LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 57
57th Chapter
“……Hello.”
“……Yes. How do you do?”
After receiving the Emperor’s urgent summons, Kai Sarr said he would bring Reinhardt, who was most upright and kind, but warned that if he became a nuisance, he would be dealt with harshly.
Now, left alone in the large training ground, Reinhardt and I had already exchanged awkward greetings for the third time.
“I didn’t want to meet like this.”
Reinhardt, who had worn a rather complicated expression since I arrived, muttered with a sigh. I tilted my head, wondering what he meant, and he got up from leaning against the wall and approached me. His ears started to burn bright red.
‘What must it be like to live with that face?’
As I admired Reinhardt’s glowing beauty, his moonlight hair combined with golden eyes emitted a cold yet beastly aura. His good looks had a certain something that made the hearts of many women race.
Even I momentarily felt distracted by his outstanding appearance, putting everything else aside.
“Let’s start with physical training. Once your stamina is sufficiently built, I think it’s best to incorporate defensive techniques as well. Is that alright with you?”
“Yes.”
“Then, to assess your baseline stamina, let’s start with a hundred laps around the training ground.”
“Sure.”
Reinhardt appeared to be a bit wary of me but began to lead the training comfortably. Following his instructions, I twisted my ankles and began to lightly release my mana. With my body enhanced by mana, a hundred laps would be a piece of cake.
“No. That’s not acceptable.”
Then, Reinhardt made a serious face at me.
“….Huh?”
“Aren’t you trying to run by enhancing your body with mana? That’s not your basic stamina; it’s just checking your mana control skills.”
“Um… Is that so?”
The reason I could become a Sword Master without any formal training was entirely due to my exceptional mana control. I had an inherently unlimited amount of mana, and once I got the hang of it, I could easily use various advanced techniques with mana.
However, this left my basics completely lacking.
“It’s one hundred laps without any enhancements. I’ll run alongside you, so don’t worry.”
At Reinhardt’s firm expression, my face, which had only ever experienced long-distance running enhanced by mana, went pale.
“…Are you really okay with this?”
After glancing at me with concern as we completed the ninety-eighth lap together, Reinhardt finally paused his running to ask. A clear bead of sweat was rolling down his forehead, brushing against his long eyelashes.
‘How can a person look so composed?’
Even as he soaked in sweat, there was no odd smell; rather, the distinct scent of rosewood grew stronger on him. Gritting my teeth, I pushed through the exhaustion.
“I’m perfectly fine.”
It was a bluff. I was running purely on willpower. My entire body was drenched in sweat, and my legs wobbled. Reinhardt looked like he had a lot to say, but I had no strength left to speak, so I kept my mouth shut and continued running.
“If it gets too hard, you can stop.”
“I said I can run until the end!”
I barely managed to get the words out, my voice breaking. To be honest, it was so exhausting I wanted to bite my tongue and die, but I couldn’t allow myself to quit halfway through.
‘After all, I am the legendary mercenary king, Mir…!’
Because of the responsibility tied to that name, I kept running around the training ground without pausing to catch my breath. My legs only nearly gave out after the sixtieth lap, so at this point, my pride was the only thing pushing me forward.
‘Just half a lap more…!’
Even though I usually didn’t sweat much, I was completely soaked. My expression was one of forced nonchalance, but my soul had already departed from my body. Realizing once again how weak my stamina truly was, I mustered my last bit of strength.
“Huff…!”
“Ha…”
“Hah, ugh…”
And I crossed the finish line. Coming to a stop, I slowly caught my breath, feeling as if my lungs had shriveled. Standing against the wall for a moment, my legs trembled like crazy. The sweat plastered down my mask made me want to rip it off.
“Thank you for your hard work.”
I said to Reinhardt, whose voice was hoarse, even with the distortion. The irritatingly fresh-looking Reinhardt nodded and handed me a water bottle.
‘I survived.’
Like a person on the brink of death finding life-giving water, I wildly gulped it down. I must have spilled half of it in my haste, but after drinking, I felt much better.
Droplets slipped down my neck and into my already damp clothes, making my situation even more uncomfortable. Overwhelmed by the urge to throw off my clothes, I shoved my hand into the damp hood to fix my wet hair.
“…What are you doing?”
I turned to Reinhardt, and when our eyes met, I tilted my head. Reinhardt, tilting the water bottle as if to drink, stared at me blankly, spilling water all over himself.
He seemed to lose focus at my call, so as I stepped a bit closer, he jolted back, quickly setting the water bottle down. Was Reinhardt tired too? His ears were burning intensely without respite.
“Your stamina isn’t bad. Compared to the average knight, that is. But from the perspective of a Sword Master…”
“Awful, right?”
Reinhardt confirmed with silence. Now feeling somewhat liberated, I flopped down on the ground. Reinhardt cautiously sat at a distance from me.
“We’ll proceed with a combination of strength training and aerobic exercises. I’ll devise a proper training course for you by next week. To get started on serious training, we’ll need to ensure you consume enough nutrition. You’re far too underweight.”
While explaining the upcoming exercises, Reinhardt slipped into a bit of nagging. I somewhat soured at him showing this side, yet I recognized the worry in every word, making me feel a bit strange.
‘He’s a kind person.’
In the original story, he was portrayed rather dispassionately, except for obligatory matters pertaining to swords and Ariya, which seemed to void any trust I had in the original narrative. He was throwing out words full of concern without even properly looking at me.
“Lord Einhart, do we need to exercise more today?”
I interrupted Reinhardt’s words. After glancing over my condition, he shook his head.
“Since it’s the first day, I think this is enough.”
“Then do you have any special plans for today?”
“None. Why do you ask?”
Seeing Reinhardt tilt his head like a puppy made me smile slightly.
“Then, would you like to go have a meal with me? It’s on me.”
‘There are things to discuss, and I’m grateful for the help.’
According to my plan, Reinhardt was someone I needed to frequently be face-to-face with. Since this had happened, it was better to get closer now.
“Fo-Food, you mean?”
Reinhardt stammered unexpectedly. His neck turned as red as a ripe tomato. The excitement he was trying to hide was evident on his face, all flustered and awkward.
‘Is it because I’m a Sword Master?’
It was natural for a crazy sword enthusiast to take an interest in a Sword Master. A bit surprised that Reinhardt hadn’t immediately challenged me to a duel after spotting me, it seemed his setting of liking those stronger than him fit perfectly.
“Is this a kind of date request? Am I being rejected?”
His indifferent, ascetic vibe was amusing to see all flustered, and I couldn’t help but make a teasingly disappointed tone. Reinhardt shuddered and frantically shook his head. Now even his hands were flushed.
“Absolutely not! I…”
It was rather enjoyable seeing a much larger man fluster at my words. As I waited patiently for Reinhardt’s response in case he broke down and cried from being teased too much, he slowly began to speak after deep contemplation.
“…Alright.”
“Excuse me? I didn’t catch that.”
I moved closer with a feigned attitude, pretending I hadn’t heard, leaning down to bring my body closer. Reinhardt jumped at the sudden proximity, covering his face with his large hands. It seemed he had wanted to hide his flushed face, but since his hands were also glowing red, it was pointless.
“…I said yes.”
After a while, Reinhardt, who looked like he had just splashed cold water on his face, slowly lowered his hands. The eyes exposed beneath his fingers held a light very different from what I had imagined. The bright gold captured my gaze. This time, I was the one surprised and slightly recoiled.
Countless emotions webbed within his golden gaze, with the most prominent being desire. A longing that seemed endless, deep, and suffocating.
It appeared parched like cracked earth waiting long to be quenched, filled with yearning, excitement, and flames I could not comprehend.
‘Why is Reinhardt looking at me like that?’
It felt like I had seen something I should not have. Worrying about it made it hard to look away. A profound and deep emotion I couldn’t possibly understand.
This was not some longing to become a Sword Master.
“Please join me. I wish for it.”
The corners of his chilling eyes suddenly softened. Beneath those eyes, emotions still tumultuously swirled.
I couldn’t be sure whether he simply wanted to share a meal.
Stepping into a quiet tavern where we could also share a meal, I observed Reinhardt’s expression. For someone who had lived as a commoner, this place felt familiar, but surely Reinhardt, as a noble, would not be accustomed to it.
“Are you really okay with this kind of place?”
“It’s fine.”
Reinhardt casually plopped down on an old wooden chair. Although he seemed unfamiliar with the surroundings, there was definitely no sign of dislike.
“I could have treated you to somewhere much nicer, though…”
“It’s truly alright. What matters to me isn’t the place.”
With slightly relaxed words, Reinhardt fixed his gaze on me, making it somewhat difficult to meet his eyes.
Initially, I had not intended for it to be a place like this. Given that I’d gained immense personal wealth upon joining the House of Crisis, cost was not an issue, and I wanted to treat him to a fine restaurant.
However, the issue was that I only knew one upscale restaurant in the capital.
‘Um… do you perhaps know the restaurant ‘Helene’?’
It was where I used to meet El often. At my question, Reinhardt’s face briefly contorted before he nodded.
“Yes. Isn’t it a restaurant owned by the Pope right behind the Temple?”
“Oh, Helene was owned by the Pope?”
“That’s why you used it like your own home.”
El had utilized Helene as she pleased while it was owned by the Pope. Now I understood why El could use the usually busy Helene freely.
Separately from my newfound realization, Reinhardt didn’t seem to be in a particularly good mood. He usually remained expressionless, but when in a bad mood, he would often bite his lip tightly.
“I was planning on having a meal at Helene… but it seems you don’t like the place.”
“……It’s more about not liking its owner.”
If the owner of Helene was El, I couldn’t fathom why Reinhardt would have a grudge against her, so as I tilted my head, I figured there must be a reason, considering his discomfort. I couldn’t drag him somewhere he didn’t want to go.
“……Actually, I’m not well-versed in restaurants frequented by nobles. Is there a place you’d prefer?”
No matter how I thought about it, I couldn’t come up with a suitable place, so ultimately feeling embarrassed, I directly asked Reinhardt. Having lived as a poor commoner, I understood that it was inevitable, but revealing my ignorance was always a humiliating matter.
“Actually, I’m not really familiar either.”
“….What?”
“I eat whatever, so anywhere is fine. What about that building over there?”
Reinhardt, who had been gazing at me intently while avoiding eye contact, nonchalantly suggested an old building where commoners might dine. Reading the kindness in his recommendation, I thought to myself that whoever eventually received Reinhardt’s affection would surely be very happy.
“Care for a drink?”
“I’m fine.”
“Then just two servings of the meal.”
I ordered two servings of whatever looked edible and adjusted my sitting posture. With my elbows resting on the table, I placed my chin on my clasped hands and stared intently at Reinhardt. Exposed to my gaze, he swallowed hard, his expression tensing up.
“Then, Lord Einhart. Shall we have a conversation?”