Chapter 108

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The training ground of the Norchell family was quiet as always.

A few practice dummies stood in a row, and several dust-covered longswords reflected the sunlight with a subtle sheen.

In the middle, there was a boy holding a wooden sword with a somewhat unsteady posture.

His name was Alex Norchell.

He was training with the wooden sword under Lucy’s instructions.

—Go out and swing your sword. No more dolls from now on.

Lucy’s words were always concise and terrifying.

‘I’d rather play with dolls…’

Just then.

Thud.

The density of the air changed.

A huge shadow appeared in front of him, along with a cool breeze.

Clang— Clang—

The sound of steel clashing.

A knight clad in black armor with glowing blue eyes.

Behind him, a greatsword taller than Alex.

“Are you to be my disciple from today?”

His voice was low and heavy, echoing like metal.

“I am Darcan. As you can see, I am undead.”

“I-I am Alex… heir to the Norchel family…”

Alex trembled.

Then, a small winged creature flew from the undead knight’s shoulder.

“Hi, Alex~ I’m Finn. As you can see, a fairy~”

“Ah, yes, nice to meet you…”

A smile spread across Alex’s face.

Alex blushed and fidgeted.

“A f-fairy, so beautiful.”

Thwack!

Darcan struck Alex’s head with the wooden sword.

“Blushing is forbidden from now on. That stance with your legs together is also forbidden.”

“Eh, why…?”

“It is the command of our beloved master. Well, even if it weren’t, don’t assume such an unsightly posture. Stand tall with your shoulders back.”

“Y-Yes…”

“Then let’s begin training immediately. Take up your sword.”

“L-Like this?”

“No. That is the motion you make when embracing a doll. If you are to hold a sword, hold it like a man.”

“Like a man…?”

Blue eyes flashed.

Alex unconsciously adjusted his posture.

The hand holding the sword became a little firmer.

Finn whistled.

“Ooh, cool~ But your cheeks are still cute and red!”

“B-Blushing is just my constitution…”

“Do not stutter.”

Thwack!

Darcan’s wooden sword fell on his head again.

Alex was about to make a crying face.

Then,

Thwack!

“Do not make a crying face.”

“…Yes.”

“Good. Let’s start sparring right away.”

Darcan swung his wooden sword in the air.

Whoosh!!

A fierce strike that seemed capable of splitting even rock.

Alex’s face turned pale.

“Waaah, i-impossible! I can’t do that… I’ll really die!”

“You will not die. I will stop before you die. Even if you do die, there is no need to worry. Our master will revive you as undead.”

“What kind of…”

“Now, here I come!”

“Kyaa!”

At that moment, Darcan stopped his sword abruptly.

“Did you just say ‘Kyaa’?”

“T-That was… reflexive…!”

“Screaming like a girl is forbidden.”

“That’s too much, Instructor Darcan…”

“It is our master’s will.”

“Princess, that’s too much…”

Finn fluttered over and stroked Alex’s head.

“Lucy said it’s for the sake of the family. And also for you, Alex.”

“Hic…”

Alex’s face became gloomy.

Darcan slung his wooden sword over his shoulder and asked.

His blue eyes narrowed slightly.

“Alex, what do you think of our master?”

“The Princess? Hmm…”

Alex’s cheeks slowly flushed.

“I think she’s incredibly pretty, cute, and cool…”

“Do you perhaps want to become like her?”

“Y-Yes? No. Not really…”

“That’s a relief. Then do you want to win her heart?”

“Yes… To be honest…”

Alex smiled shyly.

“I wish the Princess would like me.”

“Then become a more confident man than you are now. Our master’s ideal type is a ‘confident man’. Like me. If I weren’t undead, we would already be deeply involved.”

“I-I see…”

Of course, it was Darcan’s delusion.

Lucy’s ideal type wasn’t a man in the first place.

Alex’s eyes sparkled.

“I-I want to become a confident man like Darcan.”

“Good. I will make you that way. Take your stance again.”

Alex adjusted his posture and raised the wooden sword.

Shoulders back, knees slightly together,

“Uuuhhh~”

“…What is that?”

“I’m putting in manly spirit!!”

“Cute.”

Thwack!

“But you mustn’t be cute. That’s not spirit in the first place, it’s charm. Charm to seduce men, at that. Even I am reacting.”

“M-Men…”

Alex’s face fell.

◈

“…Again.”

Darcan said nonchalantly.

Slung the wooden sword over his shoulder.

On the other hand, Alex,

“Keuh… Hic…!”

Tears streamed down his face as he trembled.

“I-Instructor… I… it hurts too much… my arm, it’s not my arm…”

“Then that’s fortunate. If it’s not your arm, it’s okay to hit it.”

“What kind of…”

“Here I come.”

“Wait, wait, wait!”

Whoosh!

Darcan’s wooden sword sliced through the air.

Alex barely blocked it, staggering, but the recoil made him collapse to the ground.

And he couldn’t get up.

“Hmm~”

Finn stood on Alex’s back and spun around.

Gleaming powder fell, and Alex’s wounds began to heal.

“Today is the 8th heal~ Still doing okay~”

“Finn… I’m not going to die today, am I…?”

“You won’t die as long as I’m here~”

“…”

Then Darcan extended his hand to Alex.

“One who wields the sword does not die.”

Alex grabbed Darcan’s hand and got up, muttering.

“Isn’t that because you’re undead…?”

“To avoid death, one must first die.”

“What does that mean…”

The training continued.

Alex was repeatedly beaten,

Healed by Finn,

Got up again,

Beaten,

Healed,

Got up…

In that repetition, at some point,

The hand holding the wooden sword became steady,

He managed to withstand Darcan’s attack once,

And even used the recoil to create a form of counterattack.

“…Wasn’t that a little better just now?”

At Alex’s question, Finn said with sparkling eyes.

“Cool~ Alex! First successful counterattack~ But your cheeks are still cute~ But there’s surprisingly a will within that cuteness~”

Darcan also watched Alex quietly and said.

“…Good. You are changing.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Little by little, my body is not reacting.”

“Oh…! Eh…? What kind of…? You’re undead anyway… No, what is reacting?”

“Take up your sword.”

…

That night, Alex returned to his bedroom, utterly exhausted.

On the bed was the knight doll he usually played with.

Although it was a knight doll, it had a cute and chubby feel.

Next to it was Mimi, the rabbit doll Alex usually hugged to sleep, and behind it was Alex’s imaginary lover, Princess Purupuru.

All of them were dolls that Alex cherished like his own life.

“I’m sorry… I spent more time with the wooden sword than with you today…”

Alex said in a sobbing voice, hugging the dolls dearly.

If Darcan had seen this, the wooden sword would have flown once again.

Alex slowly lay down on the bed and pulled the blanket up to his neck.

Just as he was about to embrace the dolls with both arms,

—No more playing with dolls.

Lucy’s voice echoed in his mind.

“Umm…”

After hesitating for a moment, Alex put the dolls a little farther away, apologized to them once again, and closed his eyes.

‘I’ll become more manly tomorrow…’

Thus, Alex’s night passed quietly.

◈

The reception room of the Norchell mansion was always a peaceful place filled with the fragrant scent of tea and sunlight.

And now, in the middle of it, Lucy was reading a book with a serious expression.

The cover was old, and the title was written in pink letters:

『The Hole of the Ring』

—A journey to find the hole that holds the fate of the world.

The hole could only be opened by the one who possessed the legendary ‘One Ring’.

But the problem was, no one knew where to put the ring…

Lucy quietly turned the page.

‘Hmm… The world-building is grand… The descriptive power is good, and the emotional lines are solid…’

Just then.

“Princess~!”

Camilla cheerfully ran into the reception room.

“What book are you reading today~?”

“The Hole of the Ring.”

“Ah, as expected, lewd…”

“The content is quite serious. It was a vertical hole in the beginning, and a horizontal hole in the end.”

“What does that mean…?”

“You can only understand it if you read the book. Of course, Camilla is too young, so she can’t.”

“I-I’m all grown up too…!”

Camilla sat down next to Lucy.

“By the way, I haven’t seen Alex around lately.”

“Do you miss him?”

“No~ I like being alone with the Princess since he’s not here. But I’m a little curious.”

“Alex is training.”

“Ah, yes. I heard that. But to work so hard. Is he trying to catch a demon king or something?”

“Rather than becoming stronger, he is training to change.”

Lucy quietly closed the book.

“Shall we go see? How much he has changed?”

“Shall we?”

A little later, Lucy and Camilla entered the Norchel family’s training ground.

As soon as they arrived, Lucy stopped abruptly.

“…”

The wind rustled.

In the sunlight, Alex, standing in the center of the training ground, felt like he had changed a lot for sure.

His sweat-soaked shirt was half-unbuttoned, and he stood firmly holding his sword even amidst the dust.

He said to Darcan, facing his blue eyes.

“I’ll go first today, Darcan.”

Darcan smiled.

“Come, brat.”

In the air, Finn flapped her wings and shouted.

“Waaah! Alex! You’re even more manly today than yesterday! Cool! A little sexy! Your cheeks are still cute!”

Just then.

Alex slowly turned his gaze.

And met Lucy’s eyes.

Author Note

A/N (Author’s note):
Thank you for reading~!

Translator Note

T/N (Translator’s note):
I guess everyone in the mansion has no problems with her being a necromancer. Not that I would want to make it make sense.

I can’t even make my thoughts make sense, why would I even bother with this? Smh.

Oh yeah, if things don’t make sense for you, don’t think. Though, I think you already know that much.