Chapter 198: Midsummer Practice
―― Now then, shall I do my best in practice today and burn my fat?
I started running with such a light feeling, and I felt like my heart was breaking already, even though it has not been long since I started.
If you run in this oppressive heat, sweat will flow down from your whole body.
And if you tried to suppress your rough breath, hot air will enter your body, and the more you run, the more you will experience it over and over that, it will feel like it’s burning the inside of your body.
Or rather, I knew that my stamina is not that great but, my stamina only amounts to this much, huh? In the practice before I went to Kagura, I felt like I had more stamina than now.
Even without the hot summer sun, I shouldn’t have become this tired so quickly.
Is this the harmful effect of skipping practice for a long time?
It’s hot. It’s tiring. Such words continue to revolve inside my head.
「Al, your pace has slowed down a lot from before, you know? You’re going to be even more tired than this if you don’t properly swing your arms and raise your head 」
I listen to Nord-tousan’s advice and raised my head.
That’s right. Even when I’m tired, I will just become even more tired if I don’t run in a proper posture.
Just like what Nord-tousan said, if I raise my head and properly swing my arm when I run, I felt that it became a little bit easier to run.
I wipe off the beads of sweat on my forehead and continue to run while firmly looking forward.
Sylvio-niisan is around twenty meters ahead of me but, he ran in a proper posture.
Somehow, I feel like he became quite sturdy while I was going to Kagura.
Even though Sylvio-niisan has a bit more stamina than me - probably because he only studies, reads a book, and shuts himself in his room -, now there’s a difference between us even when we’re just running.
If I think about it even while I was going to the royal capital, Sylvio-niisan continued with his practice. So it’s natural for him to be stronger.
……looks like there’s going to be a big difference even in our swordsmanship.
「If you have the time to think about something, then should I increase the pace even more?」
Just when I was staring blankly at Sylvio-niisan and thinking about such things, Nord-tousan said that while running behind me.
「H, how did you know?」
I don’t think I opened my mouth and said my thoughts though.
As I said that while looking back, Nord-tousan sighed and say,
「When Al is pondering about something, your eyes are gradually getting more lifeless than usual. So I will immediately notice that」
Though that’s not an answer I can accept in any way……
「Come on, you should run if you have the leeway to do other things」
「Ye, yes」
…… I wonder why, this feeling of deja vu. It’s like the feeling when with Eleononora-neesan.
With Eleonora-neesan, she also put pressure on me as she followed behind me closely.
Could it be that she’s like a copy of Nord-tousan? It’s scary since it feels like I’m being chased by a carnivorous animal when they stick close behind me like this.
Oops, I’m going to be scolded again if I start thinking about other things again.
I steadily picked up my pace and start running forward. Accompanied by Nord-tousan as he matched my pace and keep close to me.
Glancing behind me, my eyes met with Nord-tousan’s.
「…………」
Go run properly if you have the time to look behind. Such words were conveyed through his eyes.
That’s actually true, so I obediently look ahead and run.
……somehow, I feel like he saw through every single action I made.
Even so, both Sylvio-niisan and Nord-tousan can still run with such a cool-looking expression.
Do they have some cold air surrounding their body or something?
Nn? Cold air? I was told to run but, I wasn’t told that I can’t use magic. It’s fine if I use magic a bit, right?
Ooーh, it will be easier to run if I just cool it down a bit. And if it became easier for me to run, then it will also increase the effectiveness of me burning the fat.
Yosh, let’s use Ice magic to cool down the air around here a bit.
While smiling, I cast Ice magic in a way that Nord-tousan will not see it.
Then, cold and refreshing air started to emanate from my body. And I control it to make it so that it only surrounds my body.
But perhaps it’s because my body is moving and running that I quite concentrate on the manipulation of the magic power and make the cold air stable.
Casting magic and controlling it while running is quite difficult.
However, it’s not difficult if it’s to overcome this harsh situation. My magic power control has been honed for such times. If I don’t show my real right now, when will it be?
While properly moving my body, I control my magic power and send my consciousness inward.
While making the same image, as usual, I set the cold air in my body.
Now if I run like this, then the surrounding air around me will turn nice and cold.
No, only the air around my body will be cold.
It’s a little more unstable than usual but, it looks like I can still properly control the magic, even while running.
Aahー, so cool. It’s like the sweltering heat from earlier was just a lie.
With such a pleasant temperature, I will have more composure to run.
I was calmly running while thinking like that, but then my head got hit from behind.
「Hey, don’t run while using Ice magic」
「Eehh!? Even though I've controlled it so that the cold air won’t get behind me, how did you know that!?」
「It’s obvious when someone’s magic power is leaking out to the outside」
Nord-tousan answers while being surprised at my remark.
That’s right. Nord-tousan and Elna-kaasan are sensitive to the reaction of magic power with the surrounding.
Darn it, if it were Eleonora-neesan who is insensitive to magic power’s reaction, then I could have run comfortably.
「Hey, go run faster if you can afford to control your magic while running」
Nord-tousan said as he pushes my back when I was gnashing my teeth.
I reluctantly increase my pace and run but, Nord-tousan still runs and is pressure-ing from behind. You want me to run faster than this?
If I increase my pace more than this, then Nord-tousan will also increase his.
「That’s cause Al will think about something nonsensical when you have the leeway. So I think you just have to focus on increasing your pace and run」
「…………」
I was speechless after hearing Nord-tousan announce that to me with a refreshing smile on his face.
◆
「Haa, haa, I, I’m tired」
「Good work, Alfried-sama」
Sitting down under the shade of a tree in the courtyard, Sara passes me a water bottle and a chilled towel to me.
It seems like Mina is going to give Sylvio-niisan and Nord-tousan their water bottle and chilled towel.
「Thank you」
Saying my thanks to Sara, I receives the water bottle and chilled towel.
After that, I immediately wiped the sweat on my face with the chilled towel.
Just placing the towel that had been chilled using the Ice magic tool on my skin already feels good.
Just like that, I covered my face with the towel and sigh in relief.
「………haa」
A quiet voice unintentionally leaked out from my mouth as I experienced the pleasant feeling from the towel.
It’s like the chilled towel is quickly absorbing the heat from my flushed body.
After absent-mindedly enjoying the sensation, I raise the water bottle in my hand to my mouth.
This is also chilled using the Ice magic tool, and it feels so good when the water enters my mouth.
I guess they mix some lemon with the water since it’s extremely easy to drink as the water passes through my throat even after the exercise.
「………haa, lemon water is nice」
Despite it being mixed with only water, I wonder how could it turn out to be this good.
And so I chug the lemon-flavored water. It quickly went into my stomach, perhaps it was due to the fact that my body is in desperate need of water.
Someone is approaching me when I sigh in relief after drinking the lemon water.
「Al, are you all right?」
「……somehow」
Since my sight is blocked by the chilled towel I placed on my face, I know from feeling and his voice that it was Sylvio-niisan that was approaching me.
Maybe, Sylvio-niisan is now smiling wryly after seeing me looking weary.
「You know, it was scary when Nord-tousan was making a sound by stamping his feet on the ground *don* when I reduce my pace even a little 」
「If you were to run seriously, then tousan won’t do such thing you know」
Yes, and so I ran desperately while being silently chased by Nord-tousan.
The scene of me being chased by Nord-tousan in the courtyard would probably be like a herbivore running about being driven and trying to escape from a carnivorous animal.
It was the kind of running that appears absurd but, I didn’t collapse due to oxygen deficiency or a heatstroke.
That’s because Nord-tousan is also my pacemaker.
He didn’t make me run or overdo myself when I was really at my pace limit. And he warned me when I pick up my pace too much in a hurry.
That was the difference between him with Eleonora-neesan and Roomba.
Those two would look amused when I increase my pace, and will tell me to pick up my pace even more.
Thus, it’s possible for me to collapse and interrupt the practice in the middle of it, but it’s not possible to do the same with Nord-tousan.
「He will immediately notice if I use magic to make it easier for me, truly someone who can’t be dealt with using ordinary means」
「Err, it’s just running, so let’s not use magic」
I just want to make everything easier. I have to come up with magic that can deceive even Nord-tousan.
Just when I was pondering like that, Nord-tousan clapped his hands.
「The break is over. Let’s do practice swing next」
「Yeーes」
「Yesー」
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