CH 137

“–Alright, let’s leave it at that today,” I said.

“Yes. Thank you very much for your instruction,” the Knights replied.

It’s a little past “early morning” now. The sun had already risen fully and was mercilessly beaming its scorching rays on the earth.

It’s a bit before noon, but let’s wrap up today. Even during training, I took frequent breaks and drank water to hydrate, and the Knights were of course a little tired.

This heat is not something even the toughest of Rebelio Knights can endure for long. Even Alexia and Henblitz continue to sweat heavily.

And above all, I’d be insane to do so. I’m the instructor, so compared to the Knights I’m training, I’m not moving constantly, but I can still feel the fatigue and discomfort increasing as time goes by.

Of course, if you ask me if I can still move, I probably could. The same goes for the Knights.

However, there is no need to push ourselves to our real limits now. Jumping back and forth through the eye of the needle is reserved only for the occasional live battle.

Besides, if you push yourself to the limit, you won’t be able to deal with unforeseen situations. Training is important, but the purpose is to prepare for when it would be a live situation. And when the live situation does come about, you’d be so tired that you couldn’t move.

Well, it’s best for everyone if they never needed to deploy for real combat.

“Well then, I’ll be heading home,” I said. “Everyone, make sure you’re hydrated and well-rested.”

“Yes, we’ll be thorough,” the Knights reply.

No one collapsed during training, but that doesn’t mean they can rest easy. Because there is a good chance that they will collapse after the training is over.

So, I may be a little persistent, but I strictly order hydration and enough rest. It’s too late to give this kind of guidance after they’ve collapsed, so I’ll keep telling them constantly while they’re still healthy and on their feet.

“Commander, a moment–” Henblitz said.

“Yes, what is it?” Alexia asked.

I oversaw them talking.

Well, it’s probably something like the management of the Knights. It’s probably a matter that has nothing to do with me, so I ignore them and leave the training ground. If I was involved, Henblitz should have called for my attention, as well.

“Fuuuh… it’s cooler here, but it’s still hot…” I said.

I step outside the training ground, I feel the breeze you couldn’t feel indoors, and it feels good on my heated-up body. However, the sun is still blazing hot.

Proper sweating is necessary to maintain a healthy body. But even that has its limits. I got pretty sweaty too, and I feel like I want to just sit down with a glass of ale.

Why is alcohol so delicious after working up a sweat? It’s a mystery for the ages.

If I was still single, I would have gone to a nearby bar without hesitation.

But now I have Miu. Of course, I have absolutely no intention of getting drunk in the middle of the day, but even so, I think I have to be sober as long as I’m inviting her to come to Bidden Village, which is my hometown.

“… What should I do if she refuses…?” I ask myself on the way home.

It seems inevitable to think about it.

As for me, I don’t want to take her by force. That’s a major premise. She has no reason to go to Bidden Village, she has no reason to meet my parents. Perhaps there is a loyalty to me, but I feel that it is wrong for me to say that.

So, I want to get approval from her and leave without worrying.

Miu has come a long way compared to when we first met, but she still has a rough temperament compared to average boys and girls. I wouldn’t go so far as to think she’d go on a rampage, but there’s a good chance she’d say she doesn’t want to be in a remote village for so long.

Or rather, isn’t that more likely?

Unlike when she was pickpocketing, Miu already has a place in the Magician’s Academy.

Even if I’m away from home, as long as I give her enough money, she’ll still be able to live somehow, and if she just wants to play around with her friends at school during summer vacation, I can’t protest about that, either.

If anything, there is also a way to leave her with Lucy again while I’m away. Lucy wouldn’t say no, and she may even be delighted to.

It is highly likely that getting in touch with Lucy again from the position of a Student and the Headmaster of the Magician’s Academy, which is different from when they first met, will lead to her growth.

“… No, I really feel like I’m going to be refused…” I said.

The more I think about it, the less reason there is for Miu to go out of her way to accompany me back to my hometown.

Moreover, I’m going to exterminate the beasts that appeared in the local area. It clearly has nothing to do with her. Please go take care of it there, I will stay here, she’ll say. The future is not certain, but I can see it quite clearly.

“But I can’t help but ask her anyway…”

If this is a matter that can be completed in a day or two, I don’t even need to tell her much, since it will just be a simple round-trip.

But it’s not. As expected, it’s too insane to leave home for several weeks without telling whoever else lives with you about where you’re going or what you’re going to do there.

Taking her with me by force is out of the question. It is also out of the question to leave in silence.

In that case, I think it would be best to entrust the decision of whether or not to come with me after explaining the circumstances.

“Hmm,” I mumbled.

In the end, it all depends on Miu’s response, so no matter how much I worry about it, I won’t reach an answer by myself, and I’ll never be sure about her answer.

However, once you start thinking about it, you can’t stop thinking about it. I wonder if the parents of the world who are worried about raising children feel something like this.

“…”

So, when I was walking while mulling all that over my head, I came to the front of my house before I knew it.

Along the way, the town should have been bustling with summer-like energy, but I don’t remember much. I can’t even stop by the liquor store, the idea of buying a drink on the way home has been blown away.

“……I’m home……” I said.

I still couldn’t get rid of the feeling of what I would do if I was refused, and somehow my greeting at the door became lackluster. No, let’s put aside whether or not there’s any excitement even in normal times.

“Welcome back… what happened?” Miu asked.

“Ah, no, it’s nothing…?” I said as I passed her.

Miu easily sees through my feelings as she looks over her shoulder and at me.

Fuck, come to think of it, she was pretty good at measuring people’s feelings and emotions. She learned it from her being a pickpocket rather than a natural part of her personality.

“Fuhn…” Miu huffs.

Somehow, a more vicious glare than usual pierces me.

If you ask me what’s wrong, I don’t think I can say anything in particular, but somehow it’s very difficult to explain my feelings.

So, I started settling back in while parrying her suspicious gaze. It’s a little awkward.

“…Lunch. You want some?” Miu asked.

“Hmm? Oh, yeah. Let’s eat,” I said.

It seemed like Miu also hated that sort of air, or she did her best to change the topic anyway.

It’s one thing to be able to read other people’s feelings and another to be considerate of them. From my point of view, the former was done, but the latter was not done at all. She didn’t know how to, or rather, she didn’t try.

Now, even though she’s clumsy, she’s even started showing concern for me. Why am I not happy about this? It also blows away the somewhat gloomy feeling I had until a while ago.

Besides, I really am hungry. You can say I was starving. Well, if you train from the start of the morning, that’s what’s going to happen.

“I did pretty well this time… I think,” Miu said.

“Huh,” I said, pleasantly surprised. “I’m looking forward to it.”

Since the Magician’s Academy entered summer vacation, it became more natural for Miu to take charge of meals. It’s simply because she spends more time at home than I do.

This just happened spontaneously, and I never asked her to do it. Perhaps because of that, she seemed to be improving little by little in her cooking skills.

Furthermore, this time it came with confidence. Expectations are also rising steadily.

“Let’s eat,” I said.”

“Mm,” Miu said. “Dig in.”

And now, bread and pot-au-feu are lined up on the dining table. I can’t say that the variety of dishes has increased, like usual, but considering that broth is gradually becoming clearer, she’s certainly improved.

“Oh, nice. No stink this time,” I said.

“…… Mm,” Miu said.

As I tried the broth, the flavor that seeped out from the intestines and vegetables flooded my mouth.

Indeed, this is delicious. No wonder she did so well.

This definite umami flavor is proof that the scum from boiling has been thoroughly removed. She must have been patiently waiting in front of the boiling pot. A glimpse of her great efforts makes this feel especially delicious.

“Yeah, this is good. Very tasty,” I said. “Makes me want to eat it even faster.”

“………… Mm,” Miu said, looking embarrassed.

This is the reaction when she’s shy. I’m familiar with Miu.

“…… Also,” Miu said.

“Yeah,” I asked.

“There’s something going on, so say it,” Miu said.

“… You know me well,” I said.

“I do, so out with it,” Miu said.

As if get back at me for embarrassing her, Miu bluntly cut through my psychological tricks.

Hmm, I didn’t expect it to be so obvious. I certainly showed her a pitiful appearance and voice on my way home, but that was it.

I should commend her eye for observation here. It’s true that I have something to tell her, and it’s my fault that she misinterpreted.

“Mm…” I said. “Actually, a letter from my parents addressed to me arrived at the Knights’ HQ.”

We’ve already come this far, I can’t say that nothing is up. I make up my mind and start telling her what happened.

That said, it would be useless to tell Miu the majority of the contents of the letter. So let me omit those details. Even though this was Miu, she didn’t bother to shove her nose into that business.

“So, my parents asked me to help out a bit back home, so they asked me if I could come and stay a while,” I said. “I’ve told them about you and they want to see you, but I am wondering if you’d like to go with me to Bidden Village.”

“Mm, fine by me,” Miu said.

“Of course, even if the Academy is closed, I’m sure you’ve got your friends, so I won’t force it, and if I’m not here, Lucy’s place should be… huh?”

“I said, ‘fine by me,’” Miu repeated.

As I thought I was refused, at least when I tried to continue explaining so that Miu shouldn’t feel guilty about her decision, I couldn’t help but feel at a loss for the answer that came back.

Did she say okay just now? Moreover, that was a pretty immediate response.

“What?” I asked. “Do you have any complaints?”

“Ah, no, none, nah!” Miu said. “There’s nothing. “Yeah, thanks.”

“…… Fuhn,” I went.

Seeing that took me aback, Miu suddenly looks so grumpy mood. As if to hide my embarrassment, I snorted, too.

Is she okay with this? I’m still surprised because I didn’t expect her to be. Given her personality, it’s not like she wouldn’t do something like that, but I still thought she would be rejected outright.

“When is it?” Miu asked.

“I think it would be better if it was earlier than not,” I said. “There’s also the Knights to worry about, so maybe around the end of the week.”

“Understood,” Miu said.

Even though I got Miu’s approval, it’s difficult for an employee to suddenly say he’s going on vacation tomorrow.

As Alexia said, there are documents to sign, so it will take several days to go through all the formalities. In the meantime, I have to start preparing to go home. That said, neither I nor Miu have much luggage to worry about.

To begin with, my parents kicked me out of my house with barely anything on me. My Old Man is a real piece of work.

“Miu, thank you,” I said.

“… It’s nothing,” Miu said, blunt as usual.

But there, after all, I can feel her slight but definite growth.