301 – Approaching Stage -3-

Mikhail, who came to Hamel’s plains again this weekend, was sweating.

“Okay~ One.”

-Ha!

“Two.”

-Ugh…

“The tip of your sword is shaking too much. You won’t be able to catch even a single goblin like that. Take a breath and three.”

He said while swinging his sword at regular intervals.

Having gotten a bit closer due to frequent meetings, Mikhail sat down as if collapsing on the ground and spoke to me.

“Ha… Teacher, it’s too hard.”

“How can you say it’s hard with just this much? You, who have even awakened your aura.”

“That is….”

“Oh, you said it was a secret.”

“Yes… I don’t like rumors spreading.”

“I will be careful.”

Mikhail was hiding his aura. To act under the name Misa, he had to hide the fact that he was an aura user.

It would be easier to convince me of the existence of ‘Misa’ that way, and if I were to find out, I would immediately notice that she didn’t exist, so she must have been careful in her own way.

I let out a hollow laugh and gave the next command. I didn’t want to make things difficult with unnecessary questions.

There was just one thing that bothered me.

“But, isn’t it hard to come down every weekend?”

It must be her tight schedule to come down every weekend.

It was good that I got closer to the existence called Misa thanks to frequent meetings, but it didn’t mean I wasn’t worried.

At my flowing concern, Mikhail awkwardly smiled and shook his head.

“It’s okay. I’ve already earned enough credits for the first semester.”

“Oh…. You’re a prodigy.”

Certainly, the top student in the swordsmanship department wouldn’t need to worry about grades, but still, there are memories to be made….

I was worried about Mikhail, who kept coming to the boring Hamel, but seeing Mikhail’s passionate desire to learn, I decided not to think too hard about it. Given Mikhail’s current skills, the academy’s teachings would be meaningless, so it was more beneficial for Mikhail to learn the sword in Hamel.

I buried my worries in my heart and gave the next command to Mikhail.

“Then, without resting, four.”

“Just a little break….”

—

—

“It’s noisy.”

“Ugh…!”

Mikhail groaned as he swung his sword. It felt good to relieve the stress that had built up because of Mikhail in this way.

I chuckled and gave advice to her, who was at a loss.

“Don’t draw out the aura too strongly, think of it as slowly applying it to the surface.”

“…Isn’t that too easy for you to say?”

“It was easy for me.”

“…”

Mikhail frowned and closed his eyes tightly, starting to spread the aura at the tip of the sword. But the aura didn’t operate as easily as he wanted.

-Swish.

It disappeared.

“Ah…”

I watched Mikhail’s aura dissipate with a regretful smile. He could have succeeded with just a little more effort.

“That’s unfortunate.”

It was indeed unfortunate.

Personally, I thought the most important factor after realizing the aura was ‘control.’

Being able to control the appropriate amount could work to one’s advantage in battles against multiple opponents and was especially useful in fights against strong opponents.

Mikhail’s current problem was control. In the battle with Jung in Hamel, Mikhail’s aura had run out.

Of course, the main reason was the significant gap between him and Jung, but there were many points to criticize about the fact that an aura user couldn’t even inflict a single wound on the archbishop and collapsed.

“If you had focused a little more, you could have succeeded. It was very unfortunate.”

“Huff…huff…”

“But you’ve improved a lot compared to the beginning. At first, you couldn’t even spread it thinly.”

“…Thank you, teacher.”

“I’m getting paid for this, no need to thank me.”

“…”

Knowing the original story, I was well aware of the direction in which Mikhail needed to grow.

What he lacked.

What he needed to focus on.

Of course, awakening the power of the hero and finding the holy sword would elevate his level, but he still needed to hone his basic skills.

Sitting in the shade of a tree, wiping the sweat from his forehead, Mikhail cautiously spoke to me, who was holding a parasol.

—

—

“Teacher,”

“Yes, Misa.”

“Do you have time this afternoon?”

“Around what time?”

“Uh… Is 2 PM okay?”

“That’s quite an ambiguous time. But why do you ask?”

Mikhail glanced at me cautiously and then opened his mouth.

“I…”

*

Inside a quiet restaurant in Hamel.

I was sitting in a rather expensive-looking restaurant, invited by Mikhail, or rather, Misa.

A splendid chandelier.

A separate seating area.

Not as exclusive as the Forest Friends, but it seemed like a place you couldn’t come to without a reservation. Sitting there, I smiled awkwardly at Mikhail, who was looking at the menu with an uneasy smile.

“The… the price…”

I subtly raised the corners of my mouth as I watched the flustered Mikhail. No matter how you looked at it, he didn’t seem like someone who frequented such places.

Fidgeting.

“What do you like, Teacher?”

Trying to act like he had been here often.

“Oh… You don’t know? Then, what should we choose…”

His flustered appearance was pleasing to see.

The little boy who used to cry with just a box in the slums now wanted to treat me to a good meal, which evoked a different kind of emotion. I was also surprised to see this side of Mikhail, who used to grumble at the academy.

I spoke to Mikhail, who had finally managed to place an order, in a calm voice.

“It looks delicious.”

“Sorry?”

“The meal that Misa is treating me to. I said it looks delicious.”

“Oh… I hope it is. It’s the first meal I’m treating you to…”

“If it’s something Misa is treating me to, it will surely be delicious. Free meals are always right. Here I am, a teacher, getting a meal from my student.”

“…I should be the one.”

Mikhail clenched his fists and lowered his head. Seeing Mikhail, who said he wanted to do more because the kimbap he had last time was so delicious, I let out a small laugh.

—

—

“Even if it’s just an empty compliment, it feels good.”

I never thought I would hear such words from Mikhail, so it was a new feeling in many ways. Of course, I don’t know if he meant it sincerely.

Despite many misunderstandings and many events, I expressed a small gratitude for Mikhail’s considerate actions. I had a lot of resentment and accumulated emotions, but I didn’t want to think about them in front of food.

I nodded slightly while looking at Mikhail’s smile.

*

– “What do you like, teacher?”

Mikhail clenched his fists at his own words.

Because he didn’t know anything.

What he likes.

What food makes him happy.

The fact that he knew nothing made his mind go blank.

‘I really don’t know anything….’

Steak.

Salad.

Fried dishes.

Even though there were many foods on the menu, he couldn’t easily choose. It felt like his choice would lead to the wrong answer.

After hesitating for a long time, Ricardo smiled slightly at the chosen menu.

– “It looks delicious.”

What, looks delicious?

If he knew that I was the one who chose the menu, he would have frowned. Nevertheless, I couldn’t help but smile along with Ricardo’s bright smile. Foolishly.

Suddenly, I had this thought.

The fact that I had done nothing for him.

Even in the slums where we grabbed each other’s collars over a piece of hardtack.

– “Eat this.”

– “…What about you?”

– “I’ve eaten a lot.”

‘Growl…’

– “Just now, from your stomach…”

– “You must be very hungry!? You should have said so earlier.”

Even in the academy, where I couldn’t approach him easily due to awkwardness.

—

—

-Mikhail! This time, let’s have a meal together. I have something to discuss with you, man to man.

-…Get lost.

-I’ll pay.

-Ha… It’s dirty money. Eating a meal bought with blood money, I bet it’ll go down well.

-It’s money I earned through honest work.

He had only ever received from him… It was the first time since becoming an adult that he was buying him a meal… He felt ashamed and angry.

‘…’

He clenched his fist tighter. Because of the foolish and stupid sins of the past. He couldn’t lift his head as his fist tightened.

-Haha… If Misa is buying, anything would taste good. A teacher getting a meal from his student.

Without knowing anything.

Really, without knowing anything, seeing Ricardo’s bright smile made his heart ache as if it would tear apart.

This is all I can do.

-Even if it’s just empty words, it feels good.

Seeing the person he liked made his heart ache so much.

On the terribly tilted scale, Mikhail clenched his fist while looking at the empty weight.

*

-Shaaah.

Rain was pouring sadly on the carriage returning to the academy.

-Screech.

“Ha… This is bad.”

The coachman, who had been driving for a long time, stopped the carriage with a big jolt and got off the coachman’s seat. He sighed deeply as he saw the wheel stuck in the mud.

“Oh dear…”

-Knock. Knock. Knock.

“Excuse me, sir.”

The coachman, knocking on the window, spoke to Mikhail.

“I’m really sorry, but can we leave tomorrow?”

“…What?”

“The wheel got stuck in a hole and broke… I think we need to borrow tools from a nearby village to fix it…”

The coachman pointed east with his finger.

“If it’s alright with you, can we stay in that village for the night and leave tomorrow?”

—

—

“That…”

Mikhail bit his lip as he looked at the sky where darkness was gathering. They hadn’t even come halfway yet, and it seemed impossible to reach their destination today if they pushed on from here.

He thought it was fortunate that there was a village nearby. There was nothing he could do about the broken wheel.

Mikhail got off the carriage and walked towards the village.

And then.

“Ah… Sir.”

The coachman’s greeting echoed in his ears.

“Have a good night.”

“…Thank you.”

The village they arrived at was.

·

·

·

Shrouded in thick fog.