A day passed, and it was morning.
Before having breakfast with Raphne, it was the leisurely time.
The training time promised with Siegfried had arrived.
“You’re here.”
I arrived at the designated place, my heart racing from the first day’s tension, only to find Siegfried already waiting.
The location was a clearing on the outskirts of the academy, surrounded by a forest.
“First of all, I should tell you that I can’t teach you any special techniques.”
“Yes! I know!”
Before we began training, Siegfried gave me that warning.
Of course, I didn’t expect anything.
Siegfried didn’t have any secret techniques, and I wasn’t talented enough to learn them from him anyway.
What I wanted was simple—two things.
Training in swordsmanship and losing weight.
I’ll move a lot and shed some pounds.
Just that alone is enough to level up my stats!
“Uh, so what do we start with on the first day?”
I felt a slight expectation.
In the game, Siegfried’s training scenes weren’t depicted in detail.
Yet, he had become strong enough to enter the top ranks of the third year just through effort.
My heart raced at the thought of learning his training methods.
Swinging a wooden sword?
Or basic fitness training?
Or maybe sparring with a blindfold?
As I imagined the orthodox training methods, suddenly…
“Catch!”
Siegfried suddenly threw a wooden sword at me.
“Whoa!”
I was startled and quickly caught the sword.
So it really is the classic ‘swing the wooden sword a thousand times’ training?
With my heart palpitating, I awaited Siegfried’s next command.
Siegfried slowly warmed up, then opened his mouth.
“From now on, I will count to ten.”
Hmm, counting to ten, huh…?
“…Huh? What does that mean….”
I asked, not understanding his intent.
With a sharp gaze, Siegfried lifted his sword and pointed it at me.
“Run.”
“…Wh-what?”
His eyes were serious.
‘This crazy, crazy, crazy…!!’
Siegfried’s training method could be summed up in one word.
Brutal.
“Your legs are slow! If you can’t escape, you’ll just die!”
“Huff, I-I can’t breathe…!”
I was already several minutes into running through the forest.
Running on the uneven dirt path, my thighs felt like they were going to burst, and my breathing grew heavy.
Panting heavily, I ran for my life.
“…Gotcha.”
“Gahh!”
BAM!
With a heavy pain in my back, I was sent flying and rolled on the dirt.
[ System: Your Physical Resistance skill has leveled up. ]
“I’ll start counting again.”
If Siegfried catches me, I’ll really be in for a wooden sword beating.
Afterward, Siegfried resumed counting, giving me time to escape.
There was only one way to end the training.
Either I collapse from exhaustion or I manage to hit Siegfried once.
‘Oh, devil…!!’
I heard the numbers coming out of the devil instructor’s mouth and began to sprint again.
If you think about it, this isn’t a bad training strategy.
Running like this counts as cardio exercise.
Running away from Siegfried is dodge training.
Lastly, even successfully attacking him would be a great lesson.
But…
“…The footsteps have stopped here.”
‘…Eek!!’
I covered my mouth behind the bushes, trying to hide.
I scanned the surroundings with a gaze as sharp as if lasers were coming out of my eyes.
‘Is this a horror game?!’
Effective training, perhaps, but way too scary.
The stern man pursuing me, aiming to whack me with a wooden sword.
A little pig hiding in the woods, trying to escape from such a weirdo.
Isn’t that a classic horror movie cliché?
“…Found you.”
“Kyyaaa!!”
Please don’t just appear out of nowhere from above!
Are you going to take responsibility if I die from a heart attack?!
In the end, the training concluded with me collapsing on the ground.
“Huff, I-I’m dying here….”
“Good job. Drink up.”
Unlike me, puffing and panting on the ground, Siegfried wasn’t even sweating.
He must have run like that, yet he looked so cool.
Gulp… Gulp…
As I drank the water Siegfried gave me, I looked at the status window that appeared in front of me.
[ System: Repeated sneaking actions have granted you ‘Stealth LV 1.’ ]
At least the reward for my hard work was certain.
‘I ran my life away, yet I got a sneaking skill….’
It seems hiding from the ghost-like Siegfried earned me some bonus points.
At least the skill itself isn’t bad.
It suits hiding when necessary and helps sneak past dangerous enemies blocking the way.
‘My Physical Resistance also went up to three.’
Even if Siegfried went easy on me, the wooden sword he swung really hurt.
Thanks to that, my proficiency quickly increased, hitting the maximum I could gain from training.
Overall, today’s achievements are pretty good.
I’m glad I asked Siegfried for training.
“You’re a bit lacking in stamina. Let’s gradually build it up. …That’s all for today.”
“…When you say that’s all for today, does that mean what about tomorrow?”
“Of course, after the chase training, we’ll do swordsmanship training separately.”
“…Ha, haha.”
I might have chosen the wrong kind of teacher…
Isn’t this a bit too Spartan?
I started to worry about the hell coming tomorrow…
“Zieg! Are you done?”
While I leaned against a tree, resting, a girl appeared in the distance calling for Siegfried.
A cute girl with pink hair blowing in the wind.
Elise Granville.
She probably came to call Siegfried for breakfast and spotted me as she got close.
“Aah!”
Then she approached me with a bright smile.
“So, you’re Ken! You look different from what I heard! Ahaha!”
Different? Wait, who told you what?
“Ken, this is my long-time friend, Elise Granville. She’s a third-year student like me.”
“She’s like a sister to this clueless guy with a growth spurt!”
“…Just your typical younger sibling.”
Despite Elise’s relentless insults, Siegfried naturally introduced her without regard.
To be honest, even without an introduction, I already knew a lot about her.
‘She’s one of the few couples whose fans I support in the game.’
Siegfried is a popular male character, but surprisingly not many users successfully pair him with Emily.
The reason for that is Elise’s presence.
As Siegfried’s childhood friend, if Siegfried and Emily take the romance route, she becomes the antagonist in that limited route.
And in the conclusion where Emily and Siegfried become a couple, she leaves with a very pitiful appearance, making a lonely exit.
‘I felt sorry for pursuing Siegfried because of her….’
Most users find it hard to witness that scene, and as a result, many began to support the coupling instead.
Thus, they became unofficial couple characters famous in the game.
“Did Siegfried train you well?”
Elise asked me with her waist bent, her trademark mischievous smile shining.
“Ah, yes! I think it was very effective!”
“Aha! That’s a lie! There’s no way this idiot could teach anyone well!”
Without caring in front of the person, Elise threw a curse at Siegfried.
Seemingly used to it, Siegfried quietly accepted Elise hitting his back and laughing.
“So, now that training’s over, let’s hurry to eat! If we don’t hurry, it’ll get cold!”
“Hmm, that’s right… Ken, do you want to join us?”
“Uh, together?”
Elise, who had been urging us both to return, seemed flustered at Siegfried’s question.
The playful smile from earlier had vanished, and now she looked back and forth between Siegfried and me anxiously.
She probably didn’t want to disturb the time between Siegfried and herself.
I was once one of those users supporting that couple.
I had no intention of getting in the way of their sweet moments.
“I have a prior appointment, so I’ll join some other time.”
With that polite refusal, Elise’s face brightened again.
“O-Oh! It’s too sudden to invite you to eat; Siegfried, you lack consideration!”
“Hmm, is that so? My apologies.”
“See? Well then, we’ll go ahead! See you later!”
Hastily pulling Siegfried along, Elise waved at me as she walked away.
I waved back internally cheering for the couple.
After finishing my first day of training, I went to the dormitory, washed up, and headed toward Raphne’s tower.
“Ken… You look more worn out than usual… Did you sleep well?”
“Uh, yeah. I’m fine, so don’t worry….”
Today, I realized for the first time that after intense exercise, I lose my appetite.
Sure enough, even with the splendid meal Raphne had prepared before me, I couldn’t easily eat.
Noticing my state was different from usual, Raphne simply looked at me with worry rather than falling into despair over my reduced appetite.
She just gazed at me, filled with concern.
‘By the way, I should start trying to craft the Goddess’ Pendant soon….’
The unfortunate girl who was cautiously watching me while eating her bread.
I needed to create an item to break Raphne’s curse.
Recently, my item crafting proficiency increased a bit as I made equipment for Mary and Siegfried.
At this point, it should be reasonable to attempt trial crafting.
‘The problem is the materials….’
The materials needed for the Goddess’ Pendant.
As a late-game item, the difficulty level for acquiring the necessary materials is high.
I asked Raphne if it was possible, but she said it wasn’t easy to obtain even from the Martinez family.
What I need right now are two things:
[Pure Mana Crystal] and [Goddess’ Token].
‘One, I can guess where to get….’
The Pure Mana Crystal seems reachable from the upcoming event.
The real problem is the Goddess’ Token.
I can’t think of any way to acquire this one at all.
The Goddess’ Token is a treasure handed down through the royal family of the Kingdom of Lilias.
In the game scenario, Emily obtains it as a reward after making a significant contribution following the war.
‘I can’t just run straight to the royal palace and ask for it….’
I want to save Raphne as quickly as possible.
It’s not only because I feel sorry for her being trapped in the tower but also because it becomes a challenge for me to keep visiting every single day.
And surely, Raphne would want to get out of here soon.
“Huh? What’s wrong…?”
“Raphne, isn’t the tower a bit stuffy?”
“Yes! I’m okay as long as Ken is here…. Hehe.”
She says that, but it must be agonizing for her.
If it weren’t, she wouldn’t be shedding tears every time I visit the tower.
‘Should I try to find something similar somehow….’
I’ve spent quite a long time pondering about this material.
Since nothing in particular comes to mind about similar items, I’ve reached a deadlock in many ways.
But…
‘…Oh?’
An unexpected incident resolved that concern easily.
“Whoa, whoa.”
“One, two, one, two.”
It began as I walked down the hallway of the main building at the academy with strange men appearing out of the blue to kidnap me.
“Mmm…! Mmm!”
They instantly tied my hands and legs and covered my mouth.
Then, they effortlessly picked me up and started carrying me somewhere.
“Wait, …Ken? …Ken!”
While being rocketed to an unknown destination, I spotted Mary witnessing the kidnapping scene.
My hero quickly shifted to attack mode.
With a fierce glare, she lunged at the men, but…
“What the hell are you doing…! Huh?”
One of the men whispered something, immediately halting her attack.
‘What could they have explained…?’
I couldn’t grasp the situation at all.
Mary just stared at me being kidnapped, with a dazed look.
“Haah~!”
As the men opened a door to a room and set me down, they finally removed the cloth from my mouth.
The place I arrived at seemed to be a parlor.
They placed me on a sofa at the center of that room.
“So, you’re Ken Feinstein?”
Before me sat a woman drinking tea with her legs crossed.
“I have a weapon to entrust to you.”
It was the students’ council of Dedris Academy.
The woman serving as the president of that student council was Anette Nell Arnoira.
