An Old Man from the Countryside Becomes a Swords Saint: I Was Just a Rural Sword Teacher, But My Successful Students Won’t Leave Me Alone! - CH 141

“Um… Kuruni?” I asked.

“Yessir!” Kuruni cried.

No, this is not good.

I couldn’t help but be embarrassed to see her holding the zweihander, now her favorite, and carrying her luggage on top of it.

I’ve only told Alexia and Henblitz that I’m going back to Bidden Village. Of course, they must have spread the word to the other knights at some point, but even so, I don’t think it’s good to follow this Old Man on his way home.

“… Sir Henblitz?” I asked.

In that case, she would have naturally heard from either the Captain or the Vice-Captain. I have no choice but to ask him, who would certainly know why one of his subordinates is following us.

“… I beg your forgiveness, she managed to overpower my resistance,” Henblitz said.

“Huh…?” I asked.

What do you mean, you were overpowered?

Well, judging from Henblitz’s apologetic expression, it doesn’t seem like he actively brought Kuruni with him. In the end, it will become clear somewhere that he will be absent from the capital, and this time it may be that luck and timing just happened to line up against my luck.

However, if this was just me, it would have been fine, but this time, Miu was with me, so the situation was a little different.

No, Kuruni isn’t a bad girl, she’s definitely a good girl, but in terms of her personality, I’d say a knight like Kuruni is Miu’s opposite.

“…”

When I unintentionally looked to the side, it was as expected, or rather, Miu was making a face like, “Who is this chick?” I know how she feels about Kuruni being here. I don’t get why she’s here, either.

“And, for the time being, let me introduce you to her,” I said. “This is Miu. On paper, I’m supposed to be her guardian.”

“… Thanks,” Miu said.

It’s fine to question why Kuruni is here, but I can’t leave Miu out of the conversation. She greets the two of them for the time being.

After I introduced her, she was a little nervous about meeting someone for the first time, so she only said a few words.

“I’ve heard about your name,” Henblitz said. “Vice-Captain of the Knights of Rebelio, Henblitz Drought.”

“Knight of the Rebelio Order, Kuruni Krussier,” Kuruni said. “Nice to meet you!”

Towards such a girl, the two politely returned their greetings without looking down on her as just a child.

Miu’s reaction to that was subtle, judging from her expression. She hasn’t gotten to the point where she suddenly dislikes them, but I still can’t see her seeing them very favorably.

And Kuruni is no good. There’s nothing wrong with having an acquaintance, but I don’t want this girl to follow us the whole trip.

“So…why is Kuruni here?” I asked.

After greeting each other, I cut to the chase.

She’s certainly my former disciple, but she’s actually been in the dojo for about 2 years, so it’s not that long. While I was teaching her, she went to take the entrance exam for the Rebelio Knights, and she passed.

Of course, I’m honestly happy that I was able to reunite with her as the Order’s Special Instructor, but that’s it. In the first place, I can’t quite read why Kuruni, who had aspired to join this organization, would bother to come back to Bidden Village now that her dream has been fulfilled.

“Uuu…” Kuruni whimpered, now looking even more apologetic than Henblitz. “I know it’ll be a bother to you…”

Still, the light didn’t leave her eyes nor did she turn them down.

“But I’m really curious about how far I’ve grown,” Kuruni continued. “When I was in the dojo… I couldn’t fight a saber boa.”

“…… Hmm,” I said.

The answer that came out was a very knightly, rather more swordsman-like reason.

I know for certain I’ve never taken Kuruni to exterminate the hordes of saber boas that appear almost every year. Her talent was there, but she was still developing, and at that time, the risk of putting her in danger outweighed the benefits of her gaining experience.

During that time, she passed the entrance exam for the Rebelio Knights and left the village dojo.

As a Knight of Rebelio, as a swordsman, how far will her power go? And how much has she grown compared to her past self? The desire to know it is quite understandable.

“”

Plus, she’s grown a lot since recently getting her hands on the zweihander. There is no doubt that her technique is improving, as she rarely loses in her fights with Evans.

Dealing with a swarm of saber boas as a means of realizing this growth is somewhat logical. Whether or not I accept her is another matter.

“… I understand your reason,” I said. “However, I can’t let you rush in without prior notice. I’m not a knight, but even so, I can’t say you’re being a good example of one.”

“Uuu… roger-dodger…” Kuruni whimpered.

First of all, let’s start with the most serious point.

There may certainly be a factor that the information dissemination to the rest of the Knights was too sudden and they didn’t have time to ask me. Even so, no matter how you think about it, it’s too inconvenient for me to suddenly come and ask me to take you with me.

“I think Sir Henblitz is showing weakness to be overpowered like this,” I said. “You’re her superior, so you should take a resolute attitude and respond properly, or at least report it to me.”

“Sir,” Henblitz said. “… I have nothing to say in reply.”

In addition, Sir Henblitz’s actions are not very good.

The failure of subordinates is the responsibility of the superior. Even if the question remains as to whether or not Kuruni’s behavior is clearly a blunder, the Vice-Captain, who knew of her selfish behavior and didn’t give me a warning, probably bears some responsibility.

“I mean, I’m just a little bit angry right now,” I said.

“Yes……”

The two of them lowered their heads dejectedly at my words.

Of course, I have absolutely no intention of chastising them or yelling at them. Even though I said it myself, I’m not particularly angry, and the content is also a trifle that doesn’t need to be denounced by raising my voice.

However, it is necessary to draw a line.

Certainly, I decided to return to my hometown temporarily with a letter from Bidden Village. It was a rather sudden event, and I owe it to the Knights who arranged the documents and schedule for that.

However, as long as Alexia acknowledged that it was okay, it was an action approved by the Knights. Aside from Henblitz, who had negotiated in advance there, I feel like I have to say a word about Kuruni coming along without permission.

“So, please refrain from acting so impulsively in the future. That’s all from me,” I said.

“Ye-Yes!”

Also, as I said before, this is not a matter of tail-pulling and grumbling.

When scolding, it is important to summarize the cause and improvement request as briefly as possible, and not let it drag on. If this is a one-and-done deal, it may be okay to say it sharply and sourly, but I plan to have a long relationship with them in the future.

And even if it’s something so light, there’s a need to communicate how you feel about your actions.

As long as you’re a knight, I want them both to strictly observe rules and morals.

Well, even though there weren’t many people before that, scolding the famous Rebelio Knights on the street was pretty painful to see. Therefore, this should be done as quickly as possible.

“So, Sir Henblitz is fine, but whether Kuruni can come is undecided,” I said. “What do you think, Miu?”

“… Huh, me?” Miu asked.

“Yeah,” I said.

Let’s throw Miu into the center of the discussion here. She looks like she had made a decision as she observed from the side, but as soon as I talked to her, she looked like she had been struck by a pea shooter.

This time I’m heading to my hometown, but Miu is also one of the most important people. So, if she insists on it, it doesn’t matter what I say. It’s not like I’m going to throw the whole decision to the wind, but even so, it’s still not right to decide to take someone with me that Miu doesn’t want.

“Uuu…… please, let me come with, Miu!” Kuruni said.

“… Don’t talk like we’re friends,” Miu said.

“Then, Ms. Miu!” Kuruni said.

And now that Kuruni seems to have realized her decision rested on Miu, she’s resorted to begging for forgiveness. And by calling Miu by just her first name, she seems to have lost a lot of favor. 1

“She’s… not a bad person, is she?” Miu asked.

“That’s right,” I said. “I can guarantee that.”

In the first place, there’s no way a villain can become a Rebelio knight, but even if I explained that, Miu wouldn’t feel comfortable with that. That’s why I decided to vouch for her with my words.

“Then I don’t mind taking her with us,” Miu said.

“Really, truly?! Thank you so much!” Kuruni said.

Without spending much time thinking, Miu unexpectedly allowed Kuruni to accompany her.

Even for me, I was thinking that if she didn’t whine, I could take her with me. Even if there was something wrong with the order of Kuruni’s actions, I understood that she wanted to measure her current ability.

With the permission of the Captain, there will be 4 people heading to Bidden Village: me, Miu, Henblitz, and Kuruni. It’s doubled from the original plan, but it’s okay. Since my parent’s house is in the countryside, it’s fairly spacious, and there’s nothing wrong with all of us sleeping there.

“However, Kuruni and Henblitz will help clean the dojo during our stay,” I said.

“Yes! Done and done!” Kuruni said.

“It will be no problem,” Henblitz said. “My apologies for causing you inconvenience right now.”

After that, it’s not like it’s punishment, but I’ll have Kuruni, who came along without permission, and Henblitz, who didn’t mention her even though he knew, work a bit.

They also clearly understand why I told them that. It’s not as much a punishment as cleaning the dojo, but in the sense that it doesn’t leave emotional issues, it’s okay to have a consequence that’s easy to understand.

“Speaking of which, in addition to the four of us, we also have luggage, is the carriage going to be able to carry us?” I asked.

“I don’t think there’s going to be a problem,” Henblitz said. “I’ve asked a trusted contact to take care of it.”

“That’s good to hear,” I said.

At the time I asked Henblitz to request a carriage, the number of passengers was just 3. However, with the addition of Kuruni, I was wondering what I would do if we couldn’t ride the prepared carriage, but apparently, I didn’t have to worry about that.

Or perhaps the reason why the carriage was so expensive was that it was a special charter of the Rebelio Knights? This Old Man is a little skeptical.

“Sir Henblitz Drought. My thanks for your patience,” a coachman said.

“Oh, it looks like he’s arrived just on time,” Henblitz said.

I came out of my thoughts and watched the carriage roll up.

“Ooh…” I went.

What appeared was a magnificent 4-horse carriage. Although it doesn’t have the gorgeous decorations that aristocrats would like to use, it’s a size that can comfortably take 4 people plus luggage. Obviously not a cheap ride.

“Please climb aboard, Sir Beryl and Miss Miu,” the coachman said.

“Oh, right,” I said. “We’ll do that.”

I was taken aback by the carriage, which was much more luxurious than I had expected, but I couldn’t just stand there forever.

While being careful not to let Miu fall on the steps, each of us got into the carriage. It has firm seats, and the interior is not flashy, but it is solidly put together. If it looks too flashy, both I and Miu will get sick of it, so this choice seems right.

“”

“Well then, let’s go.”

After confirming that everyone has boarded, the slightly older coachman gives a signal.

By the way, it’s been a while since I’ve been home. Once I get to my parent’s house, I won’t be able to take it easy, so let’s just enjoy this itinerary for now.