The Return of the Talented Monopolist is Special

The next day.

Clack! Clack!

The sound of wooden swords clashing echoed through the first-floor training hall.

Before Instructor Emaks arrived, the trainees were engaged in self-directed practice, pairing up to spar lightly with one another.

“Hahaha! How about this? Witness the magnificence of Pensel’s swordsmanship from this big brother!”

“Shut your trap, or I’ll shut it for you.”

Jains and Ains bickered as they sparred.

Since self-directed training was a rare occurrence, the trainees were brimming with excitement, enjoying the opportunity for free sparring.

Eugene’s opponent was Eldora.

Whoosh!

With sharp determination in her eyes, Eldora charged at Eugene.

‘Oh, she’s fast.’

Her movements were difficult to predict as she closed the distance toward Eugene.

Since the appointment ceremony, Eldora, who was already quiet, had become even more silent, focusing solely on her training.

Perhaps because of that, Eugene couldn’t help but be impressed by her improvement.

Of course—

Clang!

Eugene deflected her attack in an instant and nodded.

“You’re good, but your strength is lacking.”

“Tsk…!”

Wiping away the sweat dripping down her neck, Eldora prepared to charge again.

“Everyone, stop. You all look like you’re having too much fun.”

Without a sound, Emaks entered the room and was already standing on the platform.

“Yes, sir…!”

Even the rowdy trainees gulped at Emaks’ silent arrival, and Eugene was no exception.

‘Hah, I still have a long way to go.’

Eugene marveled at how Emaks had approached without giving away a single hint of his presence. How far above them was this man?

Though, of course, Eugene was confident he could catch up to him in a few years.

Emaks scanned the group, counting heads, and nodded.

“Eight. So one didn’t show up.”

“…?”

“Rauler Pensel broke his leg during training and won’t be participating today. Weakling.”

Eugene had wondered why Rauler hadn’t shown up, but Emaks’ explanation only raised more questions.

‘Broke his leg? He was fine last night before I went to the training hall. Could it be…?’

Emaks, with a scornful expression, added, “So, to make up for the training that slacker isn’t doing, I’ll increase today’s training load.”

He didn’t elaborate on how Rauler had injured himself, brushing the matter aside.

This prompted the trainees to glance at each other nervously, each making their guesses.

“What kind of training could he have done alone to break his leg? Do you know how it happened?”

“No clue. But isn’t a broken leg something that takes a while to heal?”

“Exactly.”

The news of Rauler’s injury caused the children to become unsettled.

Even with the announcement that their training would become harder, their concern for Rauler’s well-being was evident.

Even Eldora, who rarely paid attention to others, wore a curious expression and eventually spoke up.

“Instructor Emaks, what exactly caused Rauler’s injury?”

“Why are you asking?”

“In case he underwent some sort of special training, I’d like to take part as well.”

“…It’s nothing like that. I won’t explain further, so don’t make a fuss.”

Eugene smiled inwardly as he observed Eldora and the others’ reactions.

While they didn’t outwardly show much worry, the six months of training had forged a strong bond of trust and camaraderie among the group.

‘Even Eldora is concerned—it says a lot.’

Eugene recognized that Eldora had cleverly phrased her question to avoid provoking Emaks’ ire.

While Emaks withheld the details about Rauler, the scene confirmed that this cohort had united under the principle of harmony, something Emaks constantly emphasized.

Rauler might have been a thorn in Emaks’ side, but he was still fulfilling his role within the group.

However, Eugene couldn’t help but feel slightly uneasy.

‘It must be the work of the upper class. Their suspicious grins last night as they huddled together—plotting something.’

Although they carried the title of Pensel’s official trainees, their behavior was becoming more disgraceful by the day.

“Take your positions.”

As Emaks barked his order, the trainees dispersed to their places.

‘Looks like I’ll need to check in on Rauler.’

If Eugene was to fully turn Pensel into an ally, it was about time for him to take action personally.

***

At sunset, after training had ended.

From Rauler’s infirmary room came the sound of lively chatter.

Trainees from the same cohort were visiting Rauler one by one, and their voices were carried out into the hallway.

At the moment, Gungui was in the room with Rauler.

“You need to take this medicine. It’ll help you heal faster.”

“But it smells weird! It’s nothing like what I took this morning.”

“It’s not unusual for morning and evening medicine to differ due to your biological cycle! How many times do I need to explain this?”

“Your way of speaking keeps changing… It’s suspicious, you know?”

Gungui gritted his teeth.

“I went through all the trouble of carefully preparing this medicine for you, and if you refuse to take it, your recovery will only slow. It’s your loss.”

“I don’t understand why you’re putting in so much effort just for me.”

“That’s because…! Ugh… Forget it!”

Gungui was giving Rauler special attention because of his close relationship with Eugene, but Rauler couldn’t grasp his true intentions.

Unable to reveal the real reason, Gungui could only stumble over his words.

“This medicine has even been approved by Young Master Eugene—”

Gungui abruptly clamped his hand over his mouth, realizing too late that he had let Eugene’s name slip.

“Young Master Eugene? You’re talking like you’re close with him or something.”

“T-that’s because… as trainees, we see each other often.”

“…Really?”

“Yes!”

At that moment, Eugene entered the room.

“I could hear you two bickering from outside. It’s giving me a headache.”

“Young Master Eugene, it’s been a while.”

“What do you mean, a while? I saw you yesterday.”

“Huh…?”

Gungui had been trying to downplay his relationship with Eugene, but Eugene’s response only made things worse.

“See? Gungui, you’re pretending to be close to Eugene, but now you’re just lying. What’s the deal?”

“I’ll explain later. Just wait.”

“Later? Fine, whatever.”

Eugene wore a slight smile, but inside, he was surprised.

‘I have changed. In my past life, I only saw people as tools for my success. Yet, here I am, visiting someone in the infirmary.’

He had never paid a sick visit before, which made this moment all the more striking.

Building relationships and growing together—perhaps this was better for everyone.

“By the way, why are you so late? Everyone else has already been here and gone.”

Rauler grumbled, prompting Eugene to reply casually.

“I had extra training. But hey, I still came, didn’t I?”

At that, both Rauler and Gungui let out simultaneous sighs.

“Obsessed with training, aren’t you?”

“Obsessed with training, aren’t you?”

“?”

“?”

Both Rauler and Gungui seemed to share the same opinion about Eugene.

“Hahaha!”

Amused by the fact that they had said the same thing at the same time, the two high-fived and laughed.

Although Rauler had initially shown some displeasure, he now had a faint smile on his face.

To him, Eugene was someone he always admired and felt grateful for.

Having Eugene visit him and check in on his condition made him feel unexpectedly emotional.

“One minute has passed. Now tell me.”

“Tell you what?”

“Why the apothecary keeps trying to make me drink this awful stuff and why he keeps acting like he’s close to you.”

Eugene thought for a moment before revealing part of the truth.

“The apothecary is one of my martial arts mentors.”

“What? A mentor?”

“Yeah. The apothecary position at Pensel was vacant, so my mother recommended him for it.”

“Oh… so that’s how it is.”

Rauler glanced at Gungui with a noticeably changed expression.

“Then, the reason he’s been going out of his way to look after me…?”

“I asked him to. I told him to prepare the best medicine for you since you were hurt.”

“Oh…! Then I guess I can trust this medicine?”

Gungui scoffed.

“There was never a reason not to trust it! Why would the Pensel apothecary harm a trainee? Honestly.”

“Okay, okay. Calm down, sir. I’m sorry.”

Rauler chuckled sheepishly and lowered his head.

“Hmph. In any case, just take it and recover quickly, Rauler.”

“Yes, sir. My apologies.”

Gungui, trying to mask his concern, turned to leave with a calm expression. However, his parting words were tinged with worry.

“It’s upsetting for me too when a friend of my pupil gets hurt. I’ll take my leave now.”

Watching Gungui leave, Rauler smiled faintly.

“Your mentor… at first, I thought he looked awful and had a bad temper, so I didn’t like him. But now I think he’s kind of cool. He’s surprisingly considerate.”

“Weren’t you just calling him weird earlier?”

“But this medicine is so bitter… it’s unbearable.”

“Just drink it. By the way, let me see your leg.”

Eugene tapped Rauler’s leg, which was tightly bound in splints and bandages.

“Ow! Hey! That hurts!”

“What happened, anyway?”

“…I just… slipped on the stairs. Yeah, that’s it.”

Eugene knew Rauler wouldn’t easily tell the truth, so he nodded.

“Really?”

“…Yeah.”

“I’m going to unwrap the bandages and take a look.”

“No! What’s the point of looking at it?”

Despite Rauler’s protests, Eugene ignored him and removed the bandages. He examined the wound on Rauler’s shin for a while.

“Why are you staring at it? Is looking at it supposed to make it heal faster? I told you, I just fell down the stairs.”

“Okay, sure. So, who did it?”

“Wh-what?”

“Still pretending? Fine. Let’s see.”

Eugene studied the depth and location of the wound, as well as the way Rauler grimaced when he bent his left side.

“Judging by the depth, it wasn’t Kain. And the wound’s location means it wasn’t that big guy. They targeted your legs first… and they’re right-handed. That leaves—”

“Wait, no—”

“That sneaky-looking guy, Jwick, isn’t it?”

“What the… how do you even—? Were you there that day?”

Rauler was stunned by how Eugene deduced who had hurt him just by examining the wound.

“Stop making this harder and just confirm it already.”

Under Eugene’s persistent questioning, Rauler eventually gave in and confessed.

“Fine, it was Jwick. That senior did this to me. Can’t you just let it go? I didn’t say anything because it’s embarrassing.”

“Yeah, it is embarrassing. But what’s even more embarrassing is doing nothing about it. Whether it’s you, me, or Instructor Emaks, if you were wronged, you need to make them pay for it.”

“I mean, yeah, but I lost. Pensel values the strong, and losing is just proof that I was wrong. Those seniors are the ‘right’ ones.”

Eugene clicked his tongue in disapproval.

“Forget ‘right’ or whatever. This happened while you were alone in the training hall, didn’t it?”

“…Yeah.”

“Under the guise of some sparring session, huh?”

“How do you even know that?”

“What other excuse would the upperclassmen use? Anyway, I got it.”

Eugene patted Rauler’s leg and stood up.

“Ouch! That hurts!”

“I’m heading out.”