CH 149

Episode 149 – Final Lesson

A week had passed since the incident with [Azurite].

I took Marlon’s advice and asked the Guild Chief about the whereabouts of Ahmed and the [Azure Alliance], and he simply told me that they were in a city called Landaust.

According to what I researched about the place, it was among the five biggest cities in the kingdom alongside Grezesta and the royal capital, and among its aliases was the name ‘Dungeon City’. As the name suggested, there was a huge Dungeon near the city, and the city seemed to be formed around that Dungeon.

The grandma from Elf’s Tears told me that, originally, Landaust was just an ordinary town with nothing special about it. But one day, a huge Dungeon suddenly appeared near the city, causing many adventurers to begin flocking to it and eventually making it a landmark among adventurers. Commerce began to flourish, and the city eventually prospered and became one of the five largest cities in the kingdom.

Since I wanted to find new plant species and fight different monsters to gain experience, it was quite fortunate for me that Ahmed and the others were at Dungeon City. I didn’t know if they would let me join the party with my current strength, but I wanted to try to clear the Dungeon with Dion, Smash, and Ahmed. We hadn’t even met again yet, but I was already in high spirits.

Also, the date of my departure from Grezesta was officially set for a week from today. After learning the whereabouts of the [Azure Alliance], I completely finished making my preparations for the trip in the past week. I could have left immediately, but at Kirty’s insistence, I postponed the departure for one week. Kirty said she would spend this one week hammering as many skills into me as she could… But what kind of training would she give me?

Half hopeful, half anxious, I was waiting in front of the rundown inn, lightly swinging my wooden sword, when Kirty arrived. Instead of her usual armor, she was wearing a similar attire to when we went to Nava Forest together.

…Hm, I wonder if we’re going somewhere again today.

“Good morning, Kirty-san.” (Lewin)

“Morning, Lewin. You’re pretty early today.” (Kirty)

“You said you were going to give me special training, so I was excited and woke up earlier than usual. So… Kirty-san. Since you’re wearing regular clothes, does that mean we’re moving to another location?” (Lewin)

After I greeted her and brought up her attire, Kirty slowly shook her head. After smiling coolly, she began to talk gently.

“Nope, we’re not really going anywhere. To be honest… I’ve been given a week of vacation. That’s why I’m wearing regular clothes today.” (Kirty)

Perhaps noticing my sentiments, Kirty slowly walked up to me and patted me on the back.

“You’re probably thinking too much again, aren’t you? I’m doing this of my own accord. Don’t worry about it, just think about getting stronger, Lewin.” (Kirty)

“But—” (Lewin)

“You promised to become stronger than me, didn’t you? If you feel even the slightest bit of obligation to repay the favor, then use that and become stronger.” (Kirty)

“…Yes! Kirty-san, thank you so much!” (Lewin)

For the week after that, from early morning to late night, I was constantly being taught by Kirty.

Most of the time was spent on things like learning how to place and maintain my center of gravity, fine defensive body maneuvers, and the practical application of the basic sword swings. During the breaks, she taught me tactics and what to do in a pinch. She also told me about the general characteristics and the weaknesses of various types of monsters.

The only time I got to rest was when I was sleeping, but due to being severely physically and mentally exhausted every day, sleep paralysis became a frequent occurrence. In the end, I was unable to ever get a decent night’s sleep.

Even still, I gained a lot of skills and learned a lot of information during this week, and it would not be an exaggeration to say that it was the most productive week of my year so far.

“….Lewin. This past week, you did a great job.” (Kirty)

“Kirty-san, thank you so much for taking off this week just for me.” (Lewin)

“….Whew… I guess… this is the end of my days of teaching you, Lewin…” Kirty murmured with deep emotion as she gazed up at the pale, shimmering moon. When I looked over at her, I could see tears forming at the edge of her eyes. Seeing her like that, memories of the past year with Kirty began to flash through my mind, and I smiled sadly.

“…It’s not just this past week. I’ll never forget these days we spent in the past year, where you spent so much time on me―the me who was just a stranger to you at the start. As I promised you two weeks ago, I will definitely surpass you, so just wait for me, Kirty-san!” (Lewin)

“……Damn it, I’m sorry… There must be something wrong with my eyes… Even though I’m happy to hear your words from the bottom of my heart, I…can’t stop crying for some reason…” (Kirty)

She was forcing herself to smile, but there were tears streaming down her cheeks. It was strange, seeing her crying so hard while smiling, but… I started getting caught up in it too.

“…Kirty-san… What a… face you’re making.” (Lewin)

“……I’m really sorry… Fufu, but Lewin… you too…” (Kirty)

After that, the two of us cried and laughed until our tears ran dry.

Seeing Kirty so sad about our parting made me not want to leave Grezesta, but… for her sake, I had to leave to become stronger.

‘For every meeting, there is a farewell.’ It’s a perfectly reasonable thing to say, but I’ll never get used to goodbyes.