Chapter 170

In truth, fighting Yuki isn’t particularly difficult for me.Calling it a “fight” is a bit much—it’s more like a sparring session or a teaching moment.

Even back in Silia, I could subdue her in an instant. Now that she’s weaker, there’s even less to talk about.

But just because something isn’t hard doesn’t mean it isn’t a hassle.

“Hmm.”

I intentionally provoked Yuki.

“I can fight you.”

“…

“Listen until the end.”

Before I could finish my sentence, the chair I was sitting on shook violently.

I thought it had calmed down, but here we go again.

I released my mana, pressing down firmly once more.

“What kind of mass…”

Her gaze was like she was witnessing something incomprehensible.

“Are you a pig, Master?”

“Do I look like one?”

“That’s right! Even though our Canaria snacks a lot, she always maintains her soft and delicate state. Please refrain from such rude remarks.”

“…Soft and delicate state? What does that even mean?”

Is she just trying to sugarcoat calling me fat?

Even though I knew I hadn’t gained any weight, I felt oddly annoyed and glared sharply at Da-eun.

She quickly waved her hands, signaling that wasn’t what she meant.

I decided to set aside dealing with Da-eun for now and continued what I was saying.

“Do you think fighting me would satisfy you?”

“What do you mean?”

“You’re weak.”

“….”

“You can’t even get out from under me right now.”

There probably aren’t many people who could escape if I fully committed to holding them down, but there’s no need to mention that now.

I spoke with a faint trace of mockery.

“Do you enjoy losing one-sidedly? Does getting completely overwhelmed excite you? I don’t share that preference, but if that’s the case, I’ll humor you a bit.”

“Ah… Canaria’s insults…!”

“…Are you going to keep interrupting?”

I tried to set the tone, but Da-eun couldn’t resist chiming in again.

If she interrupts one more time, I might have to sew her mouth shut.

I stared at her with enough determination to make her cover her mouth and shake her head.

Anyway.

Although I rambled on a bit, the point is simple.

“Why are you acting so cocky when you’re weak?”

That’s all.

The Yuki I’ve seen is someone with a lot of pride.

And I suspect that confidence comes from her innate talent.

Yuki seemed aware of her own talent.

Since I had thoroughly poked at that pride, she must be feeling pretty upset right now.

“But that’s reality.”

Yuki must know she’s no match for me.

If she still insists on forcing the issue, I have no obligation to hold back.

“….”

Yuki stayed silent for a long time.

With her face buried in the floor, I couldn’t tell what kind of expression she was making.

For a moment, I wondered if she was really that shocked, but I didn’t feel sorry.

It was necessary to put her in her place at least once.

As I sat on top of Yuki and waited, a small voice finally emerged from her.

“That’s not my preference.”

“That’s all you have to say?”

Despite my scolding, I got up from my “chair” and moved to the sofa.

Of course, the “chair” referred to Yuki.

She was sturdy and soft enough to not be too bad as a seat, but… S~eaʀᴄh the novёlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

In the end, I still preferred the sofa.

I once saw a noble who liked using people as chairs and tried it out, but it only made me understand him less.

Having practically declared her surrender, Yuki brushed herself off and stood up.

“I thought I could fight you…”

Yuki didn’t bother hiding her disappointment.

Since she wasn’t trying to charge at me again right away and was just lightly venting, I didn’t feel the need to scold her further.

“You called me Master earlier, didn’t you?”

I hadn’t exactly taught Yuki nothing, but I also hadn’t taught her enough to justify being called a “Master.”

“Well, even if it’s a little, learning from you makes you my Master.”

“Fine, call me whatever you like.”

Titles didn’t matter much to me.

Of course, if it had been a derogatory term, I would’ve cracked her skull open, but “Master” wasn’t like that.

Besides, what I was about to say was related to this anyway.

“If you’re going to call me Master in words, why not actually learn from me properly?”

“…What?”

“W-what?!”

The reaction was intense.

Yuki, who had been sulking, suddenly lifted her head, her expression showing disbelief. Next to her, Da-eun was equally shocked.

…Yuki’s reaction made sense, but why was Da-eun so surprised?

Then Da-eun yelled.

“That’s because I never expected you to say something like that! How could you decide that without consulting me?”

“…Is this really something that needs consultation?”

“Of course! As your first disciple, I have a right to know!”

“But you don’t even call me Master, Da-eun.”

“…Huh.”

Da-eun, who always treated me like a younger sibling or a child, looked like she’d just taken a massive blow.

She spoke in a trembling voice.

“…Should I start calling you Master now?”

“No.”

“Why not? Are you embarrassed?”

“Because you’re incompetent, Da-eun.”

“…Gah!”

“I don’t want an incompetent disciple.”

“Th-that’s enough…!”

Da-eun coughed violently at my sharp, fact-based remark.



“You’re so cruel….”

Her face twisted into a look of near tears.

“…Hmm.”

I knew most of what Da-eun said was nonsense, but seeing her make that face didn’t feel great.

After hesitating for a moment, I opened my mouth.

“…Teaching someone doesn’t always have to come with a formal Master-disciple relationship, you know. Being called Master makes it feel unnecessarily strict.”

Da-eun’s face, which had been on the verge of tears, changed.

What was that expression?

It didn’t seem like a negative one.

And then—

“Ah!”

“Ugh.”

While I was pondering over Da-eun’s expression, she suddenly hugged me tightly.

“Hehe, I knew it! Our Canaria would never do something like that!”

“…You’re suffocating me. Let go.”

“Were you worried we’d grow distant? Oh, you’re so cute!”

“I wasn’t worried. And more importantly, let go already.”

Not only did she hug me tightly, but she started ruffling my hair wildly.

Feeling the chaotic movement on my head, I let out a deep sigh.

Yuki, at some point, quietly approached and began fiddling with the ends of my hair.

What’s with her now?

Fine, go ahead.

I could stop Da-eun’s rampage with force, sure, but for things like this, it was better to just let her burn through her energy.

Having realized this long ago, I let myself relax in her arms.

“Hey! How could you just touch another woman’s hair so casually?”

Da-eun, too busy ruffling my hair, finally noticed Yuki’s actions and glared fiercely.

Yuki responded in her usual calm tone.

“It’s not like her hair will wear out.”

“That’s not the point! Kana doesn’t like being touched, you know.”

“…Do I?”

I mean, I’m not exactly fond of it.

But really, does anyone like being touched by strangers?

“Anyway, if you want to become Kana’s disciple, you should show proper sincerity!”

“But it was Master who suggested it first?”

“Excuse me! You’re not a disciple yet. The term ‘Master’ is confiscated for now.”

“Hmm. Then what should I call you?”

“Uh

“What are you doing?”

I felt an intense premonition that Da-eun’s antics might rub off on Yuki if this conversation continued, so I quickly stepped in.

Yuki, who already had eccentric tendencies, would undoubtedly become an uncontrollable oddball if she caught the “Da-eun Syndrome.”

That kind of future had to be prevented at all costs.

“Why is Da-eun deciding that?”

“Because I’m Kana’s guardian.”

Da-eun, who had shifted back to being my guardian after claiming to be my first disciple, said this with a smug look.

“If you want to serve as a Master, you must first bow nine times in reverence.”

“Bow nine times?”

Yuki looked at me, as if asking what that meant, and I shook my head in response.

I couldn’t decipher everything Da-eun said either.

“You don’t know?”

“I don’t.”

“How could you not know?”

“Just filter out whatever she says.”

“Okay. I’ll do that.”

She already figured out how to handle conversations with Da-eun. Impressive.

“That has nothing to do with talent…”

Someone mumbled under their breath, but no one paid it any attention.

“First, I should explain.”

Why I was offering to teach her.

Yuki would probably accept my offer enthusiastically without needing an explanation.

Even so, I decided to explain to secure her agreement.

It was my way of making an implicit agreement that, if anything happened, she would fight at the forefront.

Yuki listened silently, occasionally nodding and letting out soft hums as I explained.

When I finally finished, her expression remained calm.

“I see.”

“…You’re not surprised?”

At her utterly dry reaction, Da-eun asked incredulously.

Yuki shook her head quietly.

“I am surprised.”

“That doesn’t look like a surprised face.”

“If you ask anyone in the world, they’d say Demoninus is a suspicious company.”

Yuki explained that this made it easier for her to accept the situation.

Turning away from Da-eun, who was staring at her with disdain, Yuki asked,

“Can I call you Master now?”

“Just call me Kana.”

“Okay, Kana.”

Even though I thought I had sufficiently explained the risks, Yuki’s attitude hadn’t changed a bit.

And so, Yuki officially became my disciple.

‘…Saying it like that feels a bit strange.’

Disciple, Master—these were terms I’d never bothered with before and didn’t plan to in the future.

I was just teaching her a bit about fighting; I had no intention of acting like a proper Master.

Still, with Yuki’s outstanding talent, nurturing her would undoubtedly be beneficial.

I thought this as I looked into her black eyes, glimmering with interest.

“By the way, what’s your real name, Yuki?”

“Ah.”

Da-eun’s question reminded me that I still didn’t know Yuki’s real name.

Not that I was particularly curious—



But since I’d decided to teach her, it felt appropriate to at least know her name.

So, I didn’t stop Da-eun from asking and instead watched as Yuki slowly opened her mouth to speak.

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