A Depressed Kendo Player Possesses a Reckless Aristocrat - Chapter 136



The Age of First Love (1)

I’d begun my life as a Sentinel, but not much had drastically changed from my old routine.

If I had to point out one noticeable difference… it’d be that my place of stay had shifted from my room to an office.

The space the academy had allocated for Sentinels was quite large.

Whether it was due to my Great Master’s influence or not, it was incomparable to those used by the Disciplinary Committee or the Student Council.

For a group with a total of only 10 members, wasn’t it a bit excessive? I decided to brush it aside.

Good things are good, after all.

It was much better to have a larger space than a cramped one.

Even with all the members milling about in the office, it wasn’t uncomfortable at all.

“Haaa…”

A drawn-out yawn escaped me.

Putting down my pen for a moment, I stretched, and the girls sitting at the opposite desk came into view.

“The budget report is finished. Would you check it?”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Ueeeee…”

It was Lucy, Maharet, and Ariel, in that order.

All three were also diligently working with their hands, helping with the paperwork.

Ariel looked like she was dozing off… but I’ll just pretend I didn’t see it. If they’re cute, it’s okay for them to doze off a bit.

‘Come to think of it… those two still seem awkward with each other.’

A stiff tension hung between them.

Not exactly hostility, but an undeniable unease.

It must be because of what happened back then.

The day I had the fit, the day I hung myself.

Rachel told me that while I was unconscious, Lucy had severely reprimanded Maharet.

Even slapped her, apparently…

‘Are the emotional scars still there, I wonder.’

I explained everything about Maharet’s situation.

The reason she hated me so much, the wrongdoings I committed, and finally the forgiveness where we accepted each other and cried.

I had already forgiven her.

If anything, I just felt sorry.

But it seemed Lucy still held onto some discomfort.

I couldn’t say I didn’t understand.

She was the one who witnessed every harrowing scene that day.

Those memories were so vividly etched into her mind, it wouldn’t be easy to erase the animosity that had taken root.

“There’s a typo here.”

“Ah… yes, I’ll fix it right away, Your Highness.”

As if sensing those feelings, Maharet was always cautious.

She was still a girl carrying guilt towards me, so she might be even more withdrawn because of it.

It wasn’t like Maharet.

She was always so confident and dignified.

Lately, she looked like a wilting flower.

‘……I just wish everyone could get along.’

But perhaps it was a relief, in a way.

It wasn’t like the two of them truly hated each other.

“I’ll handle the paperwork for the guardian assignment. Give it to me.”

“It’s alright, Your Highness.”

“Just give it here. How do you expect to do all that by yourself?”

“……Thank you.”

“Hmph…”

Lucido and Maharet, they were just confused.

Just yesterday they were on opposite sides, so it’d be strange if they suddenly became close overnight.

They’d need time.

Enough time to sort through their swirling emotions.

“Ughhh… sleepy…”

“Why don’t you go get some shut-eye? I’ll take care of the rest of the paperwork.”

“uuung… but it’s unfair if Maharet-unni does it all…”

“I don’t mind…”

“His Grace is also working hard. I can’t just slack off.”

It was a relief that Ariel was there.

She was filling the awkward silence between the two of them.

-Ariel… I know it’s tough, but please.

-Get along well with the people at the Sentinel. We’re practically one family now.

As if agreeing to my cautious request, Ariel was showing her efforts.

Whose sibling she was, I didn’t know, but she was a truly admirable kid.

I gazed at the girl with a pleased look.

When I spaced out like that for a bit, someone placed a teacup on the desk.

“Master.”

“Rachel.”

The girl flashed a bright smile when our eyes met.

“I prepared this for you, since you looked tired.”

“Thank you. I’ll enjoy it.”

“Please take it easy. I’m worried you’ve been pushing yourself too hard lately.”

“It’s alright… the busiest period is over now. Things will be calm again by next week.”

The tea was warm enough to melt away the stiffness of fatigue.

I savored the scent brushing against my nose, quietly chewing over the fleeting moment of peace.

*

While there had been many days where I lived buried in paperwork, it was a unique situation.

It was simply because there was so much to deal with during the initial period when the system hadn’t yet been established.

Since the role that the Sentinel originally aimed for was “Academy Guardian,” the unit members’ combat prowess was also an important aspect.

That’s why we had group training sessions at least every other day.

I was naturally the one overseeing them, though sometimes Master Tae would watch over us as well.

The training itself was simple.

Just textbook sparring.

The kids’ task was to beat me in a one-on-one match.

“Stop.”

I said, retracting the sword I had been holding out.

Standing before me was a blonde boy, breathing heavily.

“Haa… haa… I can still, do more…”

Alan mumbled, his breaths ragged.

As he tried to raise his sword tip again, I gave him a light flick on the forehead.

“Take a look at your state before you talk.”

Alan was a mess.

His clothes were filthy with dust, his face was covered in bruises, and there were even faint cuts on his arms.

Pushing him any further would clearly be too much.

I stared at him with a stern look.

As if realizing his own condition, Alan soon dropped his sword and bowed his head.

“……I lost.”

One word, admitting defeat.

Immediately after, Alan slumped down right where he was.

His legs seemed to have given out.

The Saintess, who had been hovering nearby, rushed over and began treating Alan’s wounds.

Even sprawled out, Alan was biting his lip.

He seemed frustrated by the fact that he had just been beaten so helplessly.

‘So, he’s definitely… the protagonist.’

I was quietly impressed by the tenacity he displayed.

He was so battered that it would have been understandable if his will had broken, but instead, he was just burning with more competitive spirit.

“Master… you’re really amazing.”

“That’s because there was a condition to not use magic. If there hadn’t been, the outcome might have been a little different.”

“Even so, I couldn’t even graze you…!”

“……”

Alan, eyes shining with an unnerving intensity.

To explain further, this guy had recently fallen into a strange delusion.

“As expected, a disciple sent down by the Goddess…!”

It seemed he also knew my secret about being a hero.

He acted like he knew the future.

And since I was always by his side, offering help,

Alan seemed to think of me as “a prophet sent by the Goddess for someone as lacking as I am.”

I didn’t know where to even begin to fix this misunderstanding…

But honestly, I couldn’t be bothered to explain, so I just let it slide.

It was easier to handle him this way, anyway.

“I’ll try even harder.”

“Is that so.”

“Yes! To the point where my sword can reach my master……”

“Alan, please just stay still when you’re being healed!”

“S-sorry… Holy Maiden.”

In the end, Alan got a scolding from Lorraine.

I left the idiot to his own devices and mentally reviewed our current combat capabilities.

Pure hand-to-hand combat, with no mana usage.

Surprisingly, it was Golden Boy who was most prominent in this area.

Whether it was from all those years as a punching bag, he’d now improved to the point where he could exchange blows with me for a brief period.

Third was Maharet.

She normally had the aggressive style of a battle mage, so even though she was a mage, she wasn’t easily pushed back in melee combat.

Alan was at a similar level to Maharet in this regard.

Even though he wielded a sword as his primary weapon, his fundamental nature was closer to a mage.

If mana was used, Alan would overwhelmingly excel, but in pure hand-to-hand, the two seemed equally matched.

‘…Well, the rest were just so-so, I guess.’

I thought, and lifted my head.

The other kids had already finished their sparring, and only Lucy was waiting for her final turn.

“Your Highness.”

“Ugh, uuh…?”

“It’s your turn, Your Highness.”

“Ah, sorry. I’ll get ready right away…!”

Lucy, who had been staring blankly at me, snapped out of it and picked up her training spear.

Why is she so surprised?

I didn’t really rush her.

Come to think of it, she seems lost in thought a lot lately. Is something bothering her?

“Hmm…”

“I’m ready, Raiden.”

Just as I was quietly tilting my head, her voice reaches me again.

I pushed aside my stray thoughts and picked up my sword.

According to the last evaluation, Lucy’s pure combat ranking is second.

Just looking at her spear skills, she’s one of the best in the academy.

I can’t afford to face her with a relaxed attitude.

“Then, let’s begin.”

From noble mtl dot com

“Yeah…!”

I calmly take a breath, raising the tip of my sword.

-Ding!

A short signal announcing the start.

At the same moment, Lucy’s foot kicks off the ground.

-Whiz…!!

The spear tip, speeding forward, leaves a blurry afterimage.

So that’s what a true martial artist is like, huh?

It was an attack that penetrated with a rather sharp angle.

Just as I widen my eyes to deflect the strike while maintaining my calm.

“……”

My gaze meets her blue eyes.

A flicker of unease settles into the girl’s pupils, which had been submerged in stillness.

It was an almost imperceptible tremor, but the subtle shift soon spread throughout her body, throwing her posture off balance.

“……!?”

The steps, a tangled mess in the end.

Lucy, tripped by her own feet, was about to fall flat on her face.

I threw myself forward on instinct.

My outstretched hand grabbed her slender arm, and I pulled.

Catching the girl as she was pulled towards me, I held her tight, preventing a fall.

“Your Highness…!”

“Ugh…”

Reacting quickly had saved us both from tumbling to the floor.

“Haa… Your Highness, are you alright?”

“……”

I asked, letting out a sigh of relief, but strangely, no answer came.

Had she twisted something?

I quickly looked down at the girl in my arms.

“U-Uhh…”

And then, I found Lucy, her face completely flushed.

Her ears were burning red, making her resemble a ripe beet.

What the hell.

Why is she suddenly like this?