Chapter 164: The Restored Royal Capital and Peaceful Daily Life, Part Four

When we arrived at the castle we were welcomed by the guards protecting the castle gate.

Fifteen years ago when I came here taking Tiria the guards were two, now they have increased to more than ten.

Only half a month has passed since recapturing the royal capital so a strict alert posture is still in place.

We exchanged greetings with the guards and passed through the castle gate.

"I-want to go too!"

"Mother! Please do not be selfish! Patients are waiting!"

And such, there was a happening of Sheena pulling the throwing-a-tantrum Rosina into the depths of the castle, but I thanked Sheena in my heart and we turned our feet toward the soldiers’ training ground.

At the training ground large shouts and the sound of swords clashing could be heard here and there.

"Hey! Plant your feet more! You are not receiving it!"

"Yes!"

From the very back of the training ground a man in familiar armor was flying encouragement.

We headed toward that man, Harold.

"Yo. You came to get in the way bringing a whole crowd again?"

In the way?

Ah, certainly.

The men who had been training stopped their hands, stretched under their noses, and looked this way.

"If you cannot concentrate with this much you will lose when Dule soldiers are the opponent."

"Kukkukku. That’s right. Oi, you lot! From noon I will thoroughly work you!"

When Harold scolded them the soldiers who had been looking at Muriel and the others hurriedly resumed training.

Did I do something bad?

"You came back the day before yesterday, right? Are you okay?"

I put out a helping boat for now.

Harold’s mercenary band on Julius’s order had gone out for about a week to liberate towns and villages near the royal capital and suppress remnants.

It is different from the battlefield that is a mercenary’s workplace so I thought fatigue had piled up quite a bit, but.

"If rest is long the body dulls. Instead I had them rest plenty yesterday."

Harold said that and made a gesture of tilting a cup.

I see, some soldiers’ movements being unusually bad is because of that.

Looking over the training ground they can be seen here and there.

...Nn?

"Hey, are you training even a child like that?"

Appearance around ten years old?

That one is wearing rigid full plate armor and swinging a large iron hammer... oh! She hit the opponent and blew them away.

"Ah, she is a dwarf... though you cannot tell."

Harold muttered the last bosori.

Then that dwarf faced this way and ran this way rattling her armor gasha gasha.

Then when she came in front of Harold she puffed her chest and looked up at Harold.

"I am a splendid dwarf even like this!"

She apparently heard Harold’s grumble and seems quite angry.

"No, sorry, Priestess Hegildtia."

Harold soothed the dwarf girl puffing in anger.

"Then who is that rude human over there?"

Without softening her angry expression she pointed this way.

Do not point at people, I retorted in my heart.

"This is Hiroyuki Asahi-dono, the sword instruction officer."

Harold who normally uses overly familiar speech introduced me in an unusually polite tone.

"This is Birga Hegildtia-dono. Priestess of the war god Surmares order. She is opposing the soldiers in today’s training."

Harold also introduced her to me.

Looking at the girl in front of me again her eyes are big and round, her mouth also somewhat large.

A little dumpling nose, large ears.

The outline is a thin egg shape, and her hair that seems naturally permed was gathered in two at the back.

Her body is height the same as Helma or a little lower.

Like a country beauty shrunk as is to a child’s height.

But what is surprising is that muscular strength.

Just now she ran wearing full plate, and swung an iron hammer larger than Birga’s face.

If it hits a person will fly so it is not just appearance.

"Nice to meet you."

I quickly finished observing, put out my right hand, and greeted Birga.

"I heard you are stronger than me. Please fight me."

But Birga without even a handshake let alone a greeting said she wants to fight.

I do not think it is something to say to someone you just met, but are all dwarves like that?

When I looked at Harold troubled for a reply he raised both hands with a bitter smile.

I have no choice but to accept, I thought and was about to agree when a voice rose from behind me.

"First I will take you on."

Sara put her body between me and Birga and said to Birga.

"You... a Ji-Dule should not interrupt!"

Birga glared at Sara.

This is troublesome.

For now shall I pull Sara back.

I thought that but Muriel whispered at my ear.

"Master, I also think it is better to have Sara fight."

Muriel also agrees, apparently.

Does she have some thought, or is she simply angry at rude Birga.

It might be both.

Well, fine.

"If you beat Sara I will take you on."

"...I understand."

She hesitated a little but Birga went along with the proposal I made.

"Thank you, Master."

Sara also said thanks to me.

"Use these."

Harold passed Sara two training Broadswords with no blades.

"Thank you, Harold-sama."

Sara said thanks, received the swords, then removed the swords at her own waist.

"I will hold them."

"Thank you, Muriel-sama."

Sara passed the swords she was about to put on the ground to Muriel.

Then Sara and Birga walked to a place far enough from us to fight.

The soldiers who had been training nearby stopped their hands, moved place, and began watching.

The other soldiers also took sufficient distance and entered spectator mode.

"You lot! Watch well the fighting style of veteran warriors!"

"Yes!"

When Harold shouted that the soldiers replied all at once.

This morning in the house armory I said do not become a spectacle, and before the root of the tongue dries it becomes like this.

It also becomes Sara’s training and the soldiers also learn so it might be different from a spectacle.

Anyway Sara readied two swords, Birga held the huge iron hammer with both hands, and the soldiers surrounded those two from a distance.

"Alright, I will give the signal. Then... begin!"

The one who jumped out with Harold’s signal was Sara.

In a blink she closed the distance with Birga and swung down from upper stance with the Broadsword in her right hand.

Birga received that with the handle of the iron hammer she held with both hands.

Then Sara swung up from lower left in reverse kesa with the Broadsword in her left hand.

Birga who completely ignored that raised the iron hammer overhead with brute force.

Sara who had been pressing the iron hammer handle from above with her right sword had her right hand swung up and lost balance.

Even so Sara’s left sword still caught Birga, but the blade only slid over the armor and did not wound her.

Birga swung the iron hammer sideways toward Sara who had lost balance.

"Kyaa!"

Sara hurriedly crossed both swords in front of her chest but could not receive it and was blown away.

She rotated once in the air as is and landed cleanly on one knee, but her face was distorted looking pained.

Thinking it a good chance this time Birga ran toward Sara dragging the iron hammer.

Sara stood and readied again.

"Haaa!"

Birga raised the iron hammer in front of Sara and swung down adding the momentum of the charge.

"Ku!"

Sara jumped back.

The instant the iron hammer hit the ground the ground that should have been packed hard by soldiers for years dented even a little.

"Oi oi..."

Harold watching beside me was speechless.

If it hits will Sara not take a fatal wound?

But Sara was fighting well.

At first she tried to receive Birga’s iron hammer and was blown away, but after that she dodged everything.

Birga’s large swings of the iron hammer seem easy to dodge.

She dodged the iron hammer Birga swung down and simultaneously slashed both swords sideways from the left.

Birga forcibly returned the iron hammer to her chest and received both with the handle.

But that was apparently a feint. Sara kicked Birga with her right foot.

But Birga did not budge.

She bounced back the received swords and slashed the iron hammer sideways.