Chapter 30 - His Character Is Beyond Saving

“You came looking for... my esteemed mentor?”

“Hmm? What do you mean? Your esteemed mentor?”

“You just said so yourself. That you came looking for my esteemed mentor.”

“Huh?”

“Pardon?”

The two men stared blankly at each other.

“Hmm... So that's how it is...”

After a silence that felt rather long, Blash stroked his chin.

“Well, this is a surprise. The man you were talking about was Daywin Hasgard?”

“I'm the one who's surprised. To think the commander of the order doesn't know someone of my esteemed mentor's caliber.”

“Hmm? Isn't that usually the other way around?”

Blash was finding himself surprised quite a few times today.

“I suspected as much, but my esteemed mentor isn't a member of the Church, then.”

“Correct,” Blash declared, his expression sober.

“That is why I've come. And why I'm all the more eager to meet him. I must find out how he acquired such power without undergoing the Church's training.”

“... My esteemed mentor certainly is special.”

For some reason, Laward nodded happily. His expression was difficult to describe. The closest comparison might have been an ordinary diner discovering that the restaurant he'd thought was his own secret find had actually been recommended by a famous chef.

“Well, at any rate, this is wonderful! The Goddess seems to have blessed us today. If you follow him and call him your esteemed mentor, you must know Daywin Hasgard well. Tell me, what sort of man is he?”

“Well...”

Laward was about to answer confidently when he remembered that he, too, didn't really know much about the man.

His benefactor. His esteemed mentor.

He was an indistinct figure. And with Daywin behaving so mysteriously every time they met, he felt all the more distant.

Someone had once said that admiration was the emotion furthest from understanding. If Laward had known Daywin better, perhaps he wouldn't have been able to admire him as he did now.

“Well... Hmm...”

Laward searched for a way to sum him up, then finally gave up and raised both hands.

“You should meet him yourself. I'll take you to him.”

030

“By the way, Laward. You said you were the best at the academy, didn't you?”

Blash broached the subject as the two men walked side by side.

“In what sense, exactly?”

Laward's expression stiffened at the commander's earnest question. His face burned as he recalled how smug he'd been just a little earlier, taking it for granted that the paladin order had come for him. Being asked to elaborate on top of that left him at a loss for words.

“Well...”

“Before that, what year are you in?”

“I'm a first-year.”

“A first-year can confidently call himself the best in the academy...? The academy's standards must not be as high as I thought!”

“... No. I'm actually the best among the first-years. I've ranked first ever since admission, so that part is true.”

“But not in the entire school, then.”

“I haven't fought the upperclassmen, so I don't know. Oh, actually, there was one time.”

“Oh, I see. So, did you win?”

With an almost childlike expression, Blash asked how the fight had turned out.

“I'm not sure I can call it a victory... But I disarmed her, so perhaps I did win.”

“That's good to hear. I don't know who your opponent was, but a victory is a fine thing!”

Laward was glad he hadn't mentioned that Lucia had the lowest grades among the third-years. Anyone could see her abilities weren't bottom of the class, but adults tended to put blind faith in grades and numbers. Better to keep that to himself.

“So you had good reason to be confident!”

Blash clapped a hand on his shoulder.

“But listen. That's precisely when you must be humble. We have someone much like you, but it's already too late for him.”

“Someone... like me?”

“Yes, indeed. He's always been first, ever since he was little. And now he's gone rotten. His character, especially. His manners are utterly atrocious.”

“But doesn't that mean he's skilled?”

“No, he's beyond saving! Regardless of his skill!”

“That's rather harsh...”

“A paladin must hold himself to stricter standards. Laward, a paladin must learn to accept hardship and setbacks willingly. Better still if he can use them as stepping stones to growth.”

“I'll remember that.”

“On that note...”

Blash lowered his voice, glancing away from Laward's eyes.

“There was, in fact, an academy student we intended to meet. Besides Daywin Hasgard.”

“I-is that so?”

Laward inwardly sighed in relief.

Of course. They'd come all this way and even contacted the academy. There was no way they hadn't heard of him. Now he thought he understood why Blash had suddenly brought up humility. The paladin order had had Laward in mind from the beginning, but hadn't told him outright for fear he might become arrogant.

“I see...”

“Yes, indeed.”

“Please, tell me. I promise I won't get concei—”

“A first-year student named Esther. Do you know her?”

“...”

“Like Daywin Hasgard, she distinguished herself at the Subjugation Festival. I've even heard that Daywin Hasgard recognized the student Esther's talent and helped her in the first place. Since we've come this far, we thought we'd meet the young lady as well... Hmm, Laward.”

Blash stopped both speaking and walking to stare at Laward.

“Calm down. It's always difficult to accept at first. Come now, take a deep breath!”

“... Why does it have to be that woman again?”

“Breathe in deeply. Then breathe all the way out! Laward, your expression is darkening by the second!”

“I... Why am I...”

“Laward, this is your trial. No hero is born without a rival!”

“A rival? That's absurd! That woman is nowhere near good enough to be my rival. I'm at the top of the class, and she's at the top counting from the bottom...”

“What are you talking about? Grades and numbers aren't everything.”

... Somewhere along the way, Laward had become the one putting blind faith in them. The commander's counterattack had caught him completely off guard.

“Take that back. Laward, you must treat others as equals. Doesn't scripture say so? Humans are beautiful because they possess worth unseen by the eye.”

Blash admonished him with a stern expression.

“... I'm sorry.”

“Good, that's what I like to see! This is how you learn, one lesson at a time!”

“Yes... I've learned... a great deal.”

“Excellent. If only Chris could learn to have that attitude!”

“Chris?”

Ah. Was that the name of the young paladin who'd been praised so much that he was already beyond saving?

As that thought crossed his mind, Laward sensed Daywin's presence and abruptly looked up.

“Hmm?”

“I can sense my esteemed mentor's aura nearby. He's close.”

“Is this esteemed mentor of yours some sort of evil spirit?”

“It's because I remember his scent. I can sense it even from a distance.”

“You sound more like the evil spirit to me...”

“There. I've found him.”

Doing his best to ignore Blash's repeated jabs, Laward thrust out a finger.

“Hmm, I've found him too.”

Blash nodded as well.

“So this is where you were, Chris.”

Daywin and Chris were together where Laward was pointing. More precisely, Daywin was holding a sword to the neck of Chris, who lay sprawled on the ground.

CRACK—CRACKLE—

The cheap sword had housed spirits enhanced with multiple buffs. Unable to withstand their power any longer, the third-rate longsword finally melted.

HISS, SIZZLE—

Molten metal dripped at Chris's feet and cooled.

“Uh...”

“It seems Chris has just learned humility too.”

The commander and the aspiring paladin watched the shocking sight from a distance.

“Well, I'm sorry about this.”

“Hahaha! We're the ones who should apologize!”

We had switched places. Or perhaps returned to our proper ones. Laward now stood beside me, and Chris beside the commander. The two pupils had returned to their respective teachers.

“Knowing this boy, he must have picked a fight first. I don't need to have seen it to know! He must have realized partway through that you were the man we were looking for, only to come at you all the harder.”

As Blash calmly spoke, Chris pressed his lips shut, as though that were exactly right.

“We should have been doing everything we could to make a good first impression, and instead he's ruined it. I'm ashamed! The fault lies with me for raising him poorly. Allow me to apologize on his behalf. I am truly sorry.”

He bowed his head and remained that way for a long while. He looked ready to stay there until I told him it was all right.

Well, first impressions mattered to me too. I needed to train Laward better as quickly as possible and get in touch with the paladin order soon, so their visit was a tremendous opportunity. But if he'd run into Laward alone, without me—

“We owe you an apology as well. I'm sure he must have treated you disrespectfully, Commander.”

Sometimes Laward was unusually touchy with one particular kind of person: adult men other than me.

“If Laward gave you any trouble, it's entirely his fault. Hey, Laward. Apologize.”

“Pardon? I-I'm sorry.”

Caught off guard, Laward hurriedly bowed back. Blash had probably expected me to apologize too and bring things to an amicable close, but Laward was the one bending at the waist.

“It's been a long time since I've seen Chris beaten like this.”

Still bowing, Blash spoke toward the ground.

“Commander, I wasn't beaten—”

“Were you cleaning the ground, then?”

Only now straightening up, Blash sternly rebuked Chris's little protest.

“Frankly, I regret not seeing it from the start. If I'd watched Chris's defeat from beginning to end, I could have gotten a better grasp of things.”

“Commander, I wasn't defeated—”

“If possible, I'd like you to knock him down one more time. While I watch. Chris, you seem well enough to talk back. Can you take a little more of a beating?”

“... No.”

“I certainly could hit him some more for educational purpo—hold on. A better grasp?”

“Yes. I wanted to know how you fight.”

... Huh? The commander was interested in me?

We'd known each other very well in my previous life, but naturally, that wasn't the case now.

“Ah, esteemed mentor. Commander Blash actually...”

As Laward stood there looking oddly gloomy, Blash's deep voice cut in.

“I came to meet you, Daywin Hasgard.”

“...”

“I was impressed by the accounts of your exploits at the Subjugation Festival. I sent letters to your family to find you, but they told me you were away.”

Of course they had. I'd returned to the marquisate as soon as the Subjugation Festival ended.

“So I found out where you were staying and sent more letters, but again, there was no reply.”

That... made sense too. Esther's letters weren't the only ones I'd ignored. It meant that letters from the paladin order had arrived at my old lodgings along with hers.

“I apologize for having no choice but to visit unannounced like this. From the rumors, you were a talent our Church simply had to acquire.”

Beside me, Laward nodded as if pleased by that assessment, but I still couldn't keep up with Blash.

Me? It had been me, not Laward?

“I originally intended to verify the rumors before bringing this up, but Chris has done that for me firsthand. Daywin Hasgard, you are indeed the talent our order has been seeking.”

With that, Blash held out a gloved hand.

“Would you like to become a paladin?”

A paladin.

No matter how much the future changed, the path leading there remained the same.

A paladin was one chosen by the Goddess. One who had passed the Church's trials. One acknowledged by their brothers and sisters.

And one who was chaste.

No matter how old they got. Even past thirty... still chaste. One who had to abandon human nature to avoid losing their divine power.

Would I have to be insane to do that again, or what?

“No, I would not.”