My Disciples Became Scoundrels - Chapter 25

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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“I’ve brought the Medicinal Herbs you asked for.”
He was cautious, yet he ran errands readily enough. Perhaps he did so deliberately, to maintain his guard.
I accepted the bundle he handed me. While I checked its contents, Garwen glanced sideways at my side.
“Is the sword you’re wearing a self-defense blade? It doesn’t look to be in very good condition.”
He was right—it was poor-quality steel. I’d stolen it from one of the men who attacked the Spear Hall, and I’d been using it ever since.
“Yes. It serves well enough for now.”
“Have you no interest in acquiring a new one? I could forge one for you.”
“This one suits me fine.”
Garwen continued to study my blade. In the meantime, I sorted through the herbs. But I noticed one ingredient was missing.
“Is there no Wood Moss?”
“The shop owner said she was injured and couldn’t go out to gather it. And there’s no one to take her place.”
Wood Moss is indeed a difficult herb to procure. It grows only on branches thirty meters or higher, and no one short of a seasoned veteran would even attempt it.
I remembered my colleague often pushing me into the mountains to retrieve Wood Moss. I never thought I’d miss those days.
“Then I’ll go and gather some for you.”
If I returned before sundown, it should be fine.
When I stepped outside, I found three figures huddled together in front of the Blacksmith.
“No, because I’m the Emperor, so Grandfather has to obey my orders!”
“Then I want to be Emperor Grandfather Father! Caesare, I declare the false Emperor subject to execution by hanging.”
“Grandfather, you’re actually in your right mind, aren’t you?”
Caesare had said playing with Zik was childish, yet now he seemed to be enjoying it. I approached Zik.
“Zik, it’s time for tea.”
“This tastes bad… But since you’re giving it to me, Dein!”
Zik accepted the tea obediently. I spoke to my disciples, who were festooned with Flower Rings and Flower Crowns.
“The Wood Moss has run out. I need to go gather some. Jennia, come with me.”
“Yes!”
Jennia, who handled Tentacles well, would certainly be useful for herb gathering. Caesare spoke with evident displeasure.
“So I’m the only one left to watch the child? Besides, Zik actually likes Jennia better than me…”
At that moment, Zik stood up abruptly. He moved suddenly as he often did, but this time his expression was different.
His face had hardened in an odd way. Like someone waking from a dream. He looked at me and furrowed his brow.
“…Dein?”
My name fell from his lips. Had he regained his senses?
Caesare’s eyes flashed. He seized Zik at once.
“Grandfather, are you back to yourself? Do you remember Dein?”
“I remember. He destroyed the Clayborn that appeared in the Mine. So that’s…”
Zik, who had been mumbling, squeezed his eyes shut. When he opened them again, his face was blank once more.
“Wow, a butterfly!”
Zik’s attention was caught by a butterfly fluttering past. Caesare, unable to contain his frustration, cried out.
“No, why are you crazy again? Get a hold of yourself!”
As Caesare’s shout rang out sharply, Jennia tugged at my sleeve and asked.
“Master, what’s a Clayborn?”
“A Beast similar to a Golem. It’s a giant-shaped monster made of earth, but unlike Golems, they occur naturally.”
I had defeated the Clayborn quite some time ago, yet I remembered it well. Once his mind was clear, it seemed he would accept a new sword readily.
I needed to keep giving him medicinal herb tea to prevent the effect from wearing off. If I hurried, I could manage it by evening tea time.
“Caesare, then I’ll be on my way. Keep a close watch on Zik.”
“Please, at least pay me a nursemaid’s wages.”
Leaving the still-sullen Caesare behind, I turned toward the mountain. The terrain was quite rugged, yet Jennia’s steps remained light.
“Master, I’m curious about the story of defeating the Clayborn. I want to know all the details.”
“There’s nothing remarkable about it. I destroyed the Source in the Mine, and that was the end of it. We sealed it afterward as a precaution.”
“What’s a Source?”
“It’s like a collection of mana that continuously generates Beasts.”
The people of this Village were unfamiliar with the concept of a Source. That was why they couldn’t understand why the Clayborn kept appearing.
Jennia pondered my explanation for a moment, then spoke.
“If you had that at home, Beasts would keep appearing. You wouldn’t need to go to the Dungeon at all. Should I tell him to go find one?”
I imagined Caesare would have his hands full. Sources aren’t something that appears often, after all.
As we talked, we made our way toward the Cliff. Wood Moss usually grows in that direction.
“Master, we have to climb up there, don’t we? Then I’ll go first!”
Jennia extended her Tentacles and seized the trees sprouting from the Cliff with the agility of a nimble ape.
Hanging suspended, Jennia wrapped another Tentacle around my waist.
Without hesitation, she began to climb the Cliff. Jennia spoke with evident pride.
“Comfortable, aren’t you?”
“Yes, quite comfortable.”
I felt somewhat like a piece of luggage being carried, but Jennia’s method was undeniably more efficient.
We ascended the Cliff so smoothly that a fairly level plateau soon came into view. Only then did Jennia set me down and look around.
“Wood Moss, Wood Moss… Could that be it?”
At the edge of the Cliff that Jennia pointed to, a tree stretched outward. Something like moss clung to its withered branches.
“Yes, that’s the Wood Moss.”
“Then let me grab it quickly… Wait?”
Just then, something dark came pouring out of the Cliff’s interior like a torrent into open air.
They were enormous eagles—massive as a person. Seeing nests scattered across the Cliff face, it was clear we had entered the eagles’ territory.
Black blood was caked on the eagles’ beaks and talons. Their gaze toward us burned with hunger.
They were Cannibal Eagles—creatures that fed on cattle, swine, and humans alike.
Screee!
They hurled themselves at us at once. In the same breath, Tentacles writhed and protruded from between Jennia’s garments.
“We’re busy.”
Crack!
The Tentacles pierced straight through an eagle’s chest—swift and terrible as a furious spear. With a keen shriek, the eagles began to plummet.
It resembled Caesare’s Spear Technique, strangely enough. I thought how much Jennia must have learned from her brother.
As Jennia cut through the eagles without pause, a cry tore through the air.
Screee!
The sharp sound struck my ears directly. Pain lanced through my skull as my thoughts blurred, and the Mana within me churned into chaos.
I looked around in alarm and spotted an unusually massive eagle far in the distance.
Beyond its black wings, a blue aura shimmered. This was clearly the leader of the flock.
It shrieked again. Pain shot through my ear as if needles were being driven deep inside.
Jennia too clamped her hands over her ears in agony. The shock caused her Tentacles to stiffen.
“Ugh, what is this? Is that one a Beast?”
“Not quite. When an ordinary creature awakens to Mana, it becomes something akin to a Beast.”
The leader’s hideous cry made it difficult to gather my thoughts. At the same time, the Mana inside me rolled and surged chaotically.
Did that sound carry the effect of Mana Disruption?
In the meantime, the eagles rushed toward us. Jennia was still struggling to recover her senses.
I grabbed her urgently and pulled us both into the shelter of the rocks.
I cupped Jennia’s ears in both hands and let Mana flow into her. In that instant, a searing pain ran through my entire body.
Jennia must have felt this same agony when she transferred Mana to Gaenac.
As my Mana flowed into Jennia, the organs within screamed in protest. I poured it in regardless, and slowly her expression eased.
“Thank you, Master. It’s better now, but…”
Still the eagles pressed their advantage, diving in for the kill, while their leader remained too distant.
“Jennia, could you extend your Tentacles all the way to where the leader is?”
“That distance is beyond my reach.”
Neither of us possessed long-range combat. Still, there was a solution. I surveyed the situation and laid out a plan to Jennia.
“Can you do it, Jennia?”
At my words, Jennia’s eyes gleamed and she answered with conviction.
“Yes, I can! This will be fun!”
“Good. When I signal, come forward.”
I bolted out from behind the rocks. I’d barely taken a few steps when the Cliff loomed ahead.
Eagles were stationed in every direction. The moment I sprinted forward, they descended as if they’d been waiting. Their numbers seemed even greater than before.
All the better.
Crack!
I trampled an eagle underfoot. Its massive body made an excellent stepping stone.
These eagles filling the sky became my stepping stones. I advanced toward the leader, treading upon them.
Screee!
The leader shrieked again, but this time it was a different kind of cry.
The eagles between the leader and me began to scatter. Now there was nowhere left to step between us.
But that was enough.
“Jennia!”
I reached out toward my disciple. Her Tentacles wrapped around my arm as if they’d been waiting.
I pulled with all my strength. She flew into the air. In an instant, Jennia hung above my head and twisted her body to take aim at the leader.
“Now I can reach…!”
Crack!
The Tentacle pierced straight through the leader’s chest. Blood gushed forth in torrents, and it let out a death cry.
This had been the plan from the start. I’d never intended to kill the leader myself.
To become a stepping stone for Jennia. To be the ground beneath her feet.
That was my goal.
Once the leader fell, its subordinates scattered. The eagle beneath my feet, unable to bear my weight, plummeted. Jennia caught me in her tentacles, lifting me effortlessly.
“Let’s go now, Master.”
She extended her tentacles to grip a tree on the cliff face, then landed smoothly on solid ground. Still cradling me, Jennia tilted her head with a puzzled expression.
“Master, you seem rather light. About half as heavy as Caesare.”
“That’s just your imagination.”
“No, it’s not. He’s heavy as a pig. You’re like a piglet.”
I was average weight, but Jennia had grown so strong that she perceived it this way. Somehow, I felt like an aging parent.
“Should we have pork for dinner?”
“Let’s gather enough Wood Moss first and head down.”
After collecting a sufficient amount of Wood Moss, we descended the mountain. The sun was already sinking low on the horizon.
As we entered the Blacksmith, something felt wrong. It was too quiet. Jennia looked around and spoke.
“Huh? Grandfather and my brother aren’t here.”
She was right. They were usually playing in front of the Blacksmith, weren’t they? Radi and Garwen were nowhere to be seen. I headed toward the neighboring Shop.
“Excuse me. Have you seen Zik around? Or perhaps the red-haired man who was with him?”
“Ah, that no-good bastard?”
The shopkeeper let out a bitter laugh. An uneasy premonition crept over me. Had Caesare caused trouble again?
“People came from the Security Office earlier and took him away. From what I heard, he was caught trying to steal something.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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