chapter 25

"For security reasons, I don't know what's going on in other people's heads," Robert said seriously, holding his sword discreetly under the table. Rémy, on the other hand, remained calm but couldn't stop incessantly tapping his fingers on the table. "It's true, we need to stay alert with everyone. But, even so, you doing this won't make me have a bad impression of you, will it?" he asked.

Robert replied still tense, "I apologize for this, but I have to ensure my safety. Even though you're my ally, you could betray me." Rémy retorted, "So that applies to you too, doesn't it? How can I trust someone who keeps a sword under the table?"

Robert continued to be tense and explained, "I apologize again. But, I won't trust you without even knowing you." Rémy, on the other hand, also didn't show much confidence, "I say the same, I won't trust you without knowing what you're up to."

The situation became even more tense when Rémy pointed out that he was unarmed and asked why Robert was so tense. Robert explained that, unlike him, he didn't possess the strength and speed to kill several adult men, and he imagined how strong Rémy could become.

Rémy, pretending to be emotional, said, "I'm very happy for the expectation you have in me. But, I wanted to stay here longer. As I'm going to be busy now, I'm leaving." He got up from his chair and prepared to leave the castle.

Robert, still uncomfortable with the situation, said, "Come when you need to. I'll notify the person who will teach you." Rémy thanked him with a bow and left the castle, accompanied by the servant who took him to the exit.

As soon as he left the castle, Rémy saw Jeanne crouched down, holding her legs with her hands, with her golden hair covering almost her entire small body. "What are you doing? Counting the stones on the road?" Rémy joked, smiling.

Jeanne, relieved to see him okay, stood up quickly and said, "Ah, Rémy! You're leaving... I'm glad everything's okay. Let's get out of here!" She turned around and started walking quickly. "Why the rush?" Rémy asked, following her.

"Let's just leave this place," Jeanne replied, short and to the point. "So, what did you talk to him about?" she asked, curious.

"I'll talk to you about it if you tell me what you and he talked about," Rémy said, fixing his gaze on Jeanne. She was a bit hesitant, but eventually agreed, "Well, I'll tell you, but don't get angry." Jeanne's expression was serious and concerned.

Rémy was intrigued and asked, "Why would I get angry?"

Jeanne took a deep breath and explained, "He said I should control you. Of course, I'm not going to do that." She paused, carefully choosing her words. "He also said he had to protect the people of France in case you are a threat. And that I would be the best person to control you if you try anything."

Rémy stared at Jeanne, but his expression was calm and firm. "Was that all? I don't care what he thinks of me. I have no reason to do anything against France or any other nation, even if I'm fighting against what's said to be a threat."

Jeanne watched him with admiration. "Rémy, what do you fight for?"

He sighed deeply before responding, "I fight to be the strongest and to protect those who are important to me. And, of course, I fight for you, Jeanne." His eyes shone with sincerity and determination.

Jeanne was surprised by his response but felt her heart warm. "Thank you, Rémy. As a reward, which isn't a reward," she said, approaching him. She took his cheeks with her delicate hands and pulled him down, leaving a gentle kiss on his forehead. "You have a habit of flicking my forehead, so I'll give you a kiss for every flick you give me," she said, smiling sweetly.

Rémy was surprised by her gesture, but a smile formed on his lips. He touched where Jeanne had kissed and felt a wave of affection invade his heart. "So you better prepare yourself, as I'm not going to stop flicking your forehead!" he joked.

Jeanne ran, laughing, while Rémy tried to catch her. The two ran through the city, enjoying the moment of relaxation. The people passing by them were infected by the light and happy atmosphere that surrounded them, even without understanding the relationship between those two young people.

"I want to see you catch me. I'm going to hide. Try to find me if you can," Jeanne shouted, challenging Rémy to find her. She ran to hide, while Rémy closed his eyes, trying to visualize where she could be.

Jeanne, agile like a gazelle, passed the house and hid in a dark corner near a house. Meanwhile, Rémy opened his eyes and, confident in his ability, began to search for her, rummaging through every corner and every crevice in search of the elusive girl.

He approached a group of people and asked, "Do you know where the girl hid?" The woman he approached responded in a less than helpful manner, "Didn't you say you were going to look for her? I don't know where she hid."

Rémy was frustrated, but soon spotted a boy who was nearby. "Hey champion, do you know?" Rémy asked the boy, who was accompanied by his mother. The boy, enthusiastic, raised his hand and answered, "I saw her!" The mother reprimanded her son, but Rémy was unfazed and praised the boy, "You are a champion! Now show me where she hid." The boy pointed to the place where Jeanne was hiding, and Rémy thanked him.

Meanwhile, Jeanne thought to herself, "He won't be able to find me, so I won't give him kisses on the forehead. Maybe just one." She was crouched in a dark corner, with her cheeks red with emotion.

But Rémy was an experienced hunter and found Jeanne quickly. "Really? Because I think I found my precious kissing machine," he said, looking at Jeanne with a mischievous smile. She was surprised and asked, "Ahh! How did you find me?" She had no idea what Rémy meant by "kissing machine."

"I am a very good hunter. That's why I was able to find you so quickly," Rémy lied, hiding the fact that a boy had given her location. "Really? I don't remember you being a hunter before," Jeanne questioned, suspicious. "Ah, I have many secrets," Rémy said, trying to maintain a mysterious air. Finally, the two arrived at the place where Rémy had requested help to find Jeanne. "It seems you found her thanks to my son," commented the mother of the boy who had given the tip. "Wow, you're really a great hunter, Ré," Jeanne said ironically, realizing he had already disappeared. "Hey! You cheater! Thank you," the woman who helped Jeanne thanked, and she ran after Rémy.

Finally, after a few minutes, they arrived at the place where they were sleeping. "Aren't you ashamed?" Jeanne asked, indignant. "I don't know what you're talking about. Now, I need to train," Rémy deflected. "Don't change the subject!" Jeanne jumped on Rémy, holding him by the neck. "Great, so I'll have more weight to train with," Rémy joked. "Annoying," Jeanne said, getting off him.

Hours passed, and Rémy was exercising, doing push-ups with Jeanne sitting on his back. "Ah, Ré, let's go out. If we take too long, it will get dark," Jeanne said, bored. "Just a little more, and then we can go out," Rémy replied. But soon they heard a noise of someone knocking on the door. "I'm coming," Rémy stood up, and Jeanne had already gotten off his back when he spoke.

"Hello, you're the person who's going to help me, right?" Rémy spoke excitedly, opening the door to find the middle-aged man standing in front of him. His eyes shone with expectation. "Yes, let's start now," the man replied with a serious but confident expression. Jeanne looked curiously at the man, anxious to see what they were going to do.

Rémy picked up his spear with enthusiasm and walked to the front of the house, asking the middle-aged man if that was the right place to train. "Yes, this is perfect," the man confirmed, evaluating the place. "But first, let's see what your skill with the spear is." He circled around Rémy, observing every move. "Keep the spear firm and in an attacking position," he instructed.

Rémy entered the combat position, but soon received a reprimand from the middle-aged man. "You're wrong. The foot of the leg opposite to the hand holding the spear should be in front. Fix that." Rémy immediately did as he was told, adjusting his posture. "Keep your knee bent, not stiff!" the man shouted, emphasizing the importance of the correct posture.

Hours passed, the sun disappeared on the horizon, and night began to arrive. The cold wind began to blow, but Rémy continued to train tirelessly, listening to every instruction the middle-aged man gave. Even when he made mistakes, the man did not give up, making him repeat countless times until he got it right. "Wrong, do it again," the man said, pointing out Rémy's mistakes. "Wrong again, do it again," he continued, encouraging Rémy to persist.

Jeanne watched the training with admiration, rooting for Rémy every moment. She completely forgot about the time, forgot about the walk they had planned. She could only think about how he was making an effort to become better, how he dedicated himself to training with so much enthusiasm and determination. "You can do it, even if it takes time, but you can do it!" she said, encouraging Rémy with a smile.

Finally, after hours of hard training, the middle-aged man approved Rémy's technique. "Very good, you're making progress," he praised. Rémy smiled, feeling fulfilled for having improved his skills. He knew there was still much to learn, but he was excited to continue training. Jeanne also smiled, feeling proud of her friend and all the hard work he had done.

"Okay, let's stop here. We've trained enough for today," said the middle-aged man with a comforting smile, interrupting Rémy's arduous training. "We'll train early again tomorrow," he added with an encouraging tone. After these words, the man left, leaving the atmosphere in a comforting silence. Jeanne, concerned about Rémy, approached him as he sat on the ground, exhausted and breathing heavily. "Rémy, are you okay? Do you need help getting up?" she asked with a sympathetic expression.

"If you don't mind carrying me, I won't refuse your help," replied Rémy, looking into Jeanne's crystal blue eyes, which seemed to reflect the brightness of the night sky, and her golden hair shimmered with the sparkle of the stars.

Jeanne smiled and tried to lift Rémy with one arm, but without success, he was too heavy for her. "I think I'll have to spend the night here if it depends on you," joked Rémy. However, Jeanne didn't let herself be discouraged. "I'll make it, trust me! Open your legs," she said with determination.

Rémy raised an eyebrow, not understanding what she had in mind. Jeanne then squatted in front of his legs and asked him to put his hands around her neck. Initially, Rémy hesitated, thinking it was better to walk home, but Jeanne looked at him with determination and said, "I said I would carry you, and I will. Stop being stubborn and do what I'm telling you."

With a sigh, Rémy put his arms around Jeanne's neck. "Okay, now hold on tight," she said with enthusiasm. With great effort, Jeanne lifted Rémy onto her back, feeling his weight on her legs, and began walking towards home. Although he felt embarrassed to be carried by Jeanne, Rémy was also grateful for her friendship and determination, which helped him in difficult times.

Upon arriving home, Rémy smelled Jeanne's hair and complimented her: "Wow, what a miracle, you don't stink." But Jeanne didn't let it go and quickly replied, "Of course not, it's just your nose that's defective, that's why you think I'd stink like other times."

Rémy, not satisfied, continued to tease Jeanne: "But you were pretty stinky. What did you expect me to do? Endure your smell?" Jeanne didn't let herself be shaken and counterattacked firmly, "Yes, because I do the same with you. I have to endure your smell, so you have to endure mine."

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