Diary and Duel

Chapter 32: Diary and Duel

Bill the butler's diary: Alliance Calendar Year 167, February 19th, Sunny. This afternoon, I escorted the young master to enroll at Dawnlight Academy. That instructor Locke said the young master wouldn't live long if he didn't lose weight, the same thing the Great Swordsman who visited two months ago said. I invited the master over, and he decided to entrust the young master to Instructor Locke for weight loss and training, even signing a letter of guarantee. The master told me to stay at the academy, obey Instructor Locke's orders, and not to interact with the young master, only to observe from afar. I agreed, but I felt deep down that the young master was in for a rough time.

As expected, after Instructor Locke finished his meeting, he had me buy a cartload of lettuce, carrots, and celery. Then he took the young master away. When I returned with the goods, Instructor Locke led me into a bluestone house and told me to dump everything on the floor. I felt like this place was a meditation room for sword practice. Then I saw the young master curled up in a corner, crying. I couldn't speak to him to ask what happened, so I asked Instructor Locke what the young master was doing there.

Instructor Locke smiled ferociously and said this was where the young master would be living from now on. Good heavens, this place had no bed, no couch, not even a stove. How would the young master sleep?

Instructor Locke was unconcerned. He said the straw mat on the floor and a blanket were enough, and no stove was needed. If the young master felt cold at night, he could get up and exercise, and sweating would keep him warm. As for living here, it was mainly because the stone house was soundproof, so no matter how much the young master yelled, it wouldn't disturb the other students' sleep.

I asked him what the young master would eat at night. He pointed to the vegetables I had bought on the floor and said the young master would eat these for the next three days. I was shocked. Was he raising the young master like a rabbit? I tactfully told him that the young master didn't like vegetables, especially uncooked ones. He just smiled happily and patted my shoulder, saying it was fine. When people are starving, they'll dare to eat anything, let alone these vegetables.

This Instructor Locke is truly disgusting, cold-blooded, and heartless. He's simply a devil. The young master is in his hands. Sob sob, the young master is so pitiful. I must write all this down and report it to the master. He will not be let off lightly.

Bill the butler's diary: Alliance Calendar Year 167, February 20th, Sunny. The young master cried for most of last night. No one paid him any attention. I wanted to go over, but the night duty instructor's assistant stopped me and warned me not to approach the stone house without permission. I could only listen to the young master's cries from afar, completely helpless.

The young master cried for most of the night, and then I heard him eating the vegetables, very loudly. He would eat some vegetables, then cry for a while, then eat some more vegetables, and he finally fell asleep at dawn.

In the afternoon, Instructor Locke came. He brought a few people to tidy up the house, gave the young master a bath, dressed him in a coarse linen garment, and then had the young master put his hand in front of him, saying it was to check his pulse. The young master kept crying and cursing, but Instructor Locke and his men ignored him. They even said they were going to make some kind of whip that would hurt a lot but wouldn't break bones. Oh my god! Are they treating the young master like a slave?

Then Instructor Locke called me over and gave me a blueprint, asking me to build a large bathroom at the academy for the young master as a complementary facility for his weight loss. I suspect they are using this for personal gain, because I've never seen a bathroom with such a small, entirely wooden room, and they're talking about a steam bath. They must be kidding!

Bill the butler's diary: Alliance Calendar Year 167, February 21st, Sunny. The young master gnawed on vegetables all night again last night, but he didn't cry and make a fuss like the night before.

Instructor Locke came again this afternoon. Just like yesterday, he gave the young master a bath, checked his pulse, tidied up the house, and asked me to buy another cartload of vegetables. I secretly bought a few tomatoes and put them in, believing the young master would be very happy.

The budget for the bathroom blueprint Instructor Locke gave me yesterday came out. It would cost over a hundred gold coins to build. After it was submitted, the master approved it, and the family sent people to the academy to start construction.

Bill the butler's diary: Alliance Calendar Year 167, February 22nd, Sunny. The young master gnawed on carrots all night last night. It seems we bought a bit too many carrots this time.

Instructor Locke checked the young master's pulse, had someone give him a bath, and gave me a list to purchase medicinal herbs, saying they were for making a potion for the young master to drink.

Bill the butler's diary: Alliance Calendar Year 167, February 23rd, Cloudy. The young master was gnawing on celery last night. The carrots are all gone.

Instructor Locke had a few people hold the young master down and force a test tube of potion down his throat. It must have been very bitter, as the young master cried again.

Then the young master started having diarrhea.

Bill the butler's diary: Alliance Calendar Year 167, February 31st, Sunny. The young master slept soundly last night, without snoring or mumbling. He slept until dawn.

The young master has been drinking that diarrhea-inducing medicine for the past few days, but today his trips to the bathroom seem to have decreased. His spirits have also improved a bit; he doesn't look as pale and shaky as he did the past two days from the diarrhea.

In the afternoon, Instructor Locke weighed the young master. He had lost seventeen jin. In just a few days, it seems the young master's weight loss is promising, which is truly delightful. However, Instructor Locke said he needs to lose at least another 170 jin to reach a normal weight. Is that even possible? It's hard to imagine the young master weighing only 150-160 jin like me.

Instructor Locke gave me another list of herbs, saying the young master no longer needs to drink the diarrhea medicine, as most of the grease in his stomach has been expelled. Instructor Locke said that starting tomorrow, physical training will begin, and they will need to make new potions for the young master.

Bill the butler's diary: Alliance Calendar Year 167, February 32nd, Sunny. The young master slept very well last night.

Instructor Locke arrived early this morning. He told the young master to run three laps on the training grounds, but the young master refused. Instructor Locke took out two fist-sized loaves of bread and said if the young master ran, he would give him the bread. The young master had been eating vegetables for over ten days, and his eyes turned red at the sight of bread. He lunged for it but was knocked to the ground by Instructor Locke. Instructor Locke said if he didn't run, he would throw the bread in the toilet, and the young master would continue eating vegetables.

Just for these two loaves of coarse bread, the young master ran three laps on the training grounds. On the last lap, he couldn't run anymore and practically rolled and crawled to finish the task. Instructor Locke had people support the young master as he walked half a lap around the training grounds before he could catch his breath. Seeing the young master stuffing bread into his mouth desperately, I truly felt heartbroken and wanted to cry.

The young master's diet changed starting today. In the morning, he has a bowl of congee and two loaves of bread. Lunch and dinner are still vegetables. Now, the young master undergoes physical training every day. In the morning, it's three laps, in the afternoon, it's other training, and in the evening, he runs another three laps. After each training session, he has to drink a large bowl of salt water, which they say is to replenish the body's salt. Before going to sleep at night, he has to drink a test tube of potion.

In the afternoon, the young master refused to train because Instructor Locke asked him to do bunny hops and push-ups. Instructor Locke actually took out a whip and lashed him directly. The young master let out a piercing scream, and a bloody mark appeared on his body. The young master had never been hit before in his life! I wanted to rush over to stop it, but the instructor's assistant next to me grabbed me and warned me that if I interfered, they could send the young master home without any further responsibility, according to the letter of guarantee signed by the master. I didn't dare to bear that responsibility, so I could only endure tears and watch the young master complete his training under the whip.

Bill the butler's diary: Alliance Calendar Year 167, February 33rd, Sunny. The young master whimpered all night last night from being whipped. Although Instructor Locke had someone apply medicine to the young master after training, he still had trouble sleeping due to the pain and was woken up for physical training this morning.

The good news today is that the academy's bathroom has been completed by the family's craftsmen. In the evening, after drinking his potion, Instructor Locke took the young master to the bathroom for a steam bath. I was also allowed to enter and serve the young master.

It turns out a steam bath is staying in that small wooden room. Large river stones are heated in a furnace and placed in basins, then water is poured over them. Soon, the wooden room is filled with steam. It's very hot and scalding, making it hard to breathe. Everyone undressed completely. Instructor Locke's physique was truly fit, while the young master was all fat. I kept bringing in heated river stones and pouring water on them, sweating profusely. The young master lay motionless on the wooden platform, his body slick with oily sweat. After about twenty minutes, the young master fainted. Instructor Locke said it was fine, mainly because the temperature was too high and he couldn't breathe. He said he would wake up slowly if carried to a ventilated area, and after being rinsed off, he could go to sleep.

Bill the butler's diary: Alliance Calendar Year 167, March 1st, Sunny. The young master slept very well last night. He's been undergoing physical training these past few days, with an instructor's assistant following him with a whip each time. If the young master slacked off, they would whip him severely. Every night, the young master has to take a steam bath. I feel like the young master seems much more energetic. He doesn't gasp for breath when walking or running, and his strength seems to have increased a bit. Tonight, while I was serving the young master his steam bath, he suddenly grabbed my hand, hurting me. The young master said he was going crazy from craving meat and asked me to find a way to get him some roast meat.

But I didn't dare. Because when the young master spoke to me, he didn't know that the instructor who accompanied him to the steam bath was standing behind him. That instructor glared at me fiercely, a warning.

Instructor Locke didn't come today. I heard he's going to participate in an academy duel tomorrow, followed by Challenger Day. I can't imagine who would be so arrogant as to challenge twenty-seven academies' Silver Rank instructors alone, claiming to be invincible at Silver Rank. I heard from those instructors that there are already over 1,600 external Silver Rank challengers. I don't believe that so many challengers and those academies' Silver Rank instructors couldn't defeat Instructor Locke. He's just a Black Iron Swordsman. The tavern called "Beauty and the Sword" in the academy district has set up odds. If you bet on Instructor Locke losing, they say one small silver coin pays out one gold coin. I'm going to place a bet of one gold coin tonight. If I win, that's a hundred Gold Fude! I hope Instructor Locke will definitely lose tomorrow.

---Separator---

March 2nd, Sunny.

Lorist strolled leisurely around the academy, seemingly unconcerned about the upcoming academy duel.

Last night, Lorist had already received the duel schedule from the academy, but it was only for inter-academy matches. The schedule for the external challenger day was set for March 3rd, which is tomorrow, but there was no list of opponents. Fatty Shi forgot, or perhaps intentionally omitted it. He thought it didn't matter to Lorist whether the challenger list was provided or not, as he was very busy and who would bother to copy a list of losers? Instead, he provided Er with a very detailed list, exaggerating the abilities of these challengers as if each of them could easily defeat Lorist.

"There's no other way. If I don't do this, I can't attract the bettors. It's about my financial future, so I can't be too detailed," Fatty Shi said, spreading his hands innocently.

Lorist couldn't be bothered to argue with him. However, today's duel was against Violet Academy, ranked twenty-first. There didn't seem to be any famous Silver Rank instructors, and Lorist himself felt a bit uninspired.

Fatty Shi was directing the enforcement team of the academy's law enforcement department to set up a cordon, even pulling in most of the elite members of the Swordsmanship Club. He said to Lorist, who was looking around boredly, "Don't rush off. You'll see a good show in a moment."

Soon, the show Fatty Shi mentioned began. A dark, swarming crowd arrived at the academy's main entrance. At the forefront were several Silver Rank instructors wearing Violet Academy emblems, all arrogant and overbearing. Most of those following behind were people from other academies coming to watch the excitement.

Dean Levens, leaning on his cane, stood in front of the indoor training hall, which had just undergone an emergency expansion for a month, to receive the deans from other academies. After a lively exchange of insincere pleasantries, Dean Levens politely ushered the Violet Academy contingent and the other deans into the training hall. However, the instructors and students who came to watch behind the deans were all blocked outside.

"Old cripple, what do you mean by this?" Dean Weston of Saint Maso Academy asked with a displeased expression.

Dean Levens had suffered a serious illness as a child, similar to polio, which had left him with mobility issues.

Dean Levens smiled slightly and said calmly, "Old bastard, Violet Academy is here for a duel. You deans are very distinguished guests of our academy, so I personally welcomed you. These people behind you were not invited by me. If they want to enter, they can come through that door."

Following the direction Dean Levens pointed, Dean Weston looked up and saw four large characters written on the gate beside them: "Entry by Ticket Only." There was also a small window next to it, labeled "Ticket Office."

"The ticket price isn't expensive, only one small silver coin per person," Dean Levens said.

"Old man, you're really greedy, not letting go of even this little bit of money. Can't you learn to be more generous? Today, I'll cover the ticket fees for everyone who's come. Go count how many people there are," Dean Weston said generously, pulling out an exquisite money pouch and tossing it to a Silver Rank instructor from Saint Maso Academy.

"Dean Weston is mighty..." "Thank you, Dean Weston..." The crowd gathered outside erupted in cheers.

Dean Levens seemed to ignore Dean Weston's smugness and calmly gestured, "Everyone, please come this way."

The indoor training hall had changed drastically after its expansion. In the center was a square stage, seven meters long and five meters wide, surrounded by eight tiers of stands that could likely accommodate over two thousand spectators.

Lorist stood lazily on the stage, idly watching several beautiful women in Dawnlight Academy student uniforms weave through the crowd in the stands, their clear and pleasant voices calling out, "Buy lottery tickets! Anyone want to buy lottery tickets? Bet on Instructor Locke to win, and you'll get one large silver coin for every small silver coin you bet. Bet on Violet Academy to win, and you'll get one small silver coin for every large silver coin you bet..."

Dean Weston and the Dean of Violet Academy were furious in the stands. "Old man, what's the meaning of this?"

Dean Levens said dismissively, "Just a few female students doing part-time work. What's the big fuss? Perhaps they're supporters of Instructor Locke and are confident in him, so they set these odds. If you two are unhappy, you can buy a few tickets yourselves. You can teach them a lesson if you win."

If it weren't for you old cripple stirring up trouble behind the scenes, I'd be surprised! The two deans glared fiercely at Dean Levens. Dean Weston declared, "I still have about ten gold Fude in this money pouch. I'm betting it all on Violet Academy to win, and I'll bankrupt you, old cripple!"

The Dean of Violet Academy was rallying his academy's instructors. "Everyone, chip in and bet on your own academy to win. That kid on the stage hasn't grown an extra head or three hands. He's just a Black Iron Swordsman. I refuse to believe that our twenty Silver Rank instructors can't handle him. We can even wear him down with a series of duels..."

The female students selling lottery tickets in the stands were overwhelmed, but they were all selling tickets for Violet Academy to win. Only a few instructors from Dawnlight Academy who had come to watch bought tickets for Instructor Locke to win.

The Dean of Violet Academy, holding a large stack of tickets, sat next to Dean Weston and spoke in a low voice. "...Although Instructor Wobas is only Silver Two-star, his swordsmanship is incredibly sharp. Sending him out first was meant to test the true skill level of this young Locke. If his swordsmanship is truly superb, then our academy's strategy will be to drag it out and wear him down with consecutive duels... Look, Instructor Wobas is entering the stage. He has extensive combat experience, having participated in eighteen duels and won seventeen... uh..."

Instructor Wobas, on whom the Dean had placed great hopes, fell at Lorist's feet after a single exchange, his limbs twitching. This is too fast! I didn't even see how he fell, and Lorist hadn't even drawn his sword yet. The Dean, like a plucked duck, abruptly stopped his incessant chatter, pointing at the stage in astonishment, unable to speak.

Fatty Shi quickly strode onto the stage, examined Wobas, and announced loudly, "Severe blow to the chin, victim is unconscious. Next."

In less than half an hour, all twenty Silver Rank instructors from Violet Academy were carried off the stage. Lorist even yawned on the stage.

The few beautiful students selling tickets hugged each other and cheered. The enforcement disciples maintaining order in the training hall raised their swords and shouted slogans like "Instructor Locke... Invincible in Silver Rank!"

Dean Weston in the stands, his face ashen, said nothing. He fiercely tore up the lottery tickets in his hand, stood up, and left without even bidding farewell to Dean Levens. The spectators from other academies also left dejectedly, one by one.

The Dean of Violet Academy stood stunned, his face ashen. The tickets in his hand scattered on the ground, unnoticed. How is this possible? Twenty Silver Rank instructors from my academy lost so easily? They were all taken down in a single exchange. The strongest only managed to block three moves from that Locke...

Lorist grabbed Fatty Shi. "Tomorrow, tell me how many challengers will be coming for the duel?"

Fatty Shi replied, "Twenty, the same number as today."

Lorist smacked his lips. "Too few. Next time, increase it to fifty. The sooner we get this over with, the better."

Butler Bill's Diary: Alliance Year 167, March 2nd, Sunny. Today I lost one gold coin. I really didn't expect Violet Academy to be so useless; twenty Silver Rank instructors couldn't defeat Instructor Locke. But tomorrow will be different. They're all renowned Silver Rank mercenary experts from outside, not like those instructors who just boast around the academy all day. Fortunately, the odds at the bookie haven't changed, so I should be able to win my gold coin back.

The young master was in good spirits today. Training and bathing went as usual.