Interlude 7 Senior Pupils?

 

Today I'm sparring with Master from early morning again. He acknowledged me as his pupil that time, but there's still so much to learn from him.
Unlike in the beginning, he's coming at me without a shred of mercy, but I won't be discouraged.

"All right, let's stop here. Now that we've worked up some sweat, time to get some grub."


Phew. The fact that I'm able to endure it till midday really drives home how much I've improved. I mean it was formerly a cycle of passing out, fainting in agony and rebirth.
But I've still got a long way ahead of me. I can't even guess how many percent of his power Master is using now. I asked him about it once before, and he bluntly declined to disclose it, saying that it's part of training. Just how were the training with his other pupils like I wonder.

Fumu, that reminds me, I've never heard anything about the senior pupils.
Since I'm the 10th pupil, there should nine other besides me. And I haven't met even one of them. I'm not even sure if they're in Gramada. Since Master is on break and all, I'll use this chance to ask him about them.



"Fumu, my other pupils huh? Speaking of which, I never talked about them huh."

"Yes, I have never seen them either, are they living in some distant places?"

"Right, lemme see. Lots of those bunch are quite free spirited you see. At least five of them are currently unaccounted for."

Then Master spoke about them one by one.

The first pupil is Temuro Ryei-shi.
He's currently acting as a commanding officer of knights under House of Duke Gramada here. His main weapon is a javelin with a morning star as his sub. What kind of combo is that.
Due to his pampered upbringings, he acted like everything revolved around himself, shut inside his cocoon in his younger days, but thanks to Master beating him into shape, he has been reformed. Afterward, he kept on improving himself and eventually won a martial arts tournament at the capital. Then he was scouted by the duke and entered the knights. He's a veteran now and is devoting his time training his subordinates.

"Oh right, forgot which one, but one of his sons should be about the same age as you. You'd probably get to meet him somewhere one of these days."

Master, that's gonna turn into a flag, please stop, I beg of you.

The second pupil is Christie-san.
She was affiliated with the guards despite being a woman. It's said that she would run across battlefields donning her heavy armor and a great shield. She's retired to be a housewife now. Her partner was apparently a former enemy who surrendered, lots of stuff happened.

"Pretty masculine gal she was. And yet she would care for Eleanor when she was still little. She should be living in a quiet village at the outskirts of capital right now."


The third one is an archer by the name Kamyu.
It may sounds like a woman's, but he's a man. Apparently his mental health took a hit after killing so many people during war.

"His skill with a bow is unparalleled as far as I'm aware of. That extraordinary skill was also what landed him to the wrong unit. Got made a member of a unit mainly in charge of assassinations, you see. Guy's got a kind disposition so he suffered quite a bit. Looked like a worn-out shell of his former self when I helped to negotiate his discharge."

Apparently he's currently recuperating in a villa by a lake shore at a remote countryside.


The fourth one is Juno, an active rank A adventurer.
I heard the name from the 『Vibration Blade - Destruction』. I also overheard it when I dropped by Adventurer Guild once before.
He's supposedly got the alias 『Wandering Swordsmaster』. A great sword wielder, his free form sword techniques don't fit Master's teachings. That free form-ness extends to his personality as he'd wander around ruins and dungeons all over the places.

"That man can never settle down, always wandering off somewhere, but his core strength was the highest among my pupils. He's also a con-man, or rather, he's really good at winning people over. I'm not sure when did he got to be my pupil myself."


The fifth one was also an adventurer, but he's retired to run a bakery now, Siboc-san.
A twin-blade user who specialized in eliminating monsters to the point that he was known as Hunter. When he married his sweetheart, he also used the chance to open a bakery. From a letter sent to Master, their first child was just born recently.

"He's good with swords, but his real strength lies on the presence-killing technique befitting of a hunter. My other pupils often made fun of him for being an assassin. Guy himself would only wryly smile back though."

I'd love to learn that whenever I got the chance. Sounds like it'd be pretty useful for dungeon explorations.
<TLN: If you're reading this novel at any other site than Sousetsuka .com you might be reading an unedited, uncorrected version of the novel.>

The sixth one is Uson.
He asked to be Master's disciple in order to save his childhood girlfriend who had been abducted by a certain cult. He's apparently living a retired life in a village in mountains with that girl now. His weapons are dagger and hidden arms. Quite versatile at it apparently, he's able to shoot out those hidden arms from his boots and stuff.

"That guy's ambidextrous. Just when you think he's coming for your left, it's right instead, and vice versa, his free form combat style wouldn't lose to Juno's."

It's okay, Master you're pretty free form yourself. I mean you feigned a stab only to unleash a barrage of forehead pokes on me. My forehead is still red even now.


The seventh one is Kassu.
A passionate man who speaks with his fists like Master. He's obsessed with training, or rather, he'd go anywhere if he heard about a strong opponent and challenge them to a fight. As such, his whereabouts is a mystery with no mean to contact either.

"This one's a mirror image of my younger self. To put it bluntly, he's an idiot. Nobusada, you'd probably get to meet him once your fame reaches far and wide."

Master, I'm telling you please stop raising these flags. I'd drop him in a pitfall and bury him if he did come. Yes let's do that. Wonder if he'd fall for it if I put  banana on top of the pitfall?


The eighth one is Lodran.
He's got his own way of doing things and will make use of anything and everything, Master himself doubts if the man is even his pupil. His current whereabouts is unknown. Last known information on him detailed him heading to a faraway land in order to sell giant warrior statues he dug out of underground ruins to a dilettante or something.

"The word adventurer is coined to describe this guy. He would readily wander off to some untrodden lands and ruins then dug up suspicious stuff. Got the best adaptability to environments amongst my pupils."

Feels like Master has no idea where to even begin with this guy. Eh what? You're not one to talk you say? You promised not to mention that, dad.


The ninth one, Setsuei.
Daggers, short swords, rapiers, one-handed swords, two-handed swords, long swords, great swords, he's a swordsman well versed in all kinds of swords. Heaven-sent child of war who has crossed over many battlefields all over the world. A madman starving for blood he's not, he's in fact a taciturn youth. Last known information on him, he was participating in the war that had erupted between Northern Oroshina Empire and Demon King's Army.

"Was a war orphan. Hated the very concept of war itself. Got to meet me while working in a mercenary band. The glares on those eyes were something else. Had gotten much better while under my care though."
<TLN: The character's gender is actually unspecified.>

He's got the nickname [Seven Swords] due to his complete control over seven swords. He's probably not wielding all seven swords at once though. Though maybe there are people who do it like a certain one-eyed dragon from that game, wielding six swords in both hands and all.


"So many of them seem so unique, don't they."

"Try as you may nonchalantly exclude yourself, you ain't foolin' no one, ya hear me?"

Kuh, he noticed my attempt to dodge that!

"W-well, it's not like they're the sort of people you can just meet everyday."

"Hm? Now that you mention it... You'd probably run into Temuro. Duke-sama has heard rumors about you after all."

Eh!? Why? I do have plans to hand out some S-P-A-N-K-I-N-G to nobles who are out of line through Master, but it's just still an idea, I haven't done anything yet.

"Heard you met Duke-sama's daughter or something?"

Ah!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!

I did. I did meet her. (Refer to Interlude 3)
Uwaah, what a blunder. What kind of rumors did the duke hear anyway.

"Yes, I had a chance encounter with her during a quarrel at Levelitt's temple, but what kind of rumor is it about?"

Fumu, said Master as he stroked his beard. That's him when he's trying to put on air. Mugugu, he's enjoying this, isn't he?

"Well, it's nothing bad to you. The young lady was overjoyed to meet a believer who's the same age as her for the first time. The duke said this while squinting his eyes... 'I will have it removed if it's a bad bug', he said."

Gyaaa, the duke is a doting parent. That was entirely an unforeseen incident, I'm telling you. I don't believe I gave off that bad of an impression, or did I. It should be fine. It's fine, right?






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