A Better World (Record of Ragnarok x Reader)

Chapter 23 - The shameless king

Rampant footsteps of men rushing by them filled Brunhilde's eardrums. Despite the sweat grazing their brows and dripping down their chins, along with their unsteady breathing, none of the soldiers seemed inclined to take a break. Her eyes automatically followed the muscular man running in front of the group of Spartans. The man, who had two distinctive scars overlapping over his chest, commanded the warriors to halt and go down and give him fifty push-ups. They obeyed, and as any good leader, he set a good example by training with them.

A chuckle sounded in the valkyrie's left ear. [Name]. Mutely, she approached the group of fifty men, walking by the mass undetected, probably because they were so immersed in their workout to take notice of a by-passer. When she stood before the commander, she wasted no time plopping herself onto his back, surprising both the valkyrie and the man. He let out a grunt that caught the attention of some of the men in the front, all their eyes widening at the sight of someone sitting on their commander's back.

"That's quite a way to make an entrance," The blonde man panted, the sweat dripping down his brow damping the sandy soil below.

[Name] crossed her legs, resting her head on her hand. "Is this too much for you, Gryps?" The man's booming laughter made his chest reverberate, and her body shook with his every breath.

"Not for a spartan warrior." He resumed his push-ups, not presenting any issue with the unexpected addition of mass. "You don't even weigh that much."

[Name] let out a breathy chuckle. "You must have won a lot of women's hearts with that comment alone." He attempted to laugh, but it came out as a breathy groan instead.

They must have been running for a while.

"Maybe," he answered.

Pulling out a handkerchief from her pocket she wiped the sweat off his brow, making the man's cheeks slightly dust pink. Gryps was extremely grateful that his face was directed toward the ground. "Thank you."

"No problem. Will you be training some more?" Finishing the last exercise, the man forced his body into a plank position.

"Hold!" He ordered, before answering her question. "The men will probably take a break, but I might train with my king."

[Name] hummed, before placing her hands on each of his shoulder blades, pushing them down. In turn, the man let out a shaky breath. "Keep your back straight." Forcing her expression into neutrality, she shifted her legs so that she was sitting on her knees, moving them to the centre of his body. His arms shook the slightest bit, but he did not yield. "Still think I weigh nothing?"

"Nothing at all, princess."

The corners of her mouth tugged. "Does Lu Bu train with you guys?" Gryps let out a controlled breath, followed by another one.

"Sometimes. Usually, our men battle each other, but you'll rarely see our king and the Flying General train together."

[Name]'s eyes sought out the valkyrie, who had not moved an inch since she approached the man. "What do you think, Hilde? Maybe we could invite Lu Bu to train with Leo and Gryps. I, of course, will also join the trio."

Gryps slightly craned his neck to look at her. "Have you called him that in front of him?"

"Leo?" He nodded. "Yeah, multiple times. And don't start with the 'he hates nicknames' argument. I have called him much worse."

The spartan pressed his lips together. "I believe you." But soon a challenging smirk broke onto his face. "Regarding the training – don't complain when it gets too rough."