Chapter 40 : Master and Disciple (2)

Chapter 40: Master and Disciple (2)

Defeat does not matter.

What matters is what one learns from that defeat. Life is a string of losses, and only by rising after each one could a person open the true path.

That was the heart of swordsmanship as the old man saw it.

“Well, it wasn’t bad. For a first attempt at least.”

“I could do better, no, I should do better.”

“Heh. I’m glad you know that. Why do you think you lost?”

Because of that, the old man gave high marks to the passion this young mercenary showed.

Shatien smiled wryly and answered in a calm voice.

“Judgment must stay coolheaded. And the value of each troop type changes without end.”

The old man had boldly thrown ten knights forward as bait, then separated the knights who were about to be encircled and pulled them back in a successful retreat.

He even used dismount tactics to stand firm against the knights’ lance charge.

In a way, he had watched Shatien’s classical tactics and lured him straight into a trap. Shatien’s movements were a little closer to reactions.

“Good. Then what mistake do you think you made?”

“Hmm…”

At the old man’s question, Shatien thought for a moment. A mistake. What had he done wrong? How could he have won that battle?

“I arranged a formation that openly focused on attack. Most modern commanders would do the same. Knights are swollen with pride, and the value of ordinary infantry is treated as worthless. That is how commanders today think.”

The doctrine of the omnipotent knight.

That was the current reality of command. Common infantry only helped on the side. Every battle began with knights and ended with knights. War was the game of noblemen and knights and their squires, while infantry existed only to round out the numbers.

The scale of the battlefield had shrunk far below the days of the ancient empire, which made cavalry far more valuable.

Of course, social class played a large part as well.

“I should have looked at it more as a whole, Master.”

“Exactly. War doesn’t end with the presence or absence of knights, contrary to what people think today.”

He had given up the archers far too easily. That had been the losing move.

“At the first engagement I should’ve fired one volley and then pulled them back right away. Then I push the heavy infantry forward to protect the archers.”

“Now you’re seeing more clearly. If you had done that, you wouldn’t have chewed up much of my knight power, but you would have kept far more of your archers.”

“After that, if I deploy knights on both flanks and strike your knights, that’s even better, right?”

At Shatien’s question, the old man nodded.

“Right. And if one flank of your knights charges my archers, that’s even better. Then my archers can’t advance easily, and my knights have their retreat cut off and take heavy losses.”

Only then did it feel as if a light came on in his head.

He broke free of the rigid idea that battles start and end with knights, that infantry is the anvil and the knights are the hammer. He would pressure and crush the enemy with more organic cooperation among troop types. Knights were surely the strongest hammer, but at times another unit needed to play that role.

“Nothing on a battlefield has a fixed role. Even light infantry that looks useless can serve as a hard-hitting shock force. When other units are tied down, the fastest foot soldiers can swing wide and strike the flank or the rear, or ambush the archers. In that moment they become as powerful as knights.”

“Ah…!”

The old man’s point was this. The essence of tactics had to be grasped.

If one understood that essence, it didn’t matter which unit performed the task. All that mattered was moving the right piece at the right time.

In that passing moment of insight, Shatien asked his master a question.

“This applies to swordsmanship too, doesn’t it?”

“It does. You little toad. You finally understand what I’m saying. And why I keep teaching you this. Hehe.”

The old man felt satisfied.

The young man was lacking, yet he never lost the thread of a lesson. He absorbed one thing after another and kept walking forward. He wasn’t a genius who learned one and understood ten, but he wasn’t lacking either.

The old man actually believed this young mercenary’s ability would prove the greater talent in the end.

“Nothing dies out as fast as a candle that flares up too quickly.”

Better to burn slowly yet surely and give off a bright light.

“There isn’t much left for me to teach you now.”

At the same time, the old man let out a sigh.

He felt regret.

“Aw, I still lack a lot. Please teach me mo… ack!”

-Thwack.

“Don’t play dumb. You’ve already learned all you can from me.”

The old man cut him off and smacked him on the head.

“What you need now is endless repetition and endless inquiry. There’s nothing new under the sky, so study the world and grasp its truths. Then you’ll find your own path of the sword. Heh.”

It had been a short bond, in a way, but more rewarding and enjoyable than any other.

Thanks to it, the old man felt truly happy.

He even felt the desire to keep teaching this brat forever. But where there is a meeting, there is also a parting. The young disciple was no longer a clumsy cub. He was a young and vigorous predator. A grown predator had to return to the wild.

Of course, the old man had no intention of sending him off with nothing.

“From now on, you and I will keep playing at contests of wits now and then, and you will learn something else.”

“Huh? Something else?”

“Yes. I’ll teach you chivalry and the etiquette of nobles.”

“...?”

Out of nowhere?

When Shatien looked flustered, the old man barked as if it were obvious.

“If you’re going to climb higher, you’ll be meeting nobles all the time, you know.”

“Ahem. R-Right, I know.”

“Know my ass. You looked completely lost and confused. Tsk.”

He really did show these clumsy sides from time to time. The old man clicked his tongue inwardly.

“Nobility is a status, but that status doesn’t come from nothing. Think about it. A nobleman who shows up from far away without a single acquaintance, how would anyone call him a noble and treat him as such?”

“Uh… the way he looks?”

“Hehe, is that so? Then do you take some bumpkin who puts on armor like a knight or a lord and call him a noble?”

At that, Shatien frowned. On second thought, no matter how a bumpkin dressed, the country stink was still there.

Hand gestures and footwork and bearing.

Even posture and tone of voice.

There was clearly something different that made a noble a noble.

It was none other than...

“Yes. It’s the way of living that is born and bred. The language they use, the courtesies they practice, the gestures only they make, the way they think. All of it differs from the commoner. They are born to rule, and they live to prove that their rule is justified. Honor is the core and foundation of noble society. That is what you must learn.”

Why he needed to learn it didn’t matter. If a master as lofty as the sky said to learn, he would obey.

“Now repeat after me. I am Shatien.”

“I am Shatien.”

“Wrong. You must tune your tone more delicately. Again.”

“I am Shati…”

Thus began Shatien’s new course of study.

* * *

Time flew by again.

A month had already passed. During that time, Shatien oversaw the Centuria in the mornings, then came to his master in the afternoons to learn longsword techniques, tactics and strategy, chivalry and etiquette, noble pronunciation, how to don armor, and how to care for a horse.

“I taught you everything in a rush because there wasn’t time. It’s not perfect, but you can at least pass for a wandering knight I suppose.”

“That’s more than enough. I’m truly grateful, Master.”

“If only we had two more months, it would’ve been nicer…”

A heavy regret colored the old man’s words. He said he was only teaching him at first, but he couldn’t help growing attached. For an old man who had lived a life crazed for the sword, this had been a rare taste of human warmth.

“Uh… by the way, are you going somewhere important today?”

The old man wore a formal dress fit for an embassy. His beard was neatly trimmed. He looked nothing like his usual free-spirited self.

He looked every inch a noble.

The old man handed Shatien a set of formal clothes.

“Yes. Put this on, Shatien. You’re coming with me after all.”

“Huh? Where are we going that I need formal clothes too…”

Shatien could only stare curiously. He had no idea there was a place he would go to in formalwear alongside his master.

Maybe they had been invited to some grand party?

But he didn’t have time to pursue the thought.

-Thwack!

“Argh!”

“Stop overthinking and get dressed.”

“Ughh. Understood.”

Rubbing his sore head, Shatien hurried into the clothes.

Once he was dressed, the old man straightened a few lines and led him straight to the center of the Free City of Loren.

Nobles and wealthy bourgeois lived there, and not just anyone could enter. But anyone could see the old man was a noble, so Shatien followed behind him and reached the church.

Brilliant stained glass and silver-chased sacred vessels caught the eye.

‘This is the first time I’ve seen such a splendid church. So this is where nobles worship?’

Even in his past life, Shatien had hardly set foot in a church.

Like most mercenaries, he was closer to silver coins than to God. He made what confessions he had to a field priest rather than going to a temple.

-Step, step.

They stepped inside, and a priest in immaculate vestments walked toward them. At a glance, he looked high-ranking.

“God’s grace be upon you. It has been a while, Sir Joachim.”

To Shatien’s surprise, the priest welcomed the old man. Words of flowery courtesy poured from the old man, no, Joachim’s mouth.

“A lowly servant greets the bishop. I have been busy seeking the path through darkness. Haha.”

“Light exists because there is darkness. Wherever Sir Joachim stands, grace will fill the place. Still, at least once on the weekend, please attend services. Haha.”

“I will. Indeed. I have simply been very busy because of this friend.”

“…”

Shatien kept his mouth shut. The words weren’t wrong, yet he felt a bit wronged.

The bishop smiled warmly at him.

“Is this young man the friend you mentioned, Sir Joachim?”

‘The friend?’

At the bishop’s words, Shatien tilted his head. The way he spoke made it sound like he knew Shatien well. But Master Joachim did not explain. He stepped forward and nodded.

“Indeed. Is everything I asked for last time prepared?”

“Ah… you truly mean to do this?”

“Yes.”

“Hahaha… at last, another heir appears. The Holy See will be very pleased.”

“Do not inform the Holy See yet. You can grant me that, yes?”

“Hmm… if Sir Joachim asks it, so it shall be.”

“…?”

The conversation grew even harder to grasp.

From the sound of it, he had asked the bishop for something, and Master Joachim had deep ties to the Holy See.

And Shatien’s question,

“Shatien. Come here.”

Was unraveled by the old man’s words..

“Today, the bishop and I stand as your sponsors. Before God, you will stand as a free man.”

“W-Wait, you don’t mean…!”

It was rather a shock.

“Yes, my successor. You will become a knight. Though only you, I, the bishop and God will know it.”