Chapter 31
05. The name is?
“The weather is nice.”
Daphne, sitting on the terrace, plucked and ate a grape while looking up at the sky.
After collapsing, Daphne, who had been in the main building, moved her residence to the annex as soon as she dealt with the assassin, the black mage.
After all, the main building had many humans coming and going, which was annoying, and practicing mana there made her conscious of others.
The hero’s energy enveloped the entire main building, and if she squeezed in to practice and the hero noticed something strange, things would become very troublesome.
‘He’s a real ghost-like guy, so I have to be careful in everything.’
In that context, she also refused the hero’s swordsmanship teaching.
If she wasn’t careful, what if he discovered the great dragon inside this body? Of course, that wouldn’t happen, but it was still better to be cautious.
Ah, of course, it’s also because she dislikes the hero. Actually, this reason is bigger.
“That guy’s distorted face was really nice to see.”
Daphne, who had been giggling, withdrew her gaze that had been toward the sky while munching on grapes again. It was toward the ground where her two feet were planted.
“But this annex always feels suffocating whenever I come.”
The energy felt along her feet indicated that the entire annex was surrounded by barriers.
Roughly guessing, one, two, three…… a total of five.
To set up barriers of this level, at least dozens of 6th-circle or higher mages would have been worn out.
“What’s in the annex?”
She muttered while tilting her head. She just couldn’t understand why such barriers were set up in a mere annex.
“Anne. Do you know the reason?”
“Yes?”
Anne, who was pouring tea into an empty cup, made surprised rabbit eyes.
“I’m asking if you know the reason why the annex has such strict defenses like this.”
“Uh…… Yes.”
“Yeah. I don’t underst…… You know?!”
Daphne dropped a grape and leaned her body toward Ann. Ann tilted her head and answered.
“It’s because of the young lady.”
“……Me?”
“Yes. It’s been known for a long time that the young lady’s body is weak…… They set up the barriers in case there are people targeting the young lady. I heard they were made by pressuring the imperial mages.”
“…….”
What nonsense is this.
Daphne was truly flustered.
The hero doesn’t like this body. He only shows interest when wondering when she’ll die. But he set up barriers for this body? Bringing in imperial mages? It didn’t make sense.
“I’m asking just in case.”
Daphne asked very cautiously, but half convinced that it wasn’t true
.
“Does the hero like me?”
“……Yes?”
“No, isn’t that not the case. When I came back to life, he just said I’m not dead, and he hasn’t come to see me since, of course he suddenly appeared this time and saved me, and he did give various cares in the main building, but still, does he…… like me?”
Daphne’s mouth gaped open as she spoke. What. It seems the hero really likes this body!
“The master is just clumsy at expressing himself. He thinks about Daphne so much.”
“If he’s clumsy twice, he’ll abandon me.”
“Oh come on, it’s not like that.”
The flustered Ann gestured with her eyes toward Anna for help. Anna, who approached, stood beside Daphne.
“I heard from the madam that when she first met the master, he was even more indifferent and cold than now.”
“Anna! You shouldn’t tell such behind-the-scenes stories!”
“What’s the big deal. The young lady is old enough to know now. Right?”
Oh ho. This seems a bit interesting.
Daphne nodded.
“Alright. Tell me more. There’s nothing as fun as gossiping about others.”
“Hehe.”
Anna, who laughed lowly, continued.
“The master was a very stone-like person. Whatever he saw, blank, whatever he got, blank, whatever he did, blank. So the madam hated the master at first. She said she ran away saying, I hate this guy!”
“Oh ho. That guy deserves such insults.”
“But it seems the master liked the madam from the beginning. I don’t know if he was shocked by the madam’s rejection or what, but he disappeared for a few days, and then from one day, he came every morning. Holding a bouquet.”
“……Flowers?”
“Yes. And with that characteristic blank expression, he gave the bouquet and left, came again the next day, and the day after that…… So the madam realized that the master isn’t a bad person, but just clumsy at expressing himself. Isn’t it romantic?”
“…….”
Daphne suddenly frowned.
“It’s gross.”
Just imagining that hero guy holding flowers makes her stomach churn. Ugh.
There probably isn’t anyone in the whole world who suits flowers less than that guy. Ugh.
“Hey, don’t be like that.”
Anne said.
“When the young lady was first born, he came with flowers too. It was winter, but somehow he brought a fully bloomed laurel bouquet.”
“How romantic it was! I saw the master in a new light then.”
Ann and Anna tightly clasped their hands and sent warm gazes toward Daphne.
“The master definitely loves the young lady.”
“Yes. Even if clumsy, definitely.”
Daphne felt her slightly hot earlobes and scratched the back of her head.
“I…….”
My place, my true body, I, am not Daphne.
In her view, who was in Daphne’s body, the relic suddenly came into sight. The White Lion’s Lantern that Heros left as a so-called gift.
Daphne could feel a corner of her heart becoming heavy, just like when she was with Arius and Vipera.
“I don’t really want to receive such things.”
Daphne felt a bitterness in her mouth and forcibly turned her head.
To not look at the relic that Heros left.
And to ignore this uneasy feeling.
***
Heros was standing motionless in the middle of the training ground, feeling the flowing wind.
His hair gently fluttered with the flow of the wind. But there was no shaking.
As if there was no shortage in being called the empire’s sword, Heros stood rigidly without the slightest movement, like a sword stuck in the ground.
“Your Excellency?”
Behind such Heros, the knight commander, Lloyd, walked over.
“What brings you here. Do you have orders for the knights?”
Since Heros wasn’t usually the one to enter the training ground, Lloyd was puzzled.
He also felt anxious wondering if there was a problem. Gulp, he swallowed dryly and gauged Heros’s mood.
“Commander.”
“Yes, please speak.”
“I’m asking out of curiosity.”
Heros let out a long sigh and turned to Lloyd.
“If I said I’d teach swordsmanship, how do you think you’d feel?”
“Pardon?”
Lloyd’s eyes bulged out as if they would pop.
As soon as he heard it, he almost lost his mind momentarily.
Heros, that is, the empire’s sword and the foremost sword master, the hero, teaching swordsmanship? Really?
“Th-that, uh, uh…….”
Lloyd, who lost his words, flapped his mouth and then boom! knelt down.
“I will gratefully receive the teaching!”
“…….”
No, I didn’t say I’d teach you.
I just wanted to know why Daphne refused me.
“Hey there! Everyone come over here! His Excellency says he’ll teach us swordsmanship!”
“Pardon? Are you serious?”
“For real?! Really getting teaching from a sword master?”
“I thought such an opportunity would never come…… Thank you. Really thank you!”
“…….”
Uh uh, this isn’t it.
Heros tried to spit out the words lingering in his mouth, but the knights who had already gathered had eyes sparkling more than ever, so he couldn’t bring himself to say no.
Again, Heros is just a person who’s clumsy and awkward at dealing with others.
Since his social skills are lacking, he didn’t know how to properly handle various social situations.
Especially in a case like this where knights gathered like chicks with sparkling eyes.
“Th-that…… Yeah. I’ll teach you.”
“Waaah! Mother! I succeeded!”
“Waaah! This isn’t a dream, right? It’s real? Waaah! I have to brag! Brag!”
Seeing half the knights going wild and half tearing up, one could guess how much they wanted Heros’s teaching.
Wondering if he had neglected the knight order too much, and feeling sorry for those overshadowed by him, Heros had no choice but to accept this situation.
Well…… He didn’t know if they could endure his teaching to the end, though.
“First, stamina. Let’s start after running 50 laps around the training ground.”
“Pardon?”
Seeing the surprised Lloyd, Heros thought as expected.
The training ground is quite large, so 50 laps would be too much. But to learn his swordsmanship, they need stamina to easily handle 50 laps. So these guys would drop out here……
“Is it only 50 laps?”
“We can run more!”
“Ajaah!”
……Not.
What.
Why did their stamina improve so much?
Heros tilted his head while watching the knights dash out without anyone leading, then let out a long sigh.
‘The knights like it this much, but why Daphne.’
Of course, he didn’t have the mind to necessarily teach Daphne.
‘Should I teach her once? Since she’s trying, maybe once?’ That level of thought.
-I don’t want to learn from someone like you.
-If you won’t tell me, I’m leaving. Ugh, waste of time.
But since she refused so firmly, a strange stubbornness arose.
Even the arrogant knights have their eyes turning red and running around like that when he says he’ll teach! Why Daphne!
Heros pursed his lips into a straight line and let out a groan. The rigid sword-like appearance was gone, and now Heros was swaying like a shaking reed.
It was then.
“Hero. Were you here.”
At the heard voice, Heros hurriedly turned around. There was Daphne standing crookedly with her arms crossed firmly.
“I came.”
Daphne said while jiggling the bamboo sword on her shoulder.
“The great I will give you a chance.”
“……?”
“Try teaching me properly!”
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By Anna 💓
