"Don't know. As far back as I can remember, I was working at the tavern, dealing with drunks every day. I don't know anything about my parents."
"I see..."
Instructor Cattleya seemed to feel a bit guilty.
"Instructor, I'm not someone who's had a hard life. The tavern was in the downtown area, but business was good. We had regular customers, mercenaries, former bandits, and prostitutes. But they all cared for me."
"I see. In a way, you're more mature than me."
"Come on, I'm younger than you, Instructor. Speaking of which, how old are you now?"
"Isn't it better not to ask? And don't casually ask a woman's age."
"My apologies. I'm still inexperienced after all."
"Hahaha!"
"Instructor, you're too loud!"
As Instructor Cattleya and I continued our surveillance, an unexpected situation arose. The assassin girl went deep into the forest on the outskirts of the town and entered what seemed like a hideout. She didn't come out again.
Instructor Cattleya and I observed the cabin from the shadows of the trees. I had assumed the assassin belonged to a major organization or would return to a mansion of some noble to report to her employer. But to think that she lived alone in a cabin on the outskirts of town, working as an independent assassin... Why would an assassin, living alone in such a place, have one of the saintly swords of the Divine Blade?
"Damn, this is troublesome. Should we just burn the whole hut down?" Instructor Cattleya suggested.
"We can't do that. We'd lose any clues about who hired her and how she got the saintly sword of the Divine Blade."
"Then, should we storm the hut and torture her for information?"
"Why do you always suggest such violent solutions?"
"You're just too soft. Why go through all this trouble to gauge the enemy's actions? Just kill them all and burn the evidence."
"...Sometimes, Instructor, you scare me."
"It's such a pain. We've got the saintly sword of the Divine Blade and have located the assassin's base. If you don't want to kill her, we can just go home, right?"
"Right. Without the saintly sword, she's not much of a threat. Let's leave her be for now."
"Good idea. Let's head back. I'm tired."
"Haha, sorry for dragging you into this. Let's go."
A month had passed since the incident with the young assassin who owned one of the Divine Blade's saintly swords. Every day, Shion trained tirelessly, and Instructor Cattleya happily drilled him. It was a tedious routine for me, but what concerned me was the absence of Iris. She had departed to quell a massive rebellion in the Hokuriku region and hadn't been heard from since. I hadn't received news of her death, but the lack of contact was becoming worrisome. It's hard to believe that Iris, with one of the saintly swords of the Divine Blade, could falter on the battlefield. The real issue is her personality. She tries to do everything herself, which might seem virtuous, but it indicates an inability to discern trustworthy people. As a result, as her rank and number of subordinates increased, her efficiency decreased. But then again, worrying about her is probably unnecessary.
"Brother, I've finished training!" Just as I was lost in thought, Shion entered my room.
"Ah, good job."
"Brother, wash my feet." Saying this, Shion removed her shoes, revealing her bare feet, and sat on my bed. After every training session, she'd come to my room and have me wash her feet. This habit began when I once washed her muddy feet in a bucket. Somehow, this act had become a routine. It's a bit strange, but not a big deal. But making this a daily ritual might be problematic. There are probably many who would do anything Shion commands. In fact, there might be few who would dare oppose her. After all, she's a hero with the world's greatest power. But why do I have to wash the feet of a young girl every day?
"Ah, it feels so good." As I scrubbed Shion's feet submerged in the water bucket, she made this comment. The sole of the foot, with its numerous sweat glands, is arguably the dirtiest part of the body. Why do I have to wash this part every day?
"Hey, Shion."
"What?"
"Don't you feel ticklish when someone else touches the soles of your feet? Wouldn't it be better if you washed them yourself?"
"You can touch anywhere on my body, and I won't feel ticklish."
I've only ever touched your feet, though. Don't say things that can be misunderstood.
"Also, I tried washing myself when I took a bath, but the dirt doesn't come off easily. Your fingers do the best job at washing. They're amazing."
"Ah, is that so?"
I'm not happy at all...
It's not like being told by a young girl that my fingers are amazing is a compliment.
"It would be great if you could wash my whole body. Let's bathe together."
"I can't do that."
"Why?"
"Girls don't just show their bodies to anyone."
"Why?"
"You'll understand when you grow up. Just wait for a while."
"But Holly is almost always naked."
"That doesn't count. No one else dresses like her."
"Hmm."
"…Alright, that should do it."
I removed Shion's feet from the bucket and dried them with a cloth. Shion then playfully rolled around on my bed, all sweaty.
"...By the way, I haven't seen Holly around today. Do you know where she is, Shion?"
"I don't care about that old hag."
"Shion, listen..."
I felt compelled to give her some advice. Although just recently, Iris pointed out that it's none of my business to meddle in others' relationships.
"If Holly's not around, you can't become a hero, you know? Isn't she essential for you?"
"I'm fine without her."
"No, you're not."
"You're wrong. I'm really fine without her."
As she spoke, Shion took the Holy Sword leaning against the wall and unsheathed it.
"Invocation!"
The moment Shion said that, her body visibly grew. It looked as if she was rapidly maturing. She hadn't reached her peak age of around eighteen, but the ten-year-old Shion appeared to have grown to around fourteen or fifteen. As a result, her dress became incredibly tight, and her underwear was completely visible.
"See? I can use about half of this sword's power even without her!"
"I get it. Now return to your original form."
"...Okay."
But what a growth spurt. Her assets are accentuated, her waist is defined, and her legs are sleek and long. Her skin is also exceptionally smooth. The last time she grew to her prime, she was as stunning as Holly, if not more so. Shion seems to have a promising future, not just in combat but in beauty too. Shion, having returned to her ten-year-old form, clung tightly to me.
"Hey, what do you and Holly do before going to sleep every night?"
"Hm? Ah, we just play chess."
"What's chess?"
Right, I should teach Shion the rules of chess. If I do, maybe Holly will whimsically play against Shion. If they play a few games, they might find common ground. But the thought of Holly playing chess against Shion weighed heavily on my mind. Holly wouldn't go easy on a child who's just learned the rules. She might mercilessly defeat her or, worse, draw out the game just to torment her. It's rare to find someone so immature as to make a little girl cry, but Holly tops that list.
"Brother, what's chess? Teach me."
"… Alright. But promise not to play against Holly until you get better, okay?"
"...? I don't want to do anything with Holly. I just want to play with you."
"Ah, I see..."
Again, I felt a heavy weight on my shoulders. First, I taught Shion the basic rules of chess. Essentially, I explained to her how to manage five different pieces, each with its own abilities, with the primary objective being to protect the king. Using the chessboard I always play on with Holly, I showed Shion how each piece moves.
"Hmm, so the queen is the most powerful and there's only one, right?"
"Yes, exactly. The queen is a valuable and powerful asset, so you must be careful not to lose her recklessly. The importance of the pieces, in descending order, is: king, queen, rook, bishop, knight, and pawn. The stronger the piece, the greater the disadvantage when it's captured..."
As I was explaining, I felt it might be too soon to delve into the intricacies of protecting pieces. In chess, once you learn the moves of the pieces, the key to improvement is to play games repeatedly.