LIGHTNOVELWORLD Episode 59
Chapter 59
“Ah… This is so relaxing.”
When I submerged myself in the bathwater up to my shoulders, a pleasant warmth spread throughout my body. The unique sensation of weightlessness that comes with being submerged in liquid, such as hot water, combined with it, soothing both my body and mind.
“How’s the water temperature?”
A voice from nearby brought my wandering thoughts back to reality.
Despite feeling sluggish, I shifted my gaze to the side and saw Vivian, dressed in a swimsuit, soaking in the tub just like me.
“…Vivian, you’re using it too, so you should know.”
“Well, that’s a matter of my subjective judgment.”
“It’s just right…”
Since I started my schedule of training with Edward in the morning and various studies with Vivian in the afternoon, the progress of our Honey Trap countermeasure training had accelerated rapidly.
The reason was simple: Edward had prohibited me from using healing magic, as there was no point in training my body if I could simply heal any injuries. This left me physically and mentally drained, with little energy to spare.
Vivian saw this as an opportunity and was trying to get me used to this situation.
“By the way… What’s with that underwear? Isn’t it a bit strange to use it for bathing?”
I suddenly found myself asking, not feeling any sexual desire or embarrassment, thanks to my exhaustion and the pleasant sensations.
In the original story, even if swimsuits appeared, I had assumed they were just for comedic purposes and hadn’t bothered to investigate the details.
But now that it had become a reality, I couldn’t help but wonder why swimsuits existed in this world.
“…I believe it’s because some gods, like Zeus, issued a divine oracle to allow female travelers to bathe outdoors without worry of being seen by the opposite sex.”
“I see…”
The mention of Zeus’s name meant that these “certain gods” were undoubtedly male deities.
Despite the ulterior motives behind the divine oracle, I can assure you that he has no concern for the female traveler or anything like that.
I couldn’t help but wonder why the chief god of Olympus was taking the lead in such matters.
“Why don’t we change the subject? Have you gotten used to training with Edward-sama?”
“Just by looking at my condition right now, you should know that I haven’t.”
Edward pushes me to my limits by adjusting his training to my physical and skill growth, so getting used to it seems impossible.
Even if my physical recovery speed increases, it only shortens the intervals between training sessions.
“Is that so? Recently, Lady Alshade has been lamenting that you’ve become unresponsive and there’s no longer any fun in teasing you, except maybe in the morning.”
“Well, even if you tell me that…”
Well, even if I told Edward, I doubt he’d consider Alshade’s feelings or ask me about it, so I didn’t see the point in mentioning it.
“At the very least, can you spare some time for a chat with Lady Alshade before bedtime?”
“Ah, I see. I think that can be arranged.”
Lately, I’ve been so exhausted that I had go straight to bed after taking a bath, but if I try my best to endure the sleepiness, I’ll probably be able to find time to talk to Alshade.
“Thank you very much.”
“No need to thank Vivian. Al has been considerate in her own way.”
“Perhaps it’s out of concern for Lord Rios’s well-being?”
“I suppose so.”
Lately, Alshade seemed to be making various moves behind the scenes, but I was confident that they wouldn’t work against my interests.
She had also become overprotective in certain aspects, and I couldn’t help but wonder why.
“…Vivian, do you know any reasons why Alshade might be becoming overly protective?”
“Well, there isn’t anything specific. If I had to guess, it might be related to the fact that you’re prohibited from using healing magic by Edward-sama in case of minor injuries during your sparring matches.”
The recoil of not being able to use healing magic on my injuries… That could indeed be a reason.
Although it seemed plausible, I couldn’t help but worry about what would happen if I were seriously injured and unable to make calm judgments, like during the Finbul incident.
“It’s a good time to ask her tonight before bed. Well, she probably won’t give me a straight answer… Vivian, it’s time to get out of the bath.”
“Understood.”
I had become quite accustomed to this exchange with Vivian…
◆
“Huh, it’s rare to see you not going to sleep right away. Is something wrong, Rio?”
Alshade, who had entered the room, looked slightly surprised as she saw me sitting on the sofa instead of lying down.
Alshade’s hair was wet, indicating that she had taken a bath, and her usually pale skin had a slight pinkish tint.
“Recently, I’ve been so tired from training with my master that I’ve had less time to talk. Vivian asked if I could make some time before bed.”
“Oh, I see… Vivian, huh? I understand. But, Rio, you could have taken credit for it without mentioning her name, you know? That might have left a better impression.”
“That’s assuming it wouldn’t be found out. I don’t think I can lie convincingly to you, Al.”
Indeed, if there were a way to convincingly lie, I’d want to know it.
If there was a way to do that, I think I would be able to do something reckless even once in order to become stronger without being found out.
“That’s true, but for a little lie like that, I would have played along.”
“I can’t deny that I could stick to a lie… Well, it wouldn’t leave a good aftertaste. It’s embarrassing to be pitied like that.”
“I think it’s common for anyone to tell a small lie to save face… I love everything about you, including your flaws.”
“You say things like that so casually…”
Embarrassed, I turned my face away from Alshade. She chuckled and shamelessly confirmed that it was indeed true.
“Sit next to me”
I said, and Alshade sat down on the sofa.
We sat in silence for a while, but I had intended to start a conversation, so I eventually broke the silence.
“Hey, can you listen to me vent for a bit?”
“Sure, I’m all ears. I welcome the opportunity to listen to you.”
Alshade smiled happily and nodded.
My mentor’s eccentricities gave me plenty to vent about, but if I were to talk to Alshade about it, it would likely be about the recent events.
“ While taking a break during today’s training, the conversation somehow shifted to my divine blessing. Master seemed to think that my divine blessing was related to the War God, so I offered to tell him about it, saying, so, I asked if he wanted to know more about my blessing. Then…”
“Hold on a second.”
“What is it?”
Alshade interrupted me, so I stopped my rant and looked at her. She had closed her eyes and was rubbing her temples with her thumb and index finger.
Edward may have said that I lacked common sense, but I never expected Alshade to react so strangely.
“Just to clarify, did you actually tell him about your divine blessing?”
“No, I was stopped. And after that, I was told that until I understood the importance of my divine blessing, he would give me a light beating during our sparring.”
“It’s a bit extreme, but Edward is right. Divine blessings can be a trump card even for adults, but especially at our age, it becomes important when the time comes. So, it’s generally a good idea to keep that information as secret as possible. Trying to tell Edward about it was, frankly, reckless.”
“Ugh…”
Honestly, it was an indisputable argument.
Even if I had known Edward’s personality and background, there was no other way to describe my actions than as recklessness, as Alshade pointed out.
“Certainly, I understand that his introduction by Orto makes him seem trustworthy. But you still don’t know much about his personal life, right? Just because someone’s trustworthy doesn’t mean they won’t accidentally leak information. Especially if he frequents taverns, as it seems he does, you need to be cautious.”
“…You’re right.”
Indeed, while I knew that Edward’s tolerance against alcohol was strong , that didn’t mean he couldn’t get drunk.
…At this point, I couldn’t argue with the fact that my actions were reckless, even considering my knowledge from my previous life.
“Now, enough of the lecture. What did you want to ask me, anyway?”
Alshade finished her lecture with a clap of her hands and smiled, but her words caught me off guard.
“During our silence, I had a feeling you were getting restless, and it didn’t seem like you just wanted to vent. So, did you have something you wanted to ask me?”
“…You’re right.”
I wished someone would teach me a method to prevent my thoughts from being read, even if I couldn’t convincingly lie.
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