Bedroom.
Jeanne dArc practically fled back to her room and threw herself onto the bed, burying her burning face in a pillow.
The crimson flush spreading from her ears to her neck betrayed her current bashfulness.
“Why…
why did I agree to him so easily?” She squirmed shyly under the pillow, her body unconsciously curling up.
“I should have…
refused sternly…”
Living room.
Ten minutes passed.
Twenty minutes passed.
An hour…
quietly slipped away.
Fati stood up with a blank expression.
He was losing his patience.
“Jeanne!”
*Creak—*
The bedroom door opened, and under Fati’s watchful gaze, Jeanne dArc slowly walked out.
Suppressing the shyness in her heart, she summoned her courage to stand before him, presenting her perfect figure to the man from all angles.
It was clearly just a set of battle clothes designed for ease of movement, but under Fati’s burning gaze, Jeanne dArc still felt completely ill at ease, an indescribable heat crawling over her skin.
Unaware of her thoughts, Fati’s eyes were shining at this moment.
The deep blue, high-slit cleric’s dress outlined the beautiful lines of her figure, and the black over-the-knee socks added a touch of sternness.
If paired with the armor he had commissioned Tsubaki to make—the silver-colored gauntlets, greaves, breastplate, and the neck armor and circlet secured by chains—
Combined together, this outfit completely replicated the image of Jeanne dArc in his memory.
“Blonde hair and blue eyes, black over-the-knee socks, a jellyfish-style braid, a Rindere beauty with a forbidden chain-restraint aesthetic.” He marveled almost silently, “As expected of the Holy Maiden…”
Jeanne dArc’s body was tense, her cheeks flushed bright red.
“Have…
have you seen enough!”
Fati subconsciously blurted out, “Give me more, it’s beautiful, I love seeing it, I like seeing it!”
“You…
hmph!” With flushed cheeks, Jeanne dArc feigned anger on the surface, but in her heart, she felt a surge of secret joy.
It’s just…
She didn’t understand.
Why did showing her beauty to Fati and receiving his praise make her so happy?
This inexplicable throbbing made her, in the first flush of love, feel particularly embarrassed.
Fortunately, there were only the two of them at home.
Jeanne dArc breathed a secret sigh of relief; after the initial panic, she had gradually adapted to the subtle feeling brought by this outfit.
At least, she would no longer be so nervous that she was at a loss for words under Fati’s gaze…
Happy times always slip away unnoticed, and in the blink of an eye, it was already the next morning.
The first rays of morning sunlight fell, beginning the prelude to midsummer.
Waking up at his usual time, Fati turned his head to look out the window, where a few bright stars still flickered in the pale blue sky.
He stretched, got up to wash, and began his routine of watering the flowers, morning exercise, preparing breakfast, and doing housework.
In a lull between his chores, Jeanne dArc’s bedroom door opened.
She was currently wearing the new dress they had bought yesterday.
It was a pastoral Mori-style Lolita dress, with a leather suspender waist cincher paired with sleeve covers and an apron.
The small lace decorations on the hem and the unique pleated design at the neckline were full of small details everywhere.
Jeanne dArc had tied her blonde hair into two braids draped in front of her, and wearing mid-heeled soft leather boots, she looked incredibly fashionable.
“Good morning, Fati.”
Catching a glimpse of Jeanne dArc’s new look, Fati’s eyes lit up:
“Good morning, Jeanne.
That dress suits you very well; it’s truly beautiful.”
As he spoke, his hands didn’t stop, deftly tossing the pan.
The fried egg drew a perfect arc in the air and flipped over steadily.
“Thank you…” Jeanne dArc’s face flushed slightly, but she quickly adjusted.
Evidently, after last night’s trial, she was now able to face Fati’s praise more calmly.
“Do you have any plans for today?” she asked, walking to the table.
“I remember you saying our next routine would be exploring the Dungeon or taking on commissions?”
“That’s the plan,” Fati said, sprinkling black pepper and coarse sea salt onto the fried eggs.
“But our weapons and armor aren’t ready yet, so it’s best not to rush.
After all, the Dungeon isn’t like the surface; anything can happen there.”
“Then today…?”
“Today we’ll mainly focus on combat practice.
We’ll familiarize ourselves with each other’s fighting styles and work on our team coordination.” Fati brought the breakfast to the table.
“Combat?” Jeanne dArc’s eyes brightened, thinking the suggestion was good.
Although command was her specialty, she also had considerable insight into combat techniques and knew a thing or two.
Furthermore, she wanted to see the strength of this “veteran Adventurer” Fati for herself, and use him as a reference to evaluate the overall combat level of Orario…
In the yard.
Jeanne dArc and Fati stood five meters apart at opposite ends.
Each held a long wooden training spear, settling into their stances.
Jeanne dArc’s gaze swept over Fati’s seemingly casual, but actually loophole-ridden opening stance.
Her brow furrowed slightly, a hint of doubt flashing in her eyes, but she immediately dismissed it as a feint to lure her in.
“It seems he has some skill,” she thought to herself.
“Then I won’t hold back.”
Fati confidently beckoned with his fingers and smiled, “Come on, it won’t take up too much of your time.”
Hearing this, Jeanne dArc’s expression turned solemn.
Her focus intensified, and her muscles tensed instantly!
With a soft shout, she slammed her left foot against the ground, her body suddenly dropping low as she lunged forward like an arrow from a bow!
Boom!
It was as if the air had exploded!
She practically skimmed the ground, closing the distance to Fati in the blink of an eye!
Her right arm and wrist worked in perfect harmony, the spear thrusting out like a dragon, piercing toward Fati’s vitals with a sharp whistling wind!
“!?”
…”Ah—”
The cry of surprise was cut short.
Swish…
Thump!
Jeanne dArc swung her long leg, clad in a black over-the-knee sock, in a wide arc.
Her small foot, encased in a brown mid-heeled soft leather boot, kicked Fati mercilessly in the right cheek!
Fati’s eyes bulged.
His abstract face suddenly collapsed into a cartoonish expression, and he went tumbling, slamming hard against the wall!
*Retch*—
Kicked into the shape of a cooked shrimp, Fati fell to his knees, clutching his stomach with a twisted expression, hunching over the ground and dry-heaving.
Wa— Wa— Wa—
Jeanne dArc: “…”
She stood there speechless, her expression confused and at a loss.
What was going on?
With a head full of question marks, the not-so-bright Jeanne dArc’s cerebellum instantly stalled.
*Retch*—
Fati endured the physical pain, his mind in a daze as scenes of his life after becoming an Adventurer flashed through his head like a revolving lantern.
Until the image of the small leather boot from Jeanne dArc’s double spin kick expanded infinitely before his eyes…
and the vision shattered.
“What kind of battle is this?
What ‘combat thrill’…” The man, his convictions collapsed, fell into deep self-doubt.
“I…
actually couldn’t even last three moves against Jeanne!?”
“Impossible, absolutely impossible…”
Fati’s dream of acting cool was shattered by Jeanne dArc’s single kick.
Staring at the dazed man, a flash of guilt crossed Jeanne dArc’s eyes, but the irrepressible smirk at the corner of her mouth betrayed her.
Recalling Fati’s aggressive gaze from last night and the humiliation of being forced to show her shameful appearance…
‘Gulp—’
The tables had turned!
After that kick, Jeanne dArc felt an incredible sense of refreshment throughout her entire body!
It was as if her soul had ascended to the clouds; that feeling of complete clarity made her lose herself in joy.
“Combat thrill?
Hmph.” She crossed her arms and looked down at Fati curled on the ground.
“With only this much skill, I really don’t know how you survived in the Dungeon.”
Clutching his stomach and twitching on the ground, Fati’s face darkened at her words.
“T-That doesn’t count.
Usually, I fight monsters.
When it comes to PvP against people, I have absolutely no Experience or technique, okay?”
The drawback of lacking a famous master’s guidance was fully exposed at this moment.
Fati had been fumbling his way through alone until now.
His fighting style was completely unrefined.
In Jeanne dArc’s eyes, his technique was crude and clumsy, full of openings, and riddled with many small flaws and bad habits he wasn’t even aware of.
For example, his eyes always subconsciously followed the weapon, while his observation of the opponent themselves was severely lacking.
For Jeanne dArc, a simple feint of the wrist was enough to lead Fati around by the nose; it didn’t take much effort at all.
Clearly, Fati had indeed never faced an experienced, tactical, and intelligent opponent.
She sighed helplessly, her expression becoming serious:
“Fati, to engage in combat against people, the first thing you must do is build a solid foundation and get rid of your bad habits,” she declared decisively.
“Sparring is suspended.
Today, we start from the most basic’stance’.”
“Only by laying a firm foundation can you go further in the future.” Under Jeanne dArc’s unquestionable demand, the original sparring match completely turned into one-sided, strict instruction.
This made Fati, who was somewhat chauvinistic deep down, feel his cheeks burn slightly with embarrassment.
“I get it, I get it,” he muttered in response.
Jeanne dArc looked at his reluctant face, feeling both annoyed and amused.
“Be grateful.
There aren’t many people I would personally teach by hand.
After all, I do carry the title of ‘Holy Maiden’.”
“…” Fati was speechless and could only resign himself to his fate, climbing up and brushing the dust off his body.
“First, start with the ‘Wide Stance’.” Jeanne dArc walked to his side to demonstrate.
“Feet apart, knees slightly bent, lower your center of gravity and stay stable.” As she explained the key points, she moved close to Fati, her small face serious as she corrected the subtle deviations in his posture:
“Whether using a sword, a spear, or a staff, the most important thing in combat is to keep your center of gravity stable.”
“Compared to the ‘Narrow Stance’ which pursues explosive power, the ‘Wide Stance’ is more suitable for beginners to master.” As she spoke, Jeanne dArc pressed against Fati’s back, her small hands resting on his shoulders and waist, carefully adjusting his posture.
‘Hiss…
So soft!’
“Don’t move!”
*Slap*—
“Hiss!”
“…”
What was supposed to be a teaching session was now permeated by a faint…
sour smell of romance…
It might not seem tempting right nobut who knows what the future holds?
“And If you’re enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!”