Chapter 23 : You better be grateful

“Ugh………… This little kid is the daughter of the master?”

“Technically, she’s the daughter of both the master and Ruina. You know they got married, right?”

“Of course, I know. Probably, no one on the continent doesn’t know. That news caused quite a stir three years ago.”

Martin nodded at Zenre’s words and looked at the girl standing next to Zenre, holding her hand tightly.

As they went up to the third floor, the robe had already been removed.

Thanks to that, the girl’s face, with her pure white long hair and bright red eyes, shone in front of him.

A girl with a beautiful appearance whose future was full of promise.

Although she still had baby fat, giving off both a sense of cuteness and beauty, in just a few years, she would undoubtedly become a beauty, and Martin could already picture her in his mind.

She was an extraordinary girl, even just for her appearance, but what surprised Martin wasn’t just that.

“By the way, this little kid is already learning the master’s swordsmanship?”

“Yeah, truly, without exaggeration, she’s a genius. She’s already learned the basics of swordsmanship, and just the other day, she started learning advanced sword techniques and practical combat sword techniques.”

“Ugh………… At this age, she’s already finished learning the basics of swordsmanship. And practical sword techniques, something I never even learned………. It’s kind of enviable that she’s learning the techniques that the master created.”

“Well… that’s definitely true. But still, we already created our own practical combat sword techniques during the war.”

Practical combat sword techniques.

This referred to the sword techniques created by those who had learned Kael’s swordsmanship during the war and adapted them to their own tastes.

The disciples who had learned Kael’s swordsmanship created techniques based on their own tendencies, familiar battlefields, and combat styles, and these were collectively referred to as “practical combat sword techniques.”

Therefore, it could be said that the number of practical combat sword techniques was as diverse as the number of surviving disciples.

However, no matter how much one created their own practical combat sword techniques during the war, it was natural to want to learn the techniques that Kael himself had created.

Kael, who was considered the greatest master of swordsmanship, had created these techniques in the midst of war, where life and death were at stake, so anyone who had learned swordsmanship would naturally crave those techniques.

Knowing that she was learning those techniques directly from Kael, it was hard not to feel envy.

Of course, that envy quickly disappeared when Martin saw Elia’s age and status.

After all, she was just a young girl, and as the daughter of Kael and Ruina, there was nothing to be jealous of if she wanted to learn swordsmanship from her parents.

Thus, Martin set aside his feelings of envy and focused on what Zenre had said about Elia’s genius.

“She really is a genius, huh? She’s not quite an adult yet, but her muscles and bones are well-developed for her age. She must have worked really hard.”

Saying this, Martin reached out to compliment Elia.

However, his hand, which he stretched out to pat her head, was unfortunately thwarted by Elia, who had hidden behind Zenre.

Swoosh-

With a faint but readable sense of rejection in her expression, Elia hid behind Zenre.

Seeing this, Zenre couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

“Puhahaha! Get your hand away, Martin. I told you, didn’t I? You should try changing that scary face of yours.”

“What? Where’s my face scary?! Do you know how popular I am with kids?”

If anyone had heard that, even Diana, the vice guild leader and a loyal follower of Martin, would shake her head and disagree.

A muscular body over 190 cm tall, a vest that exposed his shoulders, a face covered in scars and a beard—how could that not be scary?

Even a passing dog would agree with that, but unfortunately, Martin himself thought his face wasn’t scary.

At his outburst, Zenre stopped laughing, tears almost in her eyes, and nodded.

“Sigh… Alright, alright. If you say so, then it must be true. And Elia wasn’t avoiding you because she’s scared of you. She’s just shy around strangers. Right, Elia?”

“… Yes. Because this is the first time I’ve seen this uncle…”

Elia answered Zenre’s question while slightly looking up at him.

And Martin’s heart was struck by the word “uncle” in her response.

“Tch, damn… She’s really cute.”

Although she was the daughter of Kael and Ruina, he had heard she was adopted, so where did she get such an appearance from?

Overwhelming cuteness felt like a sudden assault on his heart, and Martin felt his heart throb for the first time in a while.

It made him briefly wonder if he should get married.

However, after a brief moment of lighthearted chatter, Martin opened the door to the guild leader’s office, where they had arrived, and turned the conversation back to the main topic.

“By the way, what did you say the reason for coming to the guild with this little miss today was? You said it was sightseeing?”

“Yeah, while the master and Luina are out looking for a house, they asked me to look after the young lady. The young lady prefers watching gladiator fights and swordsmanship over puppet shows and flower festivals.”

“Is it true that someone with such a pretty face likes that kind of thing?”

“Well… I do think it’s a bit strange… but she has some very unique hobbies.”

With such a pretty and cute face, liking gladiator fights and swordsmanship didn’t quite match.

From just looking at Elia, she seemed like a girl who would be playing with dolls on a bed covered with frills, so Martin let out a small laugh at the mismatch.

But putting aside his prejudice for a moment, he could understand why Elia came to the mercenary guild if she liked such things.

At this time, there wouldn’t be any gladiator fights or combat in other places.

And if she came to the mercenary guild to watch swordsmanship or fighting…

“After all, watching the mercenary test for newcomers is fun. Occasionally, you can spot some hidden gems among them. Is that why you came here?”

“Exactly. That’s right. I came to watch the mercenary test. They’re doing it today, right?”

“Yeah, they should be doing it in the training grounds inside right now… So what do you want to do, want to watch right now?”

By now, the new recruits should be gathered and taking their mercenary test in the outdoor training area inside the guild.

At Martin’s question, Zenre turned to Elia standing next to her.

“You want to watch now, right, young lady?”

“Yes, let’s watch right away, master.”

Perhaps because time had passed, Elia, who now showed a hint of expectation in her eyes, immediately nodded at Zenre’s question.

And with that positivity, Martin immediately opened the terrace door in his guildmaster’s office.

“Come this way. This is the best seat, where you can see the entire open training ground at a glance.”

“You can take the test directly from the terrace…? Do you watch every mercenary test like this?”

“Pretty much. If a rookie has talent, I have to claim them early.”

Following Martin’s words, Zenre and Ellia stepped onto the terrace.

As they stepped outside, their eyes took in the vast open training ground, surrounded by spectator seats.

Standing in that space were three guild staff members who appeared to be examiners, one gold-rank mercenary holding a weapon, and twelve rookies who had come to take the test.

It was a slightly higher number than usual, as the tests generally had fewer than ten participants.

Perhaps because there were more rookies taking the test today, the number of spectators was also greater than usual.

Normally, there would be no more than five or six people watching, but today, over a dozen mercenaries had gathered to observe.

A sense of excitement, like the beginning of an adventure, filled the training ground.

The enthusiasm of the fresh rookies and the experienced mercenaries watching them created a charged atmosphere.

In the midst of that atmosphere, the gold-rank mercenary holding a sword and shield was the first to raise his voice.

“As I’m sure you all know, I will now explain the test. The test consists of a sparring match against me. You will pass if your performance is evaluated positively by the examiners.”

The mercenary test was a trial by combat.

Word of this had already spread through returning test-takers, so even those who had never taken the exam before were well aware of the format.

“Hey, did you know? In the past, the test used to involve fighting monsters.”

“…Monsters?”

As the explanation concluded and the examiner relayed additional instructions, Martin spoke up.

Unlike before, when she had remained silent, Ellia now responded, showing a slight curiosity.

Seeing her interest, Martin nodded and continued.

“Yes. In the past, the test involved capturing as many monsters as there were rookies and making them fight. But over time, weaker monsters became scarce, and using stronger monsters presented issues with control and difficulty. That’s why the test was changed to sparring matches.”

“Ohhh…”

Ellia’s eyes sparkled, as if she wished she could have witnessed those monster battles firsthand.

Seeing her cute reaction, Martin chuckled and began sharing a few more guild-exclusive stories.

He spoke of what kind of monsters were used, their weaknesses, and how mercenary skill levels varied wildly in those times.

With each tale, Ellia perked up her ears, listening intently.

Martin felt like he could go on forever with old stories, but a voice from the training ground interrupted him.

“Now, we will begin the test. You there—step forward first.”

“Oh, it’s finally starting.”

At the examiner’s command, the first rookie stepped forward.

The examiners and the other rookies naturally retreated to the edge of the training ground.

“Well then… let’s see what you’ve got, rookie!”

“H-here I go!!”

Without further words, the rookie, gripping a two-handed sword, charged toward the mercenary.

Clang! Clang-clang!

Clash—!

Since they weren’t using large weapons like greatswords, axes, or hammers, their attacks were exchanged at a relatively fast pace.

The rookie was momentarily startled by the mercenary’s counterattacks but managed to respond calmly.

Watching this, the mercenaries in the spectator seats murmured in admiration.

“Oh, that kid is quite…”

“They have potential.”

“Doesn’t seem like a retaker… Not bad at all.”

Everyone’s reactions were positive, recognizing the rookie’s promising abilities.

However, Ellia, watching the exchange, tilted her head slightly.

“…?”

A brief look of doubt crossed her face.

Was she seeing things incorrectly?

But after watching a few more exchanges, she confirmed her suspicions.

With an expressionless face, she finally spoke.

“…Too weak. It’s boring.”

A statement of pure, 100% honesty.