episode_0327

Just to clarify, the sole purpose of staying in the forest with Edan was not just because I wanted to be alone with him.

It was merely an additional goal that arose from the choice to stay in the forest, the real importance lay in the training and experience points gained in the forest.

While I did think that training with Edan alone would be better than doing it alone, and it would be even better without any other distractions, it doesn’t mean that I stayed in the forest just because I enjoyed being alone with Edan.

By the way, after Edan and I voluntarily extended our natural science exploration class and returned to our camp, there were a few unwelcome guests. They were not the usual monsters like goblins or hobgoblins that appeared every day, but rather students who were actually taking the exploration class.

“Why did you intrude into our camp, Lily? Choose your words carefully when you answer.”

“I-I’m sorry, Lord Blackwood… One of our party members got injured in the forest and we need to borrow fire for disinfection… Would it be possible for a moment?”

“I’m fine, let’s go somewhere else, Ted… If we stay here, we’ll be a bother to Lord Blackwood…”

“But, Lin…”

“Oh, wait. This wound shouldn’t be disinfected with fire. If you use improper methods, the wound could get worse. Let me disinfect it with a cleansing spell and apply a bandage.”

“…What?”

“When it comes to survival in this forest, Lily is more knowledgeable than me, so just follow her lead. By the way, have you collected enough evidence from the monsters you’ve encountered in the forest so far?”

“W-We’ve collected enough evidence for one and a half people combined.”

“I’ll distribute the remaining evidence for one person, so you can apply for early completion of the natural science exploration course. Judging by the condition of that woman, she probably can’t stay in this forest any longer.”

“Y-Yes…? But to impose such a burden…”

“The biggest burden right now is the one you’re carrying. Don’t disturb me and Lily’s private time any longer, understand?”

“I-I’m sorry…!!”

As we sent back the surrounding students who were led to our camp, Edan and I were the ones who filled the 5-day, 6-night camp.

Thanks to that, the experience points we gained were not bad at all. I was able to raise my recently stagnant level by two more stages.

“Lily has reached level 28!”

“Lily has reached level 29!”

I had raised my level from the late 27s to the late 29s, which was quite rewarding in terms of the natural science exploration subject.

In addition, Edan and I had a few enjoyable moments together after a long time. Whether it was Edan standing guard while I bathed in the river, or us huddling together silently when the temperature suddenly dropped at night.

Although we had to battle monsters several times a day, the exploration class was more enjoyable than anything else.

“…But in the end, we never did anything inappropriate.”

I never had any intentions of doing anything inappropriate. It was during class, so it was something that should never have been done in the first place.

I was just thinking that maybe someday I wouldn’t be able to resist, but it never happened, which was a bit surprising. It’s not that I’m disappointed or anything like that, no.

After spending almost a week on an investigative subject, it was now time for a week of rest. After attending Harold’s class on the first day of the week, the remaining six days were like a temporary vacation during the semester.

Well, next week would be filled with hardships due to dungeon exploration, but that was a concern for the next week, not for now.

“Haahh…!!”

“Huff, tighten your grip and swing with more force, Edan. The skills you’ve trained for a week should be more than this.”

“Huuh, haahh…!!”

Watching Harold and Edan spar during Harold’s swordsmanship class after a week, I was lost in thought.

For Harold to offer advice to Edan during their spar meant that he had enough skill to swing his sword leisurely while acknowledging Edan’s abilities, which also meant that the situation was not favorable for Edan.

Of course, Edan had just returned from a 5-night, 6-day natural science exploration class by carriage yesterday, so he probably hadn’t fully recovered yet.

Edan, who had to prepare thoroughly and share a sword to defeat Harold, was bound to look exhausted in today’s spar.

‘…If I knew it would turn out like this, I almost should have left early.’

If Edan had rested for about two days, he could have had a chance against Harold.

Then I would have had a reason to reward Edan, and then tonight…

“……”

…Yes, to be honest, I just wanted Edan to win because I wanted to.

There’s no point in hiding it now. There’s not much time left, less than two years. It would be nice to build various memories with Edan while I can.

However, that doesn’t mean I should be too casual and mix things up. It wasn’t because I felt it was a waste to give myself to Edan or anything like that, but it was all for Edan.

The right to let him handle me as he pleased was the ‘reward’ I gave Edan, so if I broke this rule and attacked Edan according to my desires, it could lead to various problems.

It would be nice to mix with Edan when we first intertwine. We could just enjoy the pleasant sensation without any worries.

-Clang!!

“Ugh, haahh…!!”

But if such actions were repeated, Edan might become indifferent even to the ‘rewards’ he received from sparring with Harold, and the determined Edan trying to win against Harold in swordsmanship might never be seen again.

If I made a mistake, he might end up like the original ‘Hyeomdan,’ reverting to a lazy pig who had piled up effort. Even though the current Edan was walking a completely different path from Hyeomdan fundamentally, they were the same person.

…To prevent such a future from happening, I shouldn’t unnecessarily test his willpower. I raised Edan to be strong and cool, so I wanted him to be happy until the end.

-Clang!

“Kkuhaahh…!!”

‘…Haah.’

Edan, who had been struggling to defend with just one sword while missing the other, finally let go of the remaining sword in Harold’s attack.

Quietly sighing to myself, I realized that there would be no ‘reward’ to give Edan this week.

“…That’s enough, Edan. Good job.”

“…Thank you.”

With a frustrated expression and tightly pressed lips, Edan picked up his sword and walked back to my side. I hoped that those feelings of disappointment and frustration would continue to drive Edan through his efforts.

With that thought in mind, I quietly tucked away my impure desires in my heart.

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

Edan suffered a ‘complete defeat’ against Harold in their swordsmanship duel after a long time, but the next day…

The next morning, Edan and I faced each other in the swordsmanship training ground, swinging our swords at each other from the morning onwards, even though it was a holiday with no official classes.

“Kkaang, kkang, kkaang!”

“Huuh, hup, haaaah…!!”

With all his might, Edan swiftly blocked the dagger I swung, attempting countless attacks through the gaps he created himself.

No matter how hard I tried to deflect and attempt the next attack, I kept feeling frustrated as Edan’s relentless swordsmanship kept blocking me, targeting those very gaps.

As someone with not as much expertise in swordsmanship as Edan, just defending against such attacks felt like a limit for me. In other words, there was already a clear gap in skill between Edan and me.

“Chyaeng!”

“Oh, damn.”

“Kkaaang!!”

“Aaaah!!”

Even I, a beat late, swung the dagger in my right hand towards the gap Edan aimed for. The vibration from his sword hitting my left-hand dagger reverberated through my entire arm.

“Ddaengrang!”

“Haa, hu, kkuheup….”

“Lilith?! I-I’m sorry…! I couldn’t control my strength for a moment….”

“Haa, damn…. You promised not to apologize during a match, didn’t you…?”

“W-Well, but….”

To nitpick every little mistake during a match? Doing so would not lead to any real improvement in skill.

It was a story that applied not only to Edan, who had to hold back, but also to me, who had become addicted to his consideration.

“Anyway, it seems like taking a short break would be a good idea, Lilith. That last attack must have been quite a shock.”

“…I think that would be best, Master Edan.”

Feeling like my arms had been sliced and diced after barely deflecting a swing, as if I had been cutting for three hours straight. As always, whenever I sparred with Edan, I felt this way, but his arm strength, honed daily, was still a bit too much for me to handle.