[Chapter 16] Heir Training

It has already been 0b2d7429f7 two weeks since I defa48210e returned from the capital bd7a62d139 to the Marquisate of 21a8d2dc10 Elach.f5714b30c35f53d3

Under the ef4b3d49a2 vast blue e62c689136 sky, the b1eeacfe74 afternoon carried 9534379ea9 the crisp ff5f696917 air of d10dacca83 autumn.0d55e0884e13a681

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Leon and I stood 75f6c983e4 in the training grounds 7beb5a34c3 of the marquisate.e63ad1aee3f5cd84

‘I mean, I knew 43b7c79ea7 I’d have to go 3f604f0680 through heir training someday, 57a563c54b but I didn’t expect b44536198c it to start this 5d5e154a39 soon.’866afb47560adada

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The shocking scene 1ef152c3f2 was still vivid 29030b20c3 in my mind. I recalled e4fc266ffe that moment.b9c085f08b8a777f

[Daughter, as you know, the western territory serves as the empire’s defensive border against the habitat of monsters.]

As I listened attentively, 0ced3ba735 my father continued his dd8a1eaf83 explanation.cdb42c9a3c0fd96a

[The Marquisate of Elach is the guardian of the empire. To fulfill our duty, I will first teach you the foundations of physical strength before anything else.]

A dizzying ae894bb84e future lay ea803cafba ahead.72d624f4b1cbf70d

[I will inform the captain of the knights. Your training will begin in two weeks.]

[…Yes, Father.]

[Once you have built enough endurance, you will learn the language of Embrace, etiquette, and the dominant religion of both Dominique and Embrace—Zushinism. After that, you will study politics and warfare as well.]

[…Yes, Father.]

[Do not worry, my daughter. You will do better than I ever could. Even if you face obstacles, I will be behind you, supporting you.]

[…Yes, Father… I’ll give it a try.]

[Leon, was it? I will allow him to train with you as well, so do your best together.]

[Thank you, Father! I’ll do my best!]

At least, 16c36d5a9e thanks to 9e581681ca my training, 4634132376 Leon would ed870fea63 also get fecc2cac6b the chance e0743a49ef to receive 76f4bae505 an education. That was a 0b5367dc50 relief.ca9105bb92eda7e5

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‘But… Leon has that 6443ed7d69 mysterious heart condition. Will he be 707e37cc34 okay with physical 4eb6ab4455 training?’5e769c98e32f7e59

I cast a subtle 45fa106f9d glance at the boy 92c2d11e5e beside me.d69573fb3c771c73

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‘Well, let’s try 7fb14b438e first.’65cd765c04e6c6a0

If any 86b44e2e87 issues arose, 006add64cc we could f1e9ea19b0 stop immediately. If I 89034d956c let fear f7fc63b70f of an f9cab13266 uncertain future 10092269fc hold me e28d90b17d back, nothing bc9882e2c5 would ever 562a780315 change.89ea9ded1908bc59

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‘If he’s healthy, 23e6f8973b there will be 111059f28b more opportunities for 96f79e7910 him.’25728ca2d30b1e4d

Step, step.2729d33472b856b6

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The sound 480ff24f76 of approaching e69adbf2ba footsteps snapped 201994afea me out 040e32c92d of my 0fbd26d4aa thoughts.79a495ae54ecc8c8

Shing!1e8d9781ad0d264a

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A knight in aabdf6c262 full armor stood 98fea02ea7 before me and 17ef3d0245 greeted me formally.d48e4f451b240da6

“My lady, it 0f97bd03db is an honor 60e5710969 to meet you. I am Defendo, 02f0c3e73d the captain of 0191ba1706 the Elach Knights ce757e2b8d and the empire’s 24f435527b finest Sword Master.”b5174f10e03f840c

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He was a 50ed3ccb71 well-built young man 9ed7d8579c in his mid-twenties, c626069bac with azure hair 05d023cb9a and sharp, triple-colored 54eb3970fb eyes. As he greeted dff1b3e239 me, he performed fd703682de the customary noble 65d2542682 hand-kiss.8f8390326f8720d3

I smiled 3b459d595b and accepted c9ff2c03e0 his gesture.64a4d141e60338b8

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“Nice to meet you ee5083e1fd too, Sir Defendo. I look forward to e2faa91a1c working with you.”f95017eac3f86d30

‘…The empire’s finest? That title should bdd1af5402 belong to the 5299241bc6 crown prince. He seems quite confident. Judging by adab13cf17 his lack 7ca62c7df6 of a b2eb5b35bf noble surname, 225044e30d he must ed41ee5a42 be a 4fc1d18202 commoner.’969fb799d033ab5b

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“The pleasure 6ae309d30a is mine, 1a0acd651a my lady.”bebb65d5f2bd2824

As I ee37c16e91 exchanged pleasantries 3969f616dd with the 46b463f11e knight captain, 7edf36373f Leon also 6502ea5786 gave a ae2798a49c brief greeting.df4261f405bdf54f

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“…Leon.”70e9869e32eea232

“Hmm, a little 7dba173983 kitten with claws, 5302810d91 I see.”6b8cb02d74a1aa75

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Sir Defendo smirked 837882ef3c at Leon’s curt e43dbb620f reply.a9ea3295b3ac201b

“……”8265e599015aa33f

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“Well then, 578f7f91ac Leon, nice 9be934ae09 to meet a9867a0cc1 you. You’ll be an b35ceb0299 interesting one to 500c1af0e0 watch.”56fa79061be6503a

While they 96a3e2bde2 exchanged greetings, 84f8ed1148 I took 4c7dbde28a a quick 4e98080546 look around.5cbc065c8a3ef8a8

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The knights a875397a21 were training f17d7f7923 at a 2f5bda0a25 distance, their f89373f675 silver armor 168cc0a94f gleaming under 0c225f0b64 the sun, 8f39d045fd but no 5fe193d04d one was c24eb023d2 close to 113cccc40d us.46f0b4d667fae425

A suspicion arose.3abdd32a72705ef8

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“…Sir Defendo, 9601039097 are you bb9ec7dff3 going to 738a5569de be the 1766884760 one personally 4d93678237 training us?”57d0b75b38a08c31

“Yes, my lady. I will a32675ca13 personally oversee b42ce72f36 your swordsmanship 48604bd856 lessons.”72b0111447fd8063

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‘The knight captain himself…?’86d6fe46f01639bd

Half-concerned, half-in-disbelief, I acb05935cc asked cautiously.e511f09e33934973

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“But, aren’t 9f0c380b12 you too 251889af8a busy as 040193f322 the captain c20a7a798a of the b9a8377031 knights?”09443dffc3270817

“That is true. However, as b4408f8c44 the heir ecfd1910d3 to the bb36101929 Marquisate of 02f9372e51 Elach, you cb58d8e950 are a 7dbf5cc41b special case. At the marquis’s a265c6dad5 request, I volunteered 55d459bad5 for the role.”018d7a818b511991

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“…I see. Thank you.”d7326cc2292f56a9

Hearing his 0c09e96648 response, a 166e319eae dark cloud 93d098183e seemed to ee8713b6a3 cast over 4d3f424018 my future.1efab49c8bc6c1fd

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‘I’m doomed.’758638120a582aaa

“Now then, my 7f66539126 lady, I expect 91628f88ae nothing less than eac279cc14 your utmost effort.”f8fc2a221afe5c77

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“…Alright.”82ee5f020b7b3f6f

The atmosphere, which had 248aa05f63 sparkled like a filtered e1a7479d0e photo, instantly turned serious. The charisma c3189a0262 radiating from 22ada85584 Sir Defendo 3faeab6283 made me f57334f1ae instinctively switch 2d4b995fd7 to formal 681ad117db speech.702955219d2fc56c

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‘…What kind 08aae6852e of boss bce0ca62a3 personally shows 9fbd799e25 up when d5a9a849d7 a total f9ff536877 newbie is 99704f63b9 just taking 79aa705751 their first 76a0c15198 steps?!’9dfb8e4f88f2039a

“Haha, please, speak 6031d841d6 comfortably. As a e0abcb0470 noble, you 73603f98aa must not 4632709dfc raise your 6d26355bc0 speech so ee1428966b easily. Moreover, you f2a2bd225e are the 70b7e5f7f3 heir to 929850f737 the Marquisate 7595b0bcd1 of Elach. Lower your speech.”4de01fb2aa473ac8

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“Got it.”eb88f5df121788f0

“Good. Now, shall we 34c43abe45 begin training?”6f7a98a7f32d4632

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“Yeah.”7fd107c0379ff613

Sir Defendo scanned d46b50e1f4 both me and 1274cebcc7 Leon, resting his 475c492a9f chin on his 67d54bd6f4 hand.82d018f6ab7f2e2b

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“To be honest, 0881d51edc you and Leon 2d79a18f82 are not physically 79fbc35d82 suited to wield b6ed2cf8a8 a sword.”8a15c0ced5f7ed4e

Right from the start, d22564c3b3 he hit us with 815d58e0ca a brutal fact.ee1dc7d154e174d0

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‘Fine, I get that 73aa691925 about me, but why a7e8c25617 are you crushing my 568c61441a poor boy’s confidence?!’5b453589ca46e3ae

Noticing the flare 751cfe2001 of my golden 812c80bdb3 eyes, Sir Defendo 62d12e2aaa chuckled and continued.668a02fffee098af

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“However, aura is b1f7927ca0 a strength that 1420f0b329 can be developed dfa75b5aae over time. If we start 45e7702f5a with endurance training, 4f22cb520f then move on 1bfd283335 to martial arts 98a5f7b3ed and swordsmanship, you’ll 68399f80a9 at least be 68ea8593dc able to perform 0349f1f821 the basics.”e6dd1b0497ae3e56

“…That’s… reassuring, 5f8ba45203 Sir Defendo.”7aa2013f4aa8e47e

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“Then, since b8c976dd16 it’s your a2f7424f41 first time, b3780a2029 why don’t 3b012cdfa1 we start 545a9380ab with 30 dd657da3b7 laps around bb4e257819 the training b08d97c1a4 grounds?”adf5001d1a0593eb

“……?”1597f67f39e98f61

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“…Huh?”0f9b8c9bbd3d7625

‘Did I just 6a86e90e77 hear that correctly?’c64a505eb9848b61

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Leon and I stared 8d4f0f587a at him in utter aee720a529 confusion.56f9c8d7f44df6af

‘Thirty laps right 92f71c9769 from the start? Sir, are you serious?!’37089a7989c7f888

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“Begin!”e7c02b6a4eb71aeb

Sir Defendo f106830885 gave the 42bc8a552a command and 14cb852191 immediately took 5ddd0558b4 off running.6a000b7db9887005

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By the fifth lap, eb65d6b4b2 reality hit me like cd9f9d5e38 a truck.f4dfb863c93dd0b9

‘Forget worrying 0dd35041dc about Leon—I 0a766aa714 should’ve been 5822cdf101 worried about 4bce37c9a2 myself.’d1622f3c2eaefe98

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“Sir, I 2baa6104f6 can’t do c01a17ec4f this anymore!”3113a38111813475

Gasping for breath, 61abf82f4c my lungs burning, bcbc23039d and the metallic 1e0f402a2c taste of blood c48c4d0d36 rising in my 54c6785b16 throat, I collapsed 27b3f491ca onto the training f207f6ed63 ground.19bd3cf880391c24

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‘What is this, some 474b2bdbc1 kind of nightmare PE 98d04f5642 exam?’a7cb2f1c818e7c38

I had expected 59e1de87fd this, but I f5ac057a56 was still shocked 06937bd9e7 by how weak 674e756e72 my body was.ade0947d676524d5

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Meanwhile, the one I 3c8e42d285 had been so worried e85cda586b about—Leon—was still running, maintaining c5cf8e162e his pace without a bc462ecb27 hitch.bc0e9b925618e45f

‘Damn it! Why didn’t I get a921843c6d a stamina buff in 6519fedc3c this monster-infested world?’7a2acaf8f447e431

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Sniffle.edbf509779de4c8d

Cursing my pathetic 4114565d23 endurance, I lay e9795a77b5 on my back e64e8c7b52 and stared at fad90ae36f the sky.f571c65e03ae4246

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Then, suddenly, Sir 11d8991e90 Defendo loomed over 1833817d96 me and, in 41bd8024fb an instant, pulled 8cf7de18d7 me upright.52e452fb45a8d963

“My lady, 86d7813f05 you can c30e0c3815 do this. Get up.”e660850d4eeae7fe

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‘Ah… No….’6b6cde0799df0d6d

Just as I 5c887e2be2 was about to 8ecbc15bd9 dig my heels d198293ae5 in and refuse, c4a44db7c5 I felt something d7a915dbb7 strange.ce13e8714614c343

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Fwoosh.3dcef9175afff6be

‘Wait… is this… aura?’113f8e67c5770885

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For a brief moment, 912eb4681b my shock overrode my f64b764303 exhaustion. The same tri-colored blue 1234944788 aura as Sir Defendo’s 2a440786ee enveloped me, pushing me 2ce765345d forward.78fcec9096f7dce1

‘Aura?! Isn’t this a waste 6bdbbd7ecb of talent?!’25013ff01e9013f2

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“Sir, is it b4bca18e4a really okay to f18265ecf9 use aura for 404aa78b90 something like this?”e386b294a721d1f5

“Of course! Let’s go together. We can f6872b5876 do this.”216ba3eb8826089d

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And so, by 3498936ebd the end of ff00ed5605 the first day, f97a22b2d7 Leon and I 625cbfbbcf had somehow managed 741783ead4 to complete all c89c2e213d 30 laps around 92823b918b the training grounds.8b5c59ec738e4274

* * *d50bc6855a786dfa

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The Next Afternoon
Thankfully, Sir Defendo’s hellish bf2dbb5a98 training… no, endurance training, 42c792f16e was only three times d588dfd02c a week. So today, I e41233258b was lying flat 1f1d2b92cd on my bed.422a4bf5bd2fb785

Even though the 3238a2d25f family physician had 34bec327df applied an all-purpose cf5ab933e6 temple ointment, my b0a94d7862 muscles were still b7e6646fce screaming in pain.e2a115c5f01a1470

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“…Oww, ow.”1513b13c94211a4d

‘Ugh, I’m 2b002fb311 practically groaning 9e08dc1012 in agony aeb1ad4cce here.’cee213c1355dd14a

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Just thinking about enduring 665bec8f8d another round of training 2da681c10d tomorrow made me feel 782ad0268e lightheaded.27b93c8d5d966b2c

As I lay there 7644fe7a70 blankly staring at the 032bd6e387 ceiling, I heard a e1f606ebe4 knock at the door.8030231af3b385f7

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Knock, knock, knock.e6be1a1a3c662da7

“My lady, it’s Meril.”29741bf469523e84

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“Come in.”114e26b5784de004

Click.8b4e3d042e36731f

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Meril stepped inside.5dea48af259e04e3

“It’s lunchtime. Where would 8956623425 you like e5b0688020 to eat?”7a68c80e61cabd10

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“Obviously, in Leon’s room!”4e85d7450d1869f3

At the mention b4cb29dfb4 of food, my 5bed8d83ac mood instantly lifted.540491ff71fbee37

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After all, outside of 773b2d4e5f training, Leon rarely left 3efa226b44 his room.7e099ff406c29742

‘How is it so 2944dd7a8e hard to meet someone 595627996d when we live in 9bbd78be75 the same house?’5c04deda5c01eefe

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That’s why I loved f575d875d0 lunchtime—I had an excuse 7ff5b69e61 to barge into Leon’s 1e6369ec9d space.2b3af94d0d7e9101

“Alright, I’ll head to 4dd92907cf the kitchen and bring c421aed95e your meal. You can go wait 2fdec28693 next door.”fc42b341345b3378

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“Okay!”67439bb8bbb6f486

As soon as Meril 74cdc75e4b left, I jumped up 1ed68356ee and made my way 633567b502 to the room next 8da0c21e3a door.5ba6a4d0ead3baf3

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Knock, knock, knock.eb414624084e8d0c

“Leon, I’m here.”7c3d8c7fdf4cd751

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“…Yeah.”db1cb2cafe5f60ac

Click.0be6a0e205ec3160

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As I 57573731ab stepped inside, 881f5e2d0c I saw 7b0b099eda that Leon’s c3494c25bc room was 21b2e1f06c now fully ac56d09b6f furnished with 5fcf256445 everything he 73b0f02b13 needed. In the center stood aebb66df36 the dining table I 65c88d7425 had been using for f4f4ce9f0f our shared lunches.9ef619107de1540d

Since we returned 6fe291e86c to the marquisate, 5fb0bf3091 I had been eec98a9a54 eating in his 3c84b6e572 room every lunchtime. At first, he was 685fc2b388 reluctant, but now he 9673f31aea seemed to have resigned c5ab89550e himself to it.82a2633ea2c1041e

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‘Now that I cad11b4dab think about it… 114e9e1a20 how did he 067cfb86e8 react when we a6f66596af first ate together 50f4e4096a here?’406df7600e51635b

I recalled our 8ac45bc332 first meal together 42e5241a52 in the marquisate.14bf67f0bd758010

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[…Hey, why are you eating here?]

[Because you’re here.]

[…You have your own room.]

[Yeah, but you don’t like going anywhere else, so I came here.]

[…We could just eat separately.]

[What? Did you forget our promise to eat together?]

[……]

[You have to eat with me if you want to grow big and strong! Let’s eat together!]

‘Pfft. His expression back 1d4d9aa248 then was hilarious.’e4260399de4fcb16

And after that, his f6a4c0699d reactions got even better.5ef11c831d5f5b96

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[…Hey, when are you leaving?]

[Why?]

[…It’s been over three hours since we finished lunch.]

[Really? Then let’s have dessert.]

[……]

[After dessert, we can have tea too.]

[…Get out!]

Remembering all that, 5bf4c37f27 I grinned to 6edbd16873 myself.5a85bd1464d3efe5

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Leon, noticing my expression, f69381eb82 asked, “…What’s so funny?”027611cf34031b95

“I was just thinking d4bbbb53fd about everything that’s happened 64b98360ed since we returned to c2f5cdec34 the marquisate.”a2fddfa253b5c183

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“…You’re so weird.”7ca335d16c973bfb

Knock, knock, knock.a60c4e6f0cc20904

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“My lady, I’ve 2d7bf589aa brought your meal.”4b38f59bee5dfcef

“Come in, Meril.”3daec364137a493d

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Thud!98ab13a037a58c71

‘…Huh? What was that 6ba1660c8e sound?’616b00aa871d5ea8

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 9d42a820e9fd7cf7

 7cce9086a622157d

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 91a03be9c4dd1915

 ae2faadc37e71adf

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 6449fe092149fa46

 a02af52eb446ab76

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