Chapter 9

After carrying Laradi to the bathroom, I walked leisurely again.

I really do like morning walks.

I enjoy watching the guild members bustling about, but I also like taking my time to enjoy the silence.

Sorgloss had somehow disappeared.

True to his ninja-like nature, he must be hiding somewhere, guarding me.

Laradi is usually very clingy, but even she doesn’t like waiting outside the bathroom.

I asked if I should wait for her, but she blushed and said, “N-no, that’s too early.”

…Too early for what?

Anyway, after parting ways with the two of them, I was walking through the enormous castle that serves as both the guild members' residence and the guild headquarters.

After a while, I heard a dull metallic sound coming from a distance.

Oh, someone must be doing their morning training.

Judging from the guild members, it’s probably those two.

I thought this as I started walking.

◆

This massive castle, which serves as the guild headquarters, is equipped with most facilities and supplies.

Basically, if you want to do something, you can do it here.

The training ground was built to satisfy the more combative guild members.

It’s located in the vast courtyard of the castle and is very spacious.

It’s so large that I might feel overwhelmed, but apparently, even for the guild members, it’s not enough to go all out.

…Maybe we should expand this area too.

――――Clang!!

While I was thinking this, a particularly loud metallic sound drew my attention.

Ah, it’s those two, as expected.

I saw the two of them fighting intensely in the training ground and knew my guess was correct.

“Die.”

One of them is Ritter, a girl with short black hair.

She is wearing knight armor and wielding a sword.

However, it’s not formal knight armor; it’s a light outfit that reveals some skin.

Her well-toned thighs are clearly visible, which is quite distracting.

But I’m fine. I’m past that.

She’s more of a knight-style adventurer than a true knight.

Ritter isn’t good at expressing emotions and usually has a blank face, but her beautiful face doesn’t give off a dark impression.

Beautiful people have it easy, don’t they?

Ritter was gracefully attacking her opponent.

…Did I just hear something she wouldn’t say to a fellow guild member? It must have been my imagination.

“Hmph! You’re not strong enough to kill me!”

The other one is Rees, with her purple hair in twin tails.

Two impressive horns protrude from her head, holding her twin tails in place.

Rees is also lightly dressed, unlike Ritter, who has some armor. She’s only wearing simple clothes that barely cover her body.

This means her ample chest also sways….

I’m fine. I’m past that.

She belongs to a race with top-tier combat power in the world.

…For Ritter to be evenly matched in close combat with such a powerful opponent…

Rees, unlike Ritter who wields a sword, is fighting bare-handed.

She’s engaging in hand-to-hand combat with Ritter.

If you didn’t know her race, you’d be shocked to see her thin arms blocking Ritter’s sword, producing a dull metallic sound.

How can her arms not be cut by Ritter’s fierce attacks?

Still, it’s impressive that Ritter hasn’t been injured by her.

“Ah, Master.”

“What!?”

Ritter suddenly pointed at me.

Rees immediately reacted and looked in the direction Ritter was pointing.

…Um, you two? I’m in the opposite direction…

“Opening.”

“Ah!!”

Ritter swung her sword down at Rees with all her might.

But Rees, as expected, managed to block the attack with her right arm, despite the suddenness.

…Wait? This is training, right?

Ritter’s attack felt unusually filled with killing intent…

“Hey! That’s cheating!”

“It’s not cheating. It’s your fault for falling for it.”

The two of them started bickering.

Well, Rees is always the one shouting, while Ritter calmly responds.

Still, Ritter was quite dirty.

It’s not that it’s bad, but it’s impressive that she can launch a surprise attack without changing her expression.

“But that’s strange. My nose definitely caught the wonderful scent of Master…”

What do you mean by my scent being wonderful?

I wanted to ask Rees, who was sniffing the air.

Rees has a good sense of smell in addition to her high combat power.

She’s truly from ‘that race.’

After looking around, Rees finally spotted me.

“Oh, Master!”

“Huh!?”

Rees, who had found me, smiled and waved.

A little later, Ritter also looked at me.

Her neck turned at an inhuman angle, but I hope she’s okay…

“Good morning, Master!”

As I was worrying about that, Rees’s smiling face appeared up close.

Oh, I was surprised…

She had covered the distance from where she was fighting Ritter in an instant.

It’s a feat only possible with Rees’s physical abilities.

Anyway, I had to return her morning greeting.

I greeted her with a “Good morning” and patted her head.

This was based on Sorgloss’s reaction this morning.

“Ah! W-what’s going on…?”

Rees looked up at me, surprised.

Oh, did she not like it?

When I asked, she shook her head in denial.

Ouch. Her twin tails whipped me like a whip, hurting.

“I, I don’t mind! In fact, I’m, I’m quite happy… I haven’t been petted by Master as much lately…”

Rees narrowed her eyes, looking nostalgic.

Hmm… It seems my decision was correct.

I thought they had all grown up, but they’re still like children.

If even Rees, who is more mature among the guild members, is happy, maybe the others will be too?

“Mm.”

Oops. I accidentally touched Rees’s impressive horns and hurriedly apologized.

Her race particularly dislikes being touched on the horns.

In some cases, it can even lead to death.

“Mm, it’s okay. While my race does dislike being touched on the horns, that’s only by random people. I actually want to be touched by Master, whom I truly admire…”

Rees said this while blushing and glancing at me.

I was moved by her words.

So… I’m admired by Rees!

I had a wishful certainty that I wasn’t disliked, but hearing it from her was very heartwarming.

You know, fathers are often disliked by their daughters, right?

The guild members are all good kids, so they’ve never said anything openly, but I never knew what they thought in their hearts.

Well, today is a good day!

“Obstructing.”

“Whoa!!”

Just as I was feeling refreshed looking at Rees, her figure disappeared as if crushed by a calm voice.