Chapter Index





    The next day, early in the morning, I went to find Sione.

    “Lady Sione, please wake up.”

    “Why on earth are you coming to bother me at this ungodly hour…?”

    “Didn’t we make a promise yesterday?”

    “Ah….”

    The sun had barely risen when I shook her awake. Sione looked at me as if wondering what kind of bastard would do such a thing, but it wasn’t really a problem.

    “Nngh….”

    Remembering our conversation from yesterday, she got up and prepared to leave.

    “Please wear this. The dawn air is still cold.”

    “How very thoughtful of you.”

    “I’m honored you think so.”

    “…I don’t like your attitude.”

    Despite her grumbling, Sione put on the coat I handed her.

    Given her robust build, I was a bit worried the size might be too small, but seeing it fit perfectly was a relief.

    “It suits you well.”

    “…You seem unusually talkative today. I hope that’s not just my imagination?”

    “If you find it displeasing, I’ll speak less.”

    “It’s fine. Do as you please.”

    Sione turned her head abruptly and walked outside.

    It was an amusing reaction, as if she might be shy, especially considering how relatively friendly she was being after yesterday’s events.

    The archery range was located in a corner of the training grounds.

    I had confirmed yesterday that practice bows and arrows were available there, so we didn’t need to bring anything else.

    Whoosh.

    The dawn breeze blew.

    Even though it was spring, the early morning air was still quite cold.

    This weak body of mine was particularly sensitive to cold, and I couldn’t help but shiver as the wind passed by.

    “Tsk….”

    Ugh, look at these goosebumps.

    I had woken up earlier than usual and wasn’t fully awake yet, but thanks to this perfectly timed wind, I was now completely alert.

    Seeing my condition, Sione glanced at me and took off the coat I had given her.

    “You look quite cold. You should wear this.”

    Sione Sianella making such a concession…?

    The same Sione who would guard her snacks vigilantly, as if unwilling to share with anyone?

    Unbelievable as it was, she even extended her coat toward me.

    “My arm is getting tired, so take it quickly.”

    “Are you sure it’s alright for me to wear it?”

    “With all this fat I’ve put on, I don’t need a coat. I’ll warm up as soon as I move around a bit.”

    “Pardon?”

    “…I’m saying I’m hot, so you wear it.”

    I took the coat from Sione and put it on.

    The coat, still warm from her body heat, quickly helped alleviate my chills.

    “Thank you, Lady Sione.”

    “Don’t mention it.”

    As we walked along making small talk, we soon arrived at the training grounds.

    Given the early hour, there wasn’t a soul to be seen in or around the training grounds.

    Fortunately, Sione wouldn’t have to flee at the sight of other people.

    “…I thought I’d never set foot in this place again.”

    Sione gazed across the wide training grounds.

    She looked as if she was reminiscing about past memories.

    “Would you like to look around the training grounds for a moment?”

    “No, there’s no need for that. Let’s go straight to the archery range.”

    “Understood.”

    We entered the archery range.

    The sun was beginning to rise, making the targets clearly visible, and the darkness that would have hindered our vision was lifting.

    I began looking for suitable bows for Sione and myself.

    Let’s check the closest ones first?

    I picked up a bow and pulled the bowstring.

    “This one’s too strong.”

    This bow had too much tension for a beginner.

    Sione’s robust arms, made of fat rather than muscle, would certainly struggle to draw the string.

    Of course, she could draw it using mana, but for a first attempt, it would be better to spark interest with something more manageable.

    “These two should work.”

    After testing the tension of several more bows, I selected two with appropriate draw weights.

    Just the right tension for beginners.

    One that even my delicate male arms could draw with sufficient tension, and another slightly stronger one for Sione, since she was a woman after all.

    I handed the bow I had chosen for Sione to her.

    “Please use this one, Lady Sione.”

    “…You chose quite seriously.”

    “Of course, I couldn’t be careless when selecting a bow for you to use.”

    I slung the quiver over my shoulder.

    Archery had been my hobby on Earth, and I had used a bow as a Hunter as well.

    The thought of shooting a bow again after so long made my heart beat faster than usual.

    “Before I teach you, would it be alright if I shoot first?”

    “Go ahead.”

    “I’ll make it quick.”

    I stood facing a target that appeared to be about 40m away.

    “It’s been a while, so I’m a bit nervous.”

    What if I miss?

    My confidence in my archery skills began to waver and fade.

    Before I fell into this world, I could hit an enemy between the eyes from over a hundred meters away.

    Now I was feeling anxious about a target less than half that distance.

    I’m washed up, completely washed up.

    “Huff, haah.”

    Taking a light breath, I positioned my body at an angle to the target.

    Then I calmly nocked an arrow to the bowstring.

    For a casual first shot, I decided to use the pinch draw method…

    I gripped the arrow tip between my index finger and thumb as if pinching it, and drew the string.

    Hmm… the tension is stronger than I expected.

    But regardless of the unexpected tension, I continued to pull the bowstring.

    Dead release. I pulled the bowstring until the back of my hand reached my chin, then held it.

    With the back of my hand at my chin, maintaining this form was tiring even with a bow of lesser tension.

    My trapezius muscles, needed for drawing the string, weren’t fully developed yet.

    This body was still not well-suited for archery in many ways.

    I circulated a bit of mana to strengthen my slightly trembling arms.

    Since men in this world were inferior in terms of mana…

    Even using a tiny amount of mana created a noticeable void, enough to make me feel drained.

    …Can’t be helped. It’s just the nature of a male body in this world.

    I calmly aimed at the target, considering factors like wind direction.

    “Hup!”

    Twang.

    In an instant, I held my breath and released the tightly drawn bowstring.

    Whoosh!! Thud!!

    The arrow cut through the air and hit the dead center of the round wooden target.

    “I haven’t lost my touch yet.”

    I had worried about missing when I first took my stance.

    But after one success, my confidence began to soar.

    Not stopping there, I took another arrow from the quiver and nocked it.

    “Now let’s try my usual method.”

    After using the pinch draw, I wanted to try the method I was more familiar with.

    The Mediterranean or split finger draw.

    I placed the arrow vertically between my middle and index fingers, while hooking the bowstring with those two fingers plus the ring finger.

    Unlike before, instead of drawing the string fully and then releasing, I released the string during the drawing motion.

    Sliding release. The arrow shot more quickly and fiercely than with the dead release.

    Crack! Thunk!!

    This arrow split the previous one and embedded itself in the dead center again.

    “That’s a relief.”

    Seeing the arrows fly exactly as intended, it seemed my archery sense remained intact despite my body being different.

    When I turned around after collecting myself, I saw Sione staring at me in disbelief.

    “…Surely one who claims to have only learned archery superficially couldn’t display such skill.”

    “What do you think?”

    “This time, I’d like to watch from beside you rather than behind. Could you do it once more?”

    “Of course.”

    After confirming that she had taken her bow and stood beside me, I shot again.

    I used the sliding release this time as well.

    The sequence of movements from nocking the arrow to shooting flowed smoothly like water.

    The string was drawn and drawn until it held sufficient power, then released with a light flick of the fingers.

    “Ah….”

    I heard Sione’s small exclamation.

    All I did was pull the bowstring once and release it.

    But perhaps because every arrow had struck the center of the target rather than the edges, she seemed particularly impressed.

    I lowered my bow.

    Using muscles I rarely employed made my arms feel stiff.

    And since using mana to resolve this would be awkward…

    I thought it would be better to rest a bit before shooting again.

    I looked at Sione with a faint smile.

    “What do you think?”

    “…It’s impressive.”

    Looking at her expression, I expected her to ask how I had acquired such archery skills, given her rational skepticism.

    Hitting the dead center without any deviation, even at just 40m, couldn’t be ignored.

    To avoid having to come up with tedious excuses, I needed to speak first.

    As soon as I saw her lips begin to move, I spoke up.

    “It’s not particularly outstanding skill, but as I mentioned yesterday, it’s sufficient to teach the basics to someone just starting with a bow.”

    If I practiced a few more times to regain my feel, I could probably shoot up to 70m in my current state.

    But since all I had shown her was shooting at a 40m target, I humbly downplayed my actual skill.

    I took an arrow from the quiver and held it out to Sione.

    “Now it’s your turn to shoot, Lady Sione.”

    Now it’s Sione’s turn to try the bow.

    Come on, I’ve shown you how, now it’s your turn to follow!


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