Chapter 43: The Otaku Starts a Training Arc (And the Town Starts Holding Its Breath)
The Otaku woke up to sunlight and bad news.
Not because someone told him.
Because the air felt… organized.
Southval's morning wasn't panicked, but it wasn't relaxed either. The kind of calm you got when everyone agreed, silently, not to talk about the thing that almost happened.
Meliodas lay there for a second, eyes open, listening.
Not with ears.
With {Hyperawareness}—the gentle, constant sense of a room's shape, its exits, its breathing.
Rem was on his shoulder.
Literally.
Her head was resting on him like she'd decided he was a pillow by royal decree.
She was asleep in that way warriors slept—still, controlled, ready to wake violent if needed. Her ears twitched once when a cart rumbled past outside.
Kaelen was already sitting up on his bed, staring at his sword like it was a math problem.
The mage sat in the corner again, hood down, pretending not to watch Meliodas too carefully.
Bud was curled in a warm little spiral near Meliodas's hip, palm-sized, light faint.
Not asleep.
Just… resting.
There was a difference.
Meliodas stared at the ceiling and let yesterday's system notices echo again in his mind.
Time differential.
Nine pillars.
Fairy King.
Bud being watched.
Him being noticed.
It should've made him feel powerful.
Instead it made him feel… seen.
He hated being seen by things that didn't blink.
A soft sound came from his shoulder.
Rem's voice, still half-asleep, mumbled into his shirt.
"You're thinking too loud."
Meliodas blinked. "I'm not making noise."
Rem's tail flicked lazily across his ribs. "You make a face when you're about to do something dumb."
Kaelen glanced at them, looked away immediately, and whispered to himself like a prayer.
"I will not comment. I will not comment. I will not—"
Meliodas sat up carefully so Rem wouldn't fall off.
Rem didn't move.
She adjusted like a cat, kept her head on him, and opened one eye.
"Training," she said. Not a question.
Meliodas exhaled. "Training."
Rem smiled—small, satisfied. "Good."
Kaelen's head snapped up, hope and dread mixing in his eyes. "Master… you really will?"
Meliodas looked at him.
Kaelen's hands were steady on the sword hilt, but his shoulders weren't. The boy was trying so hard to be what he thought Meliodas needed.
A student.
A weapon.
A prince worth keeping alive.
Meliodas didn't like that kind of pressure on a seventeen-year-old.
But he also didn't have the luxury of pretending it wasn't real.
"Yes," Meliodas said. "We start today."
Kaelen nodded too fast. "Yes, Master."
The mage shifted in the corner, voice cautious. "If you're training… in town… people will notice."
Meliodas didn't look at him. "Then we train where people don't watch."
Rem yawned—huge, shameless—then finally sat up properly, tail swishing.
"I know a place," she said, bright as if she hadn't nearly gotten her tavern eaten yesterday. "Old stone yard outside the east farms. Nobody goes there because the stones feel… weird."
Meliodas's eyes narrowed. "Weird how?"
Rem shrugged. "Like someone important once got mad there."
That sounded exactly like the kind of place Meliodas preferred.
He slid out of bed, adjusted his coat as {Dapper} quietly did its thing—clean lines, perfect fit, the subtle dignity of clothes that refused to admit their wearer was tired.
Rem stood too, rolling her shoulders.
Kaelen rose immediately.
The mage hesitated, then followed like he'd decided staying behind would be worse than going.
Bud climbed back onto Meliodas's shoulder, small and warm.
Meliodas scratched the back of Bud's neck once.
Bud didn't purr.
Bud simply radiated approval like a tiny emperor.
The east farms were already moving.
Not frantic.
Efficient.
Farm guards with spears walked the fence lines. Two archers were posted on a hay loft with the casual posture of men who'd been told, politely, that dying would be inconvenient.
Southval didn't survive by being brave.
It survived by being prepared.
Meliodas respected that.
They passed a group of children carrying water buckets, and {Adorable} immediately did what it always did—two kids stared, then whispered, then giggled like Meliodas was a rumor they could keep.
Rem smirked. "They like you."
"They don't know me," Meliodas muttered.
"They don't need to," Rem said cheerfully. "You have a face that makes people forget their survival instincts."
Kaelen looked like he wanted to defend his master and also wanted to agree. He chose silence.
The stone yard was exactly what Rem promised.
An old circular foundation half-swallowed by grass, broken pillars like teeth around the edge.
The stones did feel weird.
Not cursed.
Not wrong.
Just… heavy, like the air remembered something happened here.
Meliodas stepped into the center and let {Observation Haki} brush the space.
Nothing living nearby.
No hidden patrol.
No obvious watchers.
But—
He felt it faintly again.
That sensation of being watched through water.
Not close.
Not active.
Present.
He glanced down at Bud.
Bud's eyes were half-lidded, calm, unbothered.
Not fear.
Not even offense this time.
More like… Bud had accepted that important things were staring at him and decided they'd have to deal with his attitude.
Meliodas didn't love that.
But he could work with it.
He turned to Kaelen.
"Okay," Meliodas said. "Rule one."
Kaelen straightened. "Yes?"
"Stop trying to win."
Kaelen blinked. "I—what?"
Meliodas tapped Kaelen's forehead lightly with two fingers.
"You're treating training like you need to catch up to me."
Kaelen flinched as if caught.
Meliodas continued calmly.
"You don't. You need to be you—just sharper, faster, and harder to kill."
Kaelen swallowed. "I… understand."
Rem sat on a fallen pillar with her legs swinging, watching like she'd bought a ticket.
The mage stayed on the edge of the circle, arms folded, gaze unreadable.
Meliodas drew Moonsing.
The blade shifted smoothly—long enough to be a sword, not so massive it screamed "hero."
A breeze passed at that exact moment and, because {Smouldering} hated subtlety, it passed perfectly, ruffling his coat like the world was trying to make him look cool.
Kaelen stared.
Rem's ears twitched with amusement. "Your timing is unnatural."
Meliodas ignored them.
"Kaelen," he said. "Stance."
Kaelen stepped forward and set his feet like he'd been taught in royal drills.
It was good.
Technically correct.
Also rigid.
Meliodas circled him slowly.
"Your posture says you're afraid of being wrong," Meliodas said.
Kaelen stiffened. "I—"
Meliodas tapped Kaelen's shoulder. "Relax."
Kaelen tried.
It was the most awkward relaxation Meliodas had ever seen.
Rem laughed quietly.
Kaelen's ears—human ears—turned red.
Meliodas sighed. "Okay. Different method."
He sheathed Moonsing and raised his hands.
"Punch me," Meliodas said.
Kaelen froze. "Master—"
"Not full force," Meliodas added. "Just… commit."
Kaelen hesitated, then stepped in and threw a controlled punch.
Meliodas leaned aside easily.
Kaelen followed with a second strike—better. Still hesitant.
Meliodas moved with {Battle Prediction} guiding him, the world's little hints aligning into easy motion.
Kaelen's third punch came faster.
Meliodas blocked it with his forearm and felt the tension in Kaelen's body.
Not weakness.
Fear of consequence.
Fear of hurting.
Fear of failing.
Meliodas stepped in close.
"Kaelen," he said quietly, so only Kaelen heard. "If you hesitate in a real fight, someone else bleeds for your manners."
Kaelen's breath caught.
Then his eyes hardened.
He nodded once—small.
And the next strike came sharper.
Better.
Rem's tail flicked once, interest rising.
The mage's gaze narrowed, tracking every correction Meliodas made like he was collecting notes.
Meliodas didn't stop.
He pushed Kaelen through footwork drills, then through blade draws, then through controlled bursts of movement.
He didn't teach Kaelen power.
He taught Kaelen decision.
When Kaelen's breathing started to shake, Meliodas held up a hand.
"Stop," Meliodas said.
Kaelen froze instantly.
Meliodas pointed to Kaelen's chest.
"Breathe. Slow."
Kaelen obeyed.
"Again," Meliodas said. "Breathe. Slow."
Kaelen's shoulders dropped a fraction.
Good.
Then Meliodas did the most annoying thing he could.
He tossed Kaelen a small stone.
"Catch."
Kaelen caught it automatically.
Meliodas tossed another.
And another.
Faster.
Kaelen caught them, reflexes sharpening.
Then Meliodas snapped, "Duck."
Kaelen ducked.
A stone whistled overhead.
Kaelen's eyes widened.
Rem laughed openly now.
"You're bullying him."
"I'm training him," Meliodas replied flatly.
Kaelen straightened, breathing hard.
And then, quietly, he smiled.
Not big.
Not confident.
But real.
Like he'd just realized training didn't have to be punishment.
It could be… progress.
Meliodas saw it and felt something loosen in his chest.
He didn't say anything.
Saying things ruined moments.
Instead, he nodded once.
Kaelen nodded back like that meant everything.
They were halfway through the second set when the air changed.
Not predator-silence.
Not infernal wrongness.
Something more human.
Urgency.
Footsteps approached—fast, disciplined.
Two town guards appeared at the edge of the stone yard, breath tight.
They stopped when they saw Meliodas.
Their eyes went wide.
Not awe.
Dread.
The kind of dread people had when they realized they might be about to offend someone above their rank.
One guard swallowed and bowed slightly, awkward but sincere.
"Sir," he said. "We were told to find you."
Meliodas didn't like that sentence.
"By who?" Meliodas asked.
The guard hesitated, then forced it out.
"Guild captain. And… a traveling knight-commander. He arrived this morning with paperwork."
Kaelen went pale instantly.
Rem sat up straighter, ears snapping forward.
The mage's face tightened, pupils narrowing like he'd just seen fate line up a shot.
Meliodas kept his expression neutral, but his mind sharpened.
'Valmor.'
The guard continued, voice careful.
"He asked about a young man matching a description. Royal. Hooded. He says he's here under lawful authority."
Kaelen's hand drifted toward his sword without thinking.
Meliodas caught the movement with {Hyperawareness} and placed his own hand lightly over Kaelen's wrist.
Not force.
Control.
Kaelen froze.
Meliodas spoke calmly. "Where is he."
"Guild hall," the guard said. "He requested an audience with the captain… and you."
Rem's tail lashed once. "Bold."
The guard's eyes flicked to Rem, then away quickly like looking too long at her was also dangerous.
"We were also told," the second guard added, voice strained, "that you're… possibly tied to an Archmage."
Meliodas blinked.
Rem's eyes widened slightly, then narrowed with sudden delight.
Kaelen looked confused.
The mage went very still.
Meliodas kept his tone level. "Who thinks that."
The first guard swallowed. "People, sir."
Ah.
Rumors.
Southval's favorite currency.
The guard continued, dread deepening.
"They're scared," he admitted. "Not of you attacking us. Of… us offending you. If you're truly an heir or disciple—"
He didn't finish.
He didn't need to.
Everyone in this world understood what an Archmage meant.
A human disaster with papers.
Rem's voice turned light, but her eyes were sharp. "So they're trying to be polite to the walking catastrophe."
Meliodas sighed. "I'm not a catastrophe."
Rem tilted her head. "Yet."
Kaelen whispered, "Master… what do we do?"
Meliodas looked at Kaelen.
This was the moment.
This was where a prince became baggage or became a partner.
Meliodas spoke quietly.
"You breathe. You stay behind me. And you watch."
Kaelen nodded.
Rem stood, cracking her knuckles as her gauntlets caught the light.
The mage remained still, but his eyes were bright with calculation.
Meliodas turned toward the direction of town.
"Let's go," he said.
They started walking.
And halfway back—because the world enjoyed timing—wind shifted across the fields.
Far beyond the ridge, deep in the forest, something heavy acknowledged them.
Not a roar.
Not movement.
A pressure.
Like golden eyes opening and focusing.
Meliodas felt it, and his nerves didn't spike.
He didn't fear it.
He noted it.
Then he made a decision.
A controlled one.
He raised a hand.
And formed a miniature sun.
Not huge.
Not screaming.
Just… two.
One above his palm.
Then another beside it, perfectly balanced.
Twin lights.
Compact and contained.
They didn't scorch the air.
They didn't blind the guards.
They simply existed with undeniable certainty.
Rem stopped mid-step, staring.
Kaelen's breath caught.
The guards froze like their souls had briefly left their bodies.
Even the mage's eyes widened, hunger and fear twisting together.
Meliodas kept his face calm.
He wasn't showing off.
He was sending a message.
A deterrence.
Not to humans.
To the forest.
To the watcher beyond the ridge.
And for one heartbeat—
far away—
the draconic pressure flinched.
Not retreat.
Not fear.
A predator's involuntary pause when it realizes the prey just looked back.
Meliodas felt it happen through {Observation Haki} like a ripple in the air.
He dismissed both suns instantly, before anyone could start calling him a saint.
The guards stared at him like he'd just rewritten their childhood stories.
Rem's voice came out soft, almost reverent—almost.
"Yeah," she murmured. "They're going to worship you by accident."
Meliodas exhaled slowly.
Kaelen stared at him like a boy looking at the sky.
The mage stared at him like a man weighing betrayal.
Meliodas walked on.
Because none of that mattered as much as the next thing.
Valmor.
The man hunting the prince.
The man who would look at Meliodas and decide whether he was a threat, an ally, or a mistake.
And Southval—clean, careful Southval—was already afraid of choosing wrong.
By the time the guild hall came into view, the town felt like it was holding its breath.
The building wasn't grand, but it was sturdy—stone, timber, banners with the simple mark of the guild.
A few adventurers lingered outside, watching.
Not curious watching.
Wary watching.
Inside, Meliodas could already feel it:
A strong presence.
Disciplined.
Controlled.
Human.
The kind of human who survived long enough to become dangerous.
Kaelen's shoulders tightened.
Rem stepped closer, brushing her shoulder against Meliodas's arm like she was reminding him she existed.
Bud shifted on Meliodas's shoulder, eyes narrowed.
Not afraid.
Just… ready to judge.
Meliodas stepped through the doors.
And the room went quiet.
Not because he demanded it.
Because {Smouldering} and {Rule of Cool} apparently decided this was a scene.
Even the sunlight through the high windows hit him at a flattering angle.
Meliodas hated that it worked.
At the far end of the hall, the guild captain stood with a man in travel armor.
The man turned.
And his gaze locked onto Kaelen instantly.
Then onto Meliodas.
Then—sharp, assessing—back to Kaelen.
The captain cleared his throat like he regretted existing.
"Meliodas," he said carefully. "This is Commander Valmor."
Valmor's expression didn't change.
But his eyes tightened.
Like he could sense a storm and was deciding whether to walk into it.
He took one step forward.
Not aggressive.
Formal.
Controlled.
Then he spoke, voice calm and cold as a drawn blade.
"You," he said to Meliodas.
"Everyone keeps doing that," Meliodas replied mildly.
A few adventurers near the wall made strangled sounds, unsure if that was bravery or suicide.
Valmor's gaze sharpened.
He didn't smile.
But something like caution appeared behind his eyes.
"You're the one they're calling an Archmage's heir," Valmor said.
The room held its breath harder.
Kaelen went very still.
Rem's ears flicked, amused.
The mage's eyes glinted—dangerous.
Meliodas didn't deny it.
He didn't confirm it either.
He simply asked, calmly:
"And if I was?"
Valmor's jaw tightened a fraction.
For the first time, a real emotion leaked through his discipline.
Dread.
Not fear of dying.
Fear of consequence.
Because making an enemy of an Archmage wasn't "danger."
It was "regret forever."
Valmor swallowed once, controlled.
Then he did something that surprised the room.
He bowed his head slightly.
Not submission.
Respect.
Caution.
"Then I apologize," Valmor said carefully, "for any inconvenience my duty causes."
Kaelen's eyes widened.
Rem's lips curved.
The captain looked like he wanted to faint from relief.
Meliodas felt the tension in the room twist into something new.
A path opening.
A chance.
He could use this.
He could protect Kaelen with rumor instead of flame.
He hated it.
But he could.
Meliodas's voice stayed calm.
"State your duty."
Valmor's eyes slid to Kaelen again, and the dread in his face hardened into purpose.
"I am here to retrieve Prince Kaelen," Valmor said. "Alive."
The room went colder.
Kaelen's breath hitched.
Rem's hand flexed on her gauntlet.
Bud's light sharpened.
Meliodas didn't move.
He just looked at Kaelen once, quietly.
Not a command.
A reminder:
Watch.
Kaelen swallowed, then nodded.
Meliodas turned back to Valmor.
And for a moment, very softly, Meliodas thought:
'Okay.'
'Now we train for real.'
---
[END OF CHAPTER 43]