We live at the foothills of Dragon Peak.
Elnea’s Special Training
“I’m worried about His Highness,” [Lyra] said.
“Lyra, what are you talking about? You should be the one to trust him the most.”
“Th-that’s right.”
On the way back, high in the sky, Lyra repeatedly looked back towards the direction of the wyvern’s nest, her expression anxious.
“It’ll be alright, he can surely do it.”
“It’ll be alright, he can surely accomplish it.”
Surprisingly, the twin princesses seemed to trust and evaluate Prince Friel more highly. Having been by his side the longest since early spring, they must have seen both Prince Friel’s weaknesses and strengths. Since they are so confident, Lyra should feel at ease.
I, of course, trust Prince Friel. I wonder why. It’s like we have the same scent, or rather, he feels similar to me.
His thinking might be a bit naive, but he surely won’t spare any effort towards his goals. If shown the path, I believe Prince Friel can move forward without hesitation, just like me. Therefore, although this trial may be a bit harsh, I believe he will surely overcome it.
“Uhm, it’ll be alright. The spirits will protect you, okay?”
Priscilla-chan, in an effort to encourage Lyra, bravely stayed by her side.
“Fufufu, thank you,” Lyra said, hugging Priscilla-chan tightly and smiling.
“Well then, as for him, we’ll let him do his best,” Mistral said, looking at the twin princesses.
“What will you two do from now on?”
Prince Friel will have to do his best on his own. That means the twin princesses’ role is over, but what will they do?
“It’s decided. We’ll play with Elnea-kun.”
“It’s decided. We’ll do fun things with Elnea-kun.”
“Absolutely not!”
Three women reacted swiftly to the twin princesses’ words. Why is their coordination so perfect when it comes to things like this?
“Even if you say no, it’s no.”
“Because we’re bored.”
Being forced to entertain them…
“You two should return to your own country and buy time while Friel overcomes his trial. Elnea is busy with his training.”
“No. It’s not interesting.”
“No. In that case, we’ll train with Elnea-kun too.”
The maidens glared at each other, backlit by Nimia. Yes, it’s scary.
“We will surely be of use.”
“In various ways.”
The twin princesses looked around at everyone with meaningful glances. Had they realized something during the recent fight against the cursed Black Wyvern? They are both incredibly skilled adventurers, so perhaps they are sensitive to grasping the situation with just a small incident.
“It has nothing to do with you.”
Mistral’s eyes conveyed that it’s better not to get involved. They couldn’t involve the princesses of the Armēdo Kingdom in the troubles with the demons, the magic sword user, Orta, or the conflicts between the Dragon Race.
However, for some reason, the twin princesses obstinately intended to stay.
“We are aware of the danger.”
“Nevertheless, we want to try living here.”
“For humans, Dragon Peak is far too dangerous.”
“Elnea-kun is also human.”
“Elnea is a warrior recognized by us Dragon Race, so it’s fine.”
“In that case, we’ll become recognized warriors too.”
“It’s impossible for you.”
“You shouldn’t judge from the start.”
“Believe it or not, we are amazing.”
The twin princesses puffed out their chests proudly. Their ample bosoms were emphasized even further.
“Boobs, nyanko.”
“Wh-Nimia!”
Nimia, who read my mind, said something terrible.
“Elnea?”
“Eek!”
“My, Elnea-kun likes chests, doesn’t he?”
“My, Elnea-kun dislikes flat chests, doesn’t he?”
“Ughh.”
I winced under Mistral’s glare and then sank into the twin princesses’ chests.
Ahhh, it’s heaven-like hell again. Someone, save me!
“Elnea-sama, I’ll save you now!”
“Wait, Lyra-san. That’s not what I’d call saving. You’re just participating!”
“Uhm, Priscilla wants to feel fluffy too?”
“Nyan! If you thrash around on my back, it’s hard to fly, nyan.”
Buried in their chests, I couldn’t see the maidens’ struggle. But Nimia caused this situation!
“Nyan.”
“So, why did you come to me?”
After being tossed around on Nimia’s back, I immediately fled to Zan’s house upon arriving at Mistral’s village. In Mistral’s village, single people live with their families. Zan’s family home is near Mistral’s house, and although I hadn’t been there before, I knew the location. So, this time, I made it my unauthorized refuge. I was lucky that Zan was on vacation and there.
“Do you have some sort of curse of female trouble?”
Zan looked at me with a bewildered expression.
“But is this my fault?”
“Even if it’s not your fault, you’re involved in a women’s commotion, which is why it’s called a curse of female trouble.”
“Ah, I see.”
I slumped my shoulders in disappointment. So that’s how it is…
“So, what did you two do?”
As if unaware of my hardships, Zan changed the subject. Zan and the villagers know what we went out to do. Zan, who was inside the house, doesn’t know that Prince Friel hasn’t returned, but he must want to confirm what happened outside. I briefly explained about Prince Friel. Since I thought the cursed Black Wyvern was more important to Zan, I explained that in detail.
“Hoh, something like that happened?”
Zan nodded with deep emotion.
“So, what were you doing when the cursed wyvern attacked?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, how did you fight?”
“Uhm.”
I didn’t fight. After all, the wyvern was in a free-for-all in the air, and with the women’s efforts, all the Black Wyverns were defeated. I was merely an observer. When I explained this, Zan hit me on the head.
“Pathetic. Did you think you didn’t need to move just because others were moving?”
“No, that’s not what I meant.”
I wasn’t being lazy. In that situation, there was truly nothing I could do.
“What are you learning Dragon Sword Dance for?”
“Mmmph.”
“I only know it from truyền thuyết, but it is said that practitioners of Dragon Sword Dance could cut down any opponent as if dancing,” he said.
“But my sword can’t reach the sky?”
No matter how much I think about it, I don’t think Dragon Sword Dance can handle opponents far beyond its reach. Or am I misunderstanding something? Am I making a mistake? Zan looked at the swords on my waist.
“Dragon Sword Dance is different from sword techniques. It’s different from a performance. Why must one intricately control Dragon Energy and master Dragon Arts to wield a sword?”
Zan muttered, not necessarily speaking to me. Old Man Sleigsta also said that Dragon Sword Dance’s true worth lies in mastering Dragon Arts and sword techniques. At the time, I underwent separate training to develop resistance against surprise attacks, but perhaps I should have thought more about this. I lightly thought that Old Man Sleigsta would teach me eventually. But isn’t that being complacent? While I treated Prince Friel strictly, was I being lenient with myself? I took it for granted that I would be taught. I naively thought I could become stronger just by completing the given trials and training. But doesn’t this, like Prince Friel, sound like a naive idea? I realized this only now. Old Man Sleigsta and Mistral both precisely teach me what is needed next and what to do for it. But that alone is not enough. What they teach is the basic, and I need to find the application through my own efforts, don’t I? Zan’s casual remark made me realize that I can’t afford to be complacent. I was wrong to think that I could just stand by and do nothing because I couldn’t do anything when the cursed Black Wyvern attacked. I should have desperately thought about what I could do. Consequently, I must desperately think about what I can do with Dragon Sword Dance from now on.
“Hey, Zan.”
“Hm? What is it?”
Zan, who had been lost in thought, looked up at me.
“Can you please accompany me for a bit of training?”
At my words, Zan grinned, lifting one side of his mouth.
“So, what do you want to do?”
After we left the village together, Zan asked. Zan and I crossed a mountain and arrived at a grassland with sparse, thin trees. Dragon Peak changes its scenery with each mountain and valley. Around Mistral’s village, there are only rough, steep rocky areas, but just crossing one mountain increases the greenery. It’s a truly mysterious place. In the grassland, herds of deer and families of boars were peacefully eating grass. The presence of predators like mountain leopards and tigers was nowhere nearby. At first glance, it seems like peaceful place where everyone would want to relax on a fine day. However, this place is a little different. Apparently, there’s a nest of clay doll monsters nearby, so we can’t carelessly take a nap here.
“Well, you see. The power of my Dragon Sword Dance drastically decreases if the movements of the dance are disrupted. Also, for large or distant opponents, I’m currently no match for them at all.” It’s still okay if I can forcefully push through with the sharpness of the White Sword. However, for opponents against whom even the White Sword’s power doesn’t work, like baboons, it’s a terrible sight.
“Then, shall we try dancing against the clay dolls?” The clay doll monsters are softer than rock giants. However, they are certainly harder than ordinary monsters, and their movements are sluggish, making them perfect practice partners.
“I’m not knowledgeable about Dragon Sword Dance, let alone sword techniques, so was it really okay to ask me?”
“Yes. Dragon Sword Dance also includes body techniques. You’re good at body techniques, aren’t you, Zan? So I’d like you to watch my body movements.” Old Man Sleigsta has ample knowledge, and Mistral has excellent combat skills. However, for localized aspects like body techniques, someone who has mastered it as a specialty, like Zan, is superior. That’s why I wanted Zan to watch my body movements. After wandering a bit on the plain, clay doll monsters swarmed out of the ground. Their bodies are about twice the size of a human’s, with impossibly thick arms and legs. Their faces are like Noh masks, and their bodies look hastily made by kneading clay. Their movements are extremely slow, but their attack power is extremely high. They seem to have the power to crush even large shields and full-body armor without resistance. But well, since they are slow, it doesn’t matter as long as they don’t hit you. Facing the appearing clay dolls, I assumed my stance. I wasn’t wielding the White Sword or the Spirit Tree Wooden Sword. It was just a single-handed sword I borrowed from the village. For practice, sharpness and defense are unnecessary. Zan is here to watch my body movements when facing an opponent I can’t fight against. While Zan watched, I kicked off the ground and approached the clay doll. I lightly dodged the heavy yet slow fist of the clay doll with a sidestep and slipped inside its reach. Maintaining the momentum, I swung my right-hand sword. A heavy impact, like piercing hard clay, ran through my right arm. Letting the sword flow from my right hand, I spun my body and slashed with my left-hand sword. The same heaviness as my right hand was transmitted. Another clay doll attacked from behind, so I used the body of the clay doll in front of me as a stepping stone and leaped upwards. Twisting my body, I moved behind the approaching clay doll. As I landed, I slashed with a flowing motion. Although the dance form wasn’t broken, my movements slowed with each slash of my sword into the hard clay-like body. Nevertheless, I slashed at the clay dolls countless times. Sometimes I kicked, but my kicks were useless against the clay dolls’ hard bodies. Conversely, I sometimes lost my balance. Keeping the flow in mind, I danced Dragon Sword Dance against multiple clay dolls. Zan watched my dance from a distance, intently observing. “I see. For now, step away.” Following Zan’s instructions, I took a great distance from the group of clay dolls with a spatial jump. Zan pulled back his right hand and took his stance. His right hand was clad in crimson flames. Then, with a shout, he thrust his right hand forward. The ground exploded in a straight line, and a pillar of fire erupted with the force of a volcanic eruption. The flame pillar extended to the feet of the clay doll group, engulfing the monsters whole and exploding. Looking at the power of Zan’s technique, which blew away the group of clay dolls without a trace in a single blow, I could only sigh. “Seeing that fight, I have a rough idea. Fighting clay dolls won’t be interesting. I’ll be your opponent.” With that, Zan took his stance facing me. You can easily express your support by clicking the heart icon. (Login required). Support, If you have an account, please log in. Learn more about the reading experience on Kakuyomu.
