“…What kind of nonsense is that?”
It was absurd. The idea that he would take on the role of Altina’s teacher? Was this girl really in her right mind?
From the very beginning, Jin was much weaker than Altina. There was no need to make cumbersome excuses about the so-called reset of his condition due to his regression; Jin was a fool who, after living for over a century, failed to awaken even a single Aura.
In other words, during the entire century of his life, there had never been a moment when he was stronger than the current Altina.
Even when they had been lovers in the past, it was Altina who had unilaterally protected him; it was never a situation where he could boast about wanting to protect her.
Sure, if we were to consider mere skill in a life-and-death scenario, Jin might be stronger than Altina, but that only proved his ability to engage in brawls. It didn’t mean he was truly stronger than her.
So who was going to teach whom? No, before even discussing teaching, Jin had nothing to teach Altina. How could a person who had never even witnessed an Aura teach someone who was an Aura user?
“You taught me once before.”
“When?”
“Have you forgotten already? When we first met in the training hall. You gave me advice then, which helped me reach the mastery level.”
“…Uh, well that’s—”
What could he say? It was merely a case of being overly meddlesome. Or perhaps it stemmed from a juvenile desire to appear somewhat mysterious in front of his ex-girlfriend.
Isn’t it true that men have a tendency to feel that way to some extent? Even if they’re disregarded by others, they want to show off a bit in front of their ex-girlfriend.
Moreover, the crucial point was that the advice Jin had given Altina previously was simply a reiteration of what she had told him during their past.
Jin’s understanding of martial arts wasn’t extraordinary, nor was he a superior practitioner compared to Altina; he had simply uttered some meaningless words!
“No, strictly speaking, it’s not entirely meaningless.”
The source of the advice Jin had given to Altina was none other than future Altina.
In essence, one could say that future Altina had helped past Altina. When you think about it, she had pinpointed her own issues. It couldn’t have been wrong, after all.
The problem, however, was that due to Jin’s thoughtless remarks, Altina was mistakenly believing that he was proficient enough to teach her!
– What’s the problem with that? Couldn’t I just explain that the advice I gave at that time was merely an offhand comment?
“No, it’s just… saying that myself is a bit…”
As mentioned earlier, it didn’t matter if others looked down on him or whispered behind his back, but he wanted to remain someone who appeared somewhat enigmatic and impressive in Altina’s eyes.
However, if he were to admit that what he said before was just him being boastful out of impulse, and that he was actually a complete novice compared to her, how would that affect his pride and reputation?
– So ultimately, because of his pride, he wouldn’t be able to speak the truth. How pathetic.
“Shut up. Do you even understand a man’s heart?”
But right now wasn’t the time to be idly bantering with Erekaya.
“And you, you’re much stronger than I am. With that level of skill, you should be able to give me some advice, right?”
“…Me? Stronger than you?”
It was ridiculous. Why was she under such a delusion?
“You defeated me with just the tip of your finger yesterday. I watched you move, and yet I couldn’t dodge it. If you had a sword in your hand, I would already be dead. Wouldn’t I?”
“Well, the only reason Jin was able to defeat Altina with just a finger last time was that he knew her well.”
Jin had sparred with Altina countless times, perhaps dozens or even hundreds, and he had become so familiar with her habits and fighting style that he could anticipate her moves even with his eyes closed.
What Jin did yesterday was simply recall the path she took to evade his attack and place his finger there in advance.
In other words, Jin hadn’t truly overpowered Altina with skill; he had just deceived her to win!
However, what came out of Jin’s mouth was slightly different from the truth.
“Uh? Well, that might be true.”
– Tsk, another lie. It seems that everything that comes out of his mouth is a tall tale.
Ignoring Erekaya’s chatter in his mind, Jin quickly started brainstorming for excuses.
“But still, am I really able to help you? After all, you don’t primarily use a sword, do you? Your main weapon is the Magical Gun, isn’t it?”
“…How did you know that? I never pulled out the Magical Gun in Nineveh!”
Altina’s eyes widened in surprise at Jin’s words, as if he had discovered a secret she had been hiding.
‘…Oh, crap.’
Could it be that she hadn’t revealed her primary weapon was a gun in Nineveh? Did he just step on a landmine? Surely, she wouldn’t think he was some kind of stalker, would she?
Yet Altina’s reaction was somewhat different from what Jin expected.
“Wait, did you discern my weapon just by looking at my hands?”
“…What?”
“I remember hearing from my father that a master can identify the weapons their opponent uses just by observing their hands.”
“Honestly, I couldn’t believe my father when he told me that, but it turns out such people really do exist. Did you figure out my weapon just by looking at the calluses on my hand or the habits I’ve developed?”
Altina’s eyes sparkled with intrigue. Of course, that stare was more than a little intimidating for Jin.
‘No… it’s just that I know you from before.’
While not widely known, Altina primarily utilized a sword in one hand and a Magical Gun in the other, essentially a dual-wielding technique.
Actually, the unique fighting style of Count Seryas’s family, the “Song of Heaven,” was based on the premise of wielding a sword in one hand and a gun in the other.
However, in public perception, guns were generally regarded as weapons not suited for warriors, but rather as self-defense tools for girls unfamiliar with martial arts. That’s why she seldom used it in front of others.
Of course, that didn’t mean Altina’s Magical Gun, the “Desperado,” was to be underestimated; she had once created a massive tunnel in the mountains with a single shot.
“I already knew you were hiding some power. If you were really as insignificant as the other students say, it would have been impossible for you to defeat that Ogre back then.”
But he was not just that. For some unknown reason, the man before her possessed a level of skill that was far from ordinary for a student.
He had the discerning eye to elevate her to the level of an Aura user, a remarkable skill backed by unfathomable strength, along with the insight to instantly identify her primary weapon.
Jin could very well be on par with Altina, Erekaya, and perhaps even her father—
…that’s what Altina was thinking.
Of course, to Jin, that was utterly absurd.
Cold sweat trickled down Jin’s back. This was not good. If this continued, he would have to assume the role of Altina’s teacher, a position he found quite troublesome.
It wasn’t just the problem of taking on the role of a teacher; the real issue was that he had nothing to teach Altina.
She was far superior to him in swordsmanship, and there was no comparison when it came to shooting a gun—her stamina was also significantly greater than his.
What on earth could he teach her? How to fight like a savage? How to wrestle in the mud? Or perhaps, how to use Exceed?
‘Trying to learn that would be tantamount to committing suicide.’
Exceed was a technique that made the user’s body into a rag doll in exchange for explosive power in an instant. It wasn’t just a matter of suicidal level damage upon use; it was entirely a self-destructive technique.
In short, Jin was not in a position to teach anyone. Rather, if anything, he should be receiving lessons from Altina.
But—
“Please. I have no one else to trust now. No, you are the only one I can rely on. No one else can help me.”
As she spoke, Altina grasped Jin’s hand tightly, almost as if she were pleading with him. In that moment, she looked at him with a desperate gaze unlike any he had seen from her before.
“…Ugh.”
The impact was staggering. He almost found himself nodding without realizing it.
However, precisely because of that, he could not accept this proposal.
If nothing else, he wanted to remain a somewhat mysterious figure, not just someone inconsequential in front of Altina!
Just when Jin was about to express his rejection, a thought occurred to him.
—Just accept it. Don’t you feel sorry for that prideful girl who is pleading so earnestly?
Surprisingly, Erekaya, who typically had opposition to everything, was now in favor of Altina’s request. Of course, Jin was just baffled. Since when did Erekaya become so sentimental?
‘Hey, why are you siding with Altina? Didn’t you dislike her?’
—I do dislike her. Very much, in fact. But I just thought of a brilliant idea. If I use that girl as bait, I might be able to reel you in.
‘…You want to catch yourself with Altina as bait?’
What sort of nonsense was that? How on earth was accepting Altina’s proposal somehow linked to catching Erekaya? Why?
—Exactly. So, just keep quiet and accept the proposal. Have you already forgotten? I’m much smarter than you. If you’ve decided to leave the thinking to me, then you should act without question according to my direction.
‘So you’ve hired yourself a servant, huh?’
Sadly, Erekaya was right. In reality, Jin had no clue what her intentions were in saying such things.
Moreover, didn’t he decide at the start of this chapter to trust Erekaya unconditionally?
If he didn’t trust her now, there would be no point in going through this chapter with her.
In the end, the only choice Jin could make at this moment was one.
“…Okay, I understand. I’ll accept that offer.”
Well, I guess I’ll just let things unfold as they will.
“Great, thank you. No, I should say, I appreciate your help!”
“Why are you suddenly speaking so formally?”
“Well, if I don’t use honorifics with my teacher who’s giving me lessons, wouldn’t that be disrespectful?”
“…Just use casual speech. Otherwise, I’ll feel goosebumps all over.”
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