Chapter 14

The next day, when Ivan-ni-sama returned to the main house, it was past noon.

I greeted Ivan-ni-sama at the front of the main house as he got off the sturdy but rugged carriage.

He has bright red hair, a symbol of the Spencer Duke family, and his long, smooth hair is tied back.

His features are as beautiful as mine, almost to the point of not looking like a man, and his eyes have an upward tilt that gives off a sharp, hawk-like impression.

He is tall, about a head taller than me. Maybe he's as tall as Rauro?

Although he is a magician, he is not thin because he is well-built from training.

Because of his height and good looks, combined with his often expressionless face, he exudes a very intimidating presence.

"Welcome back, Ivan-ni-sama."

"..."

Ivan-ni-sama met my gaze and said this with an expressionless face.

"It's rare for Asaria to greet me."

Ivan-ni-sama and I have hardly spent time together.

I was studying to become an empress, and Ivan-ni-sama was training to become the head of the Spencer Duke family by learning how to fight against magical beasts, so we lived in different places.

That's why I've mostly heard bad things about me from others, and he doesn't think highly of me.

Before the regression, when he accompanied me in my training, he said, "I'll straighten out your attitude, Asaria," and guided me very strictly.

Thanks to that, I became stronger in magic, recovered from the shock of Prince Lewis breaking our engagement, and realized that Prince Lewis was a scoundrel.

Still, it was very strict, really...

"I will be receiving training from you, so it's only natural for me to greet you, Ivan-ni-sama."

"Is that so? But my training is not easy. If you slack off and face a magical beast, you'll die, Asaria."

"Yes, of course. I look forward to your guidance and discipline."

When I said this and bowed slightly, Ivan-ni-sama opened his eyes in surprise.

"... Hmm, it seems you are prepared. That's a good attitude. Shall we head to the training ground?"

"Yes. And, Ivan-ni-sama, there is someone else I would like to train with me."

"I see, the one you mentioned, Rauro, your personal knight candidate, right?"

"Yes, that's right. I believe he is already training with other knights at the training ground."

"Ah, I've never trained a knight before, but it shouldn't be a problem. Get in the carriage."

We got into the carriage Ivan-ni-sama arrived in and headed to the training ground.

Ha, it's finally time to start training with Ivan-ni-sama.

Since I have almost the same power as before the regression, I hope I can handle the training a bit more easily...

We arrived at the training ground by carriage and entered together.

The Spencer Duke family has a considerable military force to protect the fortress from magical beasts.

Therefore, the Duke family has many knights and magicians, and there are several training grounds.

We will use one of them today.

When we entered the training ground, Rauro was already training.

He seemed to be practicing with a real sword.

He didn't notice our entrance and was repeatedly performing the motion of raising the sword and bringing it down.

"Is that Rauro?"

"Yes, that's him."

Ivan-ni-sama stopped walking and watched Rauro's practice.

"Hmm... Not bad. His sword technique is good, and his magic power is not bad either. He seems to have potential if trained properly."

Ivan-ni-sama said this after just watching Rauro's practice.

For Ivan-ni-sama, this is quite a compliment, almost an excessive one.

But probably, Ivan-ni-sama thinks Rauro has worked hard to reach this level through training.

However... Rauro quit his job at the delivery store yesterday and started holding a sword today?

So why is his practice so good?

Ivan-ni-sama nodded and approached Rauro.

"Hey, you."

"Who is it? A knight, sir?"

Rauro finally noticed Ivan-ni-sama and stopped his practice to ask.

"I am Ivan Rer Spencer."

"Ah, my apologies, Duke Spencer."

"Call me Ivan."

"Understood, Ivan-sama. I am Rauro."

"... What is your family name?"

"I don't have one, I'm a commoner."

"What?"

Ivan-ni-sama, who was talking to Rauro, frowned for the first time.

"... Well, if you have the skills, it's not a problem, but as a commoner, where did you learn to use a sword?"

"I didn't learn, I held a sword for the first time today."

"Huh? Don't lie."

"I'm not lying."

"..."

Both of them ended up staring at each other expressionlessly.

Probably neither of them was actually glaring.

And, as expected, they are about the same height.

"Ivan-ni-sama, what Rauro said is true. He worked at a delivery store until yesterday and is holding a sword for the first time today."

"... Then what was that practice just now?"

"Just now, I saw other knights practicing and tried to imitate them. I made some adjustments to make it easier for myself... Was it wrong?"

He imitated and made some adjustments on his own, and even Ivan-ni-sama praised his practice.

"... Asaria, what is this guy?"

"He's a genius."

If asked, that's all I can say.

I knew he would become strong enough to defeat a group of knights, but I didn't know he would be this strong on the first day.

"Hmm, I see. Rauro, I will be training you from today. My training is strict, but do you have any objections?"

"No, I look forward to it. Will Asaria-sama be training with us?"

"Yes, is there a problem with that?"

"No, not really."

"Understood. I will prepare, so wait here with Asaria."

Ivan-ni-sama left the training ground and headed to the preparation room.

"Rauro, Ivan-ni-sama's training is really strict, so let's both do our best."

"Yes, Asaria-sama... You don't look well, are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine."

I just felt a bit sick from remembering something.

"... Asaria-sama, you're wearing pants today, aren't you?"

"Well, yes, I can't train in a dress, can I?"

I wasn't wearing my usual luxurious and beautiful dress but rather pants and a shirt for easy movement.

My hair, which I usually let flow freely, was tied up in a ponytail like Ivan-ni-sama's today.

"Your dress is beautiful, but today's outfit suits you very well."

"... Huh? R-Really?"

"Yes, your hair looks beautiful when tied up."

"Ah, thank you."

I didn't expect to be complimented by Rauro and felt a bit flustered.

I'm used to being complimented by other young ladies and gentlemen at tea parties and social events, but they often have ulterior motives for praising me as a member of the Spencer Duke family, and I usually just smile and accept it.

But Rauro, being a commoner, wouldn't use such formalities, so I was a bit surprised to be complimented.

"You look good in the knight's uniform too."

"Thank you."

"Yes, but don't get too satisfied. I'll give you better clothes when you become my personal knight."

"I'll work hard to get them sooner."

"Yes, work hard."

While we were talking, Ivan-ni-sama returned to the training ground.

Behind him were several knights carrying a large object wrapped in cloth.

Then, Ivan-ni-sama stood in front of Rauro and me, who were standing side by side.

It seems the training is about to begin.

"Alright, I want to know your current abilities. Asaria, can you use magic?"

"Yes, I can."

"Then show me your full power. Aim at this."

Ivan-ni-sama had the knights remove the cloth, revealing a large wolf-shaped model of a magical beast. It was made of hardened earth or something similar.

"Aim at this, but stay a bit away because it's dangerous."

"Understood. Is it okay to destroy it?"

"Well, it shouldn't be a problem. It's hard, so it probably won't break."

Indeed, I remember it being quite hard from my training before the regression.

At first, it didn't break no matter how many times I used magic.

"Understood. Here I go."

I gathered my magic power and aimed my palm at the wolf-shaped model.

This is my full power, and it's the first time I'm using it after the regression, so I'm a bit nervous.

I released a flame about the size of a human head and fired it.

The moment it hit, there was a loud explosion, and the model shattered.

"..."

"How was it?"

"... Asaria, you haven't been training, right?"

"Well, yes."

I haven't trained at all after the regression, but in reality, I trained intensively for two years.

Before the regression, my power was on par with or slightly above my father's in his prime.

"Hmm, I see... I understand your full power. I'll check your magic control later. Don't attack people until you can control your magic delicately."

"Y-Yes, understood."

"But Asaria-sama, didn't you attack someone before?"

"Wh-What, Rauro!?"

I thought I had "messed up," but why did you tell Ivan-ni-sama?

"What? Is it true? Did he die?"

"N-No, I didn't kill him. I just pierced his shoulder with fire and made him lose his arm."

"... Normally, such delicate magic control is more difficult than a full-power attack."

Ivan-ni-sama looked at me suspiciously.

Indeed, that's true, and before the regression, I struggled the most with training delicate magic control.

"Ha, well, it's fine. I don't know what happened, but if you can control your magic like that, it's not bad."

"Ah, thank you."

I, I got praised by Ivan-ni-sama!

Before the regression, I was hardly ever praised, so I'm very happy.

"... Is there something I need to teach you about this?"

Ivan-ni-sama muttered something, but I couldn't hear it clearly.