Chapter 45
Before Whitey woke up, early in the morning.
Since I had some free time, I headed to the training grounds after hearing Sienna's proposal, grabbing a wooden practice sword.
Sienna also went back inside the mansion for a moment to get her own training tools.
“This is my weapon.”
Sienna emerged, pulling wooden throwing axes from her clothes.
“That's….”
“I made them myself for training.”
The small, short axes she showed me looked perfect for gripping and throwing with one hand.
They looked quite intricate. Did she really make these herself? She must be pretty handy.
“You're quite skilled.”
“You have to be versatile to survive in the forest.”
“Nice. Let's spar.”
Throwing axes, huh.
I’ve been using throwing daggers lately. If this spar goes well, I might switch weapons.
We positioned ourselves at opposite ends of the training grounds.
Again, there were no other guards around. Apparently, with the mountains sealed off, the city’s been on edge, so they’re on patrol.
“Um, since these are thrown, it might be a bit dangerous…”
“It’s fine, throw them freely.”
“Mm! You seem strong, so I'll take your word for it and go all out.”
Saying this, Sienna pulled the training throwing axes she had moved to her waist into both hands.
Sienna, with her striking appearance and feminine physique, took on a completely different air wielding weapons.
A bit of a fierce type, huh? Maybe it's because she's from the north?
“Throw first.”
Well, whatever.
Given Sienna’s age, I generously yielded the first move.
She looks mid-twenties at most. Let's see what she's got.
And right after…
*Whizz!*
The moment I finished speaking, an axe flew at me.
*Thud!*
I immediately raised my wooden sword to deflect it, slightly surprised.
Pretty fast, huh? Despite the considerable distance, the axe reached me in an instant.
Moreover…
*Whizz–!*
Two more were already flying towards me.
…I shouldn’t get too complacent.
*Swish, thud!*
I dodged one by twisting my body sideways and deflected the other.
“Mm!”
Sienna’s eyes widened in surprise.
“You really are strong.”
“All I do is eat and train.”
“Hee… Still, I didn't expect you to deflect them so easily.”
“Well…”
*Whizz-*
I dodged an axe that flew behind me while we talked.
“Whoa! You dodged that too…”
“Fascinating. What’s your throwing technique?”
Did the axe I dodged earlier circle back behind me?
Her skill was impressive.
“…And you dodged it so casually.”
“I have pretty good senses.”
More than that, she’s definitely sharp.
She’d be a real pain to face in actual combat.
Especially since Sienna usually fights in the northern forests.
Dodging axes flying between trees would be tough.
*Thud!*
“Whoa, again!”
More importantly…
She's already thrown quite a few axes. I wonder how many she has left.
Since I deflected them all, she hasn't been able to retrieve any, so I doubt she has many left.
“Haa… It's been a while since I've met someone who deflects this well.”
However…
After throwing another axe, Sienna charged towards me.
Close combat? Is she confident?
*Clack!*
I deflected the incoming axe and watched Sienna run.
*Whack!!*
She leaped high and brought the axe down with considerable force.
How does someone with her physique have this much power?
But…
*Swish-*
I parried the axe with my wooden sword.
Seems like she's still a little lacking in close-quarters combat experience.
“Whoa.”
Sienna lost her balance as her axe was deflected.
To end the spar, I aimed my wooden sword near a vital point, but…
*Clack!!*
With unbelievable flexibility, she twisted her posture…
She spun around and swung both axes at me in an X-shaped cross.
Well, her quick thinking is commendable, but…
This just makes it easier to kick her away.
Using the difference in reach, I was about to kick her in the abdomen.
But a brief thought flashed through my mind.
She’s a guest, and she'll be training Whitey soon, so kicking her too hard wouldn't be very nice, right?
So instead of kicking, I lifted my foot and just shoved her stomach.
“Whoa!”
The axes I threw sliced through the air, blocked mid-flight. Useless.
Then.
*Thump!*
Sienna stumbled back, landing hard on her ass. I pointed my sword at her.
“I win.”
“Yeah…”
“Good.”
“J-Just like that?”
“I mean it.”
I really did mean it. Good. Damn good. Maybe she could even help with *my* training?
I needed to work on countering ranged attacks anyway. Sienna’s throwing skill was unlike anything I’d ever seen.
“Do you, uh, use Aura?”
“...Not yet.”
“You’re training for it, though?”
“I’m using a breathing technique an elder from my village taught me.”
Not yet, huh? Still, once it clicked, she’d pick up the basics fast. I could practically see it.
More importantly, I was curious what her throws would be like with Aura.
“Want me to help?”
“R-Really? Wait, you’re an Aura user?”
“For a while now.”
It had been a decent chunk of time since I first awakened my Aura. By now I was proficient with the basics. I could confidently call myself a seasoned Aura user.
“Uh, uh… But you look about my age.”
“I’m a fast learner.”
About her age… Considering Sienna’s looks, I was probably younger, but hey, if she wanted to think of us as peers, who was I to argue?
No one ever pegged me as late teens anyway.
Whatever.
“In exchange, teach me how to throw like that.”
“Huh? Throwing?”
“I use daggers, but axes seem pretty good too.”
I picked up one of the wooden training axes lying on the ground.
Definitely light. A real axe would be heavier.
“It’s tough without the right technique.”
*Whizz!*
I threw the axe at a training dummy across the courtyard.
*Thwack!*
It stuck dead center in the dummy’s chest.
“Uh… You’re pretty good.”
“Still slower than yours.”
I was way stronger than Sienna, but my axe was slower. And hers spun, making it harder to dodge. Her throwing technique was something I *needed*.
“You’re pretty greedy…”
“It’s my only hobby… and specialty.”
What else was there to do in this shit world? Gotta enjoy getting stronger and fighting.
“Alright, I’ll at least give you some pointers later.”
“Thanks.”
So, I secured a lesson from Sienna.
Training was over. Time to shower. I went back to the doghouse. Whitey was still asleep.
…How long does that mutt sleep?
Well, given his usual wake-up time, it was still sleeping hours.
I towel-dried my hair and went out to the courtyard to lie down.
Sunrise was coming. Time for photosynthesis.
It was one of my favorite parts of the day. I lay there for a while, enjoying the cool breeze.
“What are you doing?”
A shadow fell over me. Sienna, freshly showered like me, stood there.
“Photosynthesizing.”
“Lying here like this?”
“Yeah, feels good. Join me, Trainer.”
“Oh, okay. Can I lie down next to you?”
She actually lay down next to me in the grass.
…She really took me literally.
Whatever. Sunlight was good for you. Winter was coming, but winter here wasn’t that cold. Just cool and nice.
“So, Rain, what do you do after this?”
“Keep this up till afternoon, then train.”
“That’s your whole day…?”
Sienna seemed surprised that I spent so long photosynthesizing.
Yeah, well, it wasn't exactly a *human* life.
Zero productivity. I could only have a schedule like this because of my special position as a… dog.
But still…
“It used to be like this every day, but I’ve been going to the Kain Mountains lately.”
Now I had a job, of sorts. Once today's rest was over, I'd be heading back to the Kain Mountains tomorrow.
“Oh, the Kain Mountains… Wait? That area’s sealed off.”
“I’m there for investigation purposes.”
“Y-You’re allowed to go into the mountains just like that?”
“No. I'm part of the Investigation Team, so it's fine.”
I sat up. Speaking of the Investigation Team, I needed to pick up the buff coat I’d left to be mended yesterday.
The mansion maids were surprisingly good at mending. They fixed things up quick.
“I-Investigation Team? But… you’re a slave.”
“Think of me as half-servant.”
I was more of a servant than a slave, anyway. Lowell’s personal servant, more specifically.
“Since I’m heading out tomorrow, can I ask you to look after Whitey?”
“Sure… How long are you usually gone?”
“Back by night or the next morning, but…”
This time I'd likely be scouring the area, searching for their main base. That could take more than a day or two.
“Tomorrow’s investigation might take a bit longer.”
“Oh, okay…”
“Don’t worry too much, though. If I’m late, just keep Whitey calm.”
Last time I was gone for three days, the mutt had been pissed. Hopefully, things would be better with Sienna around.
“I’ll go get my coat, then.”
I fetched my mended buff coat from the maids.
*Creak…!*
“Whitey’s up!”
“Yeah! He just came out.”
Whitey was awake when I got back, so Sienna started his training. I watched.
I spent the rest of the day relaxing in the courtyard, watching Whitey get trained. And then…
The next morning.
Rested and ready, I joined Mountain Search Team 1 to head back to the Kain Mountains for another investigation.