The sun rises higher, casting short shadows as it passes the arch of the day. A child's battle cries ring out in rhythm with the sharp clatter of wooden swords.
"Haaah! Hyaaah! Hah!"
A petite girl swings her sword again and again, each strike echoing across the training field.
"A bit harder! Swing just a bit faster!" a man calls out firmly, casually guarding himself from her relentless attacks.
"HaaaaAAAH!"
One final, solid clash echoes—his eyes widen slightly before he gives a firm nod. The girl collapses to the ground, landing on her butt and panting, sweat dripping down her face.
"That's good, Diana. Keep swinging like that, and by the time you grow up, you'll more than qualify to be a town guard," he says, sitting down beside her. "For now, let's mark it done. You've done your best—rest for today."
"Eeeeeh? I don't wanna! Diana wants to be a knight at least as good as Clive! So please train Diana more!" she protests between breaths, her eyes still fixed on the sky.
"Knowing your body's limits is part of the training," Clive replies, voice slightly firmer now. "From what I've seen, you've already gone past it this session. Push any further, and you might fall sick. That would only slow you down—and worse, worry the people close to you. Me, and Lorelei too. Trust me on that."
Diana lets out a long pout and grunts softly, but says nothing back.
"No need to worry," Clive adds gently. "If you keep this pace, you'll easily become a town guard. But next session—and the next after that—you'll swing stronger. Faster. And if you keep that up," he smiles, gently patting her head, "you might become even better than me. Physically, at least."
"Really!? Clive really thinks so!? Diana can really be better than Clive!?" she gasps, eyes lighting up, her fatigue seemingly erased by the promise alone.
"As long as you keep training, sure."
Clive removes his hand just as approaching footsteps draw his attention.
"My, seems like I arrived right on time," a familiar voice calls out.
Lorelei stands nearby, holding a basket. "I brought lunch. Oh—and company too." She gestures toward two girls following behind.
"Mamaaaa!"
Diana springs up and dashes toward Lorelei, energized once again, "Oh, Rosa and Lilia too!"
"Been a while, Diana," Lilia steps closer, "You've grown a bit taller, too"
Rosa follows, she gaze at Diana, unsure what to say
"Did my little knight behave today?" Lorelei asks, crouching to pat her head. "You didn't give Clive a hard time, did you?"
"Not at all," Clive replied, his voice even gentler "She is as energetic as always, maybe a bit rebellious at that"
"Listen, listen!" Diana jumping in excitement, "Clive said, I can be better knight than Clive! Diana is awesome, right!?"
"My, you certainly are. But you'll need to eat good if you want to grow as strong as Clive," Lorelei places the basket down and retrieve the rolled picnic mat from it, before she unfurls it to the ground, "Now let's take a seat, Clive, Diana. Of course, you too, Rosa, Lilia"
The mat is set, and soon everyone begins to settle in. The soft clatter of plates brushing together quietly accompanies the excitement, laughter, and small talk as the group starts to eat.
"Rosa, Rosa!" Diana calls out as Lorelei wipes her cheeks clean of an apple pie stain. "What's it like being a shopkeeper? Diana always watches Mama, but she just stands behind the counter. Isn't it boring?"
Rosa gazes down at her cup of water. She hasn't really thought about it before—the near-empty ledger, the potions neatly stacked on their shelves, the silence with no one inside but herself. It does feel lonely. That's how most of her days are spent. Not to mention the looming bills she still needs to—
Cough! Cough!
Rosa quickly clears her throat. Best not to head down that road.
She reframes the question. What is it that she enjoys?
A memory surfaces: the sound of the doorbell a few days ago, the feeling of joy and excitement that made the long hours worth it. She looks up and meets Diana's gaze with a smile—determined this time—and gently shakes her head.
"No, it's lonely from time to time, but never boring. Especially when someone finds my craft helpful, even if just a little. How do I say it… all the waiting suddenly feels worth it," she says, glancing toward Lorelei's satchel. "Even if it's just for something simple—like getting rid of garden pests."
"Took you long enough," Lilia says with a smirk. "You really went deep in there." She nods toward Diana, who's already turned her attention elsewhere.
"Hm? Did you say something?" Diana tilts her head, making Rosa's lips part in disbelief as her expression freezes.
"Hahaha! That look! Tagging along was definitely the right choice," Lilia chuckles beside her.
"I'm sorry, Rosa," Lorelei says warmly. "Our Diana can be a bit of a scatterbrain sometimes. But don't worry—we were listening." She pours another cup of water for Clive.
"Diana, when you ask a question, make sure you listen until the end," Clive adds with a faint sigh, his voice gently firm as he accepts the cup.
Rosa can't help but smile. It's been a while since she's felt this kind of camaraderie.
"Lilia," Rosa calls out, turning her gaze toward her.
"Wafhzhit?" Still munching on her apple pie, Lilia meets Rosa's now-deadpan gaze.
"At least you could swallow first, you know?" Rosa mutters, looking away as she takes a bite of her own pie.
"Atleafdlefmehinifit!" Lilia mumbles, then hastily gulps down her drink and swallows everything in one go.
"Lilia, dear—please choose: are you going to talk or eat? You can't do both properly." Lorelei extends her hand and wipes Lilia's mouth with a handkerchief, completely unfazed.
"Eh? Eeeeh!? Ms. Lorelei!? I-I can wipe it myself, so…" Lilia squeals, a blush creeping across her cheeks.
"Oh my, sorry, Lilia. It's quite a bad habit of mine," Lorelei chuckles as soon as she notices Lilia's reaction.
"Mama, it's not fair—Rosa and Clive are the only ones left out!" Diana blurts, prompting both Rosa and Clive to choke on their drinks.
"I-I'm fine! I can do it myself too!" Rosa says quickly, nearly choking again.
"Eh? Um… that's, uh…" Lorelei's eyes dart nervously as her cheeks turn rosy.
"Oh? Ms. Lorelei getting flustered is a rare sight to behold~" Lilia leans forward with a grin, placing her chin between her thumb and index finger. "Is it Clive? It has to be Clive, right?"
"Oh, come on, Lilia… what are you even saying?" Lorelei covers her now-bright red cheeks with a palm.
"Y-yeah… w-what are you even saying? There's no way Ms. Lorelei would…" Clive stammers—his cheeks now matching Lorelei's.
Rosa freezes. It's the first time she's ever seen Clive stammer. Lilia too looks stunned. Rosa's mind races, imagining the possibilities. Of course, the most likely one is...
She gulps down the rest of her drink, trying to swallow both the water—and the thoughts.
"R-r-r-r-r-Rosa!?" Lilia leans in, whispering to her ear, "He is really Clive, right? That Clive you know!? THE Clive!?"
"I can hear you, you know." Clive pierces them both with his gaze, letting out an irritated smirk.
Both Rosa and Lilia jolt.
"S-sorry…" they say in sync, voices tight, as if walking a razor's edge.
Diana, who's been watching closely, suddenly bursts into a heartfelt laugh.
The others pause—then, slowly, their tension softens. One by one, they begin to laugh with her.