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Chapter 10
“No, I can’t use magic at all.”
During the time when I was repeatedly regressing, I had once considered learning magic so that I could escape.
But after finding out that I had absolutely no talent for magic, I gave up on the idea.
“……Really?”
Theodore examined me with a meaningful look.
“I told you. The training is with Kai.”
“Oh, with that dragon? What kind of training?”
“There are several kinds, but usually I teach him how to maintain his human form.”
“Really? That’s the first time I’ve ever heard of such training. I want to watch sometime too.”
Of course it was the first time he had heard of it. There had never been a precedent for a human raising a dragon……
I suppressed the sigh that almost escaped and answered him.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t think you can watch. Kai is shy around strangers.”
“Then it can’t be helped. Okay.”
I thought he would ask at least one more time, but he was more easygoing about it than I expected.
“Hmm, so that’s why the training grounds were closed in the afternoon. I see.”
Theodore nodded as if he had figured something out.
“Well, of course. You can’t let the servants discover the dragon.”
“That’s true.”
“Well, I don’t mind it being closed in the afternoon. I always train in the morning.”
Theodore stretched his body.
“I came here today because I saw you on my way to training. But since I haven’t moved my body at all, I’m feeling a little stiff.”
“Didn’t you say earlier that you came because you were bored?”
“……I-I did? When?”
When else? He had said it himself only twenty-five minutes ago.
“I never said that.”
Theodore pointed at himself as he asked, his face gradually turning red.
Apparently, he wasn’t shameless enough to hide the fact that he was lying.
For some reason, his reaction was so funny that I let out a small laugh.
“Hey, you… are you laughing at me?”
Theodore became angry and clenched his fists tightly.
“It’s okay. Things like that happen, Brother.”
“……What?”
“If you feel like getting angry, just let it out. They say you’ll get sick if you keep everything bottled up.”
“Damn it, you……! Are you making fun of me for trying to be considerate of you?!”
Yes. It’s actually really funny.
His fists trembled as he let out heavy breaths through his nose.
Watching him look both pitiful and amusing made me feel like I was about to laugh again.
Unable to hold it in any longer, I quickly turned my head away.
Theodore swallowed his anger and declared sternly,
“You, you…… can’t watch my training. Got it?”
“Why all of a sudden?”
“I was going to show you around since we were already talking about it!”
“Today?”
“Yeah!”
So that’s how it is.
I am a little curious about how swordsmanship training works.
I had never seen it directly before.
Of course, I had no intention of learning swordsmanship myself.
But observing it might be useful to me someday.
After making up my mind, I approached Theodore, who was already sulking.
“Brother Theodore.”
“……”
He silently avoided my gaze.
I took the opportunity to step in front of him and stop him.
“……Why?”
Without looking me in the eyes, Theodore answered grumpily.
“I’m sorry for teasing you.”
“……Forget it.”
“I did it because I was happy. It felt like we were becoming closer.”
Theodore’s body trembled slightly at those words.
“……You did it because you were happy?”
“Yes.”
Well…… it was partly flattery.
But it wasn’t like I disliked becoming closer to him.
And teasing him had been quite fun too.
“Really?”
Theodore asked suspiciously.
I nodded several times, making my expression as sincere as possible.
“I mean it.”
At my confident answer, Theodore pouted.
“……It’s too late today. Come tomorrow morning.”
With that, he quickly walked past me.
“Brother, you’re walking too fast.”
I hurried after him.
“I’m done! I’m going inside now.”
Theodore shouted, his face, ears, and even his neck bright red.
“See you tomorrow morning!”
When I called out to him as he grew farther away, Theodore suddenly turned around and looked at me for a moment.
“Don’t oversleep and miss the good show!”
After shouting that, he quickly ran into the mansion as if he were in a hurry to get somewhere.
“……Does he dislike me less than I thought?”
I still wasn’t sure.
But at least today, I felt like I had seen a more honest side of Theodore than before.
The next morning.
Perhaps because of the promise we had made, I woke up earlier than usual.
I gently stroked Kai’s head as he slept soundly beside me.
Then I slipped out of bed and headed toward the training grounds.
“Oh my, Young Lady! Where are you going?”
On the way, I ran into Annie, who was coming toward my room.
“I have a promise with Brother Theodore, so I’m going to the training grounds.”
At my words, Annie let out an “Ah!”
“Then I’ll go to your room and clean it!”
“No. You cleaned it yesterday too. Just rest today.”
I hurriedly stopped her and waved my hand.
Since Kai is sleeping in my room again today, let’s not accidentally let anyone find out.
“But if I don’t clean every day, dust will build up……”
“It’s fine. Don’t you have other urgent things to do?”
“That’s true…… Then I’ll come see you later, before you go to bed.”
“Okay. Thank you.”
I gave Annie a bright smile, passed her, and continued walking.
Phew. I finally made it.
Standing in front of the training grounds, I rubbed my chest in relief.
Fortunately, I hadn’t met anyone else besides Annie on the way.
“I almost ended up being even later.”
It was still quite early.
But I didn’t know when Theodore would start training, so it was better for me to arrive as early as possible.
I stared at the large door for a moment, then put all my strength into it and pushed.
The door was so heavy that it normally took all my strength just to open it.
Usually, Kai would have opened it for me.
But I was alone now, and there was no one I could ask for help.
“Why won’t this open……?”
Just when I was beginning to think that opening the door was unusually difficult today—
Thud.
Someone behind me grabbed the door and pushed along with me.
Creeeak.
The large door, taller than me, slowly moved inward.
“How are you going to survive if you can’t even open something like this by yourself?”
I wondered who it was.
Of course, it was Theodore.
“Thank you for helping me.”
“You don’t have to thank me. It’s something I should do anyway.”
Theodore shrugged and walked inside while drinking water.
He casually threw the old leather water bottle he had been carrying onto the floor.
Then he picked up a wooden practice sword from the corner nearby.
“Where are you going to watch from?”
“I’ll sit over there.”
I pointed toward the area near the water bottle he had thrown down.
Theodore nodded.
“Don’t come too close. I might accidentally hit you without realizing it.”
He playfully pulled one corner of his mouth upward and lightly tapped his shoulder with the sword.
“Even if you tell me to come closer, I won’t.”
I firmly said that and took a seat beside the water bottle.
“……Yeah, whatever.”
Theodore answered awkwardly and placed the sword he was holding down beside him.
Then he began stretching with a serious expression.
He’s actually pretty serious about this.
I had thought he only wanted to show off because he had said he would let me watch.
But apparently, he really intended to show me his normal training routine exactly as it was.
Not wanting to disturb him, I kept my mouth shut and simply watched.
Theodore occasionally glanced in my direction, perhaps because he was conscious of me.
But before long, he became completely absorbed in his training and began skillfully swinging the sword.
“……Oh, he’s pretty good.”
I murmured so quietly that he couldn’t hear me.
I knew nothing about swordsmanship.
But I could at least tell that he wasn’t simply training to look cool.
He repeatedly practiced basic stances that other people might easily dismiss as insignificant.
Even though repeating the same movements over and over had to be boring, when I saw how he maintained his concentration until the very end—
Theodore is really serious about swordsmanship.
I had always thought of him as nothing more than a child who constantly bullied and mocked me.
But seeing him like this, he somehow seemed like a completely different person.
While I was admiring him inwardly, he finally stopped repeating the same basic movements and lowered his sword.
“Huu……”
He sighed and wiped the sweat from his face with a towel hanging on a wooden training dummy.
“Is it break time?”
At my question, he nodded and came toward me.
He dropped down beside me and picked up the water bottle from the floor before drinking from it.
“Watching this is more boring than you expected, right?”
He gulped down water to wet his throat before casually asking.
“No.”
At my answer, he gave a small laugh.
“Don’t lie. I’ve only been doing basic cuts. What’s supposed to be fun about that?”
“I’m serious.”
At those words, he glanced at me.
“I like watching you become completely absorbed in what you’re doing, Brother Theodore.”
“……R-Really?”
His face looked noticeably redder than usual as he asked me again.
