บท 69: A Day of Tests and Tender Care

The backyard—a large grassy field with a small forest—was where Damien began warming up. Earlier, he and Theo had been alone in an upstairs room for a physical exam. It had been exhausting, with Theo playfully teasing him the whole time. By the end, it had turned into an exam for both of them, and it was honestly a bit much. Damien hoped for a break from that sort of thing for a while.

"Let's start with some general physical ability measurements," Theo said, sounding a bit too enthusiastic, his expression glowing with excitement.

Under Theo's direction, Damien ran, jumped, lifted, and threw things. He even held a sword for the first time—a blunt one, apparently—but it was much heavier than the bamboo sword he had briefly handled during a high school kendo class. When Theo asked him to do 100 practice swings, Damien could barely manage half. He felt embarrassed, especially since the servants were watching, but Theo didn't comment on his performance.