I want to help the teacher.
Every child has the desire to be recognized. It all began with just that. Especially after losing her parents, her twisted affection led to excessive obsession.
The object of that obsession was none other than the girl’s teacher. The person who taught her so much. With what she learned from the teacher, she wanted to help the teacher. That was all she thought about.
If the girl had been ordinary, that desire would have been fulfilled in her own way. She may have had potential, but the strength of a mere child wasn’t that great.
However, the girl was different.
She had overwhelming talent that could even be called favoritism from the sky. The ability to understand the incomprehensible and materialize it somehow was the issue.
BAM!
SWOOSH!
The Thunder Dragon Sword Technique, First Sword, Thunder Dragon Strike!
With lightning speed, Helia’s sword dashed forward, slicing the doppelganger’s leg in an instant. It wasn’t a perfect cut, but at least she managed to somewhat impede the doppelganger’s movements. And those who watched weren’t just spectators. They were the Royal Knights.
Though currently, they were like toothless tigers. Once part of the strongest knight order on the continent, these knights were now the best of the best. The first to charge in was Bayard.
With a fierce momentum, her body tore into the doppelganger’s flesh, snatching its bones. Though it was a Blood Demon, its combat capability wasn’t that great.
It couldn’t withstand Bayard’s overwhelming violence. But it couldn’t escape either. An arrow that had flown from behind impaled the doppelganger’s tentacles into the wall and floor.
“Now’s our chance! Minerals!”
“Just a snack!”
With a strong leap, Ruby slammed down her hammer as if driving a nail. The deeply embedded arrow greatly suppressed the doppelganger’s movements. A perfect combo play.
The girl captured every bit of that scene in her eyes. At first, she couldn’t accept it. She didn’t want to accept that there were people better than her.
Only her teacher stood above her.
Everyone else was beneath her.
That’s what she thought.
However, that arrogance was shattered over time. It was clear that the girl had talent. If she continued to grow smoothly like this, she might become a full member.
But that meant she wasn’t even at the level of a full member yet. Even the lowest-ranked Clara and Ruby didn’t fall short in individual skills.
In fact, Helia had recorded more defeats while sparring with Clara and Ruby. The gap that couldn’t be bridged by mere talent definitely existed between them.
Well, if it weren’t for that, she wouldn’t even be able to step foot in the Royal Knights. In addition, the strength of Bayard, Cluna, and former Commander Yuren was beyond imagination.
“You took them down without much difficulty.”
“Good job, everyone~ Clara, Ruby, Helia, Bayard. You all did very, very well!”
“……Thank you.”
There was no choice but to acknowledge what needed to be acknowledged. I’m weak right now. With the power taught by my teacher, this is all I can do. So what should I do?
Simple.
I need to become stronger.
Much stronger than now.
So that one day I can be recognized by my teacher.
*
Ten thousand hours or ten thousand times of practice.
It’s a rule that if you steadily invest time into anything, you can become an expert. While I might not know about ten thousand hours, I thought ten thousand times was something anyone could manage.
But that wasn’t the case.
I hadn’t even managed a thousand properly.
I forced my energy-drained body to rise as if I could collapse at any moment. Severe dizziness surged up, making my vision wildly shake. How many times did I stab? I couldn’t even remember.
But it was definitely not ten thousand. I lost count around three hundred. Anyway, thanks to repeatedly stabbing and digging, I barely managed to take down that demon.
The heart-pierced body of the monster began to slowly collapse. Eventually, it liquefied and spilled onto the floor. It must be dead, right? It’s not going to come back to life, is it?
If it did come back, that would truly be the end. Honestly, my stamina was in tatters. Plus, the Time Stop cooldown was in effect, so I couldn’t use it again.
“It seems to have completely vanished.”
“Thank you. Thanks to you, I’m alive.”
“Don’t let your guard down. It’s not over yet.”
“Truly the Commander. Not a moment of inattention.”
Well, there wasn’t really any time for slack. I wasn’t strong like Commander Yuren or Bayard. I knew that being strong didn’t give me the luxury to let my guard down, given the circumstances.
Besides, I worried for the safety of the members who had followed that doppelganger. If by chance it transformed into me and took advantage of the situation, I could receive fatal damage.
Of course, even if they were rotten, they were still Royal Knights, so they wouldn’t fall easily. However, there’s always an if in this world. A cornered mouse can bite a cat.
That’s what I thought at first.
Until I saw the doppelganger being subdued and dragged in by the members. Wait, is it really that easy to subdue it? Sure, the one I faced was the real deal.
I silently watched the scene before me. The doppelganger that had been babbling incoherently suddenly reverted back to the form of Rain Emerald.
It was even properly restrained from fleeing. With Commander Yuren and Cluna present, I had expected it, but seeing it firsthand was a bit surprising.
Well, it’s not like I was the only one struggling. Still, it was supposed to be the final boss that almost swallowed the Dwarf Republic. Absolutely, absolutely, I wasn’t the only one dealing with this.
“Everyone did well.”
“This is nothing.”
“A bit bothersome, but it was good training.”
“Ugh…….”
“I feel like I’m going to die…….”
“Are, are you all okay?”
Everyone had varied reactions. The relaxed expressions of Commander Yuren and Cluna, and the concerned look of Bayard. Meanwhile, Clara and Ruby wore tired faces.
“Teacher, you really went through a lot.”
“You too, you’ve worked hard. Well done.”
“Thank you, teacher.”
I reached out and patted Helia’s head. For a moment, she looked surprised by my touch, but soon, she felt my hand deeply while slightly blushing.
Feeling that it might lead to some strange misunderstanding if I continued, I stopped there. Helia looked a bit disappointed, but she didn’t sulk or anything.
Viral stood silently in the square. In front of him was the Divine Sword, firmly standing. After observing it for a moment, Viral got up and spoke.
“What happened to her?”
“I ate her, to properly disguise myself.”
“I see.”
SMACK! Without flinching, Viral swung his fist. Rain Emerald’s head, or rather the doppelganger’s, turned sharply. Yet, she merely nonchalantly turned her chin back.
“If I had my way, I’d want to torture her slowly. But you possess a very dangerous ability.”
“If you guarantee my life, I might cooperate.”
“I refuse. The merit of killing you here far outweighs the information you hold.”
Viral thought exactly what I was thinking. Rather than keeping you alive to obtain information, the best course of action is to ensure you’re dead, eliminating any future troubles.
I nodded. Then, Yuren drew her sword and swiftly beheaded the doppelganger. The beheaded doppelganger spilled out onto the floor just like the one I had seen earlier.
Recognizing that it was undeniably dead, I finally exhaled a sigh of relief. Meanwhile, Viral, who had been watching intently, turned and walked toward the Divine Sword.
“Perhaps we’ve been under an illusion.”
“An illusion?”
“Enchanted by the glory of the past. We couldn’t see the future or the present.”
“…….”
Hmm, I see. I didn’t understand what that meant at all. But I sensed that I had realized something. Wait, could it be that he’s suggesting he’ll give me the Divine Sword, which is a remnant of the past?
I felt a bit hopeful. That hope crescendoed when Viral drew the Divine Sword. However, what came next far exceeded my imagination.
I blankly watched the scene. The Divine Sword drawn from Viral’s hand slowly turned to dust from the tip and began to vanish with the wind. Huh? What the heck is this?
“Even a weapon called a Divine Sword can’t defy time.”
“That’s true. However, we couldn’t create a sword just like this no matter what we did.”
“So, you left it looking like this?”
“Yes, that’s correct. And that facade of false glory blinded us. The result of that is this.”
As the Divine Sword completely vanished down to the hilt, let’s put it simply. They thought they couldn’t possibly recreate the Divine Sword made by their ancestors.
So, they had just mounted it on display and praised it. Naturally, as time passed, nobody ventured to surpass the Divine Sword. Instead, only pride in having made the Divine Sword remained.
And that gap was exploited by the doppelganger. If they had truly embodied the Spirit of Craftsmanship, they wouldn’t have been swayed like this. Viral chuckled bitterly and spoke.
“What’s important is not the remnants of the past, but moving forward.”
“…….”
“This counterfeit Divine Sword is of no use to you.”
What the heck are you saying?
Hurry up and give me the Divine Sword!!!!
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