The Villain Wants to Live a Quiet Life - Chapter 45

The mellitus plant uniquely exudes a strong sweetness when chewed on its stem. This was a plant that Rebecca, whose mouth had been dry from not having alcohol for the past month, often chewed on. But for some reason, today she felt as if she had put a handful of sugar in her mouth even without chewing on the mellitus.

“I see, Ludwig hasn’t been neglecting his training.”
“Though not as much as Emilia, I’ve been doing my best. It feels good to be acknowledged.”
“Hehe, of course, I can tell.”

To think that the great Sword Saint had to sit quietly among us novices, unable to even speak up. Usually, she would take the lead in conversation, but today it was particularly difficult.

‘All this grinning… She’ll let it slide just for today,’ 

While I was maintaining a relatively composed conversation, the issue was with her disciple. Rebecca seemed to feel bad about interrupting when she saw Emilia beaming with a bright smile while chattering about various things. Of course, briefly joining the conversation wouldn’t be a problem, but I could tell she wanted to fondly watch this rare girlish side of her disciple.

“By the way, it’s amazing. To think you blocked the Master’s strike… I knew you were talented, but I didn’t know you’d developed your skills to such an extent.”

I saw Rebecca nod beside her at Emilia’s amazement.
That blocked strike had been quite a surprising experience for me too. Even though her weapon hadn’t been her beloved sword, considering that strike had been somewhat serious, I knew I had shown considerable skill.

“Don’t praise me too much. If Lady Sternbaum had been holding a real sword, we wouldn’t be meeting again like this.”

I didn’t know how to handle Emilia’s praise which made me flush.
That strike had such power even with just a branch that had lost its strength from moisture. Moreover, since she didn’t know my exact identity, it wasn’t even an attack made with killing intent. She must have held back to some degree.

Even so, my hand had been so numb from blocking it that it was difficult to lift again.
If we had clashed with real swords, my wrist might have broken, or even if I had blocked it, I might have been pushed back by the sword’s weight.

“Still, it’s quite an impressive achievement.”
“Your friend is right. With mediocre skills, you would have been split in two along with your sword. Take pride in that.”

I could tell Rebecca was confident that even though she had only wielded a branch, it was my sword that would have split in two. From anyone else, such words might have seemed arrogant, but coming from her, they couldn’t have been more credible.

‘I really could have died.’

I must have been blinded by the excitement of seeing the Sword Saint’s skills, which I had only read about in books, with my own eyes. I shuddered slightly as I finally realized how foolish my actions had been. On the other hand, I was also happy to be acknowledged by these two people whom I considered to be on an incomparably higher level. My training hadn’t been in vain after all. Just realizing this fact made my heart swell a little.

“The mana surrounding you is quite impressive… I’ve never heard of the Aiphretz family having magicians for generations.”

A bead of cold sweat ran down my back at Rebecca’s sharp gaze.
The Sword Saint’s eyes and sensing abilities were indeed accurate. To think she would notice my small trick so quickly.

Well, since I had essentially copied the training method she had used in the original work, it was inevitable there would be results.
Although there might be some variance in mana accumulation since the training location was different, it was still a far superior path compared to ordinary training methods.

‘Somehow I feel guilty.’

It felt like submitting an answer sheet copied from the answer key and receiving praise from the teacher. Perhaps it felt even more so because she was someone who had devoted her life to the sword.

“I’ll have to work harder too if I don’t want to fall behind. You might catch up to me soon,” Emilia said.

Though she said this, I could see something different in her expression, as if she was wrestling with some internal thoughts. She had always prided herself on having a passion for the sword second to none. I knew she wanted to be the best when it came to swordsmanship. She was the type of girl who would work harder and strive more if someone was ahead of her.

I watched as various emotions played across her face, though I couldn’t quite read them all. How ironic that while she had eyes that could see through others’ hearts, she seemed to be wrestling with her own feelings. I could see something blooming in her expression as she stood beside me. Her thoughts, feelings, and actions seemed to sparkle with a new light I hadn’t seen before. Perhaps I had managed to help bring some brightness back to her heart.

“Emilia, is there something on my face?”
“No. I was just lost in various thoughts.”

Perhaps she had been staring too intently. I blinked and touched my face.
She suppressed a giggle behind her hand and brushed off the conversation, once again falling into contemplation. I wondered what she was thinking about.

Due to my unexpected visit, their planned return to the village tomorrow was moved up by a day, though to a different location.
This was because Emilia and Rebecca had been staying near a shabby village with few residents. While it was suitable for a brief stay, it would be difficult to head there with a guest.

Though I tried to wave it off saying it was fine, feeling guilty about causing them to change their destination, both women were quite adamant. What was particularly unexpected was that Rebecca was even more firm about it than Emilia. Since I hadn’t expected the Sword Saint to be so considerate of me, it was quite a bewildering situation.

“Ludwig, was it?”
“Yes, Lady Sternbaum.”

If others were to witness this scene, they would undoubtedly assume Rebecca was the noble and I the commoner. Yet the amusing thing was that our social standings were actually reversed.

This was because her behavior was so natural and informal.
Additionally, my use of honorifics for a commoner without any title contributed significantly to this impression. It showed just how much weight the title of Sword Saint carried. When I turned my head to meet her gaze, there stood the Sword Saint wearing a gentle smile.

“Though I’ve never taken a disciple before, I know that a disciple is like one’s own child. Therefore, you are also a friend of my daughter, in a sense.”
“Ah…”
“When the friend of their only child visits, would the Aiphretz family offer a shabby room and bread hard as stone?”
“Of course not.”

I finally realized my mistake.
Being polite isn’t just about avoiding being a burden to others. Sometimes, graciously accepting others’ consideration is the more appropriate courtesy.

“You seem quite clever, so I shouldn’t need to say more. Though hearing this from a mere commoner might just irritate you.”
“Irritate? Rather, I’m deeply moved.”
“Moved? For the eldest son of a count to be moved by such treatment…”

Though she smiled wryly at what seemed like an inappropriate response, my next words gave her an indescribable feeling.

“Not about that – I meant about how you treat Emilia like your own child.”
“…”

Rebecca wasn’t the only one left speechless. Emilia, who had been quietly listening to our conversation from the side, was the same.

“When I heard she was leaving for another land, I was worried. To be honest, even knowing the Sword Saint’s reputation, I was anxious.”
“Oh? Meaning?”

It sounded like I was doubting her abilities.
But since she didn’t think I would suddenly disparage her, she suspected there must be some hidden meaning.

“I wasn’t doubting Lady Sternbaum’s abilities. It’s just that being skilled with a sword doesn’t necessarily make one a good teacher.”
“So you doubted my character.”
“To put it bluntly, yes.”

In the original work, the story only mentioned their relationship as master and disciple and briefly described their training process. There was no detailed description of how she treated Emilia or what kind of bond they developed. Even Rebecca herself, despite her weighty title of Sword Saint, was only described as an ‘eccentric and free-spirited person’ in the original work, without any other detailed characteristics. That’s why I felt concerned. Though it seems it was just a needless worry.

“How bold. Is there a reason you chose to voice this? What did you think would happen if I took offense?”

It wasn’t something that needed to be mentioned. If I didn’t know Rebecca’s character well, it might have been better to keep quiet. After all, I didn’t know what consequences awaited me. Nevertheless, I brought it up to probe Rebecca because I wanted to be absolutely certain about her character.

“If that were the case, my friend would realize her master wasn’t someone worthy of serving, so that wouldn’t be bad either.”
“I like your nerve.”

In a way, I had insulted her to her face. Yet the Sword Saint’s expression showed unprecedented brightness.
Was this how much she valued her disciple?
When she realized that the reason I wasn’t intimidated by the Sword Saint’s reputation wasn’t due to excessive pride in myself, but rather my straightforward concern for my friend, it brought forth a pleasant laugh.

“You have a good friend, my disciple.”
“Th-thank you, Master.”

If there was one thing I noticed, it was how Emilia’s face had turned as red as an apple while I tried to maintain a composed expression. I wondered what that meant.

Emilia’s eyes, which had been fanning herself frantically, met mine.
After gazing at each other for a few seconds, we both quickly averted our eyes.
I noticed Rebecca watching us with a strange expression as if something had suddenly occurred to her.

‘Could it be…?’ I heard her murmur.

Soon, a mischievous smile formed on her lips, and she gently pushed her disciple toward me.

Thump.

“M-Master!?”

Emilia, unable to maintain her balance due to the sudden push from behind, ended up falling right into my arms. When she called out to Rebecca with an obviously flustered voice, her master very unnaturally avoided eye contact and played innocent.

“Your master will take her leave here. Since it’s a special occasion, spend some quality time with your friend.”

I watched as Rebecca swallowed some words she seemed about to say, then immediately turned and walked away.
It seemed she found the atmosphere getting too sweet to watch from the side, so this was her excuse to escape for a while.

Of course, this wasn’t because she was bitter about never having experienced romance at her age. It was purely a master’s broad affection and interest in her disciple. That’s how it was, at least. She would cut down anyone who dared argue otherwise.
That was the Sword Saint’s resolve.

TL CORNER:

I’m Mhoki, the new translator for this novel. Cookedsushii, the original TL for this novel had given me his novel since he wanted to focus more on his studies. I’ll try my best to mimic his style of translating. If there are any translating errors I missed, feel free to correct me <33