Under the dusky moonlight, the knight order's eyes sparkled like boys before a gift box. They must have heard about from the Ice Cross Knights - their expectant gazes as they gathered around felt familiar.
Just like many adventurers who'd hesitated nearby wondering if they were being rude, these knights approached cautiously while I was slowly stretching in the training ground, having escaped my companions' lukewarm concerned gazes. But since I wasn't even working up a sweat and had already bathed, they couldn't just challenge an honored guest with swords.
"Hmm, I don't mind."
"R-really?!"
Personally, I didn't dislike such matches.
After all, I was sure to win, and I was handling a body far superior to any 21st century modern human's. Hadn't every man fantasized about being a fighter at so point? Or wanted to try wrestling moves they'd seen?
The problem would be if they wanted to see my 'swordsmanship'.
Though my past wasn't widely known, people seed to assu I could use a sword because of my Holy Sword Owner title, despite carrying a warhamr and shield for 10 years. I could tell from how they each held wooden practice swords in light clothing.
"Oh, is Roland going to spar with the knights?"
-No interest in watching n rub muscles together please show us our Irene instead
-Why can't I see mama getting massaged without her nun clothes when she's right there goddess what sins have I committed that I can't see my eyes are dark it's cold
-Points? Points? Points? Points? Points? Points? Points? Points? Points?
-Seeing the chat fill with lunatics must an it's past dinner ti
anwhile, Han Se-ah's focused filming continued.
Well, from what I heard, they were basically naked except for towels during the massage, but Han Se-ah wouldn't broadcast that. Satisfying viewers' desires that way would just invite all kinds of trouble.
The best way to drown out the perverts begging to see bodies was to stimulate the point betting addicts.
"Still, I've already bathed and prepared for bed. Wouldn't be right to make the maids prepare another bath."
"Y-you have a point."
I glanced between the knights' faces shifting between joy and disappointnt with each word and Han Se-ah's stream window as I thought.
If the knights asked to see swordsmanship first it would get annoying, so I needed to take initiative and show sothing else. As ntioned before, my superior physical capabilities ant I could handle light sparring like playing with kids.
So I lifted my shield without hesitation.
"Let's do this then. I'll just use my shield to block while you attack freely with your swords."
"I-if that's the case... th-thank you!"
Better ntion I'd only use the shield before any swordsmanship talk ca up.
Though it might seem like I was looking down on the Margrave's knights, I'd been high-rank for years and was chosen by the Holy Sword. This wasn't arrogance but behavior fitting my status.
"Eh, just defending? Makes it hard to bet points that way."
As a bonus, I could mildly annoy Han Se-ah too.
With that thought, I picked up the shield neatly placed in the corner.
※
The north had a very clear image.
While eastern, western, and southern people had mixed, non-standard images in gas and fantasy, northern people consistently shared common traits.
Like Russian s.
"As expected of the Indomitable Knight...!"
"Incredible, they say he's never retreated from any battlefield."
"To think he deflects ogre punches and wyvern breaths with such simple technique, it's terrifying..."
Perhaps that's why these simple-minded northern knights started getting moved just from casually blocking. Their exaggerated stories made wonder if they weren't all Olek's siblings.
Though the knights moved flashily showing off their swordsmanship, that was all. How could wooden swords without mana pierce my shield?
Thanks to that, when I blocked all the northern knights' swordsmanship with my self-taught Roland-style shield techniques, they bizarrely thanked with refreshed expressions like they'd realized sothing after sweating hard.
'But it really was just basic technique, relying on shield and stamina.'
Were all sword users like this?
All I'd done was stand there with a shield, barely moving except to shift it slightly left or right, yet sohow I'd beco sothing like the knight order's benefactor.
From their talk, it seed to be the northerners' tendency to heroize those who fought monster waves.
While surrender might be honorable in duels between well-fed southern or eastern nobles, in the north both retreat and surrender just fed monster waves. So they romanticized dying without retreat - "dying standing rather than living kneeling."
And I was an adventurer who hadn't retreated once in 11 years.
For northerners, "11 years unretreated!" seed to resonate more than lengthy explanations about being chosen by the Goddess and Holy Sword and conquering the tower - their gazes were almost burdenso in intensity.
"Mmm~ Sleep well, Roland? The courtyard behind the mansion was noisy last night."
"Just held a shield lightly. Seems the massage was quite good."
"Feels like my muscles were replaced. Irene's divine force massage is nice, but noble family maids' skills can't be underestimated either."
After washing up with the maids' help in the morning, companions joined one by one as we headed to the kitchen for breakfast. Thankfully this helped avoid the burdenso gazes felt through corridors and windows.
The morning after we'd all received massages, downed nightcap drinks, and slept well, everyone was dressed lightly.
While diligent Irene had put her nun's habit back on for morning prayers, Grace and Katie wore just shirts for easy movent, clearly showing their figures. As self-proclaid gentlen, the knights couldn't openly stare, so we naturally beca sight shields.
"Are we eating, just us?"
"Well, yeah. It's not a banquet, no need to eat every al with the Margrave and the Lady."
"We wouldn't be able to digest properly that way."
Grace stretched as she trudged out of her bedroom, while Katie, perhaps impressed by my sparring yesterday, ca in from outside wiping sweat with a towel. Irene followed Katie, likely having finished morning prayers.
Us moving normally ant Han Se-ah had logged in, but why wasn't she filming this nice scene with her cara? Curious, I checked her broadcast window.
The screen showed an elegant if not luxurious white bed. I thought she might still be lingering in bed after logging in, but the bed was empty. Why was she filming an empty bed?
"There you have it. Since many kept asking to see the bed, I'm showing it to satisfy your desires. My, my, so many people interested in Empire beds, it's quite dizzying."
-No lol you idiot we asked to see Irene IN the bed not just the bed
-She's genius at trolling people like this and she's hiding too lol
-We did ask to see the bed but we ant the late night bed with mama Irene in light clothes rolling around not the morning bed after maids cleaned it
-Ugh I'm dying write bed in your will before you go
-Is dying because of a bed a happy death or euthanasia?
Ah, she must be trolling the viewers.
Seems yesterday's viewers excessively whining about wanting to see the lightly dressed trio during the massage had gotten under Han Se-ah's skin. Once "triggered," she started her morning by teasing viewers.
While so proved their faith by visiting the prayer room early morning, and others trained to improve themselves, our hero faithfully fulfilled her main job of trolling viewers.
Truly Han Se-ah-like behavior.
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