Author: Yume Neiji

My revenge was over, and I couldn’t get my job done for a while. I have no memory of how I spent the first year after Julia’s death. I woke up when I saw Adam strolling in the mansion with Eve in his arms. Unlike me, my son lived his life looking forward.

(Ryan’s work isn’t done yet! Just how long will you leave the children alone!?)

Yes, I felt that Julia had scolded me.

From then on, I did my job and childcare as if to make up for the delay. I can’t take the place of their mother. Still, I poured my love and affection to them as hard as I could, like how Julia would have done. I made bread that she had never baked before, referring to the recipe left by Julia, and performed a lullaby that Julia often sang even though Adam teased me. I learned how to sew. I made a number of stuffed animals for Eve and re-sewed Adam’s clothes when he came home with them torn up.

Basically, I asked the housekeeper to cook the food, but on my days off, I stood in the kitchen and let the children eat what I made. I even went to a small party with knights and acquaintances. It was my little pleasure to see Adam and Eve look proud as they enjoyed my home-cooked meals.

Adam entered the Royal Primary School. The school was in the Royal Capital so only Adam was left at our parents’ house. It was lonely living apart, but Julia and I have our parents, so I wasn’t too worried. Additionally, I had about three knights on duty to watch over him, so if anything happened, they would report to me immediately.

However, Eve cries a lot because she can’t get used to a life without her brother. Therefore, I made a holiday and took Eve to the Royal Capital.

Then Eve entered primary school. At the same time, Adam entered high school. I had been living without the children for a long time. However, I went in the Royal Capital four times a month. By this time, the management of the territory was stable enough to be entrusted to others.

However, there was one thing that I didn’t like. At Julia’s father’s urging, Adam was apprenticed to the Fluffy Hermit, our master. I objected inwardly, but it was true that the hermit had made me so strong, so I decided to send my son to Master. Fortunately, Adam didn’t have a talent for fluffy, but he did have a talent for the sword. Master said, “He’s Ryan’s son after all” and it ended as a natural result. Adam is a wise and strong-minded child, just like me.

Eve also went to the dojo. She wants to imitate what her brother does. I objected, but I had no choice but to allow her when she brought Julia up. Master looked at Eve and said, “You have the talent for Fluffy, and you have Julia’s blood in you.”

I wet my pillow with tears that day.

Adam graduated from high school. When I asked him what he was going to do, he said he wanted to take over my estate. I almost burst into tears. It was only natural that my son would take over the patrimony, but I was glad that he said so himself. However, I dared to say, “You will take over later, but first, you should take your time and learn about the lives of the people in the province.”

I’m not even old enough to retire yet. It’s not so easy to retire, right?

Eve then graduated from high school. By this time, she was a woman of her age, and there was someone she is in relationship with. It seems that the other party is the son of Duke Medil. According to the results of my investigation from the shadows, it seems that he has a good personality and is single-minded, and his grades are quite good.

Well, his swordsmanship isn’t that great, but on the contrary, Eve is skilled, so it wasn’t a bad combination. It is a double circle after all. Eve was married before Adam. My daughter was taken. I felt like that and cried at the wedding. I looked next to me, and Adam was crying too, we hugged each other and bowled our eyes out. Eve had grown up so beautifully that she could be said to be a second version of Julia.

She is a bride that everyone admires. She thanked me for raising her in behalf of her mother. She said that when she was having a hard time, when she was happy, when she was lonely, I was always there for her. Eve has grown up. That’s how I felt. I finally fulfilled one of my promises to Julia.

Then Adam plans to get married. Eve had a child. Two big news made me jump up in joy. At last, I became a grandfather. Adam even gave me more surprise when he said that his partner is already pregnant. The other party is the daughter of a countess whom he met when he was a student. I was caught off guard by the lack of investigation on my son’s relationship. I met her and had a conversation with her. She was a good child. I allowed her to marry into the Doris family.

My grandson called me “Grandpa” for the first time. At the same time as I was feeling happy and contented, I wondered if I had already reached such an age. It feels like a long time ago when I was living in Tokyo.

I’m happy. There may not be more.

However, if I could wish for one more thing, I would like to apologize to Tanaka-san in person. I didn’t understand what I was feeling then. I just thought I wanted to work with him again if I could still hope for it. I am Ryan Doris, and I am Yasuhiko Kanzaki after all.

“Ryan-sama, I have something to report to you.”

The former knight commander, who became my butler, stands by my side and made a report. According to his report, there are apparently a party of adventurers who has made a name for themself in Mana. Moreover, it is said that there is a sacred beast among them.

I ordered them to be called at once. Sacred Beast. It is a great guardian beast. It is said that the existence of one such beast is enough to make the kingdom safe for a thousand years.

I sat down on a chair in the garden and looked up at the blue sky. I don’t know what kind of adventurer the party leader is, but I have to find out if he deserves to raise a sacred beast. This kingdom where my family lives must be kept alive and developed at all costs. That is my last duty as a nobleman.

At that time, I didn’t know anything. Even more so, I didn’t expect to fall on the ground and be thrown away by Tanaka-san.

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.

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“Answer me. Who paid you?”

“…………”

“I see. Looks like it’s not enough.”

I once again pressed a dripping wet towel on the face of the assassin who is tied to the chair with his head faced upwards. It doesn’t matter how long it takes. I’ll make sure to make him talk.  Like magma, a rising anger swirled inside me.

Julia’s funeral ended with only her relatives. Adam couldn’t comprehend that his mother was gone, and he tried to wake her up by shaking her who stayed motionless, and Eve, who was less than a year old, was sleeping peacefully in my arms. Bowing down and putting my head on the ground, I apologized to Julia’s parents. I vowed that I’ll make her happy and I would be with her until we grew old and died. Her parents gently helped me to stand and said that their daughter was happy.

That kindness was painful. I wanted them to call me a liar, abuse and beat me. I broke my promise.

It was only when I came at this point that I painfully understood Tanaka-san’s feelings. To lose something so important that can be said to be a part of oneself is to suffer from a feeling of emptiness that drives you insane. In that hole in the chest, people have to stuff something into it to survive.

I’m very angry. Anger directed at the one who killed my wife. After the funeral, I left my work and children to someone else and spent the whole week torturing the assassin I had captured.

Who sent him and why? Just why!?

I haven’t slept thinking about it for a while.

Oops, it’s time to take the towel or he’ll die.

“How is it? Do you feel like talking now?”

“…………Fuck….. you.”

“It looks like it’s not enough huh. Let’s try again then.”

I pressed the wet towel on his face again. Much harder this time. I wonder if it’s because he is a skilled assassin, but he is surprisingly tight-lipped. But I’m not one to give up after a week or so. Whether it’s a month or a year, I’ll keep this guy alive and make him spit out his client. To do so, I must continue to torture him until he begs me to kill him. Of course, I’m going to do whatever it takes. I’m ready for that.

“Head of Family! Please open the door!”

I heard a knock on the door of the room. I removed the towel on the assassin’s face and opened the door to see who had come. The visitor is the Commander of the Knights of the Imperial Guard.

“What’s wrong?”

“Adam-sama is trying to dig up her mother’s grave! He uses a tremendous sword attack and we can’t stop him.”

“I see. Leave it to me.”

I locked the room tightly and head to my wife’s grave with the commander. There, I saw my son digging in the ground with a shovel.

“Stop it, Adam.”

“Mother is sleeping under here! I’ll wake her up!”

“Stop it. Julia is dead.”

“Liar! Mother is not dead! There’s no way she’s going to leave Eve and me behind!”

“I’m telling you to stop!”

For the first time, I slapped my son in the cheek. At that time, I remember that for some reason, my hand hurt.

“Julia is dead! From now on, the three of us, you, me and Eve, will have to live! Please look at the reality!”

“U-u-…… uwaaaaaahhh”

Adam threw the shovel away and fled. I knew. Adam, who was still very young, could not understand that his mother was dead. Still, I have to raise them well. The two children she left behind. It was the last bastion left for me.

　◇◇◇

“I’ll talk…… K-kill…. me… already.”

A month has passed since the torture began. With no arms and legs and needles stuck all over his body, he spoke in a faint voice. At first, I didn’t hear his voice, I just sat in my chair thinking about what kind of torture I should do next. It wasn’t until he said the same thing a second time that I finally noticed him talking.

“You said you are now willing to tell me who is the client?”

“Yes…. I’m going…. to tell you…. already…. so p-please…. kill me.”

“What is the proof that what you are going to say is true?”

“I-….I’ll tell…. where my money is stashed…. I keep a list…. of my clients there….. that should be a proof.”

“Okay. I’ll take your word for it.”

The assassin said the client’s name in a hoarse voice. I almost went crazy hearing that familiar name, but the more I thought about it, the more it made sense. If the lender dies, the debt is also canceled. I should have thought about it. Why did he come to me at that time? He had no intention of apologizing from the beginning. What a despicable guy!

I got the assassin’s money and a list of his clients, and when I was convinced that what he had said was true, I beheaded the person I was torturing with a sword. I sneered that I had finally caught the back of the person I was supposed to take revenge on.

　◇◇◇

“Ohoh! Look at it! The gold coins I swindled from Ryan! He took pity on me without even knowing that an assassin was being sent to him! Hahaha! It’s so funny that I could die!”

“Well done, Johnny. Now with this, we can play for a while again. In addition, you killed two birds with one stone by eliminating Ryan, who is such a busy body. My stock will rise again in the social circles.”

At the Dosad’s mansion, Johnny and his father were smiling sheepishly as they counted the gold coins on the table. From what I can hear in their conversation, they don’t seem to know that I’m still alive.

But, that’s normal isn’t it? Frontier information is slow to arrive unless it is very important. On the other hand, now that I think about it, they should be able to hear about it as soon as I die, but they didn’t realize that. Still so stupid as ever.

I smiled as I looked down through the hole in the ceiling. The person who commissioned the assassination was Johnny Dosad. He cheated me and got my gold coins. It is probably a lie to say that he is borrowing money from the Great Chamber of Commerce. Now that I think about it, his signature and the signature of the Great Company were in the same handwriting.

And the assassination list that I got. It listed more than 20 people who had been killed at Dosad’s request. In other words, this is not their first offense. He is more than a scumbag, he is a deviant.

Because of a person like him, my wife is now…… remembering how Julia had been killed, the blood vessels in my head were about to burst with anger.

“By the way, that person from before hasn’t come back yet?”

“Now that Father mentioned it, you’re right. He usually shows up to report the assassination at thi—”

I jumped from the roof into the room. As soon as I landed, I decapitated Johnny’s father, then I turned around severing Johnny’s left arm from the shoulder. Seconds later, his arm falls to the floor and fresh blood stains the walls of the room.

“Ugy—mmmmph!?”

Before he screamed, I held his mouth with my left hand. This is just an assassination. I should not let anyone find me killing them. With that in mind, I plunged my sword into his thigh, impaling it to the floor.

“Did you think you killed me, huh Johnny?”

“Mmmmmmmmphhh!!! …..mmmph……”

“You’ve always lacked imagination, and I’m sure you wouldn’t think that the person you bullied or tried to kill would come to take revenge.”

“Howhehaaaa!! Howhaaaaheeee!”

“I don’t get what you’re trying to say.”

I pulled out a knife from my pocket and stabs it into Johnny’s other thigh. He tried to scream, but I hold him down with my left hand stopping him from doing so.

“Let’s talk a little more, maybe I can help you if I change my mind.”

He nods his head in agreement. I almost laughed at his desperate appearance. I rolled up a piece of cloth and shoved it into his mouth and then I tied a cloth over it. In addition, I also stabbed his remaining right hand with another knife and fixed it to the table.

Now Johnny can’t escape.

“Do you know that my wife was killed?”

“Hihahahifuha!”

“I don’t think it has reached your ears. Yes, my wife was assassinated. I captured the perpetrator and tortured him. Whose name do you think came out of his mouth?”

“Hihahafuhaha!”

“Yes, your name came up, and of course that’s not the only proof. This is the list that the assassin had. The target, the client, and the amount requested are listed. From what I can see, your name is the most common client. You seemed to have been a good customer.”

“Hohehafuha! Hohafuhe!”

Johnny shakes his head and bursts into tears. I can’t hear the words well, but I presume that he is pleading not guilty.

“Now, here’s the thing. You killed my wife, albeit indirectly. What must be paid for this sin. Or what do you want to pay for it? First, let me hear your offer.”

“Hohahehahahefu! Hihohihaheha!”

“Hn? Mmmm, you want to pay with your life. You lack imagination, but you are recklessly courageous.”

“Hihafu! Hohahehohahafu!!”

“What a strange coincidence. Actually, I was thinking the same thing. I was thinking that you should pay with your life. Oh, and I’ll get this money back. It’s money that Julia and I saved after all.”

I packed the gold coins in a bag and put them in my pocket. Right at that moment, Johnny put his head on the table, showing deep apology. Too late. I don’t think apology is still needed now.

I watched him closely while talking to him this whole time. I was wondering whether Johnny will apologize or not. I thought about letting him go at first. Of course, I am going to peel the skin off his face and then cut off his tongue and limbs so that he wouldn’t be able to speak and his family wouldn’t know who did it.

But with this, I can kill without hesitation.

“Apologize to Julia in hell!”

I pulled out the sword that was stuck in his thigh and decapitated Johnny. Blood gushes out like a fountain, and his headless body collapses.

“It’s in vain, still, I finished my revenge.”

I glanced at the corpse of the parent and child, then jumped up to the roof with my hood pulled on. Thus ended my relationship with Johnny Dosad. However, what came to my heart when I achieved my revenge was not joy but sadness.

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.

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After graduating from high school, I decided to become a military officer as I had declared. However, there was no way I could suddenly sit in the post I wanted. My military debut was fulfilled when I was assigned an affordable position commensurate with my status.

On the other hand, my relationship with Julia reached a goal. It’s the marriage of Ryan Doris and Julia Label. It was a happiness that I finally grasped after five years of dating. I went a little overboard to make the wedding grand though. I am the only child in the Doris family so it is the first and last ceremony for my parents. In front of the assembled people, we vowed to God that we would remain together until the end of each other’s lives.

The following year, Julia became pregnant. I also achieved results at work and was promoted. Thinking about the future, we decided to buy a small detached house. Then, a child was born. It’s a boy. I named him, Adam. His loud cry convinced me and Julia that his future is bright.

Then, I was further promoted. I was entrusted with about 100 subordinates. But because of this, I often have to move away from the Royal Capital. It was painful to have to leave my beloved wife and child behind and go to a distant land, but I was able to endure it when I thought about them. I could only work hard to get home as soon as possible.

In recognition of the results of my work, I was promoted again. I was given the position of a commander of 10,000 soldiers. By this time, my son had turned 3 years old. I also succeeded in beating the anti-royal forces. Thanks to this, I was able to catch a nobleman who was planning a rebellion. His Majesty was greatly pleased with this and then the kingdom was plunged into a storm of purges.

I was awarded a medal and a knighthood for my great achievements. At last, I surpassed my father and became an Earl. And my post became Adjutant General. The road to General is now only in the countdown stage.

Then a report came in that Mana, the city in the western frontier, had been taken over by thirty dragoneuts. They seemed to be deserters who had turned into a band of bandits. In addition, they claimed our city as their territory. I received orders from His Majesty to recapture the city alone.

I succeeded in destroying all but one dragoneut. This brought to light the dangers the Western Frontier may face so I was forced to take over the Western Frontier as my territory and was awarded the title of Marquis.

I hadn’t noticed it. That other nobles were extremely wary of me now. In other words, this mission was the perfect opportunity to throw me to the frontier.

Still, my wife and I were delighted. It was unexpected, but it was also like a promotion. I also thought that I would be able to live comfortably with my wife and children then.

　◇◇◇

My son is now 5 years old. Recently, he has been running around the mansion in a naughty manner. He’s so restless that I don’t know who he came after.

“Father, let’s practice swordsmanship!”

“I’m at work now. I’ll ask a knight guard to do it with you first.”

“Everybody’s going to get beat up by me right away, it’s boring.”

Adam puffs out his cheeks. I see. He means that he is being entertained by the knights. It’s about time I asked for strict guidance. Right then, the door opened and Julia walked in. As soon as Adam sees his mother, he runs to her and hugs her legs.

“Oh my, you’re already a big brother but you’re still so spoiled huh.”

“I won’t give Mother to Eve yet. You’re my Mother!”

“Don’t say that. You’re the big brother so you have to protect this child, okay? Or, do you hate your sister?”

“……I love you and I love Eve too.”

With tears in his eyes, Adam slowly accepted that he is now a big brother. A baby wrapped in a cloth was held by Julia. Our daughter was born this year. Her name is Eve. She is a lovely child who laughs a lot.

“Ah right, Ryan, we have a guest. He said that he is your classmate from school. I made him wait in the reception room.”

“Classmate? Thank you. I’ll be right there.”

I was a little anxious about the sudden visit of a classmate who was not on my schedule. When he introduced himself as my classmate, it means that someone from a noble family came here. It would be fine if it was just a matter of reminiscing, but depending on the other person’s goal, I might not be able to respond calmly.

You can’t blame me for thinking like this. This is because I am now completely hated by the aristocrats.

I opened the door in the waiting room and sit on the sofa. Someone sitting across from me was wearing a hood.

“You said you are a classmate, but I wonder who you are. Could you please show me your face?”

“…You’ve come a long way in the ranks, haven’t you? Marquis Ryan Doris.”

“That voice… don’t tell me….”

The other person who pulled down his hood gave me the same fearless smile as he did back then. A sly sickly face with a black bobbed hair. He has grown, but he overlaps perfectly with the one in my memory.

“Johnny Dosad?”

“Correct. It’s been a long time, Ryan.”

I braced myself slightly, placing my hand on the hilt of the sword at my waist. But he panics and tries to stop me.

“Wait, I’m not the same person I was back then. I’m not thinking of doing anything to you.”

“Do you mean to say that you have been reformed? That Johnny?”

“At that time, I didn’t really understand the world. I was living under the delusion that status was everything. Now I realize that I was a foolish child. I made you feel terrible. I’m sorry.”

Johnny bowed his head to me. I couldn’t believe it. Johnny apologized to me. I looked back for a moment on the humiliation I had suffered at that time before responding.

“I’ll accept that apology.”

“Really!? Thank you!”

“Yeah. So, what is the purpose of you coming here today?”

“For that….…here.”

Johnny pulls out a piece of paper and hands it to me. When I opened it, it was an IOU with Johnny’s name on it. The amount totaled to 100 gold coins. It seemed to be a loan from the Great Chamber of Commerce in the Royal Capital. Immediately, Johnny prostrates on the floor.

“This is my one and only request. Please lend me some money.”

“Please stop. I’m not going to lend you money……”

“If this continues, the Dosad family will fall. Even though I have my family behind me, I don’t know how to live from now on. A Marquis can pay this amount, right? Please. I want you to lend me money.”

Johnny was clinging to my leg, begging for help. I felt good watching it. The person who bullied me a lot is now begging me for help. It’s up to me to save or forsake. The moment I thought of that, I was angry at myself. No matter how much I have been bullied in the past, I can’t laugh at the sight of someone asking for help.

I crouched down and grabbed Johnny’s shoulders.

“Okay, I’ll take care of it. Of course, this is a one-time thing. This is also a favor, the next time I am the one in trouble, you will have to help me.”

“Of course! I’d do anything for you!”

In this way, I lent Johnny a hundred gold coins, a large sum of money about 100 million yen. At this point, I should have noticed that his eyes were smiling coldly.

　◇◇◇

It was late at night on the day of Johnny’s visit. I was in my study, lighting a lamp and doing paperwork. The problem is how to increase our savings. The hundred gold coins I gave Johnny is not a money I could afford. That’s half of the savings I’ve been working so hard to accumulate. Still, I gave it to him because I believed in his change of heart. And now that the aristocracy is against me, I really wanted to increase the number of my allies as much as possible.

“Gyaaaahh!!!”

“What!?”

A scream rang out in the mansion. And that voice is very similar to Julia’s. I reflexively grabbed my sword and left the room. I quickly headed to the bedroom where Julia and the child are sleeping.

“Julia!?”

When I entered the room, I found her lying on the floor with a dagger in her hand. I immediately run up to her and hugged her.

“Ryan, the kids…… Please…..s-save….”

“Don’t talk! I’ll have you treated immediately!”

Julia had a deep stab wound in her chest. Blood flowed out of it unstoppably, creating a pool of blood on the floor. I remember that there was a cure mushroom in the mansion, so I put her on the floor for the time being and tried to leave the room.

However, I felt a killing intent from behind me, and I quickly drew my sword and slashed at him.

“Who are you!?”

“…………”

Someone dressed in black spun around in mid-air before landing. I immediately knew it was an assassin. Moreover, he is quite skilled. However, he had a cut on his left arm. It was probably a wound caused by Julia’s resistance.

“Who asked you to sneak in?”

“…………”

“Won’t talk? I’ll break that mouth right away.”

“…… Kuku”

The assassin laughs softly. Moments later, he disappeared into the darkness. It’s a stealth skill. Relying on presence detection, I deflected the enemy’s attack and cut off one of his legs right away. With a scream, the assassin falls to the floor. His eyes looked up at me, and he seemed to ask me how I knew about the attack.

“I mastered the presence detection skill, it was a stroke of luck that you fought me.”

“……I screwed up….”

The assassin faints after saying those words.

I then quickly left the room to get cure mushroom to help my wife. I hurriedly went for it and returned to the room. However, Julia’s body is now as cold as ice. I rubbed her body hard to warm it up and then I poured the chewed cure mushroom into her mouth. But no matter how long it takes, she doesn’t wake up.

“Julia! Wake up! Please wake up!!”

I finally realized it after doing everything I could. She had left for heaven.

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.

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Later, Julia took me to visit a certain place. At first glance, it looked like a wooden warehouse, and when we entered it, I could see about 20 children fighting with wooden swords. Watching over them was an old man with pure white hair and beard.

“Master, I brought him here!”

“Hoh~, that boy over there?”

The old man, who she called Master, observed me with a sharp gaze through the gap between his long white eyebrows that hid his eyes. Moreover, he wears a dark brown robe. He seems to be teaching martial arts even though he is a master-level mage. At first sight, I know that he was not an ordinary person.

“Don’t be so defensive. As you can see, I’m just an old man.”

“I want you to stop joking. The moment you looked at me, I felt your piercing gaze you see.”

“Well, it looks like you’ve got the basics in place. I guess I’ll have to introduce myself then.”

The old man made the children go down and then he stood alone in the center of the room. As he raised his cane, the air tensed and everyone in the room, including me, gulped from nervousness.

“I am well known as the fluffy hermit who has walked the path of magic and mastered the path of martial arts.”

I was taken aback.

What does he mean by fluffy hermit?

Just then, countless dogs and cats flooded the dojo. At the same time, the applause of the children erupted. Wait a minute. I can’t keep up with the situation.

Where did these animals come from? Why hang out around the old man? Why are the children clapping?

“Great job, Master! It’s always the best self-introduction!”

“Right? First impressions are all about impact you see.”

The old man strokes the animals one by one and smiles. He was certainly just as Julia said, you would need time to answer who he was. I swallowed all the questions that came to my mind and reassured myself that I could do more here.

“If you want to be strong, take my guidance. If you have talent, you will rise to the highest level.”

“May I ask you one question then? What does being strong have to do with fluffy?”

“In order to master magic and martial arts, you have to master the path of fluffy, and vice versa. Fluffy is the essence and mystery of martial arts.”

“I feel like I’m about to go crazy here….”

Looking at Julia, she nodded excitedly at the old man’s words. I was impressed that she could understand what he was trying to say. Here I am, I don’t know what he is talking about. However, it is also true that everything is an experience.

For the time being, I decided to follow the old man and train here.

　◇◇◇

It’s been four years and a few months since I started going to the dojo. I am already eighteen years old now and I am about to graduate from high school. The days go by frighteningly fast. It feels like it was only yesterday when I started going to the dojo.

It is me and Master who is holding the wooden sword and is facing each other in the dojo. Julia is acting as a watchman. However, there is now a world of only me and Master. I sharpened my nerves and calm my mind.

“Come on!”

“Seiya!”

In the moment, I find an opening on my Master’s side and hit him. However, almost at the same time, he seemed to have found an opening on me too, and Master’s wooden sword slammed into my shoulder. There is no winner or loser. Although feeling frustrated for not winning, I felt a sense of satisfaction that I was able to hit Master for the first time.

“You’ve grown so much, Ryan. I can’t believe you’ve improved your swordsmanship even though you don’t understand what fluffy is. You’ve earned your full license. Congratulations on your graduation.”

“It’s all thanks to Master’s teachings that I’ve become this strong. I’m grateful from the bottom of my heart.”

I received a book of fluffy from Master. With this, I graduated from the dojo and said goodbye to Fluffy. In retrospect, it was something beyond my comprehension. Everything I was taught is interwoven with fluffy and it even tries to brainwash me. To be honest, in this past four years, I thought I was going to go crazy. The students who go to school here are absurd I should say.

By the way, in Julia’s House, the Label Family, the whole family is animal crazy. Julia herself is crazy for cats. When she sees a stray cat, she gets excited and chases it. I’m thinking about saying hello to her parents soon, but I’m a little worried knowing that they are all “fluff” crazy. Will I be able to get along with the Label family? That’s a big question in my head.

“In the end, you had a talent for the sword, but not for fluffy huh. Then you can’t do the enlightenment of Fluffy.”

“What is that enlightenment of fluffy?”

“It’s a secret technique that I devised. It’s an invincible technique that if I stroke anyone, they’ll climax from so much pleasure that they’ll become defenseless.”

“.….For the first time, I wanted to understand fluffy.”

Why couldn’t I understand Master’s teachings? I’ve never felt so frustrated as I did today.

“You are now about to enter the society huh. But have you decided what you will do?”

“I’m thinking of taking the same government position as my father. If I become a military officer, I’ll have a chance to become a general.”

“That’s a good decision. You can definitely do it. The king may be foolish, but if his vassals are wise, the kingdom will not perish.”

Master muttered to himself.

I have never met the king of this kingdom, but I wonder if he is really that stupid, making Master worry about the destruction of the kingdom. Despite my doubts, Julia and I said goodbye to the fluffy hermit before leaving the dojo.

　◇◇◇

“That was quick huh. It’s been four years since I met Ryan.”

“That’s right. Well, even now, I still think of that day when I bumped into you.”

Julia and I were sitting on a bench in the square, talking about our memories of the past four years. After graduating from school, she opened a bakery with the help of her parents. In fact, she made the bread she always ate. Her shop is now a well-known store with long lines.

“Wahewou youhedowou weddiwouo?”

“Please, don’t talk to me while eating bread, it’s a bad habit of yours.”

“(Gulps) I’m sorry. So, when should we set the wedding date?”

“I haven’t even said hello to your parents yet. If your parents like me, I think there would be no problem.”

“My parents were interested in you even before you meet them. When I told them that you might get your graduation license soon, they immediately said you would be the perfect marriage partner then. There’s nothing more to say. That’s all they said.”

The Label family’s immense trust in the fluffy hermit is terrifying. I don’t think he will come to the wedding though. Suddenly, I looked down at my feet and saw a leather ball rolling. In the distance, a child is waving and signaling for me to throw it to him. I lightly threw the ball and passed it to the child.

“When we get married, let’s have a baby.”

“Don’t be impatient, we’re still young.”

“That’s right. But you know, you say things like you’re old.”

“I’m old inside.”

After saying that, I kissed Julia. The ship of my life was finally riding the wind and starting to move.

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.

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In the end, I decided to date Julia. Saying this makes me doubt my character, but to be honest, she looked like my type. Of course, my wife from my previous life crossed my mind, but by the time I was fired as president, we had been divorced. We were originally a couple in name who had no love for each other, so there was no point in worrying about it now that I was reborn.

So yeah, Julia and I started dating. And I soon realized that there were unbearable difficulties ahead of me as I start dating her.

“Yes, 500 push-ups! Fighting!”

“W-wait a minute! I’ve just finished 500 sit-ups! I want to rest first.”

“I don’t allow you to whine! Don’t you want a reward after you’re done?”

“Damn…… that’s cheating. How dare you play with a man’s innocence?”

“What innocence? It’s just sexual desire. Alright, you can do it, go, go, go!”

Julia is squatting in front of me, who was lying face down, chewing on a large loaf of bread. I don’t even have time to look at the dazzling white thighs in front of me. I was dripping with sweat and frantically doing push-ups, and when I finished 500 times, I fell to the ground and looked up at the blue sky. Then a shadow forms on my face, Julia smiles while looking at me.

“Good job. You’re much better now.”

“If I do this every day, I’ll get used to it, even if I don’t like it.”

“But we’re not even halfway as planned.”

“I don’t want to hear it. Ahh, I’m dying.”

This training was a condition for my relationship with Julia. The Label family seems to be a famous family that produces knights, and her father seems to have decided that if she were to marry, it should be a high-ranking nobleman or a strong man with skill. At first, I thought about not dating her, but after thinking about it, I thought it would be a great opportunity to be trained by her because she was born into a knight’s family. If I gain strength, I can fight the bullying of Dosad. I felt like in this way, I could change my new life for the better.

　◇◇◇

After three months, my body grew rapidly. The limbs, which were thin, became thicker. Dulled reflexes sharpened. I am now able to play against Julia’s sword, which I couldn’t even handle before. I also gained new skills. I was no longer a man frightened by violence.

Then, they summoned me again to the back of the school building as usual, smiling frivolously and imagining how they would take me as a punchbag.

“I’m getting tired looking at him just get punched. I think it’s time to do something more radical, like putting a needle between his fingernails.”

“……..…”

“Hahaha. What? Are you so scared out of your wits that you can’t even speak? Fufu, it’s better that way, because I’m more excited when you’re scared. Hold him down.”

Two of Johnny’s companions grabbed my arm. But I twisted my arm lightly and pushed them to the ground instead. Johnny is upset by the unexpected turn of events and steps back.

“I’m a little different today, not like the one you used to beat as you pleased.”

“Aben! Knock out Ryan! It’s an order!”

Following the order, the fat schoolboy raises his fist at me. The movement of the arm, which I could not see at all before, is now totally visible. I activated my swordsmanship skills. Martial arts skills that use weapons are instantaneous, but you can also attack even when you’re empty handed. This is not well-known though.

For example, in swordsmanship, the condition of use is that you should have a sword at hand. However, if you activate it without a sword, the skill will forcibly use air as a weapon. I call this a “skill malfunction”. Of course, this is not the right way to use the skill, and it is known that the power made with this is not enough to kill people. At best, it is like swinging a wooden sword.

“Hegyaa!?”

Aben, who was always beating me, fell to the ground with an air sword slammed into his left shoulder. I heard a crunching sound, so I guess his collarbone was broken. However, in this world where there are items and spells for healing, it’s not a big injury. Still, my heart was somewhat refreshed.

“My loyal servant! How dare you, Ryan!”

“Thank you for everything you’ve done up until now, I’m not the kind of person who gets beaten forever.”

I slowly walk up to Johnny. Each time I stepped forward, he steps back and tries to get away from me.

“Why don’t you fight yourself, Johnny?”

“I’m the one who gives orders! I don’t do it directly like they do!”

“Is that an excuse? You didn’t do anything, so you’re not guilty. Is that it?”

“That’s right! If you still want to hit me, do it! Instead, we’ll see what happens to your family! It’s just a Baronial House against a Marquis House after all!”

I knew that. What would happen if a small baronial family with no servants hit the son of a marquis? It was obvious that it would be a defeat for us.

I had planned not to touch Johnny from the beginning. However, I thought that this would have punished him a little. I let the child of an arrogant aristocrat know that I also had the power to do it again.

I decided to leave.

“I will definitely avenge this humiliation one day! I won’t forgive you!”

I snorted at Johnny’s words coming from behind me. “If you can do it, do it. I’ll remind you again then.” That’s what I thought at this time.

　◇◇◇

After that, Julia’s training continued. My abilities have improved tremendously, to the point of surprising her who had so many years of training. If we fought with a wooden sword, I would win at least one out of five, and I could now run ten kilometers without running out of breath.

The bullying from Johnny also stopped completely after that day. Even if we passed each other in the hallway, they just stared at me and didn’t bother me at all. Thanks to this, I gradually began to make more friends, and my school life changed into a meaningful one.

One day, Julia made a proposal to me.

“Do you want me to meet your Master?”

“Yes, Ryan can keep up with my Master’s training now.”

“It’s a nice offer…… but, who is your Master anyway?”

I was doing push-ups with Julia on my back while having this conversation with her.

“Who is he huh…… uhm…I wonder who he really is too.”

“Oi. Is it really okay to ask such a person to teach you?”

“I’m certain that he is capable. Besides, Master is an acquaintance of father, so there’s no problem at all. As for your question, it’s really hard for me to explain who he is. I think it would be quicker if you meet him in person.”

“I’m quite worried….. my stomach hurts.”

This is how I met Julia’s mentor.

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.

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