I’m in Trouble Because The Emperor Thinks My Time is Limited - Chapter 39

Time passed quickly.

The streets were filled with the festive atmosphere of the Founding Festival. The Imperial Palace, too, was busy preparing for the banquet that would take place on the second night of the festival. However, since my position was somewhat ambiguous at the moment, I had the luxury of spending some time alone.

“Haaap!”

Clang!

“Your movements are too big. Do it again.”

“Ugh!”

The knight who had lost his balance stumbled and eventually fell to the ground. Frustrated, he quickly stood up but immediately fell again, seemingly due to muscle strain.

I looked at him coldly and said, “Again.”

“…Yes!”

The knight took a deep breath and stood, his legs trembling. From the side of the training grounds, I could hear the murmurs of the other knights watching us.

“As expected of Sir Bodebachne. Still as sharp as ever. Honestly, I thought her skills would have dulled after everything that’s happened.”

“They don’t call her a genius for nothing.”

“They say she’s gotten a lot better lately. She looks healthy today.”

Their gazes, filled with admiration, concern, and even a hint of jealousy, were all too familiar to me. I had grown accustomed to ignoring those emotions, save for concern, which I didn’t mind.

“Your left side is exposed. Attacking straight on only works in a sparring match.”

“Hah!”

“If you go into battle with those skills, you’ll be the first to die.”

The knight I had struck in the left side with my wooden sword coughed harshly. I looked down at him coldly and shouted again.

“Focus!”

The knight flinched visibly but, driven by his competitive spirit, picked up his sword and charged at me again. Unfortunately, his movements were still full of openings.

“Aaargh!”

Clatter!

With a sharp flick of my wooden sword against his wrist, the knight dropped his sword helplessly. He stared at me in disbelief as if he couldn’t comprehend what had just happened.

“Take it easy, Lindel. You’re going to make him cry.”

“Sir Cryan. What’s the meaning of this?”

A large man, easily a head taller than me, approached us with a friendly smile. Despite the fact that my expression was growing colder by the second, Cryan merely shrugged.

“Are you really smiling right now?”

“Hah, still as terrifying as ever! Lindel Bodebachne never changes! Hahahaha!”

His laughter was so loud that it echoed in my ears, and I winced as I covered them. Cryan Fruchtante was one of the captains of the Imperial Guard, to which I belonged. As someone responsible for training most of the knights, he was the highest-ranking officer under the Captain, Schrein, and me, the Deputy Captain.

Although he held great influence within the Imperial Guard due to his position and the fact that every knight passed through his training, to me, he was just an overly carefree old man.

“Seems like you’ve all been slacking off with the Captain and me gone, haven’t you?”

“Well, of course! Without the two of you constantly badgering us to practice, we’ve been living easy!”

“You old man!”

Frustrated by Cryan’s lack of remorse, I pressed my hand against my forehead. Today, I had come to the training grounds while Sionel was busy. Though I had been working on my stamina ever since the surveillance around me loosened, this was the first time in a while that I had openly wielded a sword.

In the past, I had come to the training grounds, only to be interrupted by Sionel’s antics, so I hadn’t been able to train properly. Now, though, I was relishing the familiar weight of the sword and the exhilarating sensation of cutting through the air.

Just as I was savoring that feeling, a few young knights had approached me, asking for guidance, which led to the current situation.

“These new recruits are way too lax,” I said, stabbing my wooden sword into the ground with frustration. Cryan, pointing at the sword now embedded in the ground, chuckled.

“How do you expect these rookies to beat someone who can plant a wooden sword into the ground with one hand?”

The knights standing behind Cryan stared at my sword with astonished expressions. I glared at them with thinly veiled disappointment.

“This is nothing.”

“Yeah, right. Most people would just break the sword against the ground. It doesn’t usually sink in so neatly like that.”

Pahn, one of the knights mixed in with the group, muttered in disbelief.

“She was supposed to have been resting in her room this whole time, right?”

“What are you talking about?” Utilia interjected naturally.

“Does she look human to you?”

“What?!”

I couldn’t help but think I had chosen the wrong friends. My small group of friends never seemed to be on my side and always treated me like some kind of monster.

Having dealt with this kind of teasing before, I glared at Utilia, though it had no effect. The only one who ever defended me in these situations was Russell, but unfortunately, he was nowhere to be seen today.

“Sure, I may be extraordinarily gifted, but I’m still human.”

“Yeah, sure. Considering how annoyingly talented you are, you’ve been classified as something other than human.”

Utilia never missed an opportunity to jab at me.

Cryan, still laughing heartily, patted the head of the knight who had fallen earlier. Due to his large hands, even a light pat made the knight’s upper body sway unsteadily. Having experienced this myself, I knew it could be quite painful.

“This little chick may be a rookie, but he’s promising! In that sense, I agree—you might not be human, Lindel.”

“What?!”

I couldn’t trust anyone around me.

As I scowled, I heard the snickers of the surrounding knights turn into full-blown laughter. Even I couldn’t help but smile at the atmosphere, though Utilia, with her fiery red hair, stepped forward with an air of mischief.

“But seriously, it’s time to call it a day.”

“I’ll stay a little longer.”

“I wanted to catch up since His Majesty isn’t here. We should talk about how things are progressing in your love life. How’s it going?”

“W-What are you talking about?!”

Startled, I covered my ears, and Utilia pointed at my flushed face with a smug grin.

“There’s definitely something going on. Come on, let’s not waste any more time—spill the details to this older sister.”

Utilia, acting as if I had no say in the matter, began dragging me away. Though I could have easily shaken her off, I decided to let her pull me along.

Though I still felt like training a bit more, the heat that had been steadily building in my chest had started to bother me.

Suddenly, I remembered something I had forgotten. Gently removing Utilia’s arm from my shoulder, I turned to the knight who was still receiving Cryan’s heavy-handed pats.

“You there, what’s your name?”

“R-Rafit Oschitse!”

I figured he was probably from a noble family, given his appearance. Scratching my head, I addressed the nervous-looking Rafit.

“Your stance is good, but your swordsmanship is too rigid. You need to practice broadening your view.”

“…Yes.”

Rafit, who had been charging at me with determination earlier, now lowered his head, looking dejected. I hadn’t meant to discourage him, so I quickly added,

“But your fighting spirit is impressive. You’ll become a fine knight. I look forward to seeing it.”

“Y-Yes! Thank you!”

Rafit blinked in disbelief, then quickly stood up, his face flushed with excitement. He still had a long way to go, but his perseverance was impressive.

His efforts weren’t bad at all.

People who worked hard were always welcome.

“I’ll work hard! Please teach me again next time!”

I didn’t respond. After all, it was always best to leave with a short, cool exit. With a smile, I turned back to Utilia, who was smirking at me as usual.

“You really can’t resist showing off, can you, Lindel?”

“Praising the young is the best way to help them grow.”

Utilia slung her arm back around my shoulder, and as we walked away, I thought to myself that there was something strangely romantic about leaving without looking back.

Because of that, I didn’t notice Utilia exchanging a glance with someone behind my back.

Meanwhile, Rafit couldn’t calm his excitement as he watched Lindel walk away.

‘I can’t believe I was complimented by Sir Bodebachne!’

In truth, Rafit Oschitse was a huge fan of Lindel Bodebachne. He had admired her so much that he had changed his career path from historian to knight, much to the dismay of his family, which had produced generations of scholars.

Nevertheless, Rafit was ecstatic to have received praise from his idol.

“Did you see that, Instructor? Sir Bodebachne—no, the Deputy Captain—is incredible! I already knew I couldn’t match her skills, but to have her deflect every one of my attacks so effortlessly—it was unbelievable!”

Like all fans, Rafit couldn’t help but gush over his idol.

“On top of that, she used a wooden sword! She blocked all my attacks with just a wooden sword, and then, so gracefully—wow! Wasn’t it amazing?”

Normally, Cryan would have responded with a hearty laugh, but this time, there was only silence.

When Rafit noticed the lack of response, he looked up at Cryan, only to find the man’s face dark and grim.

“Instructor?”

Even when Rafit called out, Cryan’s expression didn’t soften.

“Yeah, she was impressive,” Cryan finally said, his voice deep and heavy.

“Oschitse, return to your post. You there, all of you, get back to training!”

Pahn ushered the other knights back to their places with an unusually sharp tone, urging them to prepare for the upcoming Founding Festival.

Rafit, confused by the sudden change in atmosphere, hurried back to his post, while Pahn approached Cryan.

“Instructor.”

“Call me Captain, you brat.”

“Lindel was pressing her chest the whole time.”

“…Yeah.”

Cryan replayed Lindel’s movements in his mind. While young Rafit might have been awestruck by how easily she had handled his attacks, experienced knights like Cryan and Pahn weren’t so easily fooled.

Lindel had remained composed throughout the sparring session, but she had been pressing her chest the whole time.

As if she was enduring pain.