Physical Training

'... Hoo.'

Danya stood next to Ian.

She watched Sharon Pierce and Ian's quarrel through the thick fog.

No.

Can that be called a quarrel?

It was Sharon Pierce's one-sided humiliation.

What did Ian do wrong to deserve such treatment?

Lina Rosewell also seemed to dislike him. Now Sharon Pierce did too.

Lina and Sharon. Danya, who had no friends, knew well that they were famous figures in the academy.

It was certainly not a good thing to be hated by such people.

Moreover, many students disliked Ian.

There were rumors circulating about Ian that were not favorable. It seemed like everyone knew about him.

'I decided to trust Ian, though.'

Of course, Danya trusted him.

She had believed in Ian, the one she had seen with her own eyes, and she had believed his words when he said to trust him.

In Danya's eyes, Ian was not a p*rvert or a troublemaker... It was quite different from the rumors that other kids seemed to misunderstand. It was almost as if they were misinterpreting everything.

If everything about him had just been misunderstandings or false accusations, how had Ian been feeling right then?

If Danya had been in Ian's position...

'I don't think I could endure the Academy like this.'

She would have definitely returned to her sanctuary immediately.

Or maybe... she would have joined a mercenary guild or something.

Sharon had walked away in the distance.

Danya glanced at Ian.

His expression was as indifferent as usual.

Even after hearing such harsh words, there had been no significant change in his expression.

'...'

That silent expression.

It hurt a bit in her heart.

How much must he have endured to have such an expression?

What had been happening inside Ian beyond that calm face?

It had made her feel sorry for him, even though he was her comrade.

She had considered offering comfort, but...

"Kuh."

Crack, crack. Ian had turned his head a few times left and right, then had looked in her direction.

The slightly raised corners of his mouth had been undeniably confident.

It had been the same smile Danya had occasionally seen recently.

"You have to face provocations like this to grow and taste the sweetness. Don't you think so, Danya?"

"You... you. You're a person to worry about."

"Huh? What?"

Ian had chuckled.

Danya had sighed.

Why had she worried unnecessarily?

"Are you really worried about me?"

"H-Huh? No, not at all!"

Ian grinned.

Danya pursed her lips for no apparent reason.

Really. It truly felt like she had suffered a loss worrying about him.

Now that she thought about it, this guy Ian had become more daring than before.

It was evident even during the just-concluded award ceremony.

Knight Department Dean Jan Bommel.

Honestly, when Danya first saw him, all she wanted to do was run away.

The strong smell of blood.

Certainly, the scent of someone who had taken numerous lives.

His gaze wasn't something that an ordinary mental strength could withstand.

But Ian was different.

He looked into his yellow eyes without much difficulty.
When the other party looked down on his rank, Ian not only endured but even dared to provoke.

'At that time, it really felt refreshing.'

It felt like Ian was relieving the pressure on Danya's suppressed pride.

Could it be said that he had replaced Danya's suppressed self-esteem with a feeling of liberation?

Honestly, for a moment, Ian seemed different.

Well, anyway.

After observing this series of events, such thoughts lingered in her mind.

'Since when...?'

Since when had Ian become so impressive? At the same time, she wondered with what confidence he confronted Sharon Pierce.

"Aren't you worried? Seeing Sharon act like that."

"Huh?"

"Sharon Pierce always keeps her word. She's the most promising student in the Inspectorate Department. There are even rumors that her promotion to Aether has been confirmed for the next semester. Aren't you worried about going against someone like her?"

Ian nodded without much thought.

"Think about it, Danya. I have nothing to lose anymore."

"...?"

"Fighting with Sharon is just a verbal dispute with nothing to lose. Moreover, imagine a scenario where I prove Sharon wrong with the results later. In short, there's no risk, and the only thing that can come back to me is a gain."

"..."

Danya let out a small sigh. Objectively speaking, going against Sharon Pierce was unrealistic.

Judging by the rumors that she met the criteria for Aether promotion, her ranking was at least 4 stars.

At the moment, due to Ian's overflowing self-confidence and slightly diminished objectivity, he couldn't fully comprehend the conflict with Sharon.

If Ian were to break Sharon and Dean Jan Bommel's authority? It would be a great thing, but honestly, it was an impossible task. Even though Danya somewhat overestimated Ian, this time it far exceeded that.

If Ian continued to be treated like this, his reputation would be worse than a water flea.

By that point, there probably wouldn't be anyone left willing to stand up for Ian.

'There's really nothing I can do.'

Danya nodded her head slightly.

It was the feeling of being an older sister looking at her stubborn younger sibling.

In reality, Ian and Danya had even exchanged words of trust.

In human standards, they were unparalleled comrades.

If Ian were to lose his place in the academy, there would be no one other than Danya to stand by him.

She was certain that she would be the only one to remain loyal to him until the end.

Ultimately, Ian had to take responsibility.

That's why taking good care of Ian was necessary.

'Maybe that's why I get concerned just by looking at Ian.'

Somewhere along the way, Ian had found a place in Danya's heart.

Danya defined that feeling in that way.

So, with a bit of courage, she decided to approach him.

"...Really, there's no other choice."

"Huh?"

"I'll teach you a special physical training method, Ian."

"A physical training method?"

"Yeah. Follow me, nyah."

◆

In the underground of a building in the academy, the place was filled with various types of equipment, and the air was filled with heated breaths.

"Haa, haa."

"Just one more."

"Nyaaa—"

"Alright, Danya. Let's do one more. The last one!"

"Hiyaaa—"

Although Danya was supposed to be teaching physical training, the situation had turned into Ian instructing Danya, especially when it came to muscles.

"This, this... this isn't exercise! It's torture! I didn't train like this!"

"It's not that bad. Now, let's add more weight for the next set."

“Tsk!”

At the mention of adding more weight, Danya, who had been groaning just a moment ago, suddenly stood up.

Her tail stood up.

Then, after rolling her eyes once, she said something.

"I feel like I left my kettle boiling at home."

"You've been outside for how many hours, and now you realize that..."

"Exactly!"

She fled at full speed.

Incredibly fast and agile.

Ian, who sighed, stood up from his position.

'She said she would confidently teach me a physical training method.'

Well, at least in the end, she fulfilled her promise.

Ian looked around, checking the name of the place.

[Physical Training Room]

In fact, just bringing him here, Danya had perfectly executed her boast.

Until just now, Ian didn't even know that such a place existed in the Academy.

A hidden physical training room deep within the academy.

People who trained their bodies like this were relatively few even in the academy, or so he assumed.

“Big.”

But Ian looked around with satisfaction.

In reality, the exercise equipment here wasn't much different from what one would find in modern gyms.

Dumbbells and barbells with structurally simple mechanisms were almost indistinguishable from their modern counterparts.

The machines requiring wire and other mechanical devices were a bit different from modern ones, but in a way, they seemed more advanced.

There were devices where only a disc floated in the air or had handles connected to it.

It seemed like exercise equipment utilizing magi-tech.

In other words, fantasy existed where magi-tech enthusiasts were obsessed with muscles.

"This is amazing."

Ian, holding one of the pieces of equipment, began exercising with satisfaction.

"Huuk—!"

By the way, Pongpong's physique was lacking in many aspects.

Most of the muscles present were from the Lunar staff he carried around after the possession.

Lifting such light weights.

"Hey, is this some kind of date spot?"

"Anyway, there are guys who bring girls here even though they can't even lift X."

A group of troublemakers appeared, picking a fight.

Ignoring them, they deliberately occupied the surrounding area.

“Isn’t this bastard Ian Blackangers?”

"Oh right? This guy's hilarious. Look at him lifting weights. I could lift that with my X. You call this exercise? Haha."

The guys even start messing with the equipment.

Ian, who sighed quietly, spoke up.

"Hey, save the gossip until after the workout. You’ll lose muscle.”

(TN: Brother is on the grind.)

◆

Ian, with his aching legs, left the physical training room.

By the way, those troublemakers were simply ignored.

They were probably waiting somewhere in a secluded area.

“It’s none of my business.”

There was no reason to entertain such nonsensical gossip.

Perhaps because they were muscleheads, the logic of muscle loss seemed to be accepted.

With that thought in mind, as he turned a corner of the building…

—Thud!

"Kyaa!"

He collided with someone.

A girl with full dark circles under her eyes.

She had ash-colored hair, and it was hard to tell if it was her actual hair color or if something had stained it.

And bright red lips.

For a moment, the appearance overlapped with Lina Rosewell, who used to eat fruits in the forest, but it wasn't quite the same.

Judging by the scent of strawberry jam, she seemed to be munching on a piece of bread.

'Where did the bread go?... Ah, there it is.'

There was a small tooth-marked piece of bread lying on the ground.

"Sorry."

While bowing to pick up the bread along with an apple…

"Wait!"

The girl, stretching out her arm, took out a notebook and sat down in front of the bread.

"... Number 93 out of 93."

"?"

"It fell on the jam side. Based on my observations so far, the probability is 100%."

After jotting that down in her notebook, she hastily put it back in her pocket.

What followed was an even stranger action.

"3-second rule confirmed."

The girl picked up the bread from the floor and, without hesitation, put it back into her mouth.

In that madness, Ian could only mutter in astonishment.

"... It was way more than 3 seconds."

In the midst of the bizarre encounter, he shook his head and was about to leave when something sparkled and glowed at the spot where the girl had been sitting.

"... A piece of rock?"

There was a quite unique-shaped and colored stone fragment lying there.

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