Chapter 35
Just because a lord is always working at a desk doesn't mean they neglect physical training. Noble children, upon entering the academy, are inevitably enrolled in the knight course, so they learn horseback riding and swordsmanship from a young age.
After graduation, they are divided into knights or bureaucrats, but those set to inherit their family's title work as bureaucrats in the central government until they are granted their peerage and return to their territories.
Father skipped the bureaucratic path and became a lord immediately after graduation, so in addition to the duties of a lord, he is also tasked with training the private soldiers stationed in our territory.
Occasionally, I've seen Father training alongside the private soldiers a few times.
Four in the morning.
As usual, I got ready and stepped outside, where several people were already stretching and chatting. Among them, I spotted Father, standing apart from the group, moving his limbs.
Dressed in comfortable clothing, his hair was tied back with a thin cloth to keep it out of the way.
Grinning at Father, who had clearly prepared thoroughly, I moved to call out to him, but someone grabbed my shoulder, stopping me in my tracks...
"Dan..."
"No, no, no, don't glare at me like that. I'm just here to capture you on behalf of everyone!"
"I haven't done anything to warrant being captured, have I?"
"Huh? Wait, look, that person over there..."
I turned my head in the direction Dan pointed, only to see Father standing there, looking at us with a puzzled expression.
"That's my father, though?"
"I heard from Rick. He's not just a noble, he's a lord, right? That's way too intimidating! I might throw up. What if I can't even talk to him?"
"I'm also a future lord, you know?"
"...Oh, right."
He casually chats with Grandfather and Uncle Ruget, even throwing insults during training.
Compared to Father, Grandfather—who was a noble, a lord, and a marshal—feels like someone far above the clouds, doesn't he?
Sighing, I started stretching on the spot, and Dan crouched beside me, lowering his voice.
"The lord and you don't really look alike, do they? If anything, you take after the marshal more, don't you?"
"Do I? I think our features and coloring are the same."
"Hmm, maybe it's the vibe? The aura? The lord feels... noble, I guess? You and the marshal have an elegant air too, but it's like... a beast imitating a human or something, ugh...!?"
"...Sorry about that."
As I stood up, I stepped on Dan's foot, glancing at him writhing in pain before heading toward Father. Along the way, I mercilessly dealt with others who tried to tease me in the same way as Dan.
This kind of exchange is normal for us, but it seems it was a bit too much for Father.
"Celes... just now..."
"Good morning."
"Ah, good morning... No, that's not what I meant."
I know what he wants to say.
But yesterday, I was a fake wearing the skin of a count's daughter. Today, I'm showing him the real me, so there's no need to put on an act.
"It's about to start."
"...What's starting?"
Catching a glimpse of Rick moving out of the corner of my eye, I pushed the fidgeting Father forward and started running.
"We've run quite a bit. So, what's next?"
I couldn't help but be impressed by Father, who wiped the sweat from his brow and steadied his breathing, still seeming to have energy to spare.
It's unfair to compare him to me or Rudo and the others, but even rookie soldiers collapse to the ground, gasping for breath after a run like that...
Does he run regularly? The moment Father said, "That was good exercise," Dan and the others turned around in unison. I get how they feel. Father doesn't look like someone who'd be good at exercise.
"I didn't think you'd be able to keep up..."
"Really? I did graduate at the top of my class at the academy, you know."
At the academy, besides basic academics, students learn manners, music, multiple languages, and theology. To graduate at the top, you need the highest marks in all of these, and in Father's case, he also had to excel in the knight course. It's not just about being good at studies.
"Did you get the highest marks in the knight course as well?"
"Otherwise, graduating at the top would be impossible, wouldn't it?"
"...Grandfather said you had no talent for swordsmanship."
"Compared to my father, I suppose I lack talent in both horsemanship and swordsmanship."
I nodded in agreement.
Come to think of it, Uncle Ruget once grumbled that Grandfather was exceptional in every way. He also mentioned how tough it was to be compared to him during their military school days...
"It's not that I can't handle a sword or that I dislike it. I prioritized gaining knowledge over swinging a sword so I could help Mother, who was growing weaker by the day."
Walking alongside Father, we chatted about trivial things.
Since losing Mother, I hadn't spent time with Father like this.
That must mean we've grown distant without even realizing it.
"More than my own story, I'm surprised you managed to keep up, Celes. Do you participate in training every day?"
"Grandfather made a training menu just for me."
"A personal menu? But... didn't you run the same distance as everyone else?"
"I've just gotten used to it, so now I do the same as the others."
For about half a year, I couldn't even run half of this distance and would collapse midway.
After running, I couldn't move for a while. If I drank water, I'd throw up. I'd force breakfast into my stomach, only to throw up again.
I repeated this cycle to get to where I am now.
It was truly a struggle to come this far...
"I see... By the way, your way of speaking feels a bit... formal, or rather, distant. Does it seem that way to me?"
Father muttered something under his breath, but since I was hungry, I didn't pay much attention and headed into the cafeteria.
"...Are you going to eat all of that?"
"Yes."
Father stared at the plates on my tray, but this much is easy for me.
If anything, I want to ask him if that tiny amount on his plate is enough.
I took two pieces of meat from the large pile I'd brought and placed them on Father's plate, which had barely more than bird feed on it.
"...Did you really need to bring that much? If it's not enough, you can always go back for more, right?"
"It'll be gone. Anything beyond the standard portion is first come, first served."
"Is that so? That's news to me."
Tilting my head, I noticed Father looking around the cafeteria with what seemed like amusement.
"Wasn't there a cafeteria at the academy?"
"Well, there was something similar, but... upper nobles and top students had reserved seats on the terrace. We'd just sit in our chairs, and food would be served to us automatically."
"Reserved service?"
"Yes. Not just meals, but everything was preferential. At the academy, status speaks volumes."
As the heir to one of the two major military noble families and the fiancée of a marquis family, if I had entered the academy, I would surely have received special treatment and become arrogant without realizing it. Within a month, I'd probably have turned into a queen.
"By the way... are you still eating?"
Checking the time, I kept stuffing food into my mouth.
Since speaking with a full mouth is bad manners, I just nodded deeply without stopping my hands or mouth.
Normally, after breakfast, we'd have self-training, but since Father plans to leave before sunset, Uncle Ruget changed it to field training under the pretext of a lord's inspection.
And today's instructor is...
"It's been a while, brother."
"Ruget?"
It was Uncle Ruget, who appeared alongside Rick.
"I thought about stopping by last night, but... you didn't leave your office."
"That's the fault of a certain old nuisance. If you've got something to say, Ruget, spit it all out."
"You're the same as ever... Rick, go ahead and start over there."
The appearance of Uncle Ruget, who is effectively the top authority at Ransheen Fortress, elicited surprised and delighted reactions only from the rookies. The others tensed up for a moment, but upon realizing that Father was Ruget's target, they visibly relaxed.
"I heard you got the signature?"
"Yes."
"...I wish you'd held out a bit longer, but I suppose there's no helping it."
Since Father, who was one of the opponents of the military school, has raised the white flag, Uncle Ruget probably can't oppose it any further.
Thinking that, I smiled back at Uncle Ruget, who looked dissatisfied, but when I saw the slow curl of his lips, a chill ran down my spine.
"Brother, how about a spar after all this time?"
"I'll pass. Unlike me, your swordsmanship mentor was Father, wasn't it? There's no way I could match you."
"We used to spar all the time back then, didn't we?"
"Can I really casually propose a spar with an active soldier?"
Listening to their friendly banter, my eyes were glued to the mock battle.
Apparently, Sasha and Rick are participating today as well, waving at us from a distance.
Normally, they'd cling to me annoyingly, so I was baffled as to why they were keeping their distance today...
"Well then, how about having Celestia take your place...?"
Hearing those ominous words, my body instinctively moved to leave this place immediately.
"Hey, don't run away. Brother, just stay there and watch."
"......"
But I was too slow to escape.
My shirt collar was grabbed, and before my neck could be squeezed, Uncle Ruget's hand moved to my waist.
......I've been completely captured.
My uncle, Ruget Lotish, is a doting father, kind to everyone, and known as a Colonel who takes good care of his subordinates.
——Normally, that is.
"Will Celes be my opponent? ......In that case, I'll do it."
"I've made sure she can move decently enough not to fall behind at the military school. Besides, there's no way I'd let my cute niece get hurt, right?"
"Are you sure it's okay?"
"Brother, don't you also want to see how much stronger Celestia has gotten?"
"......Well, that's true, but"
I wished he wouldn't hesitate there and would stop Uncle Ruget instead.
Glancing around discreetly, everyone quickly turned their backs, pretending not to see or hear anything.
What a bunch of heartless jerks......
"I'll go easy on her, don't worry."
Hearing the promise to go easy, I looked up at Uncle Ruget with anticipation, wondering to what extent he meant.
While he seemed to be pondering, placing a hand on his chin, I signaled with my eyes to the people who had been sneaking glances at us since earlier.
"Only with your right hand!"
"Using your dominant hand isn't going easy, is it? It's gotta be your left!"
"If she gets hurt, it's an automatic loss by foul!"
"For a Colonel, you shouldn't even need to move a single step, right? Someone, be the referee!"
Receiving support in the form of heckling, I stepped a few paces away from Uncle Ruget, who was giving a wry smile.
"No dominant hand. Even a scratch means you lose. And don't move a single step from that spot."
"I've been had......"
"No sub-weapons either."
"That's off-limits too?"
Seeing Uncle Ruget place a hand on his waist, I remembered he had a sub-weapon and checked just to be sure. Good thing I did. He definitely intended to use it......
"This has become far more than just a mock battle on our side......"
"Sorry about that, Rick. Are you the referee?"
"Yeah. Hey! Keep a sharp eye out so the Colonel doesn't cheat!"
Wow......! The hecklers raised a huge cheer as they sat in a circle around Uncle Ruget and me, keeping their distance. Even there, Father stood alone outside the circle, but I couldn't focus on that right now.
Until last year, the weight of dummy weapons was reduced for me, but now I've graduated from custom-made ones and use the real thing. Among the many swords, this slender one is on the lighter side and very easy to handle.
I've been training my grip strength every day, so I won't lose that easily...... I had to psych myself up like this, or I wouldn't be able to go through with it.
That's because the sword Rick handed to Uncle Ruget was a greatsword, twice the weight and blade length of mine......
Isn't Uncle Ruget's personal dummy weapon the real cheat here!?