Chapter 6 TRG Vol. 1 Chapter 2 Part 2

Chapter 2 (The Inside Story)

“Are you satisfied with a life of just dropping dead in the slums? No, you’re not. That’s why you came at me. That’s the kind of person I was looking for. Follow me. I’ll teach you how to survive, how to live. I’ll teach you your destiny.”

When I fall asleep, there’s a dream I sometimes have. It’s the dream of the day my entire life changed. A memory of the days that, in my mind, still shine like gold—even though I was covered in my own blood, sweat, and filth, when I should have just been left to rot in the mud. It always starts with his words.

My parents? An adventurer father and a prostitute mother. It’s a common enough story. My father died before I was born, part of some big subjugation force against a monster that had come too close to the forest’s edge.

My mother… back when she was still sane… used to tell me the story to put me to sleep. Maybe the only reason I remember it is because that’s the only memory of parental affection I have.

By the time I really remember anything, I was already digging through trash in the alleys. So maybe even that memory is just a fantasy.

Rumors of the strange traveler who had come to town had trickled down even to us orphans. A heretic swordsman who lived in the woods and sometimes hunted monsters. The fact that he’d show up in the alleys every so often was a blessing for kids like us.

“…It’s not much, but it’s all I can do.”

I don’t know what he was looking for, but he’d appear, scan the alleys, and give us handouts. Some of the braver, stupider kids would try to shake him down, but going after a swordsman rumored to kill monsters was beyond reckless.

“I don’t want to cut a person. But if you’re going to force me, I’ll draw.”

And just as you’d expect, one flash of his sword and the lowlifes would scatter.

I saw it happen. But I never begged him for money, and I never ran and hid. Every time he came, I just… watched. I don’t know what he was searching for, but he’d look at us with this bored expression and randomly toss out a few coins. It filled me with an irritation I couldn’t name.

Maybe that’s why I did it. Maybe that’s why I got the reckless idea to try and steal his wallet.

Or maybe, I just wanted it all to be over. Better to die by his sword than to keep rotting in this place.

“Gah! L-Let go!”

He caught me instantly, of course. I glared up at the man, who just stared back at me, his face blank. I knew I wouldn’t get away with this. I figured he’d cut me down right there, or at best, drag me to the city guard.

“…Even after I showed my sword, you’re the only one who came at me.”

But he did neither. He just… slung me over his shoulder and carried me to the inn where he was staying.

“Old man. Food for two. I’m paying.”

“…Right.”

After that one gruff exchange, I was dumped on the floor of his room. I had no idea what his angle was. I just kept glaring at him. A few minutes later, the innkeeper brought a tray.

“Food.”

The man set the tray in front of me, took only the bread and wine for himself, and pushed the rest toward me.

“Eat.”

That’s all he said, before quietly chewing on his bread. If this is my last meal, so be it. I snatched the tray and shoved the bread and soup into my stomach. How many years had it been since I’d eaten a hot meal? I decided to just enjoy it.

“…What do you want? Even if you kidnap me, I don’t have a family and I don’t have any money.”

After I finished, the warmth of the food settled in. I asked him, my voice rough. The swordsman’s mouth quirked into a small, quiet laugh.

“I can see that. And I’m not going to eat you. First, what’s your name?”

“…Thorn.”

Telling him my name didn’t make him any less creepy. If anything, it made it worse. I would have preferred he just killed me. I couldn’t understand why a monster-killing swordsman would feed a kid who tried to rob him. My mouth was dry. I chugged the watered-down wine and flopped onto my back.

“If you’re gonna kill me, just do it!”

I squeezed my eyes shut, bracing for the pain, but it never came. Instead, after a long silence, I heard that same, quiet laugh.

“Who feeds someone they’re about to kill?”

“Huh?”

I sat up. He had crouched down and was looking me right in the face.

“Hey, you. Want to be my disciple? If you’re okay with food like this, I’ll give you as much as you want.”

It took my brain a long time to process what he’d just said.

“…H-Huh?”

No, I still didn’t get it. That was the only stupid sound I could make.

“I said, ‘my disciple.’ I’ll teach you how to swing a stick. That’s why I picked you up.”

I couldn’t follow. I tried to rob him, and instead of beating me, he wants to make me his disciple? What was he talking about?

“W-What’s your angle?! Are you gonna make me do something shady?!”

The first thing that flashed in my mind was the most common use for a kid like me: a meat shield.

This town was fortunate, we orphans could mostly survive. But I’d heard stories from other regions, places with more monsters. The guilds there would round up orphans, give them a cheap wooden shield, and use them as bait… ‘meat shields’ to buy time for the mages to cast their spells. A way to keep the ‘real’ citizens from dying. It was a rational use of resources, I’d always thought, with a cold distance.

“Shady… depends on your point of view, but… it might be similar.”

His thoughtful, indirect confirmation turned my suspicion into certainty. Disciple? He just wants to use me as monster bait!

“You just think an orphan is a good disposable pawn, don’t you?! You bastard!”

My head exploded. I lunged at him, but he dodged it without effort and pinned me to the floor. I knew it was useless. A snot-nosed orphan against a monster-killer.

“Dammit… I get abandoned, just to be picked up by trash like this…”

All I had left were my curses. Why did he have to feed me first? Why fill my stomach, just to drag me into despair…?

“I’m not using you as a pawn. And ‘shady’ doesn’t mean criminal. If you become my disciple, I’ll feed you, and I’ll give you a warm place to sleep.”

“So you’re not going to use me as a criminal or a pawn? Then why?! I still don’t get why you’d go this far for a stray orphan like me!”

I couldn’t figure him out. He just got creepier and creepier, and a cold sweat broke out on my back.

But then, the man just… smiled. And it blew all my fears away.

“Are you satisfied with a life of just dropping dead in the slums? No, you’re not. That’s why you came at me. That’s the kind of person I was looking for. Follow me. I’ll teach you how to survive, how to live. I’ll teach you your destiny.”

Why? Why was he looking at me with such total conviction? Why was he looking at me, a worthless orphan, with such… intensity? It was still suspicious. But I knew I couldn’t win, no matter what. And that smile… the gentle warmth in it… for me, it was a sweet poison.

“…Fine. I don’t get any of this, but I’ll be your disciple. But you promised me food! And… even if I’m your disciple, it doesn’t mean I trust you!”

I kept spitting curses, even at the end. But the man just smiled and roughly ruffled my hair.

That day, I became the Master’s disciple.

The ‘training,’ as my new Master called it, was, to put it simply, insane.

He’d take me off the main road, deep into the woods, set traps, and catch animals. Then he’d make me do some kind of crazy-making exercises that felt like he was trying to kill me, and then he’d just say, “Watch,” and start swinging his sword.

“You’re going to swing this sword, in this form, for the same number of reps as me. But first, we need to build your stamina.”

He’d leave me collapsed on the ground, and come back with roasted meat. That, at least, was something I’d never have tasted in my life. That part was good.

After about six months of this, he finally gave me a sword.

“Swing it ’til you collapse.”

And with that, he started swinging next to me. I tried to copy his movements. My shoulders immediately started to ache. My arms got heavy. I couldn’t lift the sword.

“Don’t stop. Keep swinging.”

“I’m not trying to stop!” I wanted to scream, but he just poked me. I’d slowly lift the sword, and then just let its own weight bring it down. He’d poke me again. Over, and over.

“I… I’m gonna die…!”

Finally, my legs gave out and I collapsed. The Master just glanced at me, finished his own reps, and then turned to me with a grin.

“Giving up already? That won’t do.”

His tone was mocking. I knew he was making fun of me. I tried to push myself up with trembling arms.

“S-Screw you… you psycho…!”

“If you’ve got the energy to talk, you’re fine.”

I glared at him with all the hate I had, but he just laughed, like he was enjoying himself.

“Thorn. A monster’s hide is hard. But that’s only because you’re trying to cut it in one go. If you can’t cut it, hit it until you can. In the same spot. Correctly. For that, you must swing.”

The things he’d say during training… they never made any sense.

“You’re finally keeping up with my reps. Time for sparring.”

My body had filled out. I could finally last as long as he did. And so, after swings, we’d spar.

“A monster isn’t going to wait for you to get up.”

His voice would come from above as I lay on the ground, completely battered. The bastard who put me there hadn’t even broken a sweat. It made me furious.

“I… I’ll kill you someday…!”

“That’s the spirit.”

He’d just grin again.

Around this time, the Master started leaving me at the inn and going out alone at night. He also started taking me to the Adventurer’s Guild after training.

“…Hey. Who’s the kid?”

“My disciple. Found him in an alley.”

“A disciple…?”

A bearded, scarred man at the counter leaned in, staring at me. He had a different kind of intensity from my master. I was shrinking back when my master stepped between us.

“More importantly, any new reports of monsters?”

“If you haven’t seen any, you think my adventurers have?”

“I see… then it’s fine.”

That’s all he’d say. Then he’d take me back, dump me at the inn, and head out alone into the night.

One day, I got curious. I waited a bit after he dropped me off, then I secretly followed him. He left town and went deep into the forest. Deeper than he ever took me. I followed, trying to stay close but not be seen. He stopped in a small clearing.

“…None, huh.”

He sighed, drew his sword… and began to swing, just like he did with me. Except it was nothing like it.

“So fast… and so… quiet…”

Was he holding back during the day? Or was it the moonlight? I could barely even follow his blade. More than that, it was completely silent.

He’d lift, and he’d swing. Just that. And it would leave a white trail in the air. I couldn’t look away. I was mesmerized. I was just… in awe. Of that trail.

The next day, my master took me to that same clearing.

“How far are we going?”

“Relax. I haven’t seen many monsters out here lately.”

“Haven’t seen many…? But isn’t even one a huge deal?!”

Had he been scouting at night just to make sure it was safe? I wondered. Was he going to teach me something new, something he couldn’t show in public?

But no. He just told me to practice my swings, as usual. The only difference was that he wandered off, as if he was looking for something. I was confused, but I kept swinging. Then I heard a rustle in the bushes behind me.

“A-A-A-A-A-A-A-H-H-H-H-H-H-H!”

I turned, and fell on my ass, screaming. A horse monster. It had the twisted, reddish-black horn, and the red, web-like markings that all monsters had. A Hoof-Beast. It was lowering its head to charge me. As I was pathetically scrambling backward, a shadow stepped between me and it.

“M-Master!”

“Can you stand? If you can, get clear.”

“Y-Yeah…”

Even with a monster right in front of him, his voice didn’t change. Like it was no different from any other animal.

The moment I scrambled to my feet, the monster charged. It was a fatal blow, one that would have torn my body apart. But my master… he dodged it by a paper-thin margin. The next second, I heard a high-pitched CLANG, like metal on metal.

“Such a hard hide, as usual.”

From his posture, I knew he’d struck it as they passed. But the monster didn’t have a scratch on it.

“M-Master, I can get away now! Let’s run!”

I knew my master was no ordinary swordsman. But fighting a monster alone… it was insane. He didn’t even look at me.

“Watch closely.”

That’s all he said. He closed in, weaving around its attacks, and struck its neck, over and over, in the exact same spot. And that’s when I saw it. His blade… it was cutting it.

“H-He… he wounded a monster… with a sword…!”

This wasn’t some Holy Sword from a legend. It was a normal, town-forged blade. And it was tearing through the monster’s hide, drawing blood. And finally, it took the monster’s head.

“You… you really… killed it…?”

I stared at the body, dumbfounded. It felt like a dream.

“This is the sword you’re aiming for,” he said. “‘A blade can’t cut a monster’? That’s wrong. As long as you know how to cut, it will. If once isn’t enough, do it twice. A hundred times, a thousand times. That’s all it takes to kill a monster.”

That day… I think that was the day I truly became his disciple.

After that, I threw myself into training. I became obsessed with understanding even a fraction of his swordsmanship. And as I trained, as I sparred, as I even began to fight alongside him… I could feel his techniques sinking into my own body. But there was one thing I still couldn’t do.

“You should be able to hunt monsters on your own by now.”

He started saying that more often.

“N-No…! I… I can’t do it alone!”

I’d just turn pale and refuse. I was only able to stay calm because he was there. Monsters always saw him as the bigger threat and focused on him. I’d never had to face that terrifying, human-killing power head-on. He was the weird one, for being able to face it without blinking.

“You’re too scared of them. I’m heading back. Make your own way home when you’ve caught your breath.”

He must have gotten fed up. When he left me alone in the woods at night, the old killing intent I used to have for him resurfaced. But mostly, I just felt… alone. His footsteps made no sound. I couldn’t track him. I had to get back on my own.

I was following the marks I’d made on the trees, relying on the weak moonlight, when I heard it. A heavy footstep. One I’d heard many times with my master.

“A-A monster…?!”

I drew my sword and surveyed my surroundings, but the moonlight alone wasn’t enough to see whatever monster lurked in the bushes. My faint hope that my master might be somewhere nearby proved futile as the source of the footsteps emerged into the moonlight. A Rat-Beast with the dark red horns characteristic of all monsters, its body roughly the same size as mine. It must have really hated humans—its bloodshot eyes, filled with hatred, locked onto me as it bared its fangs. There was no room for wishful thinking that it might let me go.

“I… I have to do this!”

No matter how much I was trembling, my master wasn’t here. That meant I had no choice but to steel myself. The moment I resolved myself, the Rat-Beast thrust its dark red horn at my stomach, trying to skewer me. I dodged it by a hair’s breadth, then swung my sword at its neck covered in thick fur, just as my master had taught me. The sword was deflected with the same shrill metallic ring as always, but—don’t think you can cut through in one strike! Remember what master said! Just keep slashing a hundred times, a thousand times if you have to. That’s why you trained so hard to keep swinging your sword!

Dodge the horn, swing the sword.

Deflect the claws, swing the sword.

Parry the snapping jaws, swing the sword.

I repeated it so many times I couldn’t be bothered to count anymore. Little by little, the monster’s thick coat grew ragged, and wounds began to appear on its hide beneath. But my body was reaching its limit even faster. The spots where I couldn’t dodge completely were sliced open, blood seeping out, and my shoulder ached from tumbling pathetically across the ground. My sword arm trembled, my legs had no strength left. When I was with my master, the monster’s attacks had been directed only at him. All I had to do was occasionally swing my sword without getting in his way. Only now did I truly grasp how incredibly difficult it was to face a monster alone, and how far beyond human my master was to handle this with such ease.

The Rat-Beast seemed to realize I was on my last legs. It scraped the ground with its hind legs, gathering strength to finally finish me off, then closed in on me faster than ever before.

I had maybe one more swing left in me. There was no way—absolutely no way—I could kill the Rat-Beast like this. Even so,

“Like hell… I’m gonna die here!”

In that moment, the charging Rat-Beast seemed to move incredibly slowly in my vision. Whether it was a hallucination before death or something else entirely, I couldn’t think about it—I just dodged the Rat-Beast’s horn and swung my sword the same way I always had. No matter how exhausted I was, no matter how numb my arms had become, the movements ingrained in my body naturally guided my sword along its usual path. A different sensation than before, followed by a slightly dull sound of skin and flesh being split. Compared to all the effort I’d put in, it might have been only the tiniest cut, but it meant I had landed a real blow on a monster for the first time with my own strength alone.

But that was as far as I could go. My legs wouldn’t move another step. Enraged that a mere human had wounded it, the Rat-Beast’s eyes burned even redder with hatred as it closed in to take my life.

“Well done.”

The next thing I saw wasn’t its horn in my chest. It was a flash of light. A single sword-stroke that reflected the moon. It cut the Rat-Beast’s head clean off.

“M… Master…?”

“It was harsh treatment, but it worked. I thought you might finish it yourself.”

The monster thudded to the ground. My master looked away from it and offered me his hand.

“…Screw—”

“Hm?”

“SCREW YOU! I nearly DIED back there!“

I was so tired I could barely speak, but suddenly I had all the energy in the world to curse at him.

“But now you know. You can kill a monster by yourself.”

“I… can kill a monster?”

His words stopped my rant cold.

“Not even I am arrogant enough to think I can kill a monster in one blow,” he said. “You paved the way. You were one hit away. If your body could have managed one more strike, you would have killed it. Believe in your own strength.”

It was baseless. He was the one who killed it, not me. But his words… they had a strange power.

“I… can kill a monster?”

I looked down at my battered hands. The palms were calloused like rock, stained black from the blood on the hilt.

“Those hands are the proof of your strength. Everything you’ve built is in your palms. Trust them… Now, let’s go home and eat.”

His sword. The sword I was aiming for. Had I finally… just barely… touched it?

After that day, I was never afraid of monsters again. I’d already been scared enough for one lifetime. My body grew, the training got harder, but I didn’t care. Every bit of it brought me closer to that sword I saw. I even started to smile when I faced monsters. It hurt, it was terrifying, but if I smiled, my body would move.

“It’s about time I learned to take one of these down by myself!”

I don’t know how long we trained, but I couldn’t rely on him forever. I took on a Hoof-Beast, alone. My master was behind me, but still… it was a growth I never could have imagined. I remembered how he’d killed it.

“I… will be like my master!”

I shouted, and my sword cut its head off. I did it. Without anyone’s help.

“D-Did you see that… Master…!”

I was panting, my body finally catching up. He was just… nodding, a satisfied look on his face.

“Well done. …It might be about time.”

That last part… it snagged in my mind. But at that moment, I was just so happy, so full of joy that I’d finally gotten closer to him.

“Thank you, as always!”

That day, the receptionist at the guild smiled as she took our materials.

“By the way… have you two considered registering as adventurers? The Guild Master is really pushing me to recruit you…”

“Not interested right now.”

The Master’s usual, curt refusal. But today, I had to ask. That line he’d said… “it might be about time”… it was bothering me.

“Master, why don’t we become adventurers?”

He froze, just for a second. “…I’m heading north. There’s no point registering here. I didn’t know that when I first arrived.”

“Oh, I see,” the receptionist said. “Yes, if you’re leaving, our adventurer’s pass wouldn’t be very useful.”

“There are more like him out there,” my master said, rubbing my head. “I want to raise them.”

My heart sank. Heading north. Find more disciples. He wasn’t planning on staying. Was he… going to leave me?

“Master… when you leave this town… you’ll take me with you, right?”

The anxiety just spilled out of me back at the inn. He looked surprised, then his mouth softened. He ruffled my hair, harder this time.

“That might be interesting. Get strong enough that I want to take you… Besides, you’ve got a cute side, don’t you?”

I was so embarrassed I couldn’t speak. I had to get stronger. Strong enough for him to acknowledge me. Because I knew, deep down, the time I had left with him was short.

My bad feeling was right. A short time later, he was gone. I woke up one morning, and all that was left was a bronze adventurer’s tag on my pillow, and a single letter.

“I’ve taught you everything I can. The rest is up to you. I’m looking forward to hearing your name become famous.”

I clutched the note, and I cried.

At first, I’d had nothing but suspicion. But he’d been so kind. That suspicion turned into admiration for his blade. The more I trained, the more I realized the impossible gap between us. He wasn’t just a master. He was my master, my father, and my brother. The image of my master swinging his sword under the moon… that white trail… it’s still burned into my eyes.

My consciousness slowly focused, pulling away from those golden memories. I opened my eyes. Sunlight was streaming into the room. It was morning.

Since that day, I’d become ‘Thorn, the adventurer,’ a fixture in this town. My name, the man who hunts monsters alone, had even reached the neighboring towns. I was getting requests by name. Compared to the orphan in the alley, I was a success.

“…But… it doesn’t mean anything if you’re not here, Master.”

I sat up in bed, sighing. My fame was only local. But the rumors… rumors of him… they always found their way to me. A master swordsman who faced monsters alone and slew them, just like me. Someone who never became an adventurer, but would appear out of nowhere, silently hunt monsters, then vanish somewhere else again. Whenever I heard the rumors brought by traveling merchants, I was reminded all too clearly just how far I still had to go to match my master.

As I was waiting for the fog in my head to clear, there was a knock at the door.

“Thorn, are you awake?”

The words came just as the door opened, and in walked a woman with eye-catching, jade-green hair cut to her shoulders. She was a wandering mage who had approached me back when I was still working solo in this town.

“I’m awake. And stop coming in without waiting for an answer, Rimi…”

When I complained, Rimi just put her hands on her hips with an exasperated look and shot me a glare.

“When you’re at the inn, you’re always spacing out and thinking ‘Oh, Master, Master…’ If I waited for you to answer, I’d be waiting ’til sunset!”

“…Yeah, sorry about that.”

She’d hit me right where it hurt, and I had no defense. She was right; I’d been doing exactly that just now.

“We don’t have any specific requests today, and you promised you’d come shopping with me, right?”

“Right. I’ll get ready.”

After she left, I washed my face in the basin and got ready to go. Having Rimi, a rare magic-user in this region, as my partner was a godsend. Thanks to her, the monsters that occasionally popped up around here were no longer a struggle. I felt like I’d gotten another step closer to where my master was.

“So, what are we here for? Anything specific?”

I left the room and met Rimi, and we headed out of the inn. The merchants from the capital were in town today, so the streets were already bustling with people, all looking at the rare goods you couldn’t normally find here.

“Oh, nothing specific. Let’s just look around!”

“What, really?”

I thought for sure she’d be buying components for her magic research, but I guess not. Rimi’s eyes, green as her hair, were sparkling as she browsed. I stood next to her, idly glancing at the wares while I struck up a conversation with the merchant.

“A rumor about a swordsman who hunts monsters solo? Oh yeah, I heard about him on my way here. They say he’s not even a registered adventurer, just shows up at a guild, drops off a monster corpse, and leaves. The story I heard was about a remote village that got wiped out by monsters and beasts. This guy supposedly went in all by himself and killed every last one of them. Brought the survivors back to town and took care of everything. He’s an old-fashioned, good-natured guy, the kind you don’t see anymore.”

Hearing the merchant’s story, I couldn’t help but smile. That’s him. That’s my master. No matter where he goes, he’s the kind of person who kills monsters and helps people. Rimi, not finding anything she liked, started to walk away. I followed, my mind drifting back to the dream I’d had.

This smoldering feeling inside me… this need to find my master… it was just getting stronger every day.

“…orn… THORN!”

“Gah! S-Sorry. I was spacing out again.”

I blinked, and a pair of green eyes was right in front of my face. Rimi was peering up at me, her eyes shining like emeralds in the sun. Between the dream and the merchant’s story, my head seemed to be filled with thoughts of my master more than usual today.

“Thinking about your sword master?”

Of course, Rimi—the person who’s known me longest, aside from him—saw right through me.

“…Yeah.”

“You want to go see him, don’t you?”

“Yeah… I do. But… I have this other feeling, too.”

I want to see him. But… am I strong enough? Am I strong enough for him to acknowledge me? He’s so far ahead of me… What if I go see him now, and I just… disappoint him? The thought just… it roots me to the spot.

“So what? Let’s go!” Rimi said, as if it were the simplest thing in the world.

“Thorn, you’re the strongest and most reliable swordsman I’ve ever met. I’ll vouch for you. Besides, it’s been ages since we’ve seen a real monster around here. The miasma patches are all but gone. It’s safe to go after him now.”

She pointed a finger right at my chest. “Oh, but I’m definitely coming with you. You are NOT leaving me behind!”

She… she believes I’m worthy. That I’m worthy to stand by his side. She’s pushing me, because I can’t find the courage myself.

“Are you sure, Rimi? You’d just be indulging my selfish request.”

“Of course it’s fine! I told you when we first met, didn’t I? I want to master magic. I want to rediscover the lost magic the elves taught to humans. I have to travel all over to do that. If anything, this is my selfish request!”

Her words were the push I needed. The hesitation in my heart vanished.

“…Right. Then come with me, Rimi!”

“Perfect! In that case, today’s shopping is officially for our new journey!”

We both laughed and started walking, side-by-side.

Just wait, Master. I’m going to show you… I’m going to show you just how strong that little brat you picked up has become!