Reader’S Regeneration Life [EN]: Chapter 136

136―――――

“Do you know about winter training?”

An awkward silence filled the tent.

Sion stared at Zhan with a dumbfounded expression, while Rishikida was on edge, contemplating whether to grab a discarded weapon from the floor.

And Zhan was blankly staring at the ‘thing that used to be a table’ in her hands.

“…Ah, ahh.”

Realizing that Sion and Rishikida’s gazes were fixed on her, she hurriedly tossed it—*whoosh!*—into the makeshift brazier.

The kindling went perfectly into the fire without an inch of error, a clean hole-in-one.

“Ahem, ahem!”

“…”

*Surely, she didn’t bring me to this place just to show off this amazing feat of strength.* Sion felt that if she spent any more time like this, she would witness another absurd scene, so she decided to speak first.

“Perhaps a separate engagement…”

“Judging by what I see, it’s not just about moving living spaces, but it feels more like training.

Quickly dismantling the tent and moving to another location to secure an area where you can stay for a certain period—that kind of training.”

“Huh?

Well… something like that.

Our northern warriors move with their horses, so they often need to quickly leave an area and set up tents in a safe place.”

“You need to create space for the horses to rest, so it’s not just a temporary structure but at least a minimal ‘military camp’ setup.

Am I right?”

“…That’s right.”

Sion smirked and said.

“So, what is it?

You’re planning to push me into a period similar to military training, making sure I can’t even complete a week.

That’s how it comes across.”

“That’s, that’s not it.

The reason I called you to Kaltar was to discuss something else…”

“It’s hard to believe when a warrior who held a knife to my throat says that.”

“…I have nothing to say about that.

It was my mistake.”

The woman who accepts everything in the North is apologizing.

If the tribal chiefs and warriors saw this scene, they would jump up and down, shouting about what she was doing.

But Sion maintained a ‘so what if you apologize’ attitude.

*You kill someone and then say it was a mistake? Sorry, but my life is worth much more than you think.* Even Sion herself didn’t want to imagine what would happen if she died right now.

“Well, whatever, our deal is still ongoing, right?

I’ll stay here for a week and try to sway the tribesmen to favor dialogue with the kingdom.

And you will refrain from any military provocations while I’m here and decide whether to fight Hispania to the end or find a way for us to coexist.

I trust you haven’t forgotten, Zhan Temujin.”

“…We should both try.

I can’t guarantee the results, though.”

“That’s enough.”

With that, Sion stood up.

She wasn’t the woman’s subordinate, just a guest, so there was no problem with her leaving first.

“A-are you leaving?”

“Temujin seems too busy.”

Sion said, gesturing with her chin towards the various items piled up in a corner of the tent.

Zhan sighed and just cleared her throat as if she had seen something she shouldn’t have.

“Is there anything else you wanted to say?

Bringing me all the way to Temujin’s tent suggests you had something important to discuss.”

“That’s… no, it’s nothing.

I guess it can wait a bit longer.

Go back and rest for today, Sion Clausen.

I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Zhan said in a calm voice, and Sion nodded as if she understood, leaving her tent without hesitation.

As Sion pulled back the tent flap—*whoosh!*—it didn’t take long for her to feel all eyes on her.

Rishikida immediately looked wary of their gazes, but Sion nonchalantly ignored them all and headed towards her own tent.

*The characteristic of northern barbarian warriors is that they bite anything that looks weak, whether it’s family or not. Managing my expression and demeanor here will help win those people’s hearts in the future.*

Sion had no intention of winning over the entire Kaltar and making them shout ‘Long live the kingdom!’

What Sion wanted was a small crack in this Kaltar alliance, and a good reason to widen it.

Persuasion was Zhan’s job, and she just needed to create an atmosphere and give the impression that ‘not all people in the kingdom are idiots.’

*…But come to think of it.*

Sion stopped walking and glanced back.

“Looks like we’ll have to sleep together for the next few days.”

“Pardon?”

“Northern warriors don’t separate men and women.

They also marry early.

So, the tent they prepared for us wasn’t two separate tents, but one, Rishi.”

“T-that’s…?

I-I can’t possibly share a bed with you, Master!

I am a bodyguard!”

“Be a bodyguard.

No one said you couldn’t.

I’m just saying we have no choice but to sleep together.”

Rishikida’s face turned bright red, and she didn’t know what to do, letting her imagination run wild.

*…Don’t think strange things, Rishi. Unlike the rooms in the castle we used to stay in, this tent isn’t soundproof, so it’s not an environment that makes me want to do anything.*

It’s a man’s possessiveness that even the sound of his woman’s breath being heard by others is quite unpleasant.

The thought of those muscle-brained guys holding their things and swinging them around in the tent made Sion determined to live a very abstinent life for the next week.

Moreover, although Rishikida might find it disappointing, it was fortunate for Sion that water was quite scarce in this northern region.

In addition, during this kind of military training, even using the water they had for drinking water was a waste.

Of course, it was impossible to even wash, except for the bare minimum of washing one’s face.

“S-sorry, Master.

If it’s unpleasant for you…”

“I’m more worried about you being uncomfortable.”

Returning to the tent and taking off the thick winter clothes, the warmth of the person trapped inside spread out.

Still, since it was a guest tent, it was a bit larger than the usual warrior’s tent, so there was plenty of room for two people, but Rishikida kept sticking to the corner, worried about getting in Sion’s way.

“Why do you keep hiding in the corner?

Come here and warm yourself by the fire, Rishi?”

“I-I’m fine.

I’m more comfortable here.”

“We’ve seen everything there is to see, why are you still shy?

Come sit next to me.”

Rishikida hesitated for a moment, but eventually carefully sat next to Sion.

Even then, she was careful not to touch him, still maintaining her bodyguard mode.

When they were actually in bed together as ‘woman,’ she would act all cute, whining and acting spoiled, but not now.

At that moment, a commotion was heard outside, and a group of warriors entered the tent in light armor, announcing their arrival.

Rishikida reflexively stood up and grabbed the sword she was holding, but Sion stopped her, telling her to relax.

“Are you Temujin’s guest who visited Kaltar?”

“That’s right.”

Sion quickly realized that as Temujin’s guest, she was more important than the warriors.

Without even getting up, the warrior, looking at the seemingly relaxed nobleman of the kingdom, bowed politely and opened his mouth.

“I am Jalan, who will be with you for a week.

I command 8 tents and 32 warriors around this area.”

It seemed like a platoon leader.

Sion nodded and stood up, introducing herself according to northern etiquette, and extended her hand for a greeting.

She wondered if he would ignore her greeting, but fortunately, the warrior named Jalan seemed to be very loyal to Zhan and accepted Sion’s greeting as if she were a superior.

“I came to thank you for helping the warriors today.”

“I’m a guest, but I’m also staying here for a week, so let’s just say I’m paying for my meals.

In the North, they say, ‘He who does not work, neither shall he eat,’ right?”

“…You know it well.”

“I was wondering if I could act with your warriors, as long as I don’t get in the way.

If you are the one who oversees the warriors around here, I need to get permission, right?”

“You are Temujin’s guest, so you don’t need to do that.”

“I told you, it’s the least I can do to pay for my meals.”

Sion thought that the scariest thing in the world was buying someone a meal for no reason, and the thing to be most wary of was someone suddenly buying you a meal.

In that sense, she decided that it would be better to do at least some external activities so that they wouldn’t find fault with her later.

“…If you insist, I won’t stop you.

However, if you become a hindrance to the warriors, then as the person in charge of this tent, I may have to prohibit such actions, so please be mindful.

Then, please have dinner and I’ll see you tomorrow.”

With that, Jalan bowed again and left the tent.

Only after confirming that all the warriors had disappeared far away did Rishikida relax and sit down again.

“The northern plains have nothing to do once the sun goes down.

You must be tired from today, so let’s have dinner and rest early today.”

Rishikida nodded at Sion’s words.

Dinner was just dried meat, a little water, and mare’s milk that the warriors had provided.

*You really brought me here during military training, you damn Khan.* Sion muttered to herself, but outwardly, she chewed on the jerky without any complaints.

To others, it might seem like a great nobleman of the kingdom was going through tremendous hardship, but honestly, from her perspective, it was just a bit of hard labor and then coming to rest.

*It’s just that some precious old memories are popping up, making me a little angry.*

She was sure that an acquaintance had told her that if she went to a place with a lot of stairs, she wouldn’t have to do much training, but when the time came, she had to do everything.

Only then did she understand why the seniors around her had teased her so much, saying, ‘When will you come back after going to Inje [a notoriously difficult military training location in Korea]? It’s so unfair I can’t live. But it’s better than Yanggu [another difficult training location].’

“Master.”

Rishikida, who had been quietly watching Sion, who was sitting blankly with various thoughts, opened her mouth.

When Sion looked at her, asking why she had called her, the knight carefully shed that image little by little, revealing the woman Rishikida.

“Are you okay?

I’m a knight who has undergone all sorts of hard training, but you are not suited for such a place at all.”

“What?

Are you worried that I’m someone who has never experienced hardship?”

“Of course not!

I-I would never insult you…”

“You wouldn’t.

I know your heart, Rishi.

I know what you’re worried about.

As you said, I’m a little unhappy about this hardship.

But this is the best way.

If they and the kingdom go to war, everyone will suffer terrible losses.

And many people will suffer.”

Among those who suffer will surely be the future Sion Clausen, herself.

If the stability of the North is not secured, it would be the same as completely destroying the barrier that can block the monsters coming down from the Calamity Mountains.

*For the sake of future me, please endure a little more, today’s me!*

That was Sion’s honest feeling.

“Ah, and Rishi.”

“Yes?”

“Don’t be surprised if I suddenly disappear in the early morning, just wait quietly.”

“…What do you mean?”

At Rishikida’s question, Sion smiled and replied.

“I’m thinking of taking a patrol around the workers.”

―

“Hey, wake up.

It’s time for your shift.”

“Ah, yes.”

Tyas woke up at the call of the previous watchman.

Come to think of it, he had the night watch scheduled for today.

Due to the heavy snowfall today, all sorts of hard work had arisen, making him extremely tired, but the night watch was a matter of course during training, not daily life.

After putting on simple armor and wearing winter clothes, Tyas went outside.

The other warrior who would be working with him was already receiving the handover of special notes.

“Tyas, you too.

No special notes, good luck.”

“Yes!”

As he had not been appointed as a warrior for long, Tyas answered with vigor.

However, boredom and fatigue quickly set in as time passed.

It would have been nice if he had talked a little with the person working with him, but unfortunately, he was not from the same tribe, and their ages were different, so they did not say a word throughout the watch.

*It’s boring.*

As soon as he thought that, his head, which had been maintaining a clear mind, quickly turned hazy, and his already tired body felt even heavier.

He was sure he had been fine until just a moment ago, but drowsiness rushed in instantly.

*I, I can’t do this.*

In the battle between reason and instinct, instinct always wins.

Even most warriors have a hard time overcoming the urge to sleep, one of the three major human desires.

He tried to move his body around to shake off the drowsiness, but it was only for a moment.

*I… want to sleep.*

The most important guard duty, the outer wall, is being handled by other warriors in other tents.

They are just auxiliary personnel looking for other special notes around this tent.

As soon as he thought that, the drowsiness that he had barely been holding back rushed in like a tide.

*I can’t, I really can’t.*

That’s what he thought, but it’s natural for the body and mind to act separately.

In the end, Tyas leaned his head against the spear stand and let his eyelids, which were gradually closing, go, unable to overcome the drowsiness.

Just as Tyas was about to fall into a deep sleep, losing his mind.

*Thud―.*

“What are you doing.”

With the eyes of a duty officer who had found a delinquent worker and was too happy, Sion was standing behind him.

―――――――Author’s Note―――――――

Doesn’t it make your spine tingle?

I’ve posted three chapters in a row, so please recommend!