The Villainous Disciple is Hiding His Power
Yusra
흑막 제자가 힘을 숨김 Jul 02, 2026 46 views
Chapter 14
“The Hidden Disciple Hides His Power”
“………………I’m sorry. For giving you the annulment papers without even asking what you wanted. I thought I was doing it for your sake, but I was wrong.”
She wanted to apologize in her true appearance at least once, so she removed her disguise.
It was difficult to know where to even begin, but feeling how sincerely Eain was worried about her safety made the words spill out naturally.
The guilt that had been pricking at her heart finally loosened her tongue.
“…Then does that mean you don’t dislike me?”
“That’s ridiculous. How could I ever dislike you?”
The familiar warmth from his embrace calmed her heart.
Looking at it now, this was probably his deadliest attack.
It made people reveal everything they truly felt.
This definitely hadn’t been part of the plan.
“That’s a relief. I’m glad I was stubborn. I never imagined you’d come this far for my sake.”
His voice, genuinely touched, flowed lazily into her ears, making them strangely ticklish.
Then again, Sierra rarely visited House Haver.
According to her memories, she had only come once or twice as a child.
‘It’s true she was too sick to visit often, but there also wasn’t much here that Sierra would enjoy…’
Sierra never learned swordsmanship, so the vast training grounds praised by knights and the excellent practice facilities never interested her.
There were also many famous thoroughbred horses in the stables, but Sierra’s weak body had prevented her from learning horseback riding.
‘I can’t ride horses either, so I guess we’re alike in that way. Though in my case, I just preferred flying or teleporting instead!’
More importantly, Sierra had considered Eain visiting her to be natural.
To put it simply, she had treated him less like a fiancé and more like a possession.
Unfortunately, Eain understood that better than anyone.
He simply never complained about it.
“Please take my hand, Lady Sierra.”
Smiling warmly, Eain carefully helped her stand before thoroughly checking once more for injuries. Only then did he release her hand.
At least everything ended well.
Originally, she had planned to apologize after improving Eain’s mood through the sparring match and arranging another meeting.
But somehow, everything had been resolved at once.
“By the way, Lady Sierra. When, and from whom, did you learn swordsmanship? Your style feels very different from conventional techniques.”
…There it was.
This was exactly why she had tried not to get caught.
“Ah, well…”
Of course it was different.
Her swordsmanship had been created for killing from the very beginning.
It was closer to heresy than orthodoxy.
A brutal style focused entirely on real combat—cheap tricks, ambushes, dirty tactics, without even a trace of knightly honor.
‘It’s the reason I survived.’
Even though she had intentionally hidden parts of her true skill to avoid suspicion, Eain seemed to have seen through everything.
He called it “different,” but it was obvious he meant abnormal.
‘Trying to lie about swordsmanship in front of the youngest Sword Master in history is probably meaningless…’
What explanation would he accept?
After briefly thinking, she decided to use the excuse she had prepared beforehand just in case.
“I sometimes watched imperial knights sparring while taking walks. I secretly tried copying them on my own, and somehow… I guess I learned incorrectly. Haha…”
She gave a casual laugh meant to brush it aside.
But Eain did not laugh with her.
Instead, his expression grew even more serious, making it impossible for her to continue smiling.
Damn it. Didn’t work? I thought that smile was pretty convincing.
“Your swordsmanship, Lady Sierra, is closer to practical combat than sparring.
More specifically… it resembles the crude killing techniques used by assassins or bandits.
Your physical strength cannot fully support it, but the techniques themselves are comparable to those of experienced battlefield knights.”
………………That was an insult, wasn’t it?
Definitely an insult.
‘But he analyzed it so accurately that I can’t even feel offended.’
None of his observations were wrong.
No wonder he was the Empire’s strongest swordsman.
To see through the roots of her techniques after barely ten minutes of sparring…
Still, what was she supposed to do now?
How could Eain possibly accept that a frail imperial princess who spent her life bedridden knew murderous combat techniques like these?
She had run out of excuses.
Just as she wondered whether she might need to resort to memory-altering magic—
Eain carefully spoke again.
“If… you have an interest in swordsmanship, would you like to learn from me? If your style leaned slightly more toward orthodox techniques, I believe you could create a truly unique sword style of your own.”
A style of my own…
That was completely unexpected.
She had assumed he would tell her never to touch a sword again because it was dangerous.
‘Honestly, ever since my days as Lesha, I wanted to properly learn swordsmanship.’
Mages were vulnerable in close combat, and if their mana was sealed, they became helpless.
That was why self-defense swordsmanship was practically mandatory.
But because she had so many enemies, she never had the luxury of learning properly.
As a result, she had inevitably developed a sly, survival-focused style instead.
There was a limit to surviving through tricks alone, so she had always wanted to learn proper swordsmanship someday.
And now Eain was offering to teach her first.
“…Are you serious?”
“Yes. Though before that, you’ll need physical training.”
“Huh?”
“You’re trembling.”
Quite a lot, actually.
Smiling faintly, Eain pointed toward her legs.
Looking down, she saw them shaking like paper.
Good grief.
‘Looks like the enhancement potion’s duration already ended…’
The strength boosts stacked, but the duration did not.
That made the effective time very short.
Combined with the extreme mental strain, the effects must have worn off even faster.
“Lady Sierra. I’ll escort you back to the palace.”
“Ah, no. I already came here without permission—I can’t possibly trouble you further—”
“There is no greater discourtesy to me than sending you back alone. So…”
Suddenly, her body lifted into the air.
Before she could even respond, her dangling feet helplessly kicked at empty space.
“Please cooperate.”
Carrying her effortlessly in his arms, Eain felt surprisingly large.
In Sierra’s memories, Eain had once been a small, pale boy resembling a squirrel.
“…When did you get so big?”
Naturally, her arm stretched out.
And her hand moved.
Her fingers slid through his soft golden hair, the pleasant texture lingering against her touch.
Before she realized it, she was roughly patting Eain’s head without thinking—
Like petting a large dog.
“………………L-Lady Sierra.”
Eain abruptly froze in place, stiffening awkwardly.
“Huh? Ah, sorry. You suddenly looked so grown up today.”
Quickly withdrawing her hand, she saw Eain let out a small cough and subtly turn his head away.
The tips of his pale ears had turned bright red.
“The same goes for you, Lady Sierra.”
“Really?”
“Yes. You’ve grown quite a bit since I last saw you.”
He had said he returned from subjugation after half a year away, so it truly had been a long time.
And at their age, physical changes were noticeable.
“I guess it’s because I’ve been eating well lately. Though the chef’s vegetable soup still tastes awful.”
“…On that point, I agree. It seems the chef hasn’t improved.”
When she pouted slightly, Eain smiled softly and nodded.
In Sierra’s memories, Eain had often eaten the vegetable soup she hated on her behalf.
Even though he disliked it too, he quietly ate it whenever Sierra looked miserable.
Afterward, he always brought her another meal somehow so she wouldn’t skip eating entirely.
‘But if all of that was fake… if it was merely an obligation forced on him as a fiancé… could that really be true?’
The Eain described in the original story and the Eain she had personally met felt somewhat different.
At least, the Eain before her now did not seem like someone reluctantly fulfilling an unwanted duty.
