WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Haruto

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◈ The Pushover Young Lord in a Romance Fantasy Won't Take It Anymore ◈

Chapter 13: The Bastard Is Better

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"I'll teach you the most brutal, godawful method I've ever encountered in my life."

Hendrickson put it that way, and even I found myself looking forward to it.

All I'd learned from him in my first life were basic techniques.

This time, I would learn something new.

Gulp.

The sound of people swallowing came from all around us.

The knights could only swallow nervously as they wondered what kind of grueling training awaited them.

"You all have at least one coin in your pockets, right? If you don't, borrow one from the person beside you. Make sure every one of you has a coin in hand."

The knights hesitated at those words.

He wasn't telling them to draw their swords or take a posture that would help them concentrate.

I had no idea what he meant either, but I took out a coin.

Hendrickson tapped the training ground with the tip of his foot.

"Flick your coin with your fingertip and make it stand upright. Whoever manages it perfectly is done for the day. You can return to your barracks and snore all you like."

"...What?"

"You want us to stand a coin up?"

Murmurs broke out everywhere.

"You called this grueling training? Standing a coin up?"

"Is it even possible to flick one upright? Isn't that entirely luck?"

"This sounds more like digging ditches than training..."

They couldn't voice their complaints openly, but their faces showed doubt and disappointment.

"Try it yourselves before you start yapping, you empty-headed idiots!"

His booming roar instantly silenced them.

"Did you think handling a ring's ember required only mental strength? You need precise control of your power, extreme condensation, the focus to bind your energy sense to a single point, the ability to harmonize with the wind and your surroundings, and composure that won't waver even if the sky splits in two. Only when all of that meshes together like gears can you barely weave a single ring."

I nodded gently at his words.

You only hear as much as you know.

Control of power and extreme condensation. The focus to bind the body's energy sense to a single point.

If the flames slipped out of control while weaving a ring, they would burn up your internal organs.

If you failed to condense them, the heat would cool.

The ability to harmonize with the wind and your surroundings.

An ember either went out or exploded if it was confined.

Only by matching your breathing to the flow of the atmosphere and using the outside environment as fuel could a ring circulate endlessly.

Unwavering composure.

That was obvious.

Control, condensation, single-point focus, and harmony with one's surroundings all depended on composure.

More importantly, composure was the only thing that could overcome inner demons.

"Swinging your sword a thousand times like a mindless doll is easy. But do you think that will give you any realization? It's pointless. Everything you've been doing has been pointless."

Hendrickson's eyes burned fiercely.

"You'd gain far more realization from making a coin stand even once in that same time. Of course, you'll have to fail tens of thousands of times for that one success. Even that process is valuable. A knight isn't made by the sword, but by time. Hardship and time are what make you grow."

Hendrickson clicked his tongue and added a warning.

"One time could be luck. If you can make the coin stand upright twice in a row, congratulations. You're ready to weave a Sun Ring. So don't just flick it with brute force. Remember what I said. Begin!"

"Begin!"

At the command, the knights reluctantly began squatting down.

It might have looked strange, but the greatest swordsman on the continent had said it. Of course they had to follow.

Ting! Ting!

Metallic clinks rang out noisily from every direction as coins rolled all over the ground.

"S-stand! Aaagh!"

"Damn it, can this really work?"

They closed their eyes, focused, flicked their coins, picked them up again, then focused once more. The process repeated without end.

Knights swung swords half the size of their bodies as casually as they ate meals.

Seeing them struggle against thumb-sized pieces of metal was surprisingly refreshing.

"Brat. Use this one."

Hendrickson suddenly approached and tossed me a coin.

"It's the gold coin you gave me as alms. Think of it as a lucky coin. It might help."

"You just said not to stand them up through luck."

"Still nitpicking, I see. Let it go in one ear and out the other, you brat."

I frowned when I saw the gold coin roll across the ground.

"I don't want it. It's filthy."

"Look at this rude little bastard."

No, but it really was filthy. It was covered in grime.

I'd assumed his hygiene standards had gone to hell from living on battlefields, but maybe he'd always been this dirty.

I scrubbed the coin's surface hard with my sleeve.

Only after some of its shine returned did I pick it up with my fingertips.

'Put intent into it, and control your strength.'

Precise control of power, extreme condensation, focus that bound the body's energy sense to a single point, and the ability to harmonize with the wind and surroundings.

Composure that would not waver even in the face of ruin.

I took a deep breath and gathered my composure.

I'd gone through every hardship imaginable in my previous life and reached the end of swordsmanship.

More importantly, I had already woven one ring.

No matter how grueling the training was, this should have been easy for me.

'It doesn't have to be grand. Just do what I've always done.'

Ting!

The gold coin left my thumb, reflecting sunlight as it spun through the air.

The coin spun like a top, gradually slowing down.

Clang.

Then it flopped helplessly onto the ground.

"...?"

Something was strange.

Had the wind blown during that 0.01 seconds? Or had the grime thrown off the gold coin's center of balance?

That couldn't be it. I'd cleaned the grime off completely.

Furrowing my brow, I picked up the gold coin again.

This time, I condensed the sensation in my fingertips as finely as I possibly could.

The knights' noisy cries faded far into the distance.

Ting! Clang.

Ting! Clang.

Ting! Clang.

I'd made a ring on my first try, but I couldn't stand up one coin even after four attempts.

Was making a ring somehow different?

Pfft.

I shot a look beside me.

"...."

"What are you looking at?"

"Nothing. I was wondering whether you could stand one up on your first try."

"Me? I used to be able to. Now that I'm old, it's difficult."

"What?"

Fuck. That old man had disturbed my composure even more.

I steadied my breathing and regained my calm.

Then I felt something off at my fingertips.

I opened my eyes wide and stared at the coin.

Between the fine ridges along its thin edge was a faint melted mark.

"You noticed quickly enough."

Damn old bastard.

The beard covering his lower face trembled.

"You've already woven a ring. Trials sort people out. I gave you a trial suited to you."

It was irritating, but he was right.

Those four failures were mistakes I could only blame myself for.

The moment I focused every sensation in my body on my fingertips, I should have noticed the center of balance.

I closed my eyes and sank into my inner world.

"...."

The noise stopped. There was no tremor in my fingertips. Wind brushed past them. Only the beat of my heart remained as sound.

I could feel the texture of the wind drifting through the air.

It wasn't the coolness brushing against my cheeks. It was a transparent river formed by countless currents of air.

I knew which leaf each current began from, the path it took as it bent, and how the moisture in the air changed.

Even the faint air resistance carved out by the wind as it slid over my skin felt vivid.

The texture of the cloth covering my body felt unfamiliar as well.

The weight of every speck of dust that had settled between its fibers.

Even the static created as the fibers brushed against the fine hairs on my skin was caught by my senses.

Thump, thump. The pulse of my heart. The pressure of blood flowing through my veins and the speed of my pulse. The flow of the atmosphere, the vigor of my heart and blood vessels.

A world where all sound had stopped and time seemed unnaturally stretched.

This was my world.

In this tiny world, the miracle of standing a coin became a grand undertaking.

Ting!

I didn't open my eyes. Even when I heard it fall, I maintained that state.

⸻There. Done.

The moment I heard that, I opened my eyes.

There was a coin by my feet.

One coin standing perfectly upright.

"Gasp! Y-Young Lord!"

The sounds that had stopped came crashing into my ears.

"Crazy, how did he do it already!?"

"Hahaha! I knew the Young Lord would be the first to succeed!"

"So there was a reason he overwhelmed that knight...."

"Young Lord! Please teach me! How did you do it?"

I looked down at the gold coin standing firmly at my feet and savored the lingering feeling.

Composure, control of energy sense, and single-point focus.

Knowing something in my head and fully embodying it with my body were different things.

That fleeting sensation had certainly given me a new realization.

Perhaps I could weave my second ring right here.

"Sir. Stand guard for me."

"Oh? You're going to weave one right now?"

I didn't actually need anyone to stand guard. There was no chance I would burn myself to death.

I had entered the realm of heightened senses. With this feeling, success was guaranteed.

I sat down cross-legged.

I had to seize this fleeting sensation before it scattered.

Just as I had condensed my energy sense into one point at my fingertips to find the gold coin's delicate balance.

This time, it was time to tune the second ember raging at the base of my heart.

I gently closed my eyes. The outside noise faded away again as though I were submerged underwater.

The first ring began to rotate as it burned fiercely. Using its heat as fuel, I wove a new ember.

Bigger. Fiercer.

"Y-Young Lord? What's happening all of a sudden?"

"Be quiet, idiot! He's trying to weave a ring."

I pressed down on the first ring with composure to keep it from running wild.

I stretched the second ember thin and long like a thread, wrapping it around the outside of the existing ring.

Whoosh!

Before I knew it, the two rings had begun to interlock perfectly.

Neither spun ahead of the other. They circulated endlessly in a steady rhythm.

Soon, the heat that felt as though it would burn up my internal organs quietly subsided.

Solar rising from the base of my heart gave me a new thrill.

"What a monster."

My eyes snapped open.

Hendrickson was smiling as he stroked his beard.

I placed a hand over my chest.

The second Sun Ring enclosed the first as they rotated together.

"Heh."

A dry laugh escaped me.

It hadn't even felt like a few minutes, yet I had already woven it.

"My talent is terrifying."

Astin, the greatest genius in history, whose talent was an insult to the gods.

Today, I had grown another step.

"The second ring is the easiest one to weave."

"You're also the best at killing the mood with one sentence."

This time, neither the phantom pain that gnawed away at my mind nor inner demons came for me.

The beginning was always the hardest part.

The most brutal hurdle in weaving a ring was unquestionably the first one.

You had to create something from nothing and adapt to the pain of your blood vessels burning from within.

Once you had overcome that, the second ring was bound to come more easily.

Of course, things changed the moment you went beyond the fourth ring.

From then on, it was madness that would leave you short even if you had two lives.

'Except for me.'

I had woven eight rings in my previous life. Reaching five would only be a matter of time.

Hoo!

After calming the heat with a breath, I put a hand on the ground and stood.

"Young Lord, do you seriously think that makes any sense?"

"Honestly, I'm not even surprised anymore. You really do have every talent in the world."

"Who knew belated brilliance could be this frightening...."

Had I shown them too much? Their reaction was less dramatic than before.

I glanced sideways at Hendrickson.

He had his arms crossed as though nothing mattered, but his eyes trembled slightly.

"Your ring was unusual even when you only had one. Your ring was special."

"I know. Me too."

I was very good at objectively assessing myself.

It wasn't narcissism. Objectively speaking, every one of my rings was high quality.

"Now that you've woven a second ring, I want to see your swordsmanship too. Want to cross swords?"

"It would be an honor. Shall we begin right away?"

Ooooh!

The knights looked at us with eager eyes. I couldn't help feeling a little proud.

"Come. I'll take you on with just one arm."

"Are you looking down on me? Use both arms."

"Learn to take a joke as a joke."

"Isn't everyone overdoing it? Have some cold water first."

A bright, lively voice called out from farther away.

When I turned around, Celine was handing out ice water and towels with a group of maids.

"Oh, my lady. Thank you."

"My throat was burning, actually. Haha."

The knights flocked over to receive water.

Even as they drank, they didn't stop flicking coins. It was a good display of determination.

In a few days, perhaps one or two of them might succeed.

Tap.

Something nudged my side. Hendrickson had put down his cane and poked me in the ribs.

"Who is that child?"

"My younger sister."

"Your sister? Huh. She looks nothing like you, but she's grown up wonderfully. Is she a bastard?"

I had never known being called a bastard could be a compliment.

"Unlike me, she does have plenty of adorable qualities."

"Brother."

Celine approached with a bright smile.

She handed me some water, but her gaze was fixed on the knights groaning in agony.

"What is everyone doing? It looks like they're flicking coins."

"That's right, flicking coins. They're trying to flick them with their fingertips and make them stand upright."

"This training really drives a person insane. I'd rather run a hundred laps around the training ground."

"Seriously. Looks like we'll be pulling an all-nighter today. Hoo!"

Curiosity filled Celine's round eyes.

After a moment, she picked up one of the coins lying on the ground.

"I want to try too."

Her enthusiasm was admirable.

I was just worried she would sit there for ages and waste her time.

If she couldn't do it after a few tries, I'd have to show her.

It was about time I heard her say, 'Brother, you're so cool!'

Celine sat on the ground like everyone else and settled into a comfortable position.

She placed the coin on her thumb and lightly closed her eyes. She was only copying the knights.

Ting!

She lightly flicked the coin with her thumb.

With a cheerful scrape, the copper coin spun through the air and fell to the ground.

The coin should have fallen over.

"....Huh?"

"Gasp!"

"W-what is that!?"

There was no sound of it falling or rolling away.

The coin stood perfectly upright on the ground without moving.

On her very first try.

"What?"

The words escaped me without my realizing it.

What else could I possibly say? What?

"Hmph!"

Hendrickson cleared his throat and put on a solemn face.

"Even a blind squirrel finds a nut sometimes. It was beginner's luck. It only stood by chance, so try once more."

"Oh, yes!"

Celine obediently picked up the coin.

Then, as though she had no thoughts at all, she casually flicked it.

Ting!

The coin spun like a top and stood upright again.

"......."

"......."

Silence fell.

Even Hendrickson, who had dismissed it as luck, became speechless.

Soon, he looked back and forth between Celine and me.

"The bastard's better than the legitimate son."

I couldn't say anything. Honestly, I couldn't believe what I had just seen either.

Hendrickson picked up the gold coin by my feet. I wondered what he was doing, only for him to hand it to Celine.

"Here. It's a lucky coin. Keep it."

"Thank you. But who are you?"

That old man was acting like I wasn't even here.

"Are you seriously taking back a gift?"

"If it bothers you, succeed on your first try like her."

"If it had been a normal coin, I would've done it on my first try too...."

"Try to be even half as good as her. Then you could've stood it up in two tries."

"Hehe. But who are you?"

Footnotes:

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