Chapter 85 : Training (2)

When I first arrived here, not long after, Ayla and I sparred together with great effort.

I wonder if she felt like she was releasing everything she couldn’t do until then?

Almost every day, from morning to afternoon.

Well, at that time, there was plenty of time.

There wasn’t a need to entertain guests, and Ayla had nothing else to do.

However, after a little time passed and Ayla got to know me a little better, the frequency of our sparring started to decrease.

No matter how much she enjoyed it, Ayla wasn’t really risking her life. The mindset of “I’ll be the best swordsman” is something usually only young people have.

I felt the same way.

I never planned to be the best.

I just ended up there because I couldn’t get close to Ayla and kept running away.

Those who know I’m in that position mostly also know why I got there.

Of course, I never told them it was because I was running away.

I only said it was to save Ayla, so the witnesses mostly just thought I was one of those “obsessed ones.”

It was ridiculous, even from my own perspective.

“You say you rode a dragon’s back?”

In the sparring room.

Only Ayla and I were left in the room, and she quietly asked.

“…Yes.”

“How did that happen?”

“I didn’t control the dragon, just rode its back.”

I calmly explained.

“I was just trying to get into a spot where the dragon’s attack wouldn’t reach.”

“So, you climbed onto the dragon’s back?”

“Yes. The dragon didn’t lift off to move me somewhere. It was trying to kill me.”

“Did that strategy work?”

“Not at all. The dragon’s neck was longer and more flexible than I expected.”

That’s true.

Ah, of course, I never thought the dragon’s neck would be short.

But it wasn’t shaped like a snake’s neck either.

In terms of proportions, it was maybe a little longer than a human’s? Its structure didn’t seem to allow it to fully turn around.

I did observe the dragon carefully, but I never saw it look behind like that.

Moreover, the dragon’s scales were thick and hard. I assumed its senses weren’t very sharp, but that was a mistake.

Looking back now, it seems like a bit of a foolish thing to do, but what could I have done?

There aren’t many stories that go into detail about “how” heroes hunted dragons.

Though there is mention of their spines, that’s not something you can easily spot just by looking. In the end, all I could do was charge at it.

“Did you see me riding the dragon’s back?”

Ayla squinted her eyes as if trying to imagine me on the dragon’s back, looking at the air.

“Yes.”

Although I didn’t turn my head fully backward, the dragon’s sight was definitely broader than a human’s.

Since it flew through the sky, it made sense, but I hadn’t thought of that at the time.

I never thought that the dragon, a creature with no enemies in sight, would have such a “fleeing” ability.

“I glanced, but I did see myself in the middle of its back. And the dragon’s hide didn’t get scratched, at least not by the filthy breath it spat out.”

Its breath didn’t just go straight forward.

When I looked at it head-on, I thought the flame would go straight, so I figured I would be fine when close to it.

However, when the dragon closed its mouth and exhaled through the gaps, the flames spread out in all directions.

“…Usually, in such situations, wouldn’t the body be completely destroyed?”

“Since I knew a witch, I had prepared various potions before hunting the dragon. There was magic as well.”

Of course, most of the dragon’s breath couldn’t be completely defended.

My face got severely burned. My fingers melted together.

If I hadn’t prepared for the flames with magic beforehand, I would’ve died instantly and couldn’t have used any potions.

But that just means, if I was alive, I could somehow survive.

After the fire was poured over my head, I immediately took out a potion and sprayed it on my body.

My clothes didn’t heal, but my body did, and right after, I let go of the potion.

I swung my sword and wounded the dragon’s wing before falling to the ground.

My legs broke as I fell, unable to stabilize myself, but I healed them quickly with a potion and jumped up.

Honestly, there was no time to feel pain. The witch’s forest was dangerous, but nothing compared to when I met the dragon.

Ayla now had a look of disbelief on her face.

“So… you actually hunted the dragon?”

“Yes.”

I answered calmly.

Since the empress had already said that much, what meaning would it have to hide it now? Even if I tried to hide it, it seemed Ayla would enjoy figuring things out on her own.

“If you hunted a dragon, caught the empress’s eye, and had such close relations with a witch who supported you wholeheartedly, and could get information from the shadow of the king, then you came here claiming you wanted to be the maid of a dead count’s wife?”

If I considered everything individually, she was right in many ways, but there was no way I could fully deny it, so I remained silent.

It was probably more effective for hiding my identity if I left Ayla to imagine things on her own.

“Well, fine.”

Ayla said with that.

And then, they handed me a training sword.

“But right now, you’re not as skilled as I am. Could it be that you haven’t fully recovered since fighting the dragon?”

The witch’s potion was very effective, so I was able to recover completely right afterward, but let’s just go with that.

When I didn’t say anything, Ayla shrugged her shoulders.

“Still, you should properly hone your skills.”

Then, she stepped back.

“If you’re going to protect me, you should at least be better than me, don’t you think?”

“Understood.”

“Good. If possible, try to regain the skills you had when you hunted dragons.”

Ayla smiled faintly as she spoke.

But for some reason…

“I’m curious too. How skilled does one have to be to fight a dragon?”

That smile somehow felt a little irritating.

Once again, I lost this round.

Still, I think I’ve somewhat adapted to Ayla’s preferred swordsmanship.

I had already adapted a long time ago, but with this body, there was a slight discrepancy…

However, Ayla had also built up her skills over time, and for me, this body hadn’t undergone much training, so there were limits.

Besides, I hadn’t had the luxury of training on my own.

Ayla told me to stay in her room.

Officially, the room next to hers was mine, but if we ended up on the same bed like that, there would be no way for me to escape from her.

And that became another issue.

“Kh—!?”

A new weakness had developed within me.

Ayla’s hands.

Specifically, Ayla’s hands touching my body.

The place I became particularly aware of was my lower abdomen.

Right behind the skin and muscles was my womb.

It was an awkward place for someone else to touch.

Not a spot I would easily show to just anyone.

At the same time, it wasn’t particularly an erogenous zone either.

If it had been somewhere inherently sensitive like my inner thighs or underarms, it might have been different.

“……!”

Whenever Ayla reached for that area or tried to kick me, I became strangely conscious of it and overreacted, causing my stance to break.

“At this rate, you’re worse than when we first met. Never mind being my bodyguard—you’re weaker than a puppy. Should we start training from the very basics again?”

Even I should have been furious at being spoken to like that, but—

“Huup!?”

When Ayla suddenly lunged at me, I let out an involuntary sound.

Ayla brought her face close to mine.

So close, our faces were nearly touching.

Her other hand, the one not holding a sword, cupped my cheek—

Tap.

“Hhk.”

Something touched my lower abdomen.

A hard, elongated object.

It was the sword Ayla held in one hand.

Today, she was using a slightly shorter and thinner sword than usual.

Was it for this reason?

I could feel Ayla’s breath.

Even if she was more skilled than me, and even if my stance had been breaking down more than usual today,

I had still done my best to resist.

Since we had both exerted ourselves, Ayla must have used quite a bit of effort as well.

“Let’s eat lunch here today. I’ll ask the servants to pack us something. That’s fine, right?”

“Of course, Lady Ayla.”

As Ayla whispered, I responded in kind.

Even without her breath, the presence of her lips so close was palpable.

“Good.”

Ayla gave a slight smile and stepped back.

“Then, let’s go again.”

She still hadn’t put her sword away.

Press.

A strange tingling sensation spread between my legs.

A place that felt nothing when I pressed it myself—

Yet, just being aware that it was ‘Ayla who did it’ made me feel something, even without direct contact.

Without realizing it, I looked up at Ayla.

She only smirked.