Chapter 35

This time, it's a bit more.

Before morning practice, I can't get any strength if I don't eat breakfast. Breakfast is really important.

In Japan, they often say, "You can skip dinner, but never breakfast!"

There are days when I don't feel very hungry in the morning.

Maybe it's because I ate too much for dinner or my diet is off.

But if you keep skipping breakfast, it can affect your health in the future. For a good slow life, maintaining a healthy body is important.

Come on, let's eat the breakfast Baltro made early this morning.

When I enter the dining room, there's Mother Elna, sipping tea elegantly.

"Good morning, Mother Elna."

"Oh, Al. Good morning... You seem energetic today."

She smiles and greets me. For some reason, there was a long pause after "Good morning."

Was she checking if I was energetic today? But she was staring at my forehead intensely.

Is Mother Elna still sleepy? As soon as I sit down across from her, she yawns.

My sleepiness? Thanks to Elinora's love, it's completely gone. I almost lost consciousness, but I rub my throbbing forehead.

Maybe, thanks to Elinora's Iron Claw, my head is shaped like a gourd.

"Hey, Mother Elna."

"What is it?"

"Is there anything wrong with my head?"

"What do you mean?"

"Is it deformed or dented like a gourd?"

"It's fine. It's not deformed... Hehe."

"Huh? Why did you laugh just now?"

"I didn't laugh... Hehehe."

"You definitely laughed! You laughed, didn't you!?"

Your body is shaking, and you put the cup on the table just now, right!? If you were holding it, it would have spilled when you laughed, right!?

"Master Alfrid, I've brought your breakfast."

Just as I was about to question Mother Elna, Sara brought the breakfast.

As expected, Sara is a capable maid. She's good at following up on Mother Elna. Unlike the clumsy maid Meina, she reads the room well.

It's just a shame she doesn't use that skill to help me with my interrogation.

"Thank you, Sara."

Since the breakfast has arrived, there's no point in pursuing Mother Elna's suspicious behavior for now.

"No... *giggle*"

"Sara, you laughed just now!"

"No, Sara just sneezed."

Mother Elna, with a firm attitude, accepts my outcry.

Our brown eyes meet directly.

(That was a very short and cute sneeze, wasn't it?)

(I'm a girl, you know? I have to be careful with sneezes.)

A long silence falls in the refreshing dining room.

I see. She's a girl, so it can't be helped.

Reluctantly, I lean back and pick up my fork.

Mother Elna nods in satisfaction and sips her tea.

I felt uneasy, but Sara, who sneezed, was already gone from the room.

To clear my mind, I munch on fresh, crisp vegetables lightly dressed with a tangy white dressing. The vegetables, full of water, seem to spread moisture throughout my body. The dressing complements the sweetness of the vegetables well.

"Hehehehe~♪"

As I savor the delicious vegetables, the clumsy maid Meina enters the room, humming a tune.

It's a very cute and unique song.

"Oh, Lady Elna, Al... *gasp*!? Hahaha! Master Alfrid, what happened to your forehead!?"

"What! Huh? Mother!?"

"Come on, Meina. You have to control yourself."

Mother Elna, looking my way, starts laughing uncontrollably.

"Because there's a handprint on your forehead! I couldn't help but laugh when I saw it!"

"Hehehe. That's so pitiful. It must be Elinora's handprint."

"Aaaaaaaah!"

I leave the two laughing and head straight to Mother Elna and Father Nord's bedroom, where there's a mirror.

In the large mirror, there's a clear handprint on my forehead from Elinora.

What incredible grip strength! To leave such a mark. Damn!

It's not just Mother Elna, Sara, and Meina who are laughing. If they had just told me honestly, it would have been better.

Anyway, today I need to use the morning practice to pay back Elinora for all the times she's gotten the better of me.

To do that, I need to eat breakfast properly first. I've only eaten vegetables so far.

I can't beat her with just vegetables.

× × ×

After finishing breakfast, I head to the usual courtyard.

When I returned to the dining room with a serious face after eating, Mother Elna and Meina apologized, looking guilty.

I'm not angry. It's just that there's something more important to focus on right now. So, I'm not angry at Sara for laughing in the hallway either.

"Al, you're late. You took too long for breakfast."

The devil appears! I will defeat you---

"What?"

"I'm sorry for being late."

Grr! I faltered with just one look. Am I already trained? No, I'm not. If I were, I wouldn't even have the will to resist like in my previous life!

"Don't use strange words in the morning. Let's warm up."

"Understood."

Without any sense of discomfort, I follow behind Elinora, who has already started running.

"Hey, Al! How are you?"

"Finally, you're late."

The ones who called out to me were Rumba and Duke Melna. They seemed to have already started sparring, holding wooden swords and wiping sweat.

"Hey, Rumba. I'm good. You look energetic as always. And Duke Melna too."

"Want to spar right away?"

"No, no, I can't. I don't think I can spar with Rumba. And I'm not good at controlling my strength."

If he swings that massive body, I'll definitely be blown away with one strike.

"Then how about me?"

"Isn't Duke Melna the same type as Father Nord?"

"Indeed, he's more of a martial noble."

No, he's a martial noble, no doubt. Duke Melna is.

"Well, I'm teaching my own kid, so you can relax."

"Sure, I'll ask you later."

"Tch, I wanted to spar with Al too."

"You'd break my wooden sword."

Rumba, looking bored, puts his hands behind his head, and Duke Melna gives him a piercing look.

"You always say that! Duke, you put cracks in my wooden sword too!"

"That time, I was just a bit too excited. The wooden sword already had accumulated damage... I'm sure."

"Huh? I heard something that can't be ignored---"

"Alright, stop dilly-dallying and warm up. We're running out of time."

"Wait! Cancel the sparring! Cancel it!"

My plea goes unanswered as Elinora pulls on my arm.

We stretch and run to loosen our muscles.

At the usual place for practice swings, Brother Silvio is practicing intensely. No, he's imagining an opponent and practicing, like a boxer's shadow boxing.

He seems particularly intense today.

Why? Brother Silvio always practices seriously. That's for sure.

However, today's Brother Silvio is not just serious but deadly serious. It's as if he has a clear enemy he wants to defeat. Probably not just a desire but a will.

I don't know what has driven Brother Silvio to this point.

My enemy to defeat is Elinora. I'm sure Brother Silvio shares the same goal.

Maybe today, with the two of us together, we can even defeat Elinora, or at least score a point.

Watch out, devil. Today, we're a whole different level.

With a firm confidence, I start my practice swings near Brother Silvio.

Brother Silvio's shadow boxing is mostly defensive.

× × ×

After finishing the usual routine, it's time for sparring.

Today, Brother Silvio is unusually quiet, with a sharp gaze, creating a tense atmosphere.

"Let's start the sparring."

Father Nord appears and announces to us.

"Today, to check everyone's skills, let's do a round-robin. It's also a good opportunity for Al to check his skills against Duke Melna."

"Whaaat!?"

No way! To defeat the devil, you need allies, right? Like a hero with a sage and a holy maiden!

"Got it (smirking)."

"Understood (smirking)."

Elinora and Brother Silvio give me an evil smile.

I understand Elinora, but why is Brother Silvio giving me such a smile too?

Something is off.

This is how I lose my shield and hope in the battle against the devil, Elinora.

"Let's start with Al and Silvio."

Tsk! If Elinora and Brother Silvio spar, one of them will be weakened. I think that's obvious.

Feeling disappointed that things didn't go as planned, I face Brother Silvio with my wooden sword.

"Who's stronger?"

"Who knows? Usually, the older brother is stronger. Al is better at magic than swords, right?"

"Yeah, he uses rare ice magic to chill fruit drinks and makes boxes with earth magic, doing amazing things."

"I saw him launch huge icicles in the forest too! What amazing things can you do with earth magic?"

"What, Rumba, you didn't come to the Reversi tournament yesterday?"

"Well, I---"

From a distance, I can hear Duke Melna and Rumba talking.

They seem to be very close. I thought they were meeting for the first time, right?

"Then, let's start!"

As Father Nord announces the start, Brother Silvio moves.

His offensive stance is different from usual, and I'm momentarily surprised but quickly react.

The wooden swords clash repeatedly.

Brother Silvio's offensive style doesn't suit him. Compared to his usual counter strikes, his sword skills are much weaker.

"Attacking today, huh?"

"..."

I ask a simple question, but Brother Silvio's face twists in frustration.

Then, he swings his wooden sword more fiercely and attacks me.

The wooden sword grazes me in various places, but I manage to dodge and parry.

I've been dodging and parrying the fierce attacks of my sister, so I've gotten pretty good at it.

"Seems like I understand why their swords are like that..."

"Right, Rumba."

"Probably..."

"Is something wrong, you two?"

"No... nothing."

"Okay?"

Brother Silvio's powerful swing, I dodge with a step and dive into his guard.

However, he quickly adjusts his grip and counters with a thrust.

"Close call!"

"Almost..."

He suddenly counters sharply. Probably, the powerful swing earlier was intentional. With Brother Silvio switching to a defensive stance, it became harder to attack.

Our distance opens up, and we reset.

Both of us are more fatigued than usual from the intense sparring. Especially Brother Silvio, who is sweating profusely and panting.

Thanks to always being chased around, I still have some stamina left.

If I attack now, while Brother Silvio is more fatigued, it's a good chance.

I gather strength in my legs and charge---

"Stop there!"

Father Nord's command stops my feet.

"But I didn't score a point?"

"That's true. It's to check your skills, so you don't need to score a point."

"Phew, that's a relief. I was already tired."

"Me too. Al, I'll score a point next time."

With that, Brother Silvio turns and heads to the sidelines