Early in the morning, Rieshe, dressed as a man and wearing a cadet uniform, arrived at a training ground where no one was yet present.
The quiet training ground is full of clean air. We have about an hour and a half until the training of the candidates begins.
(If you'd paid close attention to getting out of the room, you'd be five minutes later than usual)
Anyway, from today on, there's Arnold in the next room. This time would still be asleep, but it wasn't strange to be noticed with a little noise.
(I need to be flexible after cleaning and start working out independently. - Okay!)
Grasp the temper and sweep the ground of the training ground. I tidied up the wooden sword standing on the wall and then went into flexible exercise.
As I stretch my body muscles, I see a figure in the training field.
"Fritz!"
This is also a sight every morning. I called him the same way I did until yesterday, but Fritz made Rieshe jump on his shoulders as soon as he called.
What comes to mind in that face is a somewhat convulsive grin.
"Good morning, Lou."
"Morning. What's up, Fritz, what's up?
"Huh!? Oh, no! Actually, I didn't get much sleep yesterday!
Fritz says lightly and scratches his head.
I was worried that I made it. He comes to the royal capital from a distant port town of Siutena and lives an unfamiliar life while training. There is a slight possibility that you may get sick.
"I'm not that pale, but how's the fever? Any appetite?"
"I ate well in the morning, and it doesn't feel hot."
"Well, would you try holding your finger under your eyes?
"Oh. Like this?
I'll take a look at the color of the mucous membrane, but unlike Kyle, it doesn't even seem anemic. Nevertheless, I would like to have a closer look.
- Fritz, I'm sorry.
"Ooh!?
Take Fritz's wrist and gently place two fingers on the position with the thick blood vessels. The result was not fragrant, so Leishe glanced at him.
"... you have a very fast pulse"
"Ah!!
Fritz pulls herself back in a big panic, grinning like hell.
"I ran this far from the castle gate, at the end of my training!
"Huh? Really?
"Yes, yes! So I just couldn't sleep and I'm full of energy. I'm nothing, so let's start training!
"Hmmm......"
"Besides, I couldn't sleep because I wasn't feeling well."
"Not?
With his neck hanging, Fritz stared at Liesche and then covered his face with his hands like he was in trouble.
"... I may have made someone I like..."
"Heh heh! Congratulations!!"
He said he was touring the Imperial Capital this afternoon, so is that who he met there? Whatever, it's great to develop a new relationship.
"Good for you, Fritz. A long time ago, someone I knew said, 'A knight with a loved opponent is fast to be strong,' he said!
"Oh well..."
With Leishe's blessing, Fritz looks oddly complicated. This is the word of the Knights of a certain country, but would it have been a little frigid?
With that in mind, signs of people approaching the entrance to the training ground.
(I've never seen anyone but Fritz come at this hour)
The only two people who train voluntarily every morning are Leishe and Fritz.
Eventually it was the youth of the Cavalier candidate who showed up.
"Lucius, you really always practiced in the morning..."
"Sven. Good morning"
He is a candidate who yesterday, during his training, has been malignant to Liesche.
Without answering Liesche's greeting, Sven pushes silence. Fritz, who saw how it was, walked out in front of the leachet.
"Hey Sven. I've never seen you come this early."
"Oh, because you argue on your way home yesterday that 'Lucius comes and trains faster than anyone else every morning'!
"That was a fact, wasn't it? Lou beat us all by hand because this is how he works."
Listen to the interaction between the two and somehow guess what happened after yesterday's training. Fritz, who seems to have sheltered Liesche, didn't even give me such a bare gesture.
"Thanks, Fritz"
"We're friends, naturally. Come on, Lou, let's start today's training."
"... I'm sorry. Just a moment."
Liesche turns to Sven and asks.
"Sven won't train with you?
"Huh!?
To the words, Fritz and Sven rounded their eyes.
"Oh, what are you talking about! What's in it for you to ask me out!?
"Got?"
"That's right. It would be better for you to leave me alone."
They said strange things, so Leishe twists her neck.
"The reason knights have to be strong isn't to be the best swordsman in the country, is it?
"Hey, what...?
"To protect those who want to. That's why we all have to grow up to make sense. There's a limit to the number of people you can protect when you're the only one who's stronger."
Sven opened his eyes all the way and stared at Liesche.
Leashes in this world are not knights. But I still remember exactly what I once taught in my life.
"And Sven. After yesterday's training, didn't you stay here and do some voluntary exercises?
"Duh, how could you do that?
"Because the condition on the ground this morning was different from when I saw it after training"
I tamed it with a pair of scissors when I was cleaning it, but I think maybe I made a move with someone. Traces of dirt told the story, and a small mole was formed on Sven's wrist.
"We have limited time to use the training ground, and it's more efficient for everyone to train. So why don't you join us?
"... I didn't come here to train with you"
Sven clenches his fist a long time, takes a deep breath and opens his tease mouth.
"Meet me again, Lucius."
"... you know Sven"
Fritz said with a frightened face.
"It's strength that Lou won yesterday, it's not bad. You don't want to admit it..."
"I know!
It was a squeaky voice.
"There's a difference in strength between me and Lucious. The truth is that much, the moment I lost to this guy yesterday, I understand it right...! So I thought desperately. Asked the rest of them what I was missing! What can I do to be a little stronger to beat Lucious..."
"Sven......"
Sven takes another deep breath and then tells Leishe:
"You're better than that! Now that I know that, I'd like to sign up for an arrangement again. How can I try to get beyond you, to know that!
――……
Sven's shoulders are shaking a little. Even his face is red, and he's going to cry. I can see all kinds of emotions intertwined, like remorse, nervousness and embarrassment.
It would have been very courageous to ask Liesche to do this. Still, he turns to the leachet, begging.
"Please, Lucious. Give me another chance."
"... Lou"
……
After nodding at the frizz he looked back, Leishe replied with a grin.
"Fine. Let's do it."
"Huh!?
When I say it out like that, I can turn to the look of incredibility.
"Oh, is that so easy!? I made fun of you yesterday!?
"I just didn't want to bother Fritz, and I don't care about that in itself."
"Besides, your morning practice time will be crushed..."
"I'm fine, and there's something I'd like to try."
I rush to pick up the wooden sword that stands between the walls of the training ground, listening to Sven.
In addition to the normal wooden sword I used yesterday, there was also a wooden dagger with only half of it.
"By the way, can I ask you what kind of method you have in mind?
"... Lucius is strong, but he has little power. So I pressed it with my arms, trying not to be prevented from attacking..."
"Sure, if you can come with that tactic, I wonder if there's something a little spicy"
Reeshe grinned bitterly, choosing two wooden swords of normal length and two short ones to hold them in his hands.
"Fritz, if that's all right with you, why don't you join the paperwork?
"Oh, of course! I want Lou to go with me."
"Hehe, good. I'm glad you said that."
"Ooh..."
Relaxed and laughing, Fritz looked like he was in trouble for some reason. As I wonder, I hand him a wooden sword and also give it to Sven.
"You, are you really going to fit in...?
"Of course I do. But I just want to place one order with you."
"Orders?"
"Yeah."
Liesche nods and grips two short wooden swords, one in each hand.
And I smiled.
"I want you two to work together and fight, not with me one by one."
"Nah..."
"You two!?
Fritz and Sven raised their voices before seeing each other.
"Lou. You mean two on one?
"Yes. Will you hang out with me?
When I asked Fritz, he nodded quickly.
"You're for what you want to try. Okay, that's fine."
"Don't move on, Fritz! Lucius, you can't be such a coward to us both!
"You know, Sven, it's a mistake to say that you can beat Lou if you try with numbers and power."
Although Sven was bewildered, when he realized Fritz was willing to ride, he set up a wooden sword as he was prepared.
With two wooden swords in his hand, Liesche shows Sven at the right sword tip and tells them.
"Anytime."
"- Let's go!
The first person to step in was Sven.
Big time, but a powerful move. When he is swayed with a wooden sword, he is slashed with full force.
You can't just leave it to me.
Liesche stepped aside and turned the blow away.
Sven just swings next, coming at the shoulder mouth of the leachet. Playing it with the sword of his left hand, that's all disfigured him.
"Ku......"
Sven exhaled and re-gripped the wooden sword. He seems in a hurry, but now it's amazing he didn't drop his sword.
"When attacking, it's not a good idea to keep your center of gravity in the sword. It's hard to stay in shape if you hit it, and it's worse if you're avoided."
"Yah!
"Always think about the next attack when setting it up"
While explaining, stop Sven's blow with his left sword.
Ka 'an, and just after the sound of a wooden sword bump, another sign hit me.
Liesche sets up his right-hand sword and takes that attack overhead.
"Wow, that's just great, Lou!
I smiled at Fritz, who said in a bright voice, while pushing Sven and Fritz. Return the cut of the wooden sword as it is and step into Sven's pocket.
I tried to tap the pattern all over me, but Sven paid for it with his sword.
"It's a good move, but a shame!
……
Liesche flips his body and is slashed by the fritz as it is. Fritz prevents it with a wooden sword, but Leishe's attack never stops.
If you're sealed, just switch to the other one. He rolled out the wooden sword with his right hand while holding down the fritz with the received left sword.
"Sven! Don't take it, avoid it!
"Gu!"
"How's it going! Sven takes a good look at Fritz's movements and Fritz breathes in with Sven too!
Reacting to Liesche's words, the two gaze at each other as they move. It's been slaughtered at the same time, but that's not enough.
"We're almost there. If you're in your opponent's position right now, where do you want to attack?
"Ah..."
"Right, sure...!
It was Sven who screamed first.
"Fritz, down there!
"Okay!
The word signals and the frizz drops its hips slightly. He crouched down to the ground rinse position and tried to pay for Liesche's feet with a wooden sword.
The moment you jump through it, Sven comes in from the front. Reeshe put his hands up and twisted his torso at the same time as landing when he took it overhead with a crossed wooden sword.
Pulled by the rotation of the leachet, it takes the form of Sven throwing his body forward of the fritz.
Fritz reached out to protect it, grabbed his arm and let Sven rebuild his posture, and the two of them were just about to slash him.
Take it with your left and right swords. While I felt the shock, Liesche was unwittingly excited.
(Wow, I'm extraordinarily better......!
The two of us have been individually challenged so far, but as soon as we became aware of the collaboration, the movement changed.
I'm guessing they're aware of it, too. Their eyes were lively, even with the sword received by Liesche. I can't help but see how fun it is to get along.
"Fritz, we're gonna push it off with the next blow."
"Oh, I'll do it!
"It's a good decision. - But too bad!
Liesche exhaled briefly, pulling herself flutter from it.
"Ah!?
I'm upset that I'm suddenly out of response, and their posture breaks down.
Liesche made that gap and, as he struck into the sword of Fritz, turned his cut around as it was.
Fritz takes his hand off the wooden sword, not resisting the tangling motion. Flying the sword as it was, it went on into Sven's time.
"Ugh...!
If you wave down the left hand wooden sword, you will be prevented by a horizontal wooden sword. But a sword that has been set up to withstand shocks from the top is, in turn, vulnerable to attacks from the bottom.
Try to jump it up with the sword in your right hand and the wooden sword will also leave Sven's hand. The sword, circled in space as it twirled, fell to the ground and then rolled.
"Ha, ha, ha..."
If you let go of your hand from the wooden sword, it is deemed impossible to continue.
That concludes the arrangement.
The two were somewhere grumpy. Liesche waves his two-handed sword all the time before smiling at them.
"As I felt in yesterday's rendition. You both go well together in battle."
"Oh, me and Fritz...?
"Yes. I wanted to see you two put together, so I'm glad you got this opportunity soon"
Perhaps, these two are both talented and similar in their perception of swordsmanship. Otherwise, I can't move so much as Liesche advised me somewhat.
If you two become knights together, you will surely be more dizzy. Imagining such a future, Liesche grinned.
But Fritz and Sven are still pompous.
"Ru, Lucious." What you want to try "wasn't about your own moves or your methods of warfare, it was about us."
"Am I right? It was so much fun, I'd love to do it again tomorrow!
With that said, Sven looked kind of sinister.
"... you..."
"Huh, haha!
Contrary to Sven, Fritz starts laughing funny.
"Well, we'll meet again tomorrow morning for practice, Sven! Let's have an ops meeting so we can beat Lou."
"Damn......! I'm coming, I'm coming sooner than Lucious! I don't know what time you're coming and you're starting to be flexible, but you'll never lose next time!
(I also clean before I'm really flexible, but it's just a habit and let's shut up...)
Thinking about that, Sven leaned down and said in a squeezing voice.
"... bad. Well, a lot of things."
"I told you. He didn't think anything of it."
Again, Sven looks a little crying.
- I'm gonna beat you one of these days.
"Yeah. But you can't beat me."
"Shit!"
I kind of feel a strange glance when I'm interacting and laughing like that. Looking back, Fritz was staring at Liesche.
"Fritz? What's wrong?
"... Huh!? Oh, no, nothing!! I just don't know, Lou thought he'd stop laughing a lot......!!
"I guess so, thanks. Fritz is the one who always smiles and smiles."
I'd really like to have Leishe smiling more too, but distraction reminds me of my worries. I gently focused my consciousness on the entrance to the training ground while keeping them unnoticed.
So far there's no sign of anyone, but I guess that's because the time is still early.
(Uncle Rovine will be here soon....... I need to 'gather information' thoroughly during this training, even for tonight!
For the night club, Liesche was in a mood for invisibility.