Chapter 32: The Everyday Life They Dreamed Of
The clash of wooden swords caused Heinkel's stance to falter instantly. Wilhelm's eyes sharpened; the tip of the wooden sword in his left hand aimed toward Heinkel's forehead, then stopped at the last moment. Whoosh~
A whip sliced through the air. Heinkel used the opportunity to regain his footing and pushed himself next to Subaru, slightly panting. The two exchanged a glance, then flanked the elder from both sides.
Wilhelm watched quietly. The determination Heinkel showed for Louanna made him proud, and Subaru's progress over the past few months surprised him. As the two grew increasingly familiar with each other, Wilhelm began using dual swords.
He knew the target of the two was the Sin Archbishop of Gluttony. From the power displayed by Petelgeuse and the descriptions of the wounded, Wilhelm roughly understood how formidable their opponent would be.
Even so, according to Wilhelm's initial thoughts, the two were already fully capable—fighting alongside him against Gluttony would not hold them back.
—But it's still not enough!
Humans are such greedy beings. At first, he had only planned to go fight Gluttony as a form of atonement. Then he wanted Heinkel to face Gluttony together. But now…
"Subaru! Heinkel! I sincerely hope that you can achieve your goals with the swords in your hands."
Wilhelm's eyes became sharp. Though he appeared as a gentle, elderly gentleman, to the two before him, he looked like a deadly specter wielding a sword. Wilhelm eagerly anticipated seeing them defeat him when he used his full strength.
"Of course!"
Training resumed. The two rapidly advanced toward Wilhelm, but this time, the white-haired elder radiated an overwhelming killing intent—the kind honed across countless battlefields. Heinkel froze instantly, yet looked at Subaru, who continued attacking Wilhelm.
—How can I not even surpass him?
Shame turned into power. Heinkel's feet lifted off the ground as he swung his sword with all his strength.
"Too much force!"
Though pleased with Heinkel's display, Wilhelm did not hold back. Heinkel's full-force strike, born from overcoming fear, contained excess energy and unnecessary movements—all of which Wilhelm exploited.
"Ugh!"
Wilhelm's strike, appearing effortless, sent Heinkel flying through the air.
"Heinkel!"
Subaru instinctively swung his whip around Heinkel, feeling a chill, then realized Wilhelm had vanished. Yet there was no panic; after all, he was facing Reinhild as a sparring partner.
"Think it's over?"
Wilhelm watched Subaru dodge an attack by leaping backward and was slightly surprised. His left-hand sword thrust toward Subaru midair.
"Haah!"
Subaru pulled his whip with all his strength. Heinkel, now back on his feet, grabbed the whip entangling him. Both exerted themselves to remove Subaru from the Sword Demon's attack range.
…Not quite.
"Ugh!"
Subaru was struck by Wilhelm's thrown sword. Taking advantage of Subaru's momentary disorientation, Wilhelm struck again, then took a moment to knock Heinkel down.
"You're challenging an Archbishop, not knights. Understand?"
Wilhelm raised a finger toward the two.
"So once you decide to fight, throw your whole body and mind into it. Forget defeat, whatever means are necessary, you must achieve victory. Let greed consume you. As long as you can stand, as long as your fingers can move, as long as your teeth aren't all gone—stand up. Plant your feet, ready your stance, strike. As long as you live, fight. Battle, combat, struggle!
"This is what fighting truly is."
Wilhelm exhaled, dissipating the tension controlling the garden. Subaru realized his heart was pounding loudly. He exchanged a glance with Heinkel, now back on his feet, and training began again.
.
.
.
"Kid, you went way too far, huh? And why should Betty treat this guy? Her magic is precious."
Beatrice, treating the battered pair after training, complained to Wilhelm. Every time Wilhelm came, he would pick up Beatrice along the way. Though she could come on her own, with her impressive healing speed, repeated trips might turn her into a literal little girl.
Originally, Rem followed every time, but noticing Ram's burden was too heavy, she came only once every two trips—two days out of every ten.
"All right, all right, a little exhaustion is fine," Wilhelm said.
"But it's just a Sin Archbishop; Betty could handle it…"
Suddenly, Subaru noticed Reinhild arriving. Now wearing her familiar maid outfit, Reinhild performed every task nearly perfectly, actively helping others, and had regained her place as the family's beloved.
This caused Subaru, as her senpai in household duties, some disappointment—his maid skills were mediocre, and Reinhild had reduced most of the household chores. With little to do, Subaru joined Heinkel in Wilhelm's training.
Subaru quickly took the basket from Reinhild. Heinkel took Felt's. Together, they skillfully laid out a picnic mat, unpacked food, and began preparing lunch.
Lunch with Subaru, Felt, and Grandpa Rom was lively. Subaru and Felt competed for dishes as usual, Wilhelm continued instructing Heinkel, drunken Grandpa Rom offered wine to everyone, and Reinhild quietly watched them.
Subaru and Felt finally went after others' food. Unlike calm Wilhelm, the others showed no noble decorum. Heinkel and Subaru even began tugging at each other. When they rushed to pull the two apart for the first time, Reinhild smiled at the scene before her.
"Forgive me, here," Wilhelm said.
Perhaps out of gratitude toward Subaru or guilt over the others ruining Reinhild's food, Wilhelm rescued some of the dishes and gave them to Reinhild, who had not yet touched anything.
"Thank you," Reinhild said, taking small bites while observing the lively scene.
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