NOVEL NEXT I supported the completely exhausted Kyle and managed to get out of the training ground.
The training ground was incredibly humid, probably because it wasn’t ventilated.
It was already hard, but staying in such a hot and humid place would make it feel even worse.
“Young Master, are you feeling a bit better now?”
“No…”
Today, Elin pushed him way beyond what I expected.
I anticipated some level of exertion since sword training isn’t a typical class and involves a lot of movement, but honestly, I didn’t think it would be like this.
Normally, Kyle would struggle but still be able to walk on his own.
However, today, he couldn’t even stand without my support.
In reality, it was more like I was carrying him than supporting him.
And I could strongly smell Kyle’s sweat next to me.
But surprisingly, it wasn’t as bad as I thought.
In fact, I found myself thinking it wasn’t that unpleasant.
Usually, sweat smells pretty bad, but Kyle’s sweat wasn’t too bad at all.
Perhaps it’s because he bathes in good water regularly?
If that’s the case, it would make sense to some degree.
Or maybe not.
“I think we should postpone the lesson with Louise. It would be best if we washed up right away.”
It would have been fine if it were a normal class, but how could we continue like this after he got so tired?
Normally, I would just wipe off the sweat and jump into class, but this time it was different.
“Let’s head straight to the bath.”
I guided Kyle directly to the bathroom.
Usually, I’d call in a servant to take care of it, but right now, I thought it would be best to wash him up quickly and let him rest.
*
“I’m fine on my own…”
“Young Master, your arms are shaking.”
Having seen Kyle for several years, would there really be anything about him I didn’t know?
His arms and legs were clearly trembling; did he really look like someone who could wash himself…?
That’s a bit disappointing.
Well, to be fair, I hadn’t actually washed him before.
The servants had always done it, so I never had a reason to.
“Please take off your clothes. Ah, I guess I have to help you.”
“Wait…”
There was no way someone who could barely move could undress by himself.
I began to take off Kyle’s clothes, starting with the sweat-drenched shirt.
“Wait!! I’ll take off my underwear…”
“Okay.”
Is he embarrassed?
Well, he is at the age where he should be feeling that way.
Kyle is now about middle school age.
Of course, I have no thoughts about seeing him naked.
It’s more like, “Oh, he’s still such a little kid.”
Kyle covered himself with a towel and stepped into the bathroom.
“Uh…”
I needed to change as well.
Going in while still wearing formal clothes would be a bit too much.
I found a thin outfit nearby and changed into that.
Not bad.
As long as I cover the necessary areas, it’s sufficient.
“Young Master, please take a seat.”
Bathing was quite simple.
You just wash, and that’s it.
Kyle sat on the chair, but perhaps out of embarrassment, he covered himself with a towel.
Kyle was perfectly fine with bathing, so it wasn’t really a problem.
In fact, it was my first time overseeing a bathing session, so I might have been the one to feel awkward.
“Young Master, I’ll wash you now. Let’s start with your arms.”
I started by wiping down Kyle’s body first.
It was standard procedure to wipe off the sweat with a towel before getting started.
I wiped his arms, shoulders, back, chest, and stomach in order.
Then I grabbed another towel to start cleaning his lower body.
As I was about to approach the sensitive area, Kyle startled and insisted he would do that part himself, so I just let him.
He is at that age after all.
He diligently rubbed the soap in his hands to create bubbles.
Good-smelling soap.
So that’s the scent I’ve been catching from Kyle.
It was something far better than what I usually use.
-Swoosh
I began slowly applying the soap to Kyle’s back.
What I was doing right now was simply applying the soap.
“Young Master, is this pressure alright for you?”
I wanted to be cautious in case it was too much and painful or too light and unsatisfactory.
From my perspective, it seemed just right, but you never know.
“…Um… I think it’s fine.”
“Is that so?”
If he was okay with it, I could continue.
Once again, I avoided his sensitive areas as it was clear he would react if I got too close.
“Miss Sophia… why are you suddenly washing me?”
“I just wanted to do it.”
Rather than waiting like a puppy in front of him, I thought it would be better to finish up quickly today.
While washing Kyle, I could also talk about the remaining tasks for today.
Later on, I continued to lather up areas like his armpits and stomach.
For areas Kyle refused, I handed him the soap and told him to figure it out himself.
If he didn’t want me doing it, he could take care of it.
“Okay, let’s move on to the next part.”
Kyle was sitting in the chair, covered in white foam from the soap.
I carefully rinsed off the foam with water, one section at a time.
“Sniff… sniff…”
Thanks to this, what was once a sweaty odor from Kyle’s body was now replaced by a lovely fragrance.
Thus, the bathing session came to an end.
“Young Master, we’re done.”
“…Okay. Miss Sophia, you can leave now.”
“Oh… is that so?”
I had initially planned to stay and chat a bit but it seemed there was no choice now.
I figured we could always chat a little later, so I stepped out of the bathroom.
“Ugh…”
I thought the thin and short outfit would be fine for washing him, but I seemed to have made a mistake.
My clothes were practically soaked from washing Kyle.
So wet.
What started as a lightweight outfit had become heavy with water.
“I need to take this off first.”
The size had never been that big to begin with, and now it felt especially uncomfortable with it all wet.
“Ugh…”
I tossed aside the thin outfit and dried off with a towel.
Since my clothes were wet, my skin was also naturally damp, so I needed to dry that too.
Then I changed back into the formal clothes, preparing the outfit for when Kyle came out.
About 20 minutes later, Kyle finally emerged.
I dried him off with a towel and helped him get dressed.
“How will you handle the lesson with Louise?”
Though he got a little rest while washing, he still wasn’t feeling great today.
Honestly, I hoped Kyle would just take it easy…
“I’m fine.”
“Oh… is that so?”
To be honest, I didn’t think he would say that.
“Then I will go fetch Louise. Young Master, please rest here for a moment.”
I said that and headed to get Louise.
She was probably doing something unnecessary again.
I knew I would definitely get mad when I saw her.
-Knock, knock
“Louise, I’m coming in.”
I said that and entered Louise’s room.
Unlike mine, she didn’t lock the door, so I could just walk right in.
“Shit.”
I couldn’t help but curse as soon as I walked in.
Usually, servants come in to clean the castle rooms.
Some maids come into my room to clean it.
I tidy up Kyle’s room a little, but right now, Louise’s room was a total disaster.
There was an open bottle of unfinished alcohol on the floor, and the carpet was stained.
Cookie crumbs littered the bed, and it smelled weird since there was no ventilation.
Something might have happened…
“Hey, open a window right now.”
“…Yes.”
My expression was probably not very pleasant.
That’s probably why Louise surprisingly listened to me without saying anything.
I picked up the fallen alcohol bottle and closed the cap while waiting for Louise to open the window.
“Ha… you go to class with Kyle. I’ll clean this up.”
“Sophia, I didn’t mean to make such a mess… it just happened while eating…”
“I get it, but hurry up with your class. Kyle is waiting.”
I was angry, but there was nothing I could do.
I had to do some teaching before dealing with her, and Kyle was waiting for her in class.
I could always scold her later.
We could deal with it after dinner.
“I’ll really clean it up when I get back! Okay? So can you ease up on your anger…?”
With that, Louise rushed out of the room as if she was escaping.
I hadn’t even been that mad, so why was she talking so straight?
If it were usual, she would be saying something like “Sorry~ I’ll clean it up later~.”
Well, whatever.
I needed to clean this place.
I wasn’t unfamiliar with cleaning, so I didn’t need to call in other servants.
But how could a room get this dirty in just a few days?
It was even dirtier than during my adventurer days when I used to drink all the time.
“……”
What I needed to address first was the mess on the bed.
It was completely filthy from eating cookies on it.
I’d need to call some other servants to handle this.
*
“Young Master, I’ve come to fetch you… huh?”
I entered the classroom right around the time the lessons were finishing.
“Louise, why is the Young Master sleeping?”
“Uh… he was organizing things after class and suddenly fell asleep.”
“Ugh…”
It was obvious he was exhausted, but perhaps his pride as a teenager, as a boy, had kicked in.
He could certainly look great without trying so hard.
Well, boys tend to be like that.
Back in my adventurer days, I remember how I used to mindlessly protect my pride, so I could understand him to some extent.
“Louise, let’s put off scolding him until tomorrow. Make sure you eat and get some rest on your own, understood?”
“Y-yeah!”
Louise looked relieved that she’d postponed her scolding.
I mean, she was going to get in trouble tomorrow anyway, so what’s the difference?
“Let’s go, Young Master.”
Carrying the still-sleeping Kyle in my arms…
“Heave-ho…”
I lifted him onto my back.
He’s grown since last time, but he’s still light enough for me to carry.
Kyle still has to grow more.
For a boy, he should at least be 30 centimeters taller.
If he grew by 40 centimeters, it might be too big, so I think around 180 centimeters would be perfect.