Last updated: Jan 17, 2026, 11:05 p.m.
View Original Source →The manga adaptation has officially launched!
The art is being handled by Oda Douma-sensei 😚.
You can read it on Niconico and Kadokomi, so please go check it out. I’ve posted the link to the official X account in my Status Report, so you can head over from there!
Additionally, I’m releasing a special, support-exclusive short story. In terms of the timeline, this takes place shortly after the events with Tucker.
Just before Summer Vacation (Estarm) came to an end, Teacher Milk returned from her hometown.
I was beyond happy to see her, but since it was so soon after Tucker’s death, my feelings were... complicated.
The Flash (Time Lapse) was his memento, but I had essentially snatched it away by force after seeing it. Is using this really a way to honor his memory? Or am I just the same piece of trash I’ve always been?
"—You’re hesitating."
We were sparring for the first time in ages, and Teacher Milk saw right through me under the moonlight. As far as I was concerned, my swordplay and magic hadn't changed a bit. But...
"…What makes you say that?" I asked.
"Physical condition, state of mind, the past, the future—all of it is carried within your blade and your magic. —The 'you' from before was stronger."
I didn't know how to respond. For some reason, I always ended up dropping my guard and acting like my true self whenever I was around Teacher Milk.
I’d spent the last few days unable to keep any food down. And because of that—
Gurgle.
"—Guh. ……Ah, wait, no, that was—!?"
"We’re going," she interrupted.
"Eh? Going where!?"
"There’s only one place to go when you’re hungry in the middle of the night."
"……One place?"
Pyururururu, pyururururu.
I couldn't believe it. Teacher Milk and I spent several hours traveling on horseback until we reached a certain town. Seriously, was there a town like this in the Original Story?
……And what’s with that stall?
"That’s the one. Follow me."
"Ye-yes, ma'am."
The character Weiss Fancent was a high-ranking noble. Normally, someone of my status wouldn't be caught dead at a street stall, but Teacher Milk didn't care about any of that. In a way, her bluntness was comfortable.
The stall was… well, it was completely Allen.
I pushed aside the fabric that looked like a noren curtain to find a somber-looking middle-aged man draining the water from thin noodles with a practiced flick of his wrist. A pot of soup simmered and bubbled nearby.
"Hm—oh, if it isn't Milk."
"You’re still alive, I see."
"Heh, likewise. —Wait, don’t tell me you finally had a kid?"
"He’s my employer, a noble lord. Watch your mouth."
"……Se-seriously?"
I told him there was no need for formalities. The man looked like a veteran warrior who had survived a hundred battlefields, but he seemed personable enough.
"Two bowls. Make 'em good."
"Coming right up!"
The smell was incredible. It was just like that Allen—the kind of food that tastes best in the dead of night. The kind of meal where you get a rush of sinful satisfaction by slurping the noodles and gulping down the broth. To think this existed in Noblesse, too.
"Weiss, are you troubled by something?"
"……Perhaps I am."
She had me completely figured out. But I had no intention of talking about Tucker. I wasn't ready to put those feelings into words yet. Teacher Milk seemed to sense my reluctance, because she didn't push.
Instead, she said, "People die."
"Eh?"
She spoke while looking straight ahead. The man behind the counter was moving busily.
"When I was a knight, people died almost every day. New recruits, veterans, old soldiers, commoners, mages—death is the great equalizer. It comes for everyone."
"…………"
It felt as though she was seeing through my very soul. I listened in silence as she continued.
"After so many days of that, I stopped asking for people’s names. Do you know why?"
"Because… you didn't want to know them?"
Teacher Milk’s eyes looked sadder than I had ever seen them.
"The past, the future, what that person wanted to achieve… the more I heard, the deeper they stayed in my heart. Ignorance is easy. It’s easier to handle if you don't know who the person dying next to you really is. But one day, I changed my mind. I had to, because someone precious to me died."
"……Someone precious……"
In the Original Story, Teacher Milk never spoke of her past. She probably never wanted to. But here she was, opening up… for my sake.
"After the war ended, I fulfilled that person's final wish. And I realized then… 'Ah, this was for the best.' —Weiss, I don’t know what’s weighing on your mind. But the dead don’t talk. Whatever you feel is the only truth that matters. Treasure those feelings."
The words hit me like a physical blow to the head.
I had been agonizing over whether I had the right to use Time Lapse. Weiss Fancent was trash, but I feared my actions were worse—that I was effectively spitting on the dead by taking his power.
But that wasn't it. In the end, I was the one who had to decide. What I did with that power was up to me. And at the very end, Tucker had said it himself.
『—Thank you, Weiss Fancent.』
……Sorry, Tucker. I might be a piece of trash. But I’m going to use your Flash.
—You’ll forgive me, right?
"Here ya go! Two bowls, meat and veggies piled high!"
Right on cue, two bowls of thin noodles submerged in delicious-looking soup were slammed down in front of us, the toppings stacked into a mountain. The scent alone made my mouth water.
"Once your stomach is full, you won’t have the energy to overthink things. If you’re troubled, eat. Then fight. That’s the best way to live."
"Heh. Milk, you haven't changed a bit."
"Shut up. Stop talking and get back to your prep work."
"Yes, yes, boss."
The rapport between the two of them reminded me of how Zebis talked. I steeled my resolve, cut through my lingering hesitation, and began to vigorously slurp the noodles.
The flavor was rich, fatty, and heavy.
—It was delicious.
As expected of the world of Noblesse.
After we finished, I went alone to retrieve our horses. Even though I was technically the one with the higher status, I figured I should at least do that much.
"Hey, Milk. I’m still alive, you know."
"Who said I was talking about you? I was referring to someone else entirely."
"Heh, keep telling yourself that. Even though you’re the one who helped me set up this stall. I still miss the days when you, me, and Zebis were running around the battlefield together. Well—even if I lost my legs, my spirit hasn't broken yet."
The man smoothly slid his legs out from behind the counter. Both were prosthetics—scars from the war.
From a distance, Weiss called out to Milk. As she stood up to leave, she spared a final word for the man.
"See you around. Your cooking has actually improved a bit."
"Heh, thanks. I guess I have your taste-testing to thank for the fact that this place is so popular now. Give my regards to Zebis."
"Yeah. I’ll tell him… Former Leader."
The man watched the retreating backs of Milk and Weiss. He remembered what Milk had told him once.
『He is an incredible talent. A true genius. Even if you gathered the talent of myself—no, the entire Kingdom Knight Order—we still wouldn't be able to surpass him.』
"……So that kid is Weiss. Well, she wasn't exaggerating. That Mana was something else. —Good luck, kid."
The man was the former "Demon" Knight Captain. He was the one who had mentored Milk Abitus and Zebis Alldin back when they were just green recruits during the war at Biltova in the east.
Of course, Milk Abitus had stopped using polite language with him after only two days. Her reason? It was "a pain."
"That fledgling Milk has grown up to be just like me. Good grief… I guess living a long life is worth it after all."
The very next day, Weiss Fancent began his training with the Flash (Time Lapse).
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