Chapter 115 – Chapter 28. On the Way Back.
Early in the morning, Ji-hyeok took telekineticist Sally out to the backyard. There, a few diligent guild members were training in the corner at dawn. The warrior saw their salute and lightly raised his hand in response.
Still, Celie had been training at the academy for 8 weeks, and her discipline hadn’t fully fallen out of her body, so her expression, eyes, and actions were moderate. She liked it very much.
Jihyeok walked to the right spot, stopped and turned his body around. Sally, who had been following closely, stopped abruptly and stood upright.
“Starting today, I will raise you like a disciple. It means that I will continue to whip you so that I can grow while watching your every move.”
“Yes, I am prepared.”
“It won’t be easy. I’m a bit harsh when teaching. You might feel like hitting it.”
“… I heard that you have to be strong to survive.”
The hero grinned at Sally’s words.
“Right. You have to be strong to live. I don’t know what your world was like, but here you have to live a miserable and servile life if you’re not strong. … Especially for strangers like us who don’t have financial resources or connections.”
The short-haired black student listened to his master’s words and clenched his fists.
Still, the fact that she has grown to the point where she is later offered to recruit by a team of S-class warriors means that she has that kind of grit too, so Ji-hyeok had no doubts about her persistence and talent. If you work hard, you will definitely be able to climb higher.
“Your talent is outstanding. However, such people were spread over and over again on this continent. You must have seen and experienced enough at the academy, so you know what I mean.”
“Yes… , I know.”
“Okay… , I’ll stop talking about this for now…”
At that time, Jihyeok’s prayer suddenly changed.
ㅡㅡ!!
Celie took a step back from the eerie, terrifying aura that took her moment.
“Stand straight.”
The telekineticist stood upright again. Jihyeok opened his mouth in a stern tone.
“I will raise you to be a warrior.”
… Warrior… !
Celie looked a little surprised. She didn’t know that her master had a hero in mind.
“You are different from ordinary wizards. Psychomancers like you don’t need the intermediate stage of chanting like wizards. … Of course, it may be a little less efficient, but it is much better than them in efficiency.”
Celie salivated on her own. Every word the hero said made my heart pierce like a dagger.
“In other words, it means that you can step out into the first line without retreating to the second line. … However, there are conditions that must be preceded for that to happen.”
“That is… , What is?”
The telekinesis asked while suppressing his trembling chest. Jihyeok paused for a moment before answering.
“It’s an agile and skillful move.”
Celie nodded her head slightly. She was completely absorbed in his words.
“Psychokinesis can be your weapon. But you can’t attack and defend at the same time. Of course, if you are in the second line, there will be colleagues who protect you from the front. But if you go out to the first line, you can’t expect someone to protect you. You have to do both offense and defense by yourself.”
“Then what should I do?”
“I have to move so as not to get hit by the attack. … At the same time, you need the ability to look after your team members.”
It wasn’t that complicated to hear.
“If a telekinesis is quick even with his movements, nothing is more a nightmare for an enemy. You will become an invincible being that cannot be attacked by any attack. Then you will be able to turn the tide of battle with your own power.”
Telekinesis Celie had the potential to become such a monster. If that was the case, Jihyeok would have made a really strong ally.
Of course, the process to get there will never be easy. Just looking at it, it seems like he hasn’t done much physical training, so the hard work was good in his eyes.
“It will definitely be a tough road. It would be better to be determined from now on.”
“I am determined. … If I can go back home, I can do anything.”
The bobbed-haired girl seemed desperate to think of her hometown. Jihyeok thought that such an earnest wish was not bad. Whatever it was, it was good that he had a solid sense of purpose that he could hold on to and hold on to whenever he faltered.
“Good. With that mindset, you can definitely do it.”
Jihyeok patted Sally on the shoulder and encouraged her.
“Right now, you have two goals. One is strength training, and the other is psychokinesis training. Both are closely related to your abilities, so don’t be fooled. Understand?”
“Yes, I understand!”
So morning training began. Of course, Jihyeok didn’t intend to push as hard as Mafushu did from the start. It was clear that he would quickly lose interest and drop out if he treated a rookie who had just started training so carelessly.
A reward commensurate with effort.
That was the most important thing in education. Jihyeok thought that if Sally reached her goal, she would reward her accordingly. That way he creates the perception that she wants to continue training. He seemed like a thief who only blindly believed in and hoped for a solid sense of purpose.
In the morning, I started running and light strength training. After that, they had lunch, took a short nap, did psychokinesis training, and finished the day with physical strength training again in the evening.
It became her daily routine. … And Jihyeok was always by her side.
The warrior team was ready to leave after just a week of staying at the mansion. The Heavenly Horse will go up to the capital as soon as it is organized a little more, so let’s meet again then and solve the problem, and shook hands with the hero. Jihyeok also said goodbye to Larosha.
That’s how the hero team left Eretria, the city of beginnings, at dawn.
Ah.
Sally, who took her first steps on the continent, was deeply moved by the beautiful fields looking for color in the red sunrise.
It was completely different from her world, which had been devastated after the nuclear war. … This place was not a gray ruin, but a beautiful paradise.
Jihyeok and Sally did not neglect training even during their comeback. If there was a stream to wash away the sweat, she had to do her strength training until late in the evening. If you wash your sweaty clothes and hang them on the roof of the carriage, they will dry out in the bright sunlight the next day.
When they rode in the carriage, Celie slept soundly on the shoulder of her mentor, the warrior. At first, she was sensitive and woke up at the slightest sound, but now she fell asleep without budging even in her wobbling wagon. That must be proof of how hard the training is.
Seeing Celie sleeping with her bald body opening her mouth, she shuddered.
“I don’t think I can be the captain’s apprentice. How do you live like that?”
Ludwigne also sympathized with Gide’s words for the first time. Seeing what Shellie is doing these days, she couldn’t possibly have the courage to copy her.
Anyway, the brave team moved for a full month and arrived at the city of Galpecia.
There, Ji-hyeok decided to separate from his party for a while. He planned to stop by Crescent Moon Lake for a while to meet his teacher Eisel, whom he hadn’t seen in a long time.
Anyway, it was only about 15 days away from the capital.
“Kayak, can you take that much without a problem?”
“Of course. Leave the team to me and come see me comfortably.”
“Okay… , I go comfortably thanks to you.”
Jihyeok left the back to the reliable Lizardman. He repeatedly urged her Celie not to neglect her training while she was away.
So Ji-hyeok and his teammates parted ways, and he headed to Milano, the city where Crescent Moon Lake is located.
The moving wagon with five young men and women was already full of manipulative actions. Jihyeok kept his mouth shut as if he had come to another world alone and was lost in thought.
Ordinary people could not easily talk to Ji-hyeok, who had a sword. It’s possible that you get caught by a nasty mercenary and end up in trouble.
Of course, I didn’t keep my mouth shut all the way to Milano. The mercenaries seemed to be happy to meet the same partner, chatting and chattering nonstop. Instead of talking to Jihyeok, he was able to hear various rumors going on on the continent in return.
Apparently, the guy went on a pilgrimage around the Southern Continent and went on a rampage, saying that he had to catch and kill all the thieves that were infesting here and there.
“Those bastards, you just have to rip them all the way from the groin and then throw them in the field as animal food. Fuck you, bastards.”
… And, fearful to say, a band of bandits attacked the camp that night.
Because of the thieves, the wagons also moved in groups, so when we gathered all the people who could fight, there were about 10 or 5 people. However, the raiding bandits were well over 40 years old.
“This fuck-!”
The bandits even rode horses and set fire to the wagon as soon as they came running. The coachmen tried to escape on horseback to save their lives, but the experienced thieves were quick to block it.
“Kill all bastards who resist!!”
Hearing the sound, some threw down their weapons and fell flat. Of course, Jihyeok didn’t care whether they did or not, and took a quick glance at the thieves while holding his holy sword.
“This fuck, don’t throw away the sword?! … Kill that bastard!”
The thieves with spears ran to kill Jihyeok. However, they were completely dismembered along with the horses before the spear could be stabbed.
ㅡㅡ!!
Jihyeok picked up the fallen spear and threw it at the thief who gave the order. It flew like lightning and pierced the opponent’s head.
“I, kill that bastard!!”
The thieves who had been plundering from their horses began to rush towards Ji-hyeok. Of course, the hero wasn’t afraid of how much a rogue like this would attack.
The thieves, who had been pushing ahead with numbers, began to slaughter in an instant. Half of them died in the blink of an eye, only then did they realize that something was wrong.
The quick-witted thieves immediately mounted their horses and began to flee. Even during the fight, Jihyeok picked up the fallen spear and threw it at the backs of the fleeing guys.
All but one or two of the thieves were lucky enough to escape. It was only then that people realized that Jihyeok was not an ordinary person. The mercenaries, who threw away their weapons and prostrated themselves on the ground to survive, only looked at him with a puzzled look on their faces. However, he casually wiped the blood off the holy sword, ordered the surroundings to be tidied up, and lay flat on the rug.
The next day, a few people eager to make friends approached Ji-hyeok and asked to hear his name, but Ji-hyeok kept his mouth shut and remained silent. He didn’t want his name to go up and down in this matter. Originally, rumors are likely to be distorted if they spread widely.
Anyway, a week after that incident, Jihyeok finally arrived in the city of Milano. He took the carriage again and went to the village near Crescent Lake.
Upon arriving at the village, Ji-hyeok’s steps quickened. His shadow as he walked across the field at sunset grew longer and longer.
The warrior arrived at the lake in the evening after the sun had set. He remembered his old walks in quiet woods and lakesides. Thinking over the feeling at that time, he took one step at a time along the promenade.
He passed through the dark forest and finally reached the front yard of the cabin. It was dark all around. Tightly… The chickens were talking in their sleep in the chicken coop.
He approached the cabin slowly. Kik-kike-kike. The wooden floor still made a pitiful sound when stepped on. A sensitive fairy would have known immediately that someone had come just by hearing the sound.
Soon a light flickered in the window.
– Who is this?
The teacher’s voice was sharp.
The disciple laughed heartily. It was the same tone when he was making a fuss about doing housework.
“It is me, Master.”
As soon as Jihyeok said that, the door burst open. Standing in a thin nightgown, the teacher’s face was raging with uncontrollable joy and passion.
The disciple laughed heartily and dropped the luggage and sword sheath he was carrying on his shoulder to the floor.
“… Jihyeok… !”
“Have you been safe all this time?”
Master Azel jumped into the arms of his disciple at once. Her warrior hugged her tightly into her arms.
She smelled of her fragrant grass.
It was the scent the warrior longed for.
