#815 A Crazy Teacher and Student

Good work, everyone. It’s me again.

This year’s Orkubo’s Castle has wrapped up without a hitch.

As this event ends, I can’t help but feel the year itself is ending. It's kind of like Christmastime, maybe?

Since winter is off-season for farming, we, who manage a farm, have a lot of time on our hands. 

Hence, we throw events like Orkubo’s Castle to keep ourselves entertained.

...But really, wouldn’t it be just fine to fully enjoy our free time?

That’s what I thought, so these past few days, I planned to laze around with determined slothfulness after hosting Orkubo’s Castle.

I thought it’d be nice to snuggle up under a kotatsu... when suddenly, I stumbled upon a bizarre scene.

***

“Sensei! I’m ready for the next step!”

“Hohoho... Well then, perhaps we shall increase the tempo a bit.”

...

I saw something unbelievable.

Or rather, an unbelievable pairing.

As our farm has grown, it’s become harder for everyone to know one another.

Some strangers remain strangers to others quite permanently.

In that manner, there are pairs I’ve never seen exchange a conversation. Yet, here they are, engaging in a chat, and the sheer improbability of it shocks me.

Sensei, the Lifeless King, and Letasreit.

What on earth are those two up to?

They’re fiddling around in an empty lot at the edge of the farm.

I can’t even begin to imagine what they’re doing.

Because, in my mind, they’re an inconceivable pairing.

A king of immortality & a princess of a fallen nation.

They have hardly had anything to do with each other despite living on the same farm. They’re practically non-entities to one another, or so I thought.

When did they even find a common ground?

The idle curiosity of winter compels me, and I find myself drawn to them as if lured by some force.

What are they doing?

“Alright, Little Letas, shall we raise the difficulty a bit?”

“Yes, Sensei!”

“Put on this blindfold.”

“Yes!”

“And these earplugs.”

“Yes!”

“Cover your tongue as well.”

“Yes!”

“And bind your hands and feet.”

“Yes!”

Seriously, what are they doing?!

Letasreit is being rolled around, nearly all senses sealed and restrained on Sensei’s command—is this some sort of risky game?!

“With this, you cannot move or sense much. In this state, I, a Lifeless King, will unleash 1600 fireballs by magic within ten seconds.”

“Yes!”

“Try to dodge them all.”

“Yes!”

Stop with the “Yes, yes,” Letasreit! What are you, a yes-man?!

Plus, 1600 in ten seconds—isn’t that faster than a machine gun?! And each one’s force is beyond comparison!

Is this a Lifeless King in serious mode?!

Any human hit by this would be reduced to ash with no speck left!

Am I about to witness Letasreit vanishing from the face of the earth?!

“Haahh! Hoihoihoihoihoihoihoihoi! Hohohohohohohohohohohohohohoiiiiiiii!!!”

But none of that happened.

The rascal Letasreit dodged what seemed to be Kafrizzle-level fireballs with absolute ease and grace!

And all the while blindfolded and with earplugs in?

How in the world is she sensing the danger?!

With hands and feet tied, her only means of evasion was flopping about like a fish.

And as she did, the fiery onslaught ended, and stillness returned.

The ground around Letasreit is cratered and scorched. It’s a tragic sight.

Had it rained down upon a city, it would’ve been erased without a trace.

“Mm, well done. By not being ensnared by senses such as sight and sound and accepting the moment as is, you’ve made yourself ‘empty.’ Flexible like a willow, able to deflect any malice... You have mastered the essence.”

“It’s all thanks to your teachings, Sensei!”

With a casual flick of Sensei’s fingers, the scorched earth that was cratered disappeared like an illusion, returning to the serene meadow it once was.

Perhaps the most frightening one here is Sensei, after all.

“Without relying on sight or hearing, a new sense that perceives all phenomena... A sixth sense to stand alongside vision, hearing, smell, taste, and touch... I have awakened the Heavenly Bean Sense!!!”

“Indeed, Little Letas. Now, you can detect danger when killing intent or hostility is expressed and handle it preemptively. You have come one step closer to the pinnacle of martial arts.”

“No, it’s the pinnacle of beans! The path of the beans is not built in a day! He who controls beans controls the world!!!” 

Well, after witnessing the exchanges thus far, I’m only getting more bewildered by the minute.

I mean, since when did Letasreit rack up so many power-up events here?

If this farm’s top powerhouse gets its hands on secret techniques as well, won’t it become unmanageable?

“Oh, it’s you, Saint.”

“Please forgive the unsightly scene you just witnessed, Lord Saint...!” 

Letasreit and Sensei noticed me peeking in.

But there’s no need for such formalities towards me. If anything, I’m the one being rude for spying without permission...

More importantly, a question I’ve been meaning to ask has been on my mind.

I want to know what they’re doing.

I’m curious as to what kind of training this is.

“Kuufufufu...! I see it has piqued your interest as well, Saint... Let’s see, this is... Yeah! This is the step that I, Letasreit, am taking to create the world’s strongest beans!”

I’m still lost even after listening to her explanation.

“To make the world’s strongest beans, I must be the strongest creator! Therefore, I sought teachings from Sensei. I’ve been all about power until now, but now that I’ve acquired techniques, I’ve become the perfect bean-being!”

“That’s not quite right,” Sensei interjects softly yet firmly. “The skills and magic I impart to students at Farm School are meant for the living. For someone like me who’s dead, it’s often hard to gauge the right degree. Hence, I’ve had Letas here learn it first to test the waters.”

Ah.

Letasreit is robust, after all. She’s like the crash test dummy you’d strap into a car for a safety demonstration.

Sensei, somehow settled into the position akin to Farm School’s headmaster, is enthusiastic about education.

For such a dedicated teacher, a rehearsal lesson is probably no hassle at all.

“But... doesn’t that mean Letasreit’s getting powered up carelessly...?!” 

“Oh, come on, Saint. Are you suggesting that I might use my newfound power for evil? Don’t be ridiculous. I only wield my power for justice and beans!”

But would you not commit the most heinous acts for the sake of beans?

I know you would.

“As for that, Little Letas is an excellent experimental partner and apprentice. I find myself, carried away by excitement, teaching more than I originally planned to... Now, Letas.”

“What is it, Sensei?!”

“Since we’re at it, why don’t we show Lord Saint your newfound secret technique?”

“Understood, Sense!”

What is this?

I’m scared to see but also strangely drawn to the spectacle.

“Then, hmmmmmmmgh...!”

With Sensei’s chant, a very distinct and tangible object appears from the void. It’s a massive rock...

Or is it an unrefined chunk of metal?

“This is mana metal, created by condensing my mana. Try breaking it with your bare hands, Letas.”

“Right away, Sensei!”

Is he serious?

Sensei is asking for the impossible again. Mana metal is known to be incredibly hard, equivalent to orichalcum in this world, isn’t it?

And he’s asking Letasreit, a princess of sorts, to smash it with her fists.

Well, with Letasreit’s current not-so-typical princess powers, she might just manage, but that’s beside the point.

“Okay, Sensei, here I go!”

“Mm.”

Letasreit says “here I go,” but instead of raising her fist, she simply presses her palm against the mana metal.

“...”

Silence. Not even the slightest movement...

“...Watah!”

And then, with a battle cry, a resounding crash is heard, and the mana metal crumbles to dust.

All that with a simple touch of her palms?!

“This is the ultimate destructive technique Sensei taught me! The Bean Soak Force!” 

“The secret art of channeling mana circulating within one’s body into the target, causing internal destruction! You’ve mastered it well, Letas! Your sharpness is as unparalleled as ever!” 

Hold on a second.

This technique shatters the toughest material on earth—mana metal—like it’s nothing. Isn’t that just a lethal move in itself? 

It’s practically a one-way ticket to becoming the strongest in the world!

“A student as quick to learn as Letas makes teaching a rewarding endeavor. Even at my age, nothing brings more joy than witnessing the growth of the young.”

“Thank you, Sensei.”

“Now, I find myself wanting to test the fruits of my educational labor a bit more.”

It’s as if teaching is Sensei’s will to live.

He’s undead, though.

What does he think when faced with an exceptional student like Letasreut?

“Why not have a match with me, Little Letas? Come at me with all you’ve got.”