CH 2

2 - The old man from the countryside is recommended

Really enjoying this story right now. Plus, relaxed fantasy tales seem to be all the rage right now, with how popular Peace Isekai is.

Hopefully you guys enjoy it too!

“…You’ve really grown. I nearly didn’t recognize you.”

“And you look exactly the same, Master.”

A chance encounter, a love at first sight.

A boy met a girl at an out of the way swordsmanship dojo.

Well, I was too old to be a boy, and she, too old to be a girl.

But man, she sure has gotten pretty.

He was a swordy boi, she said see ya later boi…

And the person in question appeared just as I was reminiscing about her.

I’d call this fate if I wasn’t so old and jaded.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t young and dumb anymore. No whirlwind romance for me.

The Reveris Kingdom was located in the northern part of the Galea Continent.

Baltrain, the capital of the Reveris Kingdom.

The Revelio Knights, who were under the Kingdom’s direct control, were headquartered there.

And the leader of those knights, Knight Captain Alexia Citrus, was the true identity of this woman standing in front of me.

Even back when she was attending classes here, she was a serious and capable, yet gently soul. She even had enough talent to absorb all my teachings and remake them into her own, personalized techniques.

I also recall that she took good care of the younger students and always looked out for them. She was a good kid, which was refreshing out of place in such a remote swordsmanship dojo.

She spent around four years learning here, from the age twelve until sixteen.

I’m not sure if you’ve ever heard of it, but I’m sure you’ve heard of it.

In those four years, she assimilated almost everything I taught her, and afterwards left this place, Bidden Village, and headed to Baltrain in order to further her studies.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve been here, to Bidden Village…”

“Yes, how many years has it been…?”

Alexia spoke as her she longingly looked around the dojo, her voice colored with clear nostalgia.

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She wasn’t originally from this village.

Apparently, her parents had heard rumors about us and brought her here.

They came here all dressed up, and according to what I remember from our initial conversation, they were a merchant family. They wanted their beloved daughter to have a minimum of self-defense skills at her disposal.

For some reason, they decided to extend her stay and she ended up staying here for four years.

Pretty funny when I think about it – a merchant’s daughter ending up as a Knight Captain.

No idea how that happened.

By the way, I’m not the kind of guy to pry into my student’s past.

If they’re underage, I might ask for confirmation from their parents or guardian, but other than that, I’ll take in anybody that comes my way. So long as they could pay the monthly fee, I won’t complain.

“Speaking of which, master, have you read the letter I sent you?”

“Yes, I have. Looks like you’re doing pretty well for yourself.”

Every few months or so, ever since she left the dojo, she would send me letters that contained bits and pieces of her life.

I really didn’t think that Alexia would come visit in person though. I mean, really, please do warn me in advance. You’ll give everyone a heart attack showing up here unannounced. The Knight Captain, popping up in the middle of nowhere? Yeah, that’s just calling for trouble.

She seems to have grown up a lot since I last saw her.

She must be in… her mid-twenties now, I think. In her prime, both mentally and physically. No more baby fat on her cheeks. The cute, girly childish appearance she had back when I first met her was gone, replaced by a grown, mature woman. She even had this air of calm and serenity about her.

Her face was sharper and more dignified, and her body healthy and feminine. She must have been taking proper care of her health after leaving the dojo.

“…You’re still using that sword, huh?”

“Of course. Master, you gave me this sword. It’s precious.”

Looking at her, I wasn’t sure what to say, so I commented on her blade.

Alexia wasn’t wearing a full knight’s armor right now, but a rather casual outfit, topped off with a nice looking leather jacket.

Even so, she seemed to be wearing a weapon as part of her knightly duties, and that sword was familiar to me.

It was the sword I had given her as a parting gift when she left the dojo.

“You know, as a Knight Captain, I’m sure you could get a nicer sword.”

“The quality of a sword is subjective. I like this sword. There are many like it, but this one is mine.”

“…I see.”

What should I do? I’m glad to hear that, but it weighed on my soul.

I feel that she attached a lot of importance to my gift, so I held myself back from making any more criticism. Well, I guess it wasn’t a bad thing for her to enjoy my present.

I used to give swords like this to kids who had mastered everything in my dojo.

It would have been nice if I could have given them something a little better, but there was no way I could find high grade blades out here in the countryside. There was limit to the quantity and quality.

Sure, there were blacksmiths in this village, but they were only moderately equipped and skilled, so I couldn’t expect much in the way of craftsmanship.

I don’t remember exactly how many people I’ve given swords to. I gave them away quite casually as parting gifts.

Though I’m pretty sure I could recognize them if I saw them, even if it might take me a while to remember if I hadn’t seen them for a long time, such as Alexia.

Anyways, I had enough money to afford giving away swords to most of the talented students. We were making decent money.

“So, what can I do for you today? I don’t think you mentioned anything in particular in your letter.”

Time to get to the core of the matter. I tossed away all my stray thoughts and turned to Alexia.

As I said, I recalled the contents of her most recent letter, but there was nothing in there that would warrant her visiting me in person.

Wait, no… there was something along the lines of, “It’s going to be tough rubbing shoulder with aristocrats and important public officials, but there are good aspects too! Please look forward to it!”

I was expecting a follow up letter in which she would elaborate, but not for her to come all the way out here.

“Oh, that’s right. Actually, I wanted to inform you of something.”

“Really? What is it?”

I thought it might have been bad news, but her smile did not falter.

On the contrary, her smile seems to be even wider and more brilliant than before.

I must say, it was refreshing to have an attractive young lady look at me like this, but I can’t help but feel rather unsettled. Maybe it was just my imagination, but it was almost as if there was this undertone of seriousness behind her expression.

What could the fruitful news that I would definitely want to know straight from her mouth be?

Hmmm, I can’t think of anything…

If she had just gotten promoted, then a letter would have sufficed, but she came to see me in person, so it must concern me as well, right? But what in the world would involve a 40-year-old man from the countryside like me?

“Actually, Master, in addition to being the leader of the Knights, I also serve as the Order’s swordsmanship instructor.”

“Hmm, that’s good.”

Alexia is amazing.

I’m sure she’s gotten even better at swinging her sword since she’s left for the capital. She must be a pretty talented Knight Commander.

“Furthermore, I recommended you as a special instructor within the Knight Order, and they’ve approved.”

“…Hmm?”

What was that?