IPMPBB 35

Chapter 35

After choosing a wooden sword that matched my height and weight, Michael beckoned me closer.

“At least you picked the right sword.”

“Just because I can’t use my right hand doesn’t mean I can’t use my brain.”

“…I didn’t expect you to joke about that.”

Michael looked at me with a genuinely surprised expression.

Ah, maybe I was too nonchalant.

But it was already said and done, so I smiled as if nothing had happened.

“I’m not just trying to turn over a new leaf. I’m also trying to live more brightly and positively.”

At my words, Michael furrowed his brows.

“I can’t tell if you’re joking or not this time.”

So like Michael, always serious.

“Alright, let’s properly look at your stance now.”

He raised his wooden sword, and I assumed my stance, gripping the hilt with both hands.

As promised, Michael’s training wasn’t about blindly draining physical strength—it was extremely efficient.

But that didn’t mean it was easy. After the first training session, I was utterly exhausted.

“Your instinct isn’t dull, but your posture is stiff. You’ll need double the practice.”

As Michael lowered his sword, I collapsed to the ground, panting heavily.

They said Elia’s talent was genius-level, and it really wasn’t hard to follow Michael’s movements with my eyes.

But the real issue came after that.

My stiff posture, like Michael said, was one problem…

‘…But my stamina is way too low!’

Compared to the days when I soared through battlefields, the time I could move now was laughably short.

‘At this rate, will I even be able to carry out my plan?’

Especially since I’d need stamina to rope Gilbert and Melk into the Latham Valley subjugation.

“All you can do now is keep trying.”

Michael must have read the worry on my face, as he spoke right on cue.

“Even though you always hated the word ‘effort.’”

He added with a bitter smile.

Elia’s words came back to me then.

“Effort? That’s for people without talent.”

One of the many absurd things Elia used to say.

Born with exceptional skills, Elia had always looked down on those who put in effort.

‘No wonder she never recovered from her injury, thinking like that.’

But I was different.

If anything, I was the kind of person Elia used to mock—the one without talent who just worked relentlessly.

Sometimes I found effort exhausting too.

But in the end, that was the only path given to me, and I never looked down on it.

“I don’t think effort is useless anymore.”

That must be why—why I told Michael how I felt, even though I didn’t need to.

“Right now, I know the only path I have left is to try.”

Using my wooden sword as a support, I slowly stood up.

“So I’m going to try.”

I smiled at Michael and went to hang the wooden sword back in the barracks.

“What are you doing? Let’s go eat.”

As I headed to the mansion, Michael stayed standing blankly in the training yard, so I called out.

“Ah, right.”

He finally replied and followed me back inside.

From that day on, Michael trained me with even more sincerity and care.

Thanks to him, I was dying from how much my body hurt—but I quickly regained my former skills.

Though I did end up dozing off at the Order headquarters from all the intense training.

“Good thing I have the office to myself.”

And no boss to yell at me for falling asleep.

Five days passed like that, and the subjugation mission was now just two days away.

Michael said I should start conserving energy and paused the training, so I could finally work at headquarters with a clear mind.

“It’s been a while since I saw you sane, Captain.”

Carlos said this in a tone that was hard to read—was he teasing or not?

“Ah, sorry. I have been a little off lately.”

His tone was annoying, but I had to admit I hadn’t been the most reliable lately, so I accepted it calmly.

“…?”

Carlos raised an eyebrow, clearly not expecting me to agree so easily.

“I’ve been doing some training these past five days to get back in shape, so I’ve been tired.”

I added a personal explanation for Carlos.

At that, he froze while sorting through his documents.

“Training? You, Captain?”

He looked genuinely shocked.

“You’ve never been the type to like training or effort…”

“Yeah, yeah, I know. No need to remind me.”

I waved him off.

“I realized I can’t keep going like this. I need to pull my weight in the heretic subjugation, and I need to protect myself in emergencies.”

“…Hard to argue with that.”

“Even a broken clock is right twice a day. I do make sense sometimes.”

I grinned at him and handed him the documents myself.

As I gave him the files, a sudden question popped into my head.

“Hey, Sir Ivach.”

“Yes?”

Carlos turned around, hand on the doorknob.

I studied him quietly, recalling the original story.

Elia was said to be a once-in-a-century genius, but even she was helpless against Carlos.

She appeared in the story after her injury, but the narrative insisted she wouldn’t have been able to beat Carlos even at her peak.

The author made it abundantly clear—Carlos was someone ‘above the heavens.’

Which made me wonder:

‘So… just how strong is Carlos?’

That was what I wanted to know.

“Please, go ahead.”

As I stayed silent, Carlos raised a brow again.

“Well, um…”

But now that I had him here, I didn’t know how to phrase the question.

I couldn’t just ask, ‘How strong are you?’ That would be weird.

‘Maybe I should just drop it…’

But it was too late for that.

“Please speak.”

Carlos had turned fully to me now, looking serious.

“It’s nothing big, I just…”

Unable to resist his intense gaze, I gave in.

“I just wanted to see your skills someday.”

I tried to phrase it diplomatically instead of blurting out ‘How strong are you?’

‘That didn’t sound too weird… right?’

But Carlos’s expression changed.

He suddenly grew serious, set the documents on a side table, and walked over to me.

He placed both hands on my desk and looked down at me.

What the—? Did I mess up again?

I instinctively leaned back in surprise.

Carlos’s eyes narrowed.

“Captain… do you really not know, or are you pretending not to?”

“Know what?”

“Among knights, saying you want to see someone’s skills is a polite way of challenging them to a duel.”

“…Huh?”

Wait, what?!

I quickly tried to cover my surprise.

“I didn’t mean it like that at all…”

A duel?

If this were the original story, I’d be knocked flat if I tried to fight him. I definitely wasn’t trying to challenge him.

“Well, if it were really a duel, you’d have just thrown off your gloves and challenged me directly.”

Carlos gave a wry smile, probably remembering the time I had done exactly that with Cesare.

“But anyone else would’ve taken it the wrong way.”

“…….”

I felt a pang of embarrassment at the mistake.

And I could feel Carlos’s gaze on me—trying to figure out why I’d asked, and whether I had an ulterior motive.

I smiled faintly, doing my best to look innocent.

“…Sigh.”

Carlos let out a strangely defeated sigh.