Full-Speed Sprint to the South Territory
We were running toward the South Territory again today…
The Hero Party looked completely drained, but…
“Gahaha! Hey, hey, don’t slack off!”
Giri showed no mercy as he smacked the men around.
“You dare show disrespect to me…”
“If you’ve got the energy to complain, wanna try that? You’re men, right? No magic support for you. I’ll just drag you along like that. Gahaha.”
Giri pointed at the hell circuit. The Hero and the Crown Prince both shook their heads hard.
Following their gaze, Sammy at the front, the girls running with pale, deathly faces…
“That’s bad. Especially the girls, they’re backline types, they don’t usually move this much. Aren’t they going to die?”
“They’re fine. Elia’s with them, she’s healing them just enough. More importantly, what about you guys? You okay staying like this? You won’t be able to catch up to that Nemesia’s big sister and the purple bombshell…”
“What are you talking about?”
“Those two? They’re running while doing mana depletion training. Fired up, huh? Meanwhile you’re just running and whining? Pathetic. Pretty boy…”
Seriously? While dealing with that nausea and pounding headache?
“What are you trying to get out of this? If you can’t do it unless I kick your ass, then quit. Those two probably get it. What about you guys?
You’re doing this for something right at the center of your hearts, aren’t you? Then decide for yourselves how far you’ll go. It’s not something someone else decides for you.”
Whoa… I was listening from the side, but Giri’s amazing. Hot-blooded guy. Yeah, I don’t hate that.
“I get it. Waltz, we’ve got no choice but to do it too.”
“Yeah… the Hero can’t lose to a couple of girls.”
Hero boy, you lose to the princess all the time. And to your own desires too…
Wait… you’re not seriously thinking of pushing yourselves to that level, are you? You’ll probably cap out instantly…
But hey, Giri. Hate to ruin the moment, but… you’ve been kicking their asses so much that the Hero and the Crown Prince’s butts are swollen like catcher’s mitts. Total “perky butt” mode. Ruining the whole “bond of men” scene.
They’re clashing fists all cool-like, but at the same time their butts are going boing.
Pfft~ can’t take it.
Seriously, this is rough. A guy’s perky butt is just… no.
“Julius, just you wait. I’ll surpass you for sure.”
Boing, boing.
The handsome Crown Prince ran past me with a cool expression, his hips bouncing left and right.
“Pfft~ ahahaha! Your hips have already surpassed their limits! Ahahaha~ my stomach’s hitting its limit too… My curse should be gone, so why is my defense getting pierced like this? When did I take a defense-piercing attack!? Ahahaha!”
“Are you two… okay? Even among Shiranui, no one’s ever gone this far…”
Elia called out to the two who were doing mana training while running the hell circuit.
“Ugh… I’m not okay… but if I go see Nemesia like this, she won’t even call me ‘big sister.’ I won’t be able to face my family either… pant, pant… so even a little… even just a little, if I can get closer to Julius… I didn’t gain anything in the royal capital… pant, pant… this is the one thing I won’t give up… pant, pant…”
“I see… alright. Do as much as you can. You sisters really are alike, Nemesia’s just as stubborn.”
“… pant… pant…”
“And you? You’re continuing too? You don’t look like you’ve got that kind of resolve…”
“… pant… I will… pant…”
“I see. Understood.”
Yeah, sorry to interrupt this touching moment, but with Almeria, Milian, and Elia running side by side… there’s more vertical motion than just their legs. This is dangerous.
Maybe I should use earth magic, Earthquake, to make it bounce even more.
… Nah, Elia would probably kill me.
But hey, dying like that wouldn’t be so bad for a man, right?
Just as I was thinking that, Elia shot me a glare.
“My lord? Please refrain from unnecessary actions…”
“… Yes… sorry…”
Elia… is that a special ability or something? She always notices.
“Master, if it’s me, I’m always ready. I’ll do my best as your mate.”
Man, Yukimi… as expected. I was about to say “please do,” but…
“My lord?”
Yep. Elia again.
She’s definitely got some kind of skill.
Still… even when she’s angry, elves are beautiful.
Those long ears are cute. She’s smart, kind, takes care of others… her silky hair’s beautiful, her limbs are long, her figure’s sleek, but also boing…
“… My lord.”
Her face is bright red. Yeah, she’s definitely reading my thoughts.
Elia’s cute.
“… pant… pant…”
Princess Elizabeth hasn’t complained at all… what’s going on?
“Princess? Are you alright?”
“… pant… Julius, answer me honestly. Am I… necessary for the Hero Party? … pant…”
I see… that’s what she’s been thinking about.
“You’re not necessary.”
“You really show no mercy… pant…”
“Want to quit? You can still go back to the capital now.”
“… pant… I’m not quitting… pant…”
“This is just me talking to myself, but… does an ‘Archer’ not need mana? No. An archer without mana isn’t scary. That’s why mana training should be pushed even harder than for mages…”
“… pant… honestly… you… but thank you…”
Princess Elizabeth put on the mana-draining bracelet and started running again.
Her expression was refreshed compared to before… though she quickly turned pale again.
Everyone kept running, looking like they were about to die… but by the time we entered the South Margrave’s territory, both their stamina and mana had reached a passing level.
Guess we managed to build at least a basic foundation.
Honestly, I thought a few of them would drop out.
The Hero Party, just a bunch of sheltered nobles who’ve never seriously committed to anything. They’ve never tasted failure.
But still… they saw it through. So, honestly…
Clap, clap.
All of Shiranui applauded.
And I called out to the Hero Party.
“You’ve been through hell. You probably thought over and over how much easier it’d be if you just stopped… But you didn’t. You finished it. That’s honestly impressive. Don’t forget how you feel right now. Push through these next three months, and show us how strong you’ve become.”
And just like that, the training run to the South Margrave’s territory ended… and the real training began.
What do you think about this chapter?
