A Warm Farewell
Sophia, then I'll see you next time.
"Yes. Please take care on your way, Lady Catherine."
Actually, I thought I should have said that greeting to Kyle first, but Catherine had already spoken to me first.
Catherine had been staying in Eristirol for a few months, and now she was suddenly leaving.
Originally, she had suddenly arrived, so perhaps it was all in vain.
"Kyle, I suppose we'll meet again in the social circles. Until then, please take care. Sophia, please take good care of him too."
"I won't say it, but I will."
"Hehe... I'm glad."
The two of them exchanging well-wishes. It was a sight that touched my heart.
Kyle finally seemed to have a friend his age. Until now, the only proper conversation partner he had was me.
Having no friends at fifteen was, well, a bit much. Actually, not just a bit, but quite a lot.
"Sophia~ Call me if you're bored~"
Catherine leaned out of the carriage window and said that to me as the carriage ran.
I just waved my hand in response.
Thinking about Sebastian trying to stop her inside, it was a bit pitiful. But he wouldn't listen no matter what.
"Let's head back."
After Catherine had gone some distance, Kyle spoke as they returned to the castle.
I thought it was good to go inside since the weather was still cold.
"Yes, young master."
Following behind Kyle who walked ahead of me.
Meeting a woman of my age like Catherine made me feel a bit more at ease.
"Young master, is the lesson with Lady Elin scheduled to start right away today?"
"Yes."
I see.
Then I should process the documents in the meantime.
Since Kyle wouldn't be comfortable staying inside, it was better this way.
No reason to walk around outside anymore. Since Catherine had returned to Oldenburg.
"Then, I'll go process the documents."
"Wait..."
"Yes?"
"...It's nothing."
"?"
Kyle said that and entered the training ground.
Probably Elin was waiting inside.
I moved my feet. To my room.
"Hi!"
It was clearly my room, but why was Louise lying on my bed?
The door must have been locked...
Thinking about it, when I opened the door, I just opened it.
She must have used magic to enter. Something I often did since my adventurer days.
"Louise, why are you here?"
"Me?"
"Yeah."
Louise pointed at herself with her strangely beautiful eyes.
Then who else besides me and her could be here?
"I came because I was bored. What are you asking so seriously?"
"Hah..."
Yeah, another reason like this. Whenever something happens, she says she's bored.
"My monthly salary for this month is all gone, so there's nothing to do!"
"Crazy woman!"
-Thud!
I grabbed Louise's head and slammed it.
I had no choice. Seeing her gamble away her entire fortune and say there's no money, on her first salary.
"I said!"
-Thud!
"Don't gamble with money!"
-Thud!
"Like this!!"
-Thud!!
"Don't do it!"
-Thud!!
"I did!"
-Thud!!!
I raised my fist again and hit Louise's head.
It wasn't my salary, but somehow it was money from Kyle's wallet. A crazy woman who gambles away such money deserved it.
"Uwaaaak.... It hurts so much..."
I didn't care if it hurt or not, I kept hitting.
The only thing protecting Louise's head was the hat she was wearing, which was typical for witches. Naturally, a very ordinary hat.
Since it wasn't like a hat with stats from a game in my previous life, hitting hard would hurt.
"I told you not to do it last time, but you did."
"Hurts..."
"But why did you do it!"
My heart was bursting. A normal person wouldn't gamble away their entire salary. But thinking about it, she's a crazy woman, so it doesn't apply.
"Hah...."
"But what to do when bored... What to do in a boring fief besides Kyle's lessons?"
When will this woman's boredom be resolved? Since my adventurer days, whenever something happens, she causes trouble saying she's bored.
Fortunately, she hasn't caused trouble here yet. Talking back to Kyle or Catherine was an act of trouble, but since they tolerated it, it's not trouble.
"What, meet a guy."
"A guy?"
"Yeah, fall in love and go out together."
I suddenly thought of it. Yeah, falling in love! If I do something with a person I like, maybe that boredom can be solved?
There was talk about that. When you like someone, anything is fun.
I haven't seen Louise do that yet, but if I try, I can't say I can't.
"Eek... Sophia, what kind of nonsense is that all of a sudden...?"
"Isn't that a bit off...?"
"Yeah. Instead, do magic research. What romance?"
No, she keeps causing trouble saying she's bored, and when I suggest something, it's nonsense. She's really crazy.
"Then, get out and do magic research."
I picked up Louise as is...
"Eek... Wait! Sophia!"
-Bang!
I threw her out the door and closed it.
My room, now quiet after throwing out Louise.
Before processing documents, I don't know why I'm so tired.
"Huu...."
I sat on the chair and looked at the documents one by one.
Fortunately, there were no documents directly related to the fief's operation. The steward handles those.
I just needed to process the documents related to Kyle. Actually, the real reason I wanted a tutor was to get a slave, wasn't it?
"Sigh..."
It wasn't that hard, but it was unavoidable to be troublesome. Probably about an hour? Two hours? After that, when I go back to the training ground, the training will be over.
Since the lesson with Elin takes longer than expected, processing slowly is fine.
-Scratch scratch
I signed the documents with a pen and made notes in a notebook.
I wondered if notes were necessary, but there were some things I needed to tell Kyle.
*
"Young master, you shouldn't move like that in this situation!"
"...Is that so?"
"Yes. If you advance, it would rather..."
Elin said that while facing her sword with Kyle's sword and pushing it.
-Swoosh
"Like this, you could even cut the neck in reverse."
"...I see."
Kyle looked at the sword just before touching his neck and was a bit surprised.
I knew Elin was a good knight here, but her swordsmanship was more than I thought. Not just swordsmanship, but she was strong in fighting itself.
"Well, hold your sword again."
"Yes."
The two of us standing in the training ground with some dirt and dust for friction faced each other.
"Then, come in again."
Elin said that and pointed her sword. Towards Kyle, who could be considered her lord.
Kyle silently held his sword and slowly walked forward.
Just before the distance between their swords touched.
"Hup.."
Before the confrontation, he stepped forward one more step and stomped strongly.
The step that stomped more strongly than a normal step surprised Elin a bit because she didn't predict it instantly.
But Elin, a skilled knight, ended it with a bit of surprise.
-Clang!
The sword guards clashed.
Elin skillfully blocked Kyle's sword guard perfectly with her own.
"Young master, it's not good to do such a gamble when there's no need to do it."
Elin spoke to Kyle while blocking with her sword.
Although Kyle's strength was strong for his age, it didn't work on Elin, a knight who could be considered a walking combat weapon.
"Rather, in situations like just now, it's better to adjust strength while facing the swords..."
Elin was moving Kyle's sword in reverse by changing strength strongly and weakly while facing the swords.
"...Yes."
"Hmm.. It's been about two hours now."
As Elin said, exactly two hours had passed.
Elin thought it was good to stop here because too intense lessons could have bad effects on the body.
"How is it? Will you do it one more time?"
But since the lesson with Kyle was more fun than expected, she asked if it was okay to do one more spar.
She thought it was a very fast development for someone who had just picked up a sword for the first time. Her head was definitely better than that of ordinary knights.
Of course, knights with good heads have bodies that lag behind.
"Then, one more time..."
Kyle himself was feeling his skills improving. So he was more enthusiastic in lessons, and Elin's proposal was immediately accepted.
"Then, come in right away. After all, I have no loss yet."
"Yes...!"
*
"Eh... Elin..?"
I arrived at the training ground after thinking some time had passed and leaving the remaining documents.
And what I saw was...
"Hah... Hah... Hah..!"
Kyle lying there exhausted.
What happened to make him lie like that.
"..I'm sorry!! Please don't scold me!!"
"Eh..."
And suddenly Elin grabbed the hem of my pants and apologized.
Why is one fallen and the other grabbing me?!
"What happened that made you like this..?"
"I tried so hard to follow... so I stopped..."
"Stopped..?"
"I thoroughly trampled you..."
"..."
"Haa.. Haa... Haa... Sophia."
"Yes, young master."
Kyle speaking to me while lying there, his expression was one that said he was in pain even if you looked.
I picked up the water that was scattered around and sat in front of Kyle.
"Water... Haa... Hah..."
"Yes.."
How did you trample so much? Even in our exercise time with me, I hadn't been this exhausted once.
"I'm sorry...."
First, I should take care of Kyle and tell Elin it's okay. After all, Kyle wouldn't fire Elin for this.