.
“Moredt… .”
It seemed to me that I would never be friends with Moredt in this lifetime.
***
Moredt found a curious student who knew his name. But when I heard the name, I decided to ignore it.
‘The loser guy.’
Moredt hated people like Suhar. The first time Moredt knew Suhar was when he was in the family of Duke Faust.
It was a story when Moredt was having a meal with his family. Moredt’s father, Duke Faust, did not attend the meal due to work. There were only Moredt’s two brothers and the Duchess.
said Moredt’s older brother.
“Moredt, let me tell you something.”
Moredt wasn’t on good terms with his brother, so he wasn’t happy with his older brother talking to him.
“story?”
“I heard that there is a guy named Suhar from the Caldert family. I heard that he gave up the race for successor.”
“… … .”
“I don’t know the details, but they say he’s an bastard and the youngest member of the family.”
Moredt knew what his older brother was trying to say.
“So, since I’m also the youngest member of the Faust family, are you telling me to give up the contest?”
“It just means don’t lose your energy on things that are hopeless.”
Feeling offended, Moredt stopped eating and left the table. Then he went into his room and muttered.
“Hmph, that’s something you have to know.”
The type of person Moredt hates is Suhar. That kind of person who gives up without even trying.
Also, the kind of person Moredt liked was Suhar before the return. A man who has actually accomplished what was thought hopeless.
“The successor race… I won’t give up and I will definitely win.”
Moredt decided to keep in mind the eldest brother who made a mean face while bringing up the story of Suhar. While thinking that he would win the competition and make the same expression.
***
I couldn’t understand Moredt at all. As before the return, he must have been an elusive person.
“if… ?”
Moredt is a guy with a strong desire for power, and I wondered if it was because I was a count before returning.
When I thought about that, I couldn’t take a good look at Moredt.
“Yeah, I thought it was weird.”
I organized my own thoughts. Moredt was clearly an aristocratic supremacist whose response changed depending on the status of the other party.
“Ah, we shouldn’t be friends from now on.”
I erased Moredt from my mind. And I focused on the lecture. This lecture was about the history of swordsmanship, and as you can guess from the name of the lecture, it was only a theoretical lecture.
Fortunately, there are no practical classes today, so you should be able to receive the swordsman’s teachings in the best possible condition.
“I’m still worried.”
Regardless of my physical condition, it seemed that I could never escape the sword the swordsman wielded. At times, I was worried that I might just get hit all the time while attending the academy.
After the lecture, I went to the library inside the academy because there was a lot of time left before I met the Sword Saint. He wanted to find out about the mysterious goblins in the ruins.
“Once you know everything about goblins.”
As soon as I entered the library, I took out all the books related to goblins and put them on the desk. I read it one by one, but I couldn’t remember anything.
At least, I memorized the relativity method with the thought of knowing only the reciprocal method according to the goblin.
“uh… ?”
I found an unexpected person in a corner space. It was Ea Kirton. My curiosity piqued, so I wondered what book Ea Kirton was reading.
‘What kind of books do geniuses read?’
I glanced sideways at the book Ea Kirton was reading. It was a book about ancient magic. At that moment, a thought struck me.
Unknowingly, I hit the desk with my hand and got up from my seat. My actions drew the attention of the people in the library to me.
I smiled shyly and apologized.
“sorry.”
Then I sat down and thought.
‘They said that ancient magic has magic that deals with time. Could my return be related to ancient magic?’
I had a feeling that ancient magic might be involved in my return. I put the book on goblins back and started looking again.
Of course, this time they were books related to ancient magic.
Searching for clues about regression in ancient magic has failed. Although ancient magic related to time existed, it could not be used on living things.
‘Well, unless it’s a god, a miracle like regression can’t happen.’
A thought flashed in my mind.
‘Maybe God… ?’
He shook his head and denied it. I had no particular religion. It was closer to denying God in the first place. God wouldn’t have given me a return.
“by the way… .”
The sun sets soon. My body trembled at the thought of being beaten again by the swordsman for two hours. I didn’t want to go, but unfortunately, the day was getting darker and the time to meet the swordsman was getting closer.
‘Because it was just the first day, Sword Saint-nim must have worked hard too.’
I moved to the garden with the groundless belief that it would be better than yesterday.
***
I tried to get myself up from the bed, but it didn’t move the way I wanted. The second swordsman’s training was also hell.
“Because I got hit where I was hit again… .”
It hurt inexhaustibly. It hurt so much that I wondered if I was going to die like this, but as if to prove that the title of Sword Saint was not for nothing, the control of my strength was amazing.
Even after being beaten like that, he’s still alive.
“I hope the weekend comes soon.”
Fortunately, there was no training for the swordsman on the weekend.
“Cancer, Sword Saint-nim should also rest.”
Resting was good for everyone, even if they had transcended humans. That’s why my goal in this life is not to rest.
This weekend I made a decision.
“I’m going to find the ruins.”
I thought it was a little dangerous, but the mana breathing method was absolutely necessary. Since learning mana breathing improves one’s physical abilities, this was an inevitable choice in order to endure the training of the Sword Master.
Still, the only monsters in the ruins were goblins, so if it was me now, I should be able to overcome it.
‘Because I’ve read a lot of books.’
As long as it’s not a goblin that only appears in legends, there’s no problem. I decided to look only at the weekend and spend the rest of the weekdays.
***
Morning came to me too. A quiet weekend morning. I finally got out of the hellish weekdays.
Even thinking about what had happened on the weekday made my teeth tremble.
“eww… .”
I thought I would die on the day when the physical training to wield the sword and the training of the sword master overlapped. Unlike the first lecture, the basics of swordsmanship were practiced, and he swung his sword like crazy.
When I thought I was going to die like this, the weekend finally came. The first weekend I just wanted to relax in my room.
However, in order to endure life in the academy from now on, I had to go find the mana breathing method.
“I’ll just take my sword and go.”
You can buy what you need in the city, and since it wasn’t a long distance in the first place, it was enough to bring food for one meal.
but… .
“In case you don’t know, you should bring a lot of healing herbs.”
Even if the opponent is a goblin, I heard that it is a mysterious goblin, so I don’t know what will happen. You need to go there with as much safety as possible.
That’s how I left for the ruins on my first weekend at the academy.
***
We arrived at the mountain near the kingdom’s capital. Because it was a barren land with nothing, people did not pay attention to this mountain.
However, an adventurer visited this mountain and discovered the ruins. Since then, the mountain has become famous. That was twenty years later.
Climbing the mountain, he apologized to the future adventurer.
“Sorry for the adventurers, I made a great discovery.”
While climbing the mountain, I found a cave. It was a narrow entrance cave.
“You said the entrance was a narrow cave.”
It must have been here. Without hesitation, I entered the cave. The inside of the cave was a little damp, but fortunately, unlike the narrow entrance, it gradually widened.
And when we arrived at the large space, it suddenly became bright.
“oh… .”
The wall itself contained light. I don’t know who created these ruins, but it was a great skill. There was an entrance leading down to the front.
If I went down here, it was clear that the mysterious goblin would be there. I looked around and went downstairs.
After going down for a while, I felt the popularity. I stopped and looked in the direction of the crowd.
‘Goblin.’
There was a reason it was called the Mysterious Goblin. It was cleaner than the average goblin. There was no beard, and the goblin’s skin was also bright green.
I silently approached the goblin. When I got close and the goblin came within range of me, I thrust my sword into the goblin’s neck.
The goblin with my sword stuck in its throat let out a short mortification and collapsed.
“What, it’s strange, but nothing special.”
As he turned around, a bright light emanated from the direction where the goblin’s corpse was. I was startled and turned around.
“What is this… .”
There was nothing left where the goblin’s corpse should have been.