The Villainess Will Not Bring Dishonor To Her Family

59 - Vows and Loyalty - Part 2

They start out with stretches to prepare for what will probably be a pretty long training session. Already just from this it's pretty clear who goes for what kind of traits. The two red knights are vastly more bendable than anyone else after all... and the Tepet knights... uuu... they should stretch more often. They can't reach their toes...

I sip my tea quietly and watch the calm scene unfold together with Magdalin. They're a rowdy bunch of young men, but it's a happy thing to watch.

They split up into groups and lines and spread out at the edge of the training field before beginning a warm up run. It's terribly nostalgic, isn't it? All that is missing is a marching song. Of course the Tepet boys are the first to start out. It's an old one with a topic of 'a lady worth fighting for'.

You should have heard it, I nearly cracked over in laughter. It didn't seem like they'd noticed us after all, and singing something like that with women near... was not quite appropriate.

Magdalin didn't have my composure and had to look away while covering her mouth. Her shoulders are still shaking though.

Interestingly, for this year there are almost as many young men from our territory as from Tepet's. Is the Tepet region having a hard year? Or is it because it's been relatively peaceful the last few years?

Still... I can see the blue dressed young men sending annoyed looks behind them to the Tepet guys... and with that something changes... and the air trembles with a song that makes my hand tremble enough to make my tea cup clatter and heat rise to my cheeks.

It is that song.

The song the soldiers sang to me eight years ago.

Why is it here?!

Furthermore they're so loud they've completely drowned out the other song. If you're that loud it'll be heard all the way to the other school buildings!

As if to challenge the Tepet boys further they speed up as well by multiple times and pass them by an entire round... more than once... this is just warm up you know?!

Clatter.

I put the tea cup down on the table and fold my hands in my lap.

"Ah, the Celeste fief song," Magdalin hums calmly.

"HAH?!" Bursts out of me as a response to her words.

Magdalin turns to me and gives me a wide smile.

"Oh~ Lily-sama didn't know? That song has become an incredibly popular folk song in the Celeste territory over the last eight years, sung at both parties and festivals."

Clatter.

My leg hit the top of the table.

Magdalin just grins at me.

"Furthermore, it's used for marching songs and 'vocal training' for young squires and soldiers for them to use their voice. It is a requirement that it is sung loud."

I get a vague feeling that she is having fun seeing me flustered at this. Especially so when she quietly begins to sing along...

Please... stop... Magdalin, you don't really know how serious this is!

Thankfully the song is stopped abruptly before I curled over from embarrassment as someone yelled something they shouldn't have:

"Like a child could do that! You're probably just making it up anyway!"

Oh my...

The blue group stops up abruptly and turn around with poisonous looks... just for a moment... then the training ground bursts out in rage filled yells. The two groups end up making a line against each other, and with one it explodes. The two loudest from each group jumps each other, and while some try to pull them off each other, others seem to be all in and instead brings up the tension further.