Battle Race in the Fantasy World

EP.135 Why Are You All Like This? Calm Down

“…So, you’re asking me to teach you how to swim.”

“Yes, Kyle. Is there a problem?”

There’s no issue with teaching swimming. Yes, that part is fine.

The problem is that it’s not a sunny afternoon right now, but rather a moonlit night.

A sudden swimming lesson in the middle of the night. Doesn’t that seem odd?

It’s even more so because she came secretly to ask for this.

“I don’t know how to swim. I felt a bit embarrassed to admit it in front of others.”

“Ah. So earlier at the beach, alone…”

“Yes. Some might think it’s silly to make a fuss over just swimming, but even such things can be twisted in strange ways. For example, they might say I’m afraid of water because I almost drowned once, and that’s why I can’t swim!”

“…But that’s not true, is it?”

“Of course not. I simply never had the opportunity to learn.”

Kyle nods as if he understands Elga’s words.

It’s human nature to not want to reveal what one considers a flaw to anyone.

“By the way, only my father, mother, and nanny know about this. Not even my brothers.”

“…Yet you told me.”

“Because it’s you. Because it’s Kyle.”

As Elga says this, the moonlight catches her eyes, making them sparkle.

“Besides, I had to tell you to get you to teach me, right?”

Elga gently extends her hand towards Kyle.

Kyle hesitated for a moment but couldn’t refuse the request.

He had no reason to refuse, and he knew this was something he had to handle.

As Kyle takes her hand, Elga smiles with a soft “heh.”

“Come to think of it, you couldn’t take your eyes off Tisha’s swimsuit earlier.”

“Me? No? I didn’t do anything like that?”

“You did. I saw it all, Kyle.”

“That’s unfair. I really didn’t do that.”

It’s true. He didn’t keep glancing at Tisha’s swimsuit.

Instead, he was examining her body, specifically her muscles and curves.

To figure out what kind of exercises she should do next, as a trainer.

He absolutely didn’t have any strange thoughts. He could swear on Jonathan’s pride!

Perhaps his sincerity came through. Or maybe she just let it slide.

Elga smiled for some unknown reason and then led Kyle by the hand.

Going straight to the sea would be nonsensical from the start.

Instead, she had heard there was a swimming pool in the villa.

So, she put in a lot of effort to use it just the two of them.

‘As inoffensively as possible. But with a subtle tone, never bowing.’

As a daughter of a grand duke’s family, she had never used her power for personal reasons.

But this time, she had no choice but to use it, requesting the noble who owned the villa.

She wanted to use the pool, just the two of them.

So she asked them to block others’ access for a while, using maintenance as an excuse.

And just as she requested, Elga could confirm that the pool was empty.

“It seems no one’s here because it’s evening.”

“Plus, everyone’s already enjoyed their water play enthusiastically. They’re probably all tired.”

“Is Kyle tired too? If you’re fatigued, we can stop.”

He shakes his head. How could he be tired? He just splashed around a bit, that’s all.

“You said you’re not afraid of water, right?”

“Yes. I really just don’t know how to swim.”

“Then we’ll start with some simple warm-up exercises before getting in the water.”

Elga nods at Kyle’s words.

She carefully takes off the robe she was wearing and hangs it nearby.

“Ahem, ahem!”

She clears her throat, checking if Kyle might look at her.

It’s the swimsuit she had chosen after much deliberation.

Moreover, she was confident in her figure, so she was even more curious about Kyle’s gaze.

But Kyle was only explaining the importance of stretching and emphasizing that she should follow along well.

He didn’t seem to be paying any attention to Elga’s swimsuit or figure at all.

Could it be that he can’t see well because it’s gotten dark? No, that’s not it. The moonlight is enough.

Why isn’t he looking at me? I’m wearing a swimsuit too, you know!

“Lady Elga?”

“Yes?”

“I said to follow the stretches. If you just jump into the water, you might get a cramp.”

“Oh, yes. I’m sorry. Could you show me one more time?”

The design of the swimsuit isn’t much different from what Tisha was wearing.

Then maybe she chose the wrong color? Does Kyle dislike red?

Wait a minute. My hair and eyes are red too, so what then?

Even as she followed the stretches, Elga’s mind was filled with these thoughts.

*

‘These women were really planning this thoroughly.’

First, Yulika suddenly took off her clothes, delivering a critical hit.

Then, I was so surprised by Tisha’s black swimsuit that I almost gasped out loud.

I thought that was the end of it, but now here’s Elga in a red swimsuit.

Moreover, Elga’s swimsuit covers even less area than what Tisha was wearing.

The outfit was so aggressive that I almost lost the courage to look at it.

‘Is it okay for a grand duke’s daughter to be like this? Even if we’re on vacation…’

Is it bad for the eyes? No, not at all. It’s just not good for the heart.

Tisha is one thing, but Elga is also undeniably one of the main characters of this world.

And as main characters always do, she possessed overwhelming beauty and a breathtaking figure.

How could anyone remain calm when such a woman in a red bikini keeps glancing at them!

It’s not that Jonathan didn’t have women. There were certainly beautiful women too.

But watching those women lift incredibly heavy weights…

Instead of falling for them, I found myself unconsciously avoiding them out of fear.

“Now, let’s wet your body a bit and apply some water around your heart area.”

“Is that to prevent me from being startled?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Hehe! I knew it.”

Elga looks at me as if asking, “How’s that?” Her expression is a bit cute.

She’s trying to proclaim with her whole body, “I’m a bad girl!” but in reality, she’s not like that at all.

You could say she’s a character modeled after a villainous noble lady, but ultimately unable to cross the line.

“If we go a little further this way, the water will get deeper. Be careful as you come.”

“How deep will it get?”

“Right now it’s up to your thighs, right? It’ll come up to your stomach or chest, so don’t be surprised…”

“Eek!!”

Despite being told not to be surprised, Elga lets out a startled cry.

It seems like it might be an act, but then again, someone who can’t swim might genuinely be startled when the water suddenly reaches their chest.

Meanwhile, Elga, who has clung to Kyle and is practically hanging off him, lets out a soft moan, “Nngh.”

“My, my chest feels a bit tight. Why is that?”

“It’s because of the water pressure. It’s normal, so don’t worry. Now, get used to the water.”

I don’t try to forcibly separate her. Getting familiar with the water is the most important thing right now.

If I push her away unnecessarily, it might only amplify her anxiety, so I wait patiently.

“…Kyle.”

“Yes, Lady Elga. Are you feeling a bit calmer now?”

“Your body is really nice.”

…This woman. I told her to get used to the water, not to get used to my body.

Bewildered, I try to subtly turn my body, but she holds on tightly and doesn’t let go.

As a result, I can feel her ample chest pressing softly against me.

‘I hope there’s no one else here. Please. Let there not be some cliché novel development where someone suddenly appears, gasps “Oh my!” and disappears into the darkness.’

To anyone watching, this situation would look really strange.

Two people, a man and a woman, embracing each other in an empty pool under the moonlight?

Even someone without imagination or sexual desire could easily draw conclusions.

Elga is a noble lady. Not just any noble family, but a grand duke’s daughter.

There are only three grand ducal families in the empire. And here I am, potentially starting rumors with one of their daughters.

No, it would be fortunate if it were just rumors. Given this situation, it could be much worse.

“Lady Elga. Didn’t you say you wanted to learn how to swim?”

“I’m getting familiar with the water right now.”

“…It seems like you’re getting familiar with something other than the water.”

“No, I’m really getting familiar with the water.”

Then why do you keep clinging to me, my lady?

This is bad. Really bad. The princess, the witch, the duke’s daughter, they’ve all joined the fray.

I know this disaster is of my own making. It’s my fault for not cutting things off clearly.

I didn’t particularly intend to create a harem, but somehow it’s come to this.

The bigger problem is that as time goes on, things are likely to escalate even further.

I’ve noticed that a strange competitive dynamic has already formed between Tisha and Elga.

And I also know that both of them are wary of Yulika as well.

‘The genre was clearly supposed to be romance. Why has it turned into a harem… Ah. It’s because of me, isn’t it.’

I can’t blame anyone else. In the end, it’s my own fault.

Tisha, Elga, and Yulika too, it’s all because of me, Kyle.

“Kyle. I’m cold.”

“Huh? Oh. Should we get out of the water for a bit then?”

“It’s not that bad. I think I’d feel better if you hugged me.”

“…”

This is driving me crazy, seriously.

*

The two-week academic field trip finally came to an end.

On the way back to the academy, Kyle glanced at the two women occupying the seats on either side of him.

Having achieved their goals, Tisha and Elga wore rather content smiles.

While it was better than sullen expressions, he couldn’t say it was entirely a good thing either.

They were behaving moderately for now, but it seemed things might become more intense in the future.

He could tell. It was certain. He had read about similar situations in many novels.

“Good work, everyone. Get some rest, and I’ll see you next week.”

As the supervising professor finished speaking, the students gathered in small groups and headed back to the dormitories.

Elga and Tisha, seemingly a bit tired, went straight to their rooms.

“Saintess.”

Instead of returning to his room, Kyle sought out the chapel.

Perhaps it was because he hadn’t seen her for two weeks, but he had secretly missed that radiant smile.

“Welcome back, Brother Kyle.”

The Saintess, always wearing a bright smile, gladly welcomed him.

“Have you been well?”

“Oh, I’m always the same.”

As they exchanged simple greetings, the Saintess took Kyle’s hand.

“I heard from the Princess.”

“Oh? I see.”

He naturally assumed she was talking about what had happened on Pardal Island.

That’s why he thought she had such a worried expression.

“I’ll help you.”

“Help? Oh, you mean with the Princess? If you could help, that would certainly be good.”

Advice, or perhaps even some stern admonition.

Kyle thought that’s what the Saintess might offer.

Little did he know the Saintess’s true intentions.

‘It might be presumptuous of me, but I think this would be good for Brother Kyle. As a Saintess, I should show impartial love, but… there’s no need to do so forever. So…’

By the way, the Saintess was also allowed to find a lover and get married at any time.

Love for oneself, and love for another. That noble and beautiful feeling.

The doctrine stated that only those who understood and realized this were worthy of loving and worshipping God.

‘The place beside Brother Kyle… I want to fill it myself.’