Chapter 36: Training

"Tell me, Yue, what do you think of Shizuku?"

"Mmm... I don't like her." Yue stated without even thinking about it, "but she's a serious and intelligent girl who adapts pretty quickly to whatever comes her way... Plus, she strives to improve herself every day... a point in her favor."

"Serious and intelligent, eh? Well, I can't deny it." With a smile, Nader looked ahead, where Shizuku seemed to dance with her katana in hand.

Each strike was like a calm sea, her movements graceful and experienced. The black edge of her katana glittered in the sunlight as she sliced the green leaves falling from the trees into numerous parts. Her sharp, serious face, which although decorated with beads of sweat from her arduous morning training, did nothing but add to her charm.

Yue turned her stoic gaze away from Shizuku and looked at the face of Nader, who was sitting next to her.

"... Why are you being so nice to her, do you like her?" her eyes narrowed dangerously at him, he could even notice her crimson eyes losing a bit of their luster.

"I like her. But not like I like you."

"So...?"

"Hmm... you could say I like her as a friend. She was the first existence I met on my way to this world, I guess that's the reason. To be honest, if I hadn't met you, maybe she would be the most important to me."

"Mmm... I see." Yue nodded with a soft smile and pounced on Nader, hanging onto his back as she bit his neck.

She was sure that even if Nader fell in love with another girl, it wouldn't be with the same intensity with which he loved her, after all, she would always be the one special person to him. Therefore, it didn't matter much to her that Nader said he liked Shizuku, even if it was only as a friend... something she didn't quite believe. Nader couldn't be nice to someone without being emotionally interested in that someone.

"By the way, Yue, do you want to go out today to explore and visit some places in the city? It looks interesting."

It had been two days since they arrived in a city called «Ur Lake City». Due to the speed that broke the sound barrier, it hadn't taken them long to get from the «Holy Church Cathedral» to the town.

The village of Ur, which was brimming with natural resources, was located to the west of a lake called «Urdea», which according to the inhabitants of this world is known as the largest lake in «Tortus». Around the village, there were numerous fields, which were filled with special crops to produce food.

Because of these features, Nader had found this village quite interesting and suitable for breathing fresh air, especially for his little Yue, who had just emerged from the bottom of the abyss.

Once their destination was set, they rented an inn known as «The Water Sprite Inn». It was the best inn they could find in town; a multi-story house overlooking a crystal clear river that connected to a lake. Their meals were also delicious, especially to Shizuku, who found the food here quite similar to that of her old world.

However, they still could not explore the city other than observing it from the sky, a different experience when exploring places with a special person. Therefore, Nader wanted to have a date with Yue.

Hearing Nader's proposal, Yue's eyes sparkled with happiness, and she stopped sucking him. She slid down his body forward and sat on his lap, wrapping her leg around Nader's waist.

"Mmm... so, I want a date, just the two of us," she nodded and moved her face closer, "Right now."

"Huh? Right now? Right now we're in the «Northern Mountain Range» taking care of Shizuku. I think we'd better leave in the afternoon."

After considering for a while, Yue reluctantly nodded and licked her lips seductively before kissing him on the lips.

The northern mountain range was not so far from the Lake of Ur.

The «Northern Mountain Range» was known for the countless gigantic mountains that composed it, as well as the terrifying monsters that dwelled within.

The reason they came to this mountain range was so that Shizuku could practice her sword skills without being interrupted, after all, the stares from the public were a bit annoying for her when she practiced in the inn's courtyard.

"... I've noticed that Yuki spends more time sleeping than usual," Yue commented suddenly. She was worried about the fluffy bunny that became part of her new life.

"Actually, I've noticed it too. But I don't think it's something bad, since I haven't found anything strange inside her body, other than that she's apparently getting stronger." Nader replied.

"... Evolution?"

"That's most likely. I don't know exactly how or what the monsters of this world need to evolve, but from what I saw inside, Yuki's core is constantly changing."

"Hmm... Thank goodness." Yue nodded in understanding and rubbed the fur of the soft sleeping bunny next to Nader's lap. Then her eyes sparkled as if she'd had a sudden epiphany, "I'll go train with Shizuku...".

"... She specializes in swordplay and you in the field of magic. Unless you teach her how to defend herself and how to attack mages, I think be fine." Nader commented on Yue's sudden idea. He didn't know what the little vampire had in mind, but from the expression on her face, he could conclude that it was something mischievous.

"Mmm... I'll go train her. With some magical attacks, she should get stronger." He said proudly, causing Nader to roll his eyes.

Shizuku, who was concentrating on her training, was startled as she felt a shiver run down her back. She tilted her head from side to side, but found nothing.

Scratching her head, she turned her face to where the pair of lovebirds stood, only to have her lips twitch.

"These guys... They're not ashamed to show their affection in public, and yet somehow it makes me jealous...". Muttering and thinking how nice it would be to be able to release her feelings, she caressed the rough palm of her hand.

***

"What interesting girls....." A murmur belonging to a beautiful, voluptuous woman was heard over the mountain.

Her bright golden eyes with a dragon slit seemed to penetrate the treetops to observe an unusual scene as if it were before her eyes. Her flawless hands reached up and arranged the bangs of her long black hair behind her slightly pointed ear.

"That girl looks familiar, but how is that possible? This is the first time I've been out of my village in hundreds of years."

Staring for a while at the beautiful golden-haired girl who seemed to be flirting with a man, she fluttered inside her thoughts in search of something as she opened a folding fan in front of her face, but pitifully, even after a few seconds, she couldn't glimpse what she wanted. She shook her head and looked at the other girl wielding her sword to cut small leaves from the trees.

"Her power is superior to any of the humans I met," after coming to this thought, her eyes widened at a possibility, "Maybe she's one of them?".

"Considering I just got out, my luck isn't so bad." With a smile, she glanced at the golden-haired girl who was heading toward the black-haired girl.

Taking the opportunity, she averted her gaze and inspected the seated boy, who now had his face uncovered without the interruption of the other girl who was blocking her view earlier.

The first word the voluptuous woman thought after inspecting the boy was "weak". Unlike the two girls, whom she esteemed as her companions, the boy did not give off any distinctive or special aura around him; he looked like a simple human who could be found anywhere.

"Even if he is weak, I must admit that his beauty surpasses even dragon men and elves, who are considered the most handsome beings in the world."

"Maybe that's the reason why the two girls are fluttering around him...". The woman nodded at her incredible intellect.

Aside from the man's beauty, the woman could find no other reason why such an outstanding woman would decide to stay with him. After all, from the woman's point of view, strength was the only concept that set the rules of the world.

*Boom!

At the sudden burst of a magic fire spell hitting the ground, birds began to flutter and fly away in terror.

The woman refocused her gaze and saw the golden-haired girl attacking with a small smile at the swordswoman, who was doing her best to dodge and appease the other side.

"Wait, Yue-san! Why are you suddenly attacking me like I'm your worst enemy?!"

"Fufu... It's fun training."

"Where's the fun in turning me into a fried human?!"

The woman looked at them from afar and couldn't help but mutter in a surprised voice, "As I thought. Those girls aren't normal at all. The first one needs neither magic circles nor chanting to cast her spell and the other girl, while clearly weaker than the first one, is still strong enough to be able to deal with those attacks."

She brought one hand to her chin and rested the other arm under her voluptuous breasts. After considering her thoughts, her eyes sparkled.

"Decided to. I will follow them and conclude after observing them for a while with my own eyes. Show me if they are worth it or not."