The Swordmaster of the Frontier is Strong

My life changed after meeting Fenil.

A purpose was born: to teach swordsmanship to children in need.

Having myself gone through a vulnerable childhood with nowhere to rely on, my aim was to teach them self-defense techniques that could protect their own bodies.

I taught as few as two and as many as ten students per cohort.

Limiting the education period to six months had no particular significance.

The reason was that my knowledge of swordsmanship was limited to just three basic forms, so once six months passed, my inadequacies became obvious.

“Once I settled in my hometown, I even opened a training center to teach the children.”

Six years of wandering aimlessly.

Seven years since meeting Fenil and starting to cultivate disciples.

The faces of numerous disciples flash through my mind.

Looking back now, 13 years really isn’t much.

I’ve just lifted a foamy beer that a server has brought over.

“Killing your disciple… master?”

Fenil blinked, as if taken aback.

“Yes, I’ve heard some bad rumors.”

“What did the person for master to make such an extreme choice?”

“It seems the child who left my hands has become a ‘Mein.'”

“‘Mein’… they became a Mein?”

I nodded my head.

“I won’t know for sure until I see it myself, but if my disciple harms others, I have to stop them. Isn’t that the duty of a master?”

Fenil seemed lost in thought, furrowing his brow in front of the steaming sausage.

I was about to speak, but instead, I got up from my seat.

“Let’s continue this conversation later. I need to start moving from dawn tomorrow.”

Saying I have to kill my disciple, especially in front of a former disciple, felt rather awkward.

Fenil, perhaps sensing my discomfort, closed his lips he had been mumbling.

“Next time, we’ll meet as commander and squad member. I look forward to it.”

Just as I was about to leave the store after making the final greeting, something suddenly occurred to me.

I stopped in my tracks and returned to the table.

“I’m sorry, but…”

I pointed to the sausage side dish.

“Can I take this to go? I’m out of money, so I don’t have anything to eat for tomorrow’s breakfast. I’ll pay you back later.”

“What are you saying, Master? Paying back is not the issue. The favor you’ve done can’t be repaid anyway.”

Fenil gladly nodded his head.

He even took out some small change from his thick wallet, but I couldn’t accept that.

Taking money from a disciple I had just met after a long time; morally, it’s not something I can do.

‘By the way, how much money does he have to pay me 20,000 gold like this?’

From a modern perspective, it’s like being handed 2 million won as pocket money.

If he wasn’t exaggerating, it would be a lie.

I lifted the packaged food.

“Thank you. I’ll enjoy the sausage.”

A pleased smile naturally formed on my face as I looked at the appetizing sausage.

Money is indeed good.

I wanted to quickly start my role as a commander and live a salaried life.

* * *

Before I knew it, dawn had broken.

As I rolled up the tent, the dew that had gathered overnight fell with a plop.

I grabbed some grass nearby and washed it in the river.

I placed it between the split rye bread along with some sausage.

And lastly, I added the honey sauce that I had mastered through years of hunting.

Chomp-

I wiped the sauce from my lips.

Sucking my fingers clean, I inadvertently let out an exclamation.

“Sure is tasty.”

The sausages in this world are salty.

The smoky flavor is great, but they’re too salty, so you have to eat them with rye bread.

“I should’ve packed some cheese yesterday.”

Munching on the sandwich, I headed to the carriage rental.

Throughout the empire, well-paved roads and rails were laid.

But the place I’m headed to is a remote location in the mountains.

Cars and trains are impractical for this trip.

‘Plus, it’s tiring to operate machinery that requires a lot of mana.’

The source of energy, mana, has to be supplied through human magical power or magic stones.

Considering costs and physical endurance, renting a carriage is more advantageous.

Upon reaching the largest carriage rental in the empire,

“Master, you’ve arrived?”

Fenil, who was wearing a robe, greeted me.

Two others standing next to him nodded in unison.

They were the knights I had chosen as members of my group yesterday.

I signaled Fenil with a look, and he grinned in response.

“We all wanted to accompany you, so we gathered here. We thought you’d come to the largest rental place in the empire. Ha ha…”

***

I tapped the handle of my sword, deep in thought.

Fenil immediately grabbed my hand.

“If you’re going alone, it’ll be tiresome, won’t it? Expenses for food, or for a horse. I can handle a carriage extremely well. I promise you a smooth, nausea-free ride.”

I paused for a moment before speaking.

“I’m not particularly keen on having company.”

Fenil started to whine as if begging.

“We became Master’s subordinates just yesterday, didn’t we? It’s only natural to follow the Commander wherever he goes.”

“My official initiation is next week. You’ll be busy with internal training within the knight order; shouldn’t you all focus on that for now?”

“We’ve already received our orders. The higher-ups have emphasized that we should focus more on elite troop activities than on regular training.”

“Individual training is still an option.”

Fenil could no longer continue speaking.

I really didn’t want to take them with me.

As I’ve said before, hanging people like trophies for killing misguided disciples isn’t something to be proud of.

At that moment, a woman standing next to Fenil leapt into my field of vision.

“Commander Liorne, allow me to introduce myself for the first time. I am Helena, an 8th-grade knight.”

After introducing herself in a resounding voice, she placed her hand over mine, which Fenil had been holding.

“Please allow us to accompany you. We will prove that we fit into the 7th Knight Squadron!”

Helena nodded her head, her eyes full of vigor.

I looked at her shaking red pigtails and furrowed my brow.

“There’s no need for that. I’ve already seen your potential and made my choice.”

“Please! Allow us to accompany you. Ever since I saw your swordsmanship, my heart won’t stop pounding!”

Isn’t that a medical condition?

Rather than holding my hand, perhaps you should seek out a competent healer.

I sighed.

“Do you understand what it means to fight against a ‘Mein’?”

“Yes! A ‘Mein’ drinks the blood of demons and manipulates magical energy. They are dangerous elements that should be executed immediately upon discovery!”

“So what do you think ‘dangerous elements’ means?”

Helena tilted her head in confusion.

I gently pulled my hand away and continued speaking, “We’ve basically just met for the first time; how can we coordinate ourselves fighting against the ‘Mein’? It’s hard enough to find, let alone that the only way to deal with it is to kill it.”

By this point, she should have understood.

“Seems like it’ll be more difficult than going alone.”

Helena’s shoulders slumped.

Fenil alternately looked at Helena and me, scratching the back of his head.

I waved my hand dismissively.

Both of them cleared the path with dissatisfied expressions.

What can you do if you’re unhappy?

I’m the one who doesn’t want this.

But the last remaining member, a woman with short black hair, remained unfazed.

Even as I waved my hand, she simply looked at me with impassive eyes.

“I am Second-Class Knight Zenoa. May I offer a suggestion to the Commander, if you don’t mind?”

She spoke slowly, just as her languid appearance suggested.

“If you intend to confront Meins, it’s all the more reason to go with us.”

She offers her opinion even though I haven’t said anything. 

If that’s the case, I wonder why she asked for permission.

“It’s difficult to identify Meins with the naked eye. They are indistinguishable from regular people until they reveal their horns. If you’re not careful, you could falsely accuse someone.”

“However, just before they die, they will inevitably show their horns. If you can just pull those out, there’s no risk of being charged with murder.”

In other words, keep beating them until they reveal their horns.

“If you try to sort out the Meins and regular people get mixed in…”

“That won’t happen. We’ve been tracing the signs of Meins for months, so we’ll definitely do it right. There’s no need to worry.”

For a moment, Zenoa’s eyes wavered.

They returned to their dull state quickly, but I definitely saw it.

“By going with us, as a Knight Commander, you would have slain the Meins. It creates a justification. You can earn honor… even a medal… and furthermore, the prestige of the 7th Squadron Knights will spread throughout the entire empire…”

She seems to have prepared only one suggestion.

She fumbled with her words as she struggled to continue her sentence.

Eventually, the pitiful mumbling came to an end when Fenil placed his hand on Zenoa’s shoulder.

“Let it go, Zenoa. If Master has refused to this extent, it’s impossible.”

The three of them cleared the way.

Only then did the sign of the rental shop come clearly into view.

However, chewing over Zenoa’s words, I couldn’t easily take a step.

‘A medal… a medal, huh.’

After fumbling with my collar for a while, I looked at the three of them.

“If you insist, let’s go together.”

“Pardon?”

“You said you wanted to go together, right? Then let’s go.”

They said the medal alone would drop a bonus larger than my monthly salary.

It doesn’t seem like a bad idea to accompany them and gain some experience for my subordinates.

“Really? Really, Master?!”

When I nodded, the three of them jumped up from their seats.

* * *

“Also, Master. I’ll be the one driving the carriage!”

As I was about to climb into the driver’s seat, I pushed Fenil into the carriage.

“Master, please sit comfortably.”

“You keep saying ‘Master, Master.’ Are you doing that on purpose now?”

“I’m the only one who can find the way. So all three of you should rest.”

After forcibly seating the three of them inside, I could finally start moving.

I pulled on the reins.

Several hours passed since our departure, and the three of them remained silent.

Then, halfway through the day, probably itching to say something, Fenil poked his head through the window connected to the driver’s seat.

“…Huh? What’s that bird on your shoulder?”

At Fenil’s words, I stroked the head of the little bird sitting on my shoulder.

“This is my friend, Blue.”

“Oh, have you contracted with a spirit bird?”

“It’s not a spirit bird, just an ordinary bird.”

I tore off a corner of the wholegrain bread and handed it to the bird.

Blue pecked at the bread, nibbling it with its beak.

“I’ve always been good with animals… But where are we now?”

Fenil glanced at the dense bushes before speaking.

“We’re in the forests of Brillant Territory.”

“There’s a forest like this in Brilliant? The road is uneven, and there’s no sign of people.”

“We are quite far from the central area. If you want to get technical, we’re halfway into the Territory of Gedor.”

We soon arrived at the village.

Each of us stretched their weary bodies as they stepped off the carriage.

However, tension was apparent in the members’ faces as they were dealing with a Mein.

“Based on what I’ve found, the Mein’s den should be somewhere around here,” I said.

Fenil looked around the vicinity.

“Meins in such a remote village?”

“They seem to be based here and causing trouble. Like ambushing passing carriages or eating human flesh.”

“Damn it, Meins always do the same terrible things. Disgusting creatures,” Fenil clicked his tongue.

Zenoa walked up to me in a brisk pace.

“But Commander, how did you find out about the Meins’ whereabouts? Even if you’ve spent a long time researching, it must have been difficult to investigate up to such remote areas.”

Zenoa asked, to which I stroked Blue’s head.

Blue flapped its wings and vanished into the sky.

“Um…”

Zenoa’s eyes seemed to demand an answer.

I was about to gloss it over when I realized it wouldn’t work.

I might have recruited a bothersome person into the group.

“Actually, I couldn’t find it on my own. My scouting ability is terrible, so I needed help.”

I pointed at Blue’s disappearing tail feathers to make Zenoa understand.

But our conversation was cut off.

“Please save us… Meins have attacked our village!”

“Run! Everyone, this way!”

Bloodied villagers ran toward us.

“Damn it! Looks like we’ve been spotted!” Helena hastily shouted.

Fenil and Zenoa readied their swords.

A panting old man grabbed Fenil’s shoulder and collapsed.

“Please save us! A group of horned Meins suddenly sprang from the inner cave!”

“Speak slowly, elder.”

“I was just an ordinary young man chopping wood, but then I suddenly changed…”

Fenil wiped the blood off the old man’s forehead and rummaged his bag for a potion. Helena and Zenoa counted the villagers and rifled through their bags.

I approached Fenil.

“Master, let’s first ensure the villagers’ safety and then…”

And I swung my daggers around the old man’s neck.

Thud!!

The old man rolled on the ground, his neck twisted in an unnatural way.

Even with a broken neck, he was squirming, a grotesque sight.

“Master! What are you—?”

Ignoring Fenil’s protest, I swung my daggers at the villagers.

One by one, villagers fell.

Pointing at the villagers who were revealing their horns, I said,

“Pay attention. There are no ordinary people here.”