Chapter 65
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Chapter 65
I hastily changed the subject.
"Amelia, once you're done with those sweets, would you mind giving them to Sister for disposal?"
"Just a moment, Sister. Let me watch a bit longer."
But Amelia refused to cooperate with me. Instead, she leaned forward so intensely that she looked ready to tumble straight into the Lacrosse Stadium.
Claude, sitting beside me as I tried to stop her, quietly murmured.
"It appears Miss Rilprey has a fondness for well-built men."
"Pardon?"
Startled, I shook my head vigorously.
"That's not it. I was just curious about the players exchanging uniforms with each other. That's all."
"But didn't you say you enjoy watching lacrosse matches? Yet you find uniform exchanges curious...?"
"..."
Faced with such a logical argument, I found myself speechless.
"I understand. After all, there's hardly anyone in this world who dislikes a well-built physique. But I must say, I didn't expect you to be quite so... enthusiastic about it."
"..."
I hung my head in shame.
Losing myself while watching another's bare body—how utterly perverted of me.
And hardly the image I wanted to project in front of the children.
"Ria, Ria. Do you like men with rippling muscles?"
"That's an obvious question. Of course I do."
"Why?"
"Because they're impressive. They look strong too."
"You can be strong even with a small frame."
Lucian shouted while clenching his fists tightly. Even Edwin, who usually responded passively, nodded so vigorously his head made a whooshing sound.
"That may be true. But I'm not interested in that. My preference is for someone with rippling muscles like that."
Thump.
In that instant, I heard a sound like the sky itself was collapsing.
It was the sound of Lucian's motivation crumbling as he slumped back into his seat.
"I see... So your taste is..."
Edwin's expression, as he gazed down at his own slender arms, was equally gloomy.
"Auntie, Auntie!"
"Yes?"
"When are we going to the Imperial Capital? To meet with the knight seniors!"
"Not for a while, I'd think. We only go when there are meetings. We don't do physical training like the knights do."
"No!"
Lucian shook his head vigorously.
"Starting tomorrow, I'm going to the Imperial Capital every day! I'm going to train! I'm going to build rippling muscles!"
"You complain about being exhausted just from visiting the Temple, and now you want to talk about training?"
"I won't be tired. I can do it!"
Lucian's eyes blazed with determination. His resolve to build muscle by any means necessary was unmistakable.
"You'll never grow tall if you keep that up. Isn't that right, Duke?"
I turned to Claude for support.
"If that's what you wish, I'll lend you a hand."
But Claude proved utterly unhelpful.
"Come to the Subjugation Unit Office starting tomorrow. I'll train you properly."
"Yes, Duke! I mean, Commander!"
He was actually indulging Lucian's ridiculous requests without hesitation.
I understood why Lucian wanted to impress Amelia, but why was Claude suddenly brimming with enthusiasm too?
I tilted my head in bewilderment at these three men with their priorities so oddly skewed.
* * *
The next morning, Lucian sprang from bed the moment the sun rose.
"Training, muscles!"
There was a time when spanking his backside wouldn't budge him. But now, fired up at the prospect of training with the knights, he was a different creature entirely.
Instead of stopping at the Temple, I redirected our carriage toward the Imperial Capital. If we visited the Temple first, Lucian would be utterly exhausted by the time we reached the city.
The moment Lucian descended from the carriage, he bolted toward the Subjugation Unit Office.
"Seniors, how have you been!"
"Hey there, youngest. You made it?"
At Lucian's booming greeting, Xenon—who had been polishing his sword—rose from his seat.
He started to approach Lucian but stopped short, pulling a mirror from his pocket instead. His grooming was remarkably serious.
"Do I look scary today?"
"Better than yesterday, sir."
He was even having his appearance inspected by a colleague.
"Good."
Xenon patted his own cheeks and walked over to Lucian.
"But what brings you here? There's no meeting scheduled today."
Not that you'd understand it anyway.
Xenon added quietly.
"I summoned him."
At the voice from behind, Lucian and I turned around. Claude stood there.
"He said he wanted to strengthen his body through training."
"Training, you say?"
Xenon's typically half-lidded eyes widened in an instant.
"A chickpea-sized brat wanting to train...?"
"I'm training to escape being a chickpea!"
Lucian rolled up his sleeves and clenched his fists.
"I'll become a man with a tall frame and rippling muscles!"
"What's gotten into you?"
"Well... there's a reason for it."
The reason being that Amelia preferred men of larger build.
"There's no need to hesitate. Learning swordsmanship and self-defense will benefit Lucian regardless."
"Understood. Come here, youngest."
"Yes, sir!"
"Even if you cry midway saying it's too hard, I won't go easy on you. You'd better be prepared."
"Yes, sir!"
Lucian shouted vigorously and followed Xenon toward the Training Ground.
"Then I shall head to training as well."
"You too, Duke?"
"Am I not the commander? To maintain strength befitting my position, I must practice."
"I see."
Soon enough, Claude also departed for the Training Ground to begin his own training.
I settled onto a bench in the corner of the Training Ground, deciding to watch Lucian's first training session. I planned to wait until his training ended and return together with him.
"A magnificent physique comes from robust stamina! Therefore, three laps around the Training Ground!"
"Understood!"
Lucian answered smartly and sprinted across the expansive Training Ground.
Contrary to my expectation that he'd be gasping for breath soon, Lucian succeeded in completing three laps around the Training Ground without pause.
Indeed, a growing child's stamina was exceptional.
"Now we'll begin sword training. Pick up the wooden sword."
"Yes, sir!"
Lucian lifted the wooden sword placed before him.
"Oof!"
To be precise, he staggered the moment he picked it up.
After wavering for some time, Lucian finally tumbled forward with the wooden sword. The blade was simply too heavy.
"It seems you're still too young to wield a wooden sword. Wait a moment."
Xenon returned with a long wooden staff in hand.
He drew a short blade from his waist and began carving it.
Before long, the wooden piece was reborn as a child-sized wooden sword matching Lucian's arm length.
"A children's wooden sword I carved myself for our youngest!"
"Wow!"
"It's light in weight and appropriately sized, so you'll have no trouble swinging it."
"Xenon, you're the best!"
"Hehehehe!"
Lucian gave a thumbs up, and Xenon laughed, baring his teeth.
"Hearing such words from the youngest makes my heart soar."
They were a truly perfect pair.
'But what is Claude doing?'
He said he would participate in training as well.
I glanced around. Then I spotted Claude exercising in a corner of the Training Ground.
He was performing push-ups while wearing sand bags on his back.
Each time his upper body lowered and rose, his muscles tensed firmly. Veins bulged prominently as a bonus.
"Why is the commander doing physical conditioning instead of sword training?"
"Exactly. There's no need to go all the way to push-ups."
"And rolling up your sleeves in this weather, no less. Aren't you cold?"
The knights who had been watching him added their own remarks.
"But... are we really allowed to be sitting around like this? The Commander is training so diligently over there."
"It does seem... unbecoming of us as knights, doesn't it?"
Starting with someone's words, the knights gathered in the area began rising to their feet.
They let out a thunderous shout and rushed toward the Training Ground.
"What?"
A bewildered Claude scrambled upright.
"How could we possibly sit idle when the Commander trains with such dedication!"
"Leading by example rather than mere words—truly, the Commander is our exemplar!"
As if bound by an unspoken pact, the knights casually stripped off their tunics and suddenly began doing push-ups. Some sprinted across the Training Ground, while others paired up to do sit-ups.
"Oh my."
Flustered by the sudden display, I hastily covered my eyes with my hands.
Yet I could not prevent my fingers from gradually parting.
"Hmm..."
Through the gaps between my fingers, I could see the knights absorbed in their exertion.
"There's no need for all this! Go inside, now!"
Claude shouted at the knights, his own face flustered for some reason.
"How could we rest while the Commander trains!"
"It's fine, please just rest."
"With the monster subjugation right around the corner, we cannot afford to slack!"
"Just rest, will you!"
Contrary to Raven's assertion that hierarchy and obedience were fundamental, the knights paid no heed to Claude's words.
"See, our Commander is so humble!"
They simply laughed with satisfaction and continued their sprint across the Training Ground.
Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org