Chapter 106

Aside from the increase in faith, Grace’s escort has been decided. Arthas also detailed how the escorting would work.

Usually, an escort must stay by the target’s side except during sleeping hours, but I’m a bit different.

I’ll try not to intrude on her personal time as much as possible, or something like that.

It seems more like they’ll be watching over Grace until she gathers her strength rather than a full-on escort.

Getting closer to Grace wouldn’t hurt me, so I calmly granted permission.

“I’ll provide support within my reach. Is there anything you want?”

“Sweet stuff.”

“A dagger? Are you talking about a dagger?”

“No. Sweet stuff. Candy. Cake. Ice cream. That kind of thing.”

“······?”

Seeing her request for sweet food, Arthas had a strange expression. He looked like he was questioning whether he just heard that correctly.

Right now, I don’t really need anything. As for money, I’ll collect it naturally by hunting in the Chaos Forest.

The same goes for food. For now, Rod and Kara are supporting me, so I won’t starve.

But snacks are different. Even though Kara buys them for me, depending solely on her isn’t ideal.

Rod is completely refusing to help as well. So I need another provider.

“Brother Sivar, too much sweet stuff can lead to cavities, you know? Everything in moderation is best.”

“Um… Saint? Is it the kind of sweet food I’m thinking of?”

“Yes, that’s right. Brother Sivar, you really love sweet food.”

“Umm…”

Listening to Rize’s explanation, Arthas let out a hum of confusion. Is this really the case? His feelings were clearly displayed.

I fully understood his mind, but there’s no immediate need for money. I’m left wondering if I even need it.

Ordinarily, I’d be bleeding money on treatment costs and potions. And that’s why Eli is such a balance-destroying figure.

However, I can naturally heal without potions. Even if I lose a tooth, it’ll grow back—enough said.

“I understand. We can provide support through Grace. Is there anything else? Weapons or anything?”

“I’m fine.”

I already have a weapon that meets top-tier specifications. I’ll be able to use it sufficiently until heading to Tartar.

Seeing I don’t need anything, Arthas seemed quite restless. Is it because he has nothing to repay me with?

‘What do I do if I seriously don’t need anything?’

The trial for violence has also been blocked by the Verche Duke’s family. This is partly due to the alignment of interests between the Academy and various factions.

The probation will end after the weekend. From then on, I can start escorting Grace.

Therefore, there’s no need for the Verche Duke’s family to repay me. I didn’t guard her because I wanted anything in return.

“Hmm… I’ll think about this part slowly. If you need anything, please contact me through Grace.”

“Okay.”

“Once again, I want to express my gratitude. Thank you so much for saving Grace.”

As Arthas got up from his seat, he bowed his head in thanks. He displayed a sense of proper decorum.

Coming from a noble family, it’s not strange if he’s a bit condescending. I’m just a wildling with no background after all.

There’s an old saying: ‘The more the rice ripens, the lower its head.’ He fits that saying perfectly.

‘Under normal circumstances, I should have seen such a person even in the Soul World, so why didn’t I?’

Could some incident have occurred in between? My memory isn’t entirely clear, so I can’t be sure.

Eventually, as Arthas left, the matter concerning Grace’s escort was settled.

All that’s left is bumming around in the dormitory during the weekend. With Rize keeping me company, I’m not bored.

Knock, knock—

Just when I was considering stretching alongside Rize due to having nothing to do, about 10 minutes after Arthas left, someone knocked again. Both Rize and I turned our heads toward the door.

[Saint, a student named Luna has come to see you. Should I let her in?]

It was the voice of the guard standing at my dormitory door. Hearing him, I looked at Rize.

Now that I think about it, Luna had agreed to receive teachings from Rize every weekend. This time, she ended up here with me due to the incident.

It seems like Rize must have talked to Luna separately. Otherwise, the guard wouldn’t come to my dorm.

Pow!

As soon as I heard the guard’s words, a small explosion occurred. A massive shadow loomed amidst the swirling murk.

When the mist finally cleared, a huge, muscular figure emerged. Not in saintly form, but in muscle-bound form.

“Yes, it’s fine.”

[Understood.]

Squeak—

After Rize gave her permission, the door slowly opened a moment later. A very familiar face stood at the entrance.

Luna, looking somewhat awkward, peeked around before quietly stepping inside.

Seeing us stretching our legs, she blinked in surprise and asked, “······What are you doing?”

“We’re doing stretches to improve flexibility. It’s excellent for mana circulation and injury prevention.”

“U-uh…”

Luna looked at me, rolling her eyes in disbelief at Rize’s explanation. Meanwhile, I was nearly stretching my legs to a 180-degree angle.

She must be wondering what kind of situation this is. However, it didn’t take long for her to regain her composure.

“So, we can just take the exam today, right?”

“Yes. Let’s aim to pass it easily this time.”

“······I don’t know if I can.”

As everyone knows, the exam consists of 100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, and 100 squats.

Looking just at those numbers, people might think they’re easy or that athletes can handle it just fine.

But Rize is a person who pursues perfection without a hint of slack. Especially when it comes to muscle-related matters, she’s extremely strict.

“As I said before, if you do even one poorly, we’ll start over from the beginning.”

“······Yes.”

“You can’t take breaks either. You need to succeed in one go.”

That’s how it goes. The count itself isn’t outrageous, but the standards for success are unbelievably tough.

Luna didn’t complain about muscle soreness for nothing. But at least the results will surely be effective.

‘I’m lucky I don’t have to do this.’

I just need to understand how to use muscles; there’s no need for me to build them like Luna.

Though I work out lightly each day alongside Rize, it’s mostly for maintenance.

If I, no matter how strong I am, stop exercising, my muscles will start to fade away. This holds true in the Soul World as well.

“Then… let’s begin!”

“Ugh!”

Luna first started with push-ups. Her form was perfect, and her speed was efficient.

After eagerly preparing for this week, she should pass easily. Even if she stumbles in the middle, she’ll grit her teeth and endure it.

“Alright. Again. Your form has collapsed.”

“Yes!”

I quietly observed from the side. It didn’t seem like too much time had passed, but beads of sweat began to form on Luna’s forehead.

The sweat trickled down her sharp nose before falling to the ground. The floor beneath her was starting to get wet with her sweat.

“Again.”

“Ughh…!”

This time, it was a pity that she only surpassed the 90 mark before returning to the starting position.

Rize advised that it’s not just arm strength but also chest muscles that are needed for each repetition. By the way, using mana is permitted now.

Even while using mana, she’s struggling like this. You can tell how strict the standards are.

“99… 100! Gah!”

“Well done.”

About 30 minutes must have passed. Finally, she completed her 100 push-ups.

As soon as she reached the count, she collapsed like a rag doll. Her face was drenched in sweat.

“Now, let’s do sit-ups.”

“··· ···”

Of course, just finishing the push-ups doesn’t mean all tasks are done. Luna, after hearing Rize’s command, staggered to rise.

Just by looking at her face, one might think she could collapse at any moment. But her eyes were shining brightly.

Outwardly delicate-looking, she’s surprisingly tough. Her persistence is commendable.

“······Does Sivar not have to do it?”

But this girl seems to be subtly trying to pull me into it. Perhaps she’s feeling grumpy since I’ve just been watching.

While I was internally baffled, Rize looked at me. She had a scary look, perhaps because of her Gwonseong form.

“Brother Sivar is fine. He merely doesn’t know how to use his muscles; his body itself is close to perfection.”

“··· ···”

“If you’re curious, would you like to touch it?”

“Y-Yes?!”

Luna, who had been momentarily dumbfounded by Rize’s remark, jumped in surprise. It would indeed be disconcerting to be suddenly told to touch my body.

“What you mentioned might have been when I lived in the wilderness. Back then, I only wore a rag.”

Rize, hearing that explanation, raised an eyebrow slightly before smiling and nodding her head.

“I see. Understood.”

“Yes?”

“Never mind. You’ve had enough of a break, so let’s move straight to the next exercise.”

While it seemed there was a buildup of another misunderstanding, Rize quickly transitioned to the next workout.

Luna, for a moment showing a disconcerted expression, immediately began to let out sounds of struggle as she did sit-ups.

“Heh… heh…”

“Good job. You’ve definitely become much slower compared to before.”

Only after about an hour could we finally complete all the exercises.

As soon as Luna finished her physical training, she collapsed to the floor, gasping for air.

Her entire body was soaked in sweat, and wearing a T-shirt, her curves were distinctly visible.

“Seeing you breathe, looks like you still have some energy left.”

“Heh… Is that… so?”

Does that mean before, she fainted? I might be half-certain.

Following that, Luna slowly raised her upper body as she recovered.

Sweat poured down her face like rain, with her hair sticking to it. It was nice to see her working so hard.

“Now, should we check your flexibility?”

“······What? Is it not over?”

“I’m only checking briefly. I just thought of it after seeing what you did with Brother Sivar.”

But Luna’s struggle wasn’t over yet. Rize gestured for her to start stretching her legs.

Luna hesitated for a moment, then slowly began to stretch her legs. Since she was in workout attire, it wouldn’t be an issue to stretch.

“Wow.”

And I couldn’t help but be amazed by Luna’s flexibility. It’s truly impressive.

Her legs didn’t stretch beyond 100 degrees. That’s a serious issue.

“······Looks like we need to work on flexibility as well. That’s my misjudgment.”

It seems Rize also didn’t consider Luna’s dreadful flexibility. Her expression looked quite serious.

Luna herself seemed somewhat embarrassed, realizing her lack of flexibility.

“Brother Sivar, could you help Luna? Doing this together will yield better results.”

“Okay.”

In that case, I should be kind. I promptly stepped up as she wished.

First, we faced each other and began stretching our legs. So I’ll help Luna stretch using both legs.

“You just need to push with your legs, Brother Sivar. Luna, if it hurts, please say so. Understood?”

“Yes.”

I held Luna’s hand, taking position. She appeared serious as if preparing for pain.

‘Should I mess with her a bit?’

Once everything was ready, I started applying force to our legs. Gradually, Luna’s legs began to spread apart.

She frowned as if trying to hold back but seemed to struggle, finally opening her mouth.

“Uh, wait. It hu—”

Just as Luna was about to say it hurt, I pretended it was a mistake and applied more force.

Her legs stretched close to 150 degrees. That’s far from enough.

“AHHH!”

Instead of saying it hurt, a scream escaped Luna’s mouth. Yet, I stubbornly maintained my grip.

“Let go! Let go! I said let go!!”

“You didn’t say it hurt.”

“It hurts! It hurts! Let go quickly!”

Only then did I finally release Luna. As soon as she was free, she grabbed her sore groin and writhed.

For better or worse, seeing Luna suffer like that seemed fun. It almost felt like I wanted to tease her more.

“Ughh…”

“Does it hurt?”

“Get away from me, you jerk…”

I think I should leave her alone for a bit.

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