I stared at Reysir for a moment before simply averting my gaze and silently continued eating.
Or at least, I tried to—but I couldn’t help but set my spoon back down.
“akot…!”
“Heek…!”
It was because Yor and Liolikin were still at it.
As the old saying goes, “Even a dog shouldn’t be disturbed while eating,” but by that measure, Liolikin was being treated worse than a dog right now.
Separate from the fact that it was pathetic to be so cowed by a mere glare, I couldn’t help but feel a bit sorry for him.
My Baby Dragon had willingly taken on the bad-guy role to threaten others for my sake.
Not only did I know this, I even felt grateful. Still, for a moment, I thought it was too much—so how much more must others feel that way?
I worried that the readers’ perception of Yor would turn negative because of this.
After all, Yor wasn’t able to eat properly either.
“Yor, don’t worry about such things during meals. Just eat comfortably.”
So my words wouldn’t sound like a scolding, I gently patted Yor’s back as I spoke.
Fortunately, my intent was conveyed without misunderstanding.
Yor let out a cute “meow,” turned her gaze away from Liolikin, and focused on eating the delicious food before her.
Only then could Liolikin finally start his own meal, though his eyes kept darting to Yor instead of his plate, busy gauging her mood.
His hand holding the fork trembled.
‘He acts like that, yet still dares to sit at this table.’
I was honestly surprised he hadn’t run away.
‘Did he stay here only because there was nowhere else to run, having already ended up by Karbaldr’s side?’
‘Or did he simply lack the courage to flee?’
‘Ah, there it is again, that feeling like time has stopped…!’
No sooner did I realize my Mental Acceleration skill had activated than I tried to sense the flow of Aether—but before I could, the skill deactivated.
Still, since I’d expected this wouldn’t be easy, I wasn’t too disappointed.
It was just giving me a headache.
‘I’ll worry about it later. For now, let’s just eat!’
If I spaced out during meals, the ever-meddlesome Original Protagonist would surely ask if something was wrong and try to get involved.
Or maybe she’d fret, wondering if my health still wasn’t good.
Either way, neither was a reaction I particularly wanted, so I brushed off my stray thoughts and began eating.
Perhaps because Liolikin still looked so frightened, the mood at the table was unusually bleak.
On the upside, since no one asked for my opinion on trivial topics as they usually would, it was more comfortable.
But since it was causing trouble for those dining together, I realized I needed to tell Yor to rein it in during meals.
‘Of course, not now. If I bring that up in front of Reysir, she’ll definitely ask if I’m being considerate and make a fuss!’
***
After breakfast.
Except for Hailga, who wasn’t participating in the sparring tournament, the rest of us headed for the Tower of Training.
It wasn’t that we planned joint training from the morning.
Rather, Vigdis and I were there because of the Swordsmanship guidance I’d promised her during our broken engagement.
And Reysir and Liolikin went to use their respective Private Training Halls.
It goes without saying, but just in case—Liolikin’s Private Training Hall wasn’t something I’d rented for him.
His parents must have paid a hefty sum to rent it.
Since Liolikin liked training his body, they were surely hoping he’d grow into a strong knight.
I doubt they ever expected their burly son would be scared to even spar.
“Meow, meow~.”
As soon as we arrived at the Tower of Training, Yor suddenly left my side and trotted over to Liolikin, meowing.
“You want to go with Liolikin and watch his training?”
“Meow!”
Yor’s cheerful answer made Liolikin’s face turn pale.
Rather than thinking about Liolikin, I considered his parents, who must have such high hopes for their son, and decided to accept Yor’s choice.
At that, Reysir also insisted on accompanying Liolikin to his Private Training Hall.
‘Should I call this unexpected, or only natural…?’
At this rate, I wondered if Reysir might move Liolikin and take him with her when she dropped out.
Even though Liolikin was bothersome in many ways, it wasn’t as though I was hoping he’d die soon.
But the problem was I had no grounds to stop Reysir.
If I stepped in without reason, people would suspect I’d simply shifted my obsession from Vigdis to Liolikin.
So I had no choice but to watch.
And so, Yor and Reysir followed Liolikin to his Private Training Hall.
I headed off with Vigdis to her own Private Training Hall.
“……”
“……?”
“……”
“…If you have something to say, please just say it.”
I had something I wanted to ask Vigdis, but because I was keeping to Clause 4 of the contract, I just kept staring at her silently until she, looking a little annoyed, finally spoke first.
“Yor isn’t here today—are you sure you’re okay with that?”
“Huh?”
I wasn’t the Karbaldr who had obsessed over his fiancée, but Vigdis still believed I was one and the same as that ex-fiancé.
So I’d wondered if she’d be uncomfortable alone with me in a closed space.
But Vigdis seemed unable even to imagine such a worry, just cocking her head in confusion at my probing question.
‘She’s not even the least bit tense!’
Maybe she trusted me.
Or perhaps, after sparring with me in martial arts class, she was confident in her own skills.
Or maybe both.
I knew I couldn’t know for sure without asking, but I didn’t feel the need to bring it up.
“If you don’t know what I’m talking about, that’s fine.”
“Huh?”
“Today, instead of learning Swordsmanship moves directly, I’d like you to observe and analyze a swordsman’s movements. Is that okay with you?”
“You mean, not like usual, where I watch your training during our breaks, but for the entire morning?”
“Is there a problem?”
“No, not at all.”
Her tone was even clearer than when we were with others, which was a bit surprising.
It almost felt like she was telling me there was no longer any need to be on guard around me.
We’d eaten together every day, she taught me Swordsmanship every Sunday.
Last time, under Reysir’s lead, we all went out together, took sticker photos, and played board games.
But still, considering what the original owner of this body did last semester…
‘Wasn’t it too soon to let her guard down and relax around me?’
‘Don’t tell me Vigdis has been so influenced by Reysir she now believes I’m just a tsundere…?’
I didn’t even dare to ask, nor did I know how to broach the subject.
So, I simply walked over to the edge of the Training Room and sat down, leaning against the wall.
“First, I’ll warm up, and then I’ll show you the basic movements.”
Vigdis’s voice was steady and composed, without the slightest sign of timidity.
According to the original story, as a child she admired a certain female knight who’d been hired to guard her, and had even picked up her way of speaking.
‘That female knight was hired because they didn’t trust a male guard with a little girl, but then she got fired for supposedly putting strange ideas in Vigdis’s head, if I remember…?’
My recollection of the original story didn’t last long, because Vigdis began to move.
It’s a mistake to dismiss warm-up stretches as trivial.
To anticipate her next move while leaving room to sense the flow of Aether, it’s better to familiarize myself in advance with her habits, how she shifts her center of gravity, the range of her joints, and so on.
“Um… your gaze feels especially intense today…?”
As I openly stared at Vigdis’s long limbs as she stretched and twisted her joints, she finally spoke up, showing signs of embarrassment.
I guess my intent to observe must have been all too obvious.
But I didn’t want to share information about the Mental Acceleration skill by explaining the reason.
If I told her about it, Reysir would find out too, and if the Original Protagonist got curious and used the [Truth-Reading Eye]… you know the rest.
So I decided to brazen it out.
“It only feels that way because you’re not focused enough.”
“Now that you mention it, that’s true. When I’m stretching, I’m not as immersed as I am when performing Swordsmanship. But do you really need to observe my stretches so intently?”
“You’re mistaken. Nothing shows the range of motion of your joints better than stretching. Why neglect it?”
“Oh..! That makes perfect sense!!”
Though it started as an excuse, what I added was absolutely true.
So rather than nitpick or get suspicious, Vigdis’s eyes shone with delight at having learned something new.
I nearly found that cute, but overcame the feeling by recalling the even more overwhelming cuteness of Yor.
“If you’re done stretching, show me the basic movements. As slowly as you can.”
“Yes!”
Vigdis answered energetically, still a bit excited.
But that didn’t last long.
Once she drew her sword, she quickly calmed her emotions and switched to a cool-headed focus.
Though these were just warm-up basics, she didn’t slack off in the slightest.
Fulfilling my request to move as slowly as possible, she poured her whole heart and energy into every swing of her sword, showing her diligent character.
Again, I focused not on analyzing but on observing her every movement in detail.
Until now, I’d only watched Swordsmanship moves in preparation for battle with swordsmen, but today I paid attention to Vigdis as an individual.
Not just the movement of her arms and legs, but the angle of her shoulders, waist, and hips, how her chest moved with each breath and the timing of it—I took note of it all.
I can’t claim to have seen everything, but I did see more than usual.
“Then, I’ll demonstrate proper Swordsmanship now.”
In this world, there are no so-called sword arts or secret family techniques.
A famous martial family might have some know-how, but that’s about it.
This applies not just to Swordsmanship, but to all other martial skills as well.
‘That’s why the basics are all the more important!’
Even if two people wield the same weapon, the difference in usage comes from individual disposition.
‘Do they favor offense or defense? How much do they mix in feints?’
Such elements create a person’s unique fighting style.
So, what did Vigdis mean by “proper Swordsmanship”?
She was recalling the spars from the beginner Swordsmanship class, reviewing her shortcomings, and carrying out an imaginary match.
So I would analyze Vigdis’s movements—
‘If defending, was she clashing, deflecting? If evading, what kind of attack, how would she dodge? If attacking, what part of the opponent did she target?’
‘If I deduced the answers, that would be enough.’
‘If I do, the Mental Acceleration skill should activate.