The Young Lady With the Most Powerful Specs Was Just Too Cute, so I Started Teasing Her—But Then She Tried to Trap Me With a Chain, so I Kept Running Away With All My Might - Chapter 4

Exclusive Trainee Knight?

The Captain called me out.

The air at the training ground was the same as always, but my situation felt like anything but normal.

I mean, of course it did.

Yesterday, I played tag with the Duke’s daughter. And we aren’t talking about some cute little story where we jogged down a hallway for a bit.

We sprinted through the entire mansion with everything we had, while her Black Chains smashed walls, destroyed flower stands, and left the servants screaming in our wake.

To put it lightly, it was a massive disaster.

That’s why I’m currently sitting in the middle of the training ground in a formal kneeling position.

Man, it’s a rough start to the morning.

“Nil Metasura.”

“Yes.”

“Do you have any idea what you’ve done?”

“…I cheered up the young lady?”

“That is not what I’m asking.”

“Right. Figures.”

The Captain’s voice was low. Scary.

I mean, he’s always a scary guy, but today he’s about thirty percent scarier than usual. The seniors watching from behind were keeping their distance, looking like they were struggling to hold back their laughter.

Nobody was going to help me.

“Sprinting through the hallways of the Duke’s house at full speed, dragging the young lady into it, damaging three walls, two flower stands, and a pillar in the corridor. The servants are in total chaos. The maids are crying and laughing at the same time. The gardener’s back gave out, and he’s scrambling to fix the mess. The patrol knights could do nothing but get out of the way, which basically allowed the young lady to keep chasing you.”

“But it’s not like anyone can stop those chains, right?”

“Don’t talk back!”

“Yes, sir.”

I got chewed out big time. But something felt a little off.

The Captain was mad. He was definitely mad, but he didn’t have that bloodlust he gets when he’s truly about to snap. It felt more like… he was just playing the part of an angry boss.

“First of all, what did you even do to her?”

“Even if you ask me what I did…”

“Answer me.”

“I suggested a game of tag.”

“Why?”

“Well, the young lady always answers when people talk to her.”

“Umu.”

“So I thought, if I offered to play a game, maybe she’d join in~”

Exactly. Moving your body is always the best medicine for a human being.

Swinging a real sword is fun.

Training is hard, but you feel great afterward.

“She was just sitting there all the time, so I thought she should probably move around.”

“And the result is a half-destroyed mansion?”

“It’s not half-destroyed! It’s probably only like a third!”

“The scale of the damage isn’t the point!”

He roared at me.

Yeah, that wasn’t the right thing to say.

But to me, it was actually a pretty important distinction.

There’s a huge difference between “completely destroyed,” “half-destroyed,” and “partially damaged.” Mostly for the sake of my future.

The Captain pressed his fingers to his temples and let out a long breath.

“…You really are a strange man.”

“Is that a compliment?”

“No.”

“Right. Figures.”

The Captain stayed silent for a while as I sat there looking dejected.

Then, he said something totally unexpected.

“You don’t have to pay for the repairs.”

“…Huh?”

“Did you not hear me? I said reimbursement is unnecessary.”

“Wait, really!?”

I looked up without thinking.

I mean, that’s the most important part!

I’m a trainee knight. My pay isn’t exactly a fortune yet. There was no way I could ever afford to pay for the walls, pillars, and flower stands in those massive hallways.

If they told me to pay, I’d probably spend my entire life in debt before I even officially became a knight at fifteen.

“Is it really okay!? Seriously!? You won’t say ‘actually, you have to pay’ later on!?”

“I won’t.”

“Oh, thank goodness…!”

I almost collapsed right there on the floor.

I haven’t felt like I was actually alive since last night.

It was great that I seemed to cheer up the young lady. But if the price for that was my life being over, that felt a bit wrong.

The Captain looked down at me and let a small smile slip.

“It’s an order from the Duke.”

“From the Duke?”

“Yeah. He said, ‘Go easy on Nil when you scold him.'”

“Go easy… this is going easy…?”

“This is the light version.”

“No way.”

The truth slipped out, making the seniors behind me burst into laughter.

Damn it. Don’t laugh. I mean, I kind of thought so too. If this is “light,” what does the “heavy” version look like? Do they bury you?

“Be grateful. Normally, the punishment would be much worse. Or should I personally tie you to a pillar and give you a hundred lashes?”

“I’m grateful. I’m incredibly grateful.”

“Good.”

The Captain crossed his arms again.

Suddenly, the air changed.

I could tell that we were finally getting to the main point.

“Nil Metasura.”

“Yes.”

“As of today, you are appointed as Lady Oldie’s exclusive trainee knight.”

“…Huh?”

This time, my brain really did stop.

Exclusive? For who? Lady Oldie? Me?

“Wait a second, what did you just say?”

“You heard me.”

“I heard the words, but I don’t understand what they mean.”

“It means exactly what it sounds like. It’s the Duke’s decision.”

“Me!? For the young lady!?”

My voice cracked.

Until yesterday, I was just a normal trainee knight who got worked to the bone by my seniors, cleaned, ate, and occasionally got yelled at for eating three pieces of bread.

And now, one night later, I’m the exclusive knight for a Duke’s daughter? My life is moving way too fast.

“Wh-why though?”

“The young lady has clearly changed because of what happened yesterday.”

“…”

“She left her room and ran. That alone is more than enough of a result.”

“Calling it a ‘result’ makes it sound like a job.”

“It is a job. For a trainee knight.”

“Ugh.”

He had a point.

But man, isn’t there supposed to be a bit more emotion involved?

In my head, what happened yesterday was a pretty dramatic event.

Then again, I guess for the House of Ryurius, it really is just an important mission.

“You will continue your training as usual.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Cleaning and chores will also stay the same.”

“Yes, sir.”

“However, you must go to the young lady at least once a day.”

“…Once a day?”

“That’s right.”

Going to see the young lady every single day.

I turned that idea over in my mind. Isn’t this becoming a huge deal?

“Um… so, basically, I keep being a trainee knight like always, but once a day, I go see the young lady?”

“That’s it.”

“Is that like… being her playmate or something…?”

“You idiot. You’re a supervisor who serves as both a guard and a conversation partner.”

“A supervisor.”

“It also means you need to learn some self-control so you don’t half-destroy the mansion like you did yesterday.”

“See, you are still mad about that!”

“Of course I am!”

He snapped at me again.

Ah, so he really was still mad about that part.

I guess that makes sense. From the Captain’s perspective, having the young lady swing chains around and smash walls inside the mansion he’s supposed to protect must have been a nightmare.

But man, “exclusive.” Exclusive trainee knight. Just the sound of it is pretty cool.

A trainee knight serving the Duke’s daughter. If I sent a letter to my old man back in the country, he’d probably flip out.

Actually, knowing my dad, his first response would be, “What did you screw up now?” Definitely.

“Do you have a problem with it?”

“No, sir.”

I didn’t have a problem. I was shocked, but I didn’t hate the idea.

In fact, when I remember the young lady’s face from yesterday, my chest feels all tingly.

Those eyes that glared at me with such frustration. That voice that said “I’ll catch you next time” even though she was out of breath. Once you see that, you can’t just leave her alone.

“I’ll do it.”

“Good.”

“I’m going to make the young lady truly happy.”

“Talking big, aren’t you?”

“Well, I already did something pretty big yesterday.”

“So you’re at least aware of that.”

“I am.”

The seniors in the back laughed again.

But I kind of thought so too. I did something pretty amazing yesterday. Normally, people don’t play tag and run through a mansion on their first meeting with a Duke’s daughter.

They don’t, but the result was that she came outside.

So, I don’t think I was wrong.

The Captain watched me for a while before saying in a low voice.

“I’ll tell you one thing.”

“Yes.”

“The young lady’s heart and body haven’t fully recovered yet.”

“…Yes.”

“Her emotions were moved by what happened yesterday. But that’s all. If you push too hard, there’s a chance she’ll close her heart off for good this time.”

“Yes.”

“You’re bright. You do strange things. That’s not bad. But don’t get drunk on your own cleverness.”

“…I understand.”

That was probably the most important thing.

Just because it worked once doesn’t mean I can just do whatever I want.

The young lady is truly living.

But she’s still hurting.

And now, I’m going to be by her side.

So, I really have to think things through.

…Well, if I think too much, I’ll probably just freeze up, so I’ll go with my gut about half the time.

“Alright. Stand up.”

“Yes, sir!”

When I stood up, my legs were numb from kneeling and I wobbled a bit, but I managed to stay up. Careful, careful. It wouldn’t look cool if I fell over now.

“Then, your mission starts today.”

“Wait, starting today?”

“Of course.”

“I was hoping for a little more… mental preparation.”

“After what happened yesterday, what are you even saying?”

“You’re absolutely right!”

The Captain was right.

Besides, in my opinion, Lady Oldie is a sore loser.

She might even be waiting for me today. Guess I’d better go.