Y, Youre quite good.!
Your Highness as well! There has been no one who can have a tie with before!
Saying so, we started swinging the practice swords again.
As we are both bad at martial arts, our stances are unstable and lack power.
So I intended to have sothing like a close bout with him. I intended to.
After the bout, I asked Sebas who had observed us for his opinion.
Haa, Haahow was it?
Nothing was standing out at all. It felt so bland as if I was watching children playing make-believe.
As I thought.
Jurgen drops his shoulders.
thinking of it as a battle between equally bad swordsn, it seems that children playing make-believe is better than this farce.
Well, this is well within my expectations. Since he keeps saying that he is no good about it at all, I just wanted to see how bad he actually is.
We each wipe away our sweat with our towels and think about our next move.
So it seems that using swords is a dead enddo you have anything else you are good at?
What I am good at is it?There is one thing that I have been practicing for quite so ti now.
And that is?
A Halberd.
Sebas retrieves a practice halberd from the weapons we prepared in advance.
Halberd is a weapon that is a mix between a spear and an ax with the ax blade attached at the tip of the spear. It is a versatile weapon but it is heavy and difficult to handle. The dwarves developed it to compensate for their short reach.
If you can master it, it is a strong weapon but for an amateur human, a spear would be better.
Why did you choose the halberd?
When I was fifteen, the ti I applied for marriage with Lizelotte-sama, I t her directly then and she told that she wouldnt marry anyone who couldnt wield a weapon. I already expected that so I trained to use a spear but I couldnt beat Lizelotte-sama with it at all.
Well, of course.
Lize-aneue is certainly strong as a general but she is a terribly strong person by herself as well.
No matter what weapon she uses, she is a master at it.
Soone with a superficial knowledge of a weapon wouldnt be able to compete with her.
That ti she told that my attack was too light. I was quite scrawny at the ti you see. My height is much shorter as well. Because of that, I couldnt deliver a blow that would convince Lizelotte-sama. Thats why I chose a heavy weapon but since it is quite heavy I always lost my balance when swinging it so I..
Dont tell .
Yes, I ate a lot and gained so weight. There are limits to how much I can build up my muscle after all.
How pitiful
Certainly, a halberd in the current Jurgens hands would, how should I put this, it looks like he can maintain balance when he swings it and from his bearing, I guess it should hold quite a force as well. I can imagine him swinging one butdont tell he sacrificed his physical figure for that.
Aneue.theres a person whose life has changed because of your words here. I cant help but find him pitiful right.
Talking to my sister who is currently far away inside my mind, I look at Sebas.
What do you think?
His form is pretty good. It is uncertain that this level of skill would be able to impress Her Highness Lizelotte though.
If we are setting the bar with Aneues standard then only our generals and imperial knights would be qualified. Im sure that she doesnt set such a standard for him either.
That would be reassuring but this certainly looks more promising than a sword. You dont need any skill if you can use your weight behind your attack. It would work out if you can maintain balance to handle that weight. The Duke must have trained quite hard for it as well. As far as I see from his swordsmanship, his martial arts talents should be on the sa level as you, Arnold-sama.
Nonexistent huh. Even if it is just one, to be able to actually use it as a weapon like thishe is quite a man. I definitely cant imitate that.
Jurgen learned the business and enriched his newly established duke house. He probably has a talent for a rchant. Theres no doubt that he is an excellent person in that regard.
Still, Jurgen continued to train. He knew what he was actually good at but he did not spare any effort to get my sister to acknowledge him by turning his weakness into his strong point.
Duke Reinfeld.
Yes? What is it?
Have you ever looked at another woman?
Never. I declared my love to that person. Since I already told her that, I cant turn my words into a lie. My father told that honesty is my only rit but I like being honest like this. Thats why I want to live like this. I love only one woman and I want to get my love through to her. I thought that this love is beautiful and I believe that if I dont do that much, Lizelotte-sama wouldnt turn to look at .
Sebas. Ive got the feeling that I am doing sothing bad right now
Whether Her Highness chooses to accept or not is up to her after all. If she would marry any hardworking man, everyone would already do it. She may value effort but it is not a certainty. Wons hearts are especially fickle like the autumn sky. There were many stories about a woman choosing a sloppy man over a hardworking one after all.
Oi, Duke Reinfeld is already on his knees you know!?
That is just how the stories go, in the end, it will be up to Her Highness decision.
Maybe he tried to shut off all the voices around him.
Without thinking that he might be going in the wrong direction, he has been working so hard after all.
Those stories might be a bit harsh for Jurgen.
I try to approach and call out to him.
Duke Reinfeld, cheer up.
Kuh! If Im getting depressed from this then I wont be suitable for Lizelotte-sama! How am I so weak!
.
If she says that like a sloppy guy then I will just beco both! Your Highness Arnold! Please tell how to beco more sloppy!
Jurgen raised up and asked .
He suddenly approached so I unintentionally backpedaled toward Sebas.
He is really soone that couldnt be broken isnt he.
And he asked how to beco sloppier too, isnt that rude?
Its the truth though. There is no one who walked down the path of sloppiness better than Your Highness in the imperial capital after all.
What path of sloppiness, dont make up sothing ridiculous. I dont rember walking down such a path. I just never choose any path at all.
I see! So you dont choose to do anything in the first place! This has beco quite a study for !
What is this.
Thats one cruel word.
When people are in love they can really go this far huh. I have underestimated love.
My elder sister basically likes strong people. If we can find sothing in Duke Reinfeld that can appeal to that side of her then we should have a chance right?
Even so, Her Highness has observed the Dukes hard work for the past twenty years hasnt she? Shouldnt she already recognize his strength by now?
She just saw the result. We need to show her the process. She will be moved if we show her how hard he is working, dont you think so?
That sounds reasonable.
Your Highness Arnold, um, it might be rude of to ask you this now but,
You were plenty rude enough already so please ask away.
Oh, then I am relieved. I just want to ask how did Lizelotte-sama co to like you, Your Highness?
He really is such an unreserved person huh.
While thinking so, I rember the ti when Lize-aneue ca to like .
It was eleven years ago. It was the ti when I was in prison for a week to save a girl.
It seems that my eldest brother knew of the matter from Father and told Aneue that I went to prison to protect a girl so she ca to visit in prison every day.
She told that if I admit that I did it to protect soone, she will talk to Father for .
Of course, I didnt know that she already knew everything so I persistently said that I did it alone until the very end. Now that I think about it, wasnt she quite an?
Imprisoned for a week to protect a girl, I thought that if I told her the truth, everything I have done will beco aningless.
Thats why I kept it a secret until I left the prison.
At that ti Aneue gently stroked my head.
As expected of my little brother
Yes?
I was told that when I was a kid. Aneue was praising for my determination to see things through to the end. Since then, she has been paying more and more attention to . Maybe it was because of my attitude at the ti that my sister started to take a liking to .
This is good news. At the very least, this ans that Duke Reinfelds action so far wasnt wrong.
Right. Duke Reinfelds actions so far should be what my sister likes. She like hardworking people after all. Well, I dont really know her preference in n but.letting you two et each other should be faster to confirm this.
Saying so, I stood up.
In the first place, it is wrong to do sothing important like this through a letter.
Sebas, make a preparation. We will first head toward Duke Reinfelds territory.
Certainly. I will arrange it imdiately.
Y, Your Highness!?
Your territory is closer to where Aneue is than the imperial capital after all. If I went there, she might co to visit . If she doesnt co then we can just go to her place as well.
Saying so I smile.
Dealing with that sister of mine, if I do all this while I am remaining inside the imperial capital, I would be looking down on her too much.
I will have to go to the frontline myself.
Now, with that decided, lets get ready.
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