The Peaceful Life Of A Maid Who Hides Her Power And Enjoys It - Chapter 94
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 94
The day of the entrance examination dawned.
Mental preparation? Warm-up exercises? I didn’t need any of that nonsense.
I am Daisy Pager, maid of Weatherwax, awakened Black Knight, and Countess Vladi-whatever. The hero who dealt the final blow to Mephistopheles and founder of the Demon Leg Ironing Technique.
I wasn’t afraid of some entrance examination.
The examination was taking place near the Royal Palace.
Inside a white building reminiscent of the Temple of Mephistopheles, there was an open space as wide as a racetrack.
The densely packed stepped seating surrounding the circular arena reminded me of the Black Regal.
“Have you arrived, Senior?”
“Mm.”
Jin, who had arrived earlier, was grabbing the back of Andert’s neck as he slouched in his chair, trying to make him sit up properly.
I sat down right next to Andert, who wasn’t budging an inch.
“Jin, where is Count Sereniye?”
“He’s with those who appear to be examination committee members.”
I focused my vision and checked on the group gathered across the arena.
Three examination committee members wearing Rogue sect robes.
Their complexions seemed poor, and I could see why – in the shade nearby, King Astrosia, Count Sereniye, and the white-haired Kalerpa and Skuld were resting comfortably in casual strolling attire. That would be uncomfortable indeed.
‘Is Deshero over there too? Given his position, he seems to have been invited.’
Despite the great distance, I could feel Count Sereniye looking at me and smiling.
He wrinkled his nose and turned his head away.
“There are really more people taking the examination than I expected. Just from a quick glance, there seem to be many formidable individuals.”
Looking at Jin, who seemed somewhat excited, I suddenly became curious about something.
“How did you learn from the Swordmaster?”
“…The sword, you mean?”
Just as Jin was carefully organizing his thoughts.
“How else? You get worked like a damn dog.”
A voice was thrown out indifferently. It was Andert.
“Crazy bastard.”
With a deeply displeased expression, he muttered those three syllables and looked up at me.
“Why do you think he got that damn nickname? The Swordmaster shows no mercy to those he accepts as disciples. He works them like dogs with all sorts of worthless training, works them to the limit, works them until they’re on the verge of death, and only teaches swordsmanship to the very few who remain at the end.”
Jin immediately objected with an uncomfortable expression.
“That training isn’t worthless training. It’s basic training that builds stamina, strength, and mental fortitude.”
“What a joke. The Swordmaster doesn’t even accept those who haven’t mastered the basics in the first place. Wasn’t it the same for you? Even though you were a wandering mercenary who came from who knows where, your skills were comparable to decent knights. You must have thought so yourself, right?”
“…”
“The most fucked up thing about the Swordmaster is that he casually touches people’s trauma. Not content with just touching it, he endlessly stimulates it until you go insane. He doesn’t even teach swordsmanship to those who can’t overcome it. But even after rolling around like maggots, I still couldn’t get past the second wall.”
Trauma, huh.
According to Andert’s testimony, the Swordmaster’s training methods seemed to have many similarities to Rogue’s training methods.
“From the time you start wondering ‘Can I overcome this wall while I’m still alive?’, the Swordmaster becomes a distant existence. How did this man overcome the third wall? What kind of life has he lived?”
“…”
“Real learning starts from there. That’s how the Swordmaster taught us. Well, he even makes the useful ones kill people later, so he can’t really be called a humane teacher in many ways. But for those who pursue strength, there’s no better teacher than him.”
Listening to this uncharacteristically long story, I couldn’t help but ask a question I couldn’t suppress.
“Why do you want to become strong?”
What made Andert and Jin pursue power?
‘Looking at how much he’s gritting his teeth, it seems like the training wasn’t ordinary.’
Rather than answering my question, Andert asked back without batting an eye.
“I’m the one who wants to ask. Where the hell did you live and what did you do to reach that level at your age?”
Well, I was avenging my enemies and somehow…
“Call me Master. Then I’ll tell you.”
“Fuck off.”
Andert snorted and moved away to the higher seats, swinging his long legs.
‘He’s been strangely quiet lately.’
In Midwintry, he was busy asking strange quizzes, but after I brought him to Astrosia using past memories as leverage, he’s been unusually well-behaved.
‘Did he become timid because it’s a foreign country?’
That doesn’t seem like him.
Since it was welcome that the most explosive guy was keeping quiet, I pretended not to care for now.
After Andert left, I organized my thoughts for a moment.
As someone who had agreed to provide guidance, I felt I had been leaving Jin alone too much.
It’s not like I hadn’t thought about it at all though.
“I don’t feel like I should teach you swordsmanship.”
Jin looked at me with slightly surprised eyes.
“More precisely, I can’t teach you. I’ve never learned advanced techniques like swordsmanship. And I’ve determined that what you need isn’t simply raising your martial prowess.”
Jin is already a skilled swordsman.
Unlike me, who used a sword haphazardly while roaming battlefields, he was a talent who learned under the legendary genius called the Swordmaster.
Therefore, he wouldn’t be lacking in things like slashing or thrusting.
“Why is that?”
“Because you’re a Black Knight.”
“…Does that mean I shouldn’t become stronger because I might completely assimilate?”
“What does that matter? Even if you completely assimilate, I can stop you by myself.”
“Ah, that’s right.”
A faint sense of relief appeared on Jin’s face as he smiled somewhat sheepishly.
My greatest desire is to help Jin overcome the barrier of being a Black Knight.
Since I had similar experiences, couldn’t I teach him in a similar way?
“Is there a face that comes to mind when you think of someone precious?”
Jin hesitated a bit before speaking.
“My sibling comes to mind.”
“Didn’t you say you had no family last time?”
“Yes. My sibling was my only family, but they died long ago.”
“Is there no face that comes to mind among the living?”
“No.”
“Old friends?”
“No.”
“A lover?”
“No.”
This is a predicament.
A Black Knight is one who is controlled by the sword.
Therefore, they easily lose control over the sword. Complete assimilation is the phenomenon experienced when this control is completely lost.
However, when I overcame the second wall, even though I didn’t gain physical evolution, I gained the control to prevent complete assimilation.
Then how did I gain this control?
I gained it by overcoming my fear of being a Black Knight and completely accepting myself as a Black Knight.
Then how was I able to overcome that fear?
“This scar is my pride. Hehe. Among all the princesses in Pen Rota’s history, I’m probably the only one with such a glorious scar. A scar left by a hero!”
Someone who comforted me, saying that even being a Black Knight was something to be proud of.
“So that I won’t hurt those I trust. Please teach me so that I can eventually overcome it like you, Senior.”
Someone who said being a Black Knight could be helpful.
“Now that I’ve confirmed you’re alive, throw away that sword. Pretend the time you spent wielding a sword never happened. Just live as the maid you like being.”
Someone who taught me that being a Black Knight was just a part of me.
Thanks to them, I was able to overcome my fear.
Without people around me who needed me and whom I needed, this realization would have been impossible for a lifetime.
But a Black Knight with no friends, no family, and not even a lover.
“If you have nothing, give up on overcoming the wall.”
“….”
“If you don’t want to give up, start by making friends first.”
“…Must I really do that?”
“Yes.”
“Please tell me the reason.”
I almost moved my lips but stopped.
I judged that there wouldn’t be much point in trying to convey what I had realized through words.
‘When I think about it, I don’t know anything about Jin.’
I hadn’t even asked the most fundamental question about the existence called ‘Inspector Jin.’
“Why do you want to become strong?”
Jin, who had hesitated slightly, gave her answer in a prepared manner.
“Because Grand Sorcerer Mephistopheles might still be alive.”
Oh no. I never expected that name to come up.
“He’s dead, Jin. He perished together with Andert Pager. It’s been four years already.”
“But no one has found their bodies, have they? He might be alive somewhere. He could be biding his time while growing stronger.”
Huh, that’s actually a surprisingly sound reason. She wants to protect the world, right? She has the makings of a hero.
“You’re worried about Mephistopheles’ resurrection. Is that the only reason you want to become strong?”
Jin’s expression stiffened slightly.
It seemed she hadn’t prepared an answer for this question.
That meant there was a higher probability that this side of the story would be more honest.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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