Episode 237: The Reason (1)
As evening approached, the sky, which had been a soft blue during the day, was now painted with the hues of sunset. The academy students, having endured a day of rigorous study and training, were making their way back to the dormitories, chatting amongst themselves. It was a somewhat noisy yet peaceful time.
“Ugh!” “Argh!”
In front of the teachers’ quarters, two students were being beaten with sticks. Oliver and Penelope, both from the notorious Class 13, were being pummeled so relentlessly that they could barely keep their wits about them.
“What? You want to beat the top students in a duel? You little punks!” The beating from Damian only stopped when the sky had turned dark.
“Ugh…” “Ahh…”
Even after the beating ceased, the two students lay on the ground, trembling and unable to get up. Damian, resting the stick on his shoulder, addressed them.
“Have you come to your senses now? Go on, get some rest.”
As Damian turned to leave, something caught his ankle. Oliver and Penelope had crawled over and were clutching at his leg.
“Sir… please! We beg you!” “Help us… train us so we can win…”
Damian looked down at them, incredulous. Despite his efforts to ‘persuade’ them, they hadn’t given up. This was a first for him.
“Why?” Their unyielding determination piqued Damian’s interest.
“It might be a long story…” “We’d be grateful if you’d listen.”
Oliver and Penelope began to share their story with Damian. As Oliver had warned, it was indeed a lengthy tale, but it was intriguing enough to hold Damian’s attention from start to finish.
‘So, Oliver is the child of the second wife, and because of that, he’s been bullied by the first wife and her children.’
In the empire, polygamy was permitted, leading to many conflicts. ‘The problem is that Oliver’s mother comes from a minor noble family, and Oliver himself lacks talent.’
Her family was too weak to protect them, and Oliver had no talent to win his father’s favor. They had no means to fight back against the bullying.
‘And the one who bullied Oliver the most was Geliver.’
The other children of the first wife were much older than Oliver and were busy with family affairs, so they rarely clashed with him. But Geliver was close in age to Oliver, meaning they spent a lot of time together. Oliver had been tormented by Geliver throughout his childhood.
‘And Penelope, she’s an illegitimate child.’
Unlike Oliver, whose mother was at least recognized as the second wife, Penelope’s situation was worse. She was the illegitimate child of a maid whom the duke had dallied with. Her mother was never acknowledged as a wife, and their standing in the family was virtually nonexistent.
‘The more prestigious the family, the more they cling to honor. The mistress and her children despised Penelope…’
Penelope grew up as an outcast. ‘And when she comes of age, she’s to be married off to a family that can benefit the duke’s house. To prevent that, she needs to defeat Emilio during her time at the academy.’
Damian rubbed the back of his head. Knowing their circumstances, he couldn’t simply ignore them.
“I understand why you came to me with this request.”
Their eyes were fixed on Damian, who felt a strange pressure as he asked, “But why me? There are other teachers.”
“Because you defeated Drelong Muller,” Penelope replied.
“Drelong Muller is known for his exceptional understanding of swordsmanship, despite his poor character. You defeated him using only the Imperial Swordsmanship. It means your understanding of swordsmanship surpasses his.”
Damian was impressed by her audacity in calling Drelong Muller ‘that man.’
“So you think I can make you strong enough to get your revenge.”
Penelope nodded. Damian chuckled.
“Didn’t you say you couldn’t trust teachers before?”
“Th-that was because…” Penelope’s face turned crimson, and she looked down, mumbling.
“Because… the academy teachers… they all dislike us…”
Damian had a hunch about the situation. Judging by Drelong Muller’s attitude yesterday, most of the academy’s teachers likely held contempt for Class 13. Being treated that way by teachers, it was natural for them to become hostile.
‘It’s a pitiful situation… but their request is absurd.’
Honestly, it was a request he had to refuse. The exams were approaching, and even focusing on physical training and the Imperial Swordsmanship left little time. Making them capable of defeating the top students? It was nearly impossible.
Yet, he hesitated to outright refuse. Memories of his own troubled past surfaced. During his rebellious days, his family, unable to endure his behavior, had cast him out. The accusations and anger from his family had pierced his heart like arrows. It was his fault, a situation he had brought upon himself, yet bearing the brunt of their anger was overwhelming.
But these two were being rejected by their families through no fault of their own. The pain they must have felt was likely far greater than his own.
”…Alright. I’ll help you.”
After careful consideration, Damian agreed. The two students beamed with joy.
“Let’s be clear. Beating those guys is practically impossible.”
Emilio Borja and Geliver Fortina, the top and second-ranked first-year students, were at the level of junior knights. Junior knights could manifest aura and enhance their bodies with magic, making them practically superhuman.
“To beat them, you’ll have to work several times harder than anyone else. Promise me you won’t complain.”
“We promise!” “We’ll follow all your orders, sir!”
Oliver and Penelope responded immediately. Damian nodded, satisfied.
“There’s one more condition. This one’s the most important.”
“Yes! Please tell us!”
“If you lose, you’ll die by my hand.”
For a moment, they couldn’t believe their ears.
“You won’t just wish you were dead; you’ll actually die by my hand.”
“Come on, sir, that’s a joke, right…”
“Do I look like I’m joking?”
Damian’s eyes blazed with intensity, sending a chill down their spines. They swallowed hard, unnerved by his piercing gaze.
After sending the two students away, Damian contacted a member of the Demon Slayer Corps.
“Sir Damian, good to see you again.”
Jake, a member of the corps, greeted him warmly. As before, Damian checked the mark on Jake’s forehead through his monocle.
“Did you find out what I asked?”
“There wasn’t much time, so I couldn’t gather much information.”
Damian wasn’t disappointed. Only a day had passed, hardly enough time to gather intel.
“But I did hear something interesting.”
“What is it?”
“Over the past year, the knights of the White Blood Order have been making frequent trips outside.”
The White Blood Order was established to protect the academy. The fact that its knights were frequently leaving was suspicious.
‘There’s no way Sla could be scouting and kidnapping students alone. Could it be that Sla’s subordinates have infiltrated the White Blood Order?’
Damian thought of Blanca Roche. It seemed he needed to investigate further.
The next day, training time arrived. Unlike the previous day, not a single student tried to escape; they all gathered at the training ground. It seemed they realized there was no point in running.
“Penelope, step forward.”
At Damian’s command, Penelope stepped forward. He handed her a stick and said, “You’ll be in charge of the morning session.”
”…What?”
Caught off guard, Penelope was visibly flustered.
“I have somewhere to be this morning. Just do what I did. Make them run non-stop until the morning session ends.”
“Understood.”
Though puzzled, Penelope complied with Damian’s instructions. Leaving Class 13 in her hands, Damian exited the training ground.
“Now, where did they say the first-year swordsmanship class was being held?”
Damian’s business was none other than observing Emilio and Geliver’s training.
There was no ordinary way to fulfill Oliver and Penelope’s request.
So, Damian decided to take a different approach. He planned to thoroughly analyze Emilio and Geliver’s techniques and habits, then adapt them for Penelope and Oliver.
“Even if they’re just squires, it’s not like there’s no way to win.”
Squires were still inexperienced, so even if they enhanced their bodies with magic, the increase in power wasn’t significant. Moreover, since it was a sparring match, the use of aura was prohibited.
In other words, if they could gain a technical advantage, victory was possible.
“Only five days left. I wonder if it’s doable.”
As Damian pondered this, he continued walking.
“Well, if it isn’t Sir Damian!”
Blanca Roche was approaching from the opposite direction. Unlike usual, she wasn’t empty-handed. She was carrying a large wooden box on her shoulder.
“Just the person I was looking for. I have something for you.”
Blanca set the wooden box down on the ground. Inside were various training tools.
“These are the training tools I mentioned before. They’re quite old, but still usable. I’ve been diligent with their maintenance.”
Blanca said proudly.
“Sir Blanca, I didn’t expect you to actually bring them.”
“Hmm? What do you take me for? Blanca Roche never makes empty promises.”
She patted her chest plate with a confident smile.
As Damian looked at her, he recalled something Jake had told him the day before.
“Thank you, but… I’m a bit taken aback. Why are you going out of your way to help me like this?”
Damian asked directly. Blanca Roche looked slightly embarrassed at his question.
“Well, I suppose it might seem odd if you don’t know the circumstances.”
After a moment of contemplation, Blanca spoke to Damian.
“Could you spare a moment?”
Damian glanced at the distant clock tower. There was still time before the first-year swordsmanship class began.
“If it’s just a moment, I can.”
“Thank you. Then please, follow me.”
With that, Blanca started walking.
“There’s one student missing from the 13th class roster, isn’t there?”
As they walked, Blanca Roche spoke to Damian.
Indeed, there was one student on leave from the 13th class.
“How do you know that?”
“That’s not all. I even know the name. Isn’t it Gael Rondo?”
“That’s correct.”
“We’re going to meet that child now.”
Blanca Roche stopped walking. Damian looked up at the nameplate on the door.
The nameplate read “Infirmary.”
“This is where students who get seriously injured or fall ill during academy training come to recuperate.”
“Is Gael Rondo in there?”
Blanca nodded and opened the infirmary door. Inside, there were more than ten beds.
On one of those beds sat a lone boy.
His skin was pale, and his cheeks were sunken. His complexion was ashen, almost lifeless. Even from a distance, the strong smell of medicine was overwhelming.
”…Ah!”
As soon as he saw Blanca, the boy’s face lit up with a bright smile.
“Mother!”