Najenda's father was a member of the guardhouse in her hometown, and she, who was strong-willed since she was a child, embarked on the path of a soldier because her father was killed in a bandit attack.
It has to be said that her luck was very good. She met a reliable superior, and with his promotion and her hard work, she did well in the army. This time, she even led the local army to exterminate almost all the bandits near her territory, and in the end, she actually received a notification to go to the Imperial Capital to receive an award.
She was very excited at first, but after she truly arrived in the Imperial Capital, she found that it was not what she had imagined.
Although the size and prosperity of the Imperial Capital made her, who had just arrived, couldn't help but sigh in admiration, she soon realized that this place might not be suitable for her.
Walking on the streets of the Imperial Capital, nobles and merchants were everywhere. These people were dressed in fancy clothes, but they made no attempt to hide their contempt for others. In stark contrast to them was the dilapidation of the slums. The two areas were in the same city but were like heaven and earth. Most of the people there were walking with their heads down silently, as if they didn't want to have too much contact with others.
And these two distinct areas had one thing in common: they were both very noisy, but they gave off a sense of indifference.
Although her hometown was not rich and was even a bit dilapidated because of the bandits, it was perhaps because of this that the neighbors supported each other. No matter where you were, it gave you a warm feeling. Even the lord and their prefect gave off a family-like feeling.
But what about now?
"Tigre~ This is your favorite~"
"Meow~! Meow~!!"
Looking at 'Tigre' who was sitting (standing?) across from her, she couldn't help but twitch her mouth. Although she really wanted to say that it was very rude to guests to have a pet on the table, looking at the meowing Tigre and Lancer with a gentle smile on his face, she suddenly felt a bit... pathetic?
That's right, just pathetic.
An iron-blooded executioner (mistake), a villain who abducted a civilian girl (big mistake), a guy who looked down on women (huge mistake), wasn't it pathetic that he could only show such a smile when he was with his pet?
In the end, Najenda didn't have much interaction with Lancer until dinner was over. Most of their conversation was just polite talk. On the contrary, she chatted with Leone for a while. As for Lancer, he was immersed in his interaction with Tigre until the time was almost up, and then he helped it pack up the remaining grilled fish. Although Tigre had a big appetite and loved to be clingy, in reality, just like the weapon it used, it was very concerned about its companions. After finishing its own meal, it didn't forget to bring food for its two companions.
After Tigre left, Najenda also said that it was time for her to leave. After seeing the other party off at the door, they exchanged a few more polite words before Najenda returned to her villa. And when Lancer returned to the house, he saw Leone cleaning up the table. Looking at the other party's serious back as she worked, Lancer simply didn't disturb her and instead took out the lance he had placed in his room.
He hadn't trained yesterday because he was out of control and just sat on the bed in a daze. He couldn't continue to waste time today.
The training with a lance was completely different from a long spear. If a long spear mainly trained 'explosive power (agility)', then a lance was more focused on 'strength' and 'stamina'.
Lancer most basic move, 'Three-Pronged Thrust', had already reached 'LV10 (MAX)' in the past year of combat, but he still used this move to train as always. One reason was that the basic skills he had mastered were only those three moves, and the other was because he felt that even though his 'skill level' hadn't changed at all from practicing this way, he always felt as if he was about to grasp something...
Compared to the shrill sound of a long spear cutting through the air, the sound of a lance piercing through the air was more muffled, but the momentum was also heavier.
"Huff~! Huff~!"
At first, Lancer mind was still constantly filled with thoughts of Leone and Honest, but as he continued to swing, his heart once again calmed down. In the end, everything in front of him had disappeared except for the non-existent 'target'...
After cleaning up, Leone returned to the living room, but as soon as she left the kitchen, she heard a strange sound. Curious, she walked toward the backyard...
"Whoosh~!"
As soon as she opened the door, she felt a strong gust of wind. She subconsciously covered her face, but the wind appeared very abruptly and disappeared very quickly. She then saw Lancer with his back to her, holding a lance with both hands. It was just that the other party didn't seem to have noticed her arrival, which made Leone feel a bit helpless. But then, her eyes suddenly lit up!
'That guy is not much older than me but is so strong. He must have a secret! If I can secretly learn it, then maybe I can also become as strong as him. If that's the case, maybe I can escape? As long as I leave the Imperial Capital, it should be fine, right?'
It was true that Leone seemed very obedient at this time, but in reality, she had never given up on escaping. It was just like before, when Lancer was taking her to the guardhouse. After she found that she couldn't escape, she decisively chose to rest and conserve her strength, while also showing weakness to the enemy. But unfortunately, she ended up meeting Lancer, who didn't play by the rules. It was clearly the same now.
But when she sat on the ladder and started to observe carefully, she found that it seemed different from what she had imagined.
Lancer wasn't doing anything special. He was just holding the spear with one hand and rotating it to thrust the lance out. Over and over again, he repeated the same motion...
In fact, if it weren't for the fact that Leone saw that Lancer black bodysuit was completely soaked and that the grass beneath his feet had already been trampled as hard as a stone slab, she would have even doubted whether Lancer had been doing it for very long.
It has to be said that the wind that Lancer created with each strike and the sweat that he flung out as he swung looked very powerful, but after watching it for a long time, she also felt a bit bored. The monotonous movements, which were like a coin constantly swinging in front of her eyes, made her eyes feel heavy, and in the end, she fell asleep leaning on the railing next to the stairs...
"Huff~!"
It took Lancer a full hour and a half to complete his 500 thrusts for the day. Even with a physique that far exceeded that of a normal person, he couldn't help but let out a deep breath.
But when he couldn't help but move his body, a series of 'cracking' sounds kept ringing out. It sounded a bit frightening, but there was nothing he could do. His monotonous practice put a lot of pressure on his body, especially the twisting motion of his waist when he thrust, which made his lower back incredibly sore.
After giving the lance a shake and folding it up, he was about to go back and take a shower when he happened to see Leone, who was sleeping on the wooden stairs with her hands wrapped around her knees. Lancer was stunned for a moment and then shook his head helplessly, and then he picked her up and walked inside. It seemed that her previously tense nerves had relaxed for some reason, which was why she had fallen asleep.
Feeling the other party's soft body, Lancer couldn't help but have a reaction, but looking at the frightened expression on the other party's face even in her sleep, he couldn't help but sigh.
"Let's continue practicing the spear later..."