"Ais, getting distracted in a fight is never a good idea."
Takumi sheathed his longsword, his tone calm as he delivered the reminder.
Ais lowered her head in silence and nodded solemnly—completely ignoring the snow-white line of collarbone she'd ended up exposing.
Lefiya, watching from the sidelines, instantly blew up.
"That was a sneak attack! A total sneak attack!!!"
"Stop it, Lefiya," Riveria said, her expression stern. "Takumi's swordsmanship is simply far above Ais's."
Even though she was a mage, Riveria could see what had really happened. Sure, Ais had been distracted for a moment—but there was no way she should've been unable to counter at all.
The truth was simple: Takumi's blade was too fast and too precise. Purely in terms of sword technique, he'd already surpassed Ais. That was why those two moves had ended the match in what could only be described as a brutal, one-sided dismantling.
And the fight that followed proved Riveria right.
Even after Ais refocused, Takumi's blade still found her within ten exchanges—every single time.
He always stopped just short of actually hurting her, but Ais's pale, gorgeous body was still being revealed bit by bit as her clothes took the punishment instead.
The problem was… Ais didn't seem to notice. Not during training.
"Again!"
"Again!"
…
Again and again, and every again ended in the same result—defeat.
From start to finish, Takumi didn't use anything beyond swordsmanship.
And with swordsmanship alone, he crushed her completely.
Lefiya had wanted to hype Ais up so badly, but now she felt like she'd swallowed a fishbone. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't force out a compliment—this loss was just too ugly.
It hadn't even been half an hour, and Ais was down to a few shredded scraps barely covering the important parts.
Wait… a few scraps?
Lefiya snapped out of her trance and realized it all at once—wasn't Ais basically naked at this point?!
The moment the thought hit, Takumi's sword tip flicked upward, and a sharp stream of sword wind ripped toward the sky.
Riiip
A beam of holy light conveniently fell from above, so transparent and soothing it almost made you feel spiritually cleansed.
Staring at Ais—still wearing that determined, completely serious expression—Takumi actually felt a little guilty.
If they kept going, this wouldn't be sword practice anymore. It'd turn into… sword insertion.
When Ais forced herself to surge forward again, the sinful sway of her body practically slammed into his face.
Takumi gave his blade a quick shake—and Ais's supposedly unbreakable sword shattered in an instant.
With her weapon gone, Ais stumbled forward like she was throwing herself straight into his arms.
Squeeze~
The moment that soft, hot weight hit his chest, Takumi wrapped an arm around her slim—yet powerful—waist and caught her tight.
So this was the Sword Princess who'd lived on the battlefield… That waist had insane resilience. Absolutely top-tier.
Based on experience alone, Takumi judged that only Lapis could really go toe-to-toe with her on that front.
But with spectators nearby, he could only swallow the stupid, rising heat in his gut.
Not that he was worried about anyone else wandering in—he'd already laid a people-repelling spell over the entire area.
Takumi pulled out a shirt and a jacket and draped them over Ais.
His strikes had been controlled to perfection—he hadn't even scratched her pale skin by a millimeter.
Ais was simply spent. Stamina, magic, focus—everything had hit empty, leaving her unable to stand for the time being.
Drenched in sweat, she lay in Takumi's arms while he dressed her like a doll, carefully pulling the clothes into place.
A rosy flush drifted over her normally flawless, fair face—soft, tempting, and dangerously pretty.
Ais was simple-minded. She didn't really understand the stuff between men and women.
But when it came to harassment, or being forced into revealing clothes, her instincts as a woman made her bristle hard.
If her own goddess Loki tried to mess with her, Ais would punch first and ask questions never.
And yet… facing Takumi, Ais realized she felt no resistance at all.
Breathing in that strong, unmistakably male scent from his body, her skin grew hot, her blood warming in ways she didn't know how to name. Some instinct deep inside her kept whispering that she wanted more—wanted closer.
Like if she pressed herself tighter against him… she'd become stronger.
"Mmm…"
Ais murmured, and for once, she didn't stubbornly force herself up.
She stayed in Takumi's embrace, half-reclining with him on the grass.
The two of them held each other in a scene that looked almost unreal—Takumi gently combing his fingers through her golden hair.
Even Lefiya—who practically worshiped Ais—froze in place, staring.
Riveria's cheeks bloomed with a faint blush too, her heart quietly praising how beautiful it was.
Especially when she couldn't stop herself from imagining…
…what if the one in Takumi's arms was her instead?
"This is so… embarrassing…"
Riveria was well over a hundred years old, and in the Loki Familia she was often called "Mom."
But as a high elf of royal blood, she was still very much in the age of a radiant young woman.
While those two were caught in their flustered, thudding heartbeats, Takumi was calmly giving Ais pointers.
"Your magic and swordplay sync well, but you're too focused on the kind of swordsmanship you use to kill monsters. When you're fighting people, that creates little flaws."
He continued, unhurried and precise.
"And sword moves don't need to be flashy. Fast, accurate, ruthless—take it to the extreme. Strip away the excess. That's the real path."
"Ais, you've got real talent with wind magic. I've got plenty of wind spells I can teach you."
He brushed his fingers along her cheek and leaned in, speaking low by her ear.
"Don't question it. I can teach you. I can help you cross lines you thought were impossible. All you have to do is trust me, Ais…"
Ais's face reddened slightly, and the light in her eyes grew brighter and brighter.
The admiration she'd held turned into something feverish—like a believer staring up at the only god she'd ever needed.
Because she'd experienced it firsthand. The gains were real, overflowing, undeniable. Takumi wasn't lying.
That trust deepened into worship… and that worship stirred the quiet, trembling heartbeat of a girl falling for the first time.
Takumi could tell—if he stole her first kiss right now, she'd accept it happily.
But he didn't.
Because what he wanted wasn't just Ais.
He wanted more.
Not only her… but them too.
His gaze slid toward the shadows where Lefiya and Riveria were hiding.
"Come out. Stop hiding."
"Ais needs you. Take her back."
His call startled both of them.
Lefiya instinctively looked at Riveria, eyes wide, voice shaking.
"H-how did he find us? My concealment magic shouldn't have failed, right?"
She looked guilty—because even she wasn't sure.
Lefiya possessed a rare summoning magic: Elf Ring.
It allowed her to invoke any magic of the elf race through summoning.
That was why people called her the Thousand Elf… and also why they called her a magic idiot.
Because that summoning required her to fully master the spell's effects and the chant—perfect control, perfect accuracy.
And as a beginner, Lefiya was clumsy with that kind of precision. So now she genuinely couldn't tell whether the failure was her fault.
Riveria shook her head. "It's not your fault. Takumi is practically a walking miracle. Him noticing us isn't strange at all."
After the initial shock, Riveria accepted it quickly.
She had seen it with her own eyes—Takumi defeating Zald barehanded.
That terror still clung to her bones.
At this point, no matter what Takumi did… it all felt like the natural order of things.