Translator: “Hakou” Editor: “Weasalopes”
The guild master office on the third top floor of the kingdom merchant guild building. There were now three figures sitting at the reception table.
There was a petite old man who looked like a goblin, an old man who looked like Santa Claus with a long white beard and a big belly, and a tough-looking old man.
「The price of crops is still the same, but the price of ore is dropping rapidly」
Tough-looking old man flips through the documents with his back straight and gives a report on the market conditions.
The Santa Claus-like vice guild master, leaning back against the sofa, listens and opens his mouth while stroking his prized white beard.
「Is it because of the empire?」
What he had in mind was the start of mining, or golem hunting activity as they say it, in the great hole just southeast of Landbarn.
He heard that the mine has an abundant good quality of resources, and that their hunt is going well.
「It can be said that this is one of the factors. They are being brought in in large numbers across the border」
The guild master, who looked like a goblin, nodded in response to the supervisor, the tough-looking old man.
「They’ve lifted the restrictions on exports to the kingdom, huh. Well, there’s nothing we could do about it this time around」
Ore is the main raw material for the Knights. Normally, you would not sell it to a neighboring country in a state of tension.
Santa Claus nodded while crossing his arms and said with a grim expression.
「The Elven village have announced that they will stop trading with the empire. If the elves won’t buy it, then they’ll have to sell it to us」
Then he lightly cast down his eyes and thought for a moment before continuing.
「The rapid deterioration of relations between the empire and the elves. Looking at this, the green-white Knights who attacked the grim reaper in the great hole is definitely from the elves side」
The tough-looking man makes a surprised face as it was the first time he heard about it. However, he did not say anything.
They must have thought it was okay to tell him. And he was happy about it.
「Yes, it was as the mechanic predicted. The Empire’s current enemy has changed from the Kingdom to the Elves」
The guild master nodded his head while rubbing his chin. Then, he turns his gaze to the tough-looking old man.
「There’s another reason why the price of ore is falling, isn’t there?」
Urged by the guild master, the tough-looking old man resumed his report with the document in his hand.
「Yes, the repair and construction of the Knights that were done by the knight order. That seems to have been completed」
Nearly a year ago, the main force of the knight order went to subjugate a herd of heavy lancers, but were defeated in retaliation and lost many of their Knights.
The decline in military strength led to the Empire’s invasion of Landbarn, and not long after, the Battle of Landbarn broke out.
The knight order was defeated in this battle as well, and lost even more Knights. As a result, a huge amount of ore was needed for repairs and construction, causing a shortage and a sharp rise in ore’s prices.
「We’ve even running out of materials to produce daily necessities after all, so it’s a relief」
The guild master was smiling calmly in relief, while Santa Claus lets out a single sigh.
「Although it would have been better if we could secure the ore mines in the great hole for ourselves」
The more he looked into it, the more he realized that it was a promising mine, and his disappointment only grew.
However, if the Grim Reaper took over first, it would be impossible for the knight order of the kingdom to fight back.
The speed of the Empire’s information network and their judgment to immediately dispatch the Grim Reaper there was something to be praised.
「It’s in the past now, give it up. More than that, we need to prepare the transport to the eastern country」
Even though the demand for ores in the Kingdom has started to decrease, the eastern country still needs them. Because they have lost a lot of Knights to the self-proclaimed sage.
So it will take some time for them to recover.
「I understand. I will make arrangements as soon as possible」
The tough-looking old man answered with a motivated expression. The guild master looked at him and as if he had just thought of something, he added.
「About the matter with the Saintess, we’ve been indebted to her this time around. So I think it’s better to keep our profits to the level where they won’t lose too much money」
The brainwashing incident that occurred in Awoke. In order to save the countless victims, the Saintess has been sprinkling holy water from morning to evening.
Her contribution far surpasses that of the kingdom’s top-ranking magicians and pharmacists. Santa Claus nodded his head as if it was only natural.
「As you instructed」
The maximum profit that he had been calculating in his head. He wrote it off and bowed his head deeply.
***
A large square in the center of the royal capital, with the merchant guild located to the east and the adventurer guild to the west. And to the north is the royal castle, where the king lives and his vassals are gathered.
In one corner of the castle, in the office of the Prime Minister, there were two people facing each other. One of them is a mature prime minister with droopy eyes, and the other is a large, elderly man with a kaiser beard, the knight commander of the knight order.
「We have the Knights returned to certain number, so that’s a relief」
The repair and construction of the B-class Knights, which are the kingdom’s main force, is almost complete. The prime minister exhales and puts his weight on the backrest in response to the report received from the knight commander standing in front of him.
But the giant man with the kaiser beard rubbed his beard as if he was deep in thought. He seemed to have something on his mind.
「Now we need more pilots. If we raise all the current C-class pilots to B-class, we will have a shortage of C-class Knights」
The knight order of the kingdom lost many pilots in the defeat of the Heavy Lancer subjugation and the Battle of Landbarn.
In order to fill the void, the Prime Minister exercised his power and recruited C-class Knights from the nobility in the country.
「Now that we have solved the shortage of Knights, this time we don’t have enough pilots, huh」
One side of his face contorted at the never-ending problem. He exhaled lightly and asked the knight commander.
「There must have been a regular practical exam at the pilot school. Can’t you fill in with that?」
The large old man with the kaiser beard shrugged his shoulders and shook his head from side to side.
「Unfortunately, there was no one who passed. It seems that all the promising candidates were siphoned off from the temporary practical test held previously」
Those who were ready to join were already hired. Even with the temporary examinations, the number of recruits per year did not increase.
The knight commander’s mouth was tightly shut. The strong gaze of the knight commander was a clear indication of his will to not lower the quality.
「But, I’m not going to give it back to them just because there’s a surplus of it」
The original owners were the aristocracy, the high ranking nobles. If they knew that the prime minister was letting them idle in the hangar, they would start clamoring for him to return them.
The Prime Minister himself is one of the high ranking nobles. However, when you are in the position of “Prime Minister”, you can see a different view.
「I’d rather scrap them and use it as material than give it back」
The Kingdom was on the verge of being crushed by the Empire. He was proud of himself for working hard to do what he must to avoid destruction.
Those who are loudly making a fuss only for the benefit of their own territory are nothing but an object of hatred.
「Unlike before, the knight order is engaged in exterminating demon beasts. The lords have their own Knights to protect the safety of their own territory, but this is no longer necessary」
It is as the knight commander said, the knight order of the kingdom had never killed demon beasts in noble territory before.
『A Knight should only fight another Knight』
The only exception to this is when there is a large magical beast that can cause a national crisis. The example of this was when a herd of heavy lancers, who were heading to the royal capital.
That is why the nobles needed to have the power to defend themselves.
「That’s right. As a matter of fact, the smaller nobles are happy about it」
The Prime Minister bent one side of his face sarcastically and nodded.
They were now free from the expense of exterminating demon beasts, which made the management of his domain easier. However, this was not the case for the high ranking nobles.
『The high ranking nobles are the only ones who have the wealth to own and maintain Knights』
This is the reality.
Therefore, when a demon beast appears in their territory, the small and mid-ranking nobles in the vicinity have no choice but to request the neighboring high-ranking nobles to dispatch their Knights.
For the high-ranking nobles, this was a very good thing, because it increased their influence significantly.
Translator: “Hakou” Editor: “Weasalopes”
『Whether to dispatch the Knights immediately to repel the demon beast, or to rush to them after the demon beasts rampaged to certain extent, or to abandon them all together with only a vague reply』
It is the high ranking nobles who make the decisions. Seeking a guarantee in case of emergency, the small and mid-rank nobles all joined the faction of the high-rank nobles and began to obey their orders as their leader.
As a result, the power of the high-ranking nobles increased even more.
「There is also the example of the eastern Count. To prevent civil war, I will not allow the nobles to possess new Knights」
The Prime Minister declares in a strong tone.
The second prince who attempted a coup. The eastern Count who was suspected to belong to that faction refused to answer the summon.
On the contrary, he welcomed a sorcerer who called himself a sage and planned to become independent.
(I will never let something like that happen again)
Fortunately, he was quickly subdued by the knight order. However, if it had been prolonged, it would have shown the Empire an opening to invade.
For that reason, he wanted to take advantage of this time of emergency to concentrate the armed forces under the king.
「….Better yet, we could just sell it off . We could sell it to the eastern country for example」
The adventurer guild aside, the merchant guild must have a lot of money. The blacksmith guild, which has been building knights, is probably quite well funded too.
For the eastern country, they were also a victim of that man who called himself a sage. As a token of gratitude for the dispatch of the Saintess, they can sell it to them at a discount.
「It will be a good addition to the treasury, that’s not a bad idea」
The Prime Minister praised himself for his idea. But the knight commander had a pensive look on his face.
『Selling the Knights he had taken by force』
He was worried about the reaction of the high ranking nobles to this idea.
「I have the power now to suppress someone at their level. Once they give up their Knights, there’s nothing they can do about it」
The Prime Minister said confidently with a wicked smile on his face. Now that they have given up their Knights, even the high-ranking nobles have to rely on the knight order to exterminate demon beasts.
And there’s also the existence of the king. The king’s trust in the Prime Minister is extremely high, as he continues to produce results in times of national crisis.
『Returning them to the high-ranking nobles would only make it a dangerous toy. Then it would be better for the country to have them work in the private sector or use them as diplomatic candy』
If I explain it in this way, His Majesty will surely understand. The Prime Minister concludes.
「I will speak to the leaders of the various guilds and to the people from the eastern country. Knight commanders, I would like you to try to secure a pilot for the Knights」
「Understood. I will do my best to secure as many pilots as I could」
The giant man with a kaiser beard nodded and left the room with a brilliant turn.
***
It was late afternoon that day. In the corner of the indoor training area of the knight order headquarters, there is a group of pilots working hard at their training.
It was Lightning and a pair of old men who were former adventurers.
「Seii, Seiyaa!!」
「Seii, Seiyaa!!」
All three of them were naked on the bottom half of their bodies. They tied American crackers to the base of their swords and moved their hips back and forth with a shout.
Unlike when they first started, they were now completely in tune.
「Good! Keep it up」
Lightning squints his eyes at the growth of these old men. Every time they moved his hips back and forth, the American cracker would be struck and make a sound.
The intervals were so precise that they sounded like the ticking of a pillar clock.
「Alright, let’s call it a day」
At Lightning’s words, the old men stopped their movements carefully.
The last part was unexpectedly difficult. If they’re not careful, they can get sandwiched between the American crackers.
「I’m sweating a lot even though it’s winter」
「It might be a good idea to take off our shirt too when it gets a little warmer」
The men begin to wipe the base of their swords with thick towels while saying such things. Then a girl with a ponytail approaches with a mysterious look on her face.
Busty-chan was not with her. She had been attending a briefing in the hangar, after being promoted from a C-class Knight pilot to a B-class Knight pilot.
「Lightning-san, there is something that I would like to consult with you」
The young man had finished wiping the sweat from his crotch and was letting the towel absorb the sweat from his face and forehead when he was called out and turned around to face Ponytail.
「Can you please teach me too?」
The gaze that was directed at him was serious. Lightning retracted the gentle smile that had been on his face and hung the towel around his neck.
「I have an opponent I want to win against. And in order to do that, I need to get stronger」
She bows her head deeply, swaying the strands of hair at the back of her head. Lightning looks at her dazzlingly.
She had a target, and she wants to improve herself to achieve that target. He was moved by her radiance.
Immediately after, however, he replied with an apologetic expression.
「I would really like to help you. But unfortunately, my school is for men, and I don’t have any know-how to teach women」
She must have made her resolve and called out to him. The ponytail’s face twisted greatly, although not quite to the point of despair.
Heartbroken, Lightning thought for a moment and opened his mouth.
「Actually, near my hometown, there is a dojo for women. My wife went there for a period of time, so I’ll try asking her about it tonight」
Ponytail’s expression changed drastically, as if she had been rescued.
「Thank you very much!」
She bowed her head again and her ponytail swayed energetically. Lightning’s eyes narrowed his eyes upon seeing it.
***
The next day. Lightning and the others gather in a corner of the indoor training area.
There are five of them. Today, there’s also a girl with a braided pigtail and super big tits, Busty-chan.
「I’ll show you how to use this now」
Lightning, still with his clothes on, is holding a circle about a meter in diameter. It seemed to be made of wisteria or grape ivy.
He puts himself into the circle and then releases his hand with a burst of energy. He then rotated the wheel with only the movement of his hips.
If Tauro had seen it, he would have thought it was a hula hoop.
「It seems to be the basic training for all schools. If you continue to do this, your strength will definitely increase」
He tells them with a calm face, but the wheels are already quite fast. What is noteworthy is how stable it is.
Even though he was moving his hips, the wheel remained level. They realize how strong Lightning really is from seeing it.
「….Amazing」
Ponytail stares intently at him with her mouth half open. At her side, the married man with his arms crossed is nodding in agreement.
「Now that I think about it, my daughter used to do it all the time too. So that was part of her training, huh」
His daughter is a sideline who works as a magical girl in Cione, one of the three families in the royal capital. It seems that she was not only talented, but also worked hard from an early age.
「Well then, please go ahead」
Ponytail took the wheel from Lightning, who had stopped it, and started to spin it.
Ponytail looked relieved that she was able to spin the wheel properly from the start.
「When you get used to it, you can make the wheels heavier and larger in diameter, or turn more than one wheel at a time」
Ponytail receives an explanation and replies with just her eyes. She continues to spin the wheel with a serious expression.
The two old men, on the other hand, were smiling and laughing as they watched her.
「Spinning that wheel in a tight skirt huh. It’s quite nice」
「The way she moves her hips, it’s honestly quite something」
The men looked at each other in disappointment as Ponytail ignored their remarks. Then, they shifted their target to Busty-chan who was standing next to them.
「You’re not gonna do it?」
Busty-chan just shrugged her shoulders. She didn’t seem too keen on the idea.
「Too bad, I thought I could see those tits swaying up and down」
The unmarried man brought his hands in front of him and said with a shaking gesture. The married man nodded his head in agreement.
「Damn right. That one over there may have good legs, but it’s not as great as the tits over here」
A wheel made of ivy fell to the floor with a clang.
「Oh shut up! If you have time to talk, why don’t you use it to practice instead huh!」
The ponytail glared at them, but the old men were unperturbed.
「I mean, weren’t you also came to watch us train and blabbered on about how bad we are?」
「A man’s heart is a very delicate thing, you know?」
Ponytail frowned deeply as the married and unmarried old man kept refuting her.
She then scoffs and starts spinning the wheel again.
While Lightning was watching the scene with a wry smile on his face.
Translator: “Hakou” Editor: “Weasalopes”
The guild master office on the third top floor of the kingdom merchant guild building. There were now three figures sitting at the reception table.
There was a petite old man who looked like a goblin, an old man who looked like Santa Claus with a long white beard and a big belly, and a tough-looking old man.
「The price of crops is still the same, but the price of ore is dropping rapidly」
Tough-looking old man flips through the documents with his back straight and gives a report on the market conditions.
The Santa Claus-like vice guild master, leaning back against the sofa, listens and opens his mouth while stroking his prized white beard.
「Is it because of the empire?」
What he had in mind was the start of mining, or golem hunting activity as they say it, in the great hole just southeast of Landbarn.
He heard that the mine has an abundant good quality of resources, and that their hunt is going well.
「It can be said that this is one of the factors. They are being brought in in large numbers across the border」
The guild master, who looked like a goblin, nodded in response to the supervisor, the tough-looking old man.
「They’ve lifted the restrictions on exports to the kingdom, huh. Well, there’s nothing we could do about it this time around」
Ore is the main raw material for the Knights. Normally, you would not sell it to a neighboring country in a state of tension.
Santa Claus nodded while crossing his arms and said with a grim expression.
「The Elven village have announced that they will stop trading with the empire. If the elves won’t buy it, then they’ll have to sell it to us」
Then he lightly cast down his eyes and thought for a moment before continuing.
「The rapid deterioration of relations between the empire and the elves. Looking at this, the green-white Knights who attacked the grim reaper in the great hole is definitely from the elves side」
The tough-looking man makes a surprised face as it was the first time he heard about it. However, he did not say anything.
They must have thought it was okay to tell him. And he was happy about it.
「Yes, it was as the mechanic predicted. The Empire’s current enemy has changed from the Kingdom to the Elves」
The guild master nodded his head while rubbing his chin. Then, he turns his gaze to the tough-looking old man.
「There’s another reason why the price of ore is falling, isn’t there?」
Urged by the guild master, the tough-looking old man resumed his report with the document in his hand.
「Yes, the repair and construction of the Knights that were done by the knight order. That seems to have been completed」
Nearly a year ago, the main force of the knight order went to subjugate a herd of heavy lancers, but were defeated in retaliation and lost many of their Knights.
The decline in military strength led to the Empire’s invasion of Landbarn, and not long after, the Battle of Landbarn broke out.
The knight order was defeated in this battle as well, and lost even more Knights. As a result, a huge amount of ore was needed for repairs and construction, causing a shortage and a sharp rise in ore’s prices.
「We’ve even running out of materials to produce daily necessities after all, so it’s a relief」
The guild master was smiling calmly in relief, while Santa Claus lets out a single sigh.
「Although it would have been better if we could secure the ore mines in the great hole for ourselves」
The more he looked into it, the more he realized that it was a promising mine, and his disappointment only grew.
However, if the Grim Reaper took over first, it would be impossible for the knight order of the kingdom to fight back.
The speed of the Empire’s information network and their judgment to immediately dispatch the Grim Reaper there was something to be praised.
「It’s in the past now, give it up. More than that, we need to prepare the transport to the eastern country」
Even though the demand for ores in the Kingdom has started to decrease, the eastern country still needs them. Because they have lost a lot of Knights to the self-proclaimed sage.
So it will take some time for them to recover.
「I understand. I will make arrangements as soon as possible」
The tough-looking old man answered with a motivated expression. The guild master looked at him and as if he had just thought of something, he added.
「About the matter with the Saintess, we’ve been indebted to her this time around. So I think it’s better to keep our profits to the level where they won’t lose too much money」
The brainwashing incident that occurred in Awoke. In order to save the countless victims, the Saintess has been sprinkling holy water from morning to evening.
Her contribution far surpasses that of the kingdom’s top-ranking magicians and pharmacists. Santa Claus nodded his head as if it was only natural.
「As you instructed」
The maximum profit that he had been calculating in his head. He wrote it off and bowed his head deeply.
***
A large square in the center of the royal capital, with the merchant guild located to the east and the adventurer guild to the west. And to the north is the royal castle, where the king lives and his vassals are gathered.
In one corner of the castle, in the office of the Prime Minister, there were two people facing each other. One of them is a mature prime minister with droopy eyes, and the other is a large, elderly man with a kaiser beard, the knight commander of the knight order.
「We have the Knights returned to certain number, so that’s a relief」
The repair and construction of the B-class Knights, which are the kingdom’s main force, is almost complete. The prime minister exhales and puts his weight on the backrest in response to the report received from the knight commander standing in front of him.
But the giant man with the kaiser beard rubbed his beard as if he was deep in thought. He seemed to have something on his mind.
「Now we need more pilots. If we raise all the current C-class pilots to B-class, we will have a shortage of C-class Knights」
The knight order of the kingdom lost many pilots in the defeat of the Heavy Lancer subjugation and the Battle of Landbarn.
In order to fill the void, the Prime Minister exercised his power and recruited C-class Knights from the nobility in the country.
「Now that we have solved the shortage of Knights, this time we don’t have enough pilots, huh」
One side of his face contorted at the never-ending problem. He exhaled lightly and asked the knight commander.
「There must have been a regular practical exam at the pilot school. Can’t you fill in with that?」
The large old man with the kaiser beard shrugged his shoulders and shook his head from side to side.
「Unfortunately, there was no one who passed. It seems that all the promising candidates were siphoned off from the temporary practical test held previously」
Those who were ready to join were already hired. Even with the temporary examinations, the number of recruits per year did not increase.
The knight commander’s mouth was tightly shut. The strong gaze of the knight commander was a clear indication of his will to not lower the quality.
「But, I’m not going to give it back to them just because there’s a surplus of it」
The original owners were the aristocracy, the high ranking nobles. If they knew that the prime minister was letting them idle in the hangar, they would start clamoring for him to return them.
The Prime Minister himself is one of the high ranking nobles. However, when you are in the position of “Prime Minister”, you can see a different view.
「I’d rather scrap them and use it as material than give it back」
The Kingdom was on the verge of being crushed by the Empire. He was proud of himself for working hard to do what he must to avoid destruction.
Those who are loudly making a fuss only for the benefit of their own territory are nothing but an object of hatred.
「Unlike before, the knight order is engaged in exterminating demon beasts. The lords have their own Knights to protect the safety of their own territory, but this is no longer necessary」
It is as the knight commander said, the knight order of the kingdom had never killed demon beasts in noble territory before.
『A Knight should only fight another Knight』
The only exception to this is when there is a large magical beast that can cause a national crisis. The example of this was when a herd of heavy lancers, who were heading to the royal capital.
That is why the nobles needed to have the power to defend themselves.
「That’s right. As a matter of fact, the smaller nobles are happy about it」
The Prime Minister bent one side of his face sarcastically and nodded.
They were now free from the expense of exterminating demon beasts, which made the management of his domain easier. However, this was not the case for the high ranking nobles.
『The high ranking nobles are the only ones who have the wealth to own and maintain Knights』
This is the reality.
Therefore, when a demon beast appears in their territory, the small and mid-ranking nobles in the vicinity have no choice but to request the neighboring high-ranking nobles to dispatch their Knights.
For the high-ranking nobles, this was a very good thing, because it increased their influence significantly.
Translator: “Hakou” Editor: “Weasalopes”
『Whether to dispatch the Knights immediately to repel the demon beast, or to rush to them after the demon beasts rampaged to certain extent, or to abandon them all together with only a vague reply』
It is the high ranking nobles who make the decisions. Seeking a guarantee in case of emergency, the small and mid-rank nobles all joined the faction of the high-rank nobles and began to obey their orders as their leader.
As a result, the power of the high-ranking nobles increased even more.
「There is also the example of the eastern Count. To prevent civil war, I will not allow the nobles to possess new Knights」
The Prime Minister declares in a strong tone.
The second prince who attempted a coup. The eastern Count who was suspected to belong to that faction refused to answer the summon.
On the contrary, he welcomed a sorcerer who called himself a sage and planned to become independent.
(I will never let something like that happen again)
Fortunately, he was quickly subdued by the knight order. However, if it had been prolonged, it would have shown the Empire an opening to invade.
For that reason, he wanted to take advantage of this time of emergency to concentrate the armed forces under the king.
「….Better yet, we could just sell it off . We could sell it to the eastern country for example」
The adventurer guild aside, the merchant guild must have a lot of money. The blacksmith guild, which has been building knights, is probably quite well funded too.
For the eastern country, they were also a victim of that man who called himself a sage. As a token of gratitude for the dispatch of the Saintess, they can sell it to them at a discount.
「It will be a good addition to the treasury, that’s not a bad idea」
The Prime Minister praised himself for his idea. But the knight commander had a pensive look on his face.
『Selling the Knights he had taken by force』
He was worried about the reaction of the high ranking nobles to this idea.
「I have the power now to suppress someone at their level. Once they give up their Knights, there’s nothing they can do about it」
The Prime Minister said confidently with a wicked smile on his face. Now that they have given up their Knights, even the high-ranking nobles have to rely on the knight order to exterminate demon beasts.
And there’s also the existence of the king. The king’s trust in the Prime Minister is extremely high, as he continues to produce results in times of national crisis.
『Returning them to the high-ranking nobles would only make it a dangerous toy. Then it would be better for the country to have them work in the private sector or use them as diplomatic candy』
If I explain it in this way, His Majesty will surely understand. The Prime Minister concludes.
「I will speak to the leaders of the various guilds and to the people from the eastern country. Knight commanders, I would like you to try to secure a pilot for the Knights」
「Understood. I will do my best to secure as many pilots as I could」
The giant man with a kaiser beard nodded and left the room with a brilliant turn.
***
It was late afternoon that day. In the corner of the indoor training area of the knight order headquarters, there is a group of pilots working hard at their training.
It was Lightning and a pair of old men who were former adventurers.
「Seii, Seiyaa!!」
「Seii, Seiyaa!!」
All three of them were naked on the bottom half of their bodies. They tied American crackers to the base of their swords and moved their hips back and forth with a shout.
Unlike when they first started, they were now completely in tune.
「Good! Keep it up」
Lightning squints his eyes at the growth of these old men. Every time they moved his hips back and forth, the American cracker would be struck and make a sound.
The intervals were so precise that they sounded like the ticking of a pillar clock.
「Alright, let’s call it a day」
At Lightning’s words, the old men stopped their movements carefully.
The last part was unexpectedly difficult. If they’re not careful, they can get sandwiched between the American crackers.
「I’m sweating a lot even though it’s winter」
「It might be a good idea to take off our shirt too when it gets a little warmer」
The men begin to wipe the base of their swords with thick towels while saying such things. Then a girl with a ponytail approaches with a mysterious look on her face.
Busty-chan was not with her. She had been attending a briefing in the hangar, after being promoted from a C-class Knight pilot to a B-class Knight pilot.
「Lightning-san, there is something that I would like to consult with you」
The young man had finished wiping the sweat from his crotch and was letting the towel absorb the sweat from his face and forehead when he was called out and turned around to face Ponytail.
「Can you please teach me too?」
The gaze that was directed at him was serious. Lightning retracted the gentle smile that had been on his face and hung the towel around his neck.
「I have an opponent I want to win against. And in order to do that, I need to get stronger」
She bows her head deeply, swaying the strands of hair at the back of her head. Lightning looks at her dazzlingly.
She had a target, and she wants to improve herself to achieve that target. He was moved by her radiance.
Immediately after, however, he replied with an apologetic expression.
「I would really like to help you. But unfortunately, my school is for men, and I don’t have any know-how to teach women」
She must have made her resolve and called out to him. The ponytail’s face twisted greatly, although not quite to the point of despair.
Heartbroken, Lightning thought for a moment and opened his mouth.
「Actually, near my hometown, there is a dojo for women. My wife went there for a period of time, so I’ll try asking her about it tonight」
Ponytail’s expression changed drastically, as if she had been rescued.
「Thank you very much!」
She bowed her head again and her ponytail swayed energetically. Lightning’s eyes narrowed his eyes upon seeing it.
***
The next day. Lightning and the others gather in a corner of the indoor training area.
There are five of them. Today, there’s also a girl with a braided pigtail and super big tits, Busty-chan.
「I’ll show you how to use this now」
Lightning, still with his clothes on, is holding a circle about a meter in diameter. It seemed to be made of wisteria or grape ivy.
He puts himself into the circle and then releases his hand with a burst of energy. He then rotated the wheel with only the movement of his hips.
If Tauro had seen it, he would have thought it was a hula hoop.
「It seems to be the basic training for all schools. If you continue to do this, your strength will definitely increase」
He tells them with a calm face, but the wheels are already quite fast. What is noteworthy is how stable it is.
Even though he was moving his hips, the wheel remained level. They realize how strong Lightning really is from seeing it.
「….Amazing」
Ponytail stares intently at him with her mouth half open. At her side, the married man with his arms crossed is nodding in agreement.
「Now that I think about it, my daughter used to do it all the time too. So that was part of her training, huh」
His daughter is a sideline who works as a magical girl in Cione, one of the three families in the royal capital. It seems that she was not only talented, but also worked hard from an early age.
「Well then, please go ahead」
Ponytail took the wheel from Lightning, who had stopped it, and started to spin it.
Ponytail looked relieved that she was able to spin the wheel properly from the start.
「When you get used to it, you can make the wheels heavier and larger in diameter, or turn more than one wheel at a time」
Ponytail receives an explanation and replies with just her eyes. She continues to spin the wheel with a serious expression.
The two old men, on the other hand, were smiling and laughing as they watched her.
「Spinning that wheel in a tight skirt huh. It’s quite nice」
「The way she moves her hips, it’s honestly quite something」
The men looked at each other in disappointment as Ponytail ignored their remarks. Then, they shifted their target to Busty-chan who was standing next to them.
「You’re not gonna do it?」
Busty-chan just shrugged her shoulders. She didn’t seem too keen on the idea.
「Too bad, I thought I could see those tits swaying up and down」
The unmarried man brought his hands in front of him and said with a shaking gesture. The married man nodded his head in agreement.
「Damn right. That one over there may have good legs, but it’s not as great as the tits over here」
A wheel made of ivy fell to the floor with a clang.
「Oh shut up! If you have time to talk, why don’t you use it to practice instead huh!」
The ponytail glared at them, but the old men were unperturbed.
「I mean, weren’t you also came to watch us train and blabbered on about how bad we are?」
「A man’s heart is a very delicate thing, you know?」
Ponytail frowned deeply as the married and unmarried old man kept refuting her.
She then scoffs and starts spinning the wheel again.
While Lightning was watching the scene with a wry smile on his face.
