An Old Country Bumpkin Makes an Offer

“By the way! Are you strong, Beryl-san?”

“Hm? Well...”

As I was watching everyone go through their practice swings, Cindy tossed me a question.

Hmm. Strong. Am I strong? I wonder. I don't think I'm weak, but it's still a little hard to confidently say, “I'm strong.”

Sparring with Henblitz-kun, Slena, and Allucia had mostly been a matter of exploiting their weaknesses and scraping out a win, while my forced match with Lucy had ended in a draw only because she was holding back.

“Strong. Really strong.”

While I was thinking that over, Fissel answered Cindy's question.

And, as expected, she had that smug look on her face. I was starting to get used to seeing this.

“I know Fissel-sensei is strong, but...”

“He's stronger than I am. Got a problem with that?”...