Chapter 9 : Deadly cuteness

“Elia, do you know what today is?”

“It’s the day the master arrives!”

“What should you say when you first meet the master?”

“I will do my best, master!”

“That’s right.”

In the early morning, as the fog completely cleared and the sun began to rise high in the sky, I stood in front of the cabin, reviewing the final preparations with Elia, waiting for Zenre to arrive.

Since they were about to become master and disciple, it would be best to start their first meeting on a good note with a positive impression.

It was a proven fact that the first impression played the most important role in human relationships, so I had already taught Elia some basic etiquette.

First, she should greet well; second, always use polite speech; and third, not rush through the lessons.

“Normally, you shouldn’t learn, but you know your mom allowed it, right, my daughter? So you have to follow the master’s instructions carefully, okay?”

“Yeah! I’m confident!”

Zenre’s lessons would likely focus mainly on physical training, which meant the lessons could be boring and dull.

So, I had already told her in advance to prevent Elia from throwing a tantrum.

However, it seemed like Elia didn’t think the lessons would be boring at all, as she swung the toy sword I had given her and laughed.

‘I hope she doesn’t say she won’t learn because it’s boring soon.’

If she said that, I would feel bad for Zenre, so I’d have to persuade her somehow to stick with the physical training.

As long as she didn’t hate it so much that she felt uncomfortable, there would be no harm in physical training.

And as I watched Elia happily swing her toy sword, those thoughts crossed my mind for a moment.

“…Ah, she’s here.”

“Is the master here? Where?!”

I turned my head toward the faint sensation at the edge of my awareness, the presence of a person running toward us.

Elia, also turning her head at my words, ran a few steps toward the direction I was looking.

And in no time, from far away on the sunlit hill, I saw a woman clad in armor.

Bang! Bang! Paang─!!!

Despite wearing full plate armor that covered her whole body, the woman ran toward us with light footsteps, as if she were wearing lightweight armor.

She took one final step, then leaped over a distance of more than 300 meters in a single bound, landing right in front of us.

Boom!

-!!!

“Woooooow………..”

Elia gasped in awe, her mouth wide open in surprise.

The woman, Zenre, smiled at her cute, sparkling eyes as she looked up at her.

‘It seems like she’s really prepared a lot for this first meeting.’

It was clear that Zenre had prepared this performance as part of her first meeting with Elia, her soon-to-be disciple.

Although her skills had certainly improved since the past, I couldn’t help but think she still looked like the same young girl from years ago.

Her body had grown, but her mind seemed as youthful as ever, and I couldn’t help but chuckle at that.

As I was silently laughing, Zenre, having landed on the ground, stood straight, looked at me, placed a hand on her chest, and saluted.

Clank

-!

“I greet my master.”

“Hah, a salute… Well, it’s been a long time, so I’m happy to see you, Zenre.”

It had been five years since we last met.

It had been a long time, but it didn’t feel awkward at all, and I expressed my joy at seeing her again.

After I returned her greeting, Zenre finally turned her gaze from me to Elia.

“Hmm… Was it Miss Elia?”

“Yes, master! I look forward to learning from you!”

“Aha, how cute.”

Elia greeted her just as I had taught her, and Zenre smiled softly at her.

But that lasted only a moment. Zenre cleared her throat and approached Elia, kneeling down in front of her.

“I need to touch your body for a moment. The most important thing for learning swordsmanship is having a strong body. Is that okay?”

“Yes, master.”

Elia nodded and straightened her back as Zenre lightly felt her body.

Then, I could understand what Zenre was thinking as she did this.

‘She’s trying to give it legitimacy, huh?’

‘Yes, master.’

When I raised an eyebrow and looked at her, Zenre gave a slight nod with her chin in affirmation.

It was clear that Zenre had put a lot of thought into preparing for Elia’s training, not only with the performance but also with these actions.

Perhaps she had taught children before; her methods were very much suited to a child’s perspective.

While I was admiring her approach, Zenre, having removed her hands from Elia’s body, spoke with a slight hum.

“Hmm… There’s not much muscle on your body, Miss. With this physique, it will be difficult to properly learn swordsmanship.”

“Oh, really…?”

Elia’s face darkened instantly after hearing Zenre’s words, which followed after Zenre had removed her hands.

It seemed she hadn’t expected to hear such words from her new master.

If she heard even a little more negative feedback, it wouldn’t be strange for her to burst into tears, just like with Ruina before.

However, Zenre, having likely anticipated this reaction, skillfully continued her words.

“But don’t worry, Miss. I am the best swordsman in our kingdom. Even if you’re weak, I can help you strengthen your body enough to learn swordsmanship.”

“Really?”

“However, the training will be extremely difficult, and you might feel like giving up right away. If you stop the training midway, it might take a very long time before you can learn swordsmanship again.”

“Oh, I’ll do it! I can do it well!”

Zenre prepared a countermeasure in advance for the possibility that Elia might want to give up due to the harsh intensity of the physical training.

It was a strategy that perfectly exploited the childishness of Elia, who was still just five years old.

Elia eagerly took the bait and showed her determination, and seeing that, Zenre smiled slyly and stood up from his kneeling position.

“Good. Then I will devote myself to teaching you so that you can become a great swordsman. Starting from today—can you keep up?”

“Yes, Master!”

Elia clenched her fists and nodded in response to Zenre’s question, who also had her fists tightly clenched.

Watching the two of them, I smiled contentedly and headed toward the house.

“Should I prepare some snacks?”

Snacks made by someone else, eaten during training—there’s nothing more delicious than that.

‘It looks like he’s doing better than I expected.’

Seeing Kael’s back as he walked into the cabin, Zenre felt a sense of relief.

She still vividly remembered Kael’s bloodshot eyes, constantly on edge, as he guarded against everything around him until his retirement after the war ended five years ago.

Since Kael couldn’t get proper sleep, he could only manage about two hours of light rest at a time. The fact that so many of his students had died in the war left Kael lost in thought several times a day.

Though his condition had improved a little just before his retirement, Kael still spent his days like a lifeless shell.

That’s why Zenre had always worried about Kael while he was dealing with the aftermath of the war.

She feared that something might happen while Kael was living alone in the countryside.

But fortunately, about a year later—

Zenre heard from Ruina, who had visited the kingdom briefly, that Kael was doing well and that she occasionally visited him to check on him, so there was no need for Zenre to come in person.

After all, Kael and Ruina were the only ones who could entrust their backs to each other on the battlefield, and their trust in each other ran deep.

Since it was Ruina who said it, Zenre could trust and feel at ease.

And today, seeing Kael in person—

Zenre was sincerely relieved to see Kael not only doing well but looking genuinely happy, just as Ruina had said.

‘It’s only natural when he has such a cute daughter.’

Zenre’s gaze naturally shifted back to the girl. Seeing her adorable appearance, she had to suppress the smile that was about to form on her face.

The girl Kael had mentioned—her name was Elia.

Unlike Kael’s black hair and golden eyes, Elia had white hair and red eyes—a truly beautiful girl.

Her silky white hair flowed slightly past her shoulders, and her brilliant red eyes looked as if the finest ruby had been melted down and poured into them.

She was usually expressionless, but the faint emotions that occasionally surfaced made her indescribably adorable.

With such an adorable daughter, it would be impossible not to smile every day.

Zenre could now understand, even if just a little, why Kael had been able to overcome the pain of his past and find happiness.

But that aside—right now, Zenre herself was here as Elia’s instructor.

“Then, my lady, let’s begin the training. Shall we start by learning how to grip the sword?”

“Mm… I mean, yes, Master!”

Zenre tightened her grip on the wooden practice sword and spoke with determination as she looked down at Elia, who was gazing up at her.

She was determined to raise Elia into the greatest swordsman, staking her honor as Kael’s disciple and her reputation as the captain of the Shardena Kingdom’s knights.

“Good. Follow me!”

The training regimen to make Elia the greatest swordsman had already been prepared for a long time.