Battle Race in the Fantasy World

Battle Race in the Fantasy World – 53

EP.53 Is This the Main Story…?

“Can we talk for a moment?”

“Right now?”

“Yes, right now. Why? Do you have something urgent or a prior engagement?”

“It’s not that, it’s just that right now I…”

Having just run like a madman, his whole body was drenched in sweat.

While it wasn’t an extremely foul smell, sweat is still a waste product.

Being soaked in it and meeting someone would be quite rude.

Even if the other person didn’t mind, it was still a bit embarrassing for him.

“What’s the matter, Kyle?”

Elga, too, seemed to grasp Kyle’s situation.

Seeing him drenched in sweat from intense exercise just moments ago.

Was he worried that she might find it unpleasant?

“Is it because of your condition?”

“Yes. I was thinking of going to wash up first.”

Indeed, a person drenched in sweat could cause discomfort.

But that discomfort could be mitigated depending on who the sweaty person was.

If the person was someone closely related, their sweat might be praised.

Conversely, if it was someone antagonistic, it would cause a grimace.

In this context, Kyle’s appearance didn’t cause any discomfort.

In fact, seeing someone train hard even on a weekend was quite admirable.

“It’s fine. It doesn’t bother me at all, so don’t worry.”

“Are you sure it’s really okay…”

“And later, I might not have time.”

Since Elga insisted so much, Kyle decided not to avoid it any longer.

Improving relations with Littorio was something he had to do.

Even if the people of Jonathan didn’t care, he had to.

It would prevent unnecessary conflicts and might even have Littorio backing him.

In that sense, a good relationship with Elga would certainly be beneficial.

Kyle walked alongside Elga, subtly observing her face.

The slight blush he had seen earlier was now gone.

Had she been exercising too? Our lady is quite diligent.

“Kyle, you said you went to the church yesterday.”

“Yes, I did.”

“A noble being invited by the Saintess is extremely rare. And you even met the Cardinal? The Saintess told me everything.”

“Ah…”

Meeting the Cardinal wasn’t exactly a secret, so it seemed the Saintess had mentioned it casually.

This meant Elga likely knew everything that had happened at the church.

“Can you tell me what you talked about?”

What was this? She probably already knew. Could it be that she hadn’t heard everything?

But judging by her expression, it seemed like she was asking despite already knowing.

Kyle pondered briefly on how to respond.

“There wasn’t much. I just received some good advice from the priests, and I gave them some of my own. That was it. Other than that, we only talked about the academy.”

“…I see.”

Elga said this while staring intently at Kyle’s face.

Kyle wondered why she was acting this way, and then something dawned on him.

He hadn’t mentioned the passing comment he made.

“…Oh, and by the way, I did talk a bit about you, Lady Elga.”

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Elga had heard that Kyle woke up early to exercise in the morning.

So, she went to bed earlier than usual and woke up as early as possible.

She prepared an outfit that was neither too extravagant nor too plain.

It was a time when even the early risers were still asleep.

At that early hour, Elga quietly left her room and stepped outside.

The sun had just risen, warming the cold earth again.

The slightly cool air filled her lungs with a refreshing feeling.

Thinking about how the early morning felt, Elga quickened her pace.

She worried she might be too late if Kyle had already finished his exercise and was getting ready.

Just then, she spotted Kyle walking ahead.

“Kyle Jonathan.”

Calling his name, Elga pondered and pondered.

She had come to meet him early in the morning, but what should she say?

Should she thank him for mentioning her at the church? No, that would be too obvious.

But saying she just happened to meet him by chance didn’t make sense either.

“Good morning, Lady Elga.”

Whether he knew her thoughts or not, Kyle approached and greeted her lightly.

From his demeanor, it seemed like he didn’t particularly care about her.

At the church, Kyle had spoken about her, and it was all praise.

He had said she was a wonderful person and conveyed his apologies to Littorio.

According to the Saintess, Kyle had spoken to the Cardinal in such a tone.

Elga had misunderstood, thinking Kyle might be trying to ally with the church instead of Littorio.

But in reality, he had been elevating her status at the church.

It felt like receiving an unexpected gift.

She had always hidden herself, minimized her presence, and wrapped herself tightly.

And everyone around her had insisted she should continue doing so.

But Kyle was encouraging her to come out of her shell.

“…Yes. Good morning.”

She greeted him, trying to hide her racing heart.

She wondered if he had something to say to her.

She decided to wait, but eventually, she couldn’t help but speak first.

“Can we talk for a moment?”

Kyle looked a bit troubled at Elga’s words.

But when she assured him it was fine, he nodded and started walking.

Elga then subtly asked about what had happened the previous day.

Specifically, she wanted to hear about the part where he had spoken on her behalf.

But Kyle strangely avoided that part.

Was he embarrassed? Or did he think it wasn’t a big deal?

Considering he had said it in front of the Cardinal, it couldn’t have been a casual remark.

Elga believed he must have had some thoughts behind it.

“…Oh, and by the way.”

Finally, Kyle mentioned the part she had been waiting for.

He said he had spoken about her to the Cardinal, and of course, it was in a good light.

Kyle said it as if it was no big deal.

‘You are truly… a person I can’t figure out.’

She knew he didn’t look at her with particularly affectionate eyes.

Their relationship had started not out of emotional attraction but for practical reasons.

They interacted because it was beneficial and not disadvantageous.

No one would be particularly moved by such a beginning.

Even if she didn’t feel that way, Kyle likely did.

So, despite feeling jealous of Tisha and anxious about the Saintess,

she hadn’t tried to leverage her position as the Grand Duke’s daughter to do anything.

While it was inappropriate to show such feelings within the academy,

her greater concern was that Kyle might distance himself if she did.

Even this visit to the church had its implications. The Cardinal could propose allegiance to the church.

Whether Kyle knew this or not, he had quickly established a connection with the church.

She wanted to ask what this meant for their arrangement.

But it turned out he had actually spoken positively about their relationship to the church.

‘If you keep doing this, Kyle, it just makes me want more.’

She tried to convince herself that he was just a contractual partner to help her ascend to the duchy.

But with Kyle’s actions, her foolish heart wavered.

“…You’re very diligent, even on weekends.”

Elga deliberately changed the subject. She wanted to shake off this ticklish feeling, even if just for a moment.

Otherwise, she feared she might end up wanting to make him hers, harboring bad thoughts and plans.

“It’s just my routine. It’s nothing special.”

“Too diligent to be called nothing special.”

Seeing him drenched in sweat didn’t look bad at all.

In fact, she found it quite impressive and manly.

A man who constantly honed himself and never showed weakness.

Yet, he was also someone who subtly cared for others. Who wouldn’t like such a person?

Thinking this way, it made sense why Tisha was so wary of her.

“I received a reply from my family. They accepted Jonathan’s apology and also want to extend their own.”

In truth, Elga had pushed for this response, but she didn’t mention that.

No matter how much she pushed, if her father, the head of the grand duchy, didn’t approve,

there would be no acceptance of apologies or offers to extend one.

While she initiated it, the final decision was her father’s.

So, Elga didn’t want to boast about her small contribution.

“That’s good news.”

Kyle smiled, thinking he no longer had to worry about Littorio.

To Elga, it seemed like he was simply happy about the acceptance of the apology.

“And…”

Elga added something she had left out.

“They also expressed a desire to meet if the opportunity arises.”

“What kind of meeting…?”

“What kind of meeting do you think? They asked to arrange a meeting at a suitable time and to let them know when it would be convenient. My father, the Grand Duke of Littorio, made the request, Kyle.”

Just when he thought he had crossed one mountain, another appeared, this time in the form of the grand duchy.