I Became a Crazy Swordsmanship Instructor in the Game - Chapter 41:

Philip let out a bewildered chuckle, as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

“Me? Do something like that? Impossible.”

It was an utterly unbelievable statement.

Who was Lua?

She was the girl destined to become the successor of the Sword Saint, eventually leading humanity to victory in the war against demons, a true heroine.

At that moment, though she was merely a young child holding a sword, Philip knew all too well that she bore a destiny that would shine brighter than anyone else in this world.

But Philip couldn’t fathom doing something he wasn’t yet qualified for.

“What are you saying? Sure, I may be a fairy who has lived for over a thousand years, but I’m not such an extraordinary being that you can’t come up with a name for me.”

Upon the Lake Fairy’s response, Philip almost said something improper in return, but he quickly changed his mind.

“Well, forget it. Let’s give it a try. But don’t blame me if I fail.”

“I promise.”

The Lake Fairy nodded with a cool demeanor. Philip looked at her with a hint of suspicion and cleared his throat.

“Ahem, alright then.”

No grand ceremony was necessary. Even in the game world, Lua hadn’t done anything particularly remarkable. All he had to do was decide her name in the place where the fairy belonged.

Of course, just because the process was simple didn’t mean it was easy to begin with.

According to the setting, in order to accomplish this task related to spirits, one had to accumulate “karma,” a concept that Philip thought was akin to certain religious beliefs.

But this “karma” in this world wasn’t limited to just the past.

It seemed to encompass the past, the present, and even the future.

‘What was the line again….’

After briefly going over his memories, Philip spoke up.

“By virtue of the qualification granted to me, from this moment on, your name shall be ‘Yuna.’ Do you agree?”

As Philip finished speaking, a smile blossomed on the Lake Fairy’s beautiful face. She looked at Philip with eyes brimming with delight.

Even at that moment, throughout the entire world, there were fairies waiting for connections that would grant them names for hundreds, even thousands of years.

Most of them couldn’t overcome the endless waiting and would either return to nature or slowly lose their minds.

Only the chosen fairies could receive names and grasp the possibility of ascending to a higher existence.

“I agree.”

As the fairy’s consent was given, a dazzling light enfolded her in its radiant embrace, illuminating her pristine white gown.

“Ah, ah!”

With a euphoric sense of liberation, her voice erupted in pure delight. Observing her, Philip’s countenance wrinkled.

‘She’s making rather embarrassing noises.’

The radiant glow soon merged seamlessly into the Lake Fairy’s form, and with a refreshed expression, she stretched her body gracefully.

“Finally, such a moment has arrived for me. Ever since I first laid eyes on you, I had a hunch that you could give me a name. In truth, that young girl could have given me a name as well. Yet, it was you I desired above all.”

Philip’s expression turned curious. The Lake Fairy continued speaking.

“I have now become the ruler of all fairies, regardless of their stature. Isn’t it astonishing? Do you believe you were deceived by me? Fear not; it’s not a disadvantage for you. As long as you remain alive, you can always call upon my assistance.”

Philip nodded. Whether the claim was valid or not, it didn’t alter his primary objective.

“No, it’s not that… Something feels amiss, though.”

“What? What do you mean?”

The Lake Fairy tilted her head inquisitively. Philip pointed at her with a hint of awkwardness.

“Do you even know what state you’re in now?”

Only then did the Lake Fairy take a moment to assess herself. She felt a subtle change in the world around her.

“Huh?”

She ran her hands over her body, noticing that her arms and legs had grown slimmer, and her chest had diminished to a surprisingly tiny size.

“Why is my body like this?”

“What’s happening?”

Philip gazed at the fairy before him. Gone was the appearance of a woman in her twenties; instead, she resembled a little girl slightly younger than Lua.

Philip was equally bewildered.

“I’m asking you. What on earth is going on?”

The Lake Fairy’s expression turned anxious. She glared at Philip, her eyes filled with unease and restlessness.

“I don’t know either. And remember, you promised not to blame me even if I failed.”

“This can’t be true.”

The Lake Fairy reached out to commune with the lake, as her very essence was entwined with the lake’s mist, and every drop of water in the lake was an extension of her being.

If she desired, she could command all the waters in the expansive lake. However, afterward, she would lose much of her power.

“This… This is… Unbelievable…”

Yet, the lake remained unresponsive. She tried with all her might, but she couldn’t even stir a cup of water. She couldn’t shroud herself in the mist or manipulate aquatic life.

It was as if she was experiencing a sense of powerlessness like in the past, back when she was newly born as a fairy.

As the newborn baby fairy touched the air for the first time, an instant wave of fear engulfed her. It felt as if she had just emerged from her mother’s womb.

“What in the world have you done to meeee!!!”

The Lake Fairy’s voice echoed, almost luminous in its intensity.

Philip shrugged his shoulders.

“How should I know?”

—

Given Janice’s deteriorating condition, the group had no choice but to hasten back to the academy.

Having expended a great deal of her mental strength, she remained unable to awaken from her slumber.

When they set out, the group consisted of six members, but upon their return, they had grown to eight.

Of course, one member had to be carried unconscious in a bag and placed in the luggage compartment, leaving the children able to confirm the addition of only one new member.

Stephen and Cheryl exchanged puzzled looks at the girl with the water-colored hair, who had abruptly joined them.

“Who is this girl?”

“Well, let’s call her Mia for now. She has her reasons for accompanying us to the academy.”

Philip gazed at the Lake Fairy, who had lost her fairy-like abilities and now appeared almost human, wearing a blank expression.

Since the moment the Lake Fairy received her name from Philip, she lost her ability to commune with the lake and share fantastical tales. In an attempt to console her, as she had been screaming and wailing until her throat hurt, Philip informed her that the academy possessed a dragon, and if anyone would understand her situation, it would be the dragon.

Now known as Yuna, the Lake Fairy had no choice but to travel alongside Philip.

“So, the Manticore was defeated by the instructors and professors?”

Cheryl asked, her eyes gleaming with curiosity.

“Ask Janice when she wakes up.”

Felicia intervened, silencing Cheryl, and then shot a disapproving look at Philip.

‘First vampires, and now Manticore? I can’t fathom why such things keep happening wherever this man goes.’

Felicia had graduated from the academy at the age of nineteen and had become a professor, now in her fifth year of teaching. The most significant incident during her time had been the senior assault caused by Philip.

However, since Philip became an instructor, incidents that should occur once every ten years kept happening one after another.

But that wasn’t the only thing. He had already brought two girls, including Lua. While she could understand Lua’s situation, the other was a Lake Fairy who had lived for over a thousand years.

“Don’t fret too much. There must be some way to handle this.”

“Please, don’t speak to me.”

The students observed the respectful young man in his twenties and the young girl in her early teens. Sensing the seriousness between the two, they refrained from intervening.

“What should I tell the senior professor?”

Felicity felt a headache coming on and pressed her temple with her finger.

—

Upon his return to the academy, Philip immediately brought the fairy along to find Priscilla.

Though it was the weekend, fortunately, Priscilla had no other plans and was still in the staff dormitory, making it easy for Philip to locate her.

“Oh my! Philip, what’s with the sudden…bringing a fairy along? What on earth have you done?”

Priscilla held Philip’s hand tightly and gazed at the girl with shimmering water-blue hair. She was taken aback and found it hard to believe what she was seeing. In the blink of an eye, Priscilla had transformed into Privia.

“So, Priscilla is actually another personality of Privia, isn’t she? It’s incredible how she can switch so abruptly even in the middle of a conversation.”

Philip attempted a lighthearted joke to ease the tension, but Privia’s response caught him off guard.

“Don’t act like you know everything, unless you want trouble. But more importantly, you must be the face I remember from the ‘Singyuru Lake,’ that arrogant fairy living there, right? Why did you come seeking me while bound to a human hand?”

Trying to steer the conversation away from him, Privia’s demeanor puzzled Philip. However, there were more pressing matters to address.

“Indeed, that’s what happened….”

As Philip explained the situation, Privia listened attentively and suddenly burst into laughter, holding her stomach.

“Hahaha! You foolish little fairy, getting yourself tangled up in something beyond your league just out of greed. Did you really think it would be so easy to challenge the heir of the Moonlight Sword? You should have sought a name from a more suitable human instead of daring to ask the Moonlight Sword’s successor without understanding the consequences.”

“W-What do you mean?”

The Lake Fairy looked bewildered as Privia continued, her laughter mixed with a hint of tears.

“You’ve lived in a lake as small as a pond for thirteen hundred years; naturally, you can’t fathom the complexities of the world. The knowledge and wisdom you’ve amassed surpass what this young lad will gather in his mere hundred years by far. It’s like pouring a bucket of freshwater into the vast ocean.”

“So, you’re saying my essence is now tied to that young man?” the Lake Fairy inquired.

“You’ve got it. You won’t be able to escape him for a hundred years. Your companion is no longer the restricted pond; it’s that young man.”

Philip, who had been quietly listening, scratched his head and looked at Privia.

“I’m sorry, but could you explain it a bit more simply? I’m having trouble grasping the whole picture.”

Privia narrowed her eyes and then chuckled lightly.

“Well, since I’ve shown you quite the spectacle, I suppose I can shed more light on the matter. When a human gives a name to a fairy, it establishes a kind of covenant. What name did you give this Lake Fairy?”

“Yuna.”

“Exactly. A name itself is a social contract, and I won’t delve deeper into that. You proposed an agreement to call her ‘Yuna,’ and she must have agreed. That meant she promised to offer her assistance in exchange for receiving a name from you. However, just because two parties make a promise doesn’t necessarily make them equals, does it?”

“Ah, I understand now.”

Philip only began to have a faint understanding of what she was saying yesterday.

“Right. Do you get it now? The mediator of that pact is karma itself, so neither side can suffer losses unilaterally. Therefore, you have to pay a price equal to the losses you witness.”

Privia playfully ruffled the fairy’s hair, as if finding it adorable. The bewildered fairy couldn’t even contemplate rebelling.

“In short, this fairy lady here is of no help at all with the burden you carry. That’s the extent of the weight you bear as the heir of the Moonlight Sword,” Privia suddenly said, her voice turning serious.

“Is that so?” Philip replied, exhaling a sigh. Even for someone who had some knowledge of the context, Privia’s words were challenging to comprehend.

At that moment, he couldn’t help but feel a glimpse of just how profound her wisdom was.