Chapter 66: Training (3)

After exhausting all her strength, Jessica tried to spring up and slap my face, but she failed to land even a single hit before collapsing again.

Having overexerted herself in an already depleted state, Jessica couldn’t walk. I had no choice but to carry her.

“Jessica, ever heard the saying ‘you’ll get halfway there if you just stay still’?”

“…Shut up.”

This time, Jessica’s words carried no weight, likely due to her complete exhaustion.

After seeing Jessica off in the carriage as if she were in an ambulance, I returned to the training ground.

The now-deserted training ground, with nothing left but our lingering scents, was truly ideal for practicing Baldo.

Standing in the center, surrounded by Jessica’s lingering scent, I placed my hand on the sword hilt and assumed the Baldo stance.

Just as I was about to perform a Baldo towards the empty air, the door smoothly opened, and Euclid and Nana entered.

‘What? Coming back after just one day?’

It seemed Euclid had become thoroughly captivated by Baldo. Seeing his admirable attitude further convinced me that Euclid wasn’t a bad guy.

“I didn’t expect you to come back so soon.”

“Oh? Sorry… Should I have waited a day or two?”

“I’m just surprised, not saying you’re a bother. Sorry if it came across that way.”

“Of course you should be sorry! You should avoid making misleading statements in front of His Highness!”

While Euclid remained silent, Nana, who had been listening from the side, erupted in anger.

“What’s this sour smell? How much sweat was shed here…?”

“Well, I shed quite a bit myself… but half of it…”

I was about to say that half of it was Jessica’s sweat, but worried that her nickname might change to “Sour Jessica”, I kept my mouth shut.

“What? You stopped mid-sentence?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

“Any… Anyway, help me open the windows. I’m used to the smell of sweat, but His Highness might find it unpleasant.”

“Ah, no… I don’t really…”

Although Euclid was saying it was fine, his slightly furrowed brow suggested otherwise.

Nana and I went around the training ground, opening each closed window. As we were opening them, Nana suddenly stopped and asked me:

“There are these dent-like marks here and there, what are they?”

What Nana was pointing at were the marks left when Jessica went berserk with a hammer after I angered her earlier.

“Oh, those? They’re hammer marks.”

“Hammer marks? Why are there such marks?”

“Well… it’s a bit complicated to explain, but basically, I sniffed some breast scent…”

“You pervert. It’s your fault then.”

“Hey, I haven’t even finished explaining! If you’re going to say that, at least listen to the whole story!”

“I don’t think anything that starts like that could be proper. I don’t need to hear the rest to know it’s definitely your fault.”

Well, if we’re being strict, my fault might be a bit bigger, but it’s too much to judge without hearing the whole story.

“Euclid! Do you think so too?”

“Huh?! Me? Uh, well… I guess it’s not really appropriate to sniff breast scent without permission? It’s a sensitive area after all…”

“Sensitive area?”

As expected of a prince, I wondered if he’d touched many breasts. As someone who’d only seen them in videos but never touched them in real life, this was incomprehensible to me.

‘So it’s a sensitive area…’

I’d heard that it varies from person to person, but I wondered if Jessica was on the sensitive side?

Making a mental note to ask her next time we met, I finished opening the remaining windows.

After ventilating the air, I stood in the center and assumed the Baldo stance once again.

“……”

“……”

As I did so, both of their gazes focused on me, and the same silence from before enveloped the training ground.

While Euclid’s eyes sparkled as if he was about to watch an entertaining show, Nana observed me with a measuring gaze.

Under their watchful eyes, I demonstrated my skills without the slightest hesitation.

In an instant, I drew the sword, slicing through the empty air, and smoothly returned it to its scabbard.

As the Baldo demonstration ended, Euclid clapped enthusiastically with an excited expression, and Nana followed suit, stepping forward while applauding.

“I don’t understand why you only train in Baldo, but your skill is certainly impressive. However…”

Trailing off, Nana approached the weapon rack and drew out a greatsword of moderate size.

“It seems less impressive when you’re just pretending to cut the air in these practice sessions.”

“…Then would you like to substitute?”

Instead of answering, Nana stepped forward with a large shield and the greatsword.

Though her face was hidden by the helmet, her childlike, excited steps were enough to show how thrilled Nana was.

I could fully understand that feeling. It’s natural for a swordsman to want to cross blades at least once when meeting a strong opponent.

However, not being a swordsman himself, Euclid misunderstood the tense atmosphere between us, mistaking it for hostility.

“W-Why are you suddenly trying to fight?”

“We’re not fighting… Just checking each other’s skills? Like he said, we can’t practice without someone to cut…”

Well, we said “cut,” but neither Nana nor I were holding sharpened swords.

If we went all out, it wouldn’t end with just minor injuries, but how could we call ourselves swordsmen if we feared such injuries?

But as I said before, Euclid, not being a swordsman, couldn’t understand this mindset, so he placed one restriction on our duel.

“Then just one round!! Only one exchange, got it? Nana, you’re my bodyguard, so it would be troublesome if you got injured!! Understood? Nana!! Ian!!”

Nana and I nodded in agreement and assumed our most confident stances.

I naturally stepped forward with my right foot, both hands reaching for my sword and scabbard, while Nana raised her shield and held the greatsword to the side, ready to counter attacks aimed at the shield’s corners.

To be honest, I had wanted to face off against Nana like this, even if just for a brief duel.

As the one who inherited Vector’s role from the original story, Nana’s skills were bound to be extraordinary.

Even before fighting, I could tell from her bearing alone that she was at least at the level of a Swordmaster.

“Here I come…”

The match we had agreed to end in a single exchange was over in literally an instant.

As a result of that match, I was pushed back by Nana’s shield, but not without consequence.

Just before being pushed back by the shield, my Shadowstrike aimed at Nana’s face had knocked her helmet upwards, sending it flying far away.

A bead of sweat rolled down Nana’s cheek, well aware that if this had been a real battle, she would have suffered a severe facial injury.

Nana’s expression, which had been as rigid as hardened beeswax, soon softened, and with a slight grin, she said:

“You… You’re impressive. To be honest, I underestimated you a bit because you only use Baldo. I apologize.”

“As long as you understand the power of Baldo now, that’s fine. You’re quite remarkable yourself for someone who doesn’t use Baldo, you know?”

Although we had only exchanged a single blow, I could tell from that brief clash that she was at least above Peter’s level.

No, unlike Peter, Nana was still young, so depending on her future training, she could certainly aim for even higher levels.

“Euclid! We just mimicked a duel, did you see it well?”

“Um… well… I’m sorry to both Nana and Ian, but it was too fast for me to…”

“Ah…”

I had forgotten to move at a speed visible to Euclid.

After showing a few more Baldo techniques to Euclid and Nana and parting ways in a friendly atmosphere, I returned to the dormitory.

“I’m sure it was somewhere around here…”

After returning to the dormitory and searching my room, I soon found the pouch of gold coins I had carelessly stuffed into a drawer.

“Found it.”

Upon examining the pouch, I realized I had about 100 coins left due to various recent expenses.

Tucking the pouch with about 100 gold coins remaining into my chest, I snuck out of the dormitory through the window and headed straight for the girls’ dormitory.

‘At this hour, she should still be awake.’

Skillfully sneaking in like a ninja, I stood beneath Hori’s window. Sure enough, unlike most other rooms where the lights were out, her room was still illuminated.

I immediately climbed up the wall and tapped on the window without much expectation. After a moment, Hori appeared at the window and opened it.

“I was just taking a break. But if you’re going to come at night, could you please let me know in advance? It’s quite troublesome when you break the window and come in!”

As she complained about how she got scolded by the dorm supervisor last time I broke the window, I silenced her by tossing her the pouch of gold coins I had tucked away.

“Eek! W-What’s this?!”

“Open it and see.”

After hesitating for a moment, Hori’s eyes widened as she opened the pouch and saw the gold coins inside.

“Wow, there’s so much in here! Why are you suddenly giving me such a large sum…?”

“Why do you think? I want you to make some drugs with it.”

“Drugs? Poison?”

“No, doping drugs!! We might need to use them soon.”

According to the original story, there’s an event where a Myne, aiming to become the next Sword Saint, interrupts the labyrinth breakthrough test that’s supposed to happen a month from now.

I didn’t think the same scenario would play out now that the next Sword Saint had become a second-year student and Rain was taking the test, but it didn’t hurt to be cautious.

“I don’t know what this is about, but you want me to make doping drugs, right? Leave it to me! I’ve been wanting to try out some ingredients I have!”

“Those ingredients aren’t poisonous plants, are they?”

“…Of course not.”

The excessively delayed response made me raise my fist, causing Hori to reflexively cover her head and hastily say:

“I-I’ll be as careful as possible!!”

“Good, that’s what I want to hear. Well, I’ll be going now.”

With those final words, I left the room with Hori seeing me off and returned to my dormitory.

As I waited for the upcoming labyrinth breakthrough test, spending my days training Jessica diligently and then sparring with Nana to hone my skills, a month passed in the blink of an eye.