Scene 025# The Disciple
*
5 AM.
I am running on the training ground within the Luelberta mansion.
Though it’s called a training ground, it’s a place used for family gatherings or hosting tea parties and events for nobles.
Usually, it’s an empty lot that no one uses.
Recently, I started morning jogs here.
The purpose was dieting, but I also wanted to know the limits of this body.
‘Phew…’
Had it been 3 minutes since I started running?
The body was definitely heavy.
I started to run out of breath.
Good. It’s about time.
I began to run at full speed.
This time, however, I did it while ‘enduring’.
[You are ‘enduring’!]
I instantly increased my pace.
My breath quickened.
But I endured it.
I suppressed the heavy breathing with endurance.
It was as if my heart was blocked by a stopper, becoming tranquil.
‘I wonder how long I can last.’
Endurance doesn’t mean invincibility.
I need to know the limits of abilities to cope with unexpected situations.
I kept running at full speed.
As if to test my limits to the end.
Yet, my breathing remained as calm as when I wasn’t running.
It was a strange sensation.
It felt like I could run forever.
After about 5 minutes of running, my legs gradually slowed down, and eventually, I stopped.
It happened even though I didn’t intend to.
I realized this was my limit.
‘My body… won’t move at all.’
It was as if the body’s switch had been turned off.
And after a blackout, as if only the emergency power for life support kicked in, everything else seemed to stop.
“Haah… Haah…”
Being fully conscious but unable to move my body was quite an unpleasant sensation.
If I carelessly overuse endurance when facing an enemy, I could end up exposed in a defenseless state.
I gained knowledge.
But…
“Haah… Haah…”
Unable to endure any longer, I squeezed out the remaining strength to speak.
“Wendy.”
“Ha… Nye? Haah…”
“You’ve been noisy since a while ago.”
“So, sorry… Haah… Sorry… Haack…”
Although I said I would run alone, Wendy stubbornly insisted on joining.
For her, just getting up early was tiresome, yet she followed to run together…
Wendy was gasping for breath next to me.
It seems she even bought workout clothes to seriously run.
Her effort was quite commendable.
Of course… during the time I ran five laps around the training ground, she barely completed a little over one lap.
“My, my lord… Haah… You don’t have to wait for me…”
I wasn’t waiting; I was just standing there because I ran out of stamina.
But to Wendy, it seemed like I was waiting for her.
“I wasn’t waiting for you. I was just watching the sunrise.”
The morning sun was rising at a good timing.
Seeing the morning sun refreshed my mood.
No matter it’s a world inside a game, seeing the start of a day always feels good.
I told the panting Wendy.
“You rest now.”
“No, no way… I’ll run with you, my lord…!”
“Foolish girl… I’m going ahead.”
Leaving Wendy behind, I ran off.
Though, I significantly slowed down my pace compared to before.
Having already experienced my limit once, there was no need to push myself unnecessarily.
“Hehehe…”
Somehow, I felt Wendy giggling and following behind.
What makes her laugh so much?
After running for a while, I sensed a strange gaze.
Discovering the owner of that gaze, I frowned.
Did it jump over the wall?
A cat was staring this way.
Its spotted pattern looked familiar.
I sighed involuntarily.
“A stray cat has entered…”
“Hoho. Good morning, Count.”
The cat, standing on two legs with a cheeky demeanor, was Miohail.
*
“This tea is really delicious. Hoho. I didn’t expect such tea in the mortal world.”
The tricolor cat put down the teacup.
In a corner of the mansion, an outdoor reception area was set up.
There, I was having tea with a cat from the morning.
Well, precisely, a sage disguised as a cat….
“But the tea is a bit too hot for me. Cat’s tongue, you know. Hoho. Next time, please cool my tea a bit.”
“Miohail, this is the last time I’m serving you tea.”
Thanks to him, the excellent start to my day was plummeting.
Watching me and chuckling, Miohail was irritating.
The reason I dislike this guy is simple.
I can’t read his intentions.
Not just because I can’t read a cat’s expression, but because he’s originally a ‘bystander’ character.
In the original story, he gives advice and opens paths for the protagonist’s party, that’s all.
Little is known about his past.
The first sage in history and the first head of the Cremont family.
And now, an immortal cat managing the Wall of Truth, indulging in books in the magic library.
I haven’t seen him play a significant role in the online game scenarios created by Sora.
Seeing him meddling in the mortal world like this…
‘The story has started to change…’
It wasn’t exactly a favorable development for me.
I don’t know what kind of variables are waiting.
Miohail could easily kill someone like me if he wished.
But I’ve already prepared myself.
The moment I decided to save Tristan and steer the flow of this story in that direction, my story was bound to collide head-on with the original.
And with the 526 scenarios of the online game where Tristan dies.
“You’re quite harsh to your guest, Count.”
“Wendy. Remove this stray cat from my sight.”
“Nye?”
Wendy paused as she was pouring tea.
“Oh my, oh my. Why are you treating me this way? Hoho, we’re not strangers to each other.”
“We are strangers. Wendy. What are you waiting for? Get rid of him.”
“Nye, Nyet…! Uuuuu… So, sorry, Miohail….”
Wendy scurried over and grabbed Miohail.
Miohail’s short legs flailed in the air.
“Oh! Little lady, let me go. This isn’t right. You should respect your elders!”
“Wendy. There’s no need to respect a cat.”
“It’s the Count’s ord-, command…”
“Be gentle! My fur is falling out.”
“So, sorry…!”
Wendy tightly embraced Miohail, preventing him from moving.
At that moment.
Pop!
“Eh?!”
Miohail vanished from Wendy’s arms in an instant.
“Hoho. You’re quite impatient, Count.”
In no time, he was munching on a cookie from the table.
His sly demeanor resembled a snake more than a cat.
“This is sweet and delicious. Little lady, I’ve finished it, but could you get me some more? This is really tasty.”
“My, my lord…?”
“… Go get it.”
“Nye, Nyet! I’ll quickly go to the kitchen and bring some…!”
Wendy hurried towards
the mansion.
As her figure faded, I spoke.
“What’s the purpose of your visit this morning?”
Then, Miohail, as if he had been waiting, opened his mouth.
“I want to take Wendy as my disciple.”
Unexpected words jumped out.
The sage wants Wendy as a disciple?
I asked, pretending not to be disturbed.
“… Why?”
“Don’t you know, Count? She has talent. Moreover, she is a descendant of that legendary hero. Undoubtedly, she will become a mage who will be remembered in history-.”
“For that reason, I refuse.”
“Ho…?”
Miohail raised his eyebrows, surprised.
“Hoho. Count. With me, she could become the greatest mage in this country. I have the ability, and she has the youth and talent. This could be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for you, Count.”
“Perhaps that’s true.”
“Then-.”
“But… Miohail.”
“Yes?”
I leaned back in my chair.
“Did you ask Wendy about this? Or did you just decide on your own?”
“…!”
“Is she going to college soon? I provided the opportunity, but it was entirely her effort that made it happen. Of course, she will make many mistakes there. It’s obvious, given who she is.”
I took a sip of tea.
Organizing my thoughts.
“Even so, she will eventually become an outstanding mage there. But does she really need to go under you to learn?”
“Hoho… I’ve been hit hard. Certainly, Count, you’re right….”
Miohail scratched his head and continued.
“However, the little lady is a descendant of the hero. Even if she hides that fact, it will eventually be revealed. When that time comes, those around her will not leave her alone. Surely… fate will not let her be.”
Miohail’s words carried a peculiar force.
“The destiny awaiting her is too vast for her to bear. That’s why I want to show her a way to survive.”
Wendy’s way to survive.
That was also what I wished for.
I too hoped she would not die.
“Fine. If Wendy wants it, I won’t object.”
“Thank you.”
“But I have one condition.”
“What is it?”
“No matter what happens, protect her.”
For a brief moment, sadness seemed to frost over Miohail’s eyes.
Miohail stood up.
“… Hoho. It seems you’ve forgotten, Count, but I was the first man in history to be named a sage.”
Then he placed his hand on his chest and swore.
“I, the sage Miohail, promise you, Count. The servant you cherish will be protected by me until the day my life ends.”
Seeing Miohail’s face filled with determination, I merely nodded.
Thanks for the chapter 😁