Chapter 5

“So, my disciple. You’re finally asking. Disciple, what’s your name?” “It’s Erica.” “Erica! A flower name. In the south, there’s a territory where Erica flowers bloom in abundance.” On the way to see the sea, they could stop there first. Pechenik smiled cheerfully for once. “Erica.” “Yes.” “Is there anything you wanted to do after leaving the Count’s manor?” “…” “Like something you wanted to eat. You must have seen plenty of fancy food from afar in the mansion.” “…” When Erica remained silent, Pechenik offered various suggestions to the poor child. He explained what kinds of sweet-smelling foods there were, describing their shapes and saying he’d take her to a restaurant to taste them. He thought she wouldn’t have anything else she particularly wanted to do. The dreams a young maid could have in the Count’s manor must have been infinitely small. “Um…” Erica hesitated before opening her mouth. “Can I grow my hair long?” “…?” What does she mean by growing her hair long? Pechenik didn’t understand immediately and asked again. “Do you mean letting your hair grow?” “Yes.” That’s what she meant? Pechenik, slightly taken aback, stroked his chin. Was she a girl with a strong sense of aesthetics? It was an unexpected question, but there was no problem with it. “You don’t need to ask me about that. You have a cute face, so your hair will look fine no matter what.” Her current short hair, which looked like it had been gnawed by mice, was quite cute, too. He didn’t know what hairstyles girls these days wore, but Pechenik gave an objective opinion. “Okay.” Erica bit her lip before bowing her head. “I’ll only grow it as long as it doesn’t interfere with learning the sword.” She even thanked him for allowing it. The Count’s manor. In the corner of Erica’s shabby room, thin scissors were often thrown carelessly. The Countess constantly cut Erica’s hair short to make her look unbecoming of a noble lady. For Erica, the scissors moving as if about to stab her eyes were fear itself. She would have preferred being hit. ‘Now… No more.’ Erica’s heart pounded. The tears she had been holding back until now, she just held back again. The scenery unfolded outside the carriage window. Suddenly, goosebumps rose on her arms. It was a shudder. She had escaped from that hell. The journey by carriage was long. When she asked where they were going, he only said they were heading south. ‘South. Where could that be?’ Erica looked out the window. The scenery passed by quickly. Though it was the same trees and sky, it was still a wondrous sight for Erica, who was experiencing the outside world for the first time. When the sun set, they would sometimes camp outdoors, and other times stop at adventurers’ inns for meals. Then, when they got back in the carriage, Erica would once again gaze out the window. “Erica.” “Yes.” Pechenik would occasionally speak up and ask her something. Most of the time, it was easy for Erica to answer, but sometimes not. “Did you see Count Hereis often?” “…” Erica took a sharp breath. She would break out in a cold sweat whenever the topic of the Count’s manor came up. Shee was terrified of being found out that she wasn’t a maid but the Count’s daughter, so even as she answered, the sky seemed to darken. “No… He’s a busy person. I mean, I heard he’s a busy person.” “That’s true. He’s not even doing all the Teneuarha work alone, yet he’s so busy, I wonder if there’s another workaholic like him in the world.” Pechenik recalled that boring, wooden face and asked another question. “Have you ever seen Count Hereis practicing swordsmanship?” “…” Erica rolled her eyes. After pondering for a while, she shook her head. This was something she truly had never seen. She had secretly watched her brother Eric practice before, but she had never seen her father wield a sword. “No. I’ve never seen it.” “Well, I suppose that fellow isn’t the type to be a spectacle for the maids of the mansion.” Pechenik pulled out a knife from his backpack. “Then you’ve never seen anything like this either, right?” The smooth blade tip gleamed. Woong-! It resonated softly. The blue light that burst forth, rippling, was so dazzling it seemed mesmerizing. “Wow!” When Erica exclaimed in admiration, Pechenik explained what it was. “It’s called ‘Aura.’” “Aura…” “No, Aura.” “Aura…” It was beautiful. Difficult explanations about Aura being the strongest condensation of power or the symbol of a Swordmaster went in one ear and out the other. It felt like being sucked into the brilliant blue light. Erica held her breath. She couldn’t even make a sound of breathing. It felt as if the air inside the carriage was completely pressed down by such a small light. How could something like this exist? She wondered if Pechenik had stolen the moonlight from the night sky. “When I was young, the day I first created Aura, I felt like I owned the world. Even though it was just half a span long, I was so excited I jumped around stomping the ground.” “…” Erica tensed up. It seemed incredibly difficult. Could I ever create something like that? What if I can’t do it until I die? If I don’t have the talent. ‘What if he’s disappointed in me?’ Even after decades of training to reach the level of Swordmaster, the majority of people grew old and died without ever creating an Aura. Geniuses like Pechenik, who awakened to Aura at a young age, were always fewer than ten in a generation. “Will I be able to do it…?” “Who knows? It’d be nice if you could. This is something that just happens somehow.” Hook- The blue light that had shrouded the knife disappeared. Like a flame extinguished in an instant. “This isn’t your goal.” Pechenik, having withdrawn the Aura, closed the knife’s sheath. “From now on, I’ll teach you everything I know, so you learn.” Thud- He tossed the knife. Huah, Erica, caught off guard, grasped it with both hands. “If you live like that, you’ll be able to find it. Finding the most fun thing in the world. That’s your goal from now on.” “…Fun?” “Something that makes your heart pound, takes your breath away, and brings tears to your eyes from the thrill.” “Does… such a thing exist in the world?” “There are so many!” Pechenik laughed, hahaha! With so many fun things in the world, why had he been stuck in this clown act until now? He was talking to himself. At some point, the life in the Knights Order that rolled on like a hamster wheel had become tedious. Though the system was as vast as the sky, there wasn’t much he could do while bearing the name of Teneuarha on his shoulders. Looking back, there were certainly times when it was enjoyable. But there were more times when it wasn’t. That was the problem. He had been doing uninteresting things for far too long. He had given up and lost so much during that time, and the more he reflected, the more he realized what a messed-up life it had been. Pechenik rested his chin on the window again. He looked outside. He gazed at the clouds floating freely in the sky. “From now on, I’m going to do fun things. Whatever it is, I’ll do it all.” “Yes!” Though it was a mutter to himself, Erica answered. “You do it too if you want. You’re my disciple after all.” “Yes!” Erica answered once more, smiling brightly enough to show all her teeth. She wanted to ask, ‘Why are you making such a simple thing as living fun sound so difficult?’ but she held back. The time when master and disciple would freely exchange banter was yet to come, after they became closer. “A mercenary group?” Pechenik had formed a mercenary group. “Yes. Sounds fun, doesn’t it?” It was spontaneous to anyone watching, but he pretended it was planned. That much was evident from how they had hurriedly completed their mercenary registration and group establishment. “What’s a mercenary?” “It’s an awesome job where you get paid and go on adventures.” “Wow.” And so, young Erica became a founding member.