Master and Slaves

Together with her cry, Sara ran toward me.

I also used Destroyer as a shield the same as this morning and watched how Sara would come out.

That said, since I had seen her matches against Muriel and against Julius, I could more or less predict how she would come out.

However, facing Sara like this made it very clear.

How much her breasts swayed…

My eyes went there without thinking.

…No, no.

I lightly shook my head, predicted how Sara would come out, and thought about what to do next.

But contrary to my prediction, Sara stopped in front of me and crouched.

Then she went for a leg sweep.

I immediately switched my thinking and jumped to dodge it.

“What!”

A surprised voice leaked from Sara’s mouth.

She probably had not thought that I, holding Destroyer, would jump to dodge.

But Sara immediately spun around and slammed her right shoulder into Destroyer.

Was she trying to make me, who was in the air, fall?

I hastily threw Destroyer down.

If I changed Destroyer’s angle I could wound Sara, but I did not want to do that.

So it was the next-best measure.

I received Sara’s body blow, which she had charged in with her right shoulder, head-on, and immediately looped my left arm around her neck.

Then when I landed just like that, I pressed my sword against the nape of Sara’s neck.

Not understanding what had happened, Sara looked at my face in a daze.

The swords gripped in both of her hands hung limply toward the ground.

From the start of the sparring match to the end was only a few seconds.

“I-I yield.”

After a longer time than that had passed, Sara surrendered.

“Sara, that’s no good. What I’m holding is a sword. It’s not a shield.”

I admonished Sara gently.

“Ah, um, th-that’s right. Yes, I’ll be careful.”

Sara answered my point even while being surprised belatedly.

The same as this morning, Cathy brought water and a cloth for wiping sweat.

“Cathy, wait a moment. Muriel, shall we try it a bit?”

“Eh? With me?”

Muriel was confused by the sudden nomination.

“Do you dislike it?”

“N-not at all. But isn’t Master tired?”

“Ah, I’m fine. Besides, on a battlefield you can’t rest just because you’re tired, right?”

“That is… certainly true.”

“So, what will you do?”

“Yes, I will serve as your opponent.”

Muriel answered solemnly.

“All right, then get ready.”

“Yes.”

Muriel and I headed to the center of the garden.

Then we bowed and took our stances.

…Neither I nor Muriel moved.

“Muriel, if you don’t come, I’ll go first.”

“Yes, please.”

Saying that, Muriel lowered her hips even further and held her shield and one-handed sword.

Can’t be helped, shall I go?

While holding the one-handed sword and Destroyer, I dashed toward Muriel.

Because Destroyer was heavy I was not that fast.

Even so it apparently created momentum; when I slashed with Destroyer in my left hand, Muriel, who took it on her shield, was blown away.

“Ku!”

She abandoned the shield and put her left hand on the ground, trying to keep her posture.

However, I chased after Muriel as she was blown away and slid across the ground.

Then when Muriel stopped I also caught up and slashed sideways with Destroyer again.

Muriel deflected it with the sword in her right hand, but that was a feint.

I directed Destroyer’s trajectory upward, raised Muriel’s sword, and pressed the sword I held in my right hand against Muriel’s neck.

Muriel tried to bring her sword down immediately, but it was already too late.

As a result, Muriel, who had my sword pressed against her throat, froze without being able to bring her sword down.

“I-I yield.”

Muriel declared her surrender as if groaning.

I released my stance and held out my hand to Muriel the same way I had to Sara.

“Th-thank you very much.”

Muriel grasped my hand and stood up.

“Now then… is Julius all right?”

“That’s… right. Julius, what will you do?”

When I asked Helene, she looked at Julius beside her with a frightening smile pasted on her face.

“Y-yes. P-please.”

“Go on! Off you go.”

Helene slapped Julius’s rear.

Replacing Muriel, Julius was urged out in front of me.

“P-please take care of me.”

“Please take care of me.”

We bowed to each other and took our stances.

He’s a little… no, quite timid.

“Yaa! …Haa! …”

He circled around me while shouting, but he did not come toward me at all.

He was spinning around outside about three times the reach of my sword.

“…Um, I’ll go from this side, is that all right?”

“…”

“Hiroyuki-samaaa! There’s no need to hold back! Please beat him to a pulppp!”

The peanut gallery—the opponent’s mother—was saying dangerous things.

Beat him to a pulp…

Well, I would stop at the last moment.

“Then I’m going.”

I called out to Julius, stabbed Destroyer into the ground the same way I had against Giacomo, took only the one-handed sword in my stance, and charged at Julius.

“Uwaaah!”

Julius let out a pathetic voice, but I paid it no mind.

With that momentum I thrust my sword toward Julius’s throat.

However, unexpectedly, Julius deflected the thrusting sword with his shield.

…Was “unexpectedly” rude?

I imitated Sara, used the deflected sword to spin all the way around, built momentum, and swept it in a horizontal line.

“Uwah!”

Julius let out a pathetic voice again.

However, he received my sword again, this time with the one-handed sword in his right hand.

This was…

I reflected on having underestimated him and faced Julius with all my strength.

I pulled the sword back once, switched it to my left hand, and thrust.

Julius also deflected this to the left with his sword.

But the direction he deflected it was bad.

I hit the shield just like that.

Then I switched it to my right hand and pulled it back.

From Julius’s side it should have been invisible behind the shield.

I also hid my own left hand in the shield’s blind spot and made it look as if I were manipulating the sword with my left hand.

Then I thrust my right hand in from even further to the right of Julius’s shield and pressed it under Julius’s throat.

“Hii!”

Julius immediately arched backward and sat down on his rear.

Don’t move.

That’s dangerous.

While cursing inwardly, I held out my hand for the third time and made Julius stand.

“Th-thank you very much.”

Julius thanked me and walked toward Helene looking dejected.

“Master, good work.”

Cathy brought water and a cloth for wiping sweat.

“Thank you.”

I first received the cup and drank the water inside in one gulp.

Then I wiped my sweat with the cloth.

“Good work. How was Lord Julius?”

Muriel asked me.

“That’s right. Unexpectedly… he was good.”

“Yes. I think so as well. But he is cowardly. He can certainly survive, but if Lord Julius is the general, the morale of those below will fall.”

Well, if they heard that pathetic voice, morale would probably plummet.

“But wouldn’t it be fine if he just doesn’t let the enemy get that close? The top isn’t supposed to go to the front, right?”

“The top…?”

“…Ah, sorry sorry. Um, the general, I guess.”

“Ah, yes. That’s right. But when morale is low, if the general goes to the front line, morale rises.”

“Well, that’s up to Helene’s command. There’s nothing we can do about it.”

“That is… true.”

Muriel answered as if somewhat convinced.

That general would probably become a decoration.

Even so, if he survived to the end, a win was a win.

Though it was ruthless.

“Hiroyuki-sama, thank you very much.”

Helene walked this way while leaning on her cane and thanked me.

“No, I only served as an opponent.”

“No, I am happy just that you served as an opponent.”

She’s flattering me…

“Julius, you thank him as well.”

“Thank you very much, Hiroyuki…-dono.”

What was that pause.

Well, he was probably hesitating between the “-sama” Helene used and the “-dono” the knights used.

“Ahahaha. Well, if it’s when you have free time, I’ll be your opponent anytime.”

“Yes, um…”

Julius looked like he wanted to say something, so I brought my ear closer.

“I’ve had enough.”

He said that to me in a small voice, probably so Helene would not hear.

“Ah— well, do your best.”

While being exasperated, I patted Julius’s back.

“Now then, Muriel, Sara… huh? Sara, what’s wrong?”

Looking at Sara, I saw she was squatting on the ground sulking.

“She’s depressed. Because she lost so easily. Even though I told her Master is strong.”

Muriel explained that to me.

The latter part was mere complaining.

I approached Sara.

“Ah— Sara. Well… let’s do it again.”

I lightly patted her back.

“…Masteeer~!”

Sara clung to me.

“Ah, I get it, I get it. Then Helene, sorry, but we’re going back.”

“Yes. We will also return to our rooms.”

“Then… ah— everyone, let’s go.”

“”””…Yes.”””” “””…”””

Looking around, all the Dules were looking at me with half-lidded eyes.

No—the one looking at me was about one person.

The other Dules were looking at Sara.

Looking at Sara who was clinging to me… haa.

Where had the depression from just a moment ago gone…

She was clinging to me with a smile so melting it looked ready to dissolve.

Now then, when we return to the room, what shall I do for her.

…

When we returned to the room, Muriel, Sara, and I began changing.

I thought it was a bit late for that, but Muriel and Sara were changing bashfully.

Were they embarrassed to be seen by me?

When we finished changing, I thought I would relax in the room.

There was still time until dinner.

However, I could not relax.

Because…

“Master, may I have a little of your time?”