“Ahhh! I don’t know!!!”
Julia screamed and ran away.
“Yes! The spot is free!”
“…”
Charlotte rushed over and lay down on the mat.
Because of that, there was no one left to catch Dirt-Dirt, who was soaring into the sky.
[Kyaaaah! You little brat!!!]
Dirt-Dirt screamed as it fell.
Thud!
The heavy sound echoed as if a bomb had dropped, leaving the grass deeply dented, with clumps of dirt scattering everywhere.
Well… I don’t plan to scold them since it’s just kids playing around.
But the damage to the lawn was on a whole different level compared to Julia.
“Hehehe! Sometimes it’s nice to just lie down like this!”
“Aren’t you busy with training?”
“Even if I’m busy, I can’t miss out on an opportunity like this. It’s rare for you to come outside, and when the weather’s nice, things like this happen. I wish it were sunny and warm every day!”
“…”
Charlotte giggled, rubbing her cheek against my thigh.
She had chased Julia away in an instant and took over the spot, leaving me laughing in disbelief.
I was thinking about heading inside as it was starting to get a bit uncomfortable, but I ended up staying a little longer unintentionally.
“How’s your research going? Is it progressing well?”
“Not really. I feel like I’m lost. I came out here to clear my head because I’ve been wandering without any direction.”
“Hmm, I see. I’ve been feeling stuck lately too. I used to feel myself getting stronger and faster with every swing of the sword, but now every day feels the same.”
“Everyone goes through a plateau at some point. If you keep at it, you’ll eventually find an opportunity to move forward again. The key is whether you’re prepared to seize it when it comes.”
“So, I just need to keep training relentlessly, right? I can’t rely on my knight sister’s teachings forever!”
Charlotte clenched her fist, her determination renewed.
Meanwhile, Sylvia, who stood behind her, couldn’t hide her dismay.
‘Is Sylvia’s growth stagnation affecting Charlotte too?’
Recently, Sylvia had been training Charlotte less often.
One reason was that Sylvia had taken on more duties as my close bodyguard, but the biggest reason was that Sylvia had reached her growth limit.
Ever since she obtained the new sword made by Jacob, Sylvia had rapidly grown to the level of a Sword Master.
However, paradoxically, her growth had stopped, with no sign of further progress.
On the other hand, Charlotte had absorbed all of Sylvia’s teachings and had been growing at an astonishing pace.
But when Sylvia’s growth halted, so did Charlotte’s.
“As a teacher, I wanted to take her to even greater heights… I’m just sorry that Charlotte’s growth has stalled because I couldn’t keep up with her pace.”
“Oh no! It’s okay! Didn’t you say, Knight Sister, that all swordsmen eventually reach a crossroads? And from that point, we must walk on our own without our mentor’s help! Thanks to you, I’ve come this far, so now I must become stronger on my own!”
“Sniff…!”
Overcome with emotion, Sylvia sniffled, tears welling up in her eyes.
But despite the touching moment, she bit her lip, unable to shake off her bitterness.
Watching this, I couldn’t help but smile.
‘Is she feeling competitive with her disciple? At least it doesn’t seem like she’s content with being just a near-Sword Master.’
One of my biggest concerns was that Sylvia, having reached the power of a near-Sword Master, might become complacent and believe this was her limit, giving up further growth.
However, it seemed that seeing Charlotte, who had quickly caught up, had reignited Sylvia’s drive to keep pushing forward.
Sylvia had been guiding and nurturing Charlotte’s growth, and now, after seeing Charlotte surpass her, Sylvia was once again motivated to move ahead.
It was a wonderful cycle.
“By the way, Mister, you know Yuri… um, Yuria, right?”
“What about her?”
“Is Yuria someone you care about specially? It seems like you meet them more often than other members of Vermont Security.”
“…”
As Charlotte tilted her head back and casually asked the question, I felt my breath catch.
Could she have discovered Yuri’s true identity?
I couldn’t read any emotion from Charlotte’s eyes.
Suppressing the tremble in my lips, I slowly replied.
“Not really. It’s just that Yuria is exceptionally capable, so they often get called to different places.”
“I see… Mister, you don’t have any special feelings for that person, right?”
“Well, I do have an interest. Yuria is a valuable asset to the company.”
“Hmm. Can I have a private talk with her? I have something I want to discuss.”
“…!”
Charlotte’s voice bubbled with barely contained frustration, and I felt my heart sink.
A private talk?
Something she can’t tell me?
‘She hasn’t discovered Yuri’s identity, but is she… interested in Yuria?’
A boy of her age.
An outstanding student at the Imperial Magic Academy.
A member of Vermont Security, already gaining a name for himself.
Just listing Yuri’s qualifications is impressive.
Yuri had once written to me, complaining about the constant stream of letters from noble ladies, saying it was annoying…
At the time, I was so irritated, I almost replied with a string of curses.
Given how popular Yuri was among her peers, it wouldn’t be surprising if Charlotte took an interest.
“What do you want to talk about?”
“Oh, it’s something… well, I can’t tell you. It’s not something I should share with you, Mister.”
“…”
[The Evil God ‘Kali’ comforts your wounded heart.]
Charlotte averted her gaze and murmured softly.
So, it’s something she can’t tell me… that really stings.
I guess there’s no choice.
As much as I wanted to protect Yuri’s secret, I’ll have to reveal the truth to Charlotte.
I had been trying to keep it under wraps, but Charlotte’s growing interest leaves me no other option.
It’s not that I’m jealous or anything. I’m just telling her because she asked.
“If you want to know what I think about him… I’d say he’s quite adorable.”
“C-Cute!?”
“Pretty, and feminine.”
“P-Pretty!? Feminine!?”
“Don’t tell anyone I said this, but he looks great in women’s clothing.”
“Gah…!”
Charlotte gasped, covering her mouth with her hands as her pupils widened.
It must have been a huge shock.
And rightly so.
Yuri, whom she had admired as cool and gallant, actually enjoys wearing women’s clothes and looks great in them.
From this moment on, Charlotte’s feelings toward Yuri would undoubtedly plummet.
Even if her interest increased, it would no longer be as a boy she admired.
After hearing my evaluation, Charlotte could no longer see any masculinity in Yuri.
“Ah, so you think of Yuria that way… That’s a bit shocking…”
“I guess your desire to meet in private has completely vanished?”
“No, not at all. I want to meet even more now. It seems like the meeting might take a while…!”
“…!?”
[The Evil God ‘Kali’ sends you encouraging words to cheer you on.]
My world just crumbled around me.
Was Charlotte really into someone like Yuri, who seemed so delicate?
Considering that she was strong enough to overpower most boys, it made sense.
Perhaps she was drawn to someone fragile and pale, who had little masculinity.
So, her interest in Yuri was inevitable, then…
I was engulfed by a profound sense of helplessness and emptiness, momentarily at a loss for words.
‘I can’t make things worse than this.’
I had already displayed enough absurdity.
If I tried to forcibly prevent Charlotte from meeting Yuri now, everything would start to go wrong.
Eventually, the day would come when the children would discover Yuri’s true identity. If it came to light that I had deliberately obstructed their discovery, could I bear the resentment that would be directed at me?
I couldn’t. I absolutely couldn’t endure it.
There was nothing more foolish than earning the children’s dislike due to a momentary mistake, a mistake that I would regret for the rest of my life.
Resolutely, I took a deep breath and slowly parted my lips.
“Well… I’ll try to set something up sometime…”
“Oh, really!? Yes! Thank you, Mister!”
“…”
Charlotte beamed with joy, practically jumping with excitement.
My heart ached at the sight.
Yes, my original goal was just to keep the kids safe and return Yuri to them as soon as possible.
This would suffice. If I were too greedy, I would only end up hurting the children.
While I was trying to convince myself of that, I found myself feeling a bit bitter.
“By the way, that kid will wear a mask when you meet alone. He’s quite shy for a boy…”
“Huh? A boy? What do you mean?”
“What do you mean, what do I mean?”
“But Yuria is a girl, Mister.”
“…?”
Charlotte looked up at me, tilting her head as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
Yuri is a girl? What kind of nonsense is that…?
I was about to refute with a laugh when—
“Huh?”
[The Evil God ‘Kali’ is utterly shocked by this unexpected revelation!]
I was hit with a shock, like a strong blow to the back of my head.
Ah. No way…?
