Chapter 285 – Closing Practice With Couples #1

Anniversary.
When I was living on Earth, I saw couples celebrating anniversaries and thought it would be annoying.

Like the 100th anniversary of dating, or the 1st anniversary.
Well, there are a lot of things like that.

Couples exchanging small gifts when a set anniversary approaches. But wouldn’t it be bothersome to take care of those anniversaries one by one?
I definitely thought that way when I was a mother-to-be solo, but now I have changed my thoughts on the anniversary.

‘I’m looking forward to it?’

Since I actually date a lover, preparing gifts is fun.
It was fun to let her imagination run wild about what she would look like when she received a gift like this.

Today is March 13th.
On the continent of Midgard, there was a custom of exchanging gifts between lovers on this day. It is called ‘Gift Day’, and it is a traditional custom that has been passed down from 100 years ago. Today, the streets are full of men and women who look like couples because it is a special day.

As a couple, I can’t just sit still.
There were four lovers to take care of.
That said, if I split a gift into 4 equal parts, I might become Luke/Luke, and I have no choice but to prepare gifts for them one by one.

Of course, the gift preparation was finished yesterday.
Right now, in my room at the inn, there were four presents enshrined like a jar of new sake.

‘Rapier’

The first gift for Rebecca is a rapier with ornate decorations.
I don’t know if anyone will ask what kind of weapon a gift is to a woman, but it’s a gift that Rebecca will surely be delighted with. Like a soldier, he has a hobby of collecting swords from all over the continent.

‘Evening Dress’

A gift for Kate is a dress that could be worn at a party or prom. It would be an acceptable gift for Kate, who is interested in fashion. I ordered luxury clothes with a brand.

‘Ancient artifact necklace.’

The gift for Bella was an ancient necklace said to contain mystical powers. Of course, relics are not great artifacts, they are just pretty necklaces. My older sister is overflowing with adventurer temperament, so I’ve seen her go crazy when she sees ancient artifacts like this.

‘A magic rose that does not wither.’

The present for Wendy was a special bunch of roses. It is a rose grown in the Mage Tower, and because it has been magically treated, it can maintain its fresh appearance throughout the year. In addition, it emits a scent that calms the mind and body, so it would be a good gift.

‘Is it time to leave soon?’

Around noon, after I had collected all the presents, I started walking around town. Today was a weekday, so most of the lovers were out at work. Rebecca, an adventurer, went outside early in the morning to train her swordsmanship.

If I want to exchange gifts before it’s too late, I have no choice but to go around handing them out one by one.
If you’re a man with a harem, you have to suffer like this.

The first thing I visited was Gwangmyeongseong Church, the closest to the inn.
I handed the wrapped dress to Kate, who was cleaning in the chapel.

“Kate, it’s gift day today. I’ve got a present for you.”
“Oh clothes.”

Kate accepts her dress and on the spot she cheers, like her nephew receiving her first Nintendo.

“Dreamcatcher!! Thank you, Berry!! You picked out the dress I wanted to wear. Wearing this, I can become the goddess of social parties!”
“What is a nun going to a social party for?”
“Dancing, and receiving offerings as well?”
“…”

She really is a nun who loves to dress up. In fact, most of the nuns in the other world were interested in fashion. Did you say that you care more about changing clothes because you don’t have to worry about not being able to get a job at a party?

“I prepared a suit for my dreamer too!”

The gift Kate prepared is also a black suit.
After exchanging her gift with her, I exited the church and headed to her adventurer’s guild.

In the lobby of the Adventurer’s Guild, Wendy was busy doing her business.
She approached her and handed her a bunch of enchanted roses.

“Wendy, it’s a gift.”
“Oh, Mr. Luke. How did you know that I like roses?”
“If you pretend, you pretend.”

Wendy took her bunch of roses, smelled her scent, and smiled pleasantly.

“Today was gift day, right? I also knit a scarf for Luke-sama. It’s cold, so please wear it.”
“It’s a handmade scarf made by Mr. Wendy! Thank you.”

She received a handmade scarf from Wendy.
It was still spring, so it was the perfect weather to wear a scarf because the spring cold was rampant.

After exchanging gifts, I went up to the building above the guild and immediately met Bella.
I handed her necklace to Bella, who was paying her paperwork at her office.
Bella made an interesting expression when she saw her necklace, which was studded with mysterious patterns like an ancient artifact.

“Sister, do you know what this is?”
“Of course I know. Isn’t it an ornament from the ruined kingdom of Arankunta? It’s also a coral stone necklace worn by royalty. Where did you get such a precious item?”
“Recently, the Mage Tower held an auction for ancient artifacts. I got them from there.”
“Huh… Thank you.”

Bella put on her necklace on her impromptu and she held out a grotesque doll to me.
It was a doll full of magical patterns.

“It’s called a ‘worry doll.’ It’s a doll created by the natives of the Western Continent through witchcraft. Putting it under your pillow makes you feel at ease.”
“Do you feel comfortable sleeping with a doll next to you? Isn’t it all superstition?”
“It’s not superstition. Don’t ignore the power of witchcraft.”

That’s how the gift exchange with Bella ended.
She was making a happy expression, probably because she received a present that everyone liked.
If Rebecca is satisfied in the future, the batting average will reach 100%.
I got out and headed to the swordsman guild where Rebecca was training.

*

Swordsman Guild ‘Silver Sword’
At the guild’s training ground, many people were learning martial arts today. From children to old people, they learn martial arts. In a different world where there is no mate, you must have the power to protect yourself. In other words, the famous swordsman’s guild always hoards money.

‘When I retire as an adventurer, shall I set up a small magic class?’

I thought about making money for a while, but the purpose of visiting the prosecutor’s guild was not to find a business idea.
Looking closely at the vast training ground, I saw Rebecca wielding a wooden sword.

“I lost, I lost!”
“Next!”

Rebecca was sparring with members of the swordsman’s guild.
It was Rebecca who knocked down members one after another while wearing a uniform.
Instead of dueling only one person, do new opponents keep appearing?
It’s like a couple of hundred people who appear in a saga.

“Gagging… She’s a terrifying woman.”
“What is it that moves so fast? The swordsmanship is so unique that I don’t know how to counter it.”
“Isn’t the trajectory drawn by a wooden sword just like a snake?”

Looking at Rebecca, I see the members whispering.
Being highly evaluated makes me shrug my shoulders for no reason.

‘Let’s wait.’

She didn’t like interfering and interrupting her practice. I waited in silence until the sparring was over. Rebecca still hadn’t noticed that I had come.

“The match is over!”

After a while, the swordsmanship instructor blew the whistle announcing the end of the sparring.
It was only then that I approached the sweaty Rebecca and started talking to her.

“Rebecca! I’m here to bring you a present. It’s our anniversary today.”
“Hmm…? Luke?”

Rebecca was wiping off her sweat with a towel, and as soon as she saw me, she had a startled look on her face.
For a moment I couldn’t understand why she was suddenly startled.
Did you put anything on my face?

“Oh no, why are you coming to see me now?”
“Why? Not now?”
“Ah, you’re out of shape because of sparring. My hair is all messed up…”

Right.
You mean you didn’t want me to show you a disheveled look? As a woman, you always want to look pretty in front of the man you like. Certainly, Rebecca’s appearance was quite disturbed by the series of couplets.

Like a sweat-soaked uniform.
A face flushed from the heat and hair tied in a ponytail.
As he got closer, he could smell her body.

To be honest, even if she understands with her head why she wants to sell, her heart doesn’t quite understand.
You look pretty when you’re wet with sweat, don’t you? Besides, the ponytail was my preference.
Rebecca often thought her hair was much prettier with her hair tied up.

“It’s okay. You’re still pretty.”
“That’s right?”
“And I like to tie my hair up.”
“You like having your hair tied up…? I just tie it up when I’m training because it’s annoying.”
“They really like it. I hope they come with that hair on the next date.”
“Don’t overdo it!”

As I shared her honest impressions, Rebecca let out a laugh, as if she was feeling good inside.
A smile came to her lips, and I, as well as the other men in the building, paused.
Perhaps, seeing her bright smile, everyone was stunned for a moment.

The time to hand over the gift was now.
I handed Rebecca her rapier.

“This is a stabbing sword used by nobles in the Northern Kingdom. You can call it a rapier.”
“Oh, it’s a strange-looking sword. It looks sharp because it’s long and thin. But doesn’t it break if you use it for a while?”
“It’s something I ordered from a famous workshop, so there’s no problem with durability.”
“Then it doesn’t matter. I think it would be fun to practice stabbing once in a while as a hobby.”

The taste was hit.
Rebecca grabbed her rapier, her eyes shining.

Is the batting average 100% with this?
This year’s Gift Day seems to have ended well.

Conversely, what Rebecca gave me as a gift was a colorful elephant statue.
It is said to be a statue depicting a god served in the Kingdom of Jakarta.
Did she say it was the few belongings she took with her when she ran away from her hometown?

“In our Jakarta kingdom, there is an elephant god called Ganesha. It is a mysterious elephant that brings good luck and wealth. If you carry that statue, everything will work out.”
“Worship elephants as gods? It’s a strange country.”
“Ever since then, he is a very popular god in Jakarta. Among the common people, he is an elephant who always ranks first in popularity polls.”

Is it a country that worships elephants as gods?
That’s very rare.

Anyway, the gift exchange with Rebecca ended safely.
It was when I was about to leave the Swordsman Guild after I took the elephant statue.
Suddenly, Rebecca noticed what was going on and called me.

“Luke, there’s something I’d like to talk to you about for a moment. My achievements as a martial artist. These days, as I keep training, I feel like I’m blocked by a wall. It’s not easy to properly implement an Aura.”
“Come?”
“Yeah, come on. If I pull that out, I’ll become a second-class man.”

It is also the leader’s role to listen to the troubles of the party members. In particular, in the case of Rebecca, there are cases in which she seeks serious advice because of her swordsmanship training.
As a wizard, I listened in silence for a moment as to what help I could provide.

“I think it’s a waste of time to just take classes at the swordsman’s guild. In order to realize an aura, you need to use a special training method. It’s a method that can be effective in a short period of time.”
“What is that training method?”
“It’s called ‘Aura Meditation’. It’s a practice to stop eating and drinking for several days in a place rich in mana and meditate. Among the warriors in my hometown, there are many people who have benefited from this meditation in a short period of time.”

Auror Meditation.
According to Rebecca’s explanation, it’s a training method used by third-rate fighters to break through the second-rate wall.

A practice of refraining from eating and drinking and only meditating for about 4 days.
As the training progresses, the sense of controlling the aura becomes extremely high. At some point, it is possible to gain enlightenment and use sword techniques.

In fact, Rebecca until now was a third-rate martial artist, so the only thing she did was strengthen her body.
If she could cast an aura, her party’s power would increase significantly.

Rebecca asked her with a look that said you were the only one.

“I’m going to make up my mind and start practicing the lungs. I’ll definitely learn the Aura within this month. So, Luke, I need your help.”