Chapter 175:

To sum it up, the bet was postponed.

It was postponed for 15 days, until the end of Rowen’s term as an external instructor at the Academy.

-I can’t win yet... I haven’t been your disciple for long, and I’ve just finished training, so I don’t have much energy left.

-Wouldn’t it be less embarrassing to do it now? You have excuses to fall back on.

-You shut up...!

-Your words are quite harsh. I was just trying to be thoughtful.

Thanks to Michail’s pathetic excuses, Rowen was able to avoid being cut off. Though he did argue, it wasn’t easily accepted.

-That’s enough.

-Condition management is also a skill.

-Think rationally. Michail has only been my disciple for...

-Isn’t that something your talented disciple should prove? They’re both aura users with weapons, and talent recognized by the Empire’s Sword. What are you afraid of to avoid a duel?

-I cannot accept.

-You’re a coward then. The Empire’s Sword.

I was annoyed by Michail and Rowen’s banter, making excuses like a hero asking for time to transform, but it couldn’t be helped.

If the match were to happen today, neither Hanna nor Michail would accept it.

A match that only leaves a bad taste is meaningless. It was even more impossible to break Rowen’s stubbornness.

The only worry was Michail’s growth rate. The story of Michail’s stagnant growth was about to begin.

After all, he’s the male protagonist who becomes the strongest in the world at the end of the novel. He couldn’t be ignored.

By his own power.

And by his talent.

Of course, it was possible with Rowen’s guidance, hardships, and fateful encounters, but it couldn’t be denied that Michail was a monster who reached that position by his own strength.

Because many hardships accompanied him.

That’s why I’m worried. Whether Hanna can keep up with Michail’s growth rate.

A character that doesn’t appear in the novel.

Histania Hanna.

She was someone I didn’t know, yet at the same time, someone who knew too much, which made her a variable.

Judging by the Blue Window’s words alone, she clearly had the talent to surpass Rowen and become the ‘Empire’s First Sword’, but no one knows when the flower of talent will bloom.

It was an undeniable reality that the scales were tipped in this unclear information that could happen in her 20s or perhaps even 30s.

No matter how the situation unfolds, Michail will face hardships and overcome them.

“Hmm...”

One thing is certain.

We have to make her win somehow.

That was the best I could do and my answer to Hanna’s faith.

When a disciple shows courage, a teacher can’t just sit back and say ‘Good luck!’ after all.

I just needed to teach Hanna how to defeat Rowen, just as I knew how to defeat him.

And Michail couldn’t grow miraculously in 14 days, and it was still too early for his growth story to begin.

Even if Michail grew rapidly under Rowen’s guidance, we would grow too.

I spoke to Hanna, who was blankly staring at the place where Michail and Rowen had left.

Asking why she looked so gloomy.

“Why are you making that expression?”

“Ah... I’m just feeling complicated. My heart, and wondering if I can win... I’m troubled in many ways.”

“We haven’t even started yet.”

I said, watching Rowen’s retreating back.

“Neither you nor I have even started yet.”

Looking at that sturdy back.

The back of the Empire’s Sword.

I spoke with confidence.

“We can win. We can.”

We can still become stronger.

Both me and Hanna.

It might be an arrogant thought, but I believe that if I set my mind to it, I can become stronger than anyone.

If fate, hardships, and luck are on my side, I think I can surpass even the Empire’s Sword or the Apostle of Heretics.

It’s really an arrogant thought, but still.

This incident made me think a lot.

Should I call it a wake-up call, or a warning to my stagnant self? I think I was inspired by the sight of trying to overcome Rowen.

I need to work harder than now.

It’s embarrassing to be weaker than the rival’s teacher, so I should at least be a rival, right?



I smiled slightly and lowered my hand that had been reaching towards the stars. I guess such sentimental words don’t suit me after all.

Shaking my flushed face, I said to Hanna:

“Aren’t you cold?”

“No, I’m not cold. Are you alright, Butler?”

“I’m cold.”

Hanna’s eyes widened at my playful words. Seeing Hanna fidget as if she would take off her coat to give to me, a small laugh escaped me.

“I’m just joking.”

“What...!”

“I guess it’s because I bought expensive clothes, but I’m not cold.”

I smiled gently.

Hanna and I talked about many things.

How we’ve been doing.

How this winter wasn’t too cold.

The main topic was probably about the young lady. It was my favorite subject and one Hanna could relate to.

-The young lady is making money?

I never thought I’d be talking about the young lady with someone else.

-Next time, I should introduce you to the part-time job I’m doing.

It felt different to have these kinds of conversations.

-The young lady is on a diet...?

-Yes. She suddenly said she wanted to lose weight.

-Is she not feeling well?

It was fun to be able to have such conversations with someone else.

-Butler, why do you dislike chocolate?

-Because the young lady likes it.

-Hahaha...! What’s that supposed to mean?

-It’s half true, but it’s also because it’s too sweet.

I was grateful that there was someone curious about me.

I had few people in this world I could call friends. It was the same in my previous life.

There were few people who could accommodate my picky personality, and I lived centered around the young lady.

I had no regrets about my narrowed relationships.

She was the person I chose.

A beautiful person.

I had no regrets either.

After talking for a long time, I stood up, dusting off my pants.

Hanna looked up a ground.

“Are you feeling a bit more relaxed now?”

“Yes.”

Hearing Hanna’s answer, I stretched my shoulders to loosen up. It was time to do my job as a teacher.

I spoke to Hanna in a light voice.

“Then let’s begin. If we’re going to win anyway, it’s better to win decisively than to struggle through it.”

Slowly, Hanna also stands up.

I think she looks reliable as she opens her eyes straight and looks at me.

“It won’t be easy. I’ll teach you much more intensively than before.”

-Nod.

“We can win.”

Before going down to the training ground.

Hanna grabbed my collar and said:

“Um, Butler.”

“Yes.”

Taking a deep breath and lowering her head, Hanna spoke in a trembling voice:

“Why are you being so nice to me?”



I answered without hesitation.

“Because you’re pretty.”

Hanna stood still for a long time.

She just stood there for a while, her face flushed red.

End of Chapte