Semi-retired Adventurer Lives Leisurely

Chapter 102: The Practice Match Against the Princess

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It was the day after we met the Princess.

 

From very early in the morning, I walked and headed towards the Governor’s Mansion.

 

Yesterday, as a result of having tea with her Highness, Princess Eileen, we became quite acquainted with each other.
So much so that Princess Eileen asked us if we could join her for breakfast the next morning.

 

Apparently, she brought with her some ham from a famous shop in the Capital and said she would love for us to try it.

 

We’re talking about the Royal Family who must be eating some delicious meals every single day.
I’m sure if she says it’s good, it must be really good.

 

Henry: “Hey, Jend.”

 

Jend: “Hey, Henry.
Mornin’.”

 

Henry: “Mornin’”

 

On my way, I ran into Jend.

 

As we just talked about this and that, we naturally came to the topic of her Highness, the Princess.

 

Jend: “But that Princess.
She’s quite frank…….I mean, Ferris told me a little bit, but apparently, she's always been like that.”

 

Henry: “Well, she is a Princess that did become an Adventurer.
And…there are Adventurers like that on the frontlines.
They would usually be from Upper Nobility and 2nd or 3rd heir in line.”

 

Those who are from Noble birth and are born with great amounts of Magic Power typically make their living as Knights or Adventurers.
Sir Ezeal is the head of a Viscount Family, and Ms.
Beatriz is the eldest daughter of a Count I believe.
So in that way, it’s not unheard of for people of high status to transfer to become Adventurers.

 

………..but as part of the Royal Family, especially as a female, and instead of a Knight, to become an Adventurer is actually quite rare.

 

Jend: “Huh…..most of the Nobles I knew were pretty proud of themselves, so weren’t there some really bossy guys then?” Henry: “That usually depends on their country of origin.
The Nobles of Alvenia aren’t as bad, but the ones from Varsaldi Empire tend to be like that.
The ones from the Upper Priesthood of the Salaiz Republic are halfway between Alvenia and Varsaldi, I think.”

 

But this is just what I experienced in my past, so I may be wrong too.

 

Jend: “I see….”

 

Henry: “Yup.
……but well, they’re usually like that right after they become Adventurers, and after one or two months, they usually tone down.”

 

It’s a job that risks your life.
If you don’t do your part and order people around, or charge in even though you’re not that strong, you won’t last long in this field.
So in order to survive, you have to adjust and change.

 

If you don’t, they usually suffer a major injury and retire or die……..or if they’re really lucky, someone will beat them up and send them back across to the back lines.

 

As we talked, we began to see the Governor’s Mansion’s gate in the distance.

 

We’ve met the two guards standing at the gate several times now.

 

Henry: “Good morning.”

 

“Good morning, Mr.
Henry.
……….you are being expected in the backyard.
Please proceed that way.” Henry: “?” As I greeted the guard at the gate, he told me something peculiar.
Why the backyard?

 

“……..it is a directive given to us by her Royal Highness, Princess Eileen.”

 

Henry: “Ohhh……”

 

And I got a general idea of what’s going on.

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Jend got the picture too, and I shrug and head to the backyard as we were told.

 

The Governor’s Mansion’s backyard is incredibly spacious.
They have plenty of flower gardens, but they also hold morning meetings with those who work at the Mansion, and they also train the males of the Governor’s Family here, so they also have open space for that.

 

As we head to the back……….as we expected, Princess Eileen and Ms.
Beatriz faced off against each other with weapons in hand.
Princess Eileen was not wearing a dress like yesterday, and though it was still a little extravagant and flashy, she was wearing full-body armor.

 

Henry: “And they even have the boundaries secured too.”

 

As if to surround the backyard, there are about 10 points where metal plates with Spell Inscriptions were distributed.

 

There are many Styles of Magecraft used for preparing [locations] like this, but the most famous one is the Marinan Style Magecraft Spell Inscriptions.
And among those, it’s a barrier that prohibits sound from spilling to the outside.

 

As soon as we cross over the threshold of the barrier, we soon hear the sounds that didn’t reach us before.

 

Eileen: “(gasp……gasp……)……..”

 

Beatriz: “Eileen, are you already giving up?”

Eileen: “Not yet!”

 

Princess Eileen’s halberd glows orangish yellow as her Magic Power accumulates, and with that light, Princess Eileen charges with all her might.

 

Ms.
Beatriz observes Princess Eileen’s attack with a “Hmm” and readies her shield which is now glowing blue.

 

Without any feints or fakes, Princess Eileen’s thrust her halberd forward with everything she had.
It’s a heavy, long-reaching weapon.
Usually, with that much Magic Power, you don’t need to worry about delicate techniques and can brutally crush your enemies butーーnot in this case.

 

Beatriz: “Too light!”

 

Ms.
Beatriz stopped the attack with her shield and delivered a counter strike with her sword.

 

Having exhausted all her strength on that last strike, Princess Eileen was unable to dodge and……..before the blade struck her shoulder, Ms.
Beatriz’ sword paused.

 

………putting Ms.
Beatriz aside, Princess Eileen just went all out on her strike.
Normally, you wouldn’t go this far in a morning training…..

 

Beatriz: “……..the last strike was okay.
Make sure to continue training your Magic Power concentration.”

 

Eileen: “Thank you very much!”

 

Princess Eileen bows her head.
Even if it’s between a Royalty and a Knight, they seem to have abandoned those statuses during training.

 

Henry: “Good morning and good work.
We only got to see the end, but that was an amazing fight, Princess Eileen.”

 

Eileen: “Oh! Good morning, Henry! Thank you for your compliment, but I still have a long way to go to draw out Beatriz’ true strength.”

 

With a graceful smile, she stood there as any accomplished Adventurer would.
She really looks the part right now.

 

Cyril: “Henry, Jend, good morningーー”

 

Henry: “Hey, good morning, Cyril.”

 

Cyril, who was observing the training session, waved her hands at us, and I wave back.

 

Eileen: “Okay……now that my body is warmed up, would you both like to join us?”

 

I thought she would say that.
I KNEW she would say that.

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Normally, there’s no reason to refuse, but today, her Highness, Princess Eileen, is here for sightseeing, and we are her guards.
I can’t just go and waste my energy and stamina today.

 

Henry: “Unfortunately, we are on duty today……”

 

Eileen: “Hmmmm……oh, yes, that’s right.”

 

Princess Eileen made a disgruntled face, but then hit a fist to her palm.

 

Eileen: “(cough) Even for myself, is it not important for me to know the strengths of my guards? Without knowing that, it would be very difficult to entrust myself to you.
How's that?” What do you mean, “How's that”………..

 

Of course, it does make some sense, but you can easily tell that 100% of her reasoning is just an excuse to fight.

 

Henry: “………..Ms.
Beatriz……..”

 

Beatriz: “It will be good for her to experience fighting a variety of different opponents.”

 

Nope, she has no intention of stopping this.

 

Henry: “(sigh)……Okay, I understand.
Just one fight.”

 

Eileen: “Yes, that’s fine! But if you go easy on me, I won’t forgive you!”

 

Well, of course.
From the flow of the conversation up until now, if I lose on purpose just to make her look good…….I can see how that would easily trigger her anger and discontent.

 

I do have some reservations still, but…..a true warrior will forego the details and focus on the fight at hand.

 

Eileen: “As far as the rules……well, let’s just say anything within reason.”

 

Henry: “That’s fine with me.
I will be fighting with all my strength.”

 

Eileen: “Yes.
Then Beatriz, please signal the beginning of the match.”

 

Beatriz: “Understood.”

 

At the center of the training field, I stood a little ways from Princess Eileen and faced off with her.

 

Cyril: “Oh, it’s Henry and Ms.
Eileen’s fight.
Miss Eileenー, please feel free to pummel Henry to the ground!”

 

Eileen: “Okay, I will, Cyril!”

 

Cyril dropped the honorific to a “Miss” huh.
Just after one night of spending time, Cyril became really good friends with the Princess.

 

But that’s that.
I need to focus on the now.

 

Henry: “Cyril, usually you should be cheering for your own Party member.”

 

Cyril: “Henry, when we went out last week, you ate the cake I ordered.
You’ll suffer my wrath for that.”

 

Henry: “But that was in exchange for a bite of my apple pie, wasn’t it?” Cyril: “You took a larger bite out of my cake!”

 

Ugh, she’s really holding a pointless grudge…..

 

Eileen: “Hehe, you two get along so well.”

Henry: “(sigh)….I guess?” I guess we do? Eileen: “But now with Miss Cyril cheering me on, I cannot lose so easily.
………please ready yourself.”

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Henry: “……..yes.”

 

Princess Eileen erupts in fighting spirit and readies her halberd.
I also ready myself.
I take out the Nyoiten Spear in knife-form, and change it into a short spear.

 

We are only a few meters apart.
If we step in, we’ll be able to reach each other.

 

From this distance, I won’t be able to use my spear throw as my first move, so I’ll be at a slight disadvantage, but that’s okay.

 

Beatriz: “Are both of you ready?”

 

Ms.
Beatriz stood in between us and confirmed with each one of us.
Both Princess Eileen and I nod.

 

Ms.
Beatriz raised her hand in the air, and as soon as she let her hand down, she raised her voice.

 

Beatriz: “BEGIN!”

 

<<<<>>>>

 

Cyril: “…….you won so easily, Henry.
But it felt like you used some cheap tactics.”

 

My fight with Princess Eileen lasted about 2 minutes.
I won the match without any issues.

 

Henry: “Cyril, what do you mean cheap? That wasn’t cheap at all.
It’s a well known strategy.”

 

In this match, I avoided going into a full on fight.

 

Princess Eileen pours an amazing amount of Magic Power into her weapon with every strike, and she’s like a small hurricane.
If I were to try to match my strength to hers, I don’t know who would’ve won.

 

So I parried at times, dodged at times, and looked for an opening……..and as Princess Eileen began rushing her attacks, one of her swings was too wide, and with a [Restraint] {Katerno}, I binded her weapon.
A half-moment of pause on her part was enough for me to point my spear at her throat and end the match.

 

Yes, this was a delicate strategy that was executed very bravely.
So calling it cheap doesn’t sit well with me.

 

So like this, one of my biggest strengths is my ability to adjust and change strategies with my opponent.

 

……….and yes, against Sir Ezeal who is strong against all strategies, so even in a slight disadvantageous situation, he would respond perfectly or forcefully drag you into his advantageous position, these kinds of tricks wouldn’t work.

 

Cyril: “I know butーー see, look at Jend’s fight.
It’s so much more fun to watch.”

 

Henry: “The two of them are very similar in fighting style so of course, things will get heated up.”

 

Before us, we saw the orangish-yellow halberd and a crimson large broadsword clash.
Jend has slightly higher strength, but Princess Eileen’s Magic Power is much higher than his.
As a result, Jend’s red is being pushed back slightly, but he still held his position.

 

Both of them are warriors that try to crush their opponent with their strength, so it’s fun to watch.

 

Beatriz: “To be able to fight against Princess Eileen this much.
It hasn’t been even a year, and yet his abilities have grown quite significantly.”

 

Henry: “Yes.
Even I was shocked at how fast he developed.”

 

Ms.
Beatriz is quite impressed, and it makes me proud to hear that.

 

Beatriz: “Henry, thank you as well.
You are both closer in age, and yet you completely shut her down.
For Princess Eileen, it was good to have experienced such a defeat.”

 

Henry: “Well, we’re still 4 years apart.
Why not have her fight Ageha?” Beatriz: “Ageha Sagiri, huh.
…….the last time I went with my troops to support the frontlines, I got to see her fight, but…..against that Hero, she would lose instantly and probably end up losing her confidence.”

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Well, I guess that’s true.

 

Ageha’s tactic is all about a full-frontal sneak attack.
And I know that makes no sense at all or don’t even know how to explain it.

 

Even from fighting her head on, Ageha is pretty strong.
But when fighting her, you have to first and foremost never lose sight of her.
If you let your attention waver off of her for a second, she will disappear and come for your throat……..is the inexplicable tactic Ageha uses.

 

So it’s like…..instinct? You have to have a pretty significant instinct to be able to fight with her.

 

From what I could tell, Princess Eileen’s strength is amazing.
But she is still inexperienced, and because of that, there are some weaknesses I can observe.

 

Henry: “Oh.” As I was thinking and watching, Jend made a mistake.

 

From there, Princess Eileen began hammering down on him as the situation worsened for Jend like a downward slope and………..though he tried to persist, he eventually lost.

 

Jend: “………I surrender.”

 

Eileen: “Yes, it’s my victory.
But Jend, you are plenty strong yourself.
………if you were too weak to protect Ferris, I had some reservations myself, but with this I can entrust her to you.”

 

Reservations? Like what?

 

Eileen: “Of course, what I meant was that we would have to do my Hell-mode Training Course! But……it looks like all that thinking and planning will go to waste.
It is a pity.”

 

Henry: “……….uh huh……”

 

I thought she meant that she would forcefully end their relationship or something like that……but even still, to have a backup plan and come up with a full training regimen in case his strength was lacking is………quite off.

 

Beatriz: “Since we spent the time devising the training plan, why not do it anyway, Princess Eileen? There is no reason to not do something that will make you stronger.”

 

Eileen: “That’s true.
And you did help me make this training plan too.”

 

Does the leader of a Knights Organization not have anything else to do?

 

Cyril: “Ms.
Beatriz, do the leaders of a Knight Organization have a lot of time on their hands?” AGH?! CYRIL?!?! I understand how you feel but never ask those kinds of things directly!!

 

Beatriz: “Unlike the Black Dragon Knights on the frontlines, the White Dragon Knights focus on protecting the Capital and King’s Palace, so as long as there are no crimes to investigate, we do have a lot of leisure and flexibility.”

 

Henry: “Is that so……”

……….or rather, Ms.
Beatriz didn’t mind the question at all.

 

(SIGH)…..this is getting tiring.

 

Jend: “Oh, ummー”

 

Eileen: “Jend, you would like to participate in this training as well, right?” Jend: “UーUm, if it’s after our guard duty is complete, then yes.
Of course.”

Eileen: “Yes, that is without question.
………and Henry, you wouldn’t run from a rematch, correct?”

 

And I’m pulled in very subtly and naturally.
Is there any way to refuse?

 

While I was trying to come up with a reply, Ferris and Teo came too.

 

It became a slightly late breakfast, but thankfully, the conversation ended right here.

 

And the ham that Princess Eileen brought as a gift was amazingly delicious as expected, and we all spent the rest of the morning complimenting it as we ate.

 

So all in all, since the ham was so good, I don’t mind participating in this Hell-Mode Training(?) that they came up with.