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 145

“Master! Long time no see!” Landrid said.

“Oh, it has been a while,” I said.

It was now some time after the Old Man left the living room.

Behind him came Landrid, now the assistant instructor of this dojo, his wife, and a small baby in her arms.

I think his wife was named Fannaly. My first impression when I first met her was that she was a rather quiet type. However, she feels like a good and polite wife who is trying to support Landrid well.

I’m sure their kid is… Jain. He’s still a baby who isn’t even capable of sitting down, but I hope he’ll grow up fine. Children are always the products of the adults in their lives.

“So you were living here this whole time,” I said.

“Yes, I am renting a separate room,” Landrid replied. “I’m teaching swordsmanship and helping out in the village, too.”

“I see,” I said.

Like I said before, our house is quite large, so there are quite a few rooms. Does that mean that one of the rooms is being rented out to Landrid’s family?

He did say he was moving to the village, but it didn’t seem like he had decided where he would live then. It takes money and time to build a new house. Perhaps, it would be something like trying to help the villagers while saving up the money he would have used.

“Landrid…… just like I thought, Landrid Pautraulok!” Henblitz cried as he sees the family.

“Hmm? Do you know each other?” I asked.

I could hear astonishment clear in his voice and expression.

The Knight Order of Rebelio and the Adventurer’s Guild. At first glance, it seems like an incompatible relationship. However, Alexia and Selena seem to have known each other for quite some time, so I wonder if the tops of each organization are acquainted with each other.

“A brilliant adventurer who was said to be on the verge of Ocean Rank… as someone who makes his living through battle, it would be rude not to know about him,” Henblitz said.

“Ah, is that how?” I asked.

I knew that Landrid was a Platinum Rank adventurer. And when Fannaly gave birth to Jain, he quit the business.

But this is the first time I’ve heard that he was so close to Ocean Rank.

If the general public were to perceive the Adventurer Ranks, Gold would be a full-fledged veteran. If it goes up to Platinum, you could say they’re first-class. Furthermore, if they move to Ocean Rank above it, you could say they’re among the higher spots of those first-class adventurers.

Hearing it again, I feel like it was a waste of his career. That said, I already heard that question when Landrid decided to move to Bidden Village full-time, so I won’t bring it up again now.

“Hahaha. That’s an exaggeration, Sir Henblitz,” Landrid said, lightly brushing the compliment aside.

“… So Landrid knew about you, too, Sir Henblitz,” I said.

“Yes, the Knights of Rebelio are making a name for themselves in the kingdom,” Landrid said. “It would be rude not to know its Vice-Captain.”

Landrid, I get the impression that you’ve softened up a lot. There was no doubt that he was a good young man since he was learning swordsmanship at our dojo, but his eyes glinted. Of course, in a good way.

Was it the simple passage of time that made him this way, the meeting with Fannaly, the birth of Jain, or the decision to settle down in Biden Village, a place away from the hustle and bustle of the city?

Anyway, I think this would be a good change, too. Having a family and withdrawing from the front lines of battle will also give you something worthwhile. My way of looking at things has changed since I took Miu in, so I can feel it.

“Now that everyone is here, let’s have dinner,” the Old Lady says as she clapped her hands and gathered us all around the table.

With the bare minimum of greetings finished, let’s slowly deepen our talks with Landrid and his family while eating. It’s not like Henblitz, Kuruni, and even Miu will be flying back to Baltrain tomorrow or the day after tomorrow.

“Mrs. Fren, I as well,” Fannaly said, offering to help as the Old Lady started serving up soup on plates for everyone.

“No, no, it’s fine, Mrs. Fannaly,” the Old Lady said, smiling gently. “You already have Jain with you.”

Well, I think Fannaly is a little uneasy. From her point of view, she is in the position of being a freeloader at her husband’s employer’s house and to whom they are further indebted.

I can assure you that neither the Old Man nor the Old Lady would abuse Fannaly just because they’re living here. In the first place, if I had grown up in such an environment, I would have been a little rougher.

That’s why she declined her offer just now, out of pure goodwill. She can’t take her hands off Jain, who is still a newborn baby.

“Mrs. Fannaly, don’t be shy, I’ve already told you you can relax,” the Old Man said, offering her a lifeboat.

“Mr. Mordea… but…” Fannaly said, still unable to decide what to do.

Even if someone to who you are currently indebted says that she can’t honestly t accept it. You can see from this exchange that Fannaly is a good person. Both of them know that, so they probably don’t want to worry too much.

“You’ve got the obligation to raise Jain properly,” the Old Man said. “When you no longer need to care for your child, you can pay off your debt to us all at once.”

I thought it was good with those words.

Given Fannaly’s character, good intentions alone are not enough to settle her mind and make a bit of a tangled mess. In that respect, telling her about her dues would lessen the burden for her. And that they ask her to pay them back once she was free from her obligation also helps.

I wonder if my father was really a man who could take such consideration. Maybe the Old Lady put him up to it. Or maybe it’s just that I don’t know about it and they didn’t feel the need to show me it, as I’m their child and swordsmanship student.

Now that I think about it, I should have spent a lot of time together as a family, but I still don’t quite understand what my father is like when he’s interacting with outsiders. I feel like he’s always the same Old Man as he is to our students.

“… Okay,” Fannaly said. “I’ll sit back and relax for now, then.”

“Mm, you do that,” the Old Man said.

That’s how the exchange came to an end, and today’s meal was lined up in front of us as we all sat down nearly simultaneously.

Soup with plenty of bread, cheese, meat, and vegetables. Considering that it is a rural village, even this is a more than a sufficient menu.

In Baltrain, you can eat anywhere as long as you pay, but that’s not the case in the countryside. This is because the circulation of goods is different. Even if you have money, it doesn’t matter if there isn’t even any food to buy.

From that point of view, I think there is a clear distinction between the good and bad sides to living in the city. If you have money, you can get most things, and conversely, if you don’t have money, you won’t be able to do anything.

Fortunately, I am not in trouble with money so far, so my life in Baltrain is going well.

However, I think it’s a little embarrassing to get used to that life. I’m not going to say that it’s right to be extravagant or that poverty is the right thing to do, but I want to avoid thinking that the living environment in the capital is the norm. I plan to return to this village someday.

“Let’ ‘s eat,” I said with the others.

Well, putting that aside, now it’s time to enjoy. Everyone’s pre-meal graces are complete. Jain can’t speak yet, but it was interesting that as we said are grace, he went and shouted, “Daah!”. It’s cute.

Come to think of it, I’ve never experienced a large number of people around the dining table. In the current situation, it’s me, my parents, Henblitz, Kuruni, Miu, Landrid, and his family. Since Jain is a baby, even if we exclude him from the headcount, 8 is still quite a lot.

“Oh! This soup is really delicious!” Kuruni said.

“My, my, thank you, dear,” the Old Lady said.

“It has a soothing taste,” Henblitz said. “I feel like I can eat as much as I want.”

“…… It’s good,” Miu muttered.

“My, my! Little Miu, don’t be afraid to eat up!” the Old Lady said.

“Ah, yeah,” Miu mutters.

And if the number of people increases, naturally, it will also become noisy in proportion to it.

Miu and I usually eat together, so it’s hard to say that it was lively even though there was some conversation. I’m the type who can talk to some extent if I want to, but Miu herself isn’t the type to talk a lot. Quiet dining together has become natural to us.

“Miu, are you okay?” I asked.

“Nn… yeah,” Miu muttered. “There’s a lot of noisy people at the Academy.”

“Ah……” I said.

I thought that eating in such an unfamiliar environment would be new and unfamiliar to Miu, but it turns out that isn’t the case at all.

Come to think of it, the Magician’s Academy has a dining hall. As far as I know, there is only one person who fits the bill of being “noisy.” It’s almost certainly Cindy.

“You attend the Magician’s Academy, right, Miu?” the Old Man asked.

“Yeah, yeah, I’ve got the talent for magic,” Miu said.

“That’s great, your future is looking bright,” the Old Man said.

Even people like me who have lived in the countryside for so long know that becoming a magician is the most promising career in this country. It’s because of how low the probability of manifesting magical talent is.

“Oh, so you’re a mage student?” Landrid asked. “That’s really promising for her future, isn’t it?”

“Oh, and Miu has also started learning swordsmanship,” I said.

“Swordsmanship!? That’s pretty rare, too…” Landrid said.

“It seems that the Academy has a new Sword Magic Department,” I said. “Now that I mention it, I happen to be a temporary instructor there, too.”

“Then, is Miu also your student? Haha!” the Old Man said. “Hah-ha! It’s just like me and Beryl, isn’t it?”

“I think she has talent,” I said. “I’m sure she’ll surpass me soon.”

“Hey… stop it…!” Miu whispered.

“And that, everyone, is how she reacts when she’s embarrassed,” I said.

“Hey……!”

Fuhahaha. I can talk as much as I want when it comes to Miu.