"Young Lord... I still wonder why you insist on watching Lady Nala's training with Lady Inessa and Lady Abigail every time... It's not exactly the most pleasant entertainment."
At the moment, I'm about 1200 meters away from where Nala is having her combat training with Mamãe and Abigail. It may be a bit far, but this is the minimum safety distance; otherwise, they wouldn't be able to train properly without concerns.
Even from this distance, it's still possible to feel some small shockwaves caused by the blows. But fortunately, we have a small transparent aura barrier maintained by Mahara to protect us from any kind of projectile or similar.
Besides me and Mahara, Marien and Aglaya are also with me; we're all sitting in small chairs waiting for the training to end. This is our routine every 10 days, the period when the DCT (Dragon Combat Training) occurs.
"I don't come for entertainment, Marien; that would imply that I enjoy watching Mamãe and Abigail being beaten so humiliatingly. I don't like it..."
"I'm sorry, Young Lord, my words were unwise. What I meant to imply is that it would be better to spare yourself from seeing such a display of..."
"Brutality and violence, Marien. I understand, and I appreciate your constant concern, as this is the seventh or eighth time you've touched on this subject. But my answer is the same: If I can show my support, I will show my support."
Marien, like the other maids, knows that DCT is not a type of healthy and enjoyable entertainment. It's not like the Dragons are just racing or practicing their aerial maneuvers and evasion skills.
In fact, there are various types of training that all the women of the house participate in, whether for dragons or not. As responsible for training everyone, Nala supervises and instructs from strength training to weapon combat for the maids.
But she also does endurance training, agility, aura strength, aura tuning, and several others. In addition to training to improve flying skills, gravity endurance, low-pressure endurance, and countless other dragon training.
I love watching all kinds of training, especially when it's for dragons, and I can observe the training up close. It's sincerely fascinating, much better than watching an airshow of a squadron of planes.
But the DCT can easily be classified as the most important training. Just as a boxer will never be good if he trains only with a punching bag, Nala always says that only battle can exponentially improve a dragon's skills.
"But no matter how much I wait, the outcome of this combat training will not change anytime soon."
"..."
"..."
"..."
I didn't say the last sentence in a tone of disappointment or anger; on the contrary, I say it as someone says that the sky is blue. Believing that Mamãe and Abigail can win a battle against Nala, even in training, is like expecting the sky to turn yellow tomorrow.
None of the girls said anything or showed any reaction because they know it's the purest truth. Maybe it's even worse, as perhaps this result will never change. This is the power discrepancy between them, simply colossal and insurmountable.
"My admiration for your willingness to show support for them continues to grow, Young Lord."
Aglaya, who is sitting on my left side, spoke to me, I think to try to comfort me in this situation. Sitting on my right side, Marien put her arm around mine and pulled me closer to her.
"I wish he would show his support as faithfully when it's us who are being beaten even more humiliatingly..."
"... This is a great complaint, Mahara. Young Lord, why aren't you there for our combat training?"
"This is a big question, girls; is it because Lady Abigail and Lady Inessa are responsible for causing so much suffering in training?"
Mahara raised an extremely delicate issue for me... I can never say that it's because I get bored watching their combat training. But I don't have any better excuse to give them on this matter.
I can tell Aglaya that I'm not always there for their training because I'm studying, but she would suspect right away. And Marien's question is practically rhetorical; nothing I say will make her change her mind...
I'm screwed... I can't say anything that will only worsen my situation, and if that happens, they'll start ignoring me and being cold with me. Who will take me to the village? Will I have to eat cold food when I wake up in the middle of the night? Who will help me with my duties?
My god... I've been so spoiled by them that I ended up getting used to all the comforts. I only realized that I was extremely dependent on them when it was too late. But fortunately, I have my secret weapon, which may or may not work.
Removing Marien's arm from my shoulder, I calmly stand up and take two steps forward. Then I turn around and start staring at the three women, who stare back at me waiting for the answers to the questions they asked.
"It's not for lack of willingness, girls, that I don't watch you train. In fact, I don't watch because of lack of time. There are 5 of you, and I can't watch the entire training, so if I watch only 2 or 3 of you training, the other 2 or 3 will be upset."
With a downcast expression and a trained tone of apology, I sent my best response to the current problem. I hope none of them point out the fact that their combat training only lasts 1 or 2 hours longer than DCT.
"hahahaha You lie very well, Young Lord... Hahahaha... I almost believed it."
The first to react was Marien, who, contrary to what I expected, couldn't even hold back her laughter and soon killed all my hope that they would believe my words.
"Hehe, I hope he doesn't use this as a means to deceive people when he grows up... But I'm more concerned about how many times he will deceive us by lying like this."
The second to react was Mahara, who gave a small laugh but started to give me a piercing look, as if daring me to challenge danger. I'm sure she won't like to know that I've lied to her a few times when I wanted to avoid duties.
"I would never deceive you out of malice... I just wanted to avoid causing confusion..."
Putting the best cynical smile on my face, I spoke the best sentences I could think of at the moment. I don't want the situation to get even worse.
"Young Lord, we've known you since you arrived naked in Lord Akachi's arms. I think you were 2 or 3 days old at most..."
Standing up from her chair, Aglaya began speaking as she approached me. She came close enough to put her hand on top of my head and stroke my hair. As she continued the motion, she kept speaking:
"Don't forget that we fed you, gave you care, love, attention, education, and everything you needed. We know you better than we know each other, even though we've spent much more time together than you've been alive. So, Young Lord..."
Aglaya stopped stroking my hair and withdrew her hands. Then, she knelt down to be at eye level with me and looked at me affectionately for a few seconds. She brought one hand to my face, placing it on my left cheek, and continued speaking:
"Don't try to break our trust in such dishonorable ways, Young Lord. Always tell us the truth, and in return, we will always tell you the truth. What do you think?"
"..."
I don't have anything to say; in fact, anything I say at this point will only ruin the mood. What I can do now is nod my head positively.
"Great, let's sit down and continue watching. I believe they're finishing up."
There's no way, Aglaya has a natural ability to influence people, whether with gestures, words, expressions... It's almost unfair how unjust it is.
"Aglaya, dear, I don't think you should end Young Lord's fun like this. Life is more than caring about others."
"I agree with your words, Marien, but I think Aglaya is right in this case. Young Lord needs to learn that bonds of trust are much more important than moments of fun."
"I know that bonds of trust and connections are important, Mahara, but our lives don't just boil down to them. We always have to remember that they can be broken even if we do everything to avoid it."
"So do you prefer to never have one because it can be broken? Or do you prefer to have one and do everything to keep it strong?"
"... "
++
I hope you can help me correct any spelling errors in the chapters.
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