Gut Punch
Some time later, I finally ran out of patience and asked Eustia to show us the way. And so we all set off for the Faculty Residence, receiving a personal escort from none other than Her Imperial Highness herself.
Eustia kept stealing glances at Liliana with a curious look on her face, then finally spoke.
"Oh, by the way, Miss Liliana. There's something I've been wanting to ask you."
"What is it?"
"Well... I was curious why you came to stay at the Divelion family estate. Would you mind telling me?"
"Th-the reason? It's a bit complicated to explain..."
Liliana's voice trailed off at the awkward question, her face working through how on earth she was supposed to put it. Watching her, a doubt surfaced in my mind.
Strange. I already told Eustia about that. Why is she asking again?
Liliana was staying at the estate to repay me. Someone as sharp as Eustia would never have forgotten that, so there was no real need to put the question to Liliana herself. Wondering what she was after, I studied Eustia's face — and those golden eyes were gleaming as if she meant to take Liliana's measure.
Ah. She wanted to size Liliana up for herself. What kind of person she was. Whether she might be lying. Liliana was a woman very close to me, so Eustia was being careful in her own way.
I watched with interest as Liliana slowly found her words.
"The truth is... I owe Lord Behirith a great debt. I wanted to repay him somehow, so I've been staying at the estate."
"A debt of gratitude."
"Yes. Lord Behirith once saved my little sister and me from slave hunters. No amount of thanks could ever be enough... I truly want to repay him."
"...I see. That must have been something you'd rather not remember. Thank you for telling me so honestly. You're a lot like me, Miss Liliana."
"Like... you?"
A question mark practically floated over Liliana's head. Eustia smiled, soft and bright, and went on.
"I, too, have received far too much help from the Grand Duke. I understand wanting to repay that kindness with everything you have."
"Is that so."
"Yes. So I look forward to getting along with you, Miss Liliana. Let's be good friends."
"I-I look forward to it as well!"
When Eustia offered that brilliantly shining smile, Liliana answered with a face full of emotion. As I thought — they were both good women. I had been a little worried earlier, but it looked like they would get along just fine, and that was a relief.
In that newly warm atmosphere we walked a little farther, and arrived in front of the Faculty Residence.
"Here we are. It's not as far from the main building as you might think, is it?"
"You're right. The location is convenient, and it should be an easy walk to the lecture halls."
I nodded as I looked over the two-story residence in front of us. Modest compared to the family estate, but it had the feel of a building put together with real care. Honestly, it looked nicer than the place I had lived in before transmigrating.
"Wow! There's a garden! It's even bigger than the one next to the student dormitories!"
Liliana spotted the garden and her whole face lit up. Summer sun poured over the greenery, and Liliana's smile outshone the light itself. A fresh breeze stirred, rustling the hem of her skirt, and the plump, ripe flesh at the tops of her thighs — hidden beneath that short skirt — peeked into view with every sway.
Now that was a view.
"Master. I don't think this is the time for that."
'Hmm?'
I had been gazing contentedly at Liliana as she admired the garden when Cheonryeo's warning arrived in my head. What was she on about now? I didn't take my eyes off those appetizing thighs as I asked her bluntly.
'What are you talking about. Make it make sense.'
"How do I put this... I'm sensing an incredibly deep, negative emotion coming from right beside you."
'A negative emotion?'
"Yeah. I think you need to check right now."
Cheonryeo was practically flailing with dread. What was she talking about? The only person next to me was Eustia. Wondering if something was actually wrong, I turned my head toward her.
"..."
On a midsummer afternoon, Eustia's face had gone terrifyingly cold. Frost seemed to bleed off her as she pointed at the ring on the ring finger of Liliana's left hand.
...I'm fucked.
To cut to the chase: luckily, I was not, in fact, fucked.
Because I explained immediately. Figuring a hard piece of evidence would do more than a hundred words, I pulled the artifact from my coat on the spot. When Eustia saw the ring glittering in the sunlight, she gave me the brightest smile I had ever seen from her.
"Well then, I should be going. I have to maintain my place in the top class so I don't bring shame to the Imperial family's name..."
Liliana had gone inside the residence to unpack, leaving the two of us alone. Eustia toyed with the ring on her own left ring finger as she spoke.
...So she put it on her ring finger too.
Honestly, when I had prepared the artifacts as gifts, I had worried that the ring shape might feel a little too loaded. My worry had been for nothing. Every last one of them treasured what I had given them. Was it because of all the effort I had put in for them, over a stretch of time that felt both short and long?
A deep pride welled up from my chest. I gently took Eustia's fingertips and said,
"I understand. Then perhaps you might wear that artifact in my place."
"In your place, Grand Duke?"
"Yes. It's a gift from me, after all. While you wear the ring, think of it as me standing beside you, watching over you."
"...Then I'll wear it always. When I'm in lecture. When I eat. And... when I... bathe, and when I sleep..."
Eustia's cheeks flushed as she spoke. That last part had been a faint mutter, so quiet she probably thought I hadn't heard it. But I am not some dumbass harem-novel lead who can't hear a heroine talking to herself, so I heard it perfectly clearly.
I'd like to spend some time alone with her while I'm staying at the Academy, too.
I should ask her out on a date when I get the chance.
I waved as she walked off toward her lectures. Once she was out of sight, I turned toward the residence.
"I don't even know what to say. Master, you really are something else."
'What's that supposed to mean?'
"It's a compliment. A compliment."
Cheonryeo's tone was loaded with meaning. I gave her a couple of pats and stopped at the entrance, looking around.
A beautiful garden spreading wide, handsome buildings rising here and there. There had been a few incidents along the way, but we had made it to the Imperial Academy at last. So I would be staying here for the next month. Just imagining the days ahead filled me with an excitement I couldn't hide.
I went inside, rested for a while, and as time passed, a reddish evening glow settled over the sky. I made my way to the Top-Class Training Ground, about a five-minute walk from the Faculty Residence.
"Can't come to the Academy and skip this place."
The training ground was so vast my mutter echoed. I stood still and rested a hand on my sword's scabbard. This was the place Luke, the original protagonist, and the top-class students of the Knight Faculty had used. True to that caliber, magic formulas were inscribed on every wall, and the armory was stocked with reasonably decent practice swords and spears.
"Heh. You look pretty excited. Though it's not like this place is any better than the family training grounds, is it?"
'What would you know. Just be quiet. I'll feed you some mana before we start training.'
"Ooh! Hurry up and put your thick stuff in me!"
Cheonryeo's voice jumped with excitement. It was the student cafeteria's operating hours, so luckily no one was around. I could go all out. I drew her from the scabbard and was settling into a stance to channel mana when a bright, ringing voice called from the entrance.
"Hubby!"
"Elda?"
"So it really is true you came to the Academy!"
I turned at that long-unheard, mortifying form of address to find Elda sprinting toward me from the entrance. Looks like she had come here to train after lectures, during the hours when students were gone. And she was still using that embarrassing title.
I quietly dropped my stance as I watched her bound toward me, tail practically wagging like a she-wolf.
"Hubby? For real?"
'Don't ask me. We're not even that close yet and she still does this. It throws me off too.'
"Hmph. Fine. And here I thought Master had gone and indulged in some irresponsible pleasure."
'...'
What the hell did this girl take me for.
I smoothly ignored her and spoke to Elda.
"It's been a while, Elda. Here to train?"
"Yes! This is the time slot the professors use. Oh, and I heard from the faculty office. You were appointed as a guest professor?"
Elda stepped in close as she spoke. We weren't exactly in contact, so I had assumed she wouldn't know — but the news had already reached her ears. I slid Cheonryeo back into her scabbard and answered.
"That's right. I'll be staying at the Academy for about a month. I came here because I felt like getting some training in."
"Aha. Even being that strong, you never slack on your training. That's the man I look up to, all right."
Elda's eyes curved into crescents as she grinned. Her praise made me a little bashful, and I just nodded without a word. Then she flicked her long, straight hair over her shoulder.
"Hey. If you're all right with it, how about a spar with me?"
"A spar?"
"Yes. No aura."
"Hmm."
The offer intrigued me. Elda was one of the ten strongest in the Empire. A spar with a fighter of that caliber was always welcome. I had come here to train anyway — no reason to refuse. I accepted without hesitation, and we slowly stepped apart to make some distance.
Thud. Thud.
"So who takes the first move?"
"You go first. My skill is above yours — I can't take the opening strike on top of that."
"Fine by me. But you're not drawing your sword?"
We stood about ten meters apart. Elda tilted her head at my words. I tapped the masochistic pervert of a sword hanging at my hip with a fingertip.
"I'm still breaking this sword in. I'll go barehanded for now."
"Confident, aren't you. Then I'll go barehanded too."
Elda sheathed her sword as she spoke. Matching me just because I was going unarmed. That fighting spirit was pure Northern tribe, all right. Not that it mattered whether she used a sword or her fists. I was going to end this the moment it started.
"......"
Once Elda had put her sword away, we stared each other down in silence. Elda — professor of the Academy's Knight Faculty, and a heroine from the original story. What was she thinking right now?
A heavy silence filled the space between us. The air in the training ground grew sharp and taut. Time crawled. And when both of our concentrations peaked—
WHAM!
Elda kicked off the ground and shot toward me.
Fast.
As I recalled, Elda's aura amplified strength and speed. But even without manifesting it, she was fast enough that an ordinary Regular Knight wouldn't be able to react.
But no matter how fast you are, it doesn't matter if your feet are pinned.
Let's give this a try. As Elda charged, I lifted my foot high and slammed it down into the earth.
BOOM—!
Authority
The opponent resists.
"Haha, not a chance!"
Elda bared her fangs in a confident grin. Blocked, as expected. But I had learned something from all that training. When someone blocks the Heavenly Demon Reign Step, they have to burn a large amount of mana in that instant to keep my mana from flooding in.
A Sword Master would be a different story. But for most opponents, there is a split second where they are vulnerable while they reorganize their mana. A gap opens.
SHRAAAK—!
"Eh!?"
I reversed and closed the distance until I was right in her face. Elda's mouth fell open. Had she felt the danger? Watching that always-confident black-haired, dark-eyed beauty lose her composure stirred a peculiar sadistic thrill.
It's just a spar, so a light tap to the stomach should be fine.
Ending the match in an instant already felt a little unfair — I couldn't go and actually hurt her on top of that. I casually raised my right fist and started to drive it toward the lower part of her stomach — then froze.
...
I could feel it instinctively. That this was a precious place. That I must never touch it.
So I aimed higher. Midway between her navel and her solar plexus. I eased off the power and drove my fist in.
Whoosh.
THUD!
"Guh!"
My large, solid fist sank into Elda's abdomen. She folded at the waist, planted a knee, and coughed.
"Hey, you all right...?"
"I-I'm fi... hah... hah..."
I laid a hand gently on her back and asked, but she kept struggling to catch her breath. I hadn't hit her that hard... I hadn't expected a warrior as trained as her to be hurting this much. I was starting to worry whether she was actually okay when Cheonryeo, who had been quiet, spoke up.
"Hey. Master."
'Yeah?'
"I get that you're worried about her, but if what I sensed is right, I think she's fine?"
'That's ridiculous. Just look at her — she's clearly in pain.'
"No. Just hear me out for a second."
Cheonryeo's tone was unusually certain. What? Was she really fine, like Cheonryeo said? I didn't know what she was getting at, but I should at least listen.
I gently stroked the back of Elda, who was still coughing and drooling, and focused everything on what Cheonryeo was about to say. And a moment later, her words rang through my mind.
"This woman... I think she likes getting hit in the stomach."