Trails with Cuddle-Cuddle Osbon
Translator: Tsukii
Editor: Helen
Read at Watashi wa Sugoi Desu!
Chapter 068 – Fufufu, Son. Do You Know That Women Wear Masks?
It was obvious that the negotiation with Rufus couldn’t be carried out right away.
When Jusis contacted him directly, the other party replied that while he wanted to personally set off right away, Jusis had to wait until he could make the time.
Rean speculated that Rufus would try to prioritize the task because Jusis requested it personally, but Jusis, who knew his brother well, felt like Rufus’ voice was somewhat excited.
Since Rufus had always been interested in the existence of Divine Knight, the excitement was probably due to the opportunity that finally came.
After receiving the message that the chairman would visit the military academy the next free day, Rean made his way to the training grounds.
Now that Rosine had set the goal of bringing back the woman named Scarlet, among the terrorists, she, who was already highly motivated in her training, had her motivation refined even further.
That said, the gap in ability between her and Rean was huge, and he feared that she would never get a sense of improvement, so he went to the fencing club to find someone for her training.
At first, Patrick tried to argue, but when Rean bowed his head and Rosine followed suit, he paused and withdrew his complaints.
Even so, Patrick challenged Rean to a match, which he gladly obliged—— and now he was sitting on the floor of the training ground.
Patrick, who had fought against Rean on his birthday, had made improvements in his swordsmanship since.
But Patrick seemed to be extremely frustrated at the fact that he wasn’t even able to leave a scratch on Rean, so he responded coldly towards Rean when he praised him.
[“Fufufu, son. It’s rivalry. Patrick-kun is angry at himself for not being able to challenge you to a proper fight.”]
It’s not like I don’t know how he is, though. I knew from the time he confronted me on my birthday that he isn’t a bad guy.
[“It’s like how Miss Laura felt back in April. He has a strong desire not to lose to you.”]
I see.
With the topic on the table, Rean thought it might be a good idea to ask Laura to have a sparring match with Rosine and decided that he would visit the swimming club once the match at the fencing club concluded.
After his match with Patrick, Rean once again bowed his head to Friedel, the head of the club.
“……May I ask you to spar with Rosine again?”
“I don’t mind. It’s just…… I’d like to cross swords with you later.”
“Yes, if you don’t mind, then I’d love to.”
“Then, it’s fine. Well then, Rosine-chan, please take care of me, okay?”
“Yes, thank you very much for accepting my rude request.”
And so, Rosine and Friedel began their mock battle.
It was clear that Friedel was going at it with the feeling of giving a beginner a light training, but seeing that Rosine was stronger than she had expected, she gradually improved the sharpness of her rapier’s move.
Rean had told Rosine not to use the Templar sword’s mechanism or her bowgun, but instead to fight using pure swordsmanship, so she was forced to struggle against Friedel’s sword.
Even so, the sword techniques she honed over the course of several months while fighting Rean had reached the strongest female member of the fencing club in direct proportion to her efforts.
Seeing this, Patrick and another first year club member Alan were feeling even more frustrated, while Loggins, who was a second year student like Friedel was, was impressed.
In the end, Rosine showed incredible tenacity against Friedelt, but she was caught off guard for a moment and received a blow, ending the training session there.
After they congratulated each other for the good fight and exchanged pleasantries, Rosine returned to Rean, who immediately commented on her fight.
“She took advantage of the opening when you were about to unconsciously use the mechanism of the Templar sword. Even if you did use it, a strong opponent would have guessed that you were about to use the mechanism, or would have interrupted you the moment your focus went away for the moment, so your challenge now is to be able to use the Templar sword more naturally.”
“Yes……”
“Until now, you’ve been using a bowgun to keep your opponent in check and rush in when there is a gap, but if you want to go higher, you’ll need to be more conscious in that regard. The opening might be able to be covered with Tactical Link, but it’s probably best if we don’t help when you fight with that Scarlet person, right?”
“It might depend on the time and situation…… but yes, I would like to convey my feelings to that person on my own.”
“Then you’ll need to train hard…… Also, it seems like Rosine has an ideal image of your combat style, but is that based on Scarlet-san’?”
Rean intentionally spoke in whispers.
Even though they knew the truth, there was no need to tell unrelated students about it.
Smiling at his consideration, Rosine approached Rean and answered him.
“No, the combat style I use is based on the one used by a Knight named Rufina Argent, a person that Scarlet-san also respected. Although she wasn’t a Dominion, she was known for her ability to make decisions according to the situation and fight without losing against greater opponents, earning her the alias of ‘Thousand Arms.’ She has already passed away, though……”
“I see…… I can’t say anything about the style since I haven’t seen it before, but your swordsmanship has improved a lot. If you are allowed to use a bowgun as well, the outcome of the match might have been uncertain.”
“Fufu, thank you very much.”
Even though he gave criticism, Rean didn’t forget to give a compliment as well.
People grew when they were praised.
Only a few selected people, and those who had no choice but to do so, would grow in completely painful training.
Rean recalled back when Elise learnt knight swordsmanship for self-defense from Teo, how she was so happy when Rean praised her.
So he reached out to stroke her head the same way——but when he realized the other party was Rosine, he quickly withdrew his hand.
From Rosine’s perspective, it seemed like Rean tried to move his hand then suddenly jumped back, causing her to widen her eyes.
She hadn’t noticed that he had attempted to pat her head though, much to Rean’s relief.
“———Oh Rosine, do you still have stamina?”
“Y-Yes. I still have some ……”
“Then I’ll call for some helpers…… well, since this is a fencing club, people here mainly fight using swords, but I think it’s better to fight against opponents with different styles than Friedel-senpai. In the meantime, you can practice with others.”
With that, Rean told Friedel and others to look after Rosine, who seemed embarrassed for some reason, and headed off to the swimming club to look for Laura.
Rean thought it would be good training for Rosine to experience swordsmanship from a swordswoman whose combat ability was on par with Fie among the first-year female students.
Although it was a hassle to research about Gralsritter, Rean decided to endure it for Rosine’s sake. So he left the training ground, intending to ask Thomas about a person named Rufina Argent.
＊
He succeeded in calling Laura to the training ground, and after training with Rosine, Rean accompanied her in intensive training until she was exhausted.
Perhaps because she had been too absorbed in her training with Rean, Laura became so exhausted to the point where she couldn’t even walk without being supported by Monica, who came to pick her up, but Laura’s fearless smile, at the appearance of a new worthy opponent called Rosine, was still fresh in Rean’s memory.
Laura even asked her to go all out during training, so Rosine could use her bowgun as well. The rest of the fencing club was also affected by that passion, and it was great to see how much they got from the training. On a side note, the training match between Rean and Friedel was won by Rean without a hitch, much to her disappointment.
After dropping off Rosine at the second student dormitory, Rean was on his way back to the third student dormitory when he spotted two familiar faces and called out to them.
“Alisa and Gaius, are you two going on a night date?”
“You’re wrong!”
Alisa’s face was red enough to be seen even in the dark as she yelled out an objection. Gaius was next to her, smiling wryly as he carried a variety of items.
“So you’re being used as a baggage carrier, huh.”
“Alisa said that she wanted to give a gift to her grandfather…… Gwen-san, you see. After retiring, he settled in Nord, so she asked me for my opinion on various things. I was also choosing souvenirs to give to people back at Nord.”
“Now that I think about it, both of you went to Nord on a previous field study. Here, I’ll carry some of them for you.”
“I’m fine, you can carry Alisa’s luggage.”
“Mine is not a big deal compared to Gaius.”
“That’s two against one, so our opinion prevails. Give up and hand me your luggage, Gaius.”
As it was decided by majority vote, Gaius reduced his luggage and handed some to Rean while thanking him.
It was an assortment of items that people in Nord might need, such as preserved food, tea leaves, horse saddles, and boots.
“Trista is just one of many cities in the Empire, but there’s an amazing variety of items available here. It gives one a glimpse of the Empire’s wealth.”
“But Nord has a lot of charms that the Empire doesn’t have, you know?”
“No, it’s not like I’m being condescending. I know that the Nord lands are wonderful.”
“I see. I’m sorry for jumping to conclusions.”
“No, I’m also sorry for the lack of words.”
{“Fumu, both of you seem so close for some reason.”}
It was Valimar, not Rean, who commented on their exchange. Rean had also noticed that the members of Group A had become a little closer since their field study in Nord, so he thought Valimar’s comment was just right.
Alisa reacted for a moment to Valimar’s voice, but she just frowned slightly. It was proof that she too had accepted Valimar’s existence.
“We just had an opportunity to go stargazing with everyone. I feel more natural with them after that, I guess?”
“Heeh, that happened in Nord, huh…… I hope we get a chance to see it too.”
“I doubt we’ll be heading to the same place again for our field study, but if there’s a long vacation, I’d love to show Rean and the others around.”
“I’ll be in your care when that time comes. When we get back, I’ll show everyone around Ymir.”
“That sounds fun! I hope the long holiday comes soon.”
Being a woman, Alisa grew visibly excited.
Ymir’s hot springs were said to be good for beauty, something attractive to women.
“Come to think of it, Gaius, I met Barkhorn-san the other day.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. We ran into each other in the Imperial Capital.”
“Imperial Capital…… Aah, you were absent from school last week, so you went to the Imperial Capital?”
“What were you doing together with Emma?”
During the investigation of the Salt Pale fragment, both Rean and Emma were reported to be on sick leave because they were feeling unwell and would be resting, but it seemed that neither Alisa nor Gaius believed it.
“The two of you weren’t even in the dorms, so wasn’t it obvious? Even if that wasn’t the case, putting aside Emma, for one, I can’t imagine Rean being bedridden for any reason other than injuries.”
“I have certainly never caught a cold before, but doesn’t that sound like an insult?”
“Well, I’m just saying that you’re strong and healthy.”
“That’s right, well, I have also started to think that Emma won’t be able to catch colds either lately.”
“Huh?”
“Err…… She’s a witch, right? I thought those kinds of people would always have medicine that would make them healthy.”
“Ah~ you’re right. You remember that we helped the mother of the girl called Maya back in Ordis, right? The medicine we prepared back then was a witch’s brew.”
“Really? I was wondering where on earth you brought the medicine from, but seeing Emma teleport the other day, it now makes sense.”
“Y-Yes. That’s right.”
Gaius was convinced with that, but in fact, Alisa thought differently inwardly.
It was out of kindness towards Emma that Alisa didn’t mention that it was because of Rean’s influence that Emma revealed such an important fact without hesitation.
Speaking of Maya, Rean had received an update through Musse and it seemed that her mother was recovering well and living a normal life.
It seemed Maya did indeed have some resentment towards her father, but it seems that when he heard her mother collapsed, he had a change of heart and got a steady job.
Rean received a letter of gratitude saying that it was all thanks to Rean-san for helping her mother that night, but Rean was sure that Maya’s own efforts also played a part.
[“Fufufu, I think the man just felt his meals would taste terrible if he did nothing while his daughter worked hard at Egret Family. Although I won’t say that he doesn’t love his family, but cases like rotting behavior tend to reoccur many times.”]
Since her mother was saved, I hope Maya finds happiness in return for all her hardship.
Rean thought that he would write down a reply the next time he visited Musse again.
“By the way, Alisa. There’s something that has been bothering me.”
“What?”
“Do you have a stalker or something?”
“Ha-haah?”
Alisa’s eyes widened at his sudden words.
Gaius tilted his head to a side as well, but Rean continued speaking without paying attention to it.
“Well, I just felt someone was watching us from behind. I thought that person was watching me at first, but it seems they are watching Alisa.”
“Wai, really?”
“Wait, just keep walking without stopping.”
Alisa tried to stop walking, but when Rean said that, her body stiffened for a moment but she continued walking as instructed.
Gaius seemed to be trying to gauge around with his gaze, concentrating on his surroundings for a moment, but his expression turned grim when he realized he was unable to see through the other party.
But Rean excelled at gauging pulse…… the pulse of consciousness, in other words, the flow of power.
By peering into the depth of the power of ogre known as Demon Unchained, his power had been refined, and he was able to notice the emotions mixing through the air.
“Ah…… it seems the other party realized that we noticed. Should we go after them?”
But Rean predicted that the other party would be quite tough.
Rean hadn’t actually revealed that they had noticed, but it seemed the other party had sensed the change in the atmosphere as the emotion Rean felt from the gaze changed.
“Uuhn, I do feel curious about it, but……”
“Their gaze was directed to Alisa, right? I don’t think it’s a good idea to leave them alone for too long.”
“Y-you’re right. But how do we catch them……”
“Leave that to me. Both of you have a pretty good grasp of Trista’s terrain, right?”
“Y-Yes.”
“I think we won’t get lost.”
“Then let’s walk to a less crowded place.”
After the discussion was concluded, Rean created a clone with a physical entity while his main body hid in the shadow of the night, trying to make himself less noticeable by diminishing his presence.
From an outsider’s perspective, it would seem the three were just walking around with their luggage in tow. Rean could just grab them while they were distracted by Alisa’s group, but the story would be different if the other party was powerful enough to not only guess their intention but also see through the clones.
Yet, Rean’s concerns manifested as the latter.
The owner of the gaze, realizing that they were clearly being led to a deserted place, tried to move away.
But Rean wasn’t going to let that happen and sent a signal to Alisa.
“W-Who are you?!”
She shouted in the direction of the person who was looking at her and at the same time, Gaius turned around and threw his spear. Although Gaius’s spear was aimed in the correct direction, there was no one there when it hit the ground and the thrown spear was caught by Rean’s clone to prevent any damage.
However, for a moment, their attention was distracted by the voice and movement, causing the person looking at them to freeze. Rean wasn’t going to leave the opening slide.
He immediately unleashed the power of ogre and made contact with the other party. He immediately grabbed someone’s arm and slammed them to the ground.
At the same time, he straddled his opponent and pressed his sheathed sword against their neck.
“Well then, can you tell me why you are targeting Ali……sa……?”
Rean’s words gradually slowed.
The person he pushed down was a maid wearing a white headdress and apron.
As Rean’s eyes widened, the maid stirred and let out a melodious voice.
“Aah, what an aggressive person……”
“Ueeh?!”
Noticing the soft sensation on his body, Rean tried to move away quickly, but Osbon stopped him.
[“Fufufu, son. It seems this woman has tricks on her sleeve.”]
Hearing this voice, Rean became aware of something approaching him and instantly tilted his head. For just a moment, what appeared in his field of vision was a thread-like thing blending into the darkness.
The maid’s eyes widened. I really can’t let my guard down, thought Rean as he instantly changed position and grabbed her from behind, pinning her down to the ground.
But the maid still tried to break free. As the maid moved with more skillful body movement than Rean expected and nearly escaped from his restraint, Rean was about to unleash his power of ogre again—— when a voice from outside rang.
“S-Sh-Sha…… Sharon?!”
“Eh, she’s your acquaintance?”
“More importantly Rean, I think…… that posture is quite bad for your reputation.”
From an outsider’s perspective, it completely looked like a scene of sexual assault, and Alisa blushed at the various connotations when Gaius pointed that out.
As Rean was dumbfounded, the maid called Sharon quickly escaped from his restraint.
The moment Rean made a sound, the maid was crying to Alisa.
“Aah, my lady, please help me!”
“H-Hey Rean, what does this mean?!”
“No, this is the person I said——”
“Yoyoyo…… I was dragged to the ground and my resistance was futile and I was pushed down——”
“Hold up?!”
“Rean……”
“No, Gaius, don’t look at me like that! I told you this person——”
“I am tainted……”
“Shut up or I’m gonna beat you down!”
“Oh my, how scary.”
“Rean, you shouldn’t have yelled at a woman like that.”
Rean’s group was making a lot of noise at Trista in the night.
The maid pretended to cry to Alisa, but stuck out her tongue in a way that only Rean could see which was clearly her method of retaliation.
And so, it was Rean’s sudden encounter with the maid, Sharon Kreuger.
Author Note:
Sharon-san finally appears. This is her treatment despite the wait.
But I wonder if female assassins in Trails series all have to be lewd… (looking at Rixia’s outfit in Cold Steel IV)
It was a wonder at that point how the cross-dressing Joshua looked normal in comparison.
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