Sena leaps into Ichiro’s arms with a 「pyoi!」, and he catches her with ease. The two share a warm embrace. Afterward, Ichiro says, 「Wait here for a bit,」 and leaves the spot. He rummages through his belongings, bustles about doing something, and heads outside again. About ten minutes later, he reappears before the two of them, having quickly finished his bath.
「Sorry to keep you both waiting. Orphe, you seem troubled about something. If it’s not too personal, why don’t you tell me about it?」
He plops down and looks Orphelia in the eyes as he speaks.
◇◇◇
Perhaps because speaking about it once had unconsciously helped organize her troubled thoughts, the second time she pours out her feelings, the words flow more smoothly than when she had talked to Sena earlier.
「I see… I can totally relate to that worry,」 Ichiro says.
Orphelia asks him,
「Do you also get times when you can’t defeat an enemy, or can’t reach your goals, and your chest feels all muddled up with something you can’t quite explain?」
「All the time. So much that it’s actually troublesome.」
Think about it, he continues.
「Look at my family. First up—Sena.」
As Ichiro gestures to introduce her, Sena raises both hands and lets out a forceful 「hmph!」 It looks like she’s about to say 「Colombia!」—but her expression remains unchanged, making it somewhat surreal. And there’s no doubt that Ichiro is the one who taught her to strike such a pose.
「Even from my perspective, Sena is so strong I can’t see her limits. Sometimes we spar, or have mock battles where I’m the only one using weapons, but I’m no match at all.」
「No match at all…?」
「Yeah, no match at all. She’s seriously crazy strong. The other day during sparring, Sena suddenly multiplied into four people and before I knew it, I was completely overwhelmed and got the beating of my life.」
Suddenly multiplying into four people? A question mark appears in Orphelia’s mind. But since that’s exactly what happened, even Ichiro couldn’t explain it any other way.
「Well, that’s enough about Sena. Next up is number two—Sensei.」
Orphelia once climbed Hidden Mountain with the person Ichiro calls Sensei—Omi. At that time, they didn’t encounter a single monster up until the sixth station, making it feel like just a regular mountain climb. Even after that, while monsters that attacked were rare, even those rare suicidal monsters would run away when she simply waved her hand saying 「How hasty」 or 「Be gone quickly.」
At what level of skill could one reach that domain…
「As you know, Sensei is also incredibly strong. For example, the other day during training, she said ‘Come at me,’ so I did, and I had a terrible time. Without even chanting, she just wiggled her fingers a bit and made huge holes appear in the ground. I managed to dodge one, but there was another hole right where I dodged to, and I fell in.」
No incantation and high-speed casting. On top of that, the magic itself was simply massive in scale. And that’s not all. Ichiro doesn’t mention it here, but Omi can use these spells almost without limit.
「That’s why even I feel like I still have a long way to go.」
Ichiro crosses his arms and nods several times with a stern expression.
「Well, even though I still have a long way to go, I can still give you advice to help clear up your confusion and take a step forward.」
Hearing his words, Orphelia lets out a relieved sigh.
「Ahh, that’s good…」
When Orphelia says 「that’s good,」 Ichiro and Sena share a knowing smile as if everything is going according to plan, but she doesn’t notice. However, having watched his training with Eris before, she should have been able to predict what was about to happen to her.
◇◇◇
「What Orphe lacks first is balance.」
Ichiro says as he swings his wooden sword.
「I heard… that… earlier.」
Orphelia pants as she deflects Ichiro’s sword and jumps backward.
「These days Eris has learned to take proper breaks, but when I first met her, she was just as awkward about it, right?」
As Ichiro exchanges blows with Orphelia, Eris swiftly moves to his blind spot, lowering her stance to the extreme—
「Close!」
A perfect strike—which he blocks by quickly switching to a reverse grip and intercepting vertically with his wooden sword. Truly masterful.
「I think to become strong, you need to know when to rest.」
「Ugh…」
「And just doing practice, practice, practice like you’re doing now isn’t enough. You can only become stronger efficiently when both training and practical experience work together.」
「MASTERRRRR!」
Eris, still in her crouching position, sweeps at his feet—which he avoids by jumping with both feet—but behind him, Orphelia is already waiting, holding her twin swords like claws with a fierce expression.
「Duo!」
He’s in mid-air. Unable to move, dodging should be impossible—yet with a 「Hup!」 he protects his back with the wooden sword without turning around—and not only that, he uses the momentum from receiving her attack to spring off the ground with his hands, regaining his balance.
In contrast to the two girls who are breathing heavily with their shoulders heaving after their continued attacks, Ichiro shows barely any signs of being out of breath.
「You’re… a monster…」
「I’m not a monster at all, there are always people stronger than you.」
As soon as he finishes speaking, he appears instantly before Orphelia. He brings his sword down from above—
「’Cross—’」
Orphelia blocks it by crossing her two swords—
「’—Pierce!’」
She launches a powerful thrust. However, he avoids it by bending his upper body backward. He ends up looking up at the sky, but between him and the sky is Eris, who has jumped at him again. The startled Ichiro does a bridge like in a kung fu movie—and from there, lifts both legs to deliver a powerful kick to Eris.
「Phew! That was close… This seems like a good place to take a break.」
Relieved that their hours-long training with Ichiro has finally come to a pause, the girls collapse on the spot from exhaustion.
◇◇◇
Orphelia’s worries weren’t the kind that would disappear just by teaching her how to deal with snakes. Even if she managed to defeat the snake this time, if she would worry the same way when facing another strong enemy next time, it meant the fundamental problem hadn’t been solved.
Ichiro and Sena think the same way. No matter how grand it sounds, in the end, they need to reassess the balance of her training, which had been focused solely on practical experience, and come up with countermeasures each time a strong enemy appears. That’s how it is for everyone. There are no shortcuts.
Even understanding this, she still worries because she has the luxury to worry. If you move your body until you don’t have the luxury to worry anymore, those worries will fly away. Both Ichiro and Sena know this from experience. While it might be an extreme muscle-head way of thinking, it’s also one truth.
The two of them try to make Orphelia experience this firsthand, and while they’re at it, they call out to Eris, who is busy with her embroidery. Poor Eris. She was just a victim, completely caught up in this while trying to enjoy her day off. And so, Eris’s day off comes to an end, and as a special exception, the four of them end up living together in the cabin on Hidden Mountain.
◇◇◇
After taking about half an hour’s break, Ichiro returns to them.
「From now on, we’ll do two-on-two matches with Sena joining in.」
The already exhausted girls’ faces show expressions that clearly say 「WHAT?!」 Noticing this, Ichiro smiles.
「Tired? No worries! No worries! You can do anything with potions! That’s how I’ve always done it!」
Ichiro’s eyes are blazing with intensity. Next to him, Sena appears suddenly in mid-air and lands lightly with a tap.
「Do your best. When you’re so tired that even moving your fingers is hard, those muddled feelings in your chest will disappear.」
Standing side by side, they deliver these outrageous lines. The apprentice duo unconsciously gulp. They look at each other and nod. And then—
「UWOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHH!!」 they both cry out.
The perfectly synchronized pair raises their swords and charges at them. Their desperate battle cry, reminiscent of the final chapter of a prematurely cancelled manga, evokes pity. However, it’s better left unsaid. In fact, if the girls heard that, they might cry.
That aside, their battle has only just begun. May fortune favor their future.
If you enjoy it and wish to see more, please consider giving it a 5-star rating for the series on NU. Click Here.
Check out my Patreon for early access to upcoming updates. Patreon Link
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Chapter 276
◇◇◇
Sena leaps into Ichiro’s arms with a 「pyoi!」, and he catches her with ease. The two share a warm embrace.
Afterward, Ichiro says, 「Wait here for a bit,」 and leaves the spot. He rummages through his belongings, bustles about doing something, and heads outside again.
About ten minutes later, he reappears before the two of them, having quickly finished his bath.
「Sorry to keep you both waiting. Orphe, you seem troubled about something. If it’s not too personal, why don’t you tell me about it?」
He plops down and looks Orphelia in the eyes as he speaks.
◇◇◇
Perhaps because speaking about it once had unconsciously helped organize her troubled thoughts, the second time she pours out her feelings, the words flow more smoothly than when she had talked to Sena earlier.
「I see… I can totally relate to that worry,」 Ichiro says.
Orphelia asks him,
「Do you also get times when you can’t defeat an enemy, or can’t reach your goals, and your chest feels all muddled up with something you can’t quite explain?」
「All the time. So much that it’s actually troublesome.」
Think about it, he continues.
「Look at my family. First up—Sena.」
As Ichiro gestures to introduce her, Sena raises both hands and lets out a forceful 「hmph!」 It looks like she’s about to say 「Colombia!」—but her expression remains unchanged, making it somewhat surreal. And there’s no doubt that Ichiro is the one who taught her to strike such a pose.
「Even from my perspective, Sena is so strong I can’t see her limits. Sometimes we spar, or have mock battles where I’m the only one using weapons, but I’m no match at all.」
「No match at all…?」
「Yeah, no match at all. She’s seriously crazy strong. The other day during sparring, Sena suddenly multiplied into four people and before I knew it, I was completely overwhelmed and got the beating of my life.」
Suddenly multiplying into four people?
A question mark appears in Orphelia’s mind.
But since that’s exactly what happened, even Ichiro couldn’t explain it any other way.
「Well, that’s enough about Sena. Next up is number two—Sensei.」
Orphelia once climbed Hidden Mountain with the person Ichiro calls Sensei—Omi. At that time, they didn’t encounter a single monster up until the sixth station, making it feel like just a regular mountain climb. Even after that, while monsters that attacked were rare, even those rare suicidal monsters would run away when she simply waved her hand saying 「How hasty」 or 「Be gone quickly.」
At what level of skill could one reach that domain…
「As you know, Sensei is also incredibly strong. For example, the other day during training, she said ‘Come at me,’ so I did, and I had a terrible time. Without even chanting, she just wiggled her fingers a bit and made huge holes appear in the ground. I managed to dodge one, but there was another hole right where I dodged to, and I fell in.」
No incantation and high-speed casting. On top of that, the magic itself was simply massive in scale. And that’s not all. Ichiro doesn’t mention it here, but Omi can use these spells almost without limit.
「That’s why even I feel like I still have a long way to go.」
Ichiro crosses his arms and nods several times with a stern expression.
「Well, even though I still have a long way to go, I can still give you advice to help clear up your confusion and take a step forward.」
Hearing his words, Orphelia lets out a relieved sigh.
「Ahh, that’s good…」
When Orphelia says 「that’s good,」 Ichiro and Sena share a knowing smile as if everything is going according to plan, but she doesn’t notice. However, having watched his training with Eris before, she should have been able to predict what was about to happen to her.
◇◇◇
「What Orphe lacks first is balance.」
Ichiro says as he swings his wooden sword.
「I heard… that… earlier.」
Orphelia pants as she deflects Ichiro’s sword and jumps backward.
「These days Eris has learned to take proper breaks, but when I first met her, she was just as awkward about it, right?」
As Ichiro exchanges blows with Orphelia, Eris swiftly moves to his blind spot, lowering her stance to the extreme—
「Close!」
A perfect strike—which he blocks by quickly switching to a reverse grip and intercepting vertically with his wooden sword. Truly masterful.
「I think to become strong, you need to know when to rest.」
「Ugh…」
「And just doing practice, practice, practice like you’re doing now isn’t enough. You can only become stronger efficiently when both training and practical experience work together.」
「MASTERRRRR!」
Eris, still in her crouching position, sweeps at his feet—which he avoids by jumping with both feet—but behind him, Orphelia is already waiting, holding her twin swords like claws with a fierce expression.
「Duo!」
He’s in mid-air. Unable to move, dodging should be impossible—yet with a 「Hup!」 he protects his back with the wooden sword without turning around—and not only that, he uses the momentum from receiving her attack to spring off the ground with his hands, regaining his balance.
In contrast to the two girls who are breathing heavily with their shoulders heaving after their continued attacks, Ichiro shows barely any signs of being out of breath.
「You’re… a monster…」
「I’m not a monster at all, there are always people stronger than you.」
As soon as he finishes speaking, he appears instantly before Orphelia. He brings his sword down from above—
「’Cross—’」
Orphelia blocks it by crossing her two swords—
「’—Pierce!’」
She launches a powerful thrust.
However, he avoids it by bending his upper body backward.
He ends up looking up at the sky, but between him and the sky is Eris, who has jumped at him again. The startled Ichiro does a bridge like in a kung fu movie—and from there, lifts both legs to deliver a powerful kick to Eris.
「Phew! That was close… This seems like a good place to take a break.」
Relieved that their hours-long training with Ichiro has finally come to a pause, the girls collapse on the spot from exhaustion.
◇◇◇
Orphelia’s worries weren’t the kind that would disappear just by teaching her how to deal with snakes. Even if she managed to defeat the snake this time, if she would worry the same way when facing another strong enemy next time, it meant the fundamental problem hadn’t been solved.
Ichiro and Sena think the same way.
No matter how grand it sounds, in the end, they need to reassess the balance of her training, which had been focused solely on practical experience, and come up with countermeasures each time a strong enemy appears.
That’s how it is for everyone. There are no shortcuts.
Even understanding this, she still worries because she has the luxury to worry. If you move your body until you don’t have the luxury to worry anymore, those worries will fly away. Both Ichiro and Sena know this from experience. While it might be an extreme muscle-head way of thinking, it’s also one truth.
The two of them try to make Orphelia experience this firsthand, and while they’re at it, they call out to Eris, who is busy with her embroidery.
Poor Eris.
She was just a victim, completely caught up in this while trying to enjoy her day off.
And so, Eris’s day off comes to an end, and as a special exception, the four of them end up living together in the cabin on Hidden Mountain.
◇◇◇
After taking about half an hour’s break, Ichiro returns to them.
「From now on, we’ll do two-on-two matches with Sena joining in.」
The already exhausted girls’ faces show expressions that clearly say 「WHAT?!」 Noticing this, Ichiro smiles.
「Tired? No worries! No worries! You can do anything with potions! That’s how I’ve always done it!」
Ichiro’s eyes are blazing with intensity.
Next to him, Sena appears suddenly in mid-air and lands lightly with a tap.
「Do your best. When you’re so tired that even moving your fingers is hard, those muddled feelings in your chest will disappear.」
Standing side by side, they deliver these outrageous lines.
The apprentice duo unconsciously gulp.
They look at each other and nod.
And then—
「UWOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHH!!」 they both cry out.
The perfectly synchronized pair raises their swords and charges at them. Their desperate battle cry, reminiscent of the final chapter of a prematurely cancelled manga, evokes pity. However, it’s better left unsaid. In fact, if the girls heard that, they might cry.
That aside, their battle has only just begun.
May fortune favor their future.
If you enjoy it and wish to see more, please consider giving it a 5-star rating for the series on NU. Click Here.
Check out my Patreon for early access to upcoming updates. Patreon Link
<< Table of Contents >>