Chapter 86

Living with Rize has officially started. At first, I thought it was just a change of residence and roommate.

Rize said she wouldn’t invade my personal space and that she’d only help with my character development.

So, I planned to continue living as I have until now. First things first—it’s breakfast.

“Brother Sivar, stretching is far more effective than high-intensity or prolonged workouts in the morning.”

“······?”

I usually do nothing in the mornings, just lounging around. Breakfast with Rod, then off to class, and that’s it.

Plus, like the saying goes, the early bird catches the worm—so I tend to wake up early.

Rize also wakes up around the same time as I do. That’s when she brought up her point.

“In the Eastern Empire, there’s a saying: ‘A sound mind resides in a sound body.’ Without the shield of physical strength, the mind is just a shell.”

“·········So?”

“Follow my lead. It’s good for increasing flexibility. Of course, I respect your choice, so you can feel free to do whatever you need.”

With that, Rize switched from saint mode to Gwonseong mode and began her workout. First, she splits her legs 180 degrees.

But the process was anything but ordinary. She placed two chairs on either side and put her legs up on them.

Her legs split at an angle well beyond 180 degrees. Her thighs resembled tree trunks, and her calves looked like clubs.

“Care to give it a shot? Once you get used to it, it feels really refreshing.”

Rize, still in that position, encouraged me. Just her smile completely shifts the genre.

If I followed her exercise routine, would I end up like that? I’m a bit curious.

“I’m in.”

“Good choice.”

So I did it. There’s nothing bad about increasing flexibility.

Rize added that improving flexibility would also enhance the circulation of magic power within me.

When it comes to physical training, Rize knows more than anyone else. I have a chance to receive training from a renowned coach for free.

It would be silly not to take advantage of that. During our cohabitation, I could improve both my mind and body.

“Just as I expected, your flexibility is impressive.”

As I mimicked Rize’s movements, she praised me. This feels like a piece of cake.

To hide, I need to make this giant body as compact as possible.

I don’t know if it’s because of this, but my flexibility gradually increased. My waist, in particular, seemed to develop notably.

I guess since hunting often requires lowering your waist, my flexibility improved naturally.

“Alright. Now, how about this?”

Rize moved on to the next stage of leg splits. She gathered the chairs by using only her leg strength.

I was in awe, almost bordering on disbelief, at this strange display of physical prowess, when Rize jumped down from the chairs.

With a graceful flick, she bent her back, starting her next move. At first glance, it looked quite ordinary.

But then she folded her waist in half and inserted her face between her legs.

You might think this description is strange, but I assure you, every word is true.

She actually bent her waist in half and shoved her face between her legs.

“Hahaha! How about this? When flexibility reaches its peak, even this is possible!”

Rize laughed heartily, boasting with pride.

I had realized it yesterday when she admired herself in the mirror alone; she has a deep pride in her body.

She’s confidently showing off even this bizarre feat.

“…Gross.”

So I said it straight up. I seriously doubted whether that was even human.

Even having touched all sorts of bugs in the forest, I found that utterly disgusting. I’d rather watch animal guts than see that.

“If you say that, it hurts my feelings too.”

However, Rize didn’t care at all and returned to her original position, her expression entirely unfazed.

I never imagined her build could be that flexible. It must be the result of hard work, quite literally.

“Looks like it’s about time for breakfast. I’ll prepare it myself.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Despite how I look, my cooking skills are quite decent.”

Well, that’s fine by me. Cooking was such a hassle when I lived in the forest.

“······You’re going to cook in that state?”

“Is there a problem?”

The real issue is that she’s cooking while still in her Gwonseong mode. To top it off, she even put on an apron.

I felt like the genre was changing in real-time. I couldn’t help but chuckle inwardly as I quietly awaited the food.

“How is it?”

“It’s delicious!”

Still, the food really was tasty.

Muscles or whatever—it didn’t matter. As long as the food was good, that was enough.

“Brother Sivar.”

“Yeah?”

“Always remember: what matters is your heart.”

I still didn’t quite understand what she meant.

I should take it as a piece of advice not to mess up.

******

After sorting out breakfast, I got ready for class.

I hadn’t fully adapted yet, but it was practically over.

So starting today, I had to wear my school uniform for class, but it was extremely uncomfortable.

At least I had been wearing loose summer attire for the past week; if it had been spring or fall attire, it would’ve been stifling.

“Do you know how to tie a tie?”

“Nope.”

“I don’t either. Just do it haphazardly.”

Then why did you ask, woman?

I inwardly grumbled as I tied my tie messily. Honestly, I wouldn’t lose points for a dress code violation.

More importantly, I wasn’t even worried about points. My focus was on events or various hidden routes.

‘What was on the midterm exam again?’

So I had no clue what the midterm exam content was. I’m sure they announced it last week, but it slipped right through my ears.

I should just assume it’s some practical test related to real-life situations. I just hoped it wasn’t written.

Even if I wasn’t good with words, I wasn’t illiterate. It would probably take me a bit longer to get rid of that label.

“Have a great day, everyone.”

“I’m heading out.”

I stepped outside, leaving Rize, who waved goodbye in Gwonseong mode, behind.

It was a short walk to the classroom, but heading there alone felt strange.

Under normal circumstances, I would have arrived at the classroom with Luna or Kara. Familiarity is quite unsettling.

‘I know the way, so should I go find Godin since I have some time left?’

During the adjustment period, I hadn’t seen much of Godin. I usually only visited when Rod was absent.

Sometimes I’d drop by just to kill time, but otherwise, there was hardly an occasion to meet.

Moving forward, I should visit more often. Having broken the ice, I can now learn some magic from Godin.

“Sivar!”

“?”

It was while I was lost in thought, walking to the classroom, that a familiar voice caught my ear.

Turning my head, I found Kara in her summer uniform right in front of me. Her refreshing smile is always striking.

“Wow, it really is Sivar. I was wondering if it was you going solo.”

“Hey.”

“Yeah, hey.”

As I waved my hand a bit, Kara greeted me warmly.

It hadn’t stood out much in spring and fall attire, but now that she’s in summer garb, her skin tone really pops.

A combination of white and bronze. It looks complementary yet gives off a delinquent vibe, which is strangely attractive.

Not to mention her impossibly thin summer wear that leaves nothing to the imagination. It’s oddly fitting.

“What did you eat for breakfast?”

Kara naturally sidled up to me and asked. Her green eyes were filled with curiosity.

I kept my gaze straight ahead and replied in my usual blunt tone.

“Rize.”

“······What?”

A short, curt response. But the meaning packed in it was anything but ordinary.

Kara shuddered a little at my answer, and her stride slowed down.

“She made it for you.”

“······Oh. You scared me there.”

Kara let out a sigh of relief after my follow-up, her voice trembling slightly; it seemed she really had been surprised.

Of course, I was just joking. The context was a bit strange, but the words themselves were easy enough to understand.

It was a bit of a twisted way of speaking that could lead to misunderstandings.

“You were taught to listen until the end when someone speaks, but you seem to have trouble with that too. Still can’t get your words right?”

“Yeah.”

“But you’ve improved a lot, you know. Up until last week, I had to interpret almost everything.”

I’ve been steadily gaining faith during that time. Right now, I was close to 20 in terms of faith alone.

That just means I have a long way to go. In the Soul World, to properly perform faith play, you need at least over 50.

Of course, it’s not like I’m aiming to do faith play; I’m just considering it since there’s no harm in raising it.

“Still, it’s a pity. There was a certain charm to deciphering your words.”

“Should I?”

“No. Don’t. Just speak comfortably.”

“Okay.”

“You sure respond well.”

As I engaged in light conversation with Kara, we soon arrived at the classroom.

Once we got there, I noticed a pretty sizable number of students gathered.

“Wait, what? He’s in a school uniform now?”

“Looks like his adjustment period is over. How did he pass? I heard he was breaking down buildings.”

“Maybe he didn’t hit anyone?”

Usually, everyone would be immersed in their own activities. However, upon seeing me in a school uniform, they started whispering amongst themselves.

Naturally, it’s a reaction to me wearing a school uniform when I was just in casual clothes yesterday.

I ignored their chatter and moved to my seat with Kara.

It had practically turned into my designated corner by now.

“It doesn’t feel like someone else’s business. I got that kind of reaction when I wore my school uniform too.”

“What about you, Kara? What did they say?”

“Huh? Oh, what did they say? Just that someone was getting beat up but somehow enrolled anyway. I heard it was a close call.”

It’s always been this way, but I can communicate quite well with Kara.

Even if my words come out jumbled, she gets it like magic, so I don’t need to use fancy language.

Even if I end up using difficult terms, Kara loves to interpret, so I can speak freely.

“Hello, Kara. And hello, Sivar.”

Not long after, Luna arrived in the classroom. As always, she took the seat next to me.

Even though she was supposed to wear summer attire now, she was still in spring and fall garbs.

To be precise, only her shirt had long sleeves. Isn’t she hot in that?

“Aren’t you hot? Why do you keep wearing long sleeves?”

“I don’t like getting tanned on my arms. You don’t get tan, do you?”

“I get tanned too. Just not as noticeable.”

Chatting like this, Grace and Lee Yeon-joo arrived, turning the classroom into a whirlwind of chatter.

I remained quiet, simply listening amidst the noisy atmosphere.

Whenever someone asked a question, I would respond succinctly.

‘Unless I have something significant to say, I won’t speak up first.’

Right now, I didn’t have anything particularly pressing to discuss. I simply kept my ears open.

“Oh, by the way, everyone, are you studying for the exams?”

Then a conversation that piqued my curiosity came from Grace.

The unavoidable fate that all students must face: exam periods. The Academy is no exception.

The Academy’s exams go on for about a week, testing all the material learned so far.

“Nope, I haven’t even started. Is it important?”

Kara replied with such nonchalance. Typical of her to not give a hoot about academy life.

At least the model students, Luna and Grace, were likely keeping up. Points are important, after all.

“If it’s important, it’s important. It could net you a ton of points, you know.”

“Oh, points. I wasn’t even remotely concerned about that. What can you do with them?”

“······I think Kara should just not worry about it.”

In any case, it seems even Grace doesn’t know what kind of exam we have.

They’re saying it will be based on the things we’ve learned during class, but I have zero idea how that will play out.

Having already had a duel once, the chances of that happening again are slim. Plus, doing things separately will just mean more revision.

“Professor Malboro will probably fill us in soon. Grace, you don’t have any issues, right?”

“Well, I did review what we learned in class, but… Oh, by the way, Luna.”

“Yes?”

“What’s Professor Godin like? I want to learn under him after the midterm.”

While the midterm is one concern, Grace’s words were nothing to be overlooked.

I pretended to look elsewhere while sharpening my ears. A pivotal moment seems to be approaching.

“I only know he’s a nice guy… By the way, is Professor Delphoi not so great?”

“No, it’s just a little…awkward? It might just be a preconceived notion, but like Sivar said, it feels a bit uncomfortable.”

With that, Grace glanced at me. Her deep purple eyes contained a strange emotion.

Being a child of the Duke’s family, she has keen intuition. She must have figured out Delphoi’s sinister motives by now.

If it were the usual, she probably wouldn’t have caught on until much later. But I warned her early on.

“Is he doing something really weird? Shouldn’t we report that?”

Kara asked, her face scrunched up, sounding aggressive. She seemed to have caught on to what Grace said.

But Grace shook her head, denying it. It means she thinks it’s not enough for that.

“It’s not that serious. Again, it could just be my misinterpretation. So I intend to consult and coordinate once more.”

“Well, in that case… Just be careful. Sneaky snakes can be anywhere.”

“I’ll keep that in mind. But come on, would I really do something like that? I’m part of the Duke’s family!”

That’s exactly what they’re aiming for. Although being part of the Duke’s family is a strong shield and spear, it can sometimes turn into chains that bind.

Delphoi would cleverly target that to prevent Grace from reporting him.

Should a crime be uncovered later on, she’d already be beyond the point of no return by then.

If that happens, Grace would be gone forever. It’s a regrettable situation in so many ways.

‘I need to keep an eye on this.’

It feels like the time has come to deal with that beastly prick. I thought so as I awaited the class.

“As you all know, the midterms start tomorrow. The midterms will consist of team battles.”

And then came the revelation of what the midterms entailed.

“By the way, Sivar will be exempted from direct attacks.”

“··· ···”

For me, that felt like severe discrimination.

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