Vol 1 Chapter 57 (1/2)

Published

at 31st of March 2019 10:57:50 AM

Chapter 57

Chapter 57 – Arc 3 Opening

Leticia’s mornings started early . A person of her status could choose to wake up when the sun was high in the sky and have an army of maids attend to her every morning . However, she did not do so . Instead, she rose before the sun, when the sky was still dark . She woke up before the bakers even began to bake their bread . Ever since meeting Wynn, she never failed to get up at this time .

She slept in a women’s dormitory at the Academy . Her room was dark, as it was every morning . Officially, while the academy did not discriminate based upon social status, those of n.o.bility still received private rooms . Leticia was given special treatment due to her admission as a special scholars.h.i.+p student . She was the Brave who had saved the world, and was also a duke’s daughter, so special treatment was a given . Only a handful of the other students received the same level of hospitality .

Leticia slipped out of her bed . The predawn air felt cold, to the point that she could see her breath . It would get warmer once the sun rose, but that wasn’t until later . Her golden hair s.h.i.+mmered in the moonlight . Using the mirror sitting on her dresser, she tied her hair and tidied her clothes . This was also where Leticia differed from other n.o.ble ladies . She preferred not to have a maid attend to her . She grabbed a small, carefully wrapped bundle from a shelf before leaving her room .

Magic tools illuminated the hallway just enough for her to be able to walk . The other students were still asleep, so she took care to step lightly . Her skill at concealing her presence was honed by having to hide from monsters as they pa.s.sed by . She had learned it with Wynn during their work as adventurers . Actually, Wynn learned it first, and he had to teach it to her .

She left the dorm building . It was silent outside; only the moon and stars lit up the sky, creating dark shadows on the ground under the trees . She headed towards the men’s dormitories, a block away from the women’s . Leticia slowly relaxed her body and took a deep breath . Then, she took off with light steps . Her surroundings streamed past, and the men’s dorms soon came into view . Slowing her feet, she peeped from behind a tree and saw Wynn swinging his sword .

He practiced each sword form slowly, paying careful attention to his stance and his sword . He concentrated all of his strength into the end of each swing . His technique didn’t rely on brute strength, but instead used his entire body to create quick movements . After going through all the basic forms, Wynn took a break to catch his breath .

At that point in his routine, he’d usually run to the Wandering Bird’s Roost, where he was needed to help with preparations, while also training his legs . However, Hannah hired a new worker recently, so he no longer needed to work there in the mornings . Since he no longer had work in the morning, he didn’t need to wake up so early anymore, but the habit had already been deeply ingrained into his body . Because of him, Leticia’s schedule was early as well . Leticia breathed in… then out .

You’ve got this! She pumped her fist to gather her courage . Her eyes fell to the bundle in her hand . She made sure it was there before walking over .

“Hm? Good morning, Leti . ”

“Morning, Big Brother . ”

Noticing Leticia’s approach, Wynn lowered his sword to greet her . She returned his greeting with a smile .  I hope he doesn’t notice anything off with my smile, she thought to herself .

“Wait just a moment . I’m almost done with my training . Oh, would you like to join in?”

“I’ll just watch from here . ”

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Wynn nodded and resumed his training . As she watched, Leticia felt her nervousness melt away . Wynn’s blade flickered through the air effortlessly and gracefully . Wynn preferred to counterattack after dodging the opponent’s attacks, just like Leticia herself .

No, Leticia corrected herself, I’m the one who is using Wynn’s style of swordplay .  She could see the misty breaths from Wynn’s mouth as he danced across the ground . He was the one who had taught her the swordplay that had kept her alive through countless battles . Wynn’s blade swiped through the air horizontally, then stopped moving . The blade dance had ended . He relaxed, breathing heavily .

“Good work . ” Leticia met Wynn halfway as he tried to catch his breath .

“Oh, thanks . ”

“Are you done training for today?”

“Yeah, the sun is starting to rise . Why do you ask?”

“Um, well…”

Calm down! she told herself when she noticed her heart had started racing .

“What is it?”

“H-here . ” Leticia handed him the parcel .

“Congratulations on becoming a guardian knight, Big Brother!”

“This is for me?”

“Yup . ”

“Oh, thanks so much! Should I open it?”

Leticia nodded . Inside the parcel, he saw several books .

“Oh, amazing! Such expensive things…” Books were expensive . Some even went as high as a gold coin .

“They’re history books, as well as epics . I chose ones I thought you might like . ”

“I can’t wait to read them! Thank you so much! I’ll treasure them . ” Seeing Wynn flip through one of the books with such a big smile on his face made Leticia happy . “How can I ever make it up to you?”