chapter 7
After making Mustafa use the secret art of the earth, I made him my swordsmanship instructor——.
“What the hell have you done, Bocchan! You are reckless! I might have lost the use of my arm!”
I was extremely scolded by Katyusha.
As Katyusha said, my right arm was tattered from burns and muscle spasms. If he had held on to the shock for a few more seconds, he might have burned his nerves and really crippled him.
“hmm. There are times in life when you have to overdo it, right? It was a while ago… … .”
“There is no such time!”
“Even if you don’t say anything… … .”
I was so recklessly angry that I was dumbfounded, but I couldn’t say anything because Katyusha was almost on the verge of crying.
“okay. Sorry.”
In the end, I had no choice but to apologize. Katyusha, who was desperately pouring potion on my arm and wrapping it in a bandage, finally shut up.
“No need to apologize. Please be careful in the future. You must never do this again… … .”
And finally, as usual, but with a slightly crying voice, he finished the treatment on my arm. It became a very awkward atmosphere. I’m dying of discomfort
“Is it you? The one who forced you to this point.”
It was Katyusha who broke the atmosphere and opened her mouth. I questioned Mustafa, who was sitting silently nearby, with a sharp glare. Her voice was so low that it was unbelievable that she had just cried.
“… … I have no face.”
Mustafa looked directly at Katyusha and replied. Katyusha’s eyebrows furrowed slightly.
“Are you going to end by saying that you have no face?”
“What can I do?”
“An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. Your arm——”
“What are you going to do? don’t do it.”
I quickly stopped Katyusha from pulling out the dagger from his belt and cut off his words. When I blocked it, it was my right arm, so intense pain flowed down my back. It hurt enough to make me cry, but I barely endured it.
“I was excited by myself. There is nothing wrong with Mustafa.”
“but… … Isn’t the author Amerian? I cannot be trusted.”
“I am trusting. Are you going to disobey me, Katyusha?”
When I said it firmly, Katyusha shut her mouth. And then, quietly, he reaped his intent to kill. However, the gaze glaring at Mustafa was still very sharp.
“… … .”
Mustafa averted his gaze as if he was burdened. In this situation, the story cannot proceed.
“Katyusha. Could you come in and prepare a meal for me? Same with Mustafa.”
“yes yes?”
“Please prepare as slowly as possible. Until I go to call.”
“Ah, I see… … .”
Katyusha’s face looked like she was going to cry again, so I averted my gaze. After a bit of hesitation, Katyusha left. Feeling guilty for no reason, I let out a sigh.
“Haaa. I didn’t know you would be so angry. You looked embarrassing.”
“There is nothing to be ashamed of. I am truly sorry.”
Mustafa bowed his head. I waved my hand saying it was okay. And it got quiet.
‘I have a lot of things to say, but my head is not working well because my hands are numb. grunt.’
“… … Excuse me, but is it okay if I ask you something?”
Mustafa politely asked me as I was distracted by the sensation of the potion being absorbed and the heat (similar to applying a paste).
“I want to tell you not to ask because it’s annoying, but… … I’m curious about what you want to ask, so let’s listen.”
It’s annoying to even think about it myself, so I allowed the question. Mustafa bowed his head in gratitude.
“Why does Crown Prince want the secret art of the earth?”
And then I asked a question that I really wanted to ask. I was told to just ask.
“Even without those things, Crown Prince can become strong enough. Do you need to learn some tricks like the secret arts of the earth?”
“Are you saying it’s a trick after blocking my maximum torpedo attack? Too much humility is irritating.”
“… … sorry. There was no such intention. But that was just because the secret art of the earth was compatible with the brain attribute.”
“I know that. But why do you want the secret art of the earth, Rani… … .”
I stopped talking and looked at Mustafa. Mustafa still looked like he didn’t understand.
“Are you asking because you really don’t know, Mustafa?”
“… … !”
And then, realizing my true intentions, I opened my slender eyes wide in amazement.
“No way, the crown prince, lungs… … !”
“Do I really need to speak out?”
I drew my rapier with my left hand and quickly pointed it at Mustafa. Mustafa looked up at me with a shocked expression and then lowered his head.
“Because it’s annoying if anyone listens.”
I got my rapier
“Besides that, there’s a saying that if you know your enemy and know yourself, you won’t be defeated, right? Someday, someone might try to kill me using the secret art of the earth. I am preparing for it.”
And I added another reason for wanting to learn the mystic arts of the earth.
“However, the secret art of the earth no longer exists.”
“You know what? The secret of the earth.”
“I never had any intention of harming the crown prince… … .”
“Ah-oh. I know! The conversation can’t move forward! Know that in moderation and move on!”
Even in the original work, he was a pretty stuffy old man, but meeting him in real life was more than I expected. Maybe it’s because I’ve trained my swordsmanship so hard.
“… … .”
Mustafa kept his mouth shut. It seemed like I was still not convinced, but I knew who would learn the secret art of the earth and try to kill me.
The main character of the original story, Eugene.
If you follow the development of the original story, a year later, Mustafa will be appointed (actually demoted) as a swordsmanship teacher at a knight academy, and after seeing the possibility of defeating the emperor to Eugene there, he will pass on his secret art of the land.
‘Well, if I kill Mustafa after learning only the secret art of the earth, or if I don’t send him to the knight academy at all, that wouldn’t happen in the first place… … .’
If that happens, the flow of the original will be greatly altered. Otherwise, it may proceed completely differently from the original work, and my knowledge of the original work may become useless.
In addition, Eugene also has great utility value. Depending on my actions, I might become an ally rather than an enemy. Unlike the people here, I’m not a blocky character who can’t communicate.
“It is one year from now. Worked as my swordsmanship instructor for a year. And after that, become a swordsmanship instructor at a knight academy. You will be able to live safely. Let me write you a recommendation.”
Mustafa slightly furrowed his eyebrows at my sudden command. And for a while, I looked at the floor as if trying to understand the true meaning of my words.
“… … I have absolutely no idea what the prince is thinking.”
“How can a sparrow know the meaning of the phoenix?”
I was annoyed and answered.
“What is a phoenix?”
However, it was Mustafa who was asking the question again. That’s probably a good thing too.
“… … Can you say phoenix? Well, it’s all thoughts. Don’t let me know.”
I sighed and answered. In the end, I am the one who explains everything.
“There is an empty room. let me stay there If you need anything, ask Katyusha.”
After ordering Mustafa, I got up and headed to my room. I was at my limit mentally and physically. Right now I just want to lie in bed and close my eyes.
* * *
The Sangvis invasion began when I was 17 years old.
They appeared while trampling on our land, Sangvis urged surrender.
At that time, we——the Amerians should have surrendered. I shouldn’t have resisted.
However, the Amerians did not. fiercely resisted.
And my older brother, who was the most outstanding warrior among the Amerians, left a scar on his cheek by nullifying the emperor’s thunderbolt with the secret art of the earth.
I shouldn’t have done that. It was a foolish act.
“good night.”
Wiping the blood from the wound on his cheek, the iron-blooded emperor said.
“We will also consider you enemies. And know one thing.”
that,
“That Sangvis shows no mercy to its enemies.”
It was a death sentence for the Amerians.
It took less than a year for the Amerians to disappear from history. No, it didn’t take exactly one month.
I didn’t want to die. As he pounded his head on the ground filled with the corpses of the Amerians, he prayed that he would do anything to save his life.
The man I wished for, General Alexei, the father of the current corps commander, ordered me.
He said he would spare his brother if he struck his captive brother’s head.
Sangvis brought his older brother bound and gagged with ropes in front of me. And gave me a sword
My older brother looked up at me and desperately tried to say something. However, because he was gagged, he couldn’t understand it at all.
I can hardly remember what I was thinking or how I acted.
The only thing that is certain is that, with the swordsmanship my older brother taught me, I dropped my older brother’s head and saved my own.
“You are strong.”
General Alexei laughed as he saw me beating his brother’s neck.
“good. You are a member of our Sangvis from now on.”
And threw something at me who was devastated.
“To be a loyal dog of iron blood.”
It was a Sangvis uniform.
I am not Amerian.
In the first place, it was natural since he was no longer human.
I am a blooded dog
After becoming a Sangvis dog, I just focused on swordsmanship.
There was no particular reason. Because I didn’t know what else to do.
The secret of the earth was not used. Using it would mean treason against the emperor, so I lied and said I hadn’t learned it in the first place.
At first, everyone didn’t believe it, but after confirming that I actually had no magical powers, I was convinced. It was possible because they did not know that the secret art of the earth was a technique that did not use magical power.
I decided to live like this.
I don’t have the determination to fight Iron Blood or the emperor.
The day I slapped my older brother’s neck, I lost all will to fight Sangvis.
However, if one day a person who wanted to oppose the emperor appeared in front of me——I would like to teach him the secret art of the earth, I only occasionally thought about that.
“Welcome to be my swordsman instructor, Mustafa.”
Ironically, the one who had the will to fight the emperor who appeared to me was the emperor’s son.