Chapter 25: Training and the Past
The next morning, Jin headed to the guild at first light. On the training grounds, he carefully loosened up with warm-up exercises before diving into his own practice.
He began with swings of his wooden sword, cutting sharply through the air as he followed the forms Greg had taught him. With his Swordsmanship skill raised and Footwork newly awakened, Jin’s movements carried a force and precision that could easily be mistaken for those of a seasoned warrior. His relentless focus and the intensity in each strike made it hard to believe he’d only picked up a sword a few days ago.
After finishing one full routine and pausing to catch his breath, a voice called out to him.
"Good work, Jin. That’s some spirit for so early in the morning."
It was Erza.
"Morning, Erza. Training as well?"
"Yeah. But this is the first time I’ve properly seen you swing a sword. I’m impressed—you don’t look like an F-rank at all."
"Haha, thanks. Actually, I moved up to E-rank yesterday."
They had already shared a meal together the other day, so she knew part of his story.
"Oh, already promoted? Congratulations."
"Appreciate it. Well… a lot happened."
Jin scratched his head sheepishly, feeling a little guilty about the reckless way he’d pushed himself.
"Hm? Then what about the beginner’s training course? What are you going to do now that you’re ranked up?"
Though she noticed his awkward expression, Erza let it slide and asked something else that was on her mind.
"Of course I’ll take it. I’ve still got a lot to learn, so I don’t want to pass up the chance to study."
"That’s good. I think that’s the right choice. And… no, never mind."
This time it was Erza who trailed off, though the faintly amused look on her face made Jin decide not to pry.
"Right, the day after tomorrow… though I never actually asked for the details. I should double-check later."
"Didn’t you know? We gather here at the training ground at seven in the morning, then it ends the next evening. Registration should’ve opened a while ago—don’t tell me you haven’t signed up yet?"
"Ah, crap! Totally slipped my mind. Thanks, Erza—I’d better get that done later."
Naturally, preregistration was expected. Jin realized that while he had mentioned it to Aria yesterday, he had never formally registered. Since the front desk would be packed with adventurers taking requests in the morning, he decided to go during the midday lull.
"I thought you were more organized than that, Jin. Turns out you’re a little scatterbrained too."
Erza laughed brightly.
"Ugh. You’ve got me there—I can’t even deny it."
Jin chuckled, a bit self-deprecating.
"Hehe. Honestly, I was hoping for a sparring match. You look strong, Jin—I was curious to see for myself."
"Someday, sure. But for now, it’s still too soon. And wouldn’t it be dangerous without an instructor supervising?"
"You seem ready enough to me. Still… yeah, I’d probably get carried away."
Whatever she had intended, Erza backed down with a smile, and Jin was relieved.
"Well, I may not be ready now, but once I reach D-rank like you, I’d like to try."
"Deal. That’s a promise."
Erza grinned and went back to her own practice, while Jin returned to his drills. After a while, the time came, and Greg finally showed up.
"Yo, Jin. Sorry to keep you waiting."
"Good morning, Instructor Greg. No worries—I kept busy training."
Greg studied him for a moment, then smirked.
"You’ve got a good look about you now. Seems like you’ve completely bounced back from that slump the other day."
"Yes, thank you. Because of it, I was able to face my own shortcomings. Now I just want to keep learning and throw myself into everything I can."
Even if he lost his way again someday, that was a problem for the future. Right now, Jin’s expression was bright and determined.
"Good. That’s the spirit."
Greg had been worried about him after his doubts and hesitation the other day, but seeing Jin so sure of himself now put his mind at ease. He smiled—only to twist it into a teasing grin a moment later.
"A man who’s thinking about settling down sure looks different."
The events at the guild yesterday had indirectly reached Greg's ears the day before.
"Settling down? Who’s getting married?"
Jin blinked, puzzled. Of course, it never even occurred to him that Greg was talking about him.
"You, obviously. Didn’t you propose to Aria yesterday? Word is she didn’t seem too unhappy about it."
"Wh-what!? No, I just gave her a flower yesterday!"
Jin’s voice shot up. He had never once proposed to anyone in his entire life.
"Yeah, but it was a red Rosen. Isn’t the flower’s meaning something like ‘burning love’ or ‘I love you’? Even if the whole ‘proposal’ thing got exaggerated, it was still a love confession, wasn’t it?"
Greg’s grin grew even wider, fully enjoying himself. He knew exactly what he was doing.
"No, no, no—it was just a thank-you gift! Gantz-san told me Aria-san liked red Rosens!"
"Ha! Figures. So it was Gantz pulling strings behind the scenes. Kukuku, that guy really went for it."
Greg couldn’t help but laugh, already imagining the consequences Gantz would face. That was when Jin finally realized he was being toyed with.
"Come on, Instructor Greg, don’t tease me like that. You know the truth, right? I only gave her a flower."
"Hm? Nah, the Rosen part is true. You really did get played by Gantz."
Though Greg’s face still wore a faint smile, his words carried the weight of truth.
"Eh? W-wait… then Aria-san… oh no, that’s embarrassing!"
At last, Jin understood the real meaning behind yesterday’s events, and his face turned crimson. Overwhelmed with embarrassment, he groaned and squirmed for a while—but then he remembered that he had explained his intent clearly when giving the flower. Aria had accepted it with a smile, knowing full well what it meant.
Realizing that helped ease his embarrassment bit by bit.
"Well, it’s fine. In the end, Aria-san understood and was happy—I’m certain of that much."
"Kukuku… is that so? Then how about we team up with Aria and go give Gantz a little punishment?"
Greg kept teasing, and Jin let out a weary sigh in reply.
"No… thanks to Gantz-san, Aria-san was happy, and I owe him in a lot of ways. I wouldn’t do something like that."
Still wondering what exactly Greg meant by "punishment," Jin continued,
"That said, I might look for a chance to get back at him a little—or maybe just have him treat me to some expensive liquor."
"Bwahaha! In that case, count me in. Actually, why not drag him out for drinks after training today?"
"Sounds good. How about you lure Gantz-san out, and then I’ll make a surprise appearance? That should give him a jolt."
"Oh, I like it. Though I doubt a little thing like that would rattle him. We’ll need something extra."
Not exactly the kind of conversation to be having before training, but the two kept going off track. Jin thought for a moment, then offered,
"What if Aria-san showed up? Or at least if he heard her voice calling to him?"
"No way Aria’s coming. What, you planning to imitate her voice?"
"Heh. Leave that to me—I’ve got a little trick up my sleeve."
"Oh-ho, interesting. Then I’ll get him out of his shop after training, and we’ll meet up at the tavern. We’ll work out the details later."
"Got it. Having something to look forward to after training really fires me up."
The two exchanged a glance and grinned wickedly.
"All right then, today’s going to be tougher than last time."
"Understood. Please go easy on me—well, maybe not too easy."
What began as idle pre-training banter left Jin relaxed and limber, and he threw himself into Greg’s merciless drills with enthusiasm. Today’s focus was spear work and shield handling.
Greg admitted he only knew the basics of spear use, but even so, Jin learned the proper fundamentals. As for shields, he was taught both the large shield and the small shield. Since Jin mainly used two-handed weapons, the small shield seemed more practical—but he gave the large shield a try anyway, wanting to broaden his options. Unlike swordplay, where his faint kendo background gave him a head start, spear and shield work was entirely new to him. Awkward at first, he struggled but steadily made progress.
By midday, it was time for a meal break. Before eating, Jin decided to quickly register for the beginner’s course and went to the reception desk.
"Hello, Aria-san. Do you have a moment?"
"Yes, hello Jin-san. Of course."
Remembering what Greg had said earlier, Jin’s heart pounded as he forced a calm expression and approached her.
"First, I’d like to apologize for yesterday. Because I didn’t know the meaning of the Rosen flower, people might’ve misunderstood, and I might’ve caused you trouble."
Seated across from Aria, he bowed his head in apology.
"There’s no need to apologize. I was happy, so there’s no problem."
Aria met his eyes squarely, her voice firm as she said she had been happy. Hearing that, Jin felt relieved—whatever the misunderstanding, the result was good.
"I’m glad to hear that. Next time I give a gift, I’ll be sure to look into the meaning first."
Because of that reassurance, Jin didn’t think too deeply about her words, nor did he notice the faintly wistful look that crossed her face.
"Now then, I’d like to register for the beginner’s course two days from now."
"That’s already been taken care of. Instructor Greg had you sign up on the very first day of your adventurer registration."
"Oh, really? That’s a relief."
So he’d been worrying for nothing. Jin’s tension melted away in an instant.
"Next, here’s the magic book I mentioned yesterday."
Aria handed him a thick, sturdy tome.
"Wow, you brought it already? Thank you so much! I’ll take good care of it."
Jin accepted the book reverently with both hands.
"Take your time with it—it’ll probably take a while to read. And if you come across something you don’t understand, I might be able to help."
"Thank you again. In that case, I’ll gladly take you up on your offer."
Aria had done so much for him already. Jin smiled gratefully, then decided to risk asking one more thing—even if it might reopen yesterday’s topic.
"By the way, Aria-san… what flower do you really like?"
He wanted to know, so next time he could give her something she truly loved.
"I never had a particular favorite before. But ever since you gave me the red Rosen, I think I like that one best."
After a brief pause, she looked straight into his eyes again as she spoke.
"Oh, that’s an honor! Still, just in case of more misunderstandings, next time I’ll give you something other than flowers."
Jin said it with a bright smile, clearly pleased.
After making one last small request of Aria—which she agreed to—he thanked her once more and left.
Samantha, watching Aria, commented with a wry smile,
"I can’t tell if he’s clueless or crafty, but either way… that’s a tough opponent."
"Yes. But I’ll do my best."
It seemed the battle had already begun.
After lunch, Jin returned to the training grounds to continue his drills. He didn’t gain any new skills, but he felt definite progress. By evening, he wrapped up, bathed at the public bath, and headed toward the tavern where he’d arranged to meet Greg.
Using Map, he confirmed Greg and Gantz’s location and crept up behind them. Then, activating Music, he played back a recording.
"Having fun, are we?"
It was Aria’s real voice. Jin had asked her earlier to say the line with a slightly sharp tone, and she had kindly agreed, letting him record it with his skill.
""!?""
Both Gantz and Greg jumped and spun around in shock—only to find no Aria, just Jin grinning wickedly at them.
"Hehehe, that was a great success."
It was payback, not just on Gantz but on Greg too, for teasing him earlier. With his prank going off flawlessly, Jin couldn’t stop grinning.
"W–wait, that was you, Jin? Where’s Aria? Oi, oi, don’t scare us like that!"
Both Gantz and Greg blurted out nearly the same thing, but since each of them had their own guilty conscience, their protests quickly fizzled out. Before long, all three of them burst into laughter.
The ice broken, the three strode into the tavern together, and the night became one of rowdy chatter and foolish banter, the kind only men could share.
After hours of merrymaking, just as they were about to call it a night for tomorrow’s sake, Greg suddenly turned serious and spoke to Jin.
"Jin… thanks for what you did for Aria."
Jin blinked, not understanding what he meant.
"Most of us older folks know this, but Aria used to be an adventurer until six years ago. She was pretty skilled too. Always wore that same expressionless look—people called her the ‘Ice Witch.’"
Greg began to tell the tale, while Gantz’s face grew solemn with the memories.
"But when she was talking to her childhood friend, sometimes she’d actually smile. He was an adventurer too—not that capable, but earnest and a good guy, so everyone cheered for him. Aria was around seventeen, eighteen back then. They weren’t officially together, but she definitely cared about him. Then, six years ago, he died. Probably pushing himself too hard, trying to be someone worthy of her."
Greg and Gantz both grimaced at the memory.
"It’s the kind of story that comes with being an adventurer. But for Aria, it was the first time losing someone that close. She was devastated. Couldn’t keep adventuring after that. Hearing he’d overextended himself only made it worse. Gantz and I had known her since childhood—we couldn’t just leave her like that. So we dragged her into working at the guild. She was dutiful enough to do the job and eventually found her footing again, but her face only grew more unreadable. From then on, she never smiled again."
Greg’s somber expression softened into a smile.
"But then you showed up. From the moment she met you, she treated you warmly for some reason. When I heard she’d spent hours explaining the guild to you, I was shocked enough. But when I heard she smiled that very same day… I was floored. Made me wonder what all our efforts had even been for. And the kicker was yesterday’s whole proposal fiasco. Gantz really outdid himself. The old-timers who saw her smiling were all rushing to tell me about it. Everyone’s been worried for her, you see."
Straightening his back, Greg bowed his head.
"Thank you, Jin. I don’t know how you feel about Aria, but one way or another, she’s no longer trapped by her past. Maybe she just likes you, maybe it’s more—I can’t say."
Greg’s lips curled into a teasing grin. Jin scratched his head, flustered.
"I don’t think I’ve really done anything. But Aria-san’s helped me so much, and to be honest, I think she’s cute. If you ask whether I’m in love with her, then no, not yet. Still… like you and Gantz-san, I want her to be happy. So there’s no need to thank me. If anything, I’m grateful too, for getting to see her smile."
He spoke honestly, sharing his feelings with them.
""…Thanks.""
Both men said it together anyway. Respecting their gratitude, Jin raised his glass in silence. The three clinked their cups and downed the last of their drinks.
Some time later, Jin parted ways with the two in front of the tavern and walked alone through the night streets back to the inn.
With the moonlight shining and streetlamps here and there, the darkness caused no trouble. His steps showed no sign of alcohol’s drag. Bathed in soft silver and golden light, Jin walked on with a heart full of contentment.
"Looks like I’ll have good dreams again tonight."
He murmured with a smile—and that smile stayed with him all the way.
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