Chapter 51: Former Fiancé, Part 1
The day after the guild's report meeting, I had a day off from work and headed to the training grounds with the training tools I had bought yesterday.
"Hey, you're training again today? You don't take a break even on your day off? You were training at the grounds yesterday too, right?" a soldier I often met at the training grounds called out to me.
"It's become a habit. If I stop training carelessly, I might lose my edge," I replied.
"I see. There are some soldiers like that. If they skip training for a day, they fall behind their colleagues without realizing it," the soldier said.
"That's why I try to train every day," I explained.
After bidding farewell to the soldier, I went to my usual spot, took out the training tools, and began my training.
The training tool I had bought yesterday was a magical device—a rod that changed its weight when infused with magic. I was a bit skeptical about its purpose at first, but when I considered it for training purposes, it turned out to be quite useful.
"Jin-san, what's that?" Julius asked as he approached me while I was swinging the heavily set rod like a sword.
"It's a training magical device. When you infuse it with magic, its weight changes, so I thought it could be more effective for training than just using a regular sword," I replied.
"Oh, I didn't know such magical devices existed," Julius said, looking intrigued, gazing at the rod with sparkling eyes.
When I asked him if he wanted to try it, he enthusiastically replied, "Yes!"
"First, hold the rod normally, concentrate your magic in your hand, and the rod will absorb that magic. Then, you can fix the weight at your desired level," I explained.
"I see, it's like that! How do you return it to normal when you're done?" Julius inquired.
"When you want to end the effect, just let the magic flow into the seal at the tip of the rod, and the stored magic will dissipate, returning the weight to normal," I explained.
"That's amazing! It's a very well-made magical device. While we do have training weights, this one can change to various weights, so it's incredibly convenient," Julius said after listening to my explanation.
After using the training tool for a little while, Julius expressed his gratitude and returned it, saying it was a good magical device and that it could be introduced to the soldiers for training purposes.
"I'm not sure if we can prepare enough of them, but should I talk to the shop where I purchased it? Even if we can't get enough for the soldiers, would you like one personally, Julius-san?" I asked.
"Yes, please! I'd be grateful to have one for myself," he replied.
After that conversation, Julius remembered something and left the training area, while I resumed my training.
"Jin-san, may I speak with you for a moment?" a maid interrupted after I had been training for about two hours.
"Hm? Yes, what is it?" I paused and turned to the maid.
"Princess Fiaris is calling for you. She said there's a guest who wants to meet you," she informed me.
"A guest for me?... Alright, I understand. I'll head there immediately," I said.
I hurriedly went to the shower room to wash off the sweat before making my way to the princess's room. I wondered if I should have gone directly without showering, but now it's too late to do anything about it.
As I walked towards her room, I couldn't help but wonder why this person was here.
"Sorry for keeping you waiting," I said as I entered the room.
"It's fine. I called you suddenly, after all," Princess Fiaris replied.
As I stepped inside, I saw another person in the room, and I couldn't help but freeze upon seeing him.
... Seriously, why is he here?
"It's been a while, Jin-kun. Or should I say, not 'nice to meet you,' right?" he said.
"... Yes, it's been a while, Novell-sama," I replied.
Novell von Rufios.
He is the father of my former fiancée, Flora von Rufios, and the current head of the Rufios Duchy.
"I never expected you to be here. From the Rajinia family's perspective, you were supposed to be bedridden and unable to lead a normal life, so they asked me to annul the engagement," Novell said.
"Uh, well, about that..."
Even though this person was quite an intimidating character in the story, meeting him in person made him even scarier. He stood at an imposing height of 190 cm with a sturdy build, almost on par with Andor. Novell was one of the few characters in the story known as a "Magic Swordsman," skilled in both magic and swordsmanship.
"Novell-san, please tone down your aura. Jin-san is feeling scared, after all. He's the victim here," Princess Fiaris interjected, coming to my rescue.
At her words, Novell's intimidating aura disappeared.
"I apologize, Princess. I was curious about Jin-kun's strength, so I wanted to test him," Novell said, offering an apology to me.
Well, seriously, why is this guy here? I want to know that as soon as possible!
While thinking that, I looked at Princess Fiaris, imploring her with my eyes to tell me everything from the beginning. She understood and began explaining the situation from the start, making it clear that she didn't orchestrate this meeting in advance. She mentioned that she didn't want any ambush-like situations to occur after what happened last time.
"Well, you did promise me that," I said.
After hearing the explanation, I turned to Novell and said, "I'm sorry, Novell-san, for the confusion earlier."
"It's okay. I came here on my own accord to meet you, Jin-kun," he replied.
Ugh, seriously, why is he here? I really want to ask that!