Room. A personal sleeping room, as intimate as a bathroom.
A perfect place for secret conversations… but ironically, that’s exactly why it felt more awkward.
So, where should we go?
Given the nature of the topic, a crowded place wasn’t ideal.
It’s hard to open up when there are too many ears around.
A place with few people, yet not prone to unpleasant misunderstandings… Yeah, there’s only one spot.
After deciding on the destination, I marched to Damien’s door and swung it open with a loud bang.
“Damien! You’ve recovered enough, right? Time to train again!”
I shouted confidently, making sure no one would get the wrong idea.
“Huh? Ha-shal-leur…?”
Damien, sitting on his bed with his shirt off and bandages unwrapped, stared at me with wide eyes.
Hmm. No splints, so his bones must have healed properly.
All that effort to break them carefully paid off.
“What do you mean, ‘huh’? You think you can rest with skills like that? Given the situation, shut up and follow me. It’s special training.”
“You want to do that again… after knocking me out last time?”
Seriously, should I just turn this guy into a mute? How does he always manage to say the worst things?
Don’t call it ‘that,’ just say sparring properly…!
“We won’t fight as intensely as last time, just come with me!”
After barking at him, I leaned against the hallway wall, waiting for Damien to come out.
It didn’t take long for him to get dressed and rush out.
Ignoring the stares, we headed to the training ground where we’d just been earlier.
Thinking about it, that place was perfect for a private conversation.
With the damage from our earlier sparring, no knights would be training there now.
Plus, if I beat Damien up a bit under the guise of training, no one would misunderstand it as a secret rendezvous.
That’s why I’d opened his door so loudly earlier.
Freide had tried to shut down the rumors, but once they spread, they’re hard to kill. So, I planned to bury them under a new story.
Instead of a creepy romantic relationship, we’d be seen as a strict mentor and a promising student.
If I kept beating Damien up daily, everyone would quickly realize there’s no ‘those feelings’ between us.
‘How about it? Perfect, right?’
[…….]
Hersela didn’t object, seemingly agreeing.
Good. Let’s keep it this way.
—-
As expected, only a few servants were in the training ground.
They were busy cleaning up the scattered debris and fixing the door latch Milia had broken earlier.
When I asked them to leave so we could spar again, they looked at me with mixed emotions, but no one dared to complain.
The vast social gap between us made sure of that.
Eventually, the servants bowed politely and left.
I felt a bit bad for interrupting their cleaning, but what could I do? This was the only suitable place. I’d just try not to make a mess.
Soon, the servants’ presence completely disappeared.
Now, only Damien and I were left in the area.
The empty training ground greeted us in silence, wrapped in a tranquil stillness.
“How about it? Does our earlier sparring come to mind again?”
I twirled a training longsword and tossed a greatsword toward Damien.
Catching it, Damien sighed with a gloomy face. Why so down? We haven’t even started yet.
“Sigh… So, you’re still not over it… How should I apologize…?”
What’s this guy babbling about now…?!
“Enough about that. It’s not because of that. No more apologies needed. Just. Don’t. Bring it up. Got it?”
Feeling the murderous intent in my tone, Damien nodded nervously, sweating bullets.
Good. Just like that. Every time you spout nonsense, I can’t help but get furious.
“Alright. Let’s… begin. I’m not planning to end it one-sidedly like last time, so come at me with everything you’ve got.”
“…I don’t get it. If it’s not because you’re angry, why spar now? I’m not fully recovered yet. It’s inefficient.”
Gripping the greatsword tightly, Damien looked at me with a puzzled expression instead of charging in.
It’s not like he’s whining about not wanting to get hit.
This guy never complained even when he took wounds several times worse. He genuinely looks confused…
It was definitely an odd reaction.
Forcing an injured person to spar…
A normal person would think, ‘If it’s not because of that, then what?’
“You probably think, ‘He says that, but he’s definitely still not over his anger.'”
…Honestly, I was still pretty pissed too. Would it ever go away?
Anyway, after that, depending on their personalities, they would either keep apologizing until the anger subsided or silently endure it.
If they were normal people, that is.
But Damien was a bit different.
After hearing that it wasn’t because of his anger, it seemed like he couldn’t even guess that it might be the cause.
Even though anyone in the world knows that shame and anger aren’t emotions that disappear so easily.
Still, something feels off.
It’s not just a lack of awareness. It’s more like… his train of thought just cuts off midway.
…I have a hunch, though.
No way, even if that’s the case, it can’t be…
….
I guess I have no choice but to check.
I pointed my longsword at Damien.
“Yeah. I feel like I have to do this now. There’s something I want to ask you… but I don’t think you’ll answer if I just ask.”
This is my personal belief, but to get an honest answer, you have to put someone in a state where they can’t even think before they answer.
Especially when you’re asking about something they don’t want to reveal.
A club always knows the answer.
Fire or water would be more accurate… but those aren’t methods you use on someone you’re close to, so I have no choice.
“An answer…? No, if you have something to ask, you don’t have to do this, right?”
“Well. That’s hard to say.”
I cut off Damien’s reasonable argument.
There’s no guarantee you won’t lie, right? So-
“…Enough of the pointless talk. If you don’t make a move, I will!”
Before the boy could even respond, the longsword, brimming with fierce energy, flew towards him.
—-
A loud crash echoed.
The heavy black iron collided, and the startled wall trembled, spitting out dust.
Thanks to me holding back a bit, Damien was able to withstand my attacks even in his not fully healed state.
Though he winced every time he blocked, his limbs aching.
“Definitely, you’ve improved since before.”
“Well, I went through all that hardship…!”
Damien muttered with difficulty as he blocked my downward-slashing longsword with his greatsword, tilting it to deflect.
He’s holding up. Then-
My left hand, sharp and swift, aimed at the boy’s head.
Even without the Ice Blade, it was powerful enough to pierce through a human skull.
“This much!”
It was blocked.
Tilting the greatsword to deflect my longsword, he used the hilt to shield his face.
I withdrew my hand before it touched the hilt.
Since it was just my bare hand, stabbing the black iron hilt would only hurt me.
In a way, it’s a simple method, but blocking my strike like that is something an ordinary knight couldn’t do.
With that reaction speed, he’s practically a master.
“Not bad?”
“Haaaaaa!”
Ignoring my compliment, Damien let out a fierce shout. A bit disappointing, I even smiled for him.
– Kaaaaang!
I blocked the wildly swung greatsword with my longsword.
I didn’t put much strength into blocking, so the impact sent my body sliding back.
“Your strength has improved too.”
Even if he couldn’t use his full power, his body was already at a master’s level.
I could confirm the part I was half-doubting.
Then, it must be the mental aspect that’s keeping him from reaching master level.
“Then, I guess it’s time to ask some questions. Can I expect honest answers?”
The confirmation is done, now it’s time for the interrogation.
Taking a deep breath, I filled my muscles with power.
The air in the training ground grew heavier. Damien’s expression stiffened with tension.
Having been thoroughly beaten earlier, he must know well.
That my body has already started to surpass the strength of a master who uses their full power.
“…Can’t we just talk?”
“Well. That’s up to you!”
With a completely different level of power, the black iron longsword swung down fiercely.
