Chapter 35: Heroine Supplement Plan (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 35: Heroine Supplement Plan (4)
A rich man's wealth lasts three years even after he goes bankrupt.
An old thoroughbred still harbors the ambition to run a thousand miles.
Form is temporary, but class is permanent… and so on.
What I’m trying to say is, this is the impression Natalia has left on me.
Just as the value of a banknote doesn't change no matter how much you crumple or stomp on it, Natalia was still the Sword Princess, regardless of how much weight she had gained or how long it had been since she last held a blade.
It has been a month since I first met her.
Natalia, who has become noticeably slimmer, is now swinging a live blade at me without a hint of hesitation.
—Clang! Clang!
“Ha!”
“Hah!”
Beyond the crossing blades, I see Natalia’s face, looking remarkably sharper.
Of course, compared to her prime, she is still lacking in every way.
Her body, still carrying excess weight, lacks the strength to grip the sword properly, and that lack of strength translates to a lack of speed.
And because she lacks speed, her strikes lack bite.
Nevertheless, Natalia was still the Sword Princess, a woman beloved by the blade.
—Clang!
Her attacks are still dull, but it seems her defensive instincts have fully returned.
Once again, my sword slid harmlessly along her blade.
Natalia’s attacks couldn't reach me, but mine couldn't reach her either.
I might have the edge in strength and speed, but her technique was a different story.
“Hah!”
I swung my sword down with all my might.
It was a strike delivered with the resolve to cleave through whatever stood before me… or so I intended.
—Clink!
Once again, my soul-searing strike was effortlessly parried.
At the exact moment before my strength could fully commit, Natalia’s sword intervened at a perfect diagonal angle.
“Haha, you really are amazing.”
“Huff, huff… Leon… whew… you are… huff… quite something yourself…”
I only had a few beads of sweat on my forehead, but Natalia was drenched.
Moreover, her breathing was so ragged it sounded like she might collapse at any moment.
It seemed the physical exertion was still extreme for her due to her remaining weight.
“Then we shall call it a day.”
“I… can still…!”
“No.”
No matter how much she pleaded, today’s sparring ended here.
With that intent, I hung my practice sword back on the rack and reached out to her.
The sparring was intense, but there were far more effective ways to lose weight.
“…”
“Lady Natalia, I understand how you feel. But as the saying goes, the more you hurry, the more you should take the long way around.”
“The more you hurry, the more you should take the long way…?”
“Yes. Your heart has returned to being the Sword Princess, but your body has not. No matter how legendary a blade is, if you force it while it’s rusted, it’s bound to break. Shouldn't you take the time and effort to scrub away the rust before it can become a masterpiece again?”
Only then did Natalia hand me her practice sword.
In truth, I’d love to make her swing that sword all day without sleep or food.
She’s the type of person who would actually do it if I asked, but that would literally kill her.
Now, as always, I just want to f—… no, I just want to make her happy.
“You don’t need to rush. You are getting better every day.”
“…Is that so?”
“Yes. On the first day we sparred, you couldn't even last three minutes. Today, you lasted six.”
“Sigh… In the past, I could swing a sword all day without getting tired… To think six minutes is my limit now… and even that was barely hanging on…”
The fact that someone who could barely survive three minutes of sparring was now lasting six after only a month was practically a miracle, but Natalia wasn't satisfied at all.
Perhaps because her past self shone so brightly, the shadow it cast was equally deep.
Hmm… according to what Helena said…
In the past, Natalia was the type of person who would draw up a meticulous plan even when facing a mere pack of goblins.
A swordsman of her caliber, someone called the Sword Princess, could have slaughtered goblins by the dozen without any plan at all.
In other words, Natalia is someone who prefers concrete, logical plans over sweet words of comfort or vague encouragement.
“In my view, your biggest issue is a lack of stamina. Because you lack stamina, your strength fails; because your strength fails, you lack speed; and because you lack speed, your strikes lose their sharpness. What do you think, Lady Natalia?”
“I agree. Part of it is the weight, but I suppose age is also a factor…”
“Haha, age is just a number. Anyway, since you agree that stamina is the problem, how about we try a slightly different approach?”
“A different approach? Specifically, what do you have in mind?”
That’s something better felt with the body than explained with words.
Since we’re on the subject, shall I give her a little taste?
A taste of the hell known as interval training.
*
After a short break, I led Natalia to the mansion’s backyard.
By my estimation, the backyard was about the size of a 50-meter track.
“I wish it were a bit wider… but this will have to do.”
While I was making preparations, Natalia finally appeared, having changed her clothes.
She was wearing a specially made training outfit.
Naturally, it was a 21st-century leggings-style suit that revealed every curve of her body.
“Um… this outfit is… a bit too… do I really have to wear this…?”
“Hmm? Didn't you wear similar clothes in the past? Tunics and trousers, for instance. In the grand scheme of things, it’s quite similar.”
“T-that may be true, but I never wore anything… t-this tight…! B-besides… it looks unsightly…”
It seemed the "unsightly" part was her biggest concern, as Natalia kept shrinking into herself.
Well… even to my eyes, she still had more fat to lose than what she’d already shed… but this was all necessary.
Specifically, it was to lower her resistance to revealing her bare skin to me.
I approached Natalia, who looked ready to bolt back into the mansion at any second.
“Lady Natalia. I understand that you feel self-conscious.”
“Then… let me change immediately…”
“I won’t stop you if you insist. However, I never find someone in the process of transformation to be ugly. In fact, I think they are more beautiful than anyone else. Lady Natalia, you are a woman more beautiful than any other.”
“…Me, beautiful? I’m not only old, but my flesh is sagging like this…”
“Some may find a caterpillar or a chrysalis unsightly, but no one withholds their praise when they see the butterfly. Compared to inner beauty, the exterior is merely a meaningless shell.”
Only then did Natalia’s hunched shoulders slowly straighten.
Yes, that’s it. You have to listen to me.
At this rate, I might be able to gradually reduce Sitri’s assistance.
“Shall we begin?”
“…Yes.”
“Good.”
Before I knew it, Natalia was looking up at me with unwavering eyes.
Though she hadn't lost all the weight yet, the beauty she was famous for as the Sword Princess was beginning to resurface.
Not as the youthful flower of her past, but as a woman in full bloom.
Waiting for the day Natalia would fully blossom before me, I put on a specially prepared hat and placed a whistle in my mouth.
“Alright, let’s begin. Are you ready?”
“Yes.”
“Understood. Then we’ll head straight to the backyard. Trainee, to your position!”
“…?”
“Didn't you hear me?!”
“Y-yes, sir!”
Though she looked bewildered, Natalia immediately followed my instruction.
I need to break her in little by little using this method as well.
So that one day, I can have her kneeling beneath me.
“I, your Instructor, am not a bad guy. However, if the Trainee fails to follow my instructions, this place will become hell. Do you understand?”
“I-I understand…”
“Is that the loudest you can shout?!”
“I understand…!”
“Louder!”
“I understand!”
Unfortunately, I didn't have a seasoned assistant by my side.
Helena was an option, of course… but Natalia didn't want to see her, so she was out of the question.
And it would be difficult to get Sitri’s help with this sort of thing. Though, thanks to her, my nights are quite enjoyable.
Therefore, I had no choice but to run alongside her and demonstrate.
“As the Instructor has demonstrated, the Trainee will sprint back and forth across this backyard. Next, you will walk the same distance, then sprint again. Do you understand?”
“…I-I have a question!”
“Speak.”
“It doesn't look like a very difficult training session… will this really be enough…?”
It seemed she had never experienced anything like interval training even in her youth.
In that case, I’ll have to show her hell.
“You will definitely regret those words. Begin!”
“B-begin!”
“However, if you feel dizzy or develop a headache, stop immediately. Do you understand? Your life could be at risk if you overdo it.”
“Understood!”
Natalia immediately began the interval training.
Sprinting across the backyard, walking back, sprinting again…
By the time she had completed about three sets.
“Hah, hah, hah… still… more…”
“Stop. That’s enough for today.”
As she stumbled and eventually collapsed, I naturally caught her body.
For a noblewoman to be held in the arms of a man who wasn't her husband was the ultimate taboo, but Natalia, panting in my embrace, had neither the strength nor the will to resist.
“Hah… hah…”
“How was it? Still think it’s not a difficult training session?”
“I’m… sorry… huff, huff… I can’t… breathe…”
“Haha, then let’s rest like this for a moment.”
While holding Natalia, I briefly explained the effects of interval training.
How it places an extreme load on the respiratory and cardiac muscles, leading to additional calorie burn and significant conditioning… that sort of thing.
Of course, since such systematic and scientific training didn't exist in this world, Natalia seemed curious.
“I see… I can certainly feel the effects, but Leon, where and how did you acquire such knowledge?”
“As you know, the Margrave's Territory has active exchanges with other nations and different races. Such exchanges naturally include knowledge and techniques.”
“Is that so? Which country’s knowledge is it, exactly? Or is it a training method used by the warriors of a specific race?”
Give it a rest already.
Hmm… what should I use as an excuse… Ah.
“I heard it’s a physical conditioning method used by Beastkin warriors—specifically, the warrior band that protects their royalty.”
“Hmm… the Beastkin warriors I’ve faced were indeed stronger and had more stamina than any human. But I never heard of them using such training.”
“As I said, it’s a training method passed down only within the royal warrior band. I was just lucky enough to come across this knowledge.”
Only then did Natalia nod as if convinced.
I finally understand why the old Helena was such a rigid person.
Well… the current Helena is "rigid" in a different, much tighter way.
“B-by the way…”
“Hmm? What is it?”
“Could you… let me go now…?”
“Ah, I apologize. I was being disrespectful without realizing it.”
I immediately and carefully set Natalia down.
The more you hurry, the more you should take the long way around.
Of course, when we’re almost there, I’ll push her until she’s gasping for air.
“Well then, that concludes today’s training. Are you satisfied, Lady Natalia?”
“Yes. The sparring was meaningful, but the interval training was also an excellent exercise.”
“I’m glad you feel that way. Now, shall we finish up with a massage to relieve your fatigue?”
“Yes, thank you.”
“Then let’s head upstairs right away.”
With that, Natalia and I headed back inside the mansion.
Toward my other hunting ground.
She follows me obediently now, even without the suggestion. I’ll have to give Sitri some extra love tonight.