Chapter 78: Tempered (4)

[Adilun’s POV]

“Haaaah... Haaaaah”

Ragged breaths escaped from my lips involuntarily.

It had already been an hour since Physis and I started running in the training grounds. I could truly feel how rigorously the knights were being trained.

I felt tired, and my legs were starting to lose strength, but I didn’t stop. Once I joined the subjugation party, I would face even harsher situations, and there might be instances where I needed to conserve mana.

If I relied too much on magic, I could easily find myself unable to cope with unexpected events. Although dragons were said to have unlimited control over mana, as a human with dragon blood running through my veins, I couldn’t enjoy infinite mana.

It was true that I possessed an overwhelming amount of mana, but it wasn’t infinite, so there would inevitably be moments when my mana ran out.

To prepare for such situations, I had to conserve mana without fail, and eventually, the time would come when I had to push my pitiful body to its limits.

There was still some time before the subjugation party was formed, so I had to build up my stamina until then... at the very least.

But in the end, my legs gave out.

“Adilun, are you alright?”

“Uh... yes.”

I forced myself to say that I was fine, but Physis immediately understood from my expression that I wasn’t okay.

“Let’s take a break. You’ve been running for quite a while. If you can keep up with my pace for an hour, your... basic stamina is remarkably good. Even well-trained soldiers can’t run like that.”

“R-Really?”

“Yes. It seems like the dragon blood flowing through your body has manifested a little more... Did you always have such good stamina?”

“No, I’ve never exerted myself so vigorously before, so I didn’t know the details.”

“With this level of basic stamina... if you put in a little effort, you’ll be able to keep moving without getting tired during the subjugation party’s activities.”

“I’m relieved...”

Upon Physis’ encouraging words, I slumped down in my place. Physis followed suit and sat beside me, gently patting my head as if praising my efforts.

“You’ve been through a lot.”

“It’s only you who undergoes this training every day.”

“Hahaha, is that so?”

“To be honest, I understand now after running in the training grounds today. How much effort our knights put in... It was incredibly challenging.”

“Because that’s what we’re supposed to do.”

He spoke calmly and looked at me very affectionately, gently stroking my hair. I couldn’t help but think how amazing he and the knights were as I leaned into his touch.

“Just the fact that you work hard at what needs to be done is remarkable. Honestly, there are times when I get distracted while doing the tasks assigned to me... You and the knights train rigorously every day.”

“It’s inevitable. If we don’t train rigorously, we’ll be killed.”

“Ah...”

“Well, that’s partly a joke... Actually, it’s because we receive corresponding rewards. I think what you’re doing to become an excellent successor, wrestling with various documents and practicing magic late into the night, is more remarkable.”

“As I mentioned earlier, do you find time for other things in between?”

“As humans, we need some rest, don’t we? We also have our own resting time. In fact, I think what you do is even more impressive. I’ve heard that you handle the tasks that His Excellency takes care of as well.”

“That’s true. Maybe once this incident is over, I might start receiving proper successor training.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. And maybe... as soon as the successor training is over, my father will pass down the duchy to me. He has been thinking of resigning from the duchy and traveling with my mother for a long time.”

“Hahaha. My father was like that too.”

“Count and Countess had a good relationship, right?”

“That’s right. Considering how nobles used to engage in extramarital affairs as if it were a daily routine... it’s quite a rare case.”

“That’s true. And come to think of it, in other territories, problems caused by extramarital affairs often arise. Issues like illegitimate children...”

“Let us not do that.”

“Heh. If you ever do that, I’ll kill you and then kill myself.”

“...Don’t say such scary things. And I would never betray you. Besides, my gaze doesn’t wander to other women in the first place.”

“Really?”

“Have you ever seen me divert my attention to someone else, leaving you aside? I’ve always looked at you, except for when I had to dance with Princess Lobelia during the National Foundation Day.””

“Let’s not talk about that.”

I spoke to him with a slightly annoyed expression. In any situation, at any time... I didn’t want to hear another woman’s name coming out of his mouth.

“Ah... Sorry. I was thoughtless.”

“No, it’s not that serious... It’s just that thinking about it at that moment put me in a certain mood.”

“I see. You must have been quite upset then.”

“...Yes.”

“Don’t worry. I’ve never felt any romantic attraction toward other women even then.”

“Yes. I’ll trust you.”

“Anyway, do you want to run a little more, or should we call it a day?”

“I want to run a little more. But, could you keep doing this for a little longer?”

Saying that, I nestled into his embrace. I buried my back into his chest and held his strong arm around my waist.

The intense warmth made my whole body pleasantly tired. It was comfortable. I wanted to stay like this forever.

“As much as you want.”

“Thank you. Oh, speaking of infidelity... When do you want to get married?”

“Right now.”

“Let’s skip unrealistic talk.”

“Well, if that’s not it... how about in six months? It seems suitable when the deadline we promised each other ends.”

“I feel the same way. That works out well.”

“Marriage, huh...”

He seemed to have some renewed thoughts as he lifted his chin from my head and looked up at the sky.

“Will I be able to do well?”

“We’ll both have a lot to learn. But as my mother said, marriage is about complementing each other’s weaknesses and growing together.”

“Indeed.”

“As long as we have trust in each other and don’t betray one another... I believe we can overcome anything.”

“Yes. I hope it comes soon.”

“Me too. We should... finish what we started last time, right?”

I tilted my head back and smiled teasingly at him.

“Hahaha... You might faint, you know?”

“Well, I won’t know until I try. Actually, today’s run and the subjugation party... they are also preparations for that. To endure with your monster-like stamina, I also need to have some level of stamina...”

“Aren’t you often saying things that are too embarrassing?”

“Well, what’s wrong with that? It’s just the two of us anyway. Oh, by the way, how many children would you like to have?”

“...The more, the better.”

I laughed softly at those words and nodded my head.

“That matches my thoughts. Well, shall we start running again?”

“Sure.”

“Let’s go.”

I stood up from his embrace, glanced at the sky for a moment, and then looked ahead.

It was time to run.

* * *

[Physis’ POV]

I watched Adilun as she ran.

Wearing clothes that were somewhat tight to the body for training and running hard to build up physical strength, the appearance of Adilun had remarkable beauty in itself.

It wasn’t just about her physical appearance or the curves of her body; her determination and effort were admirable.

Those who put in effort always shine.

And even more so, someone who strives in an area that is not their expertise, fearing they might inconvenience others... they alleviate the suffering of others to that extent.

So I should also strive harder. So that no one, not a single person living in this land, will have to mourn the loss of a precious person. So that Adilun won’t have to experience sadness because of that.

I thought as I followed behind Adilun, running at a slower pace.

Adilun continued to run, even as her breath became heavy. What kind of future does she envision? And how will her happiness be fulfilled within it?

I was curious about that.

If I stayed by her side and observed that scene, what would I feel?

It was still a story of an unknown future, but I could only hope.

That our future... moves in the ideal direction that we both envision.

.

.

.

.

From the next day onward, Adilun and I continued our training. The surprising thing was that Adilun’s stamina was increasing noticeably.

Perhaps it was due to her dragon bloodline. Even during our run today, she didn’t show any signs of fatigue like she did yesterday.

Both she and I felt a sense of disbelief at that fact.

‘Is this really okay?’

In addition to that, I even gave her some instructions on the martial arts I use. At least she should have the basic self-defense skills.

And... more than just her stamina increasing quickly, I was astonished.

Adilun’s rate of growth was extraordinary.

It was as if she wasn’t someone learning martial arts for the first time; she easily followed my movements. It wasn’t just mimicking the motions.

She replicated not only the movements but also the distribution of power and the principles of how to strike the opponent more forcefully.

“Haha.”

An incredulous laugh escaped me. It didn’t matter to me, but if other knights were to witness this, they might feel that the world is truly unfair.

“Why?”

“Well, just... because the world seems so unfair.”

“What?”

“Oh, nothing. Adilun, try not to show your martial arts skills to others as much as possible.”

“Of course. It’s more effective to keep things like this hidden.”

“Yes...”

Well, maybe it was better to have something good after all.

--- End OF The Chapter ---

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