“Excuse me? Me?”
shocking sound
“I wasn’t particularly surprised.”
thoughtful noise
“Because I had some inkling of it already.”
thinking sound
“In the original story, the Sword Saint dies before the war even ends, but even if he were alive, I doubt he would have taken a job as an academy teacher afterward.”
shaking head
“His character is described as determined yet eccentric, and he hates being tied down anywhere; that’s how he’s portrayed throughout the story.”
dramatic flair
“So, if his personality changed, it could only be because of me. Saying that sounds like an egotistical overreach, but no matter how I think about it, I can only come up with one reason.”
cue introspection
“The reason this world doesn’t follow the original story is me.”
pointing finger
“Because of my existence alone, the original story got derailed. People who were supposed to die didn’t, and the ending that was meant to happen didn’t arrive.”
surprising revelation sound
“So, if the Sword Saint’s heart changed, it’s obvious that it’s because of me, and if my name isn’t mentioned in the reasons for the Sword Saint’s actions, I’d find that even weirder.”
head shaking
“Is that what you mean?”
curious sound
“You don’t seem too surprised. Did you expect it?”
intrigued joke sound
“Yeah, sort of.”
casual response
As I replied with a half-hearted expression, the Sword Saint burst into laughter.
laughing sound
“I see you’ve heard similar things many times. It makes sense.”
logical sound
“Do you remember all the things I’ve done?”
intrigued tone
“If I didn’t remember, would I be here talking to you? Would you like me to continue? Honestly, considering your personality, it may very well be that you wouldn’t want to hear it all.”
teasing sound
“…….”
silence
I pondered deeply once more.
deep thought
Why on earth was I trying so hard to justify myself?
confused sound
I thought around and around, but no suitable answer came up.
frustrated sound
At first, I suggested a deal: “I’ll introduce you to someone stronger than you,” and then demonstrated, “Look, I’ve already learned this level of skill!” I had no talent naturally, so I had to rewind time several times just to barely learn and then lied, saying, “I mastered it all at once.”
embarrassed sound
Honestly, as a teacher, it’s pretty embarrassing, isn’t it?
awkward laugh
“First, I’ll say one thing. You have no talent in swordsmanship. Your head seems quite good, but your physical abilities aren’t great, and if I ranked my disciples by their strength, you’d be near the bottom. Honestly, you’re not a talent in wielding a sword.”
harsh truth sound
“…….”
silence
Was he trying to lead me on to say I have no talent? But I’d heard this already before. I myself thought I had no talent too.
self-reflection sound
“When I say that, what do you think most other people would do?”
curious tone
“……Give up and go home?”
thoughtful response
“Exactly. Normally, they’d give up and go home. After all, it’s coming from the ‘Sword Saint.’ When someone who has reached the top says, ‘You have no talent,’ there are some who’d even look relieved. Usually, they’d just retreat to find another way to make a living.”
snickering sound
The Sword Saint leaned back on the sofa casually.
relaxed sound
“And even if someone didn’t give up, nobody lasts long after hearing that. Usually, they quit within a year. The more they train, the more they start to think it’s just not for them.”
nodding sound
I get it. If someone at least cheered me on, it might be different, but when the teacher says I have no talent, there’s no way my motivation would rise.
sad sigh
I looked at the Sword Saint with furrowed brows, and he shrugged.
neutral noise
“So what would you like me to say? Physical limits are something one cannot overcome. Training without knowing your own limits only leads to injury. It’s better to inform you of your lack of talent and have you train accordingly. Usually, people can’t last even that long and end up quitting.”
thoughtful tone
Feeling pricked by his words, the Sword Saint continued.
raising voice
“But you were different. Hearing you had no talent, you still decided to train to the end, and you stubbornly trained. You rewound time multiple times and eventually acquired the abilities you wanted. Honestly, it’s not like you reached an extraordinary level as a swordsman, but it’s still an impressive feat. You’ve trained much longer than others and surpassed what I thought was impossible for you.”
proud statement
“But that must be due to the talent you mentioned.”
pointing out tone
Even the Sword Saint said it himself. Rewinding time multiple times.
nodding sound
The level I acquired, as the Sword Saint just mentioned, couldn’t be considered extraordinary. It was merely touching the threshold of a must-have level for a swordsman.
explanation tone
While it might seem impressive for someone with no talent to reach that point, on the flip side, it implies that anyone could reach there given enough time.
representative sound
And I had enough time.
confirming sound
“Even with ample time, very few will wholly dedicate that time to effort.”
philosophical tone
The Sword Saint said leisurely.
calm voice
“If you hear that you need to put in double or triple the effort to reach a certain level, most will look for something else. That’s true even if there’s a method to reverse time. I’m convinced.”
serious tone
“…….”
silence
With my lips tightly pressed together, I showed a puzzled expression, and the Sword Saint chuckled like an old man.
chuckling sound
“I heard your story.”
intrigued tone
“My story?”
curious tone
“Yeah. I have other disciples too, you know.”
implying sound
“…….”
surprised silence
Uh… So you mean you met with others before coming to see me?
logical deduction
I think Claire and Leo could have done that. They weren’t always stuck to me. Alice too… well, she wasn’t always attached to me, to put it that way.
realization sound
“What do you think a person who can rewind time would do during an exam? Do you think they would just keep studying while rewinding time?”
skeptical tone
The Sword Saint shook his head.
negation sound
“No, usually after taking the exam, they’d remember the questions and just pick the right answers. From what I hear, you didn’t do that. You spent that time studying hard, didn’t you?”
teasing tone
“Because if you don’t understand what you’ve learned thoroughly, you can’t use it elsewhere.”
defending sound
And I thought I should at least put in minimal effort since Alice was working so hard. Admittedly, my choice was pretty much cheating.
confessing sound
“Usually, people don’t even think that way. And even if you hadn’t been able to rewind time, you would’ve already had more than enough time to understand it. Aren’t you the Crown Princess? Did you think the tutor would skip explaining things just because?”
defensive statement
“…….”
daunted silence
Uh… Well, that left me momentarily speechless.
struggling sound
Is that how it is?
realization sound
Indeed, when I didn’t understand something at first and asked again, the tutor had diligently taught me. Even though it was known that the bloodline didn’t matter, you were still a princess, and the Emperor wouldn’t differentiate much based on blood.
elf clapping sound
So, um, maybe if I asked for a couple more hours, that person could have kindly taught me…?
pondering sound
I wondered if maybe the royal family offered additional allowances or something?
thinking sound
“Anyway, I started getting curious.”
inquisitive tone
As I was lost in thought, the Sword Saint spoke.
revelation sound
“While you’re at the academy, I thought if I could find a few more kids like you, life would be quite interesting. Don’t you think? No matter if they have talent or not, seeing someone who just keeps moving forward solely focused on what they want is quite commendable.”
appreciative tone
After saying that, the Sword Saint looked at me and grinned.
meaningful smile sound
He didn’t add words, but I felt like I understood the meaning behind that smile.
epiphany sound
Alright, I’ve said this much, so how would you like me to relay this to the academy?
flexing sound
Seriously, just as the Sword Saint said, if I went back to Jennifer and said, “The Sword Saint mentioned that he wants to come to the academy because of me!” she’d give me the most significant knowing smile ever.
snicker sound
And my reputation would spread like wildfire within the academy. It might already be well-known, but I could possibly add even more weight to it.
building suspense sound
“…….”
contemplative silence
I contemplated for a moment,
inner monologue
“Alright, I’ll handle it. As for the academy… I’ll make sure to let them know properly.”
determined sound
I responded accordingly.
confident tone
“Great! Ideally, I’d like you to relay my words as closely as possible. I wasn’t going to say it for the sake of my disciples, but you insisted on hearing it, didn’t you?”
mocking tone
No, I never actually insisted at all!
defensive tone
More than anything, I had no intention of relaying it as it is.
worried tone
But how should I convey this?
confused pondering sound
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