Chapter 22 – The Terrible Master and Disciple (5)

The Terrible Master and Disciple (5)

Being bound by ropes is more troublesome than one might think. The idea of bursting through them with sheer muscle, as seen in comics, is simply impossible for a human. Thick ropes used for tug-of-war, for instance, won’t break with mere human strength.

So, how does one escape?

Thump, thwock.

Humans are the wisest of all creatures. One must use tools.
The ornamental dagger from Nicola that I always carry with me. It may look fancy, but it’s blade is sharp enough to cut through anything.

With it, I was able to easily free myself from the ropes that bound me to the pillar.

It seems Master would have preferred I use magic to dissolve the ropes, but I lack such power. My magical energy is laughably scant. How could I possibly employ such advanced techniques?

Despite her grimace, she extended her hand toward me.

“You still can’t manipulate magic properly. Relying on such tools will lead to your downfall.”

“Enough with the idle talk. Let’s get to the point.”

I brushed off her hand and pushed myself up from the ground. I could still feel the lingering sensation of the ropes that had bound me.

For now, I’ll pretend to be interested in inheriting her trivial martial arts. In truth, there isn’t much to inheriting it.
Just move the body a bit, claim to have learned it, and that’s that. What could be the problem?

“You’ve become quite the docile sheep. If only you were like this before. *Cough*”

She coughed up blood from deep within her lungs, yet she remained unfazed. Her figure resembled a great tree with rotting roots.

“Let’s leave the past in the past.”

I twirled the dagger a few times before slipping it back into my pocket.

Master, wiping the blood from her mouth with her sleeve, walked out of the room. I followed her quickly, and the world outside was filled with fog.

“Sit down. We’re about to begin.”

I detest sitting on the dirt floor.
Thud, I sat down without using my hands to support me. The dust swirled briefly before settling.

Master approached with an expressionless face and placed her hand on my back. Then silence. A strange sensation began to take over my body.

“…Your magical energy is less than that of a chicken.”

“Well, I’m terribly sorry for having such a small amount of magical energy. Given this, I suppose I won’t be able to use your martial arts?”

Cough, hack.

“No. It doesn’t matter. You come from the same world as Troka, so surely you can do it too… Yes. Surely you can.”

A hot liquid touched the back of my neck. Then an indescribable energy began to flow into my body.

“What are you doing now.”

“Stay still. I’m creating a vessel.”

It was an odd sensation. Perhaps it could be likened to receiving an IV drip, not a particularly pleasant feeling.

Creating a vessel so that I can inherit martial arts is like pouring water into a bottomless pot. Surely Master knows this too—that no matter how much power is given, it won’t fill up.

Perhaps that’s why the magical energy that was flowing into my body began to wrap around me and then started to assimilate.

“This should be sufficient for today. Now, try to focus your eyes.”

After hitting my back with her fist a couple of times, she grabbed my head.

A disciple must follow the master’s words. Even if the relationship is a mess and there’s hardly any good feeling, a master is still a master. It’s definitely not because of past stories that I comply.

With the sensation of exerting strength in my arms, I infused power into my eyes.

My vision flickered and then went dark. Slowly, the surroundings began to brighten.

Soon, a black and white world filled my vision.
Black earth. A grey sky. It was as if I was looking at the world through a black and white photograph.
It was the ‘Mind’s Eye’, the ability to read the flow.
To obtain the Mind’s Eye, which is the most necessary ingredient when facing invisible demons, in just a few minutes… As always, I feel that nepotism is omnipotent here.

Something I couldn’t obtain no matter how much I desired it.

“It seems you can see it now. Then it’s done.”

As I looked around curiously, Master nodded with a satisfied tone.

I wanted to pour out complaints, but I couldn’t. It was a pretty useful tool, and there was no benefit to be gained from arguing.

“I don’t quite understand how a mere commoner can inherit your martial arts, master, but I’ll try as long as I can.”

The letter is useless if you find it but can’t open it.
I have to speak of Troka to see whether the letter opens or not. There’s not enough time to sit idly by and learn useless powers.
But I can’t just not talk to Master either. If the person who is supposed to receive the letter dies, who knows what will happen to it.

So, as I learn martial arts, I continue to ask questions about Troka. To make sure the letter can be opened.

Perhaps I was thinking too long; a piercing pain shot through my face. Continuously using the Mind’s Eye is not energy-efficient, neither magically nor visually. It’s my first time using it, so it can’t be good to maintain it for too long.

“Master… Is this enough?”

“……”

“Master?”

Master, who had been swaying like an old scarecrow, collapsed to the ground. The hairpin that had been stuck in her hair now pierced the dirt floor.

Not unconsciousness, but fainting, I should say.
Approaching to check on her, I saw blood flowing from every hole on her face.

Leaving her on the dirty ground would not improve the situation.

I lifted Master with both hands and headed towards the dojo. I didn’t like the current situation, but I felt like I had to do something.

I carefully laid her down in the center of the dojo. She showed no reaction, as if her consciousness had completely vanished.

The vast dojo was silent and bleak. The sensation of being left alone in this world, a sensation I dreadfully despise.

I don’t know why Master is so obsessed with the succession of martial arts.
My guess is that she wants someone who can reach the heights she never could. Now that Troka is dead, I’ve become the next sacrifice.

I caressed my aching body and looked down at Master. The anxiety she had tried to hide was now clearly etched on her face.

If she was going to make such a face, she should have regretted Troka from the start. Even if we’re short on time, passing martial arts to someone like me?

“You’re saying you expelled him as a joke? What a laughable thing to say.”

I questioned the fallen master.

Of course, there was no response. Yet, I continued to think of what to say next.

She must have seen Troka crying in the rain through the mist. To talk like that. If she truly had no lingering feelings for Troka, she should have smashed that hairpin first. Why does she keep wearing that decoration as if it’s a precious treasure?

“Really, do you think this situation, collapsing after saying such laughable things, makes any sense, huh?”

And now, after the dead are gone, she tells me to learn her martial arts?

“Get up and say something!!!”

My fist flew out unconsciously. Unlike me, who was standing, the master was lying down, so my fist naturally missed and slammed into a pillar.

My fist hurt, and my voice echoed weakly.

“…”

Of course, she wouldn’t get up just because of this.
Getting angry here won’t change anything. Truly, what a pathetic disciple I am.

My hand felt numb. I couldn’t bear to look at Master’s face any longer. To calm her condition, and to avoid looking at her face for a while, I decided to find some herbs.

Even if I didn’t know what illness it was, I knew that eating those herbs would at least alleviate the condition.

Exiting the dojo, I saw a small building right away: Master’s room. The herbs should be there.

Master’s room was modestly furnished. The dust piled on the small dining table and wardrobes indicated that no one had been there for a long time.

The dreary gray room was enough to bring back old memories. Before any more strange thoughts came to mind, I drew a dagger across my cheek. The sensation of blood trickling down my cheek was unpleasant yet refreshing.

…Come to think of it.
The medicinal herbs are usually kept in the third drawer.

While I was away, it seemed the room’s layout had changed, making it impossible to find the herbs. After about ten minutes of searching around, I finally found a handful of herbs.

They were so neatly prepared that they could pass for store-bought quality.

I wasn’t sure how much I needed, but taking a lot couldn’t hurt. Clutching the herbs in my hand, I surveyed the disheveled room.

One sleeping bag. One wardrobe. Five various storage cabinets. One round table, and on it, an orange letter… just one.

Found it.
Wait, hold on.
Why?

The letter that should be familiar. The appearance of a will was strange.
No, it couldn’t be that shape.

Because the orange letter that lay casually on the round table in the distance was.

Already opened.

The moment I saw that, my mind plunged into chaos.

Had the master already opened the letter?
No. She said she had not opened it yet.

Then, was it a lie?
No, there was no reason for the master to lie. At least not right now. Because she didn’t mention the reason when she first handed over the letter.

So why.

-Gulp.

I wanted to grab the letter and read its contents immediately, but the sound of footsteps outside the room held me back. The chilling sound made me suppress the rising curiosity as I gripped the holy sword in my right hand and the dagger in my left.

I did well to learn this.

A faint magical power flowed through my eyes. Then, things that were invisible came into view.

Invisible demons.
Now that they are visible, should I call them visible demons?

One particularly impatient creature was already in front of me. Realizing that it was being watched, it fixed its gaze on me, ready to pounce at any moment.

…I’ll think about the letter later. Right now, I need to focus on these bastards.

The invisible demons didn’t have a particularly strange appearance. They looked like wolves with two horns.
Except for their misaligned fangs, they could pass for wolves.

Their snouts, twisted with four pairs of fangs, had a bizarre shape. I’m not the good-looking type, but still, that’s… quite…

“…Fucking ugly bastards.”

As if responding to my words, the creature charged at me.