The Baroness blinked, clearly confused.

"…Really?" she asked, uncertain.

Matruska nodded slowly.

"Yes," she answered briefly. "I was surprised."

She paused for a moment, then continued, her tone turning slightly more serious.

"But that wasn't the only thing that surprised me."

The Baroness frowned.

"What do you mean?"

Matruska let out a soft breath.

"Why," she asked, looking straight at the Baroness,

"is your son fighting with a Hoe?"

The Baroness fell silent for a moment.

"I… I don't know," she said quietly. "I don't know when he even started owning that Hoe."

She let out a small sigh.

"But he once won a wager against moneylenders," she continued. "With that Hoe."

Matruska raised an eyebrow.

"…How?"

The Baroness explained briefly.

"The wager was about postponing the repayment of the family's debt," she said.

She briefly recounted the bet over who could lift the Hoe from the floor, and how the moneylenders struggled to lift it.

She gave a bitter smile.

"But Lucian lifted it easily."

Matruska frowned slightly.

"…Interesting."

She then leaned back in her chair.

"Even so," she continued calmly, "his future opponent will be no ordinary person."

Matruska's gaze drifted off, as if recalling the scene in the field.

"Aldric is a Regional Knight," she said.

"And he comes from the Rosevelt family."

---

Meanwhile—

Ravena was already inside Mae's small clinic.

Her expression was clearly irritated.

Not an explosive kind of anger— rather cold, restrained, and sharp.

Mae stood awkwardly near the mixing table, unsure of what to say.

On the other side, Lina stood frozen in place, a broom in hand, though every corner of the room was already spotless. There was nothing left to clean.

The silence felt heavy.

Ravena clicked her tongue softly.

"Give me one of those tomatoes," she said shortly.

Mae flinched slightly, then nodded at once.

"Y–yes."

She took a tomato from the basket and handed it over.

Ravena accepted the tomato.

A moment later—

A golden ring appeared on the middle finger of her right hand, forming from a thin light before solidifying.

She let out a breath.

"I'll have this sent for examination," she said flatly.

Mae nodded quickly.

"Understood, Lady Ravena."

Without adding anything else, Ravena turned and left the clinic.

The door closed.

And instantly—

The atmosphere in the small clinic warmed again.

Lina turned hesitantly toward Mae.

"Miss Mae…" she said softly.

"A– are you… troubled?"

Mae laughed lightly.

"Ah, no," she replied casually.

"If anything, it's quiet."

She turned to Lina.

"Do you want to learn about medicine now?"

Lina straightened up reflexively.

"Yes!" she answered quickly, nodding enthusiastically.

Mae smiled.

----

By the time Ravena left the clinic.

Back at the tomato field—

Lucas's Hoemanship was already active.

It was obvious.

His movements were cleaner. His grip more stable. He could now withstand the pressure of Silvara's claymore— at least for a few exchanges.

CLANG—

A heavy impact.

Lucas staggered back two steps, his feet digging into the ground.

"Okay… that went through," he muttered.

Silvara pressed the attack immediately.

WHAM—

Lucas managed to block, the Hoe's blade angled perfectly. But the very next instant,

The follow-up force was too much.

"—Whoa!"

Lucas's body lifted halfway, then—

THUD—

He was slammed into the ground along with his Hoe.

Dust rose lightly.

Liona stood up reflexively.

"Y–Young Master!"

Lucas lay on his back for a moment, then raised the Hoe.

"…Still holding it," he said flatly.

Silvara snorted.

"You've improved," she said. "But don't let your guard down."

Lucas got up, brushing dust off his clothes.

"Yeah, yeah," he replied. "At least now I get thrown together with my weapon."

Silvara reset her stance.

"Come on," she said shortly. "Again."

Lucas tightened his grip.

----

Finally—

After being sent flying a few times and with both of them breathing heavily, Lucas stopped.

He stood slightly hunched, both hands still gripping the Hoe tightly.

His breathing was rough.

"…Okay," he said. "Break."

Silvara stopped as well. She let out a long breath and lowered her claymore. The blade slowly faded until it disappeared.

"Makes sense," she said shortly. "You're starting to tire."

They sat down not far from the rows of tomato plants.

Liona was still there, sat neatly to the side, just as she had been from the start.

Lucas glanced at her, then quickly looked away.

An awkward pause followed.

He wanted to ask about lunch— his stomach was clearly protesting— but for some reason it felt awkward to bring it up himself.

Fortunately—

Silvara spoke first.

"Liona," she said flatly. "Haven't you prepared a meal for our break?"

Liona immediately smiled brightly.

"Ah, it's already taken care of, Lady Silvara," she replied lightly.

"A maid will be coming here later."

Lucas turned his head.

"Hm?" He frowned.

Liona continued, still in her innocent tone.

"Because I was ordered to stay with Young Master, so I have to remain with Young—"

she paused for a moment, thinking,

"…or rather, with Young Master's body."

Silence.

Lucas swallowed.

"That sounds weird as hell." he muttered softly.

Liona let out a small sigh.

"If only I were the one fetching lunch," she murmured softly.

Lucas turned toward her.

"Huh?" he said. "Why? Do you like preparing it?"

Liona shook her head gently, then hesitated for a moment.

"Mm… I do like it," she answered honestly. "But that's not the reason."

She glanced toward the dirt road in the distance, her eyes lighting up slightly.

"If I were the one doing it," she continued, "I could go back and forth on a horse-drawn carriage right now."

Lucas went silent for a split second.

Then he shook his head lightly.

"…This maid really loves horses," he muttered.

Lucas shifted his sitting position, then raised one hand to massage his shoulder.

"Oof…," he muttered. "Still hurts."

He recalled what Silvara had said earlier.

Lucas glanced at her.

"By the way," he said, "what talent of the Baroness were you talking about?"

Silvara turned, looking at Lucas with a neutral expression.

"…It's already common knowledge that Baroness is—"

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