Vol 1 Chapter 12 – Dojo Master’s Monologue (Master Glen’s Perspective)【Vol 1: The Hero Awakens】 

◆Holy Calendar 1009, August 22 (Sunny)

It’s been a while since I last picked up the dojo journal.

Ever since the Orc Leader’s attack, I’ve been busy with the village’s reconstruction and the dojo’s repairs, so I couldn’t even think about the journal.

Now that things have finally settled down, I think I’ll record what happened that day for posterity.

That day, I was prepared to die.

In the face of the Orc Leader’s overwhelming power, my sword was utterly useless. The disciples’ blades didn’t penetrate at all, and the village guards were mowed down one after another.

(This is the end…)

That’s what I thought when that man—Fuyuya—appeared.

At first, I didn’t approve of his joining the fight.

What difference would one more wandering brat make? If anything, it’d just be another burden to protect.

But his eyes were different.

“I know how to take this thing down.”

The eyes of the man who declared that held unshakeable resolve and unfathomable confidence.

A quiet light, as if he could already see the outcome of the battle.

Against my better judgment, I decided to bet on that brat’s words.

As a result, that decision was correct.

No, “correct” is too mild a word.

His tactics were nothing short of divine.

(Who in the world is that guy…)

My hand writing the journal involuntarily stops.

No matter how many times I recall it, I can’t believe it.

He drew its attention to himself, allowing me to aim for the vital spot from its blind side.

He timed the moment its regeneration slowed and instructed us to press the attack.

And the finishing touch was calling my daughter Lilia over and telling her just one thing.

“Aim for the scar on its forehead! That’s the weak point!”

The scar on its forehead.

The Orc Leader’s one and only weakness, which I couldn’t find even after a lifetime of dedication.

Not just me—no one in this village, no book anywhere, had any record of it.

Yet he saw through it at a glance, as if it were obvious.

And he guided my daughter precisely, leading to the defeat of that monster.

Like a legendary strategist…

No, perhaps even more.

Even the strategists sung of in legends couldn’t spot a first-seen monster’s weakness in an instant.

The knowledge that guy possesses is beyond normal.

After the battle, I tried questioning him, but he just brushed it off with “I just have good observation skills.”

That’s a lie.

No mere observation could achieve that much.

That guy knows something—something beyond our ken.

And his influence extends to my daughter Lilia as well.

Ever since that day, Lilia has been utterly devoted to him.

It’s almost painful to watch.

During training, her eyes are always dead serious, as if she won’t miss a single word he says.

When it’s time for lectures, she looks at him with sparkling eyes, like she’s gazing at a treasure.

Those eyes aren’t the kind you direct at just a master-disciple relationship.

As a swordsman, and as a woman…

My daughter is in love with that guy.

Well, it might be inevitable.

He’s the hero who saved the village, saved her father, and saved her herself.

On top of that, those cool features. It’s no wonder a girl her age would be drawn to him.

As a father, my feelings are complicated… but I also think it’s fine.

Fuyuya and Lilia are now in this strange master-disciple relationship where they teach each other.

Fuyuya teaches Lilia tactics against monsters.

Lilia teaches Fuyuya the basics of swordsmanship.

The sight is truly heartwarming to watch.

Fuyuya’s sword skills are improving day by day. He’s a completely different person from when I first saw him.

Lilia’s teaching is good, no doubt, but more than that, his ability to absorb is abnormal.

Once taught a form, he never mistakes it again.

Once a habit is pointed out, it’s completely fixed by the next day.

That’s unmistakably the mark of a genius.

And Lilia, too, is growing by leaps and bounds thanks to Fuyuya’s teachings.

The other day, when the disciples went to the forest for goblin extermination.

Lilia instantly spotted the leader in the pack and took it down in one strike.

The “way to identify the leader” that she learned from Fuyuya. I’d never heard of such a thing.

But Lilia put it into practice and minimized the damage.

That guy’s words are overturning the swordsmanship system I’ve built over decades from the ground up.

It’s terrifying.

But more than that… it’s reassuring.

I’m not young anymore.

I can’t protect this village and Lilia forever.

But if that guy is here.

If Fuyuya is by Lilia’s side.

(Perhaps I can entrust Lilia to that guy)

Suddenly, that thought crosses my mind.

Even though he’s still a wandering brat of unknown origins.

Even though I can’t read what’s in the depths of his heart.

Still, looking at those straightforward eyes of his, for some reason, I can believe in him.

Once I finish writing this journal, I think I’ll visit my wife’s grave for the first time in a while.

To report that a wonderful man has appeared for Lilia.

To tell her to rest easy.

Fuyuya.

I still don’t know what that guy will bring to this village.

But I believe this encounter is no mere coincidence.

This must be the light of hope that the goddess has bestowed upon us.

No matter what lies ahead, I will continue to watch over those two.

As the master of the Glen-Style Swordsmanship Dojo.

And as a father.

With that firm vow in my heart, I set down my pen.