Chapter 11 - Sword. (Patreon)

A long time passed. With my body aching, I collapsed onto the floor. Ais walked over to me and held out her hand to help me up.

"That's enough for today. You did well."

To my surprise, she was smiling.

I got to my feet and said, "But I still haven't fought you with my bare hands. I'm better with my fists and legs."

"If you push yourself any further, you'll end up passing out."

Tiona walked over. "Here, have some water. Go take a shower, then let's go get something to eat. Lunchtime has already passed."

"Has that much time really gone by?"

"Yeah. How long do you think Ais has been beating you up?"

"Beating me up? That's an exaggeration."

"Haha." Tiona laughed as she looked over my battered body. I had bruises all over. Marks covered the places where Ais's sword had struck me. It was going to take a while to recover.

"Tiona's right. We'll continue your training another day. I had fun too."

"What did you think of my progress today? Do I have any talent for this?"

"You did well, but it'll take a long time before you reach an acceptable level."

"Even if it takes a long time, I don't mind. Having a teacher like you will help me a lot."

"..."

Ais didn't say anything. She simply turned around to leave.

"See you later."

Tiona looked at me and mimicked my voice.

"'Having a teacher like you will help me a lot~~~.'"

She teased me with a grin.

"You're kind of cute, Rui. Do you like Ais or something?"

"You came to that conclusion just because of what I said? I was just being honest. Ais is the best swordswoman I know."

"I'm just kidding. Come on, you need a shower."

"What? Want to shower with me?"

"If you want." Tiona smiled at me.

####

After I finished showering (without Tiona joining me), I started planning the next few days. I needed to keep training while also earning as many points as possible.

In other words, I'd have to sleep with Tiona and the other women I was involved with as often as I could.

At least until I had a goddess to fuck.

'I need to choose a goddess as my target.'

I let out a sigh and started thinking about suitable candidates. Loki and Freya were bad ideas for now. I could go after Ishtar, who's basically a prostitute, but I simply don't like her.

With my appearance, sleeping with her would probably be easy, but still...

I'd rather avoid it.

'What about Hestia?'

Hestia had a tiny Familia with only one member.

'Actually, maybe Bell hasn't even joined her Familia yet. In my memories, someone like Bell doesn't exist.'

But how was I supposed to get involved with Hestia when I already belonged to another Familia?

Things would be much simpler if I weren't part of one. I'd join the Hestia Familia and "have" a goddess for myself.

Leveling up through the system would be much easier.

'Even so, my current situation is already pretty good. I have a lot of beautiful women around me, and I'm already involved with several of them.'

I flopped onto the bed and, staring up at the ceiling, muttered,

"The next few days are going to be hectic."

####

When I woke up the next morning, I took a shower and got ready to head out. By the time I reached the first floor, no one was there waiting for me. I'd gotten up earlier than everyone else.

So I had breakfast alone before walking over to one of the Familia members whose name I couldn't remember.

"Hey, you. Do you know where I can get a simple sword? Just something to carry around."

"Are you talking to me?" the man asked, surprised.

"Is there anyone else here?"

"No, it's just... you've never spoken to me before, so I was caught off guard."

"Do you know where I can get a sword without having to buy one? I need one."

"I don't mind if you take this one."

The man unsheathed the sword at his waist.

"It's a spare. I don't mind giving it to you."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah."

He handed me the sword, and I thanked him before leaving the mansion.

Right there outside, I started swinging it. My memory was much sharper than before, so I began repeating the movements Ais had used.

Or at least I tried to.

My body was far too heavy to move the way she did. It wasn't even close.

I wasn't going to be able to fight like her. I needed to find my own style with a sword. Copying someone else's movements wasn't going to work.

So I waited for Tiona and the others.

When Tiona and the rest left the mansion, she said,

"I went to your room, but you weren't there. It's rare for you to wake up this early."

"..."

"And where did you get that sword?" she asked when she noticed the weapon in my hand.

"One of the Familia members gave it to me after I asked."

"You didn't force him to hand it over, did you?"

"Of course not. What kind of person do you think I am?"

After chatting for a little while longer, we headed toward the Dungeon.

This time, I walked at the front beside Ais. She kept her eyes fixed straight ahead, wearing a serious expression. Even when I looked at her, she didn't say a word.

It was as if everything around her ceased to exist whenever she was focused.

As soon as we reached the Dungeon, the people who knew me were surprised to see me carrying a sword.

I'd never appeared in public with one before. In fact, I'd always refused to use swords.

That was probably why Ais had been so surprised by my request.

'Well, from now on, you'll be seeing me with a sword much more often.'

With a smile on my face, I followed the group toward the first floor.