"Hilde, I have good news."
"I passed my probation and became an Official Knight!"
At the Water God Style dojo.
After finishing work for the day, Isolte gleefully wrapped her arms around Hilde's head and rocked her back and forth, sharing the happiest news she'd had all day.
"Really? Congratulations."
Hilde patted Isolte's arm. She could barely breathe.
When had Isolte gotten so well-endowed? How had I never noticed before...?
"Have you two made up?" Linus asked as he swept nearby.
The atmosphere between Isolte and Hilde had been tense a few days ago, with kneeling, bowing, and apologies. He'd thought they'd had a falling-out.
Yet only a few days later, things seemed back to normal.
Hmm...
More than that.
They seem even closer than before.
"Teacher Linus, watch what you say!"
Isolte huffed. "Hilde and I never had a falling-out. There was just a little misunderstanding."
"Of course, of course." Linus smiled and nodded.
He privately added that as long as those two were happy together, nothing else mattered.
Then he changed the subject. "By the way, Isolte, when do you plan to inherit the Water God title?"
"I..."
Isolte pressed her lips together.
Nearly a month had passed since Leda left the dojo.
Thanks to Tantris's efforts, the dojo continued to operate as usual. Its students still came to practice their swordsmanship every day, and no one had raised any questions. Everything seemed much the same as before.
But they were only maintaining the status quo.
The Water God Style Main House Dojo.
It was called the main house partly because it taught the most orthodox form of swordsmanship, unchanged from its original form.
The other reason was the presence of the Water God herself.
The dojo where the strongest Water God Style swordsman resided was the main