Ankoku Kishi Monogatari ~Yuusha wo Taosu Tameni Maou ni Shoukansaremashita~

Chapter 172: Kuroki And Kouki

◆Dark Knight; Kuroki

The next morning, I visited the training ground with Kouki.

This was the training ground for the Dwarven Warriors, but for now, it was just the two of us. I was going to give Kouki his first lesson in swordsmanship, as promised.

「Please take care of me, Kuroki-sensei.」

Kouki bowed his head. He was such a polite boy. His eyes sparkled with excitement, but there was something more to it than just happiness over having someone teach him swordsmanship.

「Best regards to you as well, Kouki. It seems something good happened to you. May I ask what it is?」

「Yes, I met my dear mother last night. She said that she’s always watching over me.」

Kouki spoke cheerfully. But… Kouki's mother should have already passed away. So he must have met her in a dream.

I couldn’t help but shed a tear at that thought.

So, I held my tongue.

「I see. Let’s begin sword training, shall we? I’m sure your mother would be really happy to see you doing your best.」

「Yes, Sensei! I’ll show my mother how hard I’m working!」

With that, the swordsmanship training began.

I glanced to the side. There were several women watching from a little further away. One of them, a Goddess with beauty that shone like the sun, was Rena.

There were also four elves with her, standing around, quietly observing us.

I couldn’t help but wonder what Rena was doing here. Arberon had been shocked as well but dismissed it as her traveling incognito. The only dwarf who knew of Rena’s visit was Arberon.

Since I could sense her presence, I knew she had come. And there she was, her eyes shining with an almost unnatural sparkle. Was she worried about my training with Kouki?

But then, my attention was drawn to something else.

I saw the elven princess crying as she clung to Rena's leg. Tess and the other elves looked on with faces full of dread.

What in the world was going on there?

I shook off my curiosity. There’s a saying that curiosity killed the cat—some things are better left unknown.

I decided to ignore the strange scene and focus on my training with Kouki, though I secretly sighed in relief that Rena and the others seemed to be only watching.

「Well then, Kouki. First, start by swinging your sword.」

「Yes!」

Kouki swung his wooden sword after replying cheerfully. It had been handcrafted by the dwarves, who typically favored axes and hammers, symbols of their God, Heibos. This wooden sword was made especially for Kouki, sized just right for him.

I still thought a simple branch would have sufficed, but the dwarves insisted on crafting something special for him.

「As expected, you’re gripping the sword too tightly. Only grip it firmly when the sword is about to hit your opponent. For the rest of the time, hold it lightly.」

I kneeled to adjust his grip on the sword's handle.

Kouki’s hands were clenched around it far too tightly. I loosened his grip.

「Yes, Sensei!」

Kouki swung the sword again, this time following my advice. His movements were still awkward, but that was to be expected. Mastery would come with repetition.

I also showed him how to anticipate an opponent’s movements, how to move his body, just as I was taught by my own master.

I passed down everything I knew to him, mixing in advice from my own experiences.

It was clear that Kouki was absorbing the lessons quickly—perhaps even desperately. He had the potential to become a fine swordsman.

His swings were already becoming more refined, even after just a few minutes.

He was incredibly motivated, but I still needed to see if he had the patience to stick with the tedious process of repetition.

But, that wasn’t something I could help with.

All I could do was teach him the basics with care.

He might be a kid, but age didn’t mean I could cut corners in teaching him. This was a promise between men, and I had to give him proper training.

「Let’s take a break, Kouki.」

An hour into the training, I told him it was time to rest.

「Not yet, Master! I’m not done yet!」

Kouki was brimming with willpower, but training wasn’t just about pushing yourself to the limit. It was about knowing when to stop and rest.

A quick glance at him told me he was exhausted.

「You can’t, Kouki. You can’t become stronger overnight. You need to train over time to get stronger. That’s why it’s important to know your limits and take a break when you need it.」

There was no point in pushing him until he broke.

And that was something even a motivated kid needed to learn.

I sat on the bench, and Kouki followed suit.

After only a few seconds, his head began to sway. He was more tired than I thought.

「Lie down, Kouki. You really shouldn’t overexert yourself during your first training session. Training is something that takes time. Your body needs a break, too.」

「Yes, Master.」

Kouki lay down on the bench and immediately fell asleep.

I watched him as he slept. How old was he?

He was still a child, yet he had completed his first training session without collapsing in exhaustion. That was impressive.

I brushed his hair gently, quietly congratulating him for his efforts.

「You really are a good teacher, Kuroki.」

It was Rena who spoke, approaching us during our break.

「What are you doing here, Rena?」

「Oh my, it’s only natural for me to be here.」

She gave a cryptic answer, looking directly at Kouki. Then, she sat beside me and placed Kouki’s head on her thigh.

I couldn’t help but feel something odd. Rena didn’t seem like the type to be so gentle with kids. Why was she doing this now?

But I had a question that I needed to ask.

「Rena… I heard that this boy was kidnapped by the elves and brought to their capital. Can you do something to return him to his home country?」

Kouki wanted to return to his homeland to keep the promise he made to his late mother.

Returning him should be a simple task for Rena, being so influential among the elves.

「Of course. That’s my intention, anyway. In fact, I’m the one who sent Kouki to Eld.」

「？」

Rena’s words left me confused. To sum it up, it seemed that she was already well acquainted with Kouki.

「Nevertheless, blood really is thicker than water. I sent Kouki to Eld so he could learn swordsmanship from Shirone, but now he’s being taught by you… Originally, I wanted to punish Luusien for her actions, but seeing how it all turned out, I’ll be lenient with her.」

Rena glanced toward the elves, brushing Kouki’s hair as she did. They were still standing off to the side, watching us in horror.

What in the world had Rena done to make them look so terrified?

Suddenly, Kouki murmured in his sleep.

「Mother…」

Kouki was calling out in his sleep, perhaps dreaming of his mother’s embrace.

Rena smiled softly as she looked at him.

「He really is an adorable boy. I’m sure he’ll grow up to be a splendid knight.」

I felt something stir inside me.

I had been sensing something strange for a while now.

Rena seemed to know Kouki—maybe he wasn’t just an ordinary human child.

Now that I thought about it, he had pushed away that wolfman with relative ease.

No normal human could have done that, not without some special ability.

「Uhm, Rena… The thing is, Kouki seems to be…」

I started to ask, but before I could finish, Rena smiled at me with that same warm expression.

Her words caught me completely off guard.

「Kouki is OUR son.」

The world seemed to stop for a moment as those words sank in.

「Eh?」

I stared at Rena, completely dumbfounded.

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