Chapter 110 Therese’s Staff Training
We and Touko + 3 are officially staying at the mansion of Duke Ortho. At dinner, a generous meal was served as expected and filled our stomachs. However, when I asked Lady Mei who was present, it seems that their usual meals are simpler. She said she had prepared these dishes on purpose to welcome us as guests. Yes, I understand. Duke Ortho is a good lord. Not only keeping it in mind, but I will also spread his reputation indirectly.
「Good, this is so good!」
「Nom nom nom… I’ve never eaten this meat before! It’s so delicious!」
「Yes, this meat is a specialty on the north side of the continent.」
By the way, there is no such thing as table manners in this dinner. ‘No need to be so formal!’, receiving Therese’s flexible proposal, we are eating to our heart’s content. During the meal, Touko was shoveling food into her mouth, while Haru was calling the chef and asking him about the recipes in detail. Both of them ate more than Mani, who’s clearly has a big eater physique. I don’t know how they cram so much into their petite bodies. Well, I guess it’s too late asking that now.
「Deris-san. Getting straight to the point, can you train me after this dinner party is over?」
「Yes, I don’t mind. But, are you okay with doing it immediately after dinner?」
「You never know when and where a battle will occur. I don’t want to make excuses for trivial things.」
「You seem to be very motivated. Then, after eating, change into combat equipment and come to the courtyard. Also, don’t forget your staff.」
「I understand desuwa!」
As I recall, the level of Therese’s Staff Arts skill was in the thirties. I don’t know if she’ll be able to make it to the graduation festival even if I instruct her and concentrate on improving her skill. What she needs above all is concentration, motivation, and time. Due to the lack of time, she has no choice but to make up for it with other factors. In that sense, she looks promising.
「Gulp… Hey, Nee-san.」
「Are you talking to me?」
「Is there anyone besides you?」
While I was talking to Therese, Touko began to talk to Nell. She’s talking so casually that the knights will faint if they hear it.
「Once we finish the dinner, let’s start training too! Move with haste, make hay while the sun shines!」
「It’s already night so there’s no sun, though… Well, don’t worry. Even without you telling me, I will train you so much that you will hate it.」
Nell was eating elegantly. However, when this turns into Nell’s style of training, I wonder how much that elegant figure will remain. Please don’t destroy the mansion. I repeatedly asked her that.
「Hee, you have a lot of confidence, don’t you? Hehe, I’m looking forward to it. Ah, I want more of this.」
「Nom nom nom… Me too, please!」
「You two, don’t eat too much, okay? You see, you might throw it up after all…」
「「Gulp…」」
「T-They are not listening…」
Well, they are a girl who lives instinctively and a girl who can’t help but do her best after all. Dietary restriction? They probably haven’t thought about it since everything will go into energy consumption no matter how much they eat.
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The moon rises and the night sky is filled with the brilliant light of the stars. The light of nature is not enough on the ground, but the courtyard of the mansion is filled with outdoor lights, so there doesn’t seem to be anything particularly troubling about the darkness. There are a few butlers and maids around, which is a little distracting, but it’s better than the underground training ground.
「Let’s get started.」
「Yes, please!」
Therese appeared in the courtyard wearing the same outfit as when we went to the ruins. That staff is also in good health.
「First of all, I would like to confirm Ojou-sama’s skill level that I saw a short while ago… The level of Staff Arts skill remains low compared to the skill group specializing in defense, right? What kind of training do you usually do?」
She attends the academy and even serves as the student council president. She can’t devote all her time to training and she will often be busy studying and doing chores. The basic curriculum of the academy is only for students. Compared to what the girls are looking for, the standard is low. If that’s the case, then the focus will be on what she does in the spare moment.
「Don! Gan! Kiin! … Desuwa!」
「…. Come again?」
「I said, Don! Gan! Kiin!」
「………」
Oh no, I forgot to bring the translator (Haru) with me. But, she’s going to step into that ominous place after all. Alright, let’s do this.
「I see. I got the gist of it, but I think I will understand it better if you actually do it. Can you give me a quick demonstration?」
「I guess you are right. I understand. Let’s see… I’m going to protect this garden tree desuwa!」
Therese said so and pointed to a tree as tall as a child. Then, she snaps her finger loudly.
――――*Snap*!
As I was tilting my head, wondering what the signal was, the servants who had been watching around took out their weapons and attacked Therese at once. They are holding a longsword, a spear, throwing knives, mace―― and other weapons with a wide variety. I want to ask them where did they take those weapons from, but first of all, what the hell?
「I’m coming!」
「Come!」
A butler in the lead swings a whip in his hand. The aim is the garden tree that Therese pointed to earlier. Therese, who was standing beside it, steps into the front and sets up her shield to block it. Therese guarded against all of the butler’s skillful whip-handling, but in the meantime, the maid, the butler, and an old woman who looked like a helper (equipped with a large axe) were closing in on the garden tree, ready to attack.
From the way they move, these servants are not amateurs. I think they are all more skilled than the adventurers who were escorting the carriage. I see. While supporting the life of the mansion as servants, they are also first-class guards for their employers. They are the true bodyguards that protect this mansion, huh.
「There’s still more!」
As the number of people participating in the attack increased, the difficulty of protecting the garden trees became much higher. At the same time, Therese’s defensive techniques were also changing precisely so that she could achieve maximum results with minimum movement. Neither the attackers nor the protector showed any signs of stopping their limbs. In the courtyard, where a slightly chilly night breeze was flowing, there was only the metallic sound of a shield bouncing off weapons.
「―― Five minutes have passed! Everyone, return to your posts!」
Then, a dandy butler with a nice white beard shouted so. In response to this shout, the servants immediately stopped their attacks. Obeying the words, they returned to their original positions as if nothing had happened. Really, what the hell?
「This is my style of self-training, protect it with guts! Desuwa!」
H-Hmm… I understand what she wants to do, but isn’t it more of shield training than staff training? Moreover, she’s just protecting and not attacking. And with her ambiguous specialized weapon whether it’s a cane or a shield, it may not be judged as practicing the staff. If I think about it the other way around, if I correct the direction of her efforts a little, she will grow rapidly from now on, huh.
「I understand. First of all, the basic way to train your Staff Arts is to focus on attacking rather than defending――」
I somehow managed to find her path. Now, what I’m worried about the most is the hell-course training that Nell is taking. I wonder if they are okay?
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