EP.163 Hasn't The Grand Duke Already Been Decided?
"Huff, huff."
Early morning. A time when others were still wandering in dreamland.
Kyle, who had already jumped out of bed, was deeply absorbed in doing push-ups.
Originally, exercise was too bothersome, so he just did 100 push-ups in proper form.
But seeing his father recently somehow motivated him a bit.
After that, he decided to do his morning exercises using only his left hand while keeping his right hand behind his back.
'This princess turn also passed without any incidents.'
The second prince of House Littorio getting confined to his room again? Not my problem.
It's not like he had some tragic backstory - he dug his own grave, so what can I do?
I don't like how he got scared on his own without even getting hit by sister.
He'll never crawl out again. He'll give up on confronting Elga.
If he tries to sneak his face in later with different intentions, we'll just trigger his PTSD again.
I can see right through him. He's definitely not the type to grit his teeth and endure.
If he were that kind of person, he would have gotten back up and fought Elga again by now.
Grand Duke Littorio's reaction was surprisingly positive too.
Even though it was his son who got treated rather harshly, a word of complaint would have been enough.
Instead, he even showed an apologetic expression and didn't mention anything about that part at all.
Yesterday's events probably gave him the certainty he needed.
Who to designate as the next Grand Duke. Who needs to sit in that position for the duchy to become stronger. The meticulous Grand Duke Littorio must have known for sure from that.
'Now only the vacation remains. Damn, why do I feel like the vacation will be the hardest part?'
Vacation means having to return home.
For some, it might mean returning to their beloved family and hometown, but.
Unfortunately, for Kyle, "scary" would be more accurate than "beloved."
First of all, once he returns, he'll have to deal with that murderous schedule again.
The strict diet control can't be avoided either. It's goodbye to flying for a while.
The casual exercises he did at the academy won't even be a dream once he returns to House Jonathan.
What's actually unfair is that his "casual" level would make academy people freak out.
But at House Jonathan, they'd just say "You call that exercise? That's just warming up." How disappointing.
"Whew!"
He stands up after letting out a breath.
Finished hundred push-ups, now it's time for some cardio.
Glancing outside the window, he spots a training ground in the distance.
They said it was a space used by everyone in the Grand Duke's household, including the knights.
It's similar in size to the one at the academy. That should be adequate.
Kyle left his room immediately and reached the training ground through the dawn air.
'Are the knights not up yet? Don't they do dawn training?'
He wanted to see the level of House Littorio's knights.
Did I come too early? Kyle scratched his cheek and decided to start running.
Tap tap tap tap!-
'What did I even do for a whole semester to pass already? Time really flies... disgustingly fast.'
I didn't really do anything. Just exercised a bit, taught some exercise. That's all. Yet months flew by.
At this rate, even these 4 years will be over in the blink of an eye.
I was so happy to get 4 years of escape time, but half a year has already flown by.
"Kyle!"
For a moment, he thought he heard wrong.
Huh? As he turned his head, he saw Elga standing on the opposite side.
"Lady Elga? You're up already?"
"What are you saying? Weren't you the one who told me to wake up early and exercise?"
"That's true, but the knights aren't even out yet."
"That's because you and I came out too early. It's about time for everyone else to get ready and come out."
Is that so? Did I come too early? If I knew this would happen, I should have done another hundred push-ups before coming out.
While he was reflecting in his mind, Elga quietly stood beside him.
"Well, shall we go? But please run a bit slower. I arrived earlier and wanted to run together, but you were too fast for me to keep up."
"If we go any slower than this, wouldn't that be walking rather than running?"
Elga's expression changed strangely at Kyle's response.
What exactly were this man's standards for running and walking?
He was just sprinting full speed around the training ground, yet he called that running.
What's even more frightening is that he wasn't even breathing hard after running like that.
"Well, let's run anyway. Stopping while running really breaks the rhythm."
Since she asked, he does actually run slowly for her.
Seeing how he was being considerate, Elga smiled and stayed close to Kyle's side.
'Honestly, waking up at dawn is really hard.'
We parted after exercising yesterday, and today starts with exercise again.
It would be nice to create a somewhat romantic atmosphere, but that might be difficult for now?
Right. Let's be content with this for now. It's not bad actually. It's comfortable.
We'll grow closer as we exercise together. That's how it worked with Tisha and the Saint, right?
Elga ran alongside Kyle, trying to hide her slight disappointment.
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"Is everyone gathered?"
"Yes! All members present and accounted for!"
"Good. Today as usual. But remember!"
"We won't waste a single moment!"
The knights' daily routine begins with their energetic shouts.
First, they run a simple lap around the training ground before focusing on strength training and swordsmanship.
While House Littorio may be known for its diplomatic influence, they are by no means weak in military might.
Rather, being a Grand Ducal house means they must show even greater strength than other houses.
"Huh?"
The knights who just entered the training ground let out surprised gasps.
A senior knight who was wondering why they weren't getting ready to run immediately steps forward.
"...Lady Elga?"
There were already visitors at the training ground.
"Hah... hah!"
Running around the perimeter of the training ground, breathing heavily, was the daughter of House Littorio.
It was quite remarkable to see someone who wasn't even a knight doing physical training at such an early hour.
"Hah! Ah! Is everyone here now? Hah... hah!"
Elga slows down and approaches the knights.
Her face is flushed red, with beads of sweat forming on her skin.
It's not the kind of appearance one would expect from a noble lady.
The social circles might frown upon such a sight.
But the knights don't feel that way at all. Instead, they applaud such dedication.
Someone who understands the importance of self-discipline and training.
Isn't it wonderful to have such a person as their future leader?
"I didn't expect you to be exercising so early, My Lady."
"Really? I've been doing this since the academy. And I plan to continue."
"Is that so."
The Knight Captain glances at the person standing beside Elga.
Kyle. Yes, Kyle Jonathan, wasn't it?
His physique is so perfect it naturally draws admiration.
Having risen through the ranks from squire to regular knight to senior knight and finally to Captain.
During that time, his ability to judge people has greatly improved.
Thus, he can tell at a glance that this is an extraordinary individual.
'I heard he recently defeated Sir Matieu, one of the Three Champions of the Alliance.'
Matieu is considered one of the top 10 strongest in the Empire.
He subdued such a person without inflicting any injuries, controlling rather than killing him.
That single feat was enough to prove his martial prowess.
"Lady Elga."
This overwhelmingly powerful individual treats their young lady with remarkable familiarity.
Like a close friend, or perhaps even more than that.
"Would you like to take a break?"
"Aren't you going to rest too?"
"The knights have arrived, haven't they? I'd like to run with them."
"You want to run more? We've already run so much!"
"Well, I won't stop you if you want to run more together."
"No! Go ahead and run more! I'll just catch my breath over here!!"
Elga waves her hands frantically, clearly alarmed.
Even though she's been earning points through exercise, this is going too far.
Run more here? Does he want to see someone faint? In front of the knights, no less?!
"Then take a rest for now."
Kyle naturally joins the knights' training session.
The knights hesitate for a moment but soon focus on their own training.
Thump thump thump!!-
Dozens of people begin running around the training ground's perimeter.
They usually run fast, but today they're running even faster than usual.
A guest has joined them, and that guest is from Jonathan.
He's a powerful individual who defeated two top-10 ranked fighters. A young man who received commendation from the Imperial family.
That thought seems to make everyone unconsciously tense and excited.
"Huff, huff!"
"Hah! Huhh!"
They maintain their pace while letting out heavy breaths.
At the front of the knights, Kyle naturally takes the lead position.
'Does he never get tired?!'
'As expected, what an amazing young man. That's House Jonathan for you!'
The knights grit their teeth, both in admiration and competitive spirit.
While they couldn't overtake this young man, they'd rather die than fall behind.
'Why aren't they running faster? It would be better if they picked up the pace a bit.'
Meanwhile, Kyle was actually disappointed that the knights were slower than he expected.
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**
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Kyle didn't give any particular advice about the knights' physical training.
They have their own methods of training. They're not like the Saint or Elga who knew nothing at first.
Even if his methods might be more helpful, there's no need to force it on them.
Nothing is more unpleasant to those who train their bodies than unsolicited advice.
'I should let them come to me naturally. For that, I suppose showing results would be best?'
Right next to where the knights were training, Kyle continued exercising with Elga.
The training focused mainly on Elga, and she had definitely improved since the beginning.
"Let's do five more."
"If we do five more here, that 'more' adds up to twenty in total. You know that?!"
"Lady Elga, who's willing to do twenty more, is truly the best."
Though she screamed "Aaagh!!", Elga continued to increase her repetitions.
Rather than sitting down for tea or holding hands while talking,
This feeling of growing closer while exercising felt twice as intense.
"Captain, look. The young lady seems to have improved so much more than before."
The knights who had entered their rest period discuss among themselves.
The second prince who had practically become a shut-in, confined to his room.
In his place, the newly emerged young lady was working hard, building her body while sweating profusely.
The knights had been secretly displeased with being looked down upon by those who only sat at desks.
There are many who want the knights' support but won't sweat alongside them.
In such circumstances, what might the future hold with someone who understands the value of each drop of sweat?
'Come to think of it, didn't His Grace the Grand Duke call for all his retainers to gather?'
Though they thought 'surely not,' it seemed their predictions were correct.
A meeting to conclude the discussion of succession and determine the future head of the house.
Yes. The Grand Duke's summons was probably for that reason.
It had been customary for the knights to maintain official neutrality until now.
But even that could change depending on the circumstances.
Between the prince showing such disappointing behavior now,
And the young lady who continues to show good qualities to the people of the Grand Duke's house.
Maintaining neutrality between these two might actually constitute disloyalty.
For the glory and prosperity of House Littorio, sometimes it's right to speak up.
'A decision will be made.'
Probably, to welcome the young lady sweating earnestly over there as the future Grand Duke.