CH 104

Words : 1035 Updated : Sep 17th, 2025

Leo agreed that I should train “…Besides…perhaps you may need to protect Claire…” “Father. Whatever do you mean?” “Well…should you two be married, wouldn’t it be natural for him to protect you?” “What!? Mr. Takumi and I? Married!?” Ms. Claire’s face turned bright red at her father’s words. …Hmm. Ms. Claire was so beautiful, and surely there were many others more worthy of her… I would feel bad if she ended up with the likes of me. Also, it seemed like Mr. Ekenhart had yet to shake the habit of arranging marriages for his daughter… I suppose it had been this way for so long… “I think you two would be a lovely couple!” “You too, Tilura!?” Tilura had been listening to the conversation, and even she agreed. Sebastian was grinning without any attempt to hide it… Was everyone here trying to push us together? …Why were we even talking about this… “…In any case, Mr. Ekenhart. How should I go about learning to wield weapons?” “Ah, indeed…” I said to Mr. Ekenhart, in order to change the subject. “For now, I will teach you to wield a sword, Mr. Takumi.” “You?” “…Father, I don’t think…” Apparently, Mr. Ekenhart was going to teach me. But was this really a job for a duke? Though, judging from his appearance, there was no doubt in my mind that he could handle a sword just fine. Ms. Claire let out a great sigh. “Mr. Takumi. My father has a habit of wanting to train anyone he thinks is promising. In fact, a few of the guards that work here have been trained by him.” “That is impressive. Are you that skilled with the sword, Mr. Ekenhart?” “Indeed…His Grace can beat even the captain of the royal knights, and is surely among the best in the country.” “Hahaha! The knights captain needs to train more, that is all. But being a captain means a lot of desk work.” “Your Grace, it is his job to maintain unity in the order. So it cannot be helped that he has many other duties.” So, Mr. Ekenhart was a master swordsman. I suppose I was lucky to have such a teacher…but it would likely be hard as well… “The sword is like the foundation of weaponry. If you can wield a sword, you will be quick to learn with the other weapons.” “…That is what father believes.” I didn’t know if the sword really was the foundation, but it did make sense that if I learned one weapon, that it would be easier to learn the others. For now, I needed to get used to wielding a blade. “All right, training will begin as soon as I finish eating!” “…Father. Mr. Takumi was using his Gift only a moment ago. I thought I told you what happens when he uses it too much.” “…Oh, was it something about suddenly fainting?” “Exactly. There is still much we don’t know about the Gift’s side effects. And so surely it would be safer to avoid any training today.” “Hmm…however… When it comes to weapons, it’s best to start training as soon as possible…” Mr. Ekenhart had wanted me to start training after lunch, but Ms. Claire and Sebastian stopped him. But while I had been using Weed Cultivation to make herbs, I didn’t feel tired at all, so I was probably fine. However, I hadn’t felt any tiredness when I fainted. So they were likely right, and I should rest for today. Though, I wasn’t sure if the strength used for training was the same as the Gift. And so I watched Ms. Claire and Sebastian persuade the duke as he finished eating. Then I returned to my room to rest. Leo was with me, and I started to think about what had been discussed. “Training with a sword, huh… Do you think it’s necessary, Leo?” I muttered as I sat down on the bed. I suppose there was a part of me that always wanted to wield a sword. But now that the opportunity had presented itself, I couldn’t help but hesitate. Because wielding a sword meant the possibility of hurting people. But just as Mr. Ekenhart said, I had to be able to protect myself. I didn’t want to die here and leave Leo all alone. “Wuff.” Leo said with a nod. So Leo agreed that I should learn to wield a weapon. Indeed, there were places where Leo could not go, and we would be separated. Besides, I didn’t like the idea of Leo being the one to always protect me. “Yes. Mr. Ekenhart is enthusiastic about it, so I’ll do what I can.” “Wuff. Wuff.” Now that I had a more positive view of the situation, Leo barked happily at me and wagged her tail. Apparently, she had been quite worried that I wasn’t able to fight. And I did not want Leo to worry. “Thanks, Leo. I know that I can’t keep on relying on you to protect me. So I’ll do my best.” “Wuff…wuff…” Leo shook her head as if to say that I didn’t need to worry about that so much. Still, I had made my decision and would move forward. I didn’t know how far I could go, or if I had any inherent skill. However, I still wanted to be able to protect myself. As I thought about this, a voice rang from the other side of the door. “Mr. Takumi, may I come in?” “Oh? Of course.” After the knock, it was Sebastian’s voice that I heard. I wonder what it could be… The matter of the contract had been settled, but was there something else? I got up from the bed, opened the door, and invited Sebastian into the room. “Wuff.” “Good Leo seems to be in a fine mood.” “Hahaha. She is happy that I’ll start training with a sword. She was worried that I was so defenseless.” “I see. Then perhaps she will not have to worry as much from now on.”

CH 104

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