episode_0070

The next day, everyone who had woken up gathered in silence as if they had made a promise to go to Agnes’s room. Of course, the owner of the room looked very displeased, but he didn’t try to kick them out.

While waiting for Ayla, who hadn’t arrived yet, the door suddenly opened and it was not Ayla, but one of the twins, Rini, who appeared. Rini was wearing a sleeveless one-piece dress that was similar to Ayla’s in many ways, but crucially, it wasn’t blue, but orange, which seemed to be the color of Rini’s hair. It was very lovely.

Of course, we played together yesterday, but I wasn’t good enough to tell at a glance that they were twins, and I could tell because the bright smile on their faces when they came in kicking open the door.

“Hello, sisters!”

Following behind was Ayla, who was still holding Lenny, who had a blank expression on her face. Lenny blinked his half-open eyes occasionally, perhaps because he was a little sleepy.

“Hello Lini too! Hello Lini too!”

Cosette, who had been sitting on Anis’s bed, ran over and picked up Lini with both hands. Lini screamed in joy with a high-pitched voice typical of a child. Cosette spun around in place, then stopped and held Lini securely.

“Lini, give your sister a kiss!”

“Ahahahaha!”

When Cosette stuck her cheek out, Lini brought her lips to her cheek. Cosette, who received the kiss on the cheek, laughed out loud and said it was great. The difference in temperature between the two of them, who were full of energy, and Agnes, who was looking at Cosette with foolish eyes, was very impressive.

Come to think of it, we’re only 14 now, and the twins are 6, so there’s not really that much of an age gap. I was naturally looking at kids who were almost my daughter’s age, and then this thought suddenly occurred to me.

Isaac and I are 7 years apart in age, so it’s almost like that… But what was I like when I was 6 or even earlier? Did I have such a cute and innocent smile and be loved by my older siblings?

I thought about it carefully, and I remembered that although Isaac and Julien had been nice to me before going to the academy, I had never acted cute or acted like a younger sister. At the time, I was still confused about my own values, and I didn’t regret it, but I felt a little sorry. But I called Isaac “oppa” when I saw him recently, so I guess that’s good enough?

“It’s nice to meet you, Lini and Lenny. Is it okay if I ask what brings you here?”

Then Lini jumped out of Cosette’s arms. Lini put both hands on her hips and said,

“I’m going to go play with my sisters!”

“..picnic.”

Lenny, who was being held by Ayla, also mumbled. A picnic? It was a very appealing suggestion in this place where it was hard to spend time. Of course, the weather was a bit hot, but I couldn’t stay inside all day.

“This is where I trained before leaving the village. The scenery is pretty nice. Let’s pack some food and go play.”

“No, but I want to go soon!”

“You’ve never done that before?”

Agnes grumbled, but he seemed to be naturally putting a bookmark in the book he was reading. That kind of dishonesty is what makes Agnes cute.

Since it’s been a while since I’ve been out, I’ll check on the progress of my disciples’ cultivation. I knew that they were all slowly starting to get the hang of it, but if they don’t get used to it quickly, it’ll only be a burden to themselves.

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.

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As Mathias had briefly mentioned last time, the mountain path we walked along with Ayla’s guide boasted some pretty spectacular scenery. The sound of the leaves swaying in the gentle breeze was very beautiful.

The nameless wild flowers visible between the fairly neatly paved paths, the occasional cute little animals, and the various trees that gradually began to change color and dye the mountain in a variety of colors were a raw beauty that only nature could provide, something that could not be felt in the forest near the academy, which was not that large.

Cosette was walking with Lini, and I was walking with Lini. Lini followed me for some reason, but I couldn’t figure out why. Was it that these expressionless comrades felt some kind of attraction to each other? Of course, I also found Lini very cute, so I had no reason to refuse.

“It’s weird. When I’m next to my sister, I feel refreshed.”

“Hehe.. It’s a secret from Rini.”

“Secret.”

Lenny crossed his index fingers and brought them to his mouth. I stroked Lenny’s head with my free hand at that cute gesture. There was no particular reason why Lenny felt cool. I was just releasing my magic, creating an effect similar to walking ice.

Normally, using magic power like this would be extremely inefficient and foolish, but even though the total amount I could use was limited because of the mask, I was able to recover quickly, so it didn’t really matter to me. I wouldn’t suddenly have to risk my life fighting anyone.

Did he hear the whispering conversation between the two? Agnes, who had been walking at a distance, came up to me and made a face of shock.

“..Princess, are you using magic right now? This is really ridiculous..”

“It’s an efficient use of surplus resources. There’s no use for them if you just leave them alone.”

I spoke confidently, and Agnes shook her head, but she didn’t seem to leave my side. Although the wind was quite cool in the mountains, it wasn’t like the weather wasn’t hot at all.

The empty space we arrived at after walking for not too long was a bit too small to be called an empty space. If we were to compare it to Ayla’s house, it would probably have about two rooms? Yugram, who had followed us without a trace, soon moved quickly and laid out a nice mat on the ground, creating a place for us to sit and rest.

Linnie jumped out of Cosette’s arms again, took off the sandals she was wearing, and ran around on the mat. The contrast between her quiet way of putting her shoes away and her excited way of running around was quite cute.

I put the basket that Mathias was holding aside, and Lenny, who had been quietly in my arms, immediately took off his shoes and started playing with Lenny, who was squealing, as soon as I put him down. Cosette was also playing with them, and Agnes was looking at her with an idiotic look in his eyes. I had to start training her soon, but it would be good to let her play for a while.

I took my eyes off the girls and gestured to Mathias, who was quietly standing a step back. Mathias approached me with a puzzled look on his face.

“Princess, what..?”

“Don’t worry, it’s nothing serious. It seems like Mathias’s skills are improving quickly these days, so I’m going to tell you a way to beat Ayla easily. I’ll tell you from far away so Ayla can’t hear.”

Ayla, who had been listening to what I was saying, looked at me with a look of bewilderment.

“Princess, aren’t you being too favoritism?”

“But wouldn’t Ayla work harder if she had an opponent who could threaten her position? This is also for Ayla’s sake.”

“Oh my, if you can’t even say anything…”

Ayla shook her head and went back to playing with the twins, and I left the group behind, taking Mathias with me, and crossed the clearing into the forest. Of course, Yugram followed, and only when I could no longer hear the group’s loud chatter did I stop walking.

Mathias was still following me with an expression on his face that seemed oblivious to anything. I crossed my arms and said.

“Matthias, I think this is a problem I shouldn’t have gotten involved in. Yesterday… things suddenly turned out that way, so I feel a little responsible.”

“What are you talking about..”

Did he believe the excuse I gave to Ayla? When I suddenly said something unexpected, expecting him to talk about swordsmanship, Mathias looked like he didn’t understand. I sighed and said.

“Matthias, do you like Ayla? When are you going to tell her your feelings?”

At that moment, Mathias held his breath. He must have been surprised that someone had suddenly discovered his hidden feelings. Mathias, who had been standing still for a while, spoke in a trembling voice.

“..Since when did you know?”

“I was sure of it during the Ogre Expedition… and even before that, I had some thoughts about it.”

“I tried my best to hide it, but I didn’t know the princess would find out.”

Mathias scratched his head with a bitter smile. Well, perhaps no one else in the group besides me would know. Of course, even Ayla herself. Since I still have vague memories of being a man and the emotions I felt, I wonder if my small suspicions have turned into certainty.

“I feel really sorry for bringing it up like this. But.. I thought it would be really painful if I continued to act like Ayla’s fake boyfriend or if my parents treated me like that.. I’m sorry. It’s my fault. ”

“I was the one who decided to follow you, so you don’t need to apologize, Princess. Besides… If I hadn’t followed you, Ayla might have gotten a fiancé, right? When I think about that, I think this situation is actually better.”

Mathias answered with a smile. It was an answer that was hard to believe was from last year, when he always stuttered and hesitated while looking at other people’s faces. Of course, just like me, he hadn’t grown at all.

“However, I have no intention of telling Ayla my feelings right away. It is true that I followed the mood of the place so that Ayla would not feel awkward, but to some extent, it is also my true feelings.”

“..What about that story?”

I swallowed hard and urged Mathias to follow him. Mathias looked straight into my eyes with unwavering eyes and said,

“Before I graduate from the academy, I plan to surpass Ayla’s skills and formally tell her my feelings. How could a knight who is so weak that he can’t even protect his own woman be blinded by love? Before that, I have no qualifications.”

I was very surprised by Mathias’s answer, which he spoke without hesitation as if he had already thought about it.

Mathias… you’re such a real man.

I already knew that Mathias had great willpower, but it was like discovering another side of him that I didn’t know about. It was enough to make me briefly wonder if all the things he had shown me up until then had been calculated actions.

“Great idea, Mathias.”

“Thank you.”

I was truly impressed and applauded slightly. It may be natural for a man to want to show off and show off to a woman he likes, but it would be difficult for him to do so even though he knows that the woman likes him.

“I respect your choice and will support you. Then… Even though it was just a lame excuse, I guess we really need to talk about swordsmanship.”

There is something to look forward to, something fun to look forward to when Mathias will surpass Ayla.