ALL NOVEL “Sophia, then I’ll see you next time.”
“Yes. Take care, Miss Catherine.”
I thought that I should have said goodbye to Kyle first instead, but Catherine spoke to me first.
Catherine, who had been staying in Eristirol for a few months, suddenly decided to leave.
Since she came out of nowhere, you could say it’s a circular twist of fate.
“Eristirol Duke’s Son? I guess we’ll meet again in the social circle next time. Until then, take good care of yourself and keep an eye on Sophia.”
“You don’t have to say it, I’ll do that.”
“Fufu… I’m glad to hear that.”
The two exchanged well wishes.
I found their exchange quite endearing.
It felt like Kyle finally had a friend his age.
Up until now, I was the only one he could talk to.
Having no friends at fifteen wasn’t exactly normal.
In fact, it was far from normal.
“Sophia~ Contact me if you get fired~”
Catherine shouted that while leaning out of the window of a passing carriage.
I simply waved back in response.
Speaking of which, I felt a bit sorry for Sebastian, who must have been trying to stop her inside.
Even though she wouldn’t listen to him anyway.
“Let’s go back.”
After Catherine had distanced herself, Kyle suggested heading back to the castle.
I thought it would be better to go in since it’s still a bit chilly outside.
“Yes, Young Master.”
I followed Kyle, who was walking ahead of me.
Meeting a peer like Catherine seemed to have made him feel a bit more grown-up.
After all, I had been his only conversation partner until now.
It wasn’t exactly right for a fifteen-year-old to have no friends.
Well, maybe it was more than just a little strange.
“Young Master, do you have a class with Elin today?”
“Yes.”
I see.
In that case, I should finish up some paperwork in the meantime.
Since Kyle wasn’t comfortable staying inside, it would be better that way.
There was no reason to walk around outside now.
Since Catherine was going back to Oldenburg.
“Then I’ll go handle some paperwork.”
“Um..!”
“Yes?”
“..It’s nothing.”
“?”
With that, Kyle entered the training area.
Elin was probably waiting inside.
I shifted my feet.
Back to my room.
“Hi!”
I was certain I’d come back to my room, so why was Louise lying on my bed?
The door was definitely locked…
Now that I think of it, I just opened the door.
She probably used magic to get in.
It was something she did often since her adventurer days.
“Louise, why are you here?”
“Me?”
“Yeah.”
Louise pointed at herself with her uniquely curious eyes.
Who else could be here besides her and me?
“I came because I was bored. Why are you asking so much?”
“Ugh…”
Right, of course.
She always uses boredom as an excuse for everything.
“I already spent my salary for this month, so I have nothing to do!”
“You crazy girl!”
-Thunk!
I simply knocked Louise’s head.
I had no choice.
Seeing her blow her entire savings on gambling is more than enough reason to do this.
“I told you!”
-Thunk!
“Don’t!”
-Thunk!
“Spend it like that!!”
-Thunk!!
“I said it!”
-Thunk!!
“I didn’t!!”
-Thunk!!!
I raised my fist again and slammed it into Louise’s head.
It wasn’t my salary anyway, but in a way, it was Kyle’s money.
She was a madwoman for risking such money on gambling.
“Ugh… it really hurts…”
I didn’t care how much it hurt as I kept hitting her.
The only thing protecting her head was that witch-style hat she wore.
Naturally, it was just a plain hat.
It wasn’t like there were stats attached to it like some game from my past, so hitting her hard would hurt.
“I told you last time not to do it.”
“I did!”
“Then why did you do it?”
I was furious.
Normally, no one would blow their entire salary on gambling.
But then I remembered that she was a madwoman, so it didn’t count.
“Ha…”
“But I’m bored.. what can I do in this dull territory except Kyle’s class?”
When will this girl’s boredom be resolved?
She had always caused trouble ever since her adventurer days because she was bored.
Thankfully, she hadn’t caused any trouble here yet.
Of course, using informal language with Kyle or Catherine was trouble in itself, but since they let it slide, it didn’t count.
“Why don’t you go meet a guy or something?”
“A guy?”
“Yeah, maybe date someone and hang out.”
I suddenly thought of it.
Yeah, dating!
At least if she were with someone she liked, maybe that would ease her boredom!
There’s that saying.
They say anything is fun if you’re with someone you like.
I’ve never seen Louise in a relationship, but there’s no harm in trying, right?
“Eww… Sophia, what kind of nonsense is that all of a sudden…?”
“Is it weird?”
“Yeah, I’d rather do magic research. Who cares about dating?”
Wow, the girl who was whining about being bored says that the solution I suggested is nonsense.
She’s truly a crazy one.
“Then stop whining and go do your magic research.”
I picked up Louise and…
“Hey… wait?! Sophia!”
-Slam!
I tossed her out of the door and slammed it shut.
My room finally quieted after kicking Louise out.
I don’t even know why I feel so tired before handling any paperwork.
“Haah…”
After sitting down, I started going through the papers one by one.
Thankfully, there weren’t any documents directly tied to managing the territory.
That was the Head Butler’s job.
I just needed to handle the papers related to Kyle.
Actually, my excuse for looking for a private tutor is probably just a cover to get a slave, right?
“Sigh…”
It’s not that the paperwork was hard; it’s just annoying.
Maybe about an hour? Two hours?
I’d be done by then and could head back to the training area just as the training finished.
Lessons with Elin took longer than expected, so I could take my time.
-Crunch crunch
I signed the documents with a pen and jotted down a few notes.
I wondered if I even needed to take notes, but there were a few things I needed to inform Kyle about.
*
“You must not move like that in this situation, Young Master!”
“…Is that so?”
“Yes. If you rush in…”
Elin said while pushing against the swords, forcing them apart.
-Swish
“…you could end up cutting your own throat.”
“…I see.”
Kyle looked slightly surprised as his sword neared his neck.
I knew Elin was a good knight, but she was surprisingly knowledgeable about swordsmanship.
Not just in swordplay, but she was strong in combat overall.
“Now, let’s raise our swords again.”
“Yes.”
Both of them stood facing each other in the training area, where dirt and dust were sprinkled for traction.
“Now, let’s start again.”
Elin said as she aimed her sword at Kyle.
Kyle silently gripped his sword and stepped forward slowly.
Just before their swords were about to touch…
“Huuuh..!”
Before the standoff, he stepped forward strongly.
The more powerful stomp caught Elin off guard for a moment.
But as a seasoned knight, Elin hardly let it faze her.
-Clank!
The wooden swords clashed together.
Elin skillfully blocked Kyle’s sword perfectly with her own.
“Young Master, engaging in such gambles when it’s unnecessary is unwise.”
Elin spoke to Kyle while still blocking with her sword.
Kyle’s strength was unusually strong for his age, but it didn’t compare to Elin, who could be called a walking weapon.
“In situations like what happened just now, it’s better to adjust the strength while keeping the swords locked together.”
With their swords still clashing, Elin adjusted the pressure, pushing Kyle’s sword back.
“…Yes.”
“Hmm… It’s been about two hours.”
As Elin mentioned, exactly two hours had passed.
Knowing that too much strain could be harmful, she thought it would be best to stop here.
“How about it? Would you like to do it once more?”
However, since she was enjoying the lesson with Kyle more than she expected, she asked if he wanted to spar again.
She thought it was a surprisingly fast improvement for someone who had only held a sword for the first time.
She was definitely smarter than most average knights.
Although usually those who are smart aren’t that proficient with their bodies.
“If that’s the case, I’ll do one more…”
Kyle was increasingly aware of his improving skills.
That’s why he was working harder in class and answered immediately to Elin’s suggestion.
“Then let’s get started right away. After all, I won’t lose anytime soon.”
“Yes…!”
*
“Uh… Elin..?”
After waiting a bit longer, I thought it was time and left the remaining documents behind as I headed to the training area.
What I saw was…
“Haa… Haa… Haa..!”
A completely exhausted Kyle, collapsed on the ground.
What on earth happened for him to be in such a state?
“…I’m sorry!! Please don’t kill me!!”
“Uh…”
And suddenly, Elin was gripping the hem of my pants, almost pleading.
What kind of mess did they get into for one to be collapsed and the other to be begging me?!
“What happened?!”
“He followed me too well… so I ended up…”
“Ended up what?”
“I completely crushed him….”
“…”
“Haa… Haa… Haa… Miss Sophia…”
“Yes, Young Master.”
Kyle, still on the ground, spoke to me, looking like he was about to die.
I picked up a water bottle that was lying nearby and sat down in front of Kyle.
“Here, some water… Haa… Haa…”
“Yes…”
What kind of smashing did they do to get to this point?
Even during our workout sessions, he’d never been this drained.
“I’m really sorry…”
First, I need to make sure to take care of Kyle, then tell Elin it’s okay.
There was no way Kyle would fire Elin over something like this anyway.