Chapter 34
Chapter 34
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 34
Chapter Title: Spider's Web
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Was it because of the massage from Luna yesterday?
When I woke up, there wasn't a single ache in my muscles.
Normally, the day after pushing myself too hard, my whole body would throb...
Is this the power of a Swordmaster?
I enjoyed the refreshing morning and had a perfect commute to work, but...
The sight of documents piled up all over the office made me sigh involuntarily.
"Haa, being Guard Commander was better."
Simply sorting them wouldn't be a big deal, but reviewing the contents and advising Luna on what to do—that was my job.
Jin came in carrying a stack of documents and asked me.
"Ugh! Where should I put this?"
"That goes... right next to the desk."
Even a rough glance showed it was hundreds... no, thousands of pages, and my head started throbbing on its own.
Should I ask to be sent back as Guard Commander right now?
-Knock knock.
As I was thinking that, someone knocked on my door.
"Come in~"
Jin opened the door to my office, and in came a maid with her orange hair neatly braided up, holding a tray in both hands.
"Oh? Jin?"
"Rachel, long time no see. Oh? Coffee? Hand it over."
"Here."
As my eyes met those of the woman named Rachel who handed the tray to Jin...
She lightly licked her lips with her tongue.
What? Are her lips chapped?
Regardless of my thoughts, she stared right through me with a strange gaze.
Why is she acting like that?
"I'll head out now. Jin."
"Oh? See you, Rachel."
I watched her leave and asked Jin.
"You know her?"
"Huh? Oh, Rachel? We dated briefly a while back."
"Aha. I see."
I went back to work without much thought.
But why?
"Hello, Secretary Aiden?"
I ran into her on the hallway and greeted her.
"Ah... What's your name again?"
"Oh? I'm Rachel."
Rachel gave me a pure smile.
"Oh? Is that so? I have work to do, so I'll be going."
I had mountains of work, so I left, but...
"Oh? Having lunch now?"
Around lunchtime, I ran into her again.
What?
Rachel greeted me with an innocent smile.
A wave of suspicion washed over me from her.
Isn't it weird that a beauty who seems popular wherever she goes keeps catching my eye?
Coincidence? Or does she have an agenda?
I don't believe in love at first sight.
Because... I'm not as handsome as Jin.
For a woman like that to stick to someone like me? That's suspicious.
If I didn't have Luna, I might have spun a happy fantasy and let it slide, but...
I'm not starving for female attention anymore.
I've grown once again, Aiden.
For some reason, I felt like I could hear Jeff's satisfied voice from heaven.
Hiding my bewilderment at her somewhat burdensome behavior, I said.
"Yes, I'm eating in the office."
"Ah~ Enjoy your meal."
Rachel replied brightly and disappeared.
Am I overthinking it? I mean, why would a beauty like that approach me for anything?
"Am I being too self-conscious lately?"
I don't have anything worth taking from me anyway.
I cleared Rachel from my mind like that. Before I knew it, evening had arrived.
While everyone else was heading home, I went to receive swordsmanship training from Luna.
Though she called it swordsmanship training... in reality, it was just running and doing hundreds of horizontal and vertical slashes.
Eventually, bored with the same routine for days, I asked Luna.
"Haa... haa... But how long do I have to keep doing this?"
"Hmm... Well? Until the basic muscles form, at least?"
Her leisurely words made me feel like I was about to pass out.
"Haa, how... haa... long will that take?"
"Probably about a year?"
At the word "year," my legs gave out.
-Thud!
"Aiden, you okay?"
A year? Is that some dog's name?
"That's too long!"
She responded as if to say no.
"But on the battlefield, you need a lot of stamina. No matter how great your swordsmanship, after running for 10 minutes, you won't even be able to lift your sword?"
"Ugh..."
"Plus, your stamina and strength are both below average? So of course we need to build a solid foundation first."
I couldn't argue against Luna's perfectly logical words.
"With that in mind, let's do 100 more and then rest."
I felt deep despair toward her fresh smile delivering such cruelty.
"Aah..."
Even after that, her brutal training didn't stop.
I had to do whatever she said.
Because Luna was my superior.
"Alright! Last one!"
I swung my sword with my trembling arms...
-Thud!
"Haa... haa... I can't do more. Really, if I go any further, I'll die."
I really can't. Any more and my heart will burst.
-Pat... pat.
At that moment, Luna patted my head as if proud of me.
Wait? Could this be...
"Good job today too, Aiden."
Hearing her words, a hypothesis popped into my head.
Destroying my body like this every time...
Isn't it to make me stay here?
So she can do those things with me?
The suspicion that maybe the training was a pretext to wear me out kept swirling in my mind.
This... woman is totally capable of it.
Didn't she turn into a beast of lust last night too?
With enough suspicious circumstances, I asked Luna.
"Haa... haa... Be honest, Grand Duchess. You're trying to drain all my energy so I'll sleep here, right?"
"Huh? No, not at all?"
But Luna was the one surprised instead.
She rested her chin on her finger, thought for a moment, then brightened up.
"But that really does sound like a good idea. Thanks, Aiden!"
"Ah..."
I'm doomed.
-Stroke... stroke.
She said that while stroking my head.
Her soft touch soothed my irritation.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Aiden's swordsmanship training.
It was still more like stamina training than actual swordsmanship, but there was no helping it.
His stamina was below average, after all.
Luna knew full well how much stamina it took to wear heavy armor and swing a sword on the battlefield, so she had no intention of slacking on his training.
She pushed him to his limits as much as he could handle, training him harshly.
It must be tough, but she believed this would save him from any potential dangers.
Aiden collapsed onto the sandy ground, sweating profusely after the grueling session.
He pleaded in a voice that sounded like he was dying.
"Haa... haa... I can't do more. Really, if I go any further, I'll die."
Of course, it was still far below Luna the Swordmaster's standards, but knowing he'd given his all, she gently patted his head and encouraged him brightly.
"Good job today too, Aiden."
Even with her touch, Aiden stared blankly at the ground with a dazed expression before his eyes flashed and he questioned her.
"Haa... haa... Be honest, Grand Duchess. You're trying to drain all my energy so I'll sleep here, right?"
"Huh? No, not at all?"
It was something Luna had never even dreamed of...
But thinking it over, it really was a good idea.
'When I want to do it with Aiden later... tire him out like this... and have him sleep here...'
Luna thought up to there.
She grinned happily.
'Hehe, Aiden really is a genius.'
And...
"But that really does sound like a good idea. Thanks, Aiden!"
"Ah..."
-Stroke... stroke.
She stroked Aiden's head for a good while as she spoke.
Finally lifting her hand from his head, she said.
"Now go wash up and let's eat."
"Yeah... we should. I'm starving, but I'll rest a bit first before heading in."
"Hehe, sure. But I have work to do..."
As Grand Duchess, Luna had a lot on her plate.
With no lady of the house in the Grand Ducal Palace currently, the duties that would normally fall to her were on Luna's shoulders too.
"You go ahead... and handle your work. I'll haa... rest a bit longer."
"Okay. But you know you'll catch a cold if you stay out too long, right?"
Aiden replied weakly to Luna's words.
"It's not a cold, my whole body aches like hell. I'll head in soon."
She grinned.
"Okay. If you're still here when the maid brings food, I'll have Charles drag you in."
Not wanting to be dragged inside by another man, Aiden replied vaguely.
"Yeah yeah, don't worry."
"Alright, I'm heading back now."
Luna returned to the Grand Ducal Palace like that.
As she entered the main gate, she spotted an orange-haired maid heading out with a towel and felt a strange sensation.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "Secretary Aiden, lying there in midwinter will give you a cold."
At the woman's voice, I looked around...
The orange-haired woman held a towel in one hand and spoke.
"At least wipe off your sweat with this."
The woman smiled brightly.
Rachel, was it?
I took the towel she offered and wiped the sweat from my head.
"Thank you."
"No problem."
Seeing Rachel's pure smile, I felt that strange sensation again.
Why is she being so nice to a nobody like me?
Anyway, it felt burdensome, so I excused myself.
"I'll be going now. Thanks for the towel."
I thought that would be the last time I saw her today as I left, but...
-Knock knock.
"Come in."
Thinking it was dinner arriving right on time after training, I opened the door...
"Rachel?"
"Oh? We meet again?"
Rachel smiled with crinkled eyes, fresh as ever.
Her unexpected appearance sent a chill of fear through me.
Is she a stalker? Why is this happening?