Translator: Nox

29 - Chapter 29

‘If your skills are lacking, you can always ask Grandfather to teach you.’

Grandfather… just mentioning anything would make him draw his sword, which didn’t seem ordinary.

Even if the knights' skills were lacking, Grandfather could somehow manage it if he stepped in.

Thinking that, Ashil tapped Dylan's arm.

“Piyat pi!” (Ashil will go get Grandfather!)

Then, he scurried to Elkai's room and opened the door without knocking.

“Piya!” (Grandfather!)

Bang!

The door shattered because he failed to control his strength.

Elkai, who was deeply contemplating something with a bunch of things spread out on the bed, looked surprised.

“You rascal, where did you sell your knocking manners!”

He hurriedly covered the items with a blanket.

It was a relatively quick movement, but Ashil managed to see a shiny chess piece and a few strangely shaped pebbles.

‘Grandfather plays with the same things as Ashil.’

I should ask to borrow them later.

Ashil, feeling an inner closeness to Elkai playing with toys, tried to jump onto the bed.

But before he could, Elkai lifted Ashil up.

“You mustn’t step here.”

“Piyapi piya.” (You need to come with Ashil.)

“Where to now?”

“Piiya.” (You’ll know if you follow.)

As he pointed the way with his front paw, the diamond ring shook along with his paw, dazzlingly.

Ashil, floating in the air, wiggled his feet.

“Piya! Piya!” (Hurry! Hurry!)

“Alright, alright.”

Elkai shook his head and slowly moved his feet.

Almost all the poison had left his body, so he no longer needed a cane.

Having arrived at the training grounds, Elkai looked dumbfounded at Ashil's request to teach the knights.

“Isn’t Edenber supposed to give them a salary for that?”

He had never heard of a head of the family teaching knights swordsmanship while even paying them a salary.

“Alright, fine. Show me your skills. Our financial situation isn’t good anyway, so we should cut off all the unnecessary ones.”

As he sat on the bench, Dylan, who had inadvertently stirred up trouble by complaining to Ashil, cried inwardly.

But he couldn't back down now, so he gritted his teeth and sparred with his colleagues.

A while later, everyone's sparring was over.

Elkai, who had been frowning throughout the sparring, gave a short evaluation.

“Not bad, but why do you lack confidence?”

“That’s…”

“The Duke Starepit family has been fighting alongside the Divine Beast, so we thought they might be better than us…”

“It’s the opposite. They rely on the Divine Beast in battle, don’t they? I haven't seen it myself, but they're probably similar to you.”

So, you can have confidence in your skills, Elkai praised very rarely.

However, the knights' expressions did not brighten easily.

Puzzled as to why they were like this, Elkai pointed at Dylan and asked.

“Could this be related to ‘that incident’ that the Starrepit Duchess mentioned?”

Dylan couldn't answer easily.

He was a knight who had joined Munrepe after that incident.

But he knew the situation through rumors.

‘Should I talk about this? It would damage the Duke's reputation…’

After hesitating, he told the truth at Elkai's urging.

Elkai's expression hardened coldly after hearing the whole story.

“I will go and kill Duke Starepit.”

“E, Elkai-nim! You can’t!”

“The Duke wouldn’t want that!”

The knights, horrified by the thought that he might actually go to the Duke Starepit family, surrounded him.

“You should have told me, you rascal.”

Elkai beat his chest with a look of anguish.

Why didn't you tell me about this sooner?

When will you change your foolish habit of holding everything in?

“So that’s what you were worried about. If you only manage to tie with them, Starrepit’s claim that monster subjugation is impossible without a Divine Beast will gain legitimacy.”

“That’s right. It’s a matter of family honor…”

“Do you think your skills will improve if you just stand here doing nothing?”

Everyone fell silent at Elkai's sharp words.

Tsk tsk, Elkai clicked his tongue and cut them off mercilessly.

“It’s already too late. There isn’t much time left until the friendly match.”

The knights, their hopes dashed, lowered their heads.

They had hoped that Elkai, once considered the strongest sword in the empire, might have some solution.

As the atmosphere sank, Elkai opened his mouth.

“Do you know the fastest way to improve your skills?”

“Consistent training…?”

“A life-or-death battle. It is when you go back and forth between life and death that the potential deep within you explodes.”

“Then should we go catch Monsters right now…?”

“Is there a need to catch Monsters?”

Elkai looked down at Ashil, who was standing blankly.

“We have this one here.”

“…Pi?”

“Fighting the Divine Beast one-on-one would be a life-or-death battle, wouldn’t it?”

“Oh, indeed!”

“It will definitely be a great help!”

“It’s an honor to be on the same battlefield like this, even if it’s just for training!”

The knights cheered.

On the other hand, Ashil, shocked by the sudden situation, gaped.

What? Are you telling Ashil to fight the knight humans?!

But the moment he made eye contact with Elkai, he quickly closed his mouth and confidently puffed out his chest.

“Pi, piyatpi piya. Piiya.” (A, Ashil is a ferocious Dragon beast-man. You might get hurt if you fight Ashil.)

“Training is supposed to be done while getting hurt.”

“That must be because our skills are lacking. Please, Ashil-nim.”

“Pi…”

“You don’t have to do it if you don’t want to.”

Ashil, who was about to answer, ‘Then I won’t,’ paused.

Wait, what if the knight humans are sent to the friendly match like this and lose…?

‘Ashil's reputation will fall!’

Then Ashil would become a weak Dragon beast-man and be easily caught by humans.

That was something he had to prevent at all costs. Ashil is a ferocious Dragon beast-man. The boss of Munrepe!

“Piiya pi. Piiya!” (No. Ashil will fight the knight humans!)

Ashil, shouting energetically, puffed out his chest until his body bent.

In that state, he went to the center of the training ground and shouted as if putting in spirit, his legs trembling.

“Piyaaaaa!” (Come at meeeee!)

---

That afternoon.

Platforms were placed all over the training ground.

The knights had placed them here and there so that the small Ashil could attack easily.

With the preparations for sparring with the Divine Beast complete, Dylan, who had been appointed as the temporary leader of the knights who had come to the capital, opened his mouth.

“Who will come out first?”

“Wasn’t it you?”

“…I’m a bit.”

He wanted to postpone getting close as much as possible because of his lizard phobia. Dylan subtly avoided the gaze of his fellow knight.

Then another knight raised his hand.

“I’ll go first.”

It was a knight named Adelton.

He was also the knight who drew the line the most, unlike the knights who were easily charmed by Ashil.

He had clearly witnessed Ashil's trembling legs a little while ago.

His colleagues thought it was the trembling of a beast excited just before hunting, but Adelton thought differently.

‘He seems scared.’

He had participated in the civil war, but he had not directly seen Ashil's performance.

Biante's Saint Creature had not come to where he was.

So he didn't believe the rumors that Ashil had defeated the Saint Creatures in one blow.

He thought it was nonsense, just boasting to elevate the status of a Divine Beast without roots.

‘There’s too much exaggeration for a small lizard.’

Even though he belonged to the Munrepe Ducal House, he hated lies.

The reason he hadn't gone to other families despite his excellent skills was also because he thought the Munrepe Ducal House was more honest and upright than other ducal houses.

Therefore, he was very disappointed in the rumors surrounding Ashil.

“No matter what happens, don’t interfere.”

Just before stepping into the sparring match, Adelton uttered a warning to his fellow knights.

Never step in even if that lizard is in danger. I will do my best until the end. That was the meaning behind it.