5. Beyond the Otherworld, a Road of Hardship (2)
I Jeongjin was repeating something akin to a daily routine. Physical pain he had never once experienced in his life was tormenting him, but without giving up, he was advancing step by step every day.
The driving force that kept him training was that he had fallen for a charm different from the life he had felt in his previous life—a life of merely surviving. A dimensional plane different from Earth, the universe and dimensional beings, human limits, and the mana and System that allowed him to transcend them.
Mana whirled through his body, further evolving his physique, and the sensation of shedding layer after layer of human limits each time his stats and level rose gave him a catharsis greater than any drug.
And three months later.
"Die!"
An iron spear rose high into the air and came crashing down like lightning. I Jeongjin, the one launching the attack, thrust his spear at his opponent without a moment's hesitation.
'He won't be neutralized by this much.' Having judged so, I Jeongjin unfolded the opponent's expected movements and follow-up countermeasures in his head.
Chaeng!
The opponent simply blocked the spear with efficient movements. The ground he stepped on caved in under the attack, but showing not the slightest sign of being shaken, he spun his whole body, merging defense and attack into one.
I Jeongjin, landing lightly, felt a steel-like kick flying toward his blind spot. Immediately, he bent his body greatly like a spider, pulling one of the opponent's legs with his left hand while thrusting his spear at the opponent's torso with his right.
"Because you've been neglecting basic training, you keep showing these bizarre self-taught movements! I suppose I must discuss this with Sir Korn!"
The opponent neutralized I Jeongjin's strange attack with a simple technique of rotating the spear. I Jeongjin's right arm and neck entered the rotation radius of the spear. There was a high probability his neck would be severed by the rotating spear before he could pierce his opponent.
"Shut up! Are you trying to run away from me like that?!"
"Run away?!"
I Jeongjin quickly retreated backward to evade, then gripped his spear like a pole and spun it round and round in a circle.
"Today, I'll definitely—!"
While the opponent faltered at I Jeongjin's bizarre tactics, as usual, the spear I Jeongjin spun gradually gained speed, and a sound like hundreds of swarming bees buzzing tickled his ears.
'So what. The hand gripping the spear isn't steady.'
The attack methods of I Jeongjin that he had experienced were creative but shallow. If pressed head-on straightforwardly, a weakness that ultimately led to 100 percent defeat would be revealed.
"There!"
He boldly faced the spear I Jeongjin was spinning head-on.
Screech!
The tips of the spears clashed, and an unpleasant noise tore through the lazy morning air. In a contest of strength against strength, the opponent held the advantage.
"Because you neglect the basics, gaps are revealed glaringly, just like now!"
To be precise, it wasn't that he had lost in strength. Having spun the spear from an unstable posture, I Jeongjin could not stably dissipate the recoil, and his body leaned greatly backward, but the opponent had firmly seized his center of gravity, allowing him to charge at I Jeongjin without wavering.
"That's rich! You've been too busy beating me up every day to ever teach me the basics, haven't you?!"
At I Jeongjin's reproach, the opponent flinched for a moment, stricken by his conscience. I Jeongjin precious spent that golden time to straighten his body and once again dashed at his opponent.
I Jeongjin's upper body, stripped of his shirt, was rippling with savage muscles as if his skinny, emaciated frame from half a year ago had been a lie. Each time the opponent saw that, he steeled himself that the growing unease he felt day after day might become reality today.
"I'm sick of sparring with you now too! Today, I will definitely defeat you! Jun! Strike!"
At the shout of "Strike," I Jeongjin, filled with frustration and rage, swung his spear at Jun. At the same time, a faint blue light coalesced around the spear.
'A skill!'
Jun knew that it was a special mana manipulation method called a skill, used by the Blessed. A frontal clash was dangerous, so he tried to evade somehow, but the blue light enveloping I Jeongjin's spear grew barbarously thicker, placing even the space he could dodge into its attack range.
'At this rate, it's dangerous.'
An experience qualitatively different from I Jeongjin's. Jun, who had experienced life-or-death combat against monsters, acted before he thought.
Vrooom—
A fainter and murkier green light than I Jeongjin's enveloped Jun's spear. A sense of powerlessness, as if all the strength in his body were draining away, swept over him, but he gritted his teeth and struck out with his spear.
Bang!
A bursting sound that had never once emerged in their sparring until now filled the training ground. Both staggered and stepped back.
Though they stepped back simultaneously, the result was clearly Jun's inferiority.
The influence of Status elevated not merely physical strength but also the body's recovery to inhuman levels. Based on that recovery, I Jeongjin quickly gathered himself and poured out powerful consecutive attacks.
But Jun could not endure the clash of mana; his whole body was reeling, and his arm could not escape a numb sensation, as if it had been replaced with a log.
"Mmmm……"
A groan escaped naturally from Korn's mouth as he watched the two spar from afar. A familiar voice came from behind Korn, who was observing the match.
"How is it? The speed of Jeongjin's growth."
It was Count Berdo, who had come running after hearing the faint but processed sound of clashing mana. Korn performed a brief courtesy before answering.
"To a terrifying degree. I was certain that I Jeongjin was an ordinary talent with nothing outstanding about him."
The territory's mage, Tolji, who followed out, asked.
"Even taking into account the growth rate correction?"
"Even considering that we assigned Senior Soldier Jun, with whom he has bad blood, to stimulate his competitive spirit, this makes no sense."
Korn replied firmly.
"Hmm~"
Tolji stroked his chin disinterestedly as he observed the two sparring.
"Hahaha! I'm going to win! Today, I'll definitely beat you and get my day of rest!"
I Jeongjin's laughter, filled with madness, reached Tolji's ears. The middle-aged mage, who had been holed up in his laboratory doing his own work for the half year since their first meeting, felt a sense of alienation in his demeanor.
"That friend, his personality is completely different from when I first met him, isn't it?"
"Ah……."
"Ahem……."
At his question, Korn and Berdo, who had been wearing serious expressions, made somewhat sheepish faces. Since Tolji roughly knew the reason they were running I Jeongjin ragged, he didn't ask any more difficult questions and merely clicked his tongue softly.
'Tsk tsk… They've completely ruined one young friend…….'
I Jeongjin—or rather, to be precise, the Summoned had Helpers. This meant they could receive intuitive and clear answers regarding the numerous records the Ollocains and the intelligent species beyond the Gate had 'researched' about the System.
The acquisition conditions for hard-to-obtain, rare skills. The optimal factors for growth. Efficient training methods that made it easy for Status to rise. Through the Helpers of the Summoned, it was possible to obtain a treasury of knowledge that could be called a jackpot if even a single clue were obtained, no matter what it was.
However, the one problem was that the Summoned had to raise their capacity enough to be able to ask the question.
If one asked at Level 1 about the conditions for suddenly obtaining a Unique skill, they would only hear that it couldn't be told; but if one who had satisfied sufficient conditions sought an answer from the Helper to obtain one final clue, the Helper would earnestly convey the truth.
"Anyway, what's important is that the Summoned's tremendous growth rate cannot be explained by a mere 10 percent growth rate correction."
Tolji, who felt it awkward to hinder humanity's growth as a fellow Ollocain, changed the subject.
"There is something the Imperial Court investigated regarding that, Tolji."
Berdo, returning to a serious expression, called Tolji. Tolji sensed the weight carried by the word 'Imperial Court' and deployed a powerful barrier enveloping them.
Korn knelt on one knee behind Berdo. Informing them of the Imperial Court's investigation also meant indirectly issuing guidelines on how to act toward the Summoned.
Berdo said there was no need to go that far… and continued speaking.
"Perhaps the content was that the 10 percent growth rate correction might not simply affect levels, Status, skills, and the like, but some crucial part beyond them."
"What do you mean by that……?"
"A correction that allows humans—no, lower species like us—to transcend the spiritual limits they possess. And things like levels are merely the aftermath of spiritual evolution taking place, like waves following an earthquake, or so they think."
While the three were speaking of important matters, the fight between I Jeongjin and Jun was gradually racing toward its end. Jun could not overcome the power of the spear I Jeongjin wielded with brute strength and staggered.
"Uwah?!"
I Jeongjin had not been negligent in training his fundamentals. He had deliberately insisted on bizarre tactics when sparring with Jun all this time for the sake of a single victory. Having seized the advantage, I Jeongjin discarded his tactics thus far and used his spear with a composed attitude, steadily targeting Jun's weaknesses.
A plain combination that could hardly be called spearmanship unfolded from I Jeongjin's hands and gradually pressured Jun. Jun's arm sensation had returned, but rather, that brought him greater misfortune. The aftereffects of the clash, which stung to the bone, brought pain hard to endure even by simply standing.
"Now! One Flash!"
A straightforward thrust at Jun, who barely held his spear with trembling arms. But the power contained within was concentrated at a single point with destructive force comparable to the Strike he had used earlier.
And both I Jeongjin, who had unleashed 'One Flash,' and Jun, who blankly watched it fly, thought:
'Gasp?!'
This is dangerous.
Even though he had achieved startling accomplishments, I Jeongjin was only six months into learning martial arts. Having experience only in sparring with Jun, he lacked the capacity to accurately gauge his opponent's remaining strength.
He had mistaken Jun's staggering for storing up power and used the skill One Flash with all his strength; what was he to do now? Looking at Jun's expression and response, didn't he have no strength to block it?
'Honey, I'm sorry. Son, Daddy's going first.'
Feeling time gradually slow in the crisis of death, Jun closed his eyes, recalling his family in a fleeting instant. The merciless spear had veered slightly but still shot toward his vital point.
Thwack!
Finally, a dull sound of a spear piercing flesh was heard.
'Mmm?'
He heard the sound but felt no pain. Jun opened his eyes slightly.
"Senior Soldier Jun, I believe I explained at our first meeting that you must never close your eyes even in a dangerous situation."
I Jeongjin, holding the spear with terrified eyes, and Korn, who had blocked his skill One Flash with his forearm, were sending terrifying gazes toward the two of them.
Drip, drip.
The One Flash I Jeongjin used left a slight wound tearing Korn's skin, but from the long, vertical gash, a considerable amount of blood fell. Watching the blood pour down, I Jeongjin was seized by severe anxiety.
Tolji walked slowly toward the three with Berdo, hurrying the latter part of the conversation.
"Anyway, since the Imperial Court is also continuously gathering information through the Summoned, we must do what we can."
By the time the two arrived, I Jeongjin was bowing his head, and Korn was standing atop him nagging Jun.
"Good work, Jeongjin. You too, Senior Soldier Jun. Go home and rest comfortably today."
"Yes! Understood. Senior Soldier Jun will finish his duties at this hour today and return."
Jun, the senior soldier who had nearly died, departed the drill ground joyfully at the sudden one-day leave. Berdo waited until Jun disappeared and then continued speaking once only the four of them remained.
"Many other Summoned have given up already, yet the Summoned of our Carbon territory endured six months without a single complaint, so my mind is at ease."
"Give up?"
I Jeongjin asked, bewildered.
I Jeongjin had expected to be guaranteed the rest time promised earlier as a reward for winning the spar with Jun. When Count Berdo started with such outlandish words from the very beginning, curiosity and anxiety flooded him simultaneously.
"Of the roughly fourteen thousand Summoned called to the Heram Empire, nearly four thousand or more could not endure the training period and gave up. Just this morning, word arrived from the Imperial Court that the number of Summoned has officially decreased to four digits."
"Huh?"
Unable to overcome his curiosity at the contextless story that had started abruptly, he asked his Helper.
'Helper, what is he talking about? Giving up?'
[When the user is in a life-threatening situation, cannot endure the training period conducted in a foreign land, or when the user's intelligence cannot derive an appropriate solution to the situation at hand, the training may be arbitrarily forfeited.]
'I don't understand a single thing! What happens if I give up right now?'
[If you, user I Jeongjin, forfeit the training on Planet Olloca without completing the training period, you will be sent back to Earth immediately. Though you may not feel the temporal gap between forfeiting the training and returning to Earth…….]
Thereafter, the Helper's uniquely convoluted sentences that I Jeongjin could not understand continued. Berdo noticed I Jeongjin conversing with his Helper and smiled faintly as he waited. I Jeongjin, who found that smiling face highly uncomfortable, cut off the Helper's words.
'Ah, forget it! So basically, whether you give up at one month or six months, the time you return to Earth is the same, right? Those who gave up earlier are put into a sort of… mental dormancy until the training period ends to match that time?'
[That is similar.]
"Hah!"
I Jeongjin, who had been conversing with the Helper, soon realized that wasn't what was important. He looked at Berdo, who kept exchanging meaningful glances with Tolji with a strange smile, and spoke.
"My lord! Please give me my day off as promised! One rest day every week!"
Though he was bothered by Korn's sharp gaze watching uncomfortably from the side with a cough, what did he care? Forfeiting the training period? What did that matter? To I Jeongjin, guaranteeing a sweet day of rest was the more important issue.
"Hmm… about that……."
Berdo displayed an expression mixed with awkwardness and slight apology to I Jeongjin—probably for the first time. After meeting eyes with Tolji and nodding slightly, he delivered the verdict that crushed I Jeongjin's hope.
"Jeongjin, I'm sorry. Looking at your growth over these six months, we've concluded that you have entered an important period. Since not a single day can be wasted at such a critical juncture, I'm truly sorry, but please endure a little longer."
"…Huh?"
"Didn't the six months pass quickly once you endured them? The remaining half will pass the same way. I watched your spar well today."
I Jeongjin stared blankly at Berdo, who tapped his own shoulder and left the training ground. After briefly escaping reality, he ran toward Berdo with a flushed face.
"Ah, no! The promise was different! Hey! You bastard……! Kuk!"
But that too was momentary; as if someone had placed a stone pillar in the middle of the wide open training ground, something hard struck his nose.
"Ah, dammit. What the……."
I Jeongjin looked upward with tears welling in his eyes. In his raised vision appeared Korn, his face twisted hideously. The spot where he had rammed the bridge of his nose was Korn's steely pectoral muscle.
"You must have taken His Lordship's words to heart. Then from today, I shall spar with you in every spare moment. And since your spearmanship seems to have roughly taken shape, from tomorrow you will learn swordsmanship and shield techniques as well."
"Uh. I… if I could just rest a bit and then……."
"Uh. No."
I Jeongjin saw a wooden sword descending upon him as if to split the sky. And that was the last sight he saw that day.
* * *
Seven months after the summoning.
"Jeongjin, let me introduce you. This is Carbon Swain. My fourth son."
A new guest had arrived for I Jeongjin, who had been reduced to mush after today's one-sided sparring that was no different from a beating.
"Ah, yes. Hello."
He made an annoyed expression, lay down, slightly bobbed his head, then rolled over onto his side. Rather, Senior Soldier Jun, who had been training alongside him, fidgeted anxiously and kicked I Jeongjin's side.
"Hey, hey! This person is the one scheduled to be the next lord of Carbon territory……."
"Ah, I don't know. It's my break time. Don't talk to me."
I Jeongjin lay down with an expression full of annoyance and greeted Berdo.
"…Yes, my lord. What is it? You never introduced your family before, yet you suddenly bring your fourth son and have me greet him."
'This guy is completely crazy…….'
Jun, the senior soldier who had spent the most time with I Jeongjin. He found it difficult to properly watch this young friend's temperament being ruined in real time to the point of uttering such reckless talk.
Berdo smiled amiably and patted Swain's shoulder.
"Haha. Well, you see! My son safely graduated from the advanced educational institution with excellent grades this time."
"Ah, yes, you did. That's why you even threw a party last week, didn't you? I only showed my face and then left to spar desperately with Sir Korn."
Berdo smoothly passed over I Jeongjin's blatantly thorny words.
"As you can see, my fourth son is also a Blessed One. So I've introduced him like this with the intention of having you spar together and build meaningful progress with each other."
I Jeongjin unconsciously looked at Swain.
[Carbon Swain(Lv 23)]
I Jeongjin's level was 17. Moreover, he had not yet invested any stat points. But the stats that had grown naturally through savage training had risen to the point where he regarded even mercenaries of the same level as two ranks beneath him.
'But with someone who's six levels higher…….'
The moment he was about to speak words of refusal, he saw Sir Korn glaring at him as if shooting beams of light. Having greeted the current lord and the future lord while lying down and even talking back, his afternoon training would be no different from death.
I Jeongjin, whose mind had spun into action, quickly stood up.
"I was getting a bit tired of sparring with Jun, anyway. Well, fine. Swain, was it? I look forward to it."
Saying so, he approached Swain and offered a handshake.
"Though it will be a short time, I look forward to it. I am Carbon Swain. I have much to learn in the mornings as well, so I will likely only be able to see you briefly in the afternoons."
"He is only twenty-one, but you may think there is nothing to teach him regarding sword defense. Jeongjin, who is far too attack-oriented, will have much to learn."
"I'm fine with either way. By the way……."
I Jeongjin stopped speaking and noticed a gaze watching them from the training ground entrance.
If I Jeongjin at Level 17 noticed it, the three of them naturally would as well. Korn, Berdo, and Swain thoroughly ignored the questionable gaze, but I Jeongjin paid it no mind and turned his attention to the other party.
"Who's that again?"
He pointed with his chin toward the bushes.
April. Among the bushes gradually being covered in green, a small girl in an eye-catching red skirt entered everyone's sight. Swain's face, which had been smiling awkwardly, stiffened.
"…Please excuse me for a moment."
Swain, his face slightly furrowed, walked toward the hidden uninvited guest with forceful steps. The girl tried to sneak away on tiptoe, but how could that work against a superhuman at Level 20? In the end, the uninvited guest was revealed hanging limply from Swain like a hunted rabbit.
"Marin! I told you absolutely not to follow me because we were having an important conversation!"
'So she is the lord's youngest daughter.'
I Jeongjin thought.
I Jeongjin watched with indifference as Marin was scolded by Swain. Marin had also attended last week's party, so she remained in his memory.
'Either way, I just hope there are no major accidents during the remaining five months.'
Jun, sweating profusely and watching cautiously. Korn, veins popping out on his forehead like a demon. And Berdo, unable to raise his face. Only I Jeongjin, who had created all this chaos, was enjoying the peace that had come after a long while, all alone.
* * *
Ten months after the summoning.
[Your level has increased.]
"Finally, Level 20."
I Jeongjin, who had been sparring with Swain, dropped his spear. And he looked up with a moved expression. Swain, who had become close enough to I Jeongjin over three months to speak casually, exclaimed and said to him.
"Already? Level 20 in ten months with only sparring and no hunting. If not for the System's protection, you Summoned would have all been captured by mages and made subjects of human experimentation."
"I heard there's already someone among the Summoned training at the Imperial Court who reached Level 23. Compared to that, Level 20 is nothing."
Twitch!
Swain's eyebrows flinched at I Jeongjin's nonchalant words. That was because Swain had only reached Level 20 at the age of twenty. Even then, everyone had celebrated him excitedly, saying it was a blessing for the Carbon family that had long been without the fortune of children.
But training together with a Summoned, he received the shock of his common sense built over twenty years of life crumbling every day.
'Perhaps Father knew that and attached me to I Jeongjin even at the cost of giving up some of his territory education time.'
Swain, steeling his mind, approached I Jeongjin.
"Then since you've reached Level 20, as promised, I'll teach you the mana breathing technique handed down in the Carbon family."
Korn had conducted basic physical training with I Jeongjin during the first week after his summoning. Since the conclusion at that time was that his talent was ordinary, I Jeongjin had not received much support.
The Byeolmuri that I Jeongjin was learning was a mana breathing technique used by an intelligent species of another dimensional plane that had now perished. To that species, it was a mana breathing technique handed down almost as a legend, but to humans, a frail species, it did not show great effects.
By now, Byeolmuri was merely treated as one of the numerous mana breathing techniques obtained through exchange with the intelligent species of other dimensional planes.
Korn, who ran I Jeongjin ragged every day, regarded his effort highly and constantly petitioned the lord; and since there was also a 10 percent growth correction, the lord eventually promised that if he reached Level 20, he would teach him a mana breathing technique treated as a secret.
"Ah, that? It's fine. Having learned Byeolmuri, it's not as bad as I thought? At first, I felt like I'd been scammed somehow, but the more I learn it, the more depth I feel. It's a mana breathing technique with depth."
"Are you really going to be okay?"
Even quarrels could breed affection, as the saying goes; Swain, who had built a friendship with I Jeongjin over three months to the point of dropping formal speech, worried that he might be whittling away his potential learning a mana breathing technique not made for humans but for another species.
"I'm not forcing it. It's a bit much for a mere Level 20 to say this, but I think Byeolmuri hides a possibility I hadn't imagined."
'Could the growth correction have a synergistic effect with Byeolmuri?'
"Everything I say gets reported to the Imperial Court anyway, right? If you ask those smart old men there, something might come of it."
Stab!
"Ah… you knew?"
"What do you mean, knew? As if Korn, who's plenty sharp, hasn't occasionally shown up dripping with sweat to ask about all sorts of things? It doesn't harm me, and I didn't think it was worth making a fuss and embarrassing anyone, so I pretended not to notice."
"Since there's only two months left, I just thought I'd mention it…" I Jeongjin said, drinking water.
"…Is there anything you want to eat today?"
"That thing from Marin's birthday last month. The dish where they mince whole meat and pour fruit sauce over it, you know? That was incredibly delicious."
"You mean Tazimi. It's a traditional dish from the jungle zones. I'll tell the chef to prepare it for dinner."
"And could you pass a message to His Lordship? Could he teach me as many mana breathing techniques as possible—be it Byeolmuri or whatever—that he thinks won't cause problems if leaked to Earth?"
"……."
Mana breathing techniques.
Swain raised his momentum slightly when the sensitive topic came up. But I Jeongjin did not back down and nonchalantly shrugged his shoulders.
"I've seen and heard things over the ten months too. If Planet Olloca, which knew of mana's existence even before the New Century, is at this level, Earth will probably face even greater chaos. Shouldn't I do what I can?"
"Sigh……."
"I don't mind if they're not treated as secret techniques like the Byeolmuri I learned. Even just the level that can be easily obtained with appropriate money and power in the market would be enough; I'd like to ask for that."
Swain staggered, clutching his spear as if he were collapsing. There had been a reason this sly human had brought up a subject he had deliberately avoided.
And as the next lord, if he ever owed a debt, he had the duty to repay the other party without fail. Even if that target was a Summoned who would disappear in two months.
"I'll at least bring it up."
"Thaaanks."
I Jeongjin winked one eye and struck a strange pose that Swain could only find disgusting. Though Swain didn't know, it was one of the choreographed moves of a female idol I Jeongjin had been a fan of.
"I feel like I've told you a hundred times to stop with that strange way of speaking."
"Got iit."
"That's why Marin hates you."
"No. She hated me a ton from the very beginning."
"So full of yourself……."
Swain shook his head and left the underground training ground. I Jeongjin watched him, caught his breath for a moment, then gripped his spear again.
For a long while, only the sound of a spear tearing through the air rang out in the training ground.
* * *
Time passed like so.
On the day when a year of I Jeongjin's stay on Planet Olloca was approaching.
"The time is slowly running out."
Tolji spoke, having gone outside for the first time in a while.
Besides Tolji, Korn, Swain, and Count and Countess Berdo had gathered around I Jeongjin.
"Is it truly exactly one year?"
At the table set up in the reception room. I Jeongjin, seated at the seat of honor, was extremely uncomfortable with this situation. He was in a position where he ought to refuse the modest return celebration that Verdo had prepared. If not, what the hell was this?
“This is the result of an investigation conducted jointly not only by us, but also by the races beyond the Gate.”
Verdo reassured I Jeongjin as if telling him not to worry, and took a spoonful of the dessert placed before him.
“As long as the invasion of the dimensional race isn’t too severe, it is almost always fixed at one year. Moreover, on the planet where you lived, Lord Jeongjin, the dimensionals didn’t even show a hint of themselves before the Summoning, did they?”
I Jeongjin thought of Earth, which was gradually fading away. It was a world with many problems, but the invasion of extraterrestrials was such an overdone topic that it was a stale subject unfit even for gossip.
“That is true.”
“Even when we investigated planets beyond the Gate where intelligent races had perished, there was never an education period exceeding five years—though there were issues with language interpretation. Now, only ten minutes remain.”
Viscount Verdo stood and opened the bottle he had prepared. With a clear sound, a subtle fruity fragrance wafted from the opened bottle, filling the room. Swain carefully accepted the drink Verdo poured and spoke:
“I’ve been carefully aging this to open when I succeed the viscountcy.”
I Jeongjin replied half-heartedly and received his glass.
“Distilled liquor doesn’t age, you know?”
“Huh?”
“What?”
At those words, not only Viscount Verdo but everyone in the reception room stared at I Jeongjin with wide eyes.
“Uh… did you not know?”
“Well, the truth is, I only became a noble this generation,” Verdo said.
Only the Viscountess covered her head as if troubled, while everyone else smiled awkwardly.
In the awkward atmosphere, Korn was the first to raise his glass. Since Korn was essentially someone who could be called his master, he had the right to propose a toast before Viscount Verdo.
“I Jeongjin, you’ve worked hard enduring the harsh training this past year. If you return to your world, there will be many hardships far greater than this. Before the invasion of the dimensional race, tremendous chaos enough to make blood form seas will befall your world. But if you continue to strive as you have now, there is nothing you cannot do. May blessings be upon your future.”
A long speech uncharacteristic of Korn.
Korn had disliked I Jeongjin from the first day, and as time passed, they had clashed even more fiercely. But as a warrior to another warrior, the middle-aged knight honestly acknowledged I Jeongjin’s effort.
“Thank you, Sir Korn. Had I known you thought so well of me, I would have gotten along with you better.”
“Hmph!”
As I Jeongjin spoke with a broad grin, Korn snorted and turned his head away. He still did not like I Jeongjin’s frivolous attitude.
Led by Korn, everyone offered I Jeongjin a word of blessing.
Of course, Tolji was different. He was guilty of turning the items I Jeongjin had brought into useless piles of scrap metal.
“It has been a long time since I saw you, Viscountess, since Marin’s birthday. I thought you disliked me, so I didn’t expect you to come.”
“It’s not… that I dislike you. Marin also seems to have become brighter thanks to you.”
The Viscountess, one of the Blessed, had been persuaded by Viscount Verdo to attend the farewell gathering for I Jeongjin.
Verdo had fathered four sons and two daughters, but among them, only the fourth son, Swain, was Blessed. In his youth, Verdo had been displeased by this and unable to give his other children proper love, and after Swain was born, his favoritism had grown even more blatant and severe.
The Viscountess found it difficult to maintain a friendly attitude toward I Jeongjin because she remembered how her non-Blessed children had been hurt and broken. The fact that she cherished Marin—a non-Blessed child so much that she even threw a grand birthday party for her—was part of her effort to somehow undo the mistakes of her youth.
“Marin will be quite disappointed.”
Verdo said, raising his glass for the last time.
“As if.”
I Jeongjin scoffed and denied the Viscount’s words. Everyone looked at him with bitter smiles. As if trying to lighten the mood, Swain raised his already lifted glass even higher.
“Now there really is less than a minute left! I Jeongjin, you were a friend with many flaws, but more than that, you were someone with much to learn from. Blessings upon your future!”
Taking Swain’s lead, everyone raised their glasses high and drank heartily.
“Keugh!”
A fierce taste impossible to replicate through ordinary distillation. I Jeongjin reddened and coughed repeatedly.
“Hahaha! You look ridiculous!”
Seeing that, Korn laughed boisterously.
“My, my stomach feels like it’s on fire…….”
“It is a liquor made using magic. To those who can handle mana, it is beneficial, but to those who cannot, it is akin to poison.”
“Then it’s not just distilled liquor…….”
When he finally stopped coughing and looked at the others, they were all slightly frowning. What was most unexpected was the Viscountess; she was elegantly nibbling on dessert with an unconcerned expression.
“Anyway… thank you for everything until now.”
I Jeongjin raised his head, wiping away tears.
Korn, Tolji, Verdo, Swain, the Viscountess. And Jun, who was not present here… He met eyes with everyone and etched their faces into his memory.
And…….
About a minute passed.
I Jeongjin sat awkwardly, waiting to return.
Another minute passed.
Swain cleared his throat, his face reddening with embarrassment.
Yet another minute passed.
Not knowing what to do, everyone avoided meeting each other’s eyes, clutching only their empty glasses.
Chirp, chirp!
The noon sunlight gently illuminated the reception room, and an unknown bird flew past the window, erasing a faint shadow.
And another minute…….
Unable to endure any longer, I Jeongjin shot to his feet.
“Helpeeeeer!”
[User.......]
“Shut up! How much time has passed since I came to the planet Olloca?! Tell me by this planet’s standards!”
[Based on the time the User called for the Helper, 1 year, 5 minutes, and 6 seconds have passed.]
“Then a full year has definitely passed, so why am I still here?! I’m dying of awkwardness! Take me away quickly!”
[The User’s education period has not ended. Do you wish to abandon your education?]
“That’s not it!! Just how long is the education period?!”
The Helper answered mechanically in a perfectly charming woman’s voice, just as I Jeongjin had commanded during their first meeting.
[That cannot be answered.]
“Aaaah! Please!”
I Jeongjin despaired.
“Uh… hm…….”
Swain stroked his prickly growing beard. Though they could not hear the conversation with the Helper, everyone could guess from I Jeongjin’s words that the education period was not one year.
‘It seems today is not the day…….’
Korn hurriedly got up and, skipping even farewells, quickly dashed out of the reception room.
“As autumn approaches, monsters are swarming because of the mountain rats. I must take my leave.”
Tolji also made an unusual expression and carefully exited the reception room.
“I-I have research as well…….”
“…….”
The Viscountess quietly patted I Jeongjin’s shoulder, then left the reception room silently with graceful steps.
Verdo watched them leave with his head bowed. Once he confirmed everyone had left the reception room, he poured another glass for I Jeongjin.
“Ahem! Lord Jeongjin! Thank you for keeping up with the harsh training for the past year without giving up! So rest easy and relax today! Ah! And there is the Origin Festival the week after next! If you have time, you should attend and enjoy it together. You’ve run hard for a whole year, so no one will fault you for taking about three days off for the Origin Festival!”
Saying so, he waddled out of the reception room without looking back, his belly swaying.
Swain, unable to bring himself to say anything to I Jeongjin, quietly followed Verdo out. Before leaving, Swain looked at him pitifully.
“My… eat all the dessert too.”
Swain pointed to the specialty product, an improved version of a traditional dish from the Carbon Territory.
The white dessert, made by separately extracting vegetable fat and using sugar as a base with various spices and natural coagulants, had a texture similar to cheese but was renowned as a high-class food boasting a savory and sweet depth of flavor.
Especially as an accompaniment to the fruit brandy made in the Carbon Territory, it was a luxury that ordinary wealthy families could hardly afford to eat even once a year.
“…….”
I Jeongjin, left alone in the reception room, quietly stood up and sat back down in his seat. And he silently finished the dessert and liquor on the table.
He needed three days before he came to his senses and resumed his training.