The Strategist of the Magic Emperor Shatters the Second Destruction - Volume 1 Chapter 3

“Balam! This person will be your teacher!”

“Hey, I haven’t decided to take a look yet…”

“Never mind that! Balam, this person is from the holy city—”

“Ah ah ah! No mentioning that! Don’t talk about my background! It becomes troublesome…”

“Really… Can’t be helped.”

The person Sister brought back was a man in his late twenties.

With dull black hair and a face that couldn’t be called neat due to his beard and scars, carrying a sword and several small bottles at his waist.

Probably an adventurer.

“Balam, this person is an adventurer who came from this orphanage! So, he’s like a big brother, a big brother!”

“Ah yeah yeah, I see. …So you’re the kid Sister mentioned.”

“P-pleasure to meet you!”

I bow my head while being towered over due to the considerable height difference.

“Huh, as expected of a kid from Sister’s place. Well-mannered. I’ve only been dealing with idiot nobility brats lately…”

“N-nobility, you say?”

“Hm? Ah, don’t worry about it.”

He evades the question as if it’s troublesome, but what he just mentioned… I can’t just let it go.

An adventurer who deals with nobility… Isn’t that someone of extremely high rank…?

Despite my curious gaze, he hands me the wooden sword he was holding.

“So you made this, huh? Not bad.”

“Ah, thank you very much.”

“But, if you can do this much, why bother learning the sword? You should be able to master that. Why do you want to learn swordsmanship?”

He asks while looking me in the eye.

Probably a good person. He knows the hardships and cruelty of putting effort into something that strays from one’s Talent.

But, I have my non-negotiable reasons.

“Even if I can make a sword, it’s meaningless if I can’t use it. What I need are both magic and martial arts. Only by combining them, I believe, can I become strong.”

“To become strong… For what purpose?”

For Anim. That’s the primary reason.

But that’s just a beautiful ideal.

After all, not once did Anim ask to be protected by me.

Then, why do I strive so hard for Anim’s sake?

That’s obvious.

“For my sake. My efforts are for me.”

The adventurer, he grinned, showing his teeth.

“Come outside. I’ll have a look.”

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“For my sake.”

This kid’s crazy. Totally off his rocker.

Scratching his head as he thinks of Sister who went to take care of the other kids.

What kind of upbringing creates such a ten-year-old…?

For what reason?

It wasn’t the first time he had asked that question.

The noble brats, as well as numerous rookie adventurers, had been asked countless times.

And almost all of them mentioned someone else’s name or goal.

Wanting to protect someone. To become a hero. To be popular. To defeat someone.

And all of it is built on self-satisfaction.

This kid, he knows the world is a collection of self-satisfactions.

He knows wanting to become strong for selfish reasons.

The look in his eyes when he said that was quite resolute.

“Kids these days, are they all like this?”

“For myself.” This is the second time I’ve heard that.

The first was a kid I’m currently seeing in the holy city.

And now this kid, Balam, makes the second.

“A week, huh… That’s too short. …Haha, what am I saying?”

He can’t help but laugh at his own willingness.

But it can’t be helped. There seems to be a kid worth teaching.

He draws his sword in the orphanage’s fairly large courtyard.

“First, let’s start with some simple swings. Watch me do it, then you try with that wooden sword.”

“Understood.”

Saying that, Balam takes a step back.

“Please.”

His black eyes, filled with the resolve he showed earlier, don’t miss a single action of mine.

Alright, alright. This kid really is something else.

I had thought kids of this age only liked practical experiences…

I make some arbitrary swings.

Not forms, just swinging.

From the high guard to a strike, stopping at mid-level.

Just that, several times.

Now, what will this kid’s reaction be?

Usually, they demand I teach them forms, or they find it boring…

After finishing the swings and looking at Balam, he was quietly observing the sword.

“I see, it’s for strengthening muscles. Focusing on the parts used when swinging the sword… I understand.”

The moment I heard that, a surge of excitement rose from within me.

Everyone who swings a sword goes through swinging practice, but most don’t grasp the essence and just do as they’re told.

I was the same when I was a kid.

I preferred practicing forms than swinging, getting tired of repetitive motions.

But the more you swing, the more you understand the refined essence of it.

Strength training for the sword. The reproducibility of the sword’s trajectory when swung.

These form the foundation when learning forms or developing one’s unique swordsmanship.

“Huff! H-Huff!”

“Hey, don’t strain too much. At first, just lift and drop it.”

“O-okay!”

Being thrown around by the weight of the sword, he hits the ground several times.

This is normal for the first day. I don’t expect a novice, especially a kid without martial Talent, to swing well from the start.

More than that, I’m intrigued by this kid’s uniqueness.

“Um… Teacher, is that okay?”

“Huh? Yeah, whatever.”

“Then, Teacher. Could you show me your swings again?”

“Ah, sure.”

A kid asking for more swings. That’s a first.

Observation before practice.

Then understanding.

Once satisfied, practice.

Knowing the importance of knowledge at this age.

That’s a different caliber from Talent.

A week, huh… Really too short.