A night after the Run From Hell, I’m now training by setting up
dominoes in the reception hall…
“My hands… my handsss…!” I screamed.
Just grabbing a domino causes dull, aching muscle soreness in
my tired hands and arms.
I wonder if I’m going to be able set up dominoes in this large
hall, about the size of a school gym…
“Come on now, Marshall. This isn’t the time to start shouting
like a certain clan’s pariah who rules the skies,” Jade called
out, smiling as I struggled to handle dominoes with my aching
hands.
“Jade…” I said. “My muscle soreness hurts twice as much as I
thought it would, so why not let me set up to about half of the
hall?”
“What are you talking about, Marshall!?” Jade said, his
expression unchanged. “Even if you get injured, muscle pain
won’t kill you!”
Yes, it seemed too optimistic to think that he wouldn’t be in
Demon Sergeant Mode because he’s wearing his butler’s uniform
right now.
“All that aside, you’re responsible for your sore muscles being
worse than expected, you know, Marshall?” Jade said.
“I am also responsible… but I think it was you that came up
with the training regime,” I replied.
“Yes, I did,” Jade said. “That’s why I made today’s training so
that your muscle pain will stay at moderate levels. However…”
Jade sighed deeply. “Before you went to sleep, you voluntarily
picked up the Saint of Light doll and did squats, so I think
that’s how you got the sore muscles hindering your training.”
"
"
“Uuu…” I moaned.
“Why did you overdo it when you said that training with me
already put you at your limit?” Jade asked.
“That’s because… Michaela said she was training harder, so I
wondered if I had to match her…” I said.
“Marshall, it’s wonderful to aim for greater heights, but the
appropriate amount of training varies from person to person,
doesn’t it?” Jade asked.
“Yes… that’s right…” I said.
“Isn’t it?” Jade said. “Besides, the Saint of Light is a master
of healing magic, so she can afford to do crazy things during
training.”
“Ah… yeah, that’s right…” I said.
“Right!” Jade said. “However, including you, Marshall, we here
at the Faction of Darkness are not very good at healing magic.”
“Yeah, I’m not good at that and the rescue teams on the
battlefield aren’t magical healers but teams of doctors…”
“Exactly!” Jade said. “So, this time it’s fine but you can’t
overdo it! Besides, if you end up breaking your body, the Saint
of Light would be sad, wouldn’t she?” he continued as he patted
the Michaela doll’s head as it was stood against the wall.
“The Saint Of Light Will Bear All The Hardships Of The World
Instead Of The Pained Eyes Of Her Beloved Marshall Of
Darkness!” the Michaela doll said, saying a triumphant “Let’s
go!” bit like the title of a web novel that I didn’t feel was
fitting for the situation.
… Yes.
I’d feel sorry just to leave it in my room… but the scene of
putting dominoes down with hands shaking from muscle pain while
being watched by a doll made to resemble my friend just feels
too surreal…
“Come now, Marshall!” Jade said. “If you stop moving your
hands, you won’t finish by day’s end!”
“… Understood,” I said.
If I seriously injure my body, I’ll stop, let’s return to these
dominoes little by little.
After that, I devoted myself to the task of desperately
arranging dominoes with my trembling hands, sometimes they
collapsed, I rearranged, they collapsed, I rearranged, they
collapsed, I rearranged…–
Patatatatatatatatatata.
“Aah?!” I screamed. “I-It collapsed again!”
–And the end doesn’t seem in sight.
Honestly, I wonder if I could finish this by the end of the
day.
“Hmm… this training appears to be difficult considering your
muscle pain…” Jade said.
“It’s hard, it so hard…” I moaned.
But Michaela… even though she has healing magic, she’s still
training harder…
"
"
“… For the moment, let’s take a second look and rearrange these
from scratch,” I said.
“Excellent suggestion, Marshall!” Jade said. “That’s the
spirit! Right, Saint of Light?!”
“The Saint Of Light Sends Her Utmost Love And Support When Her
Beloved Marshall Is Working Hard, No Matter How Far Away She
Is!” the Micheala doll said, uttering another line like the
title of a web novel that didn’t seem right for the situation.
Yeah, it’s all terribly surreal but let’s rearrange the
dominoes without faltering. However, if the muscle pain was
milder by about 30%, I might have been able to line them up
better.
Nevermind, Michaela is also working hard, I’ll be able to
overcome this much–
“Hel-lo…! Someone is here for the Marshall of Darkness!”
Patatatatatatatatatata.
“Aah…?!”
–Or so I thought.
A boy’s voice suddenly echoes in the hall, the rearranged
dominoes fall without mercy.
When I turned around, feeling tremors on my face that weren’t
from the muscle pain, I saw a boy with light blue hair and
dressed in a white robe standing, almost in tears. Ummm, this
kid is…
“Hawawawawa!” he blubbered. “So-So sorry! Ky didn’t mean to
disturb you!” [69]^1
[INS: :INS]
… Yeah, he just gave his name, but I already knew he was Ky,
the Healer.
He was why the dominoes collapsed all over again but as he’s
going “Hawawawawa!”… I’m not mad, I feel bad that he thinks
he’s to blame.
“Oh, well,” I said. “It wasn’t intentional, so don’t worry so
much.”
“She’s right, Sir Ky,” Jade said. “The Marshall has mercy
deeper than the sea trenches, so she won’t get angry at
something like this! Right, Saint of Light doll?!”
“The Holy Lady Of Light Knows There Is Kindness In The Marshall
Of Darkness No Matter What Wrongdoing She Does!”
“… Jade, can you stop making the Michaela doll talk for a
while?” I asked.
“Yes!” Jade said. “Leave it to me!”
… For the moment, I wonder if it’s possible to avoid this place
descending into total chaos. Well, it might already be in total
chaos now that the best healer of the Light Faction is in tears
here at the Castle of Darkness, where dominoes are scattered
all around the reception hall…
“Oh, um, Ky is here for the Marshall of Darkness,” Kai
explained, terrified.
“I see,” I said. “So then, what does the healer from Michaela’s
side have for me?”
“R-Right,” Ky said. “The Saint of Light said, ‘The Marshall may
be suffering from more muscle pain than she thought she would,
so go to her and cast some healing magic.’”
“I see, I’m grateful for that,” I said. “I’m sorry to make you
come all this way.”
However, there’s something about this that says “there’s more
going on here…”
“Think nothing of it!” Ky said. “Ky heard from the Saint of
Light that you, Marshall, are an amazingly hard worker who
trains independently even after going through rigorous
training! Ky is honored to help such a person!”
“Hahaha, flattery won’t get you anywhere… hmm?” I asked.
“What’s the matter, Marshall?” Ky asked.
“How did Michaela know my independent training yesterday to
tell you today?”
“Well, ah, um, that’s because the Saint of Light doll has a
feature for watching over your actions, Marshall…?” Ky offered.
“Huh…?” I asked. “What feature…?”
I’ve never heard of that before…
“It’s alright, Marshall!” Jade said. “It only has a function to
periodically send images of you to the Saint of Light but it
doesn’t have any concerning functions at all! Right, Saint of
Light Doll?!” he said, touching the Michaela doll’s head again.
“The Saint Of Light Always Wants To Gaze At Her Beloved
Marshall So Much That She Will Make A Spy Hole!” the Michaela
doll says, talking like a mentally ill person from a
psychological thriller than the title of a web novel.
… Yeah.
Somehow, I feel like I don’t know what “Disturbing” means
anymore.
Footnotes
1. Ky refers to himself in the third person, a childish trait
in Japanese characters.