𝐄𝐱𝐭𝐫𝐚: 𝐒𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐒𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐭’𝐬 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐉𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐲
It’s been 5 years since the battle with the Demon King’s Army ended.
Blade Valkyrias, who was appointed the leader of Sirius Kingdom’s elite knight brigade, known as the 『Sword Saint』, was troubled.
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Recently, he has been having frequent dreams.
In these dreams, his grandfather Ruberto, a respected former leader of the knight brigade, appears beside his bed.
The grand hero who fell in battle during the final showdown at the Demon King’s Castle would say this to Blade at his bedside:
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『Blade, you’re already 25. Isn’t it about time you settled down?』
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The reason for his bedside appearance turned out to be an unexpected nudge toward marriage.
Most likely, he started having such dreams because he has been hearing the same thing repeatedly in real life.
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The Valkyrias family has served the Sirius Kingdom for generations as knights.
Though not a large family, they are a renowned clan that has produced many individuals with divine protection and excellent military leaders.
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And given that divine protection has some hereditary traits, those who possess divine protection and belong to a kingdom are expected to marry and have children.
Even without that, it’s Blade’s duty to marry and produce an heir if he wants to preserve the Valkyrias lineage for the next generation.
Blade himself has no intention of shirking this responsibility.
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Due to these circumstances, I have safely assumed the position of the commander of the elite knight order, and I have mostly finished hunting down the remnants of the demon race, giving me a sense of ease since then.
Blade was inundated with marriage proposals.
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Daughters of great nobles, young women reputed for their exceptional beauty, even the princess of the Sirius Kingdom and the granddaughter of the Holy God Church Pope.
He has his pick of the lot.
Given Blade’s position and his fame as a member of the Hero’s Party that defeated the Demon King, he is popular among women of all statuses.
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Moreover, while the Valkyrias family is renowned, they are not considered great nobles.
They own no lands and, being knights not focused on political power, have no need to consider strengthening relations through marriage with any particular family.
Nor is he told to marry someone with divine protection just to increase the chances of producing an heir with the same.
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The inheritance of divine protection is, after all, only 『to some extent』.
The likelihood of a child being born with divine protection—whether from a Holy Warrior, someone already possessing divine protection, or a family with ancestors who had divine protection a few generations back—is not significantly different.
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And so, the esteemed families of the Sirius Kingdom have a history of welcoming many with divine protection into their bloodlines, and many of these families were originally founded by those with divine protection.
In other words, even without relying on Blade’s lineage, divine protection holders can be born with roughly the same probability from any source.
The Sirius Kingdom has already established a fertile ground for such lineages.
Of course, direct descendants of heroes and Holy Warriors have the highest likelihood of being born with divine protection, but it’s not so rare as to make selective breeding a priority.
In fact, even if the top-tier divine protection holder, Hero Stella, were to marry Allan, who lacks divine protection, it wouldn’t be a big deal.
The Sirius Kingdom has many families descended from past heroes and plenty of excellent individuals for breeding purposes.
It’s fitting for what should be called the strongest and largest nation of mankind.
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As a result of these circumstances, Blade was in a fortunate position where he could freely choose his partner.
Despite this, Blade declined all marriage proposals and has passed the age of marital suitability in this country without getting married.
Because. . . . . .
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“So? Why have you been dragging this on for five years?”
“I can’t help it! rin hasn’t noticed my advances at all!”
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He already has someone he loves, and she hasn’t paid any attention to him.
Blade was venting about this at his home estate to Allan, an old comrade who had come to visit the royal capital.
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Allan is in a complex state of mind.
He was looking forward to teasing Blade if love developed, but even after five years, nothing has progressed.
He himself already has his second child.
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Moreover, it’s not like Blade can’t make advances and is just a loser who can’t approach people.
Initially, Blade denied his feelings for Rin to avoid being teased but soon accepted his feelings to avoid becoming yet another loser.
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Since then, he has been quite proactive in approaching Rin.
Even so, Rin’s lack of response is unexpected for Allan.
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This lack of response is no exaggeration.
Despite subtly probing whenever they meet, and Stella even digging deeper during girl talk,
Rin acts as though Blade’s advances don’t even exist, with not a hint of anything strange in her behavior.
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It’s possible, although hard to believe, that she hasn’t even noticed Blade’s feelings.
At the very least, she doesn’t seem to have any romantic awareness, not just for Blade but for anyone.
Is she dense!
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“Could it be that because you showed such a pathetic side during our journey, she still sees you not as a love interest but as someone to care for?”
“Noooooo!!”
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As Allan suggests the worst possibility, Blade grabs his head and screams.
The thought seems plausible to him.
Indeed, he has worried Rin with his pathetic behavior throughout their journey.
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Even so, Rin has told Blade that he is her greatest hero,
but that’s most likely because Blade once saved Rin, so those words may simply come from gratitude and nostalgia.
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And gratitude and romantic feelings are not necessarily connected.
Conversely, if someone becomes a caregiving target, it becomes an equation where they won’t turn into a romantic target.
If Allan’s assumption is correct, Blade will inevitably fail unless he manages to dispel that image.
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“Is there some kind of plan? Anything?!”
“Even if you say that. . . . . .”
“I don’t care what it is! Even if it’s something you do when you feel like pushing Stella down, I just need a spark of an idea!”
“Wha?! Why should I teach you something like that. . . . . .”
“Please! I’m desperate!”
“Ugh. . . . . .”
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Faced with a prostration, Allan was taken aback.
He understands the feeling of wanting to win over a girl you like.
In their case, they were old friends and naturally became mutual lovers, but he understands all too well the sentiment of wanting to be with someone you adore.
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Blade is a comrade who survived deadly battles with the Demon King’s Army.
While he wants to tease Blade about his love life, he doesn’t wish for him to be heartbroken.
They have a relationship that isn’t so shallow that he’d leave Blade hanging after being so desperately asked for help.
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” . . . . . .I don’t think it’ll be much help. What couples do and how to win over a girl you like are different, you know.”
“I don’t care! I’ll appreciate whatever advice you can give!”
“Why do I have to go through this kind of embarrassment. . . . . .”
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He was supposed to be the one teasing, but this is ridiculous.
Despite thinking this, Allan, with a face red enough to catch fire, began to share tips on raising Stella’s affection, which he had been mindful of daily.
As for how to push her down, the basis is still raising affection; it’s essentially the underlying technique.
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Creating a sweet atmosphere from there.
Leading it into a mood where pushing her down is acceptable.
He was even made to talk about situations where he gets pushed down more frequently.
After hearing all these stories, Blade. . . . . .
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“. . . . . .Honestly, it’s surprisingly unhelpful.”
“I’ll smack you. . . . . .!”
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Despite enduring the embarrassment and even sharing the difficult-to-execute method of pushing down his wife, this was the response he got.
Allan felt like he was about to snap.
If he still had one of his swords from his active days, he might have attacked.
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“Come on. Isn’t your method just being lovey-dovey with her all the time?”
“Drop dead!”
“Ow?!”
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Allan finally lost his temper to the point where he began using his palm strike, Sixth Strike Deformation 『Heaven Shaker・No Sword』, aiming for Blade’s head. Yet, Blade’s words weren’t exactly wrong.
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The affection-raising methods Allan spoke of were mostly just the everyday lovey-dovey. . . . . .rather, the natural way of life they had led since childhood, just with a few extras.
Discussing thoughts openly, sharing laughter, enjoying fun things together, and showing concern when the other is troubled.
The only things that changed were an increase in sweet physical contact like lap pillows and adding strategies for their nighttime battles.
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The most important thing in marital life.
For the two of them who have been thinking about and respecting each other since old times, this is the most natural form of love.
The advice Allan gave was all based on the premise of having an unchanging bond from the past or maintaining that bond.
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For Blade, who is seeking a change from the current situation, it’s surprisingly unhelpful.
If one can successfully drop Rin, it does seem like it could be a very useful method for maintaining a harmonious marital life.
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“I don’t care anymore! Figure it out yourself!”
“Wait, hold on?! Don’t abandon me after coming this far?!”
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However, due to Blade’s honest opinion slipping out, Allan turned away.
Blade’s desperate apologies had no effect.
Eventually, Allan, looking indignant, said,
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“Hmph! You’ve made me feel ashamed up to this point. Prepare yourself for major embarrassment and make a public confession; at least that way, your feelings will get across!”
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That’s what he ended up saying.
Upon hearing that, Blade felt. . . . . .as if he’d been struck by lightning.
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