Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Has it been more than ten years living in this world, or have I just rolled around too much?

Now, the memories of my past life have become quite hazy.

To be fair, I never really tried to remember them, nor did I write them down anywhere, so it wouldn’t be strange to forget them.

Instead of spending time trying to remember those things, I should have learned survival skills.

Maybe that’s why the memories I have left from my past life are all jumbled up.

I can’t recall what I thought was important, but I remember things I thought were utterly useless.

For example, something like this.

In my past life, I didn’t particularly enjoy hiking.

Yet, for some reason, I occasionally found myself climbing mountains. When I finally reached the summit, I would often see vendors selling cold water or ice cream.

I couldn’t buy much since the prices were too high—probably because they had to carry heavy ice boxes all the way to the top—but I still remember the ice cream I splurged on once; it was incredibly delicious.

So, why am I suddenly talking about this? It’s because seeing Joanie, who carries food with her, reminded me of that time.

‘No, it’s probably closer to delivery food.’

I can’t believe there’s even a delivery service that comes all the way out here.

Has the Silia civilization advanced without me even realizing it?

I looked at Journey, who came as usual today, offering food.

Is it really because I saved her from some Cockatrice that she climbs the mountain every day?

And every time, she brings different food?

‘What dedication.’

At first, I was incredulous, but now I’ve just accepted it.

It’s not like I have to bother cooking or cleaning, so it’s not a bad deal for me.

However, it was a bit burdensome that she stared at me while I ate.

It felt like she wanted something from me, but I couldn’t figure out what.

At first, I wondered if she had poisoned the food, but since my mana didn’t react, it clearly wasn’t poisoned. If I were susceptible to poison, I wouldn’t have been able to survive this long anyway…

‘Today’s food is tasty again.’

So, I enjoyed the meal Joanie brought without giving it much thought.

It wasn’t as exquisite as the feasts of nobility, but it was quite delicious, so I found myself looking forward to it sometimes.

After finishing my meal and putting down the dish, Joanie murmured something to Arkish again.

“Am I really wrong?”

What was she talking about?

Ignoring her mumbling, I took care of the sword by oiling it.

It was already too late to improve it, but it should last a little longer.

It was my way of showing respect to the blacksmith who helped me. Searᴄh the Nôvelƒire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

Swish!

“…?”

While I was lost in thought as I polished my sword, Joanie was doing something strange.

Normally, she would have already gone down by now, so I didn’t even care why she was still around…

‘…What is she doing?’

Is it a dance to wish for abundance? Or is she mimicking a balloon figure?

Seeing her swing a sword while dancing, it might have some shamanistic meaning.

One thing’s for sure: it’s definitely not swordsmanship.

While I was pondering, her bizarre behavior continued.

With a flourish, she swung the sword in a way that could only be described with an onomatopoeia. Finally, she stood still, her actions coming to a halt.

Then, with a proud expression, she wiped her sweat…

-“Just a little break—”

“…That’s not how you do it.”

I couldn’t hold back and ended up speaking.

If she had intended this, it would be an incredible talent.

Even from the first time I saw her, her level of skill was unbelievable for someone holding a sword.

I doubt even a month of practice would get someone to that level.

“Phew…”

I had no intention of interfering with whatever she was doing.

Can’t you just ignore what’s in front of you if it bothers you so much?

‘Let’s think of it as paying for the meal…’

I feel guilty about getting so much and then wiping my mouth clean after eating.

“Listen carefully.”

My swordsmanship differs from the formal techniques that knights learn. But that doesn’t mean I can’t teach it. After all, I also learned with traditional techniques when I first picked up a sword, and by this level, it’s easy to see where things went wrong.

What I’m trying to teach isn’t swordsmanship, but something more fundamental.

“Don’t hold it with both hands; hold it with one.”

I removed her left hand, which was tightly gripping the sword. If you’re trying to exert force momentarily, I could understand, but if you’re going to hold it with both hands from the start, why use a one-handed sword at all?

“Your grip is wrong too.”

Some might call it just the grip.

But whether you’re learning to handle a sword or anything else, the first thing you learn when using a tool is how to grip it. You need to master the correct way to hold it to use the tool most efficiently.

“Hold it like this.”

This is something many beginner swordsmen overlook. To put proper force behind a sword, shifting the center of gravity with your fingers is essential.

I demonstrated by pretending to swing the sword while adjusting my grip with my fingers.

I’m not sure if she’ll understand.

It’s more likely she won’t, but that’s not something I need to worry about.

“Now for the stance.”

I lightly tapped her closed legs, and Joanie awkwardly spread them apart.

You need to have the right stance to smoothly transition between attacks and defenses. Of course, the stance changes depending on what you’re fighting. There’s effective swordsmanship against humans and effective swordsmanship against monsters, so it’s natural that the basic stance varies as well.

Still, that stance from earlier was just unacceptable.

Since words weren’t getting through, I corrected her stance by physically guiding her, and she looked much better than before.

“Finally, let’s cut.”

In fact, I had one more thing to point out.

The attitude with which she handles the sword. To me, that was the biggest issue.

I’m not saying to treat it like a lover or think of it as a twin. Sure, it’d be nice to cherish it, but whether someone kisses or makes love to their sword is none of my business.

But being afraid of cutting yourself with your own sword is just not right.

If you’re trying to intimidate someone, you can’t be scared while swinging your own weapon.

There’s a difference between being cautious and being foolish, and this is clearly the latter.

No matter how many times I tell her, if she’s too scared to swing it properly, what’s the point?

Unfortunately, unlike what I’ve fixed until now, I can’t demonstrate this in action, so I decided to let it go.

‘Even if she understood what I said, it wouldn’t change anything right away.’

Could someone who trembles after hearing a few words suddenly fight courageously?

After demonstrating a few times while wielding the sword, I stepped back a few paces.

“Now, give it a try.”

I’ve only taught the basics, but for someone with no foundation, this should be sufficient.

Joanie, who was blankly staring, suddenly seemed to snap back to reality.

-“Uh, so….”

She fumbled her way through the things I taught her and took her stance.

Eventually, taking a deep breath, she swung her arm wide.

Swish!

The sound was clearly different from when she was summoning something while flailing the sword around.

She still shows clear signs of being a beginner, but hey, this is something.

Surprised by her own progress, she swung the sword a few more times.

-“My swordsmanship skill suddenly skyrocketed! Wow, it can rise this quickly….”

I think I’ve earned my keep now.

“Yawn….”

I’m feeling a bit drowsy after eating and moving my body.

I rubbed my eyes while stifling a long yawn.

Whether she continues to practice or goes down the mountain, she’ll figure it out herself.

Even if she does something silly, I can catch her, so should I just let her be and get some sleep?

Hmm, it’s a tough decision….

***

After learning swordsmanship from the gravekeeper, Joanie’s repetitive daily routine began to change slightly.

She woke up early in the morning, turned on her stream, and logged into Silia.

While going to the gravekeeper with delicious food that was well-known for its taste was the same as before,

“Hello!”

“Hello, not ‘hi.’ Say ‘annyeonghaseyo.’”

“Annyeong… ha? yo?”

“Annyeonghaseyo.”

“Annyeonghaseyo!”

Unlike before when I would go down the mountain, now I stayed on the mountain, either talking with the Gravekeeper or practicing my swordsmanship.

Perhaps there had been a change in mood, as the Gravekeeper often engaged in conversation.

Even though he still refused to reveal his name, he would correct me if I spoke incorrectly, as in the case just now, and tell me the right way.

“Hello….”

Joanie repeated the words the Gravekeeper had taught her softly, shedding tears of joy in her heart.

All the time and effort she had put in wasn’t in vain…!

Since I thought of the money spent on food as tuition, it didn’t feel too wasteful…

Not really… not really…

‘…a little, just a little bit wasteful.’

It wouldn’t be a lie to say it wasn’t a small amount of money.

However, seeing her swordsmanship skills rise at an unprecedented speed eased her troubled heart.

Anyway, she had achieved her goal of befriending the Gravekeeper.

—Achieved…?

—Hmm, it’s ambiguous…

“This should mean we’re friends! Other people can’t even strike up a conversation and get kicked out, but I can actually talk!”

Seeing Joanie interacting with the Gravekeeper, quite a few new players began to climb the mountain.

They came not to defeat the Gravekeeper but to try and converse with him even once.

However, their attempts repeatedly fell flat.

[Why can’t I do it?]

I learned Granish just to talk to the Gravekeeper, so why can she and I can’t?

I can bring him delicious food too!

I can also learn swordsmanship from the Gravekeeper, pet him, and call him cute, so why?

[Comments]

—Uh oh, why is this kid so angry?

— (Scary, Con)

—What kind of template is this?

Even when they tried to engage the Gravekeeper with food offerings, he wouldn’t even acknowledge them.

When they asked why, the wronged victims could not approach Joanie to ask directly, leading them to swarm around Joanie’s broadcast.

—Why you? Why you? Why you? Why you? Why you?

—How did you talk to him? I want to know the method.

—I didn’t even get to see and died.

—Can’t you ask for me?

However, Joanie didn’t know why the Gravekeeper treated her differently, or why he was so lenient with her.

She had tried asking him directly, but since no answer came, what could she do?

Today, she continued to ignore the questions flooding the chat and rummaged through her inventory.

“Today’s prepared food is….”

Drumroll.

Making noise with her mouth, Joanie smiled slyly.

There was something vaguely sinister about her smile.

At that moment, a bowl filled with something bright red popped into her hands.

“It’s none other than Volcano Fried Rice!”

************

(T/L Note: Given that the true gender of the Gravekeeper remains unknown to the players, they tend to use pronouns based on their assumptions about the Gravekeeper’s gender. As a result, many refer to the Gravekeeper using he/him pronouns.)