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“…This is ridiculous.”

I tied up my hair and tried to take the sparring seriously, but the result was utterly disappointing. Blanshe, who had been so fierce just moments ago, was completely helpless against my attacks.

“Full of openings.”

“That’s because you…!”

“…Me?”

“…Anyway, that was cheap. This round doesn’t count.”

Blanshe glared at me, clearly frustrated. She seemed to be misunderstanding something—I didn’t even use ‘Jealousy,’ let alone any underhanded tactics.

Deciding that further sparring was pointless, I eventually put down the wooden sword.

“Count. There’s grass stuck in your hair.”

Blanshe pointed at my head. I casually brushed it off with my hand, but she shook her head.

“No, not there. A bit more to the left… Oh, for goodness’ sake. Just bend down. I’ll get it for you.”

Fine. I slightly bowed my head toward her. At that moment, Blanshe’s hands messed up my neatly tied hair.

“…What are you doing?”

“What does it look like? Revenge, you sneaky turtle.”

I’m not sure who’s being sneaky here. There wasn’t even any grass on my head to begin with.

Blanshe stuck out her tongue as if to say, “Gotcha,” and then added something strange.

“And don’t you dare tie your hair up in front of others again.”

“Why not?”

“Because it’s cheating.”

The more I asked, the less I understood. Blanshe, looking a bit tired, immediately sat down on the chair she brought.

“Let’s take a break. My body isn’t fully warmed up yet.”

“You rest. I’ll spar with someone else in the meantime.”

Unlike Blanshe, I was fully warmed up. I couldn’t let the flow of this sparring session break.

As I smoothed out my disheveled hair, I looked for a suitable opponent. Ideally, someone who would be a strong candidate for the northern expedition…

“Me! Pick me!”

Just then, Helga raised her hand, eagerly volunteering. Is she, my bodyguard knight, really thinking of sparring with me?

Well, it’s true that I’ve wanted to spar with her at least once. She’s one of the top fighters in this world. I’ve always watched her fight from the sidelines, but if I got the chance, I wanted to experience her strength firsthand. Of course, with my current skills, I’m no match for her, but thankfully, I have ‘Jealousy.’

“…Alright. Prepare for sparring, Helga.”

“Yay!”

Helga cheered as if she’d won the lottery and strode over to face me.

“Listen carefully, Helga.”

“Yes.”

“As you know, since this is a sparring match, bladed weapons are off-limits. Only wooden swords or bare hands are allowed.”

“Hehe… Got it.”

“Don’t even think about holding back. The first one to subdue their opponent wins.”

“Hehehe… So, if I subdue you bare-handed, I win, right?”

“Exactly… Got it?”

Helga was grinning weirdly, drooling as she looked at me.

“Of course. Hehehe… I understand perfectly.”

It didn’t seem like she understood at all. Her sly grin made her look like a villainous predator, her eyes gleaming like a carnivore eyeing its prey.

I calmly adjusted my grip on the wooden sword. From this moment on, I was facing Helga—the most powerful fighter under my command—with a solemn resolve.

“Let’s begin.”

I swung the wooden sword straight at Helga. The swordsmanship I’d learned through ‘Jealousy’ was efficient and direct.

A strike imbued with sword energy. This first strike was just a probe.

I widened my eyes, watching her next move closely. Depending on how she reacted, I’d adjust my attack strategy from the second strike onward.

But then…

“Ah! Too strong!”

Helga staggered from the sword’s wind pressure and collapsed toward me. But her speed was suspicious—it was almost like a tackle. She was pretending to fall while trying to hug me.

“Tsk…!”

No way. I quickly deflected the terrifyingly fast hug with the flat of my sword. Since it was a wooden sword, she wouldn’t get hurt. But due to inertia, Helga was flung forward.

Splash!

She face-planted into the nearby lake. Helga never intended to fight seriously from the start.

“Pwah… Ugh… I didn’t think you’d dodge that…”

Of course, I’d dodge. Seeing this, it seemed sparring with Helga would be difficult. She wasn’t planning to fight me seriously, and she didn’t even have any hostile intent. She acts like a mad dog in front of others, but around me, she turns into a docile sheep. It’s troublesome.

“At this rate, forget being my official wife—she wouldn’t even make a decent concubine…”

“Ugh… That’s so mean… Mother.”

Helga, completely soaked, was dragged away by Maible. Her pitiful state was almost heartbreaking. I considered sparring with Maible instead, but with outsiders present today, it would be difficult.

Hmm?

Come to think of it, there’s a suitable outsider here.

I called out to the woman sitting next to Blanshe.

“Blanshe. Will you spar with me?”

“Huh?!”

Blanshe was completely caught off guard, startled by my sudden request.

“How could a mere bodyguard knight like me dare to…?”

“Oh, come on. You just saw the Count spar with Helga, didn’t you?”

“B-but my duty is only to protect the lady…”

“It’s fine. It’s more than fine. I actually want to see Blanshe spar with the Count. Blanshe could easily beat him, right?”

Blanshe chuckled, clearly amused. She didn’t know, but Blanshe and I had fought life-and-death battles before. Her flustered reaction was probably because she remembered those times.

“If the lady insists… then I’ll do it.”

Blanshe, who had been hesitant, finally agreed to be my sparring partner after Blanshe’s encouragement.

“If it’s alright with you, I’ll be your opponent, Count.”

“Hmm.”

Blanshe bowed her head politely. Her cool, stoic demeanor made her bow seem perfectly proper. Seeing her like this, it was easy to forget she was a former assassin. She must have naturally adopted this attitude after becoming Blanshe’s bodyguard.

“Have you decided on your weapon?”

“Ah, bare hands will do. Even though it’s a sparring match, I’ll take you seriously.”

“That’s what I wanted to hear. Then let’s prepare for the match…”

As I was about to tell Blanshe to get ready, I froze.

Blanshe was stripping in front of me. Not just her outer clothes, but her blouse and pants too. In an instant, she was down to a sports bra and shorts.

Stay calm. Stay calm…

I was quite flustered by the sudden striptease. Barely holding it together with ‘Patience,’ I asked her.

“What… are you doing?”

“Huh? I’m preparing for the match…”

What’s going on?

Blanshe looked at me as if stripping before a match was the most normal thing in the world.

“…Do you need to take off your clothes?”

“Ah… They’re a bit cumbersome… I find it easier to fight seriously like this.”

So it’s not exhibitionism—it’s her serious mode. Blanshe wasn’t embarrassed at all; she proudly showed off her body. Her chiseled abs were particularly impressive. Seriously, what kind of training does she do to get abs like that…?

“Blanshe!”

At that moment, Blanshe, unable to stand it any longer, intervened.

“You’re disqualified! Get down now!”

“Huh?! D-disqualified?”

“Oh, for goodness’ sake! This isn’t our family dojo! So you’re disqualified!”

So stripping before a match was something they did at the Izakhel Mansion? Blanshe shouted, her face red with embarrassment.

“Helga. Get Blanshe down right now!”

“Yes, Princess.”

For some reason, Helga jumped at Blanshe’s command and grabbed her under the arms. Still soaked from the lake, Helga looked like a water ghost.

“L-let go of me! I need to spar with the Count…!”

“Tsk tsk. Didn’t you hear the Princess? You’re disqualified.”

“The match hasn’t even started yet!”

Blanshe desperately resisted Helga, shooting me a pleading look. I wanted to side with Blanshe, but Blanshe, sitting over there, was glaring at me as if daring me to continue. I had no choice.

“Blanshe… you’re disqualified.”

“Count!?”

“Come on. The Count said it himself. Be a good girl and come out.”

“I-I need to spar…!”

“Give it up. You can’t join us, Blanshe.”

I turned away from Blanshe’s despairing gaze as Helga dragged her away.

At this point, I couldn’t help but sigh.

This is insane. Absolutely insane.

Why do all my sparring partners end up like this?

All I want is a proper sparring match. Why is it so hard to find a decent opponent?

Just as I was lamenting internally…

“Count!”

Wendy suddenly appeared like a savior, raising her hand and shouting.

“If it’s okay… I’ll be your opponent this time…!”

As expected of the Hero’s descendant, she must have sensed my inner turmoil. But…

“No, it’s not okay. And you’re disqualified.”

“Huh?!”

If I spar with you, whether I win or lose, I’m done for…

 

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