Chapter 31

"…Where've you been, Flatche?"

"Ah, sorry. I kinda wandered off to the eastern training grounds by mistake."

After parting ways with General Mino, I followed the route she'd shown me and eventually reached the western training grounds without incident. East and west are trickier than they sound.

But waiting near the entrance stood Rex, arms crossed, clad in armor and clearly irritated. Looked like he’d beaten me here while I was busy getting sidetracked and dragged into various messes.

"…"

"Hffh—ow, quit pinching my cheeks without saying anything."

"I took my eyes off you, so I’ll let it slide this time. …You didn’t get into any trouble, did you?"

Rex tugged and stretched my cheeks with both hands like he was playing with dough. Come on, I just took a small detour—no need to get that mad.

"I did not get into any trouble."

"Good, then."

It wasn’t a lie. I didn’t cause any trouble. Nothing really happened with Mello in the end, and the only thing remotely problematic was chatting a bit too casually with General Mino, who I’d specifically been told to stay away from.

Still… if Rex found out I ran into her, he’d blow his top. No doubt about it. He’d be furious.

Even Mino had said, "Let’s pretend this meeting never happened," so I’ll just keep my mouth shut. It’s not like anything actually happened with her anyway.

"Alright, let’s head in. Time for some sparring."

"Yeah."

Rubbing my slightly sore cheeks, I followed Rex into the training grounds.

The place was impressive—clearly built with serious intent. There were sections lined with targets for archery, mannequins clad in armor, soldiers dueling in circles marked out on the ground, and even a medical area stocked with first-aid gear.

The soldiers here must be part of the elite unit under Grand General Penny’s command.

"…That’s the Sword Saint."

"The strongest freelance adventurer’s sword, huh…"

The moment we stepped in, I felt eyes on us from all directions—soldiers pausing their drills to size us up. A few even approached, clearly more interested in watching Rex than practicing. Makes sense, though—any swordsman would pay good money to witness Rex’s technique up close.

But watch closely, rookie swordsmen. Take it all in and learn who truly stands at the pinnacle now. After these last few days, I’ve grown fast—I might’ve already surpassed even Rex.

"────Hup!"

With a dumb little shout, Rex came at me—his blade slicing the air like a gale. I parried it with ease, shifting my stance like a drifting wraith, closing in on him before he could even react.

From now on, the title of strongest swordsman belongs to me!

---

Sniffle.

"Well… yeah. You really have gotten stronger, Flatche. I’d say you’re at least at your master’s feet now."

"…Shut up, dumbass."

That master is me, you moron.

As expected. After my match with Mello, I’d discovered new flaws in my technique—and growth too. So I decided to go all out and challenge Rex seriously… but I didn’t even land a single hit.

Of course I didn’t. Rex had gotten stronger, too. Even if I’d improved a little, that alone wasn’t enough to close the gap.

Still… if I’d had a male body, there were a few moments where I could’ve overpowered him with brute strength. My sword style doesn’t rely on muscle, sure—but strength never hurts.

In other words… it’s time I seriously start modifying this body.

"…I’ll train harder. Get ripped and jacked. Just you wait, Rex…"

"Ehh? I kinda prefer how you look now, though."

As I declared it proudly, Rex grimaced—probably imagining me bulking up into some muscle-bound monster.

What, I’m not allowed to get stronger?

"What’s wrong? Afraid you can’t beat me once I close the strength gap?"

"No, that’s not it. I just think… you look cuter the way you are now. All slender and stuff."

"Huh? And what does ‘cute’ have to do with swordsmanship?"

Rex’s logic made no sense. Looks have nothing to do with how you wield a blade.

"…Ah—uh, well. Being smaller and leaner makes you harder to hit. Especially with your fighting style."

"Ohh, I see!!"

That makes sense. My style revolves around dodging, parrying, redirecting, and countering—being smaller probably is an advantage. And if advice is coming from a guy who’s basically at the top of the sword world, I’d be stupid not to consider it.

"So Fratche, train if you want—but don’t overdo it, alright?"

"Got it, Rex."

When I answered, Rex let out a small sigh of relief and rested a hand on his chest. What a weirdo.

"Well then, I’m off to cool down by picking a fight with some soldiers."

"Don’t cause trouble."

"I won’t."

Alright. Time for a post-match review. I can’t let that loss sit. Luckily, this place is packed with some of the most well-trained soldiers in the capital—plenty of good sparring partners.

I grabbed one of the soldiers who’d been watching our match and drew my sword again. Even after Rex left, I stayed behind, analyzing every misstep, trying to figure out exactly why I lost.

---

"I'm really strong, huh."

I’d gotten my ass handed to me by Rex in front of the soldiers, so I was honestly afraid they’d want nothing to do with me... But when I invited them to spar, they actually lined up for a turn. As expected of General Penny’s troops—their morale and motivation were top-notch.

At first, I went one-on-one with each of them, but the matches weren’t really competitive. So we ramped it up to two-on-one, then five-on-one, and kept increasing the numbers. It unexpectedly turned into some solid group battle training.

"Not bad at all, General Penny’s subordinates. They didn’t quite reach my level, though."

"That’s true."

And so, riding the high, I kept going until sunset, sparring with the Penny soldiers. Turns out they were a good bunch—easy to talk to—and we hit it off between training bouts.

By the time the sun set, we were all pretty worn out, and things got weirdly hyped up. Maybe it was the fatigue, but even the sparring started getting wild.

It got so bad that one idiot shouted, "If I strip down, I’ll move faster and win!" and got completely naked. Another one went, "If I win, go out with me!" like it was some kind of confession. In any case, the training grounds hit a fever pitch, and it looked like we were about to end up training all night.

But just when things had reached peak chaos in the pitch-dark training grounds—"How long do you plan on doing this!?"—Emma stormed in and shut the whole thing down.

The soldiers, now thoroughly scolded by a little girl, slunk off like puppies with their tails between their legs. The naked guy, by the way, quietly got slapped with a pay cut.

"I’ve heard about your match with General Mello. As expected of someone from the Sword Saint’s party—beating that man is no small feat."

Emma, bless her, offered to escort me to the exit after that. This castle’s layout is a maze, so it was a big help.

"Mello was pretty weak with a sword, though. Nothing to brag about."

"Even so, that’s impressive. He’s someone even Penny struggles to deal with. You can relax—I've taken care of it so he won’t be involved in this mission."

The moment Mello came up, Emma gave a little sigh and rubbed her temples. Looks like dealing with him’s been a hassle for her too.

"...Hey, this is just a personal question, but—what’s General Mino like?"

"General Mino? ...What exactly do you mean by that?"

"Ah—"

If this girl really is Penny’s strategist, then she should know what kind of person Mino is. Honestly, from what I saw of her today, she didn’t seem all that bad.

But that’s exactly what made it eerie. There’s no way a woman Rex would go that far to warn me about could be just ‘normal.’

"Rex was dead serious when he told me to stay away from her. Said she’s even worse than Mello. So I was curious what kind of person she actually is."

"I see. As expected of the Sword Saint—he’s a keen judge of character."

When I asked directly, Emma fell silent for a moment, thinking carefully before giving a measured response.

"...Let’s see. At the very least, she’s no demon. Something even more abominable, perhaps."

"What does that mean?"

"She always chooses the optimal move when governing the country. She’s ruthless, yes—but if you’re talking about what it takes to run a nation, she might be a necessary evil."

"You don’t think Mino’s all that bad, then?"

"Not at all. She’s the worst political opponent I can imagine. But unlike Mello, she doesn’t take pleasure in other people’s suffering. If you ask me, ‘demon’ fits Mello far better than it fits her."

"...But Rex totally tore her to shreds."

"Of course. From his perspective, she must be utterly loathsome."

Emma seemed very careful with her words, wearing a serious expression that looked out of place on her childlike face.

"General Mino doesn’t enjoy making others suffer. But—if causing suffering is the most efficient way to achieve her goal, she won’t hesitate. Not even for a second."

"Meaning?"

"During the last invasion from the neighboring country, she abandoned a village that could’ve been saved. Her reasoning? ‘Protecting it has no strategic or financial value.’ She’s also taken families and friends of her political enemies hostage. In short—she’s someone who doesn’t care what means she uses to achieve her ends."

"Yikes... That’s the kind of person she is?"

"And well, that village she abandoned during the war... it happened to be the Sword Saint’s hometown. I don’t think she knew, though. There’s no way that woman would willingly make an enemy of him."

...So that’s what happened.

That incident, where Rex’s village was burned to the ground. Where he lost his parents and siblings—everyone he left behind. The tragedy that left him completely alone... That was all because of Mino’s command?

"Does Rex... know about that?"

"He does. That incident is what led him to turn down the appointment as our nation’s Grand General and become an adventurer instead."

"Wait, what!? He was about to be made Grand General!?"

"Yes. Frankly, he’s stronger than any of the generals we have now."

The truth Emma dropped hit me like a thunderclap.

So that’s it. That idiot said he wanted to be free and live as an adventurer, but there was more to it than that. Of course he wouldn’t want to fight alongside the person who abandoned his hometown.

"Rex, a general... Rex, huh..."

"Are you jealous? But I believe you could become a general too, Miss Flatche. From what I’ve seen and heard of your abilities, I’m confident I could recommend you for the Grand General position myself. What do you say?"

"Eh, seriously?"

"But of course. You’ve fought Penny yourself, haven’t you? If you can beat two of the Three Generals, no one would object. …Flatche, wouldn’t you consider taking this seriously? We of the Penny faction would offer you our full support."

Me... a General? The highest rank a swordsman can hold—the very position my master kept whining should’ve been his?

"Letting your sword skills rot away as an adventurer would be a waste. I’m sure General Penny would be happy to recommend you."

"…Hoh."

A General, huh? Leading troops, charging into battle ahead of everyone else, tearing through the front lines. I mean… sure. That’s one of the dreams, as a swordsman.

"If you're even a little interested, I’d be more than happy to—"

"Let’s stop right there, Emma-chan."

Nyu.

Just as I was nearing the castle gates, a mysterious man grabbed me by the back of the neck and cut in.

"Mind not recruiting my swordsman into the national army?"

"Ah, geez. Look, I’m not trying to pick a fight with you, Sword Saint. I was simply offering to help if Flatche had any interest."

"That’s what we call poaching. And anyway, dragging Flatche into some political turf war isn’t a smart move. That one’s got a level of stupidity that defies human comprehension."

"Who’re you calling stupid!?"

The so-called mysterious man was Rex. Apparently, he’d gone out of his way to come pick me up.

"If this is the kind of poaching that goes on, guess we’ve gotta keep a closer eye on ol’ man Penny’s crew too."

"…Ugh, I’m sorry. I got a little greedy when I heard she could beat General Mero…"

"Yeah, well, don’t let it happen again. I’m not handing Flatche over—she’s my girl."

"M-My deepest apologies… So you really are in that kind of relationship, then."

"We’re not! Hey, Rex, I told you to quit using lines that’ll cause misunderstandings."

"Everyone in my crew is my girl."

Rex casually placed a hand on my head. As if shielding me from Emma-chan’s awkward stare, he pulled me toward him.

"You too, Flatche—don’t go getting yourself wrapped up in boring jobs like becoming a General. You’re not cut out for it."

"Whether I’m cut out for it or not, doesn’t matter. I’m not leaving this party until I’m strong enough to beat the crap out of you."

"That’s the spirit."

Of course, I have no plans to join the army. Being a General might be every swordsman’s dream, but there’s something I need to do first.

Defeat Rex. Until I pull that off, I won’t take any job that eats into my training time.

"Well then, Sword Saint, I’ll be taking my leave. I’ve still got work to do."

"See ya, Emma-chan."

"…Make sure you get enough sleep, okay? You won’t grow taller otherwise."

"Yes, thank you for your concern."

With a faint, strained smile, Emma-chan quickly made her exit—as if fleeing the scene. She probably felt awkward having Rex catch her mid-poaching.

"Alright, let’s head back. Mei’s waiting at the inn."

"Yeah."

And with that, the two of us walked side by side into the dark night, keeping a watchful eye on the tiny girl from afar.