I Became a Crazy Swordsmanship Instructor in the Game

Chapter 10:

After approximately ten minutes, Lisriel Joseph returned.

Philip nodded as he laid eyes on the fox fur scarf made of a fox’s tail and the silk dress that clung to her body. It was the familiar appearance of Lisriel Joseph that he knew.

Before taking a seat opposite Philip, she covered her exposed collarbone with her right hand and bowed deeply, bending her waist.

“First, I would like to apologize for my impoliteness, Master.”

“I will grant you forgiveness. However, remember this.”

Before Philip began his discourse, he deliberately shook the ring on his finger to catch her attention.

“I am well aware of the true value of this object. I understand the significance it holds for the Joseph Association and the potential it possesses. So let us dispense with futile posturing and engage in a more constructive dialogue.”

‘How dare this despicable scoundrel dare to underestimate me?’

With that thought in mind, Lisriel couldn’t help but smile mischievously.

“Of course, Master. I am grateful that you sought me out first.”

Even if it weren’t for the ring adorning his finger, she would have immediately summoned every city guard and expelled Philip without hesitation.

‘As long as that insignia rests upon him, that rascal shall become an esteemed member of the Joseph Association. I must find a way to bring him to my side, employing any means necessary. Otherwise, I…’

She found herself entangled in a fierce competition for succession at present.

Among the three direct heirs of the Joseph Association, Lisriel was the youngest and possessed the weakest influence and foundation.

Unlike her first and second siblings, who had other foundations to rely on, she would have plummeted into ruin immediately upon elimination from the succession competition.

A special member of the association gained decision-making power equivalent to a president during the annual “General Assembly” held once a year. It was merely a title of membership, but in reality, it was a position not much different from a president or even higher.

The reason was known only to the current president, Osley Joseph, and it wasn’t a pressing matter at the moment.

The only thing that mattered was the fact that if she could ally Philip to her side, she might be able to outpace her brothers who were fiercely competing ahead of her.

As Lisriel pondered intensively, Philip’s pleasant and resonant voice reached her ears.

“First and foremost, I request to be treated as a special member of the association from this very moment.”

“That goes without saying, Master.”

“And Lisriel, I wish for you to be my exclusive patron.”

At that demand, Lizriel herself flinched.

“… Pardon?”

‘How does he plan to handle me like this?’

Blushing, she cast a sidelong glance at Philip.

… Honestly, it didn’t seem like such a bad proposition. It wasn’t particularly favorable either, but if that was what he wanted, Lisriel had no choice but to comply.

At best, she could lay down a few conditions.

‘It seems like he’s completely misunderstanding something.’

Philip looked at her flushed cheek and contemplated. She had a surprisingly humane appearance, almost unbelievable for someone who belonged to a prestigious and influential association.

“If… if you desire me, I am willing to comply with your wishes, Master. However, there are conditions…”

Lisriel, resolute in her determination, finally spoke up, but Philip raised his hand, silencing her.

“Before you share your thoughts, listen to me first.”

“…”

“First and foremost, I wholeheartedly support you,  

Lisriel Joseph, as the official successor of the association. The voting power I will possess is equal to that of the chairman, so unless you prove to be more inept than I anticipate, you could become the next chairman without me withdrawing my support.”

As Lisriel heard those words, a wave of disbelief washed over her. Philip’s proposition implied that she would have to sacrifice everything, even her own life, in order to attain what she desired from him.

However, Philip played his trump card first.

“Why? What’s the reason behind this?” she asked.

When negotiating contracts between merchants, it was not customary to inquire about the rationale behind a proposal.

By asking the question, one would naturally concede a lower position than the other party.

Nevertheless, Lisriel was genuinely curious. From her observations, Philip was not foolish enough to make such a proposition.

If he were truly foolish, he wouldn’t have been able to engage in a conversation with her to begin with.

“Don’t you run two orphanages? And donate scholarships to the academy, as well as sell books at affordable prices for impoverished students,” he stated.

Lisriel nodded in response to his question.

“Yes. I’m not sure how you know about that, though.”

Philip chuckled.

“Among the Josephs I know, only you are willing to help others unconditionally. Do you need any other reason?”

It was a smile that had the power to sway hearts. Although Lisriel was well aware of his incorrigible nature, she felt her animosity and caution towards Philip gradually melting away, as if it were snow in the sun.

‘I can’t believe someone who knows how to say such things is a scoundrel. It can’t be true…’

Lisriel couldn’t bring herself to meet Philip’s gaze directly.

‘Why am I like this?’

Her heart raced frantically, and her face flushed as blood rushed to her cheeks.

Lisriel desperately regulated her breathing and composed her expression, bowing her head.

“… I will gratefully accept the kindness bestowed by the Master. I will wholeheartedly serve you to the best of my abilities.”

Philip inclined his head.

“I don’t desire such a formal relationship. Since we will be seeing each other for a long time, I hope we can establish a more comfortable rapport. If possible, starting from now.”

Lisriel gulped hard. Firmly determined, she parted her lips.

“… Yes, Master.”

And what emerged was the most naive-sounding voice she had ever produced.

—

Upon returning to the academy, Philip immediately made his way to the faculty dormitory.

Upon opening the door to his room, he discovered Lua lying asleep on the bed.

The sight of her, with closed eyes and emitting shallow, colorful breaths, seemed rather pitiful. A mere few hours of deep slumber would only alleviate a fraction of the accumulated exhaustion from the past few days.

“I know you’re awake.”

As Philip spoke, Lua slowly opened her eyes.

“… I’m sorry, Instructor.”

“Sorry? For what?”

“For behaving foolishly… because of me, you’ve endured hardships.”

She murmured without making eye contact with Philip. A wry smile formed on his lips.

“If a child crying like a child is considered a mistake, then who in the world could claim to be without fault? Get up. We have somewhere to go.”

“… Yes?”

Philip extended his hand without waiting for her to rise on her own.

His body was tense with the thought of spending money.

“For today, we’ll treat it as a sick day, so don’t worry about classes… Hmm?”

At that moment, he sensed movement outside the door. The sound of approaching footsteps grew louder. Someone was making their way to his room.

Soon enough, the door swung open, and Professor Felicia Oswald entered.

“Instructor Philip Oswald.”

She rolled her eyes, quickly assessed the situation, and let out a relieved sigh, realizing that nothing troublesome had occurred.

“Oh, Professor. Hello.”

“Why on earth did you bring a female student into your room?”

“I had planned to take good care of her before devouring her.”

Felicia snapped at his jest.

“… You, seriously.”

“The child hasn’t been eating properly or sleeping well for several days. The other children who share the room were finding it difficult because of her crying. I couldn’t think of any other solution.”

In truth, Philip hadn’t done anything wrong. Likewise, Felicia didn’t believe Philip had done anything inappropriate to the young girl.

She was simply cautious about unnecessary rumors.

“Is there a problem?”

“… No.”

“Would you kindly leave now? Even if you’ve longed for me throughout the night, it’s rather inconvenient for you to come searching so early in the morning… Oops!”

With uncanny reflexes, Philip dodged Felicia’s incoming kick. She let out a loud exclamation, clearly furious.

“Do you actually want to die?”

Sweating slightly, Philip tried to reason with Felicia.

“No, sis. Please calm down. It’s my fault. We’re in front of a student.”

Felicia, who had temporarily lost her composure in anger, suddenly felt a twinge of unease.

‘Hold on, did he just admit fault?’

It was something anyone could say, but she had never heard those words coming from Philip’s mouth. She stared at him in disbelief, only to turn her head as she heard suppressed laughter.

“Oh.”

The young freshman, witnessing their altercation, couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Now you’re smiling.”

Philip remarked, nodding his head in satisfaction.

Felicia struggled to adjust to this version of Philip. He was entirely different from the brother she had known.

“I’m planning to take this child outside the academy for a short while. Professor.”

“Do you think I’ll grant permission?”

“Just so you know, if you don’t give consent, I’ll secretly abduct her and take her away.”

Felicia felt a headache coming on as she had to massage her temples.

“What do you intend to do?”

“I have plenty of things planned. If you’re curious, you can come along.”

“… Fine. I’ll personally oversee it, Instructor.”

Philip was apprehensive about the potential rumors that would spread if he were to take the young girl out alone and return the next day. Moreover, if he didn’t receive permission, he would be left with no choice but to resort to kidnapping.

Felicia let out a sigh and nodded her head.

“What about you? If you don’t want to take a break, I won’t force you. Shall we go out with the instructor for a while? It could be quite enjoyable.”

In response to Philip’s question, Lua nodded her head without hesitation.

“Yes. I would like that.”

In her eyes, Philip appeared to be a kind-hearted person. Although they had only met a few days ago, she couldn’t comprehend why he would go out of his way to take care of her. However, through the innate intuition of a child, she realized that Philip found her rather endearing.

‘He seems like my uncle.’

Lua reminisced about the days she had spent living in the mountains before coming to the academy. The memories of the uncle and Luen flooded her mind.

During the daytime, she would frolic through the entire mountain with Luen, and as the sun set, she would lie on the uncle’s lap, listening to his captivating stories from the past.

Philip’s gaze as he looked at her closely resembled that of the “uncle.”

—

‘Something doesn’t feel right.’

Philip discovered that he had been walking the same path for the third time.

The shopping district was bustling with activity as lunchtime approached.

Servants from grand mansions, as well as guards awaiting the arrival of their young lords and ladies, frequented the shopping district during their leisure time.

Philip guided Felicia and Lua through the lively shopping district.

“Instructor, I can’t quite grasp what you’re intending to do. Why did we come here?”

Felicia inquired, and Philip wordlessly pointed towards the most prominent building in sight. It was the Joseph Trading Association building.

“That’s the Joseph Trading Association building. Why are we going there?”

“I’m going to meet a friend. We recently became acquainted, and I thought of introducing her to you, Professor.”

Felicia’s lips slightly parted in response to Philip’s answer. Then, leaning closer to his ear, she whispered to avoid being overheard by Lua.

“Are you out of your mind? Going to the upper echelons, where they trade with elves and dwarves, to meet a friend? If something goes wrong, you’re in deep trouble, Philip.”

“Sis, are you only starting to worry about me now?”

“I’m not just worried about you; I’m concerned about the Swordsmanship Department. Do you think finding a new instructor will be an easy task if you get expelled?”

“You said they’d kick me out no matter what?”

“…”

Realizing she may have said something of the sort, Felicia closed her mouth. Philip suppressed the impulse to pull her protruding lips.

Accompanying Philip, Felicia arrived at the Joseph Trading Association and noticed a woman standing by the entrance.

She was adorned in a sleek red silk dress, with a scarf made of red fox fur.

She had seen that woman somewhere before.

‘Who is she…?’

It was Lisriel Joseph, the head of the Joseph Trading Association in Privia. She was a woman who donated enough gold coins each year to afford a mansion at the academy. Unless one held a position like the headmaster or a senior professor, catching a glimpse of her was a rarity.

“Oh, Sir Philip. You’ve arrived so quickly.”

Lisriel Joseph approached with a gleam in her eyes upon spotting Philip. 

Philip smiled warmly and placed his arm around her shoulder.

“Call me Sir Philip. Weren’t we supposed to become friends?”

“Get a grip, will you? Wasn’t that the agreement?”

Observing their interaction, Felicia felt her mind growing hazy, and she tightly shut her eyes.

———

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I Became a Crazy Swordsmanship Instructor in the Game