Yannis hesitated as Chloe von Chevalier placed her hand on her chest and made a surprising request. He couldn't help but let out a dumbfounded voice, considering Chloe's delicate and petite figure, which seemed unsuited for such sweaty activities.
Chloe chuckled, "…Despite my appearance, I have been practicing swordsmanship since childhood."
"R-really?"
"Yes."
To Yannis's surprise, Chloe smiled slightly and nodded. However, he couldn't imagine her wielding a sword, and he tilted his head in confusion. In his previous life, he had this image of her being gentle, disliking conflicts, and certainly not engaging in physical activities.
"Alright... Shall we have a little spar?"
"Huh? W-well..."
Since Yannis's reaction didn't seem to please Chloe, she pursed her lips and made such a proposal. Concerned about accidentally hurting her, Yannis hesitated, thinking that the Duke of Chevalier, her father, might come after his life sooner than later.
"Very well, then."
"Great!"
In the end, Yannis agreed to spar with Chloe. However, seeing her in a dress with a wooden sword in hand created a strong sense of dissonance. But…
*Thwack!*
"How about that?"
"My apologies..."
Yannis was easily defeated by Chloe, and he ended up sprawled on the ground.
"Ouch...Y-you're really strong."
"Indeed. The Chevalier family holds about a third of the kingdom's territory, and to protect it from external threats, strength is highly valued among its members."
"I see..."
While her reason for strength made sense, she was still too strong. Of course, considering Yannis's current weakness, the comparison might be unfair, but her strength surpassed even the main heroines.
"Having sparred with you, Yannis, I can see that you possess talent. You will become a man worthy of the kingdom in due time."
"Y-you're joking..."
"No, I'm not."
Since Yannis played through "Eternal Heart" in his previous life, he knew Yannis was classified as one of the weakest in terms of physical abilities. Thus, he couldn't fully trust Chloe's judgment.
"Why was she so confident?"
"However, gaining such strength is no easy feat. Moreover, you mentioned earlier that you would become a suitable partner for me in three years."
"Y-yes."
"In that case, please allow me to assist you until you achieve that strength."
"Huhhh!?"
Initially, she proposed to help him with his training, but her current wording made it sound like it would be a continuous effort, not just for today.
"Did she mean that she would help him indefinitely?"
"Um...That might be a bit too much. I apologize for the trouble."
"No need for apologies. Besides, Yannis, becoming an outstanding individual is not only for me but also for your sake."
With a firm expression, Chloe spoke. Although Yannis initially thought she was searching for reasons to annul their engagement, it seemed like she had shifted her focus to producing a suitable partner for herself.
"Well, that actually alleviates my concerns about our engagement being annulled. Moreover, it was my goal, so it was like hitting two birds with one stone."
"Is it really okay for me to rely on you like this?"
"Yes."
If that's the case, then that's a relief. Yannis had a rough training plan in mind, but when it came to improving magical abilities, he wasn't quite sure about the best approach. To be honest, Chloe's assistance would probably be incredibly helpful.
"Th-thank you! To be honest, I've been training recklessly without a clear idea of how to get stronger!"
Yannis expressed his gratitude with a beaming smile, repeatedly bowing his head. Chloe was undoubtedly stronger than him, and having her guidance would undoubtedly be more efficient. Plus, being with his favorite heroine made it all the more delightful.
"... Indeed, it's Yannis, after all."
"Huh...?"
"Nothing at all. Now, let's resume our training."
And so, under Chloe's guidance, Yannis resumed his training. However...
"Ugh..."
"Lord Yannis, just a hundred more to go!"
Her teaching style was strict, unforgiving, and Yannis ended up becoming a broken doll, groaning and moving mechanically. Honestly, he didn't want to lift a finger anymore.
"Ninety-two... ninety-three..."
"Only seven left."
Every time he heard her voice, Yannis forced himself to continue, overwhelmed by both joy and exhaustion. She was a real slave driver...
"Ninety-eight... ninety-nine... one hundred! Ugh…!"
"Yannis-sama, you did exceptionally well."
Exhausted, he leaned forward, ready to collapse. Chloe gently caught him in her arms.
"Haah...Um, I'm sweating a lot, your clothes will get dirty..."
"This sweat is proof of your hard work. It's not dirty at all."
Yannis was on the verge of tears, moved by her words. Her ability to mix praise and discipline was impressive—he was completely at her mercy.
At that moment...
"Lord Yannis, it's time for your dinner meeting with Cardis-sama."
Marion arrived at the training ground and announced it in a monotonous tone.
"Oh... is it that time already?"
However, Yannis felt reluctant to leave Chloe after she had put so much effort into guiding him. It wasn't just about the dinner meeting; he didn't want to get involved with the main characters of "Eternal Heart" and frankly, he didn't want to go but he had no choice.
"Please don't worry about me. Enjoy your dinner meeting with Cardis-sama."
"I'm sorry... I promise to make up for this..."
Expressing her concern, Chloe spoke with an understanding tone.
However...
"..."
Marion, expressionless as always, observed them silently. From her perspective, just coming here to inform them was already a hassle. She probably thought they should hurry up and change for the dinner meeting rather than engaging in such activities.
Amidst those thoughts...
"...By the way, who are you? What business do you have here?"
Suddenly, Chloe turned her icy gaze toward Marion.
Yannis von Eldoria hesitated as Chloe von Chevalier placed her hand on her chest and made a surprising request. He couldn't help but let out a dumbfounded voice, considering Chloe's delicate and petite figure, which seemed unsuited for such sweaty activities.
Chloe chuckled, "…Despite my appearance, I have been practicing swordsmanship since childhood."
"R-really?"
"Yes."
To Yannis's surprise, Chloe smiled slightly and nodded. However, he couldn't imagine her wielding a sword, and he tilted his head in confusion. In his previous life, he had this image of her being gentle, disliking conflicts, and certainly not engaging in physical activities.
"Alright... Shall we have a little spar?"
"Huh? W-well..."
Since Yannis's reaction didn't seem to please Chloe, she pursed her lips and made such a proposal. Concerned about accidentally hurting her, Yannis hesitated, thinking that the Duke of Chevalier, her father, might come after his life sooner than later.
"Very well, then."
"Great!"
In the end, Yannis agreed to spar with Chloe. However, seeing her in a dress with a wooden sword in hand created a strong sense of dissonance. But…
*Thwack!*
"How about that?"
"My apologies..."
Yannis was easily defeated by Chloe, and he ended up sprawled on the ground.
"Ouch...Y-you're really strong."
"Indeed. The Chevalier family holds about a third of the kingdom's territory, and to protect it from external threats, strength is highly valued among its members."
"I see..."
While her reason for strength made sense, she was still too strong. Of course, considering Yannis's current weakness, the comparison might be unfair, but her strength surpassed even the main heroines.
"Having sparred with you, Yannis, I can see that you possess talent. You will become a man worthy of the kingdom in due time."
"Y-you're joking..."
"No, I'm not."
Since Yannis played through "Eternal Heart" in his previous life, he knew Yannis was classified as one of the weakest in terms of physical abilities. Thus, he couldn't fully trust Chloe's judgment.
"Why was she so confident?"
"However, gaining such strength is no easy feat. Moreover, you mentioned earlier that you would become a suitable partner for me in three years."
"Y-yes."
"In that case, please allow me to assist you until you achieve that strength."
"Huhhh!?"
Initially, she proposed to help him with his training, but her current wording made it sound like it would be a continuous effort, not just for today.
"Did she mean that she would help him indefinitely?"
"Um...That might be a bit too much. I apologize for the trouble."
"No need for apologies. Besides, Yannis, becoming an outstanding individual is not only for me but also for your sake."
With a firm expression, Chloe spoke. Although Yannis initially thought she was searching for reasons to annul their engagement, it seemed like she had shifted her focus to producing a suitable partner for herself.
"Well, that actually alleviates my concerns about our engagement being annulled. Moreover, it was my goal, so it was like hitting two birds with one stone."
"Is it really okay for me to rely on you like this?"
"Yes."
If that's the case, then that's a relief. Yannis had a rough training plan in mind, but when it came to improving magical abilities, he wasn't quite sure about the best approach. To be honest, Chloe's assistance would probably be incredibly helpful.
"Th-thank you! To be honest, I've been training recklessly without a clear idea of how to get stronger!"
Yannis expressed his gratitude with a beaming smile, repeatedly bowing his head. Chloe was undoubtedly stronger than him, and having her guidance would undoubtedly be more efficient. Plus, being with his favorite heroine made it all the more delightful.
"... Indeed, it's Yannis, after all."
"Huh...?"
"Nothing at all. Now, let's resume our training."
And so, under Chloe's guidance, Yannis resumed his training. However...
"Ugh..."
"Lord Yannis, just a hundred more to go!"
Her teaching style was strict, unforgiving, and Yannis ended up becoming a broken doll, groaning and moving mechanically. Honestly, he didn't want to lift a finger anymore.
"Ninety-two... ninety-three..."
"Only seven left."
Every time he heard her voice, Yannis forced himself to continue, overwhelmed by both joy and exhaustion. She was a real slave driver...
"Ninety-eight... ninety-nine... one hundred! Ugh…!"
"Yannis-sama, you did exceptionally well."
Exhausted, he leaned forward, ready to collapse. Chloe gently caught him in her arms.
"Haah...Um, I'm sweating a lot, your clothes will get dirty..."
"This sweat is proof of your hard work. It's not dirty at all."
Yannis was on the verge of tears, moved by her words. Her ability to mix praise and discipline was impressive—he was completely at her mercy.
At that moment...
"Lord Yannis, it's time for your dinner meeting with Cardis-sama."
Marion arrived at the training ground and announced it in a monotonous tone.
"Oh... is it that time already?"
However, Yannis felt reluctant to leave Chloe after she had put so much effort into guiding him. It wasn't just about the dinner meeting; he didn't want to get involved with the main characters of "Eternal Heart" and frankly, he didn't want to go but he had no choice.
"Please don't worry about me. Enjoy your dinner meeting with Cardis-sama."
"I'm sorry... I promise to make up for this..."
Expressing her concern, Chloe spoke with an understanding tone.
However...
"..."
Marion, expressionless as always, observed them silently. From her perspective, just coming here to inform them was already a hassle. She probably thought they should hurry up and change for the dinner meeting rather than engaging in such activities.
Amidst those thoughts...
"...By the way, who are you? What business do you have here?"
Suddenly, Chloe turned her icy gaze toward Marion.