At first, I - the Light Warrior - could not get used to life in the palace.

　The knights who serve in the palace have mansions in the castle grounds.
　But as a country bumpkin, I naturally don't have one, so I rent a room in the lodgings of the soldiers who pack the castle and sleep in it.
　It's stinky, dirty, and cramped, and it reminds me of the level of the inn at the end of the day.
　I may be to blame for the luxury I've learned to live in since traveling with Magnus and the others, but....
　Even the remote village I was born in had better hygiene than this place!　I want to scream.

　Well, that's the only way I'll be able to endure it.
　I have to learn the knights' skills as soon as possible and get out of this life!　We're going to meet up with Magnus and the others!　I had to do my best.
　That crucial skill acquisition was not good either.

　In order for the knights to hone their military prowess, they only gather in the morning at the training grounds.
　And it's not all of them, but rather they take turns on a daily basis.
　However, this schedule itself is not for skipping work, but rather because the knights have a wide range of duties to do and are busy.

　The problem is that during the drill time, all the knights are lazy.
　I'm one of them, but I can't get them to learn any skills.

"What?　Would you like to see our bodyguard?　Huh. Very well. It is the Grand Duke's order to have you study. At best, scrape the surface.

　How they would say and show me skills that I hadn't put myself into at all.
　Even if I had seen and imitated such a bogus skill, I would not have been able to learn it.
　The skills Lawrence and the others had shown me so seriously, no matter how advanced they were, I could have learned them in a day.

　I wanted to whine.
　But I never did.
　Because Magnus wouldn't say it, no matter what the odds were.

　I would spend every day observing the pseudo-skill demonstrations and wondering, "Isn't this how it's really done? Or, "If I put together the good parts of this person and that person, I think we'll get closer to completion. And I did my best to research it.
　This kind of thinking about things came naturally to me after being in daily contact with Magnus.

　But I didn't care about me, I was worried about whether this country was going to be okay with these knights in this state.
　Then one day I overheard them talking about it by accident.

That little boy Ray, how long do you think he's going to stay in the castle?
"And how dare you steal the skills of our honored knights!　This warrior of light is dumbfounded to hear you say that. I think you're mistaken for a thief.
''That's right. There's a mention of being chosen as a divine spirit pro-something, but that's about as good as it gets!　Chosen and decorated by His Highness, of course we are greater than you.
"It won't be those foul-mouthed bastards who will kill the 'Magic Bullet Warlord'. It's the loyalty and solidarity of our knights.
Yes, the shield of protection should be our knights. I don't get it.

　-- oh my god.
　I mean, it's not that they didn't have motivation or patriotism or anything like that, but on the contrary, it was too much, and that's why they were so distracted by me.

　To be honest, I was depressed.
　When I first started traveling with Magnus and the others, I was morosely exposed to the malice of people that I had forgotten about for a while.

　　　　◇◆◆◆◆.

　In the afternoons, I work out in the nooks and crannies of the castle's backyard.
　Every once in a while, an old gardener or a patrol of soldiers will walk by here and I won't have to worry about anything.

　But today, I didn't have the energy to work out.
　I was huddled in the shade of the lawn, feeling depressed and depressed.

　Then - suddenly, a voice called out.

'Huh?　Aren't you going to practice today?

　It's a girl's voice.
　A tone of voice that was familiar, but couldn't hide its elegance.

　I turned around, startled.
　She was peering at me from the back of the lawn, cowering.
　She's a beautiful girl with a mischievous smile that suits her well, and she looks victorious.
　She is about the same age as me.
　I'm sure she's an officer in the castle from the way she's dressed.

　It's the first time I learned that a castle attendant is a girl of a noble family.
　For security reasons, they can't hire someone whose identity is not well known.
　The aristocrats also send their daughters out to the castle to serve them because it would be a great opportunity for them to get a promotion if they caught the eye of His Highness or His Highness the Grand Duke or His Highness the Prince.

　So this girl is probably a nobleman's daughter from somewhere.
　She's not just pretty, she's also elegant. Even if she's wearing a servant's uniform, and even to my provincial eyes it's obvious.

　What would she want with me?

I see you practicing here day in and day out as I pass by.
''Eh. That's the embarrassing part...
'Oh!　What in the world is there to be ashamed of, the way people work hard!

　She got a real pissed off look on her face and screamed.
　It's not like I was making fun of her, but this is so upside down.

　But........her words made me so happy.
　It means that she appreciates my efforts.
　She was angry for me.

　It made me lighten up.

'I'm a bit depressed today.... I learned a skill from the knights in the morning, and in the afternoon I'm here to review it and practice other skills. I found out that those knights don't like me very much.
Hmm.

　She gave an absent-minded sigh.
　It doesn't seem to matter a hell of a lot.

　That makes me cringe.
　She saw the look on my face, and as if she could see right through me

'What?　Perhaps you wanted some words of comfort?

My dear sir, I don't like to comfort people. It's like, "Don't spoil it for me.

　She got a nasty look on her face and giggled.
　I turned my head away, feeling as if I was being ridiculed.
　What the hell, she was giving me a compliment earlier!　I was teasing her in my chest.

　So I waited for her to walk away. Like a traveler going through a storm.
　But she doesn't seem to be leaving.
　All the while, she's looking down at me, still and cowering.

''...What?　Do you still need me?
I've never seen a loser in my life. That's why I thought it was so unusual that this must be the case.
I mean, I get angry when I'm angry, too!

　You don't have to make fun of me that much!　I exclaimed.
　I stood up and turned to face her.

　Then I noticed.
　When we stood side by side, I was taller than her. I knew it, and we're a man and a woman, so yeah.
　And I'm the one looking down at her and....

And then?　What do you do when you're angry?

　She stared into my eyes with a resolute attitude and said provocatively.

'You don't think it's all talk?　Well, what a horror!
No, of course not!

　I got up - and eventually decided to practice.
　I took my sword and started reviewing today's exercises and repetition of skills.
　I was pissed off, so I ignored her and treated her like she was airborne.
　But halfway through, I got curious and stole a glimpse of the one she was standing on.

　She was long gone!

'What the hell?

　You really were just passing by and looking at it for a bit of a curiosity!

　I suppress the urge to step on the ground.
　There's no point in doing that, so I let this frustration pass into practice and vent it out.

　How long did I keep this up seriously?
　I had been typing away at the time, and I felt my strength was running out, so I decided to take a break.
　I sat cross-legged in the shadows of the lawn and wiped my sweat off with the hand towel I had prepared.

　And then - suddenly - a voice called out to me again.

'Good job. Would you like some lukewarm tea and some sweet snacks?

　My girlfriend from earlier was peering at me from the back of the lawn.
　There's a basket in my right hand.

　I didn't expect her to come back. Why?　Why?
　I cringe.
　She saw the look on my face, and as if she could see right through me.

Yes, I don't like to console people. It's sterile and unproductive, isn't it?　But I love to reward people for their hard work, you know?

　She comes to this side of the lawn.
　Then she sits down alongside me and offers me the contents of her basket.
　We both eat together.
　The water, not too cold, not too warm, and the sweetness seems to soak into my tired body.

　I'm so grateful that I get a little teary.
　This is the first time in my life in the palace that I have received the goodwill of a person.

Thank you so much for the gift. My name is Ray. Can I ask your name too?
Yes, of course. I'm Beatrixine, by the way.
'Heh!　You're named like a princess!
Yes. I'm a princess.

...What?

The First Lady of Grand Duke deBellon is me, isn't it, Warrior of Light, Summer?