Chapter 81
Afternoon field training time.
"I'm protesting again today."
As Finn muttered with a serious face while doing stretches at the training ground, Celes, who was bending her upper body backward beside him, blinked two or three times before straightening up.
"......Tch, that again?"
"From now on until graduation, buddies are held jointly responsible. Training, exercises, expeditions, field training, and even written exam results are shared. If we fail even once......"
"I've heard they pair people of similar levels to avoid imbalance. There's no need to worry so much."
"There's no way we're on the same level!"
"Finn, you're excellent, so I'll do my best not to drag you down."
"Eh, no, that's not it! It's not you, it's me who's the burden......!"
I continued stretching while glancing at Finn, who was clutching his head.
Is his self-esteem low, or is he deliberately putting himself down? Finn appears timid and frail, but that's just an act. In reality, he's strong-willed, stubborn, physically capable, and excels in studies. Moreover, his intelligent and gentle appearance gives a sense of reassurance and charm, as Ellie and the others passionately pointed out.
"I'm fine with things as they are."
I was getting tired of chasing after Finn, who kept running away, and I didn't care who my buddy was, so this forced buddy system suited me just fine.
I felt a bit bad for Finn, who was so against it...... and as I smiled, Sil jeered, "Ugh, that evil face," but I ignored him.
"I don't like this. Being buddies with the Marshal's grandchild is too much for someone like me."
"Finn, what's your real reason?"
"The pressure from certain people and the stares from others are annoying. Dealing with it every time is a hassle, and being expected to perform is mentally exhausting......!?"
"The way your true feelings just spill out is what makes you interesting, Finn."
"Sil, if you keep bullying Finn, Celes will scold you."
"I'm not bullying him, right, Finn?"
"Silvio, just keep your mouth shut......"
"Eh—"
Even though it's been quite a while since we were paired as buddies, Finn says the same thing every day. At first, I tried to stop him when he angrily went to protest to Instructor Harrison, but since this buddy system was orchestrated by Instructor Harrison himself, there's no way it would be dissolved.
So, instead of holding him back, I just let him vent his frustrations, nodding along casually and sending him off.
"Celes, Finn is bullying me."
"......"
"Ouch......!"
Sil, who listens to this exchange between Finn and me every day, always finds something amusing in it and teases Finn like this. With a smirk and a calculated tilt of his head, he claims to be the victim, but I smack a hand chop on his forehead. Still, something like this won't stop his mouth.
"I've been thinking this for a while, but Finn's stubborn refusal to give up is a kind of escapism, isn't it?"
"Escapism......"
"I'm getting tired of this, so shouldn't we end it around here?"
"Tired......"
"Protesting won't change anything anyway."
"It's a waste of time."
"......Tch."
Shrugging at Sil and Severi, who always deliver the final blow to Finn, I patted his trembling shoulders and urged him toward the center of the training ground.
Starting thirty minutes before the practical training, everyone warms up on their own, and when the instructor in charge enters the training ground, we gather in the center.
Instructor Tseri's swordsmanship guidance could only be received after getting approval from Instructor Harrison, but from the second year onward, everyone in the special class receives guidance regardless of approval.
It starts with handling the sword with the non-dominant hand, gradually increasing in difficulty. Additionally, training is conducted to build coordination with buddies for the exercises held in summer.
Furthermore, during the exercises, we hunt and cook for ourselves, so knowledge about that is taught in morning lectures, while practical skills are apparently learned on-site with no prior preparation. Most people end up skipping dinner on the first night.
"Finn, you're so lucky. There are people who want to be Celes's buddy but can't."
As Sil skillfully twirled his wooden sword and pointed the tip diagonally forward, Billy, standing in front of the sword's tip, seemed to have overheard, as the crease between his brows deepened dramatically.
"Her intimidating presence and rigid aura, which overshadow her attractive appearance, ruin everything, but if you don't show hostility, Celes is harmless."
"Yeah, yeah, she occasionally does extreme things, but once you get used to it, it's kind of fun."
"If dealing with certain people is a hassle, just write down everything that happened that day on paper and hand it over."
"That sounds interesting. Maybe I'll write something too."
After shaking my head with a smile at Finn, who was quietly observing me, I threw the wooden sword toward Sil and Severi.
"Whoa, that's dangerous, you know!?"
"Even if you didn't intend to hit us, that speed is terrifying."
"It stuck in the ground...... Wait, wooden swords can stick into the ground?"
"Maybe because the ground is dirt?"
Ignoring the two who crouched down to stare at the wooden sword, I grabbed a spare one, faced Finn, and took a stance. We should start training seriously soon...... The gaze from Tseri, standing near the center, is starting to sting.
"We're buddies until we graduate from military school, so I'd appreciate it if you could endure it."
"......"
"Finn, you're planning to become a soldier in the future, right? If so, I think graduating with excellent grades would be better."
"......"
Noticing Finn's eyes waver for a moment as he held his wooden sword, I smiled, thinking one more push was needed.
"I heard you want to become the colonel of the fortress in this town where Fildé Rotish is, and eventually succeed the Marshal......"
"Uwaaah......! Why, how do you know that!?"
I felt bad for Finn, who shouted with a bright red face, but all his information had already been leaked by Instructor Harrison.
"Being the Marshal's grandchild and the heir of a military noble, this connection should be beneficial for Finn, don't you think?"
"......Guh."
"On holidays, I sometimes eat with soldiers around my age who work at Ransheen Fortress. You can hear a lot of useful stories from them."
"Alright. I can't keep throwing tantrums like a child forever."
Finn suddenly looked up, his eyes shining.
I had heard that military-related topics were the best way to motivate him, but to think he ran away from me so much and complained every day after becoming buddies...... I couldn't help but give a wry smile.
After lightly tapping our sword tips together, we stepped back once, then closed the distance simultaneously without deciding who would move first.
This training focuses on mastering basic posture, forms, and distance from the opponent, so we don't wear protective gear and just repeat the same movements endlessly. If there's room to spare, we observe the opponent's eyes and limb movements to predict their next action.
Despite matching my exercise volume from training at the fortress, Finn only slightly lost his breath, and I mentally praised him while striking with the wooden sword, putting force into it to throw off his stance.
Even a slight disruption in posture disperses the strength when striking back, resulting in a weak blow, but Finn instantly regained his balance and even threw in a feint, making me furrow my brows.
Unlike me, who struggles with my non-dominant hand, Finn wields the wooden sword effortlessly, making me want to ask if that's really not his dominant hand every time I see it.
And to think he calls himself a burden with skills like this—it's quite troubling.
"Looks like I need to make sure I don't hold us back."
"Eh......? Did you say something?"
"No, just—looking forward to working with you until graduation."
"Likewise. It's a short time, but please take care of me."
We both thought that being buddies would only last a few years while at military school......
Never could we have imagined that several years into the future, Finn would stand beside Celestia as her buddy, a soldier, and become widely known in the military as the Brutal King of Ransheen Fortress and his strategist.