“To tell the truth, in addition to my duties as the knight commander, I’ve been given the honor of serving as the order’s swordsmanship instructor.”
“Hmm, that’s pretty impressive.”
Allusia was amazing. She’d likely devoted herself to her training even more since leaving the dojo, taking her abilities to greater heights. Frankly, by becoming a knight commander, she’d already proved that she had the skills to match the title.
“Upon my appointment, I recommended you for a position as a special instructor to the order. I’ve now received official approval.”
“Huh...?”
What did she just say? Thought I heard something weird a second ago. Ha ha ha—must be going senile in my old age.
“H-Hang on a sec. Can you repeat that?”
“Yes. I recommended you for a position as a special instructor for the order and have received approval. I’ve come here to inform you of such.”
“Hmm?”
Why? Why a position like that? I was nothing more than an old sword teacher at a dojo out in the sticks. Why would anyone send me to Baltrain as a special instructor for knights who carried the weight of the nation on their shoulders? That was far too much of a burden for me. What a nice joke. I had thought Allusia was the serious type, so it was a surprise to see that she’d throw around a gag like this.
I decided to check just one more time. “Wait...seriously?”
“What do I achieve by lying about this?” Allusia replied, her expression turning just a little peevish. “I don’t believe it’s the slightest bit strange considering your strength, Master.”
Despite her assurance, I still felt like this offer couldn’t be real. “So you say, but my abilities don’t amount to much.”
“Again with the humility.”
It wasn’t humility—I was telling the truth. It’s not like I thought I was weak or anything. If I was, I wouldn’t have any interest in swordsmanship, and I wouldn’t be able to serve as an instructor. Still, it felt far too inappropriate for me to teach the famed knights of the Liberion Order.
I had no idea what exactly a special instructor did, but taking the title at face value, I could at least guess that it involved guiding their swordsmanship. But...teaching swordplay among the elite of the elite? Me? She had to be messing with me. This whole situation came off as a malicious prank.
“Anyway...” I continued. “I’m surprised the order approved something like this.”
Right. Say that Allusia had massively overestimated my abilities. Her recommendation alone wouldn’t be enough to decide the teacher for such an important position. I had no idea how affairs related to a knightly order were managed, but at the very least, the organization wasn’t so simple that she would be able to make changes at her own discretion.
The fact that I’d been successfully approved meant that someone, maybe even the organization itself, had seriously considered Allusia’s recommendation. An enormous part of me wanted them to rescind this decision right away. However, the fact that they’d examined my credentials and cleared the recommendation meant that some tremendous idiot had been making the final call. Going right up to that person and giving them a good punch would be far too unrealistic, but I at least wanted to know how this had gotten approved.
“It wasn’t particularly difficult,” Allusia answered. “A good number of your former pupils have joined the order’s ranks. Besides, your swordsmanship is rather famous. You’ve gained a solid reputation as the Backwater Swordmaster, the man who has turned out many famous knights and adventurers. I’d rather omit the ‘Backwater’ part, but...um, Beaden isn’t exactly prosperous by the nicest standards, so...”
“That’s real funny,” I said, not a hint of amusement in my voice.
I couldn’t even laugh. Who were they calling the “Backwater Swordmaster”? The first half was correct, but the second half was a major inconsistency. I’ll say it again and again: I’m nothing more than a humble instructor at a dojo. Even if I was somewhat more skilled with a sword than the average person, I was no living legend or hero. I was just an old country bumpkin, and I couldn’t possibly become a swordmaster.
But Allusia was insistent, and she seemed to be growing a bit pouty at my denial. “I keep telling you that this is neither a lie nor a jest...”
“A-Aaah, sorry. It just doesn’t feel real to me.”
I wasn’t exactly trying to improve her mood, but she didn’t seem to be lying, so at the very least, there was no point in criticizing her. Though she was, in fact, seriously guilty of something: recommending the likes of me in the first place.
“Mrgh. Master, have you grown timid since I left the dojo?” Allusia asked.
“Not at all. Now, just as before, I’m nothing more than a humble man.”
She seemed to have an awfully high opinion of my skills, but that just didn’t sit right with me. It didn’t exactly feel bad, but when I thought about how she considered me to be better than I actually was...it made me fret.
“Let’s just say that everything we’ve talked about is true. What’ll happen to the dojo?” I asked. “I still have a lot of pupils. I can’t just suddenly move.”
If things had already gotten approved, I couldn’t do much about it. Still, there were many things I had to realistically consider. As mentioned, I’d been running this dojo for many years, and as an institution, this school had been going for generations. Though, because I wasn’t married, it was possible that the tradition would end with me anyway. Regardless, I couldn’t part with the dojo out of the blue. That would be far too irresponsible, and my dad wasn’t at the age to be swinging a sword around anymore.
“I know. That’s why the position is as a special instructor,” Allusia said. “There’s no need to remain stationed with the order. You can simply come to Baltrain a few times a month.”
“I-I see...” Was that really okay for a special instructor?
“So, to work out your upcoming schedule, I’d like you to come to the capital with me. A carriage is prepared for us outside the village.”
“Right now?!”
“It’s a day off for the dojo, isn’t it?”
“Ah, um, it is, but...”
She was right, but still... And also, it was a little scary that she still remembered our dojo’s schedule. Crap. Things were moving too fast. Was it really all right for me to just accept this job? Had I overlooked anything? Was it fine for me to do as Allusia had said and settle into this inexplicable special instructor position? Actually, did I even have the right to refuse an appointment from the order? How much legal force did this recommendation have?
This stream of questions dominated my mind. Allusia was fundamentally a good girl—there was no mistaking that. Even if she’d only been my student for a short four years, I could guarantee her good character. Had she always been this overbearing, though? Among my pupils, she’d been one who’d grown more emotionally attached to me. She’d been easy to teach and had absorbed everything quickly. That was exactly why I’d given her a sword as a farewell gift.
I stared at her, these vague thoughts running through my mind. Suddenly, Allusia seemed to remember something—her expression changed, and she pulled several letters from her pocket.
“Oh, right,” she said, holding them out. “This is a letter of appointment stamped with the royal seal, and this is your employment contract.”
“Ah, yup, okay.”
No doubt about it. That right there is the king’s seal. This is the kinda thing I absolutely have to obey, dammit. No refusing it, dammit. Allusia, you little...