Clang!
In a moment of life and death, Ghislain blocked the bandit leader's sword with his staff.
Ghislain glanced at Yulian, who was hesitating, and smirked.
"You can't let your guard down until it's over. Don't forget that."
Yulian instinctively nodded.
"Y-yeah."
"It's fine. Later on, you'll be super composed. The kind of guy who doesn't let his guard down even for a second."
"M-me?"
"Of course. Probably?"
Though he looked the same, everything else about him was different... Ghislain thought the hero standing before him seemed to have reincarnated as Yulian in this reality.
Yulian simply assumed he would grow into that kind of person in the future. After all, Ghislain had said he came from the future.
He just didn't know that the future was a thousand years ahead.
"You bastard!"
The bandit leader swung his sword in anger at Ghislain, who casually dodged and continued speaking.
"Everyone, watch carefully how I fight from now on."
Thwack!
Ghislain struck the bandit leader's knee with his staff, causing him to stagger backward.
Ghislain quickly followed up, swinging his staff again and again, striking the bandit leader's body in multiple places.
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
"Every weapon has its own handling methods, but the fundamentals are the same no matter what kind of weapon it is."
The bandit leader's body swayed violently. Ghislain didn't stop, continuing to teach the three companions.
"A weapon isn't just a tool. It's an extension of your body, a part of you."
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
"Ugh, argh, s-stop…!"
The bandit leader had already lost his weapon and was just taking the hits. He wanted to collapse, but strangely, he couldn't fall.
The three companions watched intently, determined not to miss a single moment of Ghislain's movements, listening closely to his words.
"The true art of wielding a weapon isn't just about how you move it, but about feeling 'oneness' with it. Knowing the weapon, breathing with it, and complementing each other as you move."
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
The staff moved like a whip, slithering over the opponent's body and striking like a snake.
It was truly a bizarre technique. The three were mesmerized as they watched.
"As if it were part of your body. You have to feel the weight, balance, and vibrations of the weapon with your senses."
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
By now, the bandit leader had lost consciousness, but he still hadn't fallen and continued to take hits.
Whenever he tried to collapse, the staff would strike and prop him back up. To the three, it was an unbelievable sight.
"When you understand the weapon's properties and synchronize with it, at some point, the boundary between it and your body disappears. It's no longer just an object, but a part of you."
Thwack!
With a loud crack, the bandit leader's head was struck, and his body finally fell to the ground.
Ghislain withdrew his staff and smiled faintly.
"That's what it means to truly handle a weapon. Got it?"
The three nodded vigorously. They couldn't master it immediately, but they understood the concept.
Seeing it in practice gave them some insight.
"A-amazing."
"How can you move like that?"
"Teach me too!"
At their words, Ghislain closed his eyes and nodded.
"I like your enthusiasm. This is how you learn, step by step. So, what do you think? Ambushing enemies doesn't seem so bad, right?"
The three hesitated but then gave slight nods. They weren't sure about it yet, but at least they'd won. Although Ghislain did most of the work.
Yulian looked down at his trembling hands. It definitely felt different from how he had fought before.
He'd always been cautious, but this time he'd unleashed everything in one go.
'Is this... an ambush...?'
Not at all. Yulian completely misunderstood.
The battle was clearly over, and the three of them collapsed onto the ground, exhausted from the tension and effort.
Ghislain watched them rest, lost in thought.
'Something's off. They definitely have talent, but...'
Over the past few days, Ghislain had observed their techniques and mana training methods.
According to them, they learned these skills thanks to Astion's mysterious abilities.
The souls that possessed Astion's body couldn't stay long, so they only shared the knowledge they had before leaving.
It was up to the four of them to figure out what they'd learned, refine it, and practice.
'It's impressive they learned this much on their own, but...'
Those with innate talent could figure things out even without a teacher. They had experimented, debated, and tested techniques to learn them.
It could be called sheer luck—villagers like them rarely had the opportunity to acquire such skills.
But Ghislain still saw it as far from enough. At their current level, reaching the heights he had seen in his visions was impossible.
'These aren't the techniques or mana training methods the hero's party originally used.'
Ghislain knew their original techniques and how to improve them.
That's why he thought it was fortunate to meet them and planned to help them grow quickly using his knowledge.
But they were using completely different and much weaker techniques and mana methods.
That's why Ghislain felt something was strange.
'Did they encounter a different opportunity? With their current methods, their limit is just reaching the level of a superhuman at best…'
Surviving countless battles and gaining enlightenment could push them beyond that, but techniques don't just appear out of nowhere.
They'd need either inspiration to create something new or an exceptional spirit possessing Astion to teach them.
'I can't tell which it is yet.'
Up until now, Ghislain had only pointed out mistakes and bad habits, focusing on building their real combat experience.
Since the future was set, he figured they would eventually grow stronger even without his interference.
But after this battle, he was certain.
At their current level, fast growth wasn't possible.
After a brief moment of hesitation, Ghislain made up his mind.
'They'll learn it anyway, so why not teach them faster?'
Initially, he had planned to let them develop slowly while focusing on practical experience. After all, he was confident they would grow strong eventually.
But now, Ghislain decided it was time to step in directly.
Ghislain decided to change their swordsmanship and mana training methods immediately, feeling frustrated by how different their techniques were from what he knew.
"Alright, from now on, I'll teach you a new mana training method and techniques. Let's take a short break and then gain more combat experience."
Once he made his decision, he had no intention of holding back.
The easier the training, the slower their growth would be. He needed to push them even harder than before.
'I should make sure they fail another ambush next time.'
Ghislain had intentionally held back in this fight to push the three to their limits. He planned to continue doing so.
The three nodded, feeling a mix of excitement and apprehension.
They had already been amazed several times by Ghislain's vast knowledge and exceptional skills. But at this rate, they weren't sure if they'd survive long enough to reap the rewards.
'But we can't say no.'
'If we refuse, that staff might come flying at us.'
'He's weird. Totally different from other souls. Way too proactive and intense.'
That was all they could grumble about internally.
After resting for a bit, they explored the bandits' hideout and found the storage building.
When the three checked inside, their jaws dropped.
"W-wow…"
"There's so much!"
"Is this... is this all ours?"
Even though it was a small territory, the bandit gang was strong enough to make the local lord compromise. The storage was overflowing with treasure.
Besides gold and jewels, there were also food supplies, leather, herbs, and other valuable or practical items.
With all this, they could live comfortably wherever they went for the rest of their lives.
"Can we really take all this?"
Kyle asked nervously, feeling like this kind of wealth was something only lords or high-ranking nobles could possess.
Yulian and Deneb swallowed nervously as well. The three, who had grown up in a rural village, had never seen this much treasure before.
But someone broke the mood.
"Ugh? Is this it? What a bunch of beggars. All that noise, and they barely have anything worth eating."
"......."
The standards were completely different. To see this much treasure and still be disappointed?
The three glanced at Ghislain and wondered.
'Just how rich was he?'
'He must have had a mansion. Probably with a big garden too.'
'Maybe he had enough money to live idly for ten years.'
Coming from the countryside, that was the extent of their imaginations.
Ghislain was disappointed, but objectively, the treasure was too much for just the four of them to carry. Even stuffing their old backpacks to the brim, there was still plenty left.
Ghislain scanned the room and said, "Let's bury it around here and come back for it later."
They could recover it once they had a base or enough resources. During his mercenary days, this was how he handled leftover supplies.
Kyle nodded, but Yulian voiced a different opinion.
"Let's share it."
"What?"
"This stuff was stolen from the nearby villages, right? We've taken enough for ourselves, so let's give the rest to the villages."
Deneb agreed.
"Yeah, we've already taken enough to live comfortably for a few months. We can't carry the rest anyway, so it's better to share."
Kyle exploded at their words.
"Are you kidding me? How long are you going to act like this? Do you think we're rich? We're in debt! Even if we take everything here, we'll just barely be able to pay it off and live comfortably!"
Kyle was about to lose his mind. Yulian and Deneb were always like this, eager to give away things instead of keeping them.
Sure, Deneb was a priestess, so it made some sense. But Yulian, who was the poorest among them and the one with the most debt, was saying this?
"Wake up! We're in debt! Don't you realize the merchant guild is tracking us?"
Whenever they entered a city with a major guild or mercenary group, they had to report their location. That was the deal they made with the merchants.
If they went missing for too long, the guild would assume they had run away and take action.
But despite Kyle's protests, Yulian shook his head.
"This isn't ours."
"It's ours because we took it fair and square!"
"These things originally belonged to someone else. What we took is enough for our efforts."
Yulian glanced nervously at Ghislain. After all, it was Ghislain who had done most of the fighting.
His approval was necessary.
"...What do you think?"
Ghislain, who had been watching the debate like a spectator, paused to think.
If it were anyone else, he would've told them to shut up and taken everything. Maybe even slapped them for good measure.
Handing out money wouldn't change people's lives. To truly help, he believed in fixing the roots of the problem. That's how he'd always done things.
'This is a bit tricky.'
Teaching them how to fight was one thing, but changing their values and mindset was another.
Changing them wouldn't be hard. Even if they resisted, repeated drills and lessons would eventually make it stick.
But he wasn't sure if forcing that change was the right thing to do.
'Hmm, what's the best course here?'
He didn't want to alter Yulian and Deneb's personalities. After all, they became a hero and a saint for a reason—their character likely played a big part in it.
Since he hadn't been in this era for long, Ghislain decided to observe them a little longer.
'For now, this is fine.'
Unlike in his previous timeline, where saving the territory was his clear goal, his main purpose this time was gathering information to fight the real enemy.
That meant he had to stay more like a bystander, even if he intervened occasionally.
"Alright, let's do it Yulian's way this time."
Yulian and Deneb beamed, while Kyle stomped the ground in frustration.
"Argh! We could've paid off our debt and lived somewhere quiet with that money!"
A sparrow-sized creature named Dark, who had been watching Kyle grumble, spoke up.
"I agree with you. Those two must've hit their heads hard when they were kids. Otherwise, this doesn't make sense."
"I think so too."
"But people like them are why others can make money."
"You're right. I didn't expect us to agree on something."
"Don't get too friendly. Back where I came from, you wouldn't even be allowed to look me in the eye."
"......."
Kyle assumed Dark must've been some sort of noble bird. Still, having the tiny creature on his side made him feel a bit better.
The group quickly packed up their belongings and headed to the nearby village to distribute the treasure.
However, instead of celebrating, the villagers eyed them suspiciously when they heard the bandits had been defeated.
[T/L: I need your support, dear readers. I will give discount to all those who will buy the rest of the chapters all together, so please support me the reader on my webnovel platform and read ahead chapters on my ko-fi page "RevengerScans" : https://ko-fi.com/revengerscans ]