Volume 5 Chapter 9 Reminiscence 9️⃣
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
The training from my master continued for many years afterward.
It was relentless—every single day, rain or shine.
My master, absurdly strong and disturbingly skilled at reading her opponent’s abilities, always held back just enough so I could almost win, only to flip the situation at the last moment. She trained me in a truly brutal manner.
Thanks to that──
”Oh! You managed to dodge all of that. You’ve become quite adept at evasion, haven’t you?”
my master said with an amused smile, watching my breathing.
”Of course I dodged!” I snapped back, panting. “You really can hit! If I let my guard down, I’d seriously die! Damn it, you old hag!”
Surviving for five years, I had become capable of this much.
I managed to withstand, dodge, and knock away the ice shards my master unleashed alongside her sword strikes—surely that convenient spirit magic. As I created distance from her blade, I kicked her in the stomach mid-stance.
Though I had successfully escaped her immediate reach, I had exhausted a considerable amount of stamina in the process.
Breathing heavily, I tried to steady myself, my eyes locked on her sword.
”Wow, you’ve really grown,” she said with a grin. “That last kick was particularly good. A truly wonderful strike, filled with five years’ worth of resentment… But I did teach you not to use filthy language, didn’t I?”
Looking at her, I realized my master was also somewhat tired. Despite her usual banter, she was uncharacteristically wiping sweat from her brow.
”I apologize, old lady. Still, you seem quite tired. Maybe it’s time to wrap this up,”
I replied, mocking her tone in return.
While we caught our breath, we both searched for openings to launch our next moves.
Then again, there were no real openings in this absurdly strong demon elf.
So I went for it.
”This is the finishing blow, Master (Old Hag)! Brace yourself!”
I shouted, drawing four throwing darts from the holder at my waist with both hands──
—or at least it looked like that. In truth, the four darts in my left hand were magic arrows, created instantly through rapid incantation. I released them all at once and charged forward──
Just before entering the range she had prepared for counterattack, I leapt sideways and threw seven more darts, along with a single glass tube hidden among them.
My master, familiar with my throwing patterns and magic arrows, instinctively sliced the glass tube with her blade.
The next moment—it exploded. A thunderous boom, and a massive cloud of white smoke filled the air.
”Yes!”
I clenched my fist.
Inside that glass tube was packed gunpowder, red mustard powder I’d collected in the forest, and spores from the paralysis mushroom.
The blast would rob her of hearing. Inhaling the smoke would numb the body, cause uncontrollable coughing, sneezing, and if it got in the eyes—it would burn with pain, blinding her.
A truly nasty piece of crowd control—non-lethal, but unsettling even to me.
”Take this!”
I shouted, closing in for the strike.
Even if she instinctively held her breath, her vision would be impaired. And more importantly, the explosion had likely damaged her ultra-sensitive elven hearing.
If I could land just one hit here, I’d finally win.
As I swung my sword down, heart trembling with anticipation──
”Oh, that was close! You were just one step away from victory!”
came her voice, casual and unfazed.
Startled, I squinted through the smoke. My master, wearing a smug smile, was dodging my blade with ease.
”Huh?”
I murmured, disbelieving.
Looking closer, I saw her body was cloaked in a thin veil of air—a wind spirit barrier (Sylph).
”No way…”
Just as I muttered that, a crushing impact hit my stomach, and I was sent flying.
”Gah!”
I groaned, the breath knocked out of me.
The last thing I saw before losing consciousness was my master, spinning away gracefully, her kick perfect in form.
Seriously, that person… so damn childish…
* * *
”Today’s loss was due to overconfidence. You got caught up in your own scheme,”
my master said, floating lazily in the river, completely n*ked and playing with the water.
”Yes…” I muttered, glaring at the clear, footprint-shaped bruise stamped on my stomach.
The area around my solar plexus had turned a deep, painful purple. Ugh.
”That tool you used in the end,” she said, lazily waving her hand, “it was impressive. If it had been used casually in a more chaotic melee, it might’ve really gotten me. But the way you used it, your face said, ‘Look at me! I have a secret weapon!’ So of course I was on guard. You got cocky the moment you finished crafting it. You thought, ‘Now I can finally show up that old hag!’ Right?”
…I had no comeback. Every word she said was true.
”Still, you’ve come a long way. You even pushed me a little. That’s quite the leap forward… though your body still hasn’t grown at all.”
She giggled, flicking water with her fingertips, then grinned while looking over at my body.
”Please leave me alone. I have grown a little since five years ago,”
I said, trying to cover up my embarrassment as I splashed water toward my face.
But even then, I couldn’t stop sneaking glances at my master’s body.
──This post-training river bath had become a regular tradition over the last five years.
I wondered when exactly it became the highlight of my day?
”You’ve definitely grown a bit. Look,”
she said, standing up in the water and pointing to her navel.
There, just above it, was a faint red mark—the impact from my earlier kick.
”Yeah… you’ve really grown. Your skills, your body, and even your mind. Color me impressed,”
she said, flashing me a different kind of mischievous smile this time.
”Uh… ah! No, this is, um…”
I panicked, unable to look away.
Her body, wet with river water, looked like a sculpture carved by the gods.
Blonde hair dripping, skin gleaming, her slender form was both delicate and powerful.
Small but perky breasts topped with perfect pink nipples.
A smooth, hairless slit below her hips—everything visible, every detail cruelly burned into my memory.
”Hahaha. What’s wrong, Soyuz? The old hag’s not so bad, huh? Looks like this old lady’s still got it,”
my master laughed, clearly noticing my very obvious reaction.
”Oh come on!” I shouted, blushing down to my chest. “Yes, yes, you’re right, ma’am! You’re ridiculously beautiful! Damn it!”
Embarrassed, I sank into the river up to my shoulders, hoping the cold water would cool both my head and my crotch.
”You’re 30 now, and yet your heart still hasn’t caught up with your body,”
she said, stretching her arms like she was basking in the sun. “Looks like you’re finally hitting puberty.”
Despite the teasing tone, she seemed genuinely pleased.
I knew she was mocking me—but I still couldn’t help stealing glances at her body.
A tragic display of the male gaze.
”When I first took you in, you were mentally like a 10-year-old. Now you’re finally taking an interest in women. Not bad. Looks like both your brain and that thing down there are maturing.”
”Yes indeed. I am utterly captivated by my master’s divine body. Her mouth might be that of an old hag, but…”
I grumbled, unable to resist another jab.
The smile on my master’s face instantly froze.
”It seems you’ve let your tongue run loose again. While your excitement is understandable, getting aroused by your own master is inappropriate. Let’s cool that off a bit.”
The water around me froze in an instant.
”Aaaaah! Cold! So damn cold! I’m sorry, ma’am! I won’t call you an old hag anymore! You’re a gorgeous goddess! Please, no more freezing!”
The river water turned to ice, encasing my lower body in a waist-high block.
”You stay there and reflect on your language. The ice will melt in a little while. Hopefully, your little friend survives the cold in one piece.”
With a twisted grin, my master turned away, revealing her flawless derrière as she walked off.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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