*

　Early in the morning of the second day of the Imperial City, Leila was in the biggest pinch on the first day of her maid training.

''........''
Now, please get dressed.

　When Layla was stunned in front of the clothes she was handed, Myra said as if she wasn't questioning her actions.

'Um, what's this?'
It's a maid's uniform, but what of it?

　Myra tilted her head as if to say she didn't understand the intent of Leila's question.
　Perhaps she didn't doubt her rightness.

'Please get dressed quickly,'
Yes, sir.

　Leila gave up resisting and changed into her maid's uniform... she immediately regretted that she should have resisted if there was even the slightest chance of it.

'It looks great on you,'
'Thank you. But ... this is too short, isn't it?

　Leila asked Myra, who nodded in satisfaction while holding the hem of her skirt in her hand.
　The maid's uniform that Myra had prepared was only just barely long enough for the skirt to hide her underwear.
　Even if she bent forward, her underwear could be visible, and she had to make sure no one was there when she climbed the stairs.
　The fact that the chest isn't wide open is at least a relief... no, the chest isn't wide open, but there's so much room in the chest that if you peeked in from above, you could see your underwear.
　Compared to this maid's outfit, even the maid's outfit that the landlady always wears would be included in the category of 'modest'.

''I would actually like you to take off your underwear, sir.
No, no.

　Leila held back the chest and hem of her maid's uniform and distanced herself from Myra.

'Just kidding, just kidding ... tch.'

　Myra clicked her tongue in frustration and stood in front of Leila.

Answer with 'yes' and 'no' in reply, and add 'master' to the boy and 'grand master' to Claude-sama. Do you understand?
Yes, Lady Myra.

　Myra nodded with satisfaction.

"And you are forbidden to visit the little man's room until the day before you return to the Marquess' estate.
Well that's it.

　When Layla stuttered, Myra gave a nasty smile.

'May I?　Now you're not even a maidservant, you're a maid all-works. You are the worst maid in the world. But when you endure this ordeal, you will take your first steps as a maid.
But, but..........
I know how you feel. If you really want to sleep with the little boy, then you should forgo the maid training. But it's a pity.

　Myra turned away from Leila in an acting gesture and muttered sadly.

It's not you, not me, but the little boy. If you had learned the basics of being a maid, the little boy would be more proud of you than he is now.

　Leila's heart beat faster at the word "pride".
　Six months ago, Leila had tried to run away from the idea that she, a dirty half-elf, could not be proud of Crono.
　Now, Leila is proud of herself for healing Crono's heart as a mistress, and confident that she is gaining a minimum level of academic skills, but it was all given to her by Crono.
　If Crono hadn't taken Leila's future into consideration back then, Leila would still be an ignorant half-elf.

''........Can I be proud of Crono-sama?''
That's up to you.
No, I'll do it!　No, let me do it!
Excellent. I knew I was looking at you and I was right.

　Crackle, crackle and Myra clapped her hands.

'Then ... you may call me Instructor from now on.
Yes, sir.
Louder!

　Suddenly, Myra yelled in a low voice, and Leila stiffened, unable to understand the situation.

'Louder, my lord is out!
Yes, instructor!
"Speak from your stomach!
Sir, yes, sir!

　Myra gave a nasty, thin smile.

First I'm going to clean the vestibule and stables, then I'm going to prepare breakfast, then I'm going to wake the master and the little boy up!
Sir, yes, sir!

　I'll be a maid to make Lady Crono proud!　And Leila clenched her fists.
　I clenched my fists........I may have taken the wrong path, Leila immediately regretted.



　After finishing the meager meal, Leila waited for Myra in the vestibule.
　After a while, Myra appeared from the stables.

'I have prepared a group of 'lovers' for you who can't sleep with the little boy.

　Myra twisted the corners of her mouth and handed Leila a broom.

'Your broom is your lover when it comes to cleaning and your knife is your lover when it comes to cooking. Think of that broom and knife as your boyfriend and take good care of them. Never cheat on your lover even if it is your boy.
Black what happens when your husband asks for it?
'Don't worry. I convinced the boy last night that he would be a hindrance to your maid training.
Nah!

　Leila glared at her, and Myra proudly puffed out her chest as if she had received a compliment.

'Until the day you leave the imperial capital - until the night before, to be precise - the boy will not seek you out. Are you ready?　If you're comfortable with it, then get on with the cleaning.
Yes, instructor.
'I'm not very loud, what a maid!
Sir, yes, sir!

　Biting her lip, Leila began sweeping the ground with her broom.

'It's proof that you're not out of the world, such as trying to win favor with half a man. Sweep the ground more deftly!　It's going to be evening!
Sir, yes, sir!

　Shouting in desperation, Leila swung her broom quickly.

'Faster and more deftly!　An old lady maid over ninety can move more snappily than an old lady maid over ninety!

　It took only a few moments to understand that Myra seemed to take supreme pleasure in being looked at with hatred.

'Your fumbling has left me no time to make breakfast. I prepared it last night to see how this would happen, so I have time to bake some bread but I'll go wake the little man up.
Sir, yes, sir!

　Leila followed Myra up to the fourth floor where Crono was......................and ran up to the fourth floor where Crono was.
　It occurred to her that Crono might be someone else........Elena or Elena or Elena......in the same bed?　Anxiety passed through my mind.

'Please enter the room quietly and wake the little man.
Yes, ma'am.

　Leila entered Crono's room without a sound and let out a breath of relief.
　Crono's room was just as bleak as the guest room, but there was no sign of his mistress number two, Elena.
　Leila walked over to the bed.

I need you to wake up, sir.

　He shook Crono, his chest heaving more than necessary at the word "sir".

'Sir Instructor, it won't happen.'
Keep going.

　Leila reported with a gesture, and Myra answered shortly.

'Sir, it's morning.'
...hmm?

　Crono moaned softly as he continued to rock according to Myra's instructions.

'....Leila, good morning.
Oh, good morning, I mean, sir.

　Aware of the heat in her cheeks, Leila held back the hem of her skirt in an attempt to reduce the exposed area of her thighs as much as possible.

'Great,'
Thank you.

　Leila wasn't sure what Crono really meant, but she decided to interpret it as a compliment.

'It's almost time for breakfast, sir.
All right.

　Softly, the hem of her skirt lifted up as she turned on her heel, and Leila hurriedly held it back.
　She suddenly felt a look and turned around to see Crono leaning out of bed.
　It was as if he was trying to get a peek at her underwear.

'Hey, what are you doing?'
I didn't do anything.
Oh, really?

　Crono-sama didn't do anything, Leila said to herself as she left Crono's room.


Thank you, Sir.

　Leila nodded, mindful of the hem of her skirt.

*

　Breakfast was simple: soft bread, egg soup, and an assortment of sausages.
　Despite its simplicity, I could imagine how much time and effort it must have taken to make the soup, and the sausage was good without any unwanted flavor.
　It's not about what's good about it, it's about what's normally good about it - is that a skill?　And Elena looked at Crono and Claude, who were confronting each other in front of the stables, remembering the taste of breakfast. They both had wooden swords in their hands.
　It was a father-son confrontation made possible by Claude's words, but Crono seemed to be blatantly uncomfortable with it.
　If only there was that much difference in size, Elena compared their physiques.
　Claude has an upper height and an incredibly muscular body that is unbelievably old at 60 years of age.
　In contrast, Crono has thin lines. Leila and Faye, although slender, have body lines that remind me of a cat or a sharp blade, but Crono simply has thin lines.

''Oh come on, how long do we have to stare at each other?''
I'm going after them first.

　'Oh, come on,' said Claude, with a fierce smile.

'I'll take the provocation!
.....

　In the blink of an eye, Claude closed the gap between the two and released a thrust aimed at Crono's throat.

'Heeeeeeeeeeeeeee!'

　I thought he was going to counterattack by letting me set up first, but Crono let out a pathetic scream and ducked the thrust as he rolled on the ground.

'You're getting better at avoiding them, dude!
Hee!

　Crono ducks and ducks the wooden sword that was swung down with a force that could split your brain, and tries to get behind Claude.

It's a good thing that you're not the only one who thinks you can dig up my ass, huh?
.....

　Crono bends down to let Yokonagi's slash ... well, a wooden sword ... get away from him, and then crawls to the ground in a desperate manner.

''........not cool.''
That's a fine tactic, sir.
What do you mean?

　Elena looked up at Faye, who hadn't asked for it, but explained it to her.
　Faye was upright and immobile, as if a stick had been inserted, and the four horsemen were irresponsibly cheering as they tended their horses.

'Master Crono doesn't have enough muscle, sir.
So?
Combined, they could crush you in an instant, or they could crush you bit by bit.
Well, of course.

　If there's one thing that Crono has over, it's probably just his mobility.
　Crono tries to rely on his mobility to get behind him, but Claude swings his wooden sword to check him.
　The rest of the routine is so monotonous that it's missing.
　Crono dodges Claude's attacks and Claude continues to swing his wooden sword.

''Crono-sama's movements have slowed down!

　As Faye pointed out, Crono's movements had slowed down, and the tip of the wooden sword was now snatching at his body.

'It's about time you eased up!
.....

　The moment the wooden sword was swung down, Crono jumped towards Claude.

''Oh!''

　The cavalrymen who had been irresponsibly cheering him on let out an exclamation.
　Crono masterfully scraped past Claude's side.......no, he rolled through and got behind him.
　Now, Crono should have been able to see Claude's unprotected back.
　But Crono stopped moving hesitantly and fouled the opportunity he had finally seized.
　The wooden sword danced high in the air.
　It was a blow that Claude scooped up.

''You've wasted the chance you had to seize it.
I just couldn't imagine beating my dad.

　With an excuse, Crono cowered his shoulders in an exaggerated manner.

''I'm not going to die anyway, so why don't you just attack me?
Next time.

　Crono sat next to Elena and hung his head as if all his strength had been used up.

'It's over, isn't it?'
...you will keep me company, sir.

　Faye picked up the wooden sword and took a swing to check the center of gravity.

''Hey man, you're quite the wielder, aren't you?''

　Claude bared his teeth and smiled.
　Faye held her wooden sword at mid-level, while Claude slackened his arms and refused to hold his wooden sword up.

'Who's stronger, your father or Faye?'
They're both an order of magnitude stronger.

　Crono chuckled as Elena put her elbow iron in, and Crono chuckled.

'Faye is so horny.
Your father doesn't have it?

Son!　I don't care if you're lying to me, just support me!

　When Crono criticized him lightly and harshly, Claude shouted with a desperate look on his face.

'It is going!'
Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

　When Faye lightly swung the wooden sword, Claude made a strange noise and swung the wooden sword down like a madman.

''Kiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!

　After not even holding a round, Faye was forced to defend against the battle, and as if the excitement had taken over, Claude attacked like a furious man.

''Well, I hope you'll wait!
Kiiiiiiiiii!

　Faye withstood the stormy onslaught and smoothly scraped past Claude's side.
　Claude swung his wooden sword to chase after her, but Faye ducked the attack with her brilliant footwork and took a large distance from her.

''........What is that thing?''
"I thought I was going to do a quick check, and then he attacked me like crazy, and then I panicked and gave it my all.
Oh, Faye has a tendency to overstate her abilities, don't you think?

　And that's why the bandits dragged me off my horse,' Elena said, holding her temples.

'God, I need you to help me!　The divine robe!

　Darkness rises from Fay's body like smoke.
　

''How great is that thing?''
"Even if a stone thrown by a pitcher hits you, you're still going to say, 'Yes, it hurts! I could get away with it.

　Heh~, Elena was honestly impressed.

''Oh, you can use the Divine Majesty Technique?''
We're going!

　A moment later, Faye's figure disappeared, leaving a trail of thin ink.
　As Elena rolled her eyes in astonishment, Khan!　The sound of "I'm sorry,
　Claude raised his wooden sword as if he were carrying it and received the attack that Faye had set up from behind.
　Fay, who turned behind him in an instant, was amazing, but Claude, who received it, was even more amazing.
　When Claude swung his sword, Faye jumped back as if she had been played.

''Hey, hey, you're not respectful enough to try to hit such a naive old man from behind, are you?
No naughty old man screams and attacks me.

　Faye turned around and told Claude, who was licking his tongue, once and for all.

''There's a difference. In that case, next time, come to the front and do your best.
Mmm...

　

'God, I want you to bless my blade!　The Sacred Blade!　God, I need a little more help!　The divine robe!

　A viscous magma-like darkness covers the wooden sword, and the amount of darkness that rises from Fei's body like smoke visibly increases.

''It is going!''
I'm here.

　Claude scratched his head on the spot as if he had aimed for the moment when Faye disappeared.
　Thud!　And then there was a crash.

"Woe is me, I am defeated with all my might!

　Faye ran at full speed, stumbling over Claude and sending him flying through the air.

'Uriyah!'
What?

　Faye flicked the wooden sword Claude threw in the air.

'Ullah!

　The moment he landed, Claude kicked him off and Faye was slammed against the wall.
　The damage seems to be small in light of the point where the darkness is rising like smoke.

''Nah, I'm not convinced!　One more round!　I would like to see another round!
Idiot, the next time you fight, you're gonna lose!

　Claude crossed his arms in a pompous manner and said to the crowded Faye.

'At the very least, I would like your advice, sir!
...too much reliance on talent, over.
I'd appreciate it if you could be more specific.

　Faye grabbed Claude's arm to stop him as he tried to get back to the mansion.

'You're stupid and inexperienced, that's all.
I do not understand!

　Claude let out a sigh of dismay.

You are strong. You are extremely inexperienced from my point of view, but you are one of the best in your age group. Do you understand so far?

　Kokoro Faye nodded silently.

'You don't try to fight with your head because you unfortunately don't have much experience of losing due to your talent. That's why your attacks are easy to read, and you'll destroy yourself on stupid provocations like just now. At this rate, you'll easily fall into the trap, won't you?
...Ug.

　Faye grunted in pain as she remembered the incident with the bandit.

'That's not all. You've gotten serious since you've been outnumbered, haven't you?　It's proof that you're licking your opponent. When you're dealing with any small fry, give it your all and think properly. That way, you won't be dumb.
Thank you for your guidance, sir.

　With a plop, Claude punched Faye on the head.

'Why did you hit him, sir?
Now that I'm feeling up to it, I'll give you some more guidance.
Thank you!

　Claude carried the wooden sword and said, and Faye replied happily.

'Isn't it funny how you can laugh at me when you've been beaten?
Dad and Faye are warriors, too.

　With that, Crono stood up.



Sweep the floor with more finesse!
Sir, yes, sir!

　With Myra's attention, Leila sped up the speed of her broom.
　The two of them were sweeping near the stairs on the second floor, and Crono was in the middle of the first and second floor....................in essence, the stairway landing.

''I can't seem to see it.''

　He looked up at Leila, who was sweeping the floor as she adjusted her angle, but her skirt was blocking Crono's intentions with a defensive force that was unimaginable given its short length.

'What are you doing, you stupid son?'
I'm trying to look up your skirt.
You're tired of looking at that stuff, aren't you?
'It's rare for Leila to look shy.

　His adoptive father let out a dumbfounded sigh, but his interest piqued, he sat down next to Crono and looked upstairs.

'Where's Faye?'
Three times we played three times and I won all three times. I can't see shit.

　His foster father moved his head up and down and muttered as he spat.

''Well Dad, Leila is my mistress.
My wife died, so it's been my wife all along.
'Casually and unobtrusively rogue!
My wife used to tell me that.

　His adoptive father narrowed his eyes nostalgically and stroked his chin.

What was he like?
I was the knight in the Empress Astrea's bodyguard. He was so strong. He cursed me so much whenever I saw him, I thought I'd rape him by force one day.
You're screwed.

　It's not going to be a heartwarming episode, including the current situation.

'After the civil war was over, I finally came to my wife just as the barbarians were being chased off to the Areos Mountains and starting to settle the southern frontier.
You don't know what you're talking about.
'I didn't ask for details, but it sounds like Empress Astraea gave the order. The others were the same way, and I guess they meant to give us a nobleman's daughter to turn tail on. It was a shitty story, and I was going to start one of the rebellions, but I couldn't revolt because I had the lords,

　Crono sat on the stairs as his adopted father scratched his head on the landing.

'But, well, my wife made me happy. It was like a lightbulb moment in my life when all I could do was take and be taken away.

　His foster father smiled shyly.

'It was about five years or so that I was given the luxury of a successful pioneering career. The kid couldn't do it, but I had enough. But I guess I didn't think I was good enough because when I was dying, I made him say he was sorry he couldn't give birth to your child. I've had plenty of regrets, but that's the biggest regret of my life.

　His adoptive father's tone was calm, but his eyes held a light that resembled hatred.
　What did his adoptive father hate?
　That he had been forced to work in the settlement of the southern frontier?
　The fact that I made him spin an apology on his deathbed?
　Or.....

'After my wife died, everything was empty, but God gave me a child. I wish he'd come a little sooner, but enough is enough.

　His foster father patted Crono's head roughly.

'Are you impressed?'
I didn't think my dad had a sensitive heart.

　Gahahaha laughing, his adoptive father put Crono in a headlock.

'And Dad!　God, my neck is chattering!