Chapter 802: The Flying Knight and the Hot Spring Princess
Several days had passed since the discussion about Knight Fiona’s disposition.
Dianne was training Fiona intensively on the outskirts of town. The training involved sword practice……or rather, for some reason, crossbow training.
“……What are you doing?”
“It’s right in front of you”
“No, running around with a crossbow or shooting targets……does that really make sense as training for Fiona?”
“Sword practice is more pointless”
Dianne stated flatly.
“……Eh?”
“That’s for now, anyway. Her combat sword skills are so disconnected from reality she can’t even analyze why she loses. But I can’t crush her confidence. So first, we’re building her foundational abilities through a different method”
“……But that’s such a roundabout way……”
“Of course, we’re not just doing crossbow training. Rest assured. ……Laila, it’s about time”
“Ho”
When Dianne called out, Laila, who had apparently been lying on a nearby tree watching, hopped down nimbly, cheerfully stripped off her clothes, and tossed them aside. Then, leaving an afterimage shock in her mind, she transformed into a black dragon. Seeing this, Fiona wiped her sweat and scrambled up the black dragon’s tail onto its back.
“Alright, next session is ten minutes. Do your best”
Dianne smiled as she saw them off. Fiona nodded stiffly. Laila flapped her wings with a loud thud-thud and soared into the sky. Just as Fiona was about to ask Dianne what was going on, Dianne pointed her chin skyward as if to say, 「Just watch」. Once Laila gained some altitude, she began moving forward slowly, and then……suddenly rolled sharply to the right.
“Gyaーーー”
Fiona’s voice could be heard in the distance. Clinging to the spikes on Laila’s back……no, almost hanging, she could be seen floating against the centrifugal force and wind pressure. Laila then rolled to the left, even drawing a curve. Fiona couldn’t hold on and flew off. The female knight soared hundreds of meters through the air in a rather impressive parabola. If she fell, it would be a tragedy. But Laila immediately accelerated, caught up, grabbed her by the hand, and brought her back. Landing. ……Fiona was dizzy.
“Two minutes. You didn’t hold on as well as last time”
“Ho. Take me to the hot springs?”
“That sounds good. Please”
Following Dianne’s instructions, Laila leisurely flapped her wings and flew toward the secret hot spring.
“……What on earth are you doing?”
“I told Fiona it’s 『Training to become a Dragon Knight』, including the crossbow”
“E, Eh……”
The flying dragons don’t participate in actual combat. There are only fifteen of them in Celesta, breeding is difficult, and if one were shot down, it would be no laughing matter. Therefore, the riders of the flying dragon service are strictly 「Messengers」, not knights. In other words, such training doesn’t exist in the Celesta military.
“Enduring Laila’s acrobatic flying requires considerable physical ability and mental fortitude. Crossbow training builds leg strength and concentration, while Laila’s riding training hones the areas that crossbow alone can’t cover. Normally, you couldn’t repeat this so many times a day, but with the power of the miraculous spring, you can do four or five sets daily. For now, this is the most efficient method”
“……Are you sure this will actually build her strength?”
“Fiona must understand that life-threatening situations come in many forms, and so do the ways to handle them. For her, combat is an extension of sword duels. Even knowing defeat could cost her life, she seems to think that accepting the outcome gracefully is enough. Her perspective is too narrow. That’s the first thing we need to correct”
“……I see”
Knowing only one principle—the sword—means she can’t grasp what lies beyond its reach. That leads to a crude mental shutdown: when her known methods fail, she gives up, thinking there’s nothing else she can do. But that’s too polite. Inflexible fools like that are the weakest on the battlefield. Even if they’re weak or injured, the ones who refuse to give up fighting and surviving, who know many ways to cope, are the most terrifying enemies. To help Fiona become that kind of person, the first step is to take her away from the sword. That was the answer Dianne-san had arrived at.
“Technique comes later. ……After all, eighty percent of combat technique is defense and evasion. To master that, you need the proper mindset”
“But a dragon knight……I’m surprised she’s training so obediently. She doesn’t have dragons she can ride back home, does she?”
“Oh, it’s just for show. I convinced her that if she mastered the skills of a dragon knight while Princess Ran was recovering, it would surely be useful. Since dragon knights fight with crossbows, it doesn’t negate her previous training……or so we told her”
Fiona accepting that so readily well, it’s not just that she’s easygoing, it’s more that she’s mentally tough despite getting beaten up constantly with swords.
“But that unbreakable spirit is truly admirable. I really think she’s excellent raw material for a soldier”
Dianne seems amused. ……Fiona, hang in there.
—————————
Princess Ran is also bravely visiting the secret hot springs. I think she’d feel more comfortable just going to the regular women’s bath instead of coming here, but besides her reluctance to bathe without her long robe, it seems she has another reason for challenging this place. Well, seems might be an overstatement—it actually makes sense when you think about it.
“It’s a myth”
“……A myth, huh”
Yeah. That’s right. There was that.
“I thought about it carefully as an episode, but I still think that succumbing to fear and recuperating among the common folk just wouldn’t make for an interesting story”
“Yeah. Well, I get what you’re saying, but I’m not sure about betting your own life on whether something is objectively interesting or not”
“That’s just how it is. ……The people need me recuperating here, surrounded by dragons, wrestling with fear and conflict”
“But wait, Princess Ran’s the one writing this, right? Couldn’t we embellish it a bit?”
Even if she just recuperates normally in the women’s bath, the fact that Polka is swarming with dragons still stands. So writing something like 「She continued her recuperation while trembling under the dragons’ gaze」 might just barely be acceptable.
“Embellishment is acceptable, but lies are forbidden. Lies will eventually unravel. Even if you intend to keep them buried forever, inconsistencies will surface”
“……You’re troublesome in a different way from Fiona”
As usual, the silver dragons’ black collar group were at the secret hot spring. Also, unusually today, Jeanne and Selenium had come in carrying the children. Peter, of course, showed not a shred of fear toward the dragon’s human form (it would be one thing if it were the dragon form, but right now it was just a beautiful woman with her breasts fully exposed). Innocently, he latched onto Leyla’s breast, drawing a maternal smile from her.
“He’s never seen boobs like these before. He loves boobs just like Andy does. If it’s not a bother, he’d love to suck on them”
“……Kid……♪”
“Sister, that’s someone else’s kid. Don’t get lost in your fantasies”
“I, I’m not lost in anything!”
“I know exactly what you’re thinking. We’re both the same, you know”
What exactly was Leyla fantasizing about while Peter sucked on her breasts? ……Was it about holding her own child like that? Well, it wasn’t exactly an embarrassing fantasy, though. I do internal ejaculation whenever I get the chance, so there’s always a chance I could get her pregnant.
“W, Wait……can I hold her too?”
“If you’re free, please hold this child over here♪ It’s a girl”
Shario nervously takes Elenia from Selenium. There’s not a shred of the dignity of the terrifying enemy dragon I once fought left in that sight. And that sight seems just as shocking to Princess Ran, who’s cowering beside me.
“……I might just understand Smithson-sama’s feelings a little, seeing them as someone you could grow fond of”
“Well……yeah. If that’s how you feel, then fine”
But Jeanne and Selenium are strong too……they don’t have much chance to interact, so they’re not exactly close, yet they can entrust their children to them. Or maybe, even without personal closeness, seeing them at that collar-conferring ceremony gave them peace of mind. ……And there’s always the risk that the dragons might get strange ideas. Either way, they’re both incredibly brave.
“So that’s Smithson-sama’s son……and daughter”
“Yeah. Well, I kinda feel like they don’t pay me much attention……”
“They don’t pay you attention?”
“……Maybe because they’re raised at the Baron’s residence, but I get the feeling they’re a bit more attached to the baron than to me”
Well, I suppose I could just stick around more, or get more involved in looking after the kids. But with so many caregivers around, I don’t always get the chance. Plus, even if I focused solely on Peter and Elenia right now, what about the female slaves who gave up their lives to follow me? Would I just neglect them? And could I really spare the same effort for the children who’ll be born in the future? That doesn’t mean I should just forget about it, but forcing myself into a situation where there are already enough hands feels like nothing more than self-indulgence, especially considering my future circumstances. But still……I want to be someone who makes a stronger impression than the Baron, at least to my own children.
“I want to be a good father……but maybe that’s too ambitious when I already have too many wives……”
“……So even dragon riders have their worries, huh?”
“Of course I do”
What does she think I am? ……Well, to Princess Ran, I’m probably just 「Some guy with unbelievable combat power and authority, plus absolute privilege to do whatever he wants with beautiful women」. On top of that, in most places other than here, I’m even freed from life’s inevitable injuries and illnesses. So she probably sees me as some heavenly being who couldn’t possibly have any worries.
“Probably just trivial, insignificant worries to Princess Ran, but I do have them. ……Fundamentally, I’m just a commoner with no education, no skills, neither strong nor wise. Alone, that is”
“……Me too”
“No, you’re different……”
She has magic aptitude, noble birth, and the bearing that comes with it. We’re not alike at all. ……Just as I was about to say that, Princess Ran looked off into the distance, her expression distant and untouchable.
“It’s the same. ……What I possess holds no value elsewhere. ……I’m just a sickly little girl. At least here”
……And then.
“That’s fine……please don’t say it’s different”
She murmured softly, her eyes softening as she watched the children cuddling the dragons.