Prologue – Chapter 5

Chapter 05 The Two – Grown Up

Early in the morning, when the sun has not yet risen.
 
While most of the villagers were still dreaming, there was a pair of men and women in the garden of a house. 
"Fuh!"
"!"
The two of them engaged in a fiercely contested exercise as the morning dew cooled the air.
A young man with dark brown hair――When Louis sharply swung his wooden sword down, the girl with fiery red hair――Claire dodged the sword flash with skillful body handling.
While Louis had a wooden sword suitable for his height, Claire didn't equip anything that could be called a weapon.
However, her body itself is probably a weapon.
Exposing her long limbs generously, she turned around with her dodging momentum and landed a powerful high kick towards Louis.
 
"~~!"
 This time it was Louis' turn to avoid.
Louis lowered his head and dodged the kick that was thrown without holding back.
A kick passed over his head, and when Louis glanced at her quickly, he saw Claire with her back exposed.
――However, in front of that opening figure, Louis didn't move to attack.
Quickly recovering his crumbling posture, Louis lifted up the wooden sword and showed an answer to her invitation.

"What, are you not attacking me?"
"I can't afford to accept such a blatant invitation."
"How disappointing"

Claire grinned at his calm response.

"Now let's resume."
 
Leaving her luring posture behind, Claire also turned to face Louis, and the two of them took a stance. 
Both Louis and Claire didn't wear anything that could be called armor.
 
It's not because they're so easygoing that they don't need armor, but from the power they wield without hesitation, you can feel their trust in each other.
 
――the air tense.
Claire raises the corners of her mouth as the boy in front of her looks at her.
Her defiant smile makes Louis narrow her eyes -
 
"-!"
 
The next moment, Claire's palm was piercing where his face had been.
Reacting to the movement that almost never happened, Louis dodged her attack and cut her back with her sword.
Claire was able to avoid Louis' counter by crouching down.
Then, she swung her feet as if she was folding up.
However, when Claire tried to sweep him off, Louis was no longer there.
Surprised by that, Claire jumped forward feeling the presence of a presence behind her.

"~!"
The wooden sword that was swung down without hesitation grazed Claire's back.
Claire didn't lose momentum, she rolled forward, and when she turned around, the tip of the sword was hanging in front of her.
Louis's raised wooden sword chases her as she escapes.
Seeing off the tip of the sword――with an explosive step, Claire aimed at the defenseless Louis' side and fired a kick.
…… Claire's blow, which seemed to have gone in, hit the belly of the wooden sword that was quickly pulled back, and a loud bang echoed around
The two stopped moving, and Louis and Claire stared at each other at close range.
The eyes of the two narrowed as if feeling for the other person's intention.
The tension in the air disappeared as the two relaxed at the same time.

"... Phew. Let's stop for today."
“I guess so. The sun has start to risen”
  
The sun was starting to rise over the mountainside.
 Claire whispered as she narrowed her eyes at the sunlight that announced a new day.
Five years have already passed since the day Louis decided to become stronger.
 
"Nnh, I still can't compete with Louis who has a sword."
 
Claire said so and stretched
In the past five years, Claire, who was originally tall, had grown even taller, reaching 170 cm, which is slightly taller for a woman.
Her red hair, which is below her shoulders, is tied up behind her head so as not to get in her way. 
 
"Claire has physical enhancement magic, right?
“Louis can use that sort of thing, too. Besides, it’s boring to beat Louis with magic.”

Louis has also grown a lot in the last five years.
His height, which was below Claire, surpasses Claire, who is quite tall for a woman, and has grown to reach 180cm, His youthful face had changed to a fearless face, and his body had grown into that of a fighting warrior.
 
Such as herself--if she uses physical strengthening magic, she can beat Louis. Hearing his remarks that were close to affirming that, she unintentionally let out her wry smile.
Because what he said was true.
For the past five years, Claire's father has become her teacher, and while she sometimes asks adventurers who come to the village to study, Claire and Louis, who have spent most of their time together, know each other better than they know themselves. It was an understandable relationship.
 The same goes for martial arts.
Louis started training with the sword half a year earlier than Claire, but in terms of simple physical combat power, Claire's was in a class of its own.
In contrast to Louis, who didn't have any particular talent, but could only swing his sword because he couldn't give up, the girl named Claire had a talent for martial arts.
 While Louis knew 1, she knew 10, and while Louis mastered 1, she mastered 100.
 In fact, her talent seemed to be so extraordinary that even when she was 15 years old and there’s already no match for her in her village, not even a large man.
 
 However, Louis did not just watch over her as she grew up.
 Louis himself, his growth rate was incomparable to hers, but he spent that much time.
When he was still entrusted with farm work, he would find time to swing his sword. After his ability was recognized and he was entrusted with the village guard, he devoted all his time to training.
As a result, Louis managed to keep up with Claire, who was growing as if she was flying high in the sky.
--Though he himself is the only one who doesn't know that he has talent just by being able to keep up with her.

"It's been hot lately..."
"Well, summer is almost here."
After finishing the light flexibility after training, Louis stood up.
Recently, the temperature has been rising little by little, and even in this early morning, he was sweating profusely.
 
"Here"
"Thank you."
 
Taking a towel prepared in advance, Louis throws one to Claire.
Claire also understood, and when she received the thrown towel without any difficulty, she wiped the sweat dripping down her face.
After training, it was customary to spend time slowly until the cooldown was over.
He also wipes off most of his sweat, Louis picks up a cup filled with well water that he also prepared to rehydrate.
And he turns around to give one of the two cups to Claire - and finds himself stunned by her childhood friend.
--Claire has grown into a beautiful woman over the past five years.
With long eyes as it is, a smooth nose, and a sharply arched chin, she has a cool and beautiful face. She is tall and trains every day. The overflowing, sharply arranged face makes you think of a work of art.
Her face was covered in sweat that glistened in the morning sun, and the sight of her quietly downcast eyes wiping the sweat was an aesthetic spectacle.
Louis was dumbfounded for a few moments before her childhood friend's kind of fantastical spectacle.
 
 Claire had become a special person to Louis.
Losing his mother and possessed to master the sword.
In order not to be isolated in the village (although he is not aware of it), she took him around, and after a while, for some reason, she began to train herself.
It would be a lie if he said he didn't feel bitter about her ability to overtake him.
However, her martial arts, which was as clear as miraculous flowing water, and her carefree smile remained unchanged, and Louis was grateful to be able to become stronger with her. 
 Louis narrowed his eyes dazzlingly at the sight of her childhood friend growing up beautifully - the sight of Claire and had brought him back to his senses.
 
Claire immediately realized that Louis had fallen in love with her.
Then, comparing his gaze with her current appearance - a tank top and shorts - she quickly hid her chest.
 
"... pervert"
"Eh! No, it's not what you think...!"
It was a false charge.
 
"Then where were you looking?"
"No, that's...!"
 
Louis, who can't honestly say, "I was fascinated with you," is questioned by Claire and becomes confused.
It's about his childhood friend Louis, who usually only thinks about training.
Seeing him befitting his age for the first time in a while, Claire let out a burst of laughter.
 
"Joke, I was joking"
"Haa... it's bad for my heart."
“Sorry, sorry. But you can't send that kind of gaze to other girls okay."
“That’s a given, yeah. It's okay, I won’t look at the other girls like this --- other girls?"
 Leaving his childhood friend Louis, who had begun to raise a question mark above his head, Claire turned back to the house.
 ---Louis fell in love with me.
 Even on her face, which hid her relaxed face, there was an expression suitable for her age.

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