Didier (2)
Chapter 25
After scanning the orphanage, Didier dismounted from his horse.
Jimmy and Matthew saw the approaching shadow of Didier and gulped down the saliva they had in their mouths.
Didier, who noticed the two were tense, slightly bowed his head.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you. Lord Jimmy, Lord Matthew.”
Lord?
Did he just say Lord?
Unexpected titles left Jimmy and Matthew stunned, unable to respond immediately.
Though Didier’s face was as cold as ice, his voice remained gentle.
“I heard that you provided great assistance during the search for the young miss. Without the both of you, the search would have been significantly delayed. As a knight of the Phillip family, I express my gratitude.”
Jimmy, who was spinning his eyes around, belatedly waved his hands.
“Ah, no, it’s nothing. It was merely our duty, given the grace we receive daily from the Count.”
“Humility is unnecessary. My father also mentioned that this matter has broadened his perspective.”
“G, g, thank you.”
“The Count instructed me to act on his behalf in expressing gratitude. I intend to fulfill this task faithfully so as not to tarnish the Count’s name. Please treat me kindly.”
“Indeed, please treat me kindly.”
Upon making eye contact with Didier, Jimmy and Matthew bowed again.
*
Rumors that a knight would visit the orphanage had been spreading among the children since the day before.
Since swordsmanship training was bound to happen eventually, Ray decided to abandon trying to keep the news under wraps and instead focused on preparing the children mentally.
It would be a significant loss if the children acted disrespectful toward the visiting knight and ended up offending him.
‘Judging by what I see now, there seems to be no need for excessive worry.’
In this world, people of all ages admire the heroic tales of knights.
In a world where a single person’s martial prowess rivals an entire army, the admiration and fear towards knights portrayed in such stories are deeply ingrained regardless of age.
The children worked hard to maintain discipline, walking in step from morning until the knight’s arrival, which was uncertain.
Listening to the excited voices of the children, Ray smiled faintly and looked at the entrance of the orphanage, which was starting to get noisy.
‘That man… Is Didier.’
His physique was imposing.
Even compared to Jimmy, who was rather robust for an average man, Didier stood out noticeably.
Ray stood up from the ground and approached to greet him.
“Hello. It’s an honor that you’ve come this far, Sir Didier.”
Looking down at Ray, Didier’s eyes sparkled with interest.
“You must be Ray. I’ve heard about you. Thank you for rescuing the young miss.”
“I merely did what needed to be done. Please speak more casually. It troubles me greatly that a knight of your stature speaks so highly of someone of low standing like myself.”
“…Understood.”
Didier barely managed to suppress a hollow laugh.
While it wasn’t surprising that Ray could talk eloquently, the stillness of emotion emanating from Ray caught Didier off guard.
‘Children encountering a knight for the first time usually become excited and their voices tremble.’
Ray was overly calm.
This tranquility didn’t feel natural, considering ignorance.
Didier’s lips twitched slightly. Indeed, he was becoming intrigued.
“May I take a look around the orphanage?”
“Shall I guide you?”
“If you would.”
As Ray walked beside Didier like an attendant, Didier marveled while passing by the fence.
“Everyone looks full of vitality.”
“Surprising, isn’t it?”
“I expected them to look a bit darker. This place feels genuinely kind-hearted. My initial preconceptions are already fading.”
“Thank you for seeing it positively. Regarding the lessons, I’d like to request that you provide swordsmanship guidance to groups of around five students.”
“A reasonable number.”
“For the first lesson, I’ve gathered the most talented and enthusiastic friends. I hope you’ll observe them carefully.”
“I’m here on behalf of the Count to repay his debt. You don’t need to worry; I’ll do my best.”
“Will the achievements of the children be reported to the Count?”
“Yes.”
“To the Count alone?”
“…”
Stopping in his tracks, Didier turned to look at Ray.
Thinking that Ray wanted the children’s accomplishments recognized by the Count, but upon hearing the second question, Didier realized otherwise.
Though bold, Didier answered straightforwardly.
“This is a task entrusted to me by the Count. The content of the mission won’t be disclosed lightly. Even to my father, without the Count’s permission, I wouldn’t casually mention anything about the orphanage.”
“Truly a knight.”
“That was an unpleasant question.”
“I apologize. Lately, I’ve encountered too many negative rumors about mages.”
“Hahaha!”
Didier burst into laughter.
Though his lips remained cold, this was certainly the first expression change seen on his face.
“Knights and mages pursue different values. I know the rumors about mages well, but comparing them to knights can be disappointing.”
“I apologize.”
Ray inwardly clicked her tongue.
After dealing with a mage once, she felt her suspicions growing.
Wishing that Didier was as loyal inside as he appeared outwardly, Ray headed towards the backyard of the orphanage.
The day before, she had people set up wooden poles tightly in the center of the open space to create a fence.
Since this was the knight’s teaching, it couldn’t be shown carelessly to others.
Opening the gate of the fence and entering, the first thing they saw was red hair fluttering in the wind.
Karen tightened her body and shouted.
“Hello! My name is Karen!”
“Wah! Really a knight! I’m Johanna! Hehe!”
Johanna grinned broadly, clearly delighted.
Of course, only Johanna wasn’t nervous.
“Ack! M, Me, Delun!”
Delun, who had been standing blankly, came back to his senses after Jimmy poked his back and greeted.
“I, I, Ian, s, says…”
“Pleased to meet you all. I am Didier. ‘Sir Didier’ sounds too rigid. You may call me Instructor.”
One by one, Didier observed the children and explained how precious and blessed it was for non-nobles to have the opportunity to learn from a knight.
He praised the generosity of the Count and advised the children to thank Jimmy, Matthew, and Ray.
After finishing his speech, Didier confirmed one last thing.
“Johanna, Karen, Delun, Ian. Is it correct that these four students will participate in the first lesson?”
“Huh, um, Sir Didier.”
Jimmy and Matthew, exchanging glances, knelt on one knee.
“Could you also teach us?”
“…?”
Didier hesitated for a moment, then Ray handed over the letter exchanged between the Count and herself.
“I’ve received permission from the Count.”
“Tch. The Count truly cherishes you.”
“Generously allowing my arrogance.”
“Good. Let’s begin the lesson immediately. I’ll start by explaining the concept of energy accumulation.”
*
Mana exists in everything in the world.
Humans naturally accumulate mana within their bodies as they live.
Forcing this mana to concentrate and increasing its density is the first step in energy accumulation.
When the density of mana increases beyond a certain level, it naturally gains cohesion and attracts surrounding mana.
“The technique of circulating condensed mana along major blood vessels absorbs internal mana completely and draws external mana into the body.”
Of course, directly utilizing the condensed mana within the body is inefficient.
Its nature is inconsistent, and its concentration varies wildly, so even if extracted as Sword Aura, it crumbles easily.
Therefore, knights use the Mana Purification Technique to fix the nature of mana into one form and create a core in the heart.
“The core in the heart plays an essential role in all behaviors related to compressing, controlling, and accelerating mana. No matter how much mana is present in the body, without a core, there will be limitations in handling it. Now, let’s delve deeper into learning the Mana Cultivation Technique.”
Didier handed a towel and a package to Johanna.
“I will inject concentrated mana into your body and circulate it according to the cultivation technique. Remember the sensation of mana circulation well.”
“Yes!”
Johanna nodded her head first.
Didier began injecting high-density mana into Johanna’s heart, circulating it through the main blood vessels.
Naturally, Johanna’s blood vessels, which had never experienced such high-density mana, immediately rejected it.
“Eek?”
Feeling her insides twist suddenly, Johanna shook her body, groaned, and opened her mouth.
“Uuuuuaaagh…”
She vomited.
Other children gasped and took a step back at the sight of the vomit splashing, but Didier maintained his composure and guided the mana to follow the normal path.
Needless to say, nausea is a phenomenon that inevitably accompanies the process of transmitting the Mana Cultivation Technique.
After completing one cycle, Didier stopped controlling the mana. Johanna, as expected, took over control and started the second cycle.
“Uuuuuaaagh…”
She continued vomiting.
Didier’s brow tensed slightly and then relaxed.
“After finishing the second cycle, settle your stomach.”
Next was Karen.
Seeing Johanna’s horrifying state mixed with vomit, Karen turned to Ray.
“Me, I want to go out!”
“Huh?”
“I told you to go out!”
“Karen, nausea is a process everyone goes through when learning the Mana Cultivation Technique. There’s no need to hide it unnecessarily.”
“Ray is a pervert!! Go out quickly!!”
“I’ll turn my back.”
“Just go out!”
With her face flushed bright red, Karen slapped Ray’s back, and Ray reluctantly stepped outside the fence.
Creating an environment conducive to concentration was preferable.
Soon afterward, a new sound of nausea came from inside the fence.
“Huff! Huff! Hooouueee…”
Continuing her bout of nausea, Karen noticed blood mixed in her vomit and asked pitifully.
“Eeek…. I’m bleeding. Am I dying?”
“Don’t worry. It’s a natural process.”
“Ray, I’m bleeding. Am I okay? Ray, I feel like I’m dying.”
“Oh dear, you’re fine.”
Ultimately, Ray re-entered the fence and wiped Karen’s mouth, which was covered in various foreign substances, with a towel while comforting her until her stomach settled.
After quite some time, Karen regained her senses and sat facing away from Ray, her face bright red.
Meanwhile, Didier, who had taught the Mana Cultivation Technique to all the children, approached Jimmy.
“Have you ever properly learned the cultivation technique?”
“I picked it up from books lying around on the streets.”
“Hmm, shall we try circulating mana once under my guidance?”
When Didier handed over the towel and package, Jimmy waved his hand.
“Don’t underestimate me. I’m a seasoned mercenary. Don’t treat me like a child.”
“Hmm… Understood.”
A short while later, a fountain of blood and vomit erupted from Jimmy’s mouth.
“Creeeeeaaaagh!!!”
“Kyaaackk!!”
Children screamed and ran away as they were drenched in Jimmy’s secretions.
Matthew stood behind Ray, who made a bug-eaten face.
