Cloud's Sneaky Reunion with the Heroine
Cloud grinned mischievously. He stood up and turned to face Tess. The look of genuine admiration on his face was unmistakable. Cloud hated that girlish behavior, so he immediately gave him a firm flick to the forehead.
Thwack!
“Ow!”
“Get a grip, man. I’ve got a dick too, you know.”
After that incident, the two of them grew quite close. Though it was mostly Tess who kept clinging to him.
And the fact that Cloud had gotten into a fistfight within the unit soon reached Sylvia’s ears through Felipe.
“So that happened.”
Sylvia simply gave a light nod, showing no particular reaction.
“I’ve taken care of the aftermath. However…”
Felipe continued with a slightly serious expression.
“Master Cloud is currently the top performer among the twenty-man commander trainees. On top of that, his witty responses and talent for making people laugh have earned him a great deal of favor from the instructors. At this rate, there’s a risk that the vassals will notice him through those instructors. We must contact Master Cloud as soon as possible and tell him to restrain himself and avoid standing out.”
Sylvia’s face clouded with concern.
“This is dangerous. I’m truly glad he’s so outstanding, but if he keeps showing off like that, he’ll be the first one dragged away in the witch hunt.”
“What will you do?”
Sylvia paused for a moment before answering.
“I’ll have to meet him in person soon.”
“In person… you intend to go yourself?”
“Yes.”
The autumn air was crisp and full. The morning lesson was a swordsmanship theory class held under the cool shade of the trees. The trainees sat on fifty-centimeter-high logs, listening attentively to the lecture.
“Once you complete all the training courses, you will proudly take on the role of twenty-man commanders, each leading your own squad. At that time, if any of the soldiers under your command are clumsy with a sword, remember what I’m telling you now. And offer them advice. You must not judge someone as untalented simply by what you see on the surface. Swordsmanship must be chosen to suit each individual. You cannot simply pick something because it looks cool. For example, someone with well-developed fast-twitch muscles is suited for thrusting. You should advise such soldiers to focus on speed-oriented training. For those with strong slow-twitch muscles, teach them continuous strikes, but make sure to include ways to vary their technique in the middle of a sequence. Ah, and furthermore…”
Cloud was diligently taking notes on the instructor’s words. But the refreshing weather made him drowsy, and he began nodding off. To wake himself up, he stretched lightly.
‘Ugh, I’m so sleepy I’m losing my mind…’
As he yawned and glanced at the seat beside him, Tess was there. He had been listening intently to the instructor, but when he felt Cloud’s gaze, he turned his head.
“Cloud? What is it?”
Tess smiled as if expecting something. Seeing that expression, Cloud felt a slight chill run down his spine. So he brushed it off casually, telling him to get lost.
“You’re handsome, dumbass.”
“R-really?”
This time Tess lowered his gaze, looking shy. For some reason, that face looked feminine and cute in Cloud’s eyes.
‘Whoa, now that I look at him like this, he really is pretty…’
He stared blankly for a moment before snapping back to his senses.
‘What the hell? Did my life’s genre suddenly switch to a gay story?!’
It was a useless thought. He decided to ignore it. He turned his gaze upward toward the sky. The clear, crisp autumn weather. Today, too, the sky was spotless without a single cloud.
‘The dandy prince of the stars is safe today as well…’
His father suddenly came to mind.
‘I wonder what my old man is doing right now?’
By now, his father had probably returned to Wes Village, learned what his son had done, and was furious. And without a doubt, Sara would be chattering away beside him, ratting him out. A cold sweat ran down his back. He stopped thinking about it. He turned his attention back to the instructor and listened carefully.
“Alright, for the remaining time, pair up and practice sparring with the wooden training swords.”
While he had been lost in thought, the theory explanation had already ended. It seemed they would be doing practical training for the rest of the session. The instructor stood with his hands behind his back, pacing back and forth in front. The trainees each paired up with the person sitting next to them. Cloud was about to call out to Tess beside him when someone tapped him on the shoulder from behind.
“You there. Care to spar with me?”
A familiar woman’s voice. Cloud turned around with wide eyes.
“Ah!”
Standing with the sun at her back and smiling brightly, Sylvia nearly made Cloud choke up. How long had it been? The last time he had seen her face was eleven weeks ago. He hadn’t seen her for nearly two and a half months.
“Sylvia!”
In his overwhelming joy, he forgot her status and called her without honorifics. The bespectacled woman in a maid uniform standing behind her flinched visibly, veins bulging on her forehead. A silent threat.
“Lady!”
Cloud smoothly added the honorific and smiled brightly.
The surroundings instantly became noisy.
“Kyaaa~ It’s Lady Sylvia!”
“Oh my goodness! It’s really Lady Sylvia! She came to watch over us!”
“I’m so glad I became a Valua soldier for real!”
Everyone was moved with awe at Sylvia’s beautiful appearance and the fact that they were seeing the lord’s daughter in person.
“Quiet, quiet! All trainees, please calm down!”
As everyone crowded forward to get a closer look at Sylvia, the instructor and the two escort soldiers who had come with her hurriedly held them back. Once the atmosphere had settled, Sylvia spoke to the instructor.
“I stopped by to see the faces of the newly selected twenty-man commanders. It looks like you were in the middle of sparring, which is perfect timing. I’d like to see the skills of our splendid twenty-man commanders, so I’d like to spar with one of them as a representative. Would that be possible?”
“Of course it is. We would be honored.”
The instructor immediately pointed to Cloud, the squad leader and top student. Sylvia left a remark that she hoped her presence wouldn’t disrupt the trainees’ lesson, then moved with Cloud to a slightly more distant area to spar. She even prevented Felipe and the escort soldiers from coming close. There were no disturbances around them.
Cloud and Sylvia stood facing each other with wooden swords in a corner of the training ground. Feeling the jealous stares of the other trainees watching from afar, Cloud spoke first.
“You didn’t show your face once all this time. What brings you here?”
“I came because I have something to tell you.”
“Not because you missed me?”
“I did miss you. What about you?”
“I didn’t miss you much.”
“Really?”
Sylvia narrowed her eyes and furrowed her brow. Cloud lifted one corner of his lip in a wicked smile.
“You forcibly conscripted me into the army, left me alone for over two months, then finally show up and say you didn’t come because you missed me but just to deliver a message? What is that? Did you come to declare our breakup or something?”
“You bastard!”
Sylvia’s sudden first strike fueled by anger! A horizontal slash!
Thud!
“Ugh!”
Cloud clutched his stinging stomach. Sylvia was completely furious.
“Idiot!”
She glared at Cloud with eyes blazing like fire.
“I won’t forgive you! I absolutely will not forgive you for saying such things to me!”
Her fiercely burning gaze sent a chill down Cloud’s spine. And from that moment on, what had started as a simple conversation between the two turned into a full-blown battle.
“Die!”
Sylvia’s second attack! This time a vertical slash!
“Whoa!”
He hurriedly blocked while stepping back. The considerable force behind her wooden sword told him she had swung with the intent to break his neck. Cloud felt a shiver.
“Prepare yourself!”
Before he could even sigh in relief, her next attack came! An upward slash!
Clack!
He barely blocked it again! But the attacks kept coming without pause!
“How dare you look at me!”
“Ah!”
“And say something like that?!”
“Eek!”
Cloud could only keep desperately blocking.
“You rotten bastard!”
“Ugh!”
“Low education, low income!”
“Kuh!”
“A bottom-feeder like you!”
“Whoa!”
Her venomous words hurt more than the sword strikes.
“I took in a womanizing beggar and raised him!”
“Ah!”
“What? You asked if I came to declare a breakup?!”
“Ugh!”
“Die!”
“Wah!”
The trainees who had been watching the two closely began muttering among themselves.
“That doesn’t look like sparring. It looks more like she’s just beating him up one-sidedly?”
“Maybe the reason Lady Sylvia came today was to give that guy a good scolding?”
“Why?”
“He recently beat up the regulars, and the seniors think he’s getting more and more arrogant. So Lady Sylvia, being a knight, came out herself to warn him and knock him down a peg.”
The mercenary-turned twenty-man commander sitting nearby shook his head and clicked his tongue.
“Wow, Valua is scary. No matter how clueless the junior is, for the lord’s daughter to come scold him personally… amazing, just amazing.”
As Sylvia pressed her attack more mercilessly, Cloud, who had only been blocking, finally fell flat on his backside.
Crash!
“Kuh!”
Sylvia was startled.
“Cloud! Are you okay?”
She quickly lowered her wooden sword and reached out her hand. But Cloud pretended to take it and yanked her forward hard. Unable to resist the force, Sylvia tumbled forward. Everyone watching was shocked. Felipe’s expression twisted the most.
“That rude bastard…!”
Despite everyone’s frightened gazes, Cloud calmly brushed off his pants, stood up, and smirked at Sylvia who was now sitting on the ground.
“No mercy. Did you forget we’re at war right now?”
“You evil bastard!”
Sylvia narrowed her eyes fiercely, gritted her teeth, and stood up, gripping her wooden sword again.
“This time I won’t show even a fingernail’s worth of mercy, so prepare yourself!”
“That’s what I wanted. Don’t hold back and fight with everything you’ve got. That’s the way to support your husband.”
“Fine!”
A left slash came in immediately!
Clack!
The moment he blocked it, an upward slash followed right after!
“Last time you met some!”
“Ugh!”
“Woman!”
“Ugh!”
The moment he blocked her attack, Cloud’s counterattack began.
“You met a woman!”
“Hah!”
“How dare you?!”
“Ha!”
Sylvia’s attacks continued once more!
“The day you went to the temple two months ago!”
“Ugh!”
“You went to an inn!”
“Kyah!”
“And your cum!”
“Kuh!”
“Supposedly went dry!”
“Ah!”
After blocking her attack, Cloud countered again!
“The day you went to the temple? Ah!”
“Hoo!”
“That cum!”
“Hah!”
“I sent it all out in a group!”
“Hup!”
“On vacation!”
“Taa!”
After exchanging blows like this several times, Cloud’s hands began to go numb. He immediately dropped his stance and urgently called out to her.
“Stop, stop! That’s enough!”
It seemed a novice like him couldn’t handle Sylvia’s sincere sword strikes after all. Still, it had been a good experience. Above all, it was useful to compare the difference in skill between a master and a beginner. The reason he had provoked Sylvia in the first place was to truly understand the extent of her swordsmanship. Having trained his stamina and learned plenty of knowledge so far, he planned to hone his martial skills from now on. Today’s experience seemed like it would be a great help moving forward. He felt inwardly pleased. At the same time, he hoped the day would come soon when he could infuse his blade with sword energy like Sylvia.
“You’ve changed a lot, Cloud.”
Sylvia smiled brightly, sweat beading on her forehead.
“You’ve lost weight, so it feels strange somehow.”