My and Their Reason
I have finished my lunch in the headquarter’s dining room.
There is a lot of delicious food at reasonable prices.
Although there are a few dishes I’m doubtful about like “Lively Explosion! Nugazo’s curry-flavored meat stew” or “Absolutely unrivaled! Guccione’s asafoetida frog hell stew!”……
Let’s also eat here tomorrow.
I have returned to the training tower after eating my fill.
The tower has seven floors, first to the third floor is for sword arts and martial arts, fourth to the sixth floor is for practicing magic.
Incidentally, I was told that the seventh floor is off-limits, therefore I don’t know what’s in there.
Claire seems to be training on the second floor.
I went up the stairs and enter one of the training rooms.
It’s a room around 10 square meters in diameter with tons of swords, spears, axes, clubs, and sticks leaning against its walls.
A fiery red hair is floating in the center.
It’s Claire who is swinging her sword earnestly.
Her body flows elegantly as if she is dancing.
I watch in fascination, totally forgetting to greet her.
Claire is wearing a swimsuit resembling bikini and pads covering her wrists and feet.
Her chest dynamically bounces every time she swings her sword.
Beads of sweat escape from her exposed white skin.
A healthy beauty.
I admire her more and more.
“Fuu.”
Claire breaths out lightly and puts the sword against the wall.
When she fixes her ponytail, a light, sweet scent of sweat drifts to my nose.
A healthy smell of pretty girl practicing──
Un, nice. Extremely nice.
“Abel?”
Claire turns around and rushes to me.
Purun, purun, her rich chest bounces up and down.
Truly, a feast for one’s eyes.
“What’s the matter? Are you planning to train with sword?”
“No, I came to see you.”
I answer while eyeing her chest.
“To see…… me……?”
Claire blushed briefly.
Her lips relax.
“L, lies, Abel came to look for me……? Ehehe, I’m glad.”
“Claire……?”
“I see, although I was worried about the hickey, Abel in the end…… ufufufufu.”
Seeing Claire act so strangely, I start talking about my business.
“I was told so by Ashe-san. I have to patrol around the city in the afternoon. Together with you and Racine.”
“Eh? Eeh? Y, you meant that……? No way, I misunderstood…… hawawa.”
I stare at Claire who for some reason panics even more.
Her eyes were full of determination.
A crimson ruby-like ponytail.
And an unyielding spirit emitting from her whole body.
She’s cute indeed.
Moreover, today, Claire is wearing more stimulating clothes than ever.
The sweat that sticks to her swimsuit-like clothes is perfectly drawing her slender proportions──
“…… Abel, your gaze is somewhat perverted.”
Claire stares at me.
Where did her effeminate expression from a little while ago disappear!?
I edge back in shock.
“C, can’t be helped, right? Practicing in such erotic looking clothes.”
“Eh……?”
Claire blushes again.
“…… No way, geez. So you were conscious about me like that.”
“Eh?”
“If other men looked at me with eyes like that, I would blast them off, but…… if it’s Abel, I don’t think I mind…… ufufufu.”
She became effeminate again!
Hmm, I can’t read Claire’s feelings at all.
Is this the so-called woman’s heart?
I went with Claire to get Racine.
When we enter the reference room on the second floor, Racine seems to be reading some difficult book.
“A patrol together with Abel-sama and Claire-sama?”
Racine’s stare alternates between me and Claire.
“Wow, it sounds like a fun stroll~”
“It’s work, you know?”
I said with a wry smile to smiling Racine.
“Well, I agree that patrolling with such line-up seems like fun.”
Of course, I intend to do my job properly.
That being the case, we leave the reference room.
“Speaking of which, what about Veronica-san? I didn’t see her around.”
I recall her while walking.
Originally, Claire and Racine have the same curriculum as I and Veronica-san should be instructing them.
…… Well, Veronica-san would probably destroy my happy mood with a barrage of insults, so it may be fortunate that I have not met her.
“She’s on a week-long business trip from today. It seems she went to Lungaria in order to find raw materials for Magic Armors – Artifacts.”
“Arti…… what?”
By the way, Lungaria is also known as the Kingdom of illusions.
“Magic Armor – Artifact is a protective gear infused with Magic power.”
Racine kindly explains.
“It seems she went in order to provide me and Claire-sama with Magic Armor.”
“Apparently because the Third Corps finally obtained new members, Veronica-san wanted to make some tools for us.”
“Hee, that so?”
Isn’t she somewhat nice vice-captain?
“…… Hey, huh? What about me?”
I’m also a new member, though.
“”……………………””
Why are you two so quiet!?
“………… Did Veronica-san say something about Abel?”
“………… She didn’t say anything.”
“………… I mean, it’s like she completely forgot his existence.”
“………… Well, it’s Veronica-sama we are talking about after all.”
Claire and Racine start whispering.
Yep, I can hear everything, you know?
Then, a scene appears in my mind.
Shit, it’s alright. It’s alright.
Even if I don’t have some stupid armor, I still have my magic──
I, I won’t cry! Really!
“Therefore, until Veronica-sama returns, I’m studying the Grimoire and Claire-sama practices with the sword~”
Racine says.
“Although Veronica-sama told us to relax and play until she comes back.”
How reliable instructions.
“Claire-sama polished each of her skills.”
“Hee, admirable.”
If I have received such instructions, I would sleep and play. Definitely.
“I was told by the master not to miss my daily training, after all.”
“Master?”
“The master who taught me the Dragon’s Raging Fire Sword in Knight School. She’s a brave woman won a mock battle tournament in her active days.”
Claire puffs her chest proudly.
It seems that she holds that master in high regard.
Which reminds me, I didn’t I smell shampoo when I met Claire this morning?
Was that by any chance──
“Say, Claire, do you practice sword before coming to work?”
“Yes. From the first day at work, I practice early in the morning, take a shower then go to work. Though I do early morning practice since my Knight School days.”
Ah, so that was the cause for the scent in the morning.
Rather, to practice like that all the time.
Claire is such a hardworking person.
“It takes three days to regain my swing after being lazy for a day. I’m a person who can’t sit idly so I train every day. Even Abel has this amazing power. You surely train every day, right?”
Claire smiles teasingly.
“…… Of, of course. Hahaha.”
Though I returned the smile, my cheeks became stiff.
Such words are dangerous to someone like me who relatively often skipped school.
When I was in the village, I trained in secret so I frequently skipped, but……
Yep, let’s practice magic properly from now on.
I have an excellent instructor as Ashe-san after all.
“I also…… want to become strong. Like Abel.”
“You are strong enough. When the village was attacked, you were about to kick that magician on your own──”
“But, I didn’t kick.”
Claire shakes her head on my words.
“If not for you, I would be killed in the end. In the end, I was not able to protect the villagers…… that’s vexing.”
“That’s just because the magician used cowardly tactics, right?”
“No matter who the opponent is or what cowardly tactics he uses, I will cut him down with this sword and protect everyone──I’m aiming towards such a goal.”
Claire declares gallantly.
Her sparkling eyes look really dazzling.
“Although my method differs from Claire-sama’s, I also want to become strong desu~”
Racine says.
“I want to get strong so I can protect as many people as possible…… I have entered the Knight Order for that reason.”
Right, she said the same thing when we met for the first time.
Originally, the Goddess Almeris is a goddess of harvest and fertility who avoids conflict.
Therefore, there are many who are against priests joining this war.
However, Racine stood up in order to protect people.
Racine’s eyes sparkle about the same as Claire’s.
Both of them are doing their best in order to accomplish their objective──
Then, what about me?
The question naturally comes up.
Why do I fight?
For what reason am I trying to get stronger?
Is it alright for me to not have a goal?──