CH 81

Arundilano rushed over to find Cain, who had shown up at the training grounds in slightly more formal clothes rather than athletic attire.

“You haven’t changed your clothes yet? I know you have enrollment preparation to prepare, but Cain, until when are you going to participate in the training?”

“I won’t be participating any more. I’m just here to give my greetings”

Arundilano, who had approached him with a slightly excited smile on his face, looked shocked at Cain’s words.

There’s still a month left to go. Is this the end of your training? Is it really that hard to prepare for your enrollment?”

“…well, it’s tough. Including the preparations, I don’t think I’ll be able to see you for a while once I’m enrolled”

Cain kneeled down on the spot. His head was positioned a little lower than Arundilano’s, who was standing, such a way that he was looking up at him.

Cain took Arundilano’s hand and wrapped it around his.

“Your Highness, it was a very enjoyable and meaningful time for me to train with swords and have lunch together with you. At first, you couldn’t even run a lap around the training grounds, but now you are able to fight evenly against Chris and Geraint. Time flies really quickly.”

“I haven’t beaten Cain even once. I won’t let you get away with it.”

‘Why you’re talking like a grandmother who you haven’t seen in a long time,’ Arundilano stared back at Cain with a quizzical look on his face.

As he laughed lightly, Cain shook vigorously the hands he was holding on to.

Cain looked at Arundilano as if he were looking at something dazzling, then let go of his hands and stood up.

“The next time we meet, let’s fight seriously. I’m looking forward to it.”

“Cain.”

He called out “Roll call is about to start,” to the Arundilano who was about to say something, and pushed him back toward the training area. Arundilano looked back at Cain and ran toward Chris, Geraint, and the other knights.

Cain looked around, spotted Fabian, and walked to his side.

“Cain-sama, I have heard the story. It will get lonely.”

“Cain is fine. Just like the usual”

“Once your training is complete, it’ll be a duke’s son and a knight.d

Even as he said this, Fabian smiled at Cain in a friendly manner.

Cain gave Fabian a polite, ceremonial smile and put his right hand on his chest in a gentleman’s bow.

“Thank you for everything. I hope I’ve grown strong enough to live up to your expectations.

“Don’t neglect training even after you go to school.  As you grow and gain muscle, you will be able to carry a heavy sword. The more weight you gain, the heavier your sword strikes will be. You’re going to be a knight when you finish school, right?”

“I only held the sword to protect myself and to protect Diana. I’m not going to be a knight. My dream is to become an official in the Ministry of Justice.”

“Even though you have such a promising future”

Fabian laughed bitterly and scratched his short-haired head. He looked up at the sky and let out a long, huffing breath, then bent down and put his arm around Cain’s shoulders, pulling him close to his face.

“Hey, don’t despair too much with adults. When you are a child, you should be able to laugh more freely.”

“What are you talking about?”

Fabian held Cain by the shoulders, turned his head around to look around, and then led Cain to the edge of the training area.[Read this novel and other amazing translated novels from the original source at the “Novel Multiverse dot com” website @ novelmultiverse.com]

“I’ve been knighted, but I’m just a guard. It’s my job to stay close to the prince and beat any enemies that appear.  That is all I can do. I don’t know anything about politics, and I’m not good at bargaining or laying the groundwork. But at least let me protect the children.”

“The vice commander is an honorable man. There’s no need to be so disparaging.”

“You’ve only been smiling like an honor student ever since the incident with your sister, didn’t you”

‘What are you talking about?’ Cain smiled and tilted his head to look into Fabian’s eyes. Fabian didn’t look away when he stared at him, so Cain lowered his gaze and slumped.

“When guarding the Empress and noble ladies, I’ve always been frustrated by the number of places men can’t go into. I’ve always thought that, if there were female knights, there are unexpectedly a lot of opportunities for them to shine in.”

“What are you trying to say?”

“If your younger sister still would like to be a knight…..”

“Diana will never be a knight”

Cain, who lifted up his face, seemed to be angry. Fabian smirked at Cain’s face.

“I think it’s a good idea to create a new occupation for female knights. I think it’s very important for the noble ladies’ safety to be able to guard them in the same room while they are changing or bathing.”

“Right?”

“However, a duke’s daughter cannot hold that position.”

The position of a duke’s daughter is to be the protected one.

So don’t give her the benefit of the doubt by presenting her with such an idea. That’s what Cain’s face is telling him.

Fabian laughs as he pokes an angry Cain’s cheek, with the opposite hand from the one he’s squaring his shoulders with. 

“You’ve got an angry look on your face. That’s much better than that straight face. It’s okay for children to play tricks on each other, but sometimes you need to rely on adults. I know that there are some adults you can rely on and some you cannot. But stop thinking that all adults are your enemies.”

Fabian’s face was kind as he smiled.

Cain lowered his eyebrows and made a pathetic face, then slumped down again.

“I don’t think that adults are the enemy. …Why do you say that?”

“Because it’s lonely”

Fabian removed his arm from around Cain’s shoulders, rested it on his hip, and stretched.

“For the kid that I’m looking out for… moreover my son’s friend to not open up to me is such a lonely thing”

The Fabian that was standing upright was very tall. Looking down at Cain from above, he chuckled and slowly stroked Cain’s head with his large hand.

When you come back for a long vacation, please come and visit the knights’ Order. Geraint and Chris will be happy to see you. And of course, His Highness the Prince.”

“…… Yes, please let me do so. When that time comes, please retrain my stiff body.”

“I can’t believe you’re assuming that your body is going to be stiff. Please train yourself properly, Cain-sama.”

Cain took a step away from Fabian and looked up at his mentor, the Vice Commander of the Imperial Guard, with a straight, adult smile on his face.

“Please take a good look at Arundilano. He is the kind of child who needs an adult to rely on.”

He then turned around and started to leave the training ground, but stopped when he remembered something he had forgotten to say.

“Please don’t tease Ilvarino too much”

He turned around, told as such, and left the training ground this time.