“…Will that be enough?”
“Yes. By watching the two of you train, my father will get a good sense of your strength.”
At Yuzuriha-san’s words, Suzuha tilts his head curiously.
“But if you want to see my brother’s strength, wouldn’t it be quicker for you to have a rematch with him, Yuzuriha-san?”
“…I don’t want to embarrass myself by losing in front of my father. Please understand.”
“I understand.”
Suzuha seems convinced, but I’m still in the dark.
Nevertheless, I have no desire to be beaten up in front of a noble family head and his beloved daughter, so I keep quiet.
“Alright then, Suzuha, let’s get started.”
“…I guess I have no choice. Though I’m not thrilled about having our private training interrupted…”
“Hey, we need to be on our best behavior for our guests. ──How about this, Suzuha? If you do well, we’ll have a karaage festival tomorrow.”
“Alright, brother! Let’s give it our all today!”
──After that, Suzuha and I started our training, with Yuzuriha-san and the others watching intently.
What surprised Yuzuriha-san the most wasn’t just the training itself, but how Suzuha thoroughly stretched and massaged her muscles before and after the training.
We’re commoners, so we can’t rely on healing magic to instantly fix any injuries.
That’s why we take the time to stretch properly to prevent injuries in the first place.
As for the scene where I gave Suzuha’s muscles a thorough massage, Yuzuriha turned bright red, pointing fingers at us, yelling something about it being obscene, but I had no idea what she meant.
5 (Yuzuriha’s point of view)
Late at night in the Sakuragi Duke’s residence.
In the study of the head of the household, the duke and his daughter sat facing each other with serious expressions.
“Well, now. How do you see that guy, Yuzuriha?”
“He should be brought into the Duke’s family.”
Yuzuriha asserted without any hesitation.
“We must absolutely, without a doubt, and as quickly as possible, bring him into our duchy. Of course, Suzuha-kun herself is an extraordinary talent, and if we can bring them both in, that would be ideal. But first and foremost, it’s crucial to secure Suzuha-kun’s brother.”
“That’s the highest praise.”
“No, Father. Even calling it the highest praise is too mild—securing Suzuha-kun’s brother will significantly determine the future success or failure of our duchy,”
“Why do you think that?”
Yuzuriha, still in an excited tone, laid out her feelings to her father.
“The first thing that surprised me was how he easily overpowered Suzuha-kun, someone even I struggled to defeat,”
“Isn’t it just because it’s training?”
“You can tell by looking at Suzuha-kun’s eyes and movements. She was fully determined to get at least one hit on her brother. Yet, Suzuha-kun didn’t even stand a chance,”
“Hmm. Then how strong is he? ”
“From my feeling that I’ve fought her, Suzuha-kun’s current strength is at least top-class among the knights. Easily overpowering her indicates that Suzuha-kun’s brother is at least a Knight Commander or even possibly the strongest in the country.
And on top of that,” Yuzuriha continued,
“More shocking than anything was his [flexible exercises] and [massage].
“Oh?
“The thing that surprised me the most when I fought Suzuha-kun seriously was the extraordinary flexibility and vast range of motion in her body. Despite that, her muscles were like twisted rubber pushed to the limit, hiding explosive power.
“Is that the secret to her strength?”
“I thought so too. However…
“What?
“What if those top-quality muscles were artificially created by Suzuha-kun’s brother through flexible exercises and massage…”
“……!”
The Duke fell silent.
Yuzuriha suggested the possibility that those superb muscles were artificially created by Suzuha-kun’s brother.
He had been shown that they could have been produced by human hands.
“Father, to be honest, I want to immediately abduct Suzuha-kun’s brother and train him day and night at our mansion. And after the training, I want Suzuha-kun’s brother to give me an exquisite massage to loosen up my muscles.”
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT LOCALIZERMEERKAT.PAGES.DEV
The Duke also witnessed the man’s massages.
He meticulously massaged the arms, shoulders, legs of my younger sister, and even deep into her buttocks and thighs, thoroughly kneading and checking the condition of her entire body, as if tenderly caring for her.
If it was a commoner brother and sister, it wouldn’t matter.
But for the daughter of a major noble to receive something like that from a commoner is completely out of bounds.
Even if he insists it’s a medical procedure, if it were to be exposed, it would undoubtedly become a scandal.
Yuzuriha should understand that much.
So, the Duke advised her.
“Yuzuriha, you should understand. Such a thing cannot be allowed.”
“Yes…”
“And one more thing.”
The Duke declared solemnly.
“We cannot bring that man into our Duke’s family right now.”
“What!?”
Yuzuriha bit back as if she couldn’t believe it.
“Are you out of your mind, Father!? Suzuha-kun’s brother’s strength should be easily discernible even for you, who hasn’t been on the battlefield recently!”
“Calm down, Yuzuriha.”
“How can I be calm about this! If we mishandle this and Suzuha-kun’s brother falls into the hands of other nobles—no, that would still be better! If he ends up in the hands of an enemy country, this nation could face the crisis of extinction!”
“I know that. But listen to me, Yuzuriha.”
Seeing the Duke’s dignified attitude, Yuzuriha finally regained her composure.
“I apologize. But, Father…
“That man is undoubtedly exceptional, and I acknowledge that our Duke’s family should absolutely include him. However, it must be done extremely cautiously.”
” Why is that? ”
” It’s your existence, Yuzuriha. ”
” ……Huh? ”
Duke shakes his head at Yuzuriha, who blinks in confusion.
” Your significant achievements on the battlefield and the resulting influence are extremely significant in our current country. In fact, there are some nobles who openly claim that you should be the next queen instead of coming from the current royal family. ”
” I’m aware that there are people spouting such nonsense. However, I have no intention of that whatsoever. ”
” It’s not about your will, Yuzuriha. The issue is that you possess the fame, lineage, and abilities necessary for that to be feasible. ”
” If only we were a lower-ranking noble family like a baron, things might have been easier. But,”
” Currently, the royal family and our duke’s family are maintaining a delicate balance of power. If we thoughtlessly bring in that man, who is at least equal or even stronger in terms of military strength, what do you think will happen? And what if his sister tags along? ”
” Will the balance be disrupted…? ”
” Exactly. Our aristocratic society will split into two, undoubtedly leading to a civil war over the next throne. Regardless of your and that man’s intentions. ”
” Th-That’s not acceptable! ”
The first head of the Sakuragi Duke family, the highest-ranking noble family apart from the royal family, was the younger brother of the then-king. Since then, the Sakuragi Duke family has maintained a tradition of forming marital ties with the royal family to assist them.
Yuzuriha has inherited this education thoroughly.
It’s understandable that her face turns pale upon hearing that her actions could lead to the country’s division.
” However, is there no other way…? Can’t Father somehow bring that man into our duke’s family? ”
” Don’t make that face. Don’t bow your head. ”
” …But… ”
” Of course, we will eventually take in that man into our family. ”
” What?! ”
Yuzuriha looks up in surprise.
” But for that, thorough preparation is necessary. One wrong move and we’ll have a civil war. ”
“Yes, yes!”
“We can’t let it be known that our family harbored that man, and for that, it’s better to have some interaction with the royal family and at least introduce his name to the aristocratic society. ”
” But won’t that make it easier for others to steal him? ”
” What’s the point of having power if not for situations like these? Anyone foolish enough to try to take that man away from us, we crush them. ”
” …Understood. I don’t like using power for personal gain, but I guess I have no choice in this matter. ”
After nodding in agreement, Yuzuriha’s face darkens again.
” But, considering Suzuha-kun’s older brother’s abilities, the royal family will surely want him, especially Toko. She seems so intelligent and perceptive. ”
Yuzuriha and Toko, the first princess, have a close relationship due to their similar ages.
While Yuzuriha is a female knight, Toko is a mage, but they share many common points.
Outstanding and captivating beauty.
A figure that embodies the fantasies of men.
Overwhelming combat power, capable of facing even entire armies alone.
And the fact that both are being overlooked by the two princes who are candidates for the next king.
“I can’t imagine that Toko is looking at him and doing nothing. Father, what should we do…?”
Of course, Yuzuriha does not want to compete with her great friend Toko.
However, as a noble, she must sometimes set aside personal feelings for the sake of the family.
Whether the Duke is aware of Yuzuriha’s conflict or not, he casually continues.
” Of course, we can’t afford to crush the royal family. But this time, the royal family has a fatal weakness. ”
“A weakness?”
“It’s simple.”
“What is it…?”
“Can’t you figure it out?”
The Duke puts his hand on his chin.
Visit the request page If there’s a Japanese Light Novel (LN) or Web Novel (WN) you’d like me to translate
When the donation goal progress bar above hit 100% one novel will be chosen for translation
| Table of Contents | Next* |
Support the Author by Buying the Original Books!
