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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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Warming up before training was essential. Luna, on her last lap, started to complain.
“Mister…! I-I’m tired…! Ugh…!”
“It’s the last lap. You can do it.”
“Ugh…!”
Sweat poured down her face.
Even with all her stamina training, running 20 laps around the courtyard was tough. But Luna couldn’t give up. Lee Jun-woo was always there with her during her grueling training sessions.
“Ugh… I’m dying…!”
“You won’t die, Luna. You call yourself the Hero, but you can’t even do this? Pathetic.”
“S-Shut up…! That’s annoying…!”
Groan
Luna pushed forward.
Three steps left.
As Luna stumbled, Lee Jun-woo said nonchalantly,
“Luna, I thought you could do it? Why are you struggling so much? Are you acting? Seriously?”
“B-Be quiet…! I can do it even if you don’t say anything…!!”
One step.
Two steps.
Luna forced her legs forward with sheer willpower. A smile played on Lee Jun-woo’s lips.
‘…As expected, provoking her is the best way to train Luna.’
Pride and competitiveness.
The combination resulted in highly effective training. And because of her desire for recognition, Luna never gave up easily.
Three steps.
“I-I made it! T-Twenty laps! Mister! I finished twenty laps! I did well, right? I’m amazing, right!?”
“…Watch your pronunciation, Luna.”
It sounded like cursing.
[T/N: Korean shit]
Luna tilted her head, not understanding.
Lee Jun-woo approached her, wiping away his own sweat. He offered her a reward for her success.
“Do a little better next time. You didn’t do badly.”
“…Just praise me properly! Mister, you’re such a tsundere!”
“The older you get, the less honest you become.”
“…Grandpa.”
Lee Jun-woo, who had been stroking Luna’s hair, formed a fist and brought it down on her head.
“Ow!”
Luna clutched her head and shouted,
“That hurt! You child abuser!”
“It was supposed to hurt. Why am I a grandpa?”
“If you get angry when someone calls you a grandpa, then you’re a grandpa!”
Like a thief calling out a thief, a grandpa rattles his dentures!
Lee Jun-woo held his head at Luna’s absurd logic.
“This is the Hero who’s supposed to save the world… She’s so childish, it’s unbelievable…”
“What’s wrong with me! I’m better than a grandpa like you!”
Luna and Lee Jun-woo began to argue about the definition of “grandpa.” The conversation was childish and unproductive, but it gave Luna enough time to recover.
‘What am I doing…? This isn’t the time for this.’
Lee Jun-woo, snapping back to reality, interrupted Luna.
“Kidnapper! Criminal! Old man!”
“Be quiet, Luna. You seem to have recovered, so let’s start your training.”
“O-Oh? You’re right! I feel great!”
Luna’s recovery was as impressive as her stamina.
She raised her wooden sword, facing Lee Jun-woo. It was finally time for the swordsmanship training she had been waiting for.
“Hehe, it’s finally time to show you my swordsmanship! Mister, I’ll attack first!”
“No, there’s no need for that. We’re not sparring today.”
“Huh…? Why…? I was looking forward to it…”
Luna’s head drooped in disappointment. But only for a moment.
“Instead of sparring, I’ll defend against your attacks and point out your weaknesses.”
“Yay! I’m so excited!”
Luna’s spirits soared at Lee Jun-woo’s words.
‘I can try so many things…!’
Luna could practice her swordsmanship on her own, but there were limits to solo training. But now, Lee Jun-woo had declared he would receive all her attacks.
It was music to Luna’s ears.
She tightened her grip on her wooden sword and charged at Lee Jun-woo.
“Today! I’ll show you everything I’ve got! Be prepared!”
“…Alright, let’s see what you’ve got.”
Just a fledgling, nothing more.
Lee Jun-woo replied confidently. But he was gravely mistaken.
“How about this side slash?”
“That would be difficult to use in a real fight.”
“Then something else!”
One hour passed.
“What about deflecting an attack like this!?”
“Not bad.”
Two hours passed.
“How about this! This is an attack pattern I came up with!”
“…Unpredictable. I like it.”
Even after four hours, Luna showed no signs of stopping.
‘Again. This is going to be a long night…’
Lee Jun-woo, once again, saw the sunrise before he could end the morning training session.
Training all day… but they still needed to eat.
Luna seemed to agree.
She sat at the table, banging on it impatiently.
Bang! Bang!!
“Food! I want food! Food! I’m hungry!”
“…I’ll give you food even if you don’t whine. Be patient.”
That training monster. I would never grant a wish like “training all day” again.
Keeping up with Luna’s training demands was both physically and mentally exhausting.
With that thought, I placed a bowl of pork rice in front of Luna.
“Wow! Pork! Rice! Meat!”
Luna’s eyes sparkled as she devoured the rice bowl.
Munch-munch
Hare, sitting next to Luna, was horrified.
“M-Mister…! Luna is possessed by a demon…! We… we need an exorcism…! I’ll go get Estia…!”
“It’s alright, she’s not possessed. She’s just… extra energetic today. Don’t worry about it. Even if you bring Estia, she can’t perform an exorcism, so just stay put.”
“I-Is that so…”
She was eating a lot, but it wasn’t a problem. She had trained hard today.
I understood.
“M-Mister, you’re eating more than usual too…”
“…There’s a reason for that.”
Hare nodded understandingly, as if she understood my exhaustion.
Luna, having finished her food, shouted,
“Mister! This is delicious! I won’t eat anymore because of afternoon training, but make this again!”
“Alright, I will.”
“Teach me the recipe too! I’ll make it for my little brothers!”
Was she planning to torture her brothers with her violent cooking skills? As far as I remembered, Luna’s cooking was atrocious.
The best she could do… was maybe chop vegetables?
“…Mister, you’re talking about me behind my back, aren’t you?”
“No.”
“Liar! Anyway, teach me the recipe! My little brothers are good eaters!”
She was only perceptive when it benefited her.
Hare, hearing the word “brothers,” asked curiously,
“Luna has little brothers…?”
“Yes! I have five little brothers! All boys! I’ll introduce you to them someday!”
“…No, thank you.”
“Huh?”
“I don’t like other boys… only Mister…”
“I-I see! Okay!”
Luna awkwardly scratched her head.
Then, she suddenly asked,
“Mister! Do you have any siblings? Now that I think about it, I don’t know anything about you!”
“I-I’m curious too…!”
…Why the sudden interest in my personal life?
They stared at me with sparkling eyes.
‘Saten is holed up in her room… and Estia is probably still sleeping…’
It should be fine to tell them. It wouldn’t be too noisy.
“I had a younger sibling.”
“A boy or a girl?”
“A girl.”
“Oh, I want a little sister too! Can I meet her someday!?”
“…No, you can’t.”
“Huh? Why not!?”
Because…
I told them the truth.
“She’s not in this world anymore.”
“…I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked.”
“M-Me too, I’m sorry, Mister…”
The atmosphere turned somber.
Perhaps to lighten the mood, Luna asked another question.
“T-Then what about your parents!? Are they well!?”
“They’re not in this world either.”
“O-Oh… S-Sorry!”
“I-I apologize on Luna’s behalf…!”
They bowed their heads apologetically.
That wasn’t what I meant…
‘…How do I fix this?’
I had spilled the water, and there was no towel. And I couldn’t lick it up… I decided to leave the mess as it was.
They would never meet my family anyway.
“…Well, that’s that. Anyone want more food?”
“I’m okay…”
“M-Me too…”
Luna and Hare, feeling guilty, fell silent.
The subdued atmosphere lasted until Estia woke up. I had told the truth, but I felt like I had committed a sin.
After lunch training and evening training, just before the clock struck midnight…
Luna placed her wooden sword on the ground and exclaimed,
“I’m not ready to stop! Why is a day only 24 hours long! I don’t understand!”
She still wanted to train after all that?
“I don’t understand how you can find training fun.”
“It’s so much fun! You must have trained a lot to become so strong! Wasn’t it fun?!”
Fun…
Studying magic with Aina had been fun. But swordsmanship… It had been mostly physical pain.
“I learned swordsmanship to survive. I didn’t find it particularly fun.”
“Aha! A sword for survival! That’s kind of cool, Mister! It feels… wild!”
I wasn’t sure what she meant, but judging by her smile… it was probably a compliment.
Still, throughout the day of training, we had learned a lot about each other.
About Luna’s life as the eldest daughter in her family, and how she spent her time in the past.
Through our conversations, I had learned things I hadn’t intended to.
“I feel closer to you today, Mister! Don’t you feel the same?!”
“No.”
“Liar! You’re so dishonest!”
Luna plopped down on the ground and looked up at the starry sky. Despite the intense training, her blue eyes were full of life.
“I’m disappointed. I feel like I’ve gotten stronger, but I’m still no match for you.”
“…You’re doing well. Take your time. There’s no point in rushing ahead on your own.”
“No! I’m going to become super strong, so I won’t take it slow!”
…Stubborn as always. But since she was determined to get stronger, I didn’t say anything.
Her determination was commendable.
As we watched the night sky, the clock struck midnight.
Luna’s wish was fulfilled.
I helped her up from the ground.
“Let’s go inside.”
“…Mister!”
“What is it?”
Luna, who had stood up, stopped walking. She looked up at me with a bright smile.
“Let’s train together again! And even if we don’t train, let’s talk! Today was fun! Thank you for granting my wish!”
Giggle~
Luna beamed like a sunflower and then, seemingly embarrassed, ran towards her room. I was surprised she still had the energy to run.
I looked at the courtyard where we had trained all day.
Traces of our training were everywhere.
‘Maybe it’s because we spent the whole day together…’
I felt… closer to Luna today.
It was the first time I had felt this close to someone since Aina’s death.
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