I have returned to Aetheria, my mind filled with countless thoughts after everything that had just happened. I was worried about Nana—would she be able to endure it all? I also thought about the Goddess of Benevolence, whose power was steadily weakening. Would she be alright?
"Stop thinking like that, Nao. Everything will be fine. Right now, we need to focus on the Hero’s Trial. It’s a highly mysterious test—no one knows what it actually entails. You have to prepare yourself," Envi said, trying to reassure . It was rare for him to act this serious.
"You’re right, Envi. I won’t hesitate any longer. I will complete the Hero’s Trial and beco a true hero. That way, I can save Nana, and hopefully, I can also ease the burden of the Goddess of Benevolence," I declared, strengthening my resolve.
After that, Envi and I returned to the training grounds where I had left Marius, Julius, and Termina. Thirty minutes had passed in this world, and I wasn’t sure if they were still there or if they had already gone ho.
When I arrived, I was surprised to see that they were still there. Even more surprising was the presence of Lyra, Freya, Luna, and Alia—they had joined the training as well. They greeted cheerfully, waving as if they had been waiting for .
"Naoki, you ran off in such a hurry earlier. What happened?" Marius asked curiously.
"Yeah, you suddenly bolted out of here. Was sothing wrong?" Julius added, looking confused.
I quickly tried to co up with a good excuse. "Ahh, well... uhh... I had a stomachache. Hahaha."
My answer made them pause for a mont before they all burst into laughter.
"I seriously thought sothing was wrong, but it turns out it was just a stomach issue. Hahaha," Termina chuckled, followed by Julius and Marius.
I laughed along with them, then turned my attention to Lyra, Freya, Alia, and Luna.
"What are you guys doing here? Don’t tell you joined the training too?" I asked, puzzled.
"Hehehe, that’s right, Naoki-sama! We happened to see them training here, so we decided to join in," Lyra said with a sweet giggle.
"That’s right, Naoki-dono! I also got to practice my new sword technique—the one I showed you yesterday!" Freya said enthusiastically.
"Eh? ? Hehe, of course, I joined because I knew you were here. I wanted to spend ti with you, Naoki," Alia purred flirtatiously.
Her words imdiately sparked an unspoken rivalry between Alia, Lyra, and Freya. The air around them felt charged as they seed to be competing for my attention. A shiver ran down my spine just watching it unfold. I glanced at Luna, who had a completely uninterested expression, as if silently saying, "I couldn’t care less. This has nothing to do with ."
I was about to calm them down, but before I could say anything, the three of them started whispering among themselves, as if discussing sothing in secret. Then, suddenly, their expressions relaxed, and they all smiled brightly.
I was completely baffled by whatever they were plotting.
Out of nowhere, Lyra cheerfully said, "Naoki-sama, how about we all have a picnic here?"
"That’s a great idea! We’ve been training for a while, and I’m starving," Freya added excitedly.
"That’s right! Naoki, you and the others can just wait here. Lyra, Freya, and I will go buy food and drinks," Alia said with a mischievous grin. I had no idea what she was planning, but I felt a little wary.
In the end, I agreed to their picnic idea. After all, I was feeling pretty hungry myself.
Spending ti like this with my friends was a good thing. Back when I was alive on Earth, I rarely got the chance to do this. So this ti, I would enjoy it.
....
After a while, Alia, Lyra, and Freya returned, carrying several boxes of food and drinks. They had brought sandwiches, various snacks, and tea.
We spread out a picnic blanket on the grassy field and spent our ti eating heartily while sharing stories with each other.
I watched them all laugh happily—this was truly a precious mont. If only I had been stronger, perhaps Kael and Professor Alden could have been here with us. I needed to beco stronger, to protect those closest to .
As we continued talking, we shared funny stories about our past.
Marius told us how he accidentally wet his pants during his first combat training. Julius admitted that, as a child, he never dared to leave his family’s mansion because he was terrified of being kidnapped. Termina added that Julius used to be a crybaby, so she had to drag him outside just to get him to play.
We all burst into laughter upon hearing their stories. Julius’s face turned bright red from embarrassnt, while Termina laughed freely.
Eventually, the conversation took a more serious turn. I suddenly asked them all,
"What will you do after graduating from Braveheart Knight Academy?"
Everyone fell silent at my question. They hadn’t expected to ask sothing like that, and they seed unsure how to respond.
But suddenly, soone spoke up first—it was Marius.
"I’m not from a noble family; I’m just a commoner, so there’s no place waiting for . But one thing is certain—I will follow you, Naoki! You have shown the true path of a knight! I will apply to beco a knight of your family, the Blackmore Household! HAHAHA! ARE YOU SURPRISED?" Marius declared with his usual boundless energy. He truly was a mood maker.
I smiled at his answer. "Heh, a guy who only relies on brute strength wants to be my subordinate? Hahaha! Of course, I’ll accept you, my friend! Besides, my father, the Patriarch of the Blackmore Family, has already shown interest in recruiting you. He was quite impressed by your talent as a ’Tank.’ I’m sure Vivin will also be happy to have a fellow Tank by her side."
Upon hearing my response, Marius jumped for joy and imdiately hugged . I tried to fight him off. "Hey, you stupid gorilla! I’ll be crushed by your muscles! Calm down!"
Watching our playful scuffle made the others laugh heartily.
Then it was Julius’s turn. He said, "Termina and I will return to our family. We will serve as knights in our respective family armies. Perhaps one day, we will fight alongside you against the Demons or the rcenaries of the Gildoria Kingdom. Until that day cos, let’s keep fighting together!" Julius spoke with determination, and Termina nodded in agreent, sharing his enthusiasm.
Next, Freya and Lyra shared their plans.
"I will most likely be recruited as a knight of the Flamore family, Naoki-dono, since I am now officially part of them. I also want to carry on the will of the late Kael, who entrusted his strength to ," Freya said with firm resolve.
I told her she was amazing for making such a decision and promised to support her.
Then Lyra spoke up hesitantly. "I... I don’t know where I’ll go yet. I haven’t received any offers. But there is one thing I do know—I want to stay with you, Naoki-sama. Maybe I’ll join Marius and serve in the Blackmore Household’s forces. Hehe." She smiled sweetly.
"I’m happy to hear that, Lyra. My battle maids will surely be excited if you join them. I’ll be waiting," I replied, smiling at her.
Now it was Luna’s turn to answer. She admitted that she also wasn’t sure where to go. Julius then offered her a position in the Starlight Family’s knight division, since Luna was from the Solarblade Family, a branch of the Starlight lineage. He hoped she would beco a key strength for the Starlight Family. Luna accepted the offer gladly.
Finally, the last person to answer was Alia.
She said, "I am the third princess of the Braveheart Royal Family. Of course, I will take on a strategic position within the kingdom, as it has always been my ho. But... I want to be with you, Naoki. I want to fight alongside you. However, my status as a princess prevents from doing so... and that makes sad..." She lowered her head in disappointnt.
I moved closer to comfort her, but suddenly, she added, "Buuut... I could stay with you if you married . Hehehe... So, what do you say, Naoki? Shall we get married? We could do it tomorrow if you want." Alia gave a playful, seductive smile.
Hearing her words made Envi, the voice inside , scream with excitent, urging to accept Alia’s proposal.
I imdiately scolded Envi, telling him he was insane.
"Married? Tomorrow? That’s way too fast—ahh, I an, I’m not getting married anyti soon! Ugh, I didn’t expect you to say that, Alia." I tried to brush off her sudden proposal.
Freya and Lyra glanced at with worried expressions, afraid that I might actually accept Alia’s offer.
I smiled, gently patting the heads of all three girls, and reassured them. "I will beco a hero of this kingdom. I will complete my mission first, and after that, I will return to you all."
My words comforted them, and they smiled in relief.
Before we knew it, the sun was setting. It was ti for everyone to return to their dormitories.
When I reached my dorm, I suddenly felt dizzy. My steps were unsteady as I walked toward my room. I didn’t understand what was happening.
I called out to Marius, my roommate, but there was no response. I wondered if he was still outside. But that was strange—I had walked back with him just now.
My head felt heavier and heavier. I beca incredibly sleepy. Had I eaten sothing strange? But I had only eaten the food prepared by Alia, Lyra, and Freya...
Eventually, I couldn’t resist my exhaustion and collapsed onto my bed.
Just as I was about to lose consciousness, I heard familiar voices.
"Is this really okay? Naoki-sama looks completely defenseless."
"That just ans he’s sleeping soundly. It’s fine, hehehe."
"Umm... I think this is wrong. Naoki-dono will definitely be angry when he wakes up."
"Oh, stop worrying! Just follow my lead. This will be fun!"
That was the last conversation I heard before falling into a deep sleep.
When I opened my eyes, it was already morning. I had slept soundly.
But sothing felt... off. My bed suddenly felt cramped.
I lifted my blanket and found Alia, Lyra, and Freya sleeping soundly on top of , snuggled against in their nightgowns.
...Ah. Was this a dream?
...
..
.
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