Regressor's Harem Of Vengeance-Chapter 23. Training Mira [2].

That afternoon, Ray led Mira to the edge of the forest which was far enough from the village that no one would be able to see them.

"Alright, before we begin. What weapon would you like to use?"

Mira looked at the practice weapons Ray had laid out before her.

It consisted of a wooden sword, a wooden staff, a wooden spear, and other similar items.

She picked up the spear, tested its weight, then did the same for the other weapons before settling on a choice. "I choose this one."

Ray smiled and nodded in response. "That’s a good choice. Spears have range and they’re good for keeping enemies at a distance. They’re also easier to learn with than swords."

Mira smiled before gripping the spear with a determined look on her face.

"Alright, are you ready?" Ray asked and Mira took her stance.

Ray repositioned her feet and adjusted her grip on the spear while also correcting her posture.

Though he had never used a spear in combat before, thanks to his photographic memory and his five years of watching lancers battle against demons, Ray believed that he had a decent amount of knowledge to teach Mira everything he knew about spears.

Meanwhile, Mira listened to his instructions carefully, her brows furrowing in concentration as she followed the further directions and teachings that Ray gave her.

"Good, now thrust," Ray instructed and Mira thrust her spear forward.

Her movement was clumsy and off-balance, but she didn’t let it dampen her resolve.

"Again!"

She did it again, and this time it was a little better.

"Again!" Ray instructed over and over and over again.

For two hours straight, Ray drilled her on basic spear techniques.

He taught her how to thrust, sweep, block, and make fancy footwork.

Mira trained really hard until her hands became blistered and her shirt got soaked with sweat, but she didn’t stop, and neither did she complain.

After a while, Ray finally allowed her to rest.

Mira immediately collapsed onto the grass, breathing hard. "I can’t feel my fingers."

Ray smiled and sat close to his girlfriend. "Well, that’s good."

"It is?"

"Yeah, no pain, no gain."

"Hmm, No pain, no gain, huh? No wonder the training was so hard."

Ray smiled and handed her a waterskin. "To be honest, you did well and it was better than I expected for your first day."

"Thanks," Mira answered with a proud blush at the compliment.

"You’re welcome."

The two rested for a while before returning to the training which lasted till sundown.

And that was how Ray and Mira spent the next couple of days together.

For the next two weeks, it became a routine for the two of them.

Every morning, Ray would help around the house, fixing fences, chopping wood, and doing basic farm work. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

It kept his mother happy and it allowed him to have a simple ’normal’ village boy lifestyle.

As for his afternoons, Ray would train Mira in the forest.

Though his sister had tried to join them countless times, his mother had made it quite clear that Emma was not to participate in their brutal training.

Leaving only Mira available to train with Ray.

She practiced her spear techniques, footwork, and defensive stances every single day.

Luckily for her, she was improving steadily.

It wasn’t supernaturally fast, but her improvement was more than enough to showcase her determination to grow stronger

And finally, every evening, Ray would train alone, practicing his <<Void Step>> skill, <<Void Sense>> skill, <<Fire Bolt.>> skill, and other skills as well.

Meanwhile, every night, Ray would sit with Mira on the porch, holding, cuddling, and stealing kisses whenever Helen and Emma weren’t watching.

In a nutshell, these past two weeks have been a peaceful experience for Ray.

In fact, it had been the kind of experience that Ray had always imagined himself to have in his past life, but Ray knew more than anyone else that all of these couldn’t last.

At least, for now.

********

After those two weeks, a knock suddenly sounded on the front door.

It was Marcus.

Helen answered the door and was surprised to find Marcus on the other side.

"Marcus? What brings you here?" She asked, but she noticed the worried look on Marcus’s face.

The old man sighed before asking. "Is Ray home? I need to speak with him."

Ray appeared in the doorway and answered. "I’m here, what’s wrong?"

Marcus glanced at Helen, then back at Ray. "Um, can we talk? Privately?"

Ray stepped outside and closed the door. "What is it?"

Marcus lowered his voice and began to explain. "Have you heard? There’s been a rumor spreading across Lord Fluffybottom’s territory?"

"What rumor?"

"I heard an unknown adventurer recently cleared a dungeon within his territory and now, he’s placed a bounty on that adventurer for anyone who can find him, dead or alive."

Ray furrowed his brow in confusion before asking. "Why would Lord Fluffybottom be unhappy with the cleared dungeon? The dungeon quest wasn’t even placed on the guild’s billboard, so why should the cleared dungeon be of any importance to him?"

"My boy, that’s exactly why it is very important to him."

"What do you mean?"

"You should know by now that most of Lord Fluffybottom’s lands aren’t in the best of condition, unlike most other baronies in the kingdom."

"Yes, I know all these, but what does that have to do with the dungeon?"

"Harvesting season is nearly upon us, so to build a strong relationship with other baronies around him, so that they will in return offer his land a good amount of harvest this season, Lord Fluffybottom had ordered the guild in his territory not to reveal the existence of that dungeon to any wandering adventurer or adventurers within his territory."

"..." Ray remained silent as he finally grasped what was going on.

With Lord Fluffybottom not having enough funds to protect or feed the number of people in his territory, he had been dependent on imports for years.

So, he must have probably ordered the guild to keep the dungeon a secret because he had planned to use it as a bargaining chip with some other Barons or nobles.

Most nobles barely had dungeons appearing in their territories, but with the increasing number of noble children awakening in recent years, Baron Fluffybottom knew the amount of benefits he could reap from revealing the location of the dungeon to one of his few neighboring allies.

But now that his plan had been flushed down the drain, it made sense that he had placed a bounty on Ray’s head.