I parted from Roca and the others at the entrance to the school and headed for the dormitory.
Although I was suspended, it was only for a few days. The dorms should be fine.
At that moment, I heard a sharp call accompanied by the sound of the wind.
The falling sun was shining on a red-haired young man.
In the empty training field, he is holding a wooden sword with both hands and swinging it.
He is a really serious guy. I decided to talk to him.
[Hey, Keith. You’re very energetic.]
[Yeah? Theodore? Is it true that you were suspended from school for half-killing a …… nobleman?]
[No, I didn’t go that far with the stones. I was indeed suspended.]
[I heard that you laughed and kept kicking the aristocrat who had put up no resistance.]
That’s more than just a rumor with a tail.
[You are strong. But don’t forget that you are of low status. The nobles may have done something to you, but they will not listen to anything a commoner has to say. It’s a dumbfounding story.]
[You don’t seem like that kind of guy, do you?]
[I, too, am proud to be a nobleman. I intend to have an amount of pride as the son of Earl Lermit who inherited the holy flame. However, it is not something that I would ever scorn or make fun of someone of a lower status.]
[So you believe my side of the story then?]
Keith says as he continues to pretend.
[I don’t believe you. Especially at the entrance ceremony, you went too far and behaved badly. But I don’t think you are the kind of man who would hurt the weak for no good reason. You are only interested in the strong, right?]
[Well, sort of. I’m here to see if I can find someone stronger.]
[Let’s ask……. From your point of view, how am I? Do I have what it takes to be strong?]
Despite his straightforward question, he seemed to be a little anxious.
[What’s wrong with you all of a sudden? You sound like you’re standing in front of a big wall. Like you don’t know if you can get over it.]
[ …… Hmmm, maybe you’re right. So what do you think?]
[I think you are strong enough now, but you can become even stronger with more training. You have talent, and above all, you are a messenger of God. You are recognized by God.]
[The gods are fickle. The gods are capricious. Good people or bad people can get their blessings, and it doesn’t matter if they are gifted or not. I have seen many people who would like to ask why such a person was chosen by the gods.]
Somehow, I thought that he must have had his fair share of hardships despite his status as an earl.
[I think the best way for you to get stronger would be to fight real battles, but that might be a little too much for this academy.]
[I’ve already met with most of the alumni, but …… there’s not much to talk about. Too many of them are just looking to get in, become a cadet, graduate, and then become a commissioned officer or something and get on with their lives.]
[Keith feels like he can’t get enough of just being a Capt.]
[Of course. My dream is to become the Grand Marshal of the Elberian Empire. I must regain the prestige of the Earl of Lermit with my own hands.]
The Grand Marshal. That’s a big target.
When we, the Tenebrae Demon Kingdom, were facing the Empire, we would have had the highest rank next to the heroes and would have been the supreme commander of all the armies.
For him now, it is still just an endless dream. But the time may come when it will eventually happen.
[Theodore, do you have some time to spare? I’d like to have a meeting with you.]
[I don’t have anything going on today. I’m just bored back at the dorms, so let’s do a few things.]
He had a wooden sword ready for me, and I took it and started my match with Keith.
[Gooooooo!”]
Keith blew up with a flourish.
I put too much force into it. Maybe I put a little too much heat.
I found myself listening to the chirping of birds. The morning sun was rising.
I don’t know how many hours have passed since that thing, but Keith and I have been fighting with wooden swords in our hands the whole time.
From the middle of the game, it was more like a training session for him than a match, but it was a lot of fun.
Perhaps it was my interest in him, who was getting stronger with each battle, that spurred me on. I just tell him what I have learned from crossing swords with him.
[I think you were getting serious with the stones towards the end. But before that, I was lost in how you use a sword. Not because you could still win against other students.]
I take Keith’s hand and help him to his feet.
[If you don’t, they will break you. That’s probably why you couldn’t quite give it your all.]
[When I was a child, I fought with a nobleman of my age. I was told that he was a good fighter, so I got excited and ended up injuring him unnecessarily. That may have been the cause.]
So he already had a power that was different from those around him from that time on?
Maybe only a few times has he ever played a match and given it his all.
[Theodore, can we get another round?]
[I don’t mind, but isn’t it about time we had breakfast?]
[I’m sorry, I didn’t realize it was that time already. Sorry, I hadn’t noticed that at all.]
Maybe he is just like me.
At best, it’s tremendous concentration. Worse, when he gets too absorbed, he loses sight of his surroundings.
Well, our personalities are opposites.
[I will continue to accompany you in training and practice as long as we have time. Of course, not only swordsmanship but also magic is fine. Let’s do it again next time.]
[Thank God. I have a lot of stuff to do at ……, so I’ll leave you to it.]
Keith left the place in a hurry.
Well, what am I going to do while I’m on suspension? I could go back to the dorm and sleep, but my body hardly needs any rest, so I’d rather be doing something anyway.
Contrary to yesterday, it might be fun for me to invite Roca and Shaula to tour the city.
While I was thinking about this, I noticed a presence sneaking up behind me.
[If you’re trying to surprise me, you’re failing, Liz.]
[Oh, no, did you notice me? What a pity.]
Liz came up to me and suddenly hugged me on my back.
[That’s right!]
[Hey, Liz?]
[You’re so sweet, Theo-kun. Surprising someone is not only by approaching them from behind and yelling at them, there are other ways to surprise them.]
[Don’t you have any modesty as a girl or anything like that?]
[I threw those useless things away with the garbage! Besides, I think a boy like Theo-kun would be more likely to drop a girl like this if I push him aggressively! Here, here, here, how do you like it? How’s that soft feeling on your back?]
Ahhh, it’s comfortable.
Rena’s is far superior in terms of size and elasticity, but this one is quite wonderful in its way. Unlike her personality, Rena is a bit more reserved, but she has a softness or fullness that comes from the parts that come out.
…… No good. I’m going to go out of control again. Calm down. I know what Rena said to me. Be careful with this kind of woman.
I slip well away from Liz, who is stuck on my back, and look at her from the front.
Her dark green hair, glistening in the morning sun, is truly beautiful. The long ears are also very long, and I just want to touch them,…….
[Liz, what can I do for you? I know it’s still early for you to get to school.]
[I had been hearing the sound of Theo-kun and Keith competing since yesterday evening. I dozed off for a bit and was surprised to find it still going on in the morning. So I just came to make fun of you.]
[Oh, by the way, I thought elves had good ears. That’s …… not good, I might have bothered the other elves.]
[I’m not proud of it, but I think I’m just exceptionally good at hearing. All the elves in the empire are used to the noise, so you don’t have to worry about it.]
Is that how it is?
[I wish I could talk with Theo-kun all day long. I wish I could talk with him all day long about the type of girl he likes, his favorite food, where we should go on our honeymoon if we get married, how many children we should have, and so on.]
Damn, why is this elf coming at me so aggressively?
I could understand Lumiel and Rena, who have been married to me for a long time, but I had just recently met her and hadn’t even talked to her much.
……, but oh well. I’ll go along with her story this time. I have a few questions I’d like to ask her.
[Well, why don’t you join me for a little chat? We could have breakfast together.]
[Really? Yes! Okay, I’ll take you to my favorite restaurant!]
So she told me, and I was dragged along by her to this restaurant or something like that.