Chapter 12: The Training Grounds(1)
Chapter 12: The Training Grounds(1)
It was my first weekend since enrolling in Halo Academy. Although the world I lived in modeled itself after the Middle Ages, the concept of a seven-day week had been in practice since ancient times, just like in my previous life.
"Mmm... that was a good sleep."
Having slept in for the first time in a while, both my body and mind felt refreshed. I stretched and checked the clock; it was only 8:30 AM. I thought I’d slept in quite late, but apparently not.
Still, today was a day for relaxation. It would have been a disaster if I hadn't checked the manuscript yesterday, so I had rushed through the final revisions.
That was a close call.
I rolled around in bed for a bit before sitting up abruptly. Looking toward the desk, I saw the lingering traces of my struggle with the revisions from yesterday evening through the night.
The words I had said to Cecile in front of the cafeteria were all lines I had written in the manuscript. They were words of comfort offered by Xenon to his best friend and the second protagonist, Jin.
It was a crucial scene, as it provided the foundation for Jin’s internal growth. The problem was that I had ended up saying those exact words to Cecile.
In the end, I settled for slightly modifying the text, but the nuance remained similar enough to be bothersome. With a Demon's incredible memory, she would remember everything I said; she might even find it suspicious.
Well, if that happens...
I’d just have to brush it off as a coincidence. As the current situation suggested, most people assumed the author of the Xenon Biography was an experienced sage—not a green youth not even in his twenties like me.
I scratched my stomach and pondered what to do for breakfast. During the week, meals were provided by the academy, but on weekends, I had to figure it out myself. Fortunately, students received benefits, so the prices were relatively cheap.
But where should I exercise?
Back home, I used to do light exercise every morning. My father encouraged it, saying that sitting at a desk all day would make my back hunch and my body stiff.
I had followed his lead and worked out diligently to stay healthy. Jogging was the baseline, and I incorporated various stretches to loosen up my stiff muscles.
Thanks to that, I rarely felt any physical discomfort or pain.
Except for the occasional dry eyes and declining vision when I got too absorbed in my work.
Come to think of it, the training ground here looked quite spacious...
From my explorations of the academy whenever I had free time, I knew there was a public training ground. In fact, it would be stranger for an academy that taught Martial Studies to knights and mages not to have one.
I hadn't actually stepped inside, though. I hadn't felt the need to.
I’ll just grab some take-out after I finish exercising.
There were several restaurants in Halo Academy that offered take-out. They were for students who considered even the time spent eating to be a waste.
Furthermore, students from the Literature Department used take-out much more often than those from Martial Studies. Martial Studies students prioritized their bodies and tended to eat balanced, regular meals, but the same couldn't be said for the literature students.
One might wonder about take-out in a medieval setting, but surprisingly, the food service industry in this world was well-developed. Not only were there various spices, but trade was also very active.
With a bit of exaggeration, the food wasn't much different from my previous life, and there were even snacks sold on the streets.
Though there’s no carbonated soda like Coke.
If that existed, chemistry and mechanical engineering would have likely advanced alongside it. I didn't even want to think about the idea of creating soda through magic.
Deciding to grab a sandwich after a quick workout, I began changing my clothes. I planned to shower after exercising, but I didn't skip washing my face. That was the bare minimum.
"Let's see... I'm sure I put my civilian clothes here... Ah, here they are."
I hadn't brought many clothes from home, but I did bring the ones I wore for exercise. Perhaps because of the Dwarves, who were the epitome of craftsmanship, the variety of clothing was almost as diverse as in my previous life. To put it simply, they even had leggings, let alone tracksuits.
However, because there were no "factories"—the symbol of the Industrial Revolution that enabled mass production—everything had to be painstakingly handmade by workers. Consequently, clothes made of specialized materials like tracksuits or leggings were outrageously expensive.
It was a good thing I was a noble; if I had been a commoner, my hands would have trembled at the price tag.
Truly, a bizarre world from start to finish.
The existence of mana and magic, along with races other than humans, seemed to have produced this result.
Perhaps this subtle imbalance was why mechanical engineering was slow to develop. It was highly likely that people simply used magic to compensate for any inconveniences.
Then one might ask what those temperature-control devices similar to refrigerators or air conditioners were, but I didn't know. I was a writer, not a mage.
From what I’d heard, mages were categorized into combat and support roles, and support mages seemed similar to the engineers of my previous life.
I suppose mechanical engineering is more important for things like washing machines or steam locomotives. Magic must have its limits.
I put on a red tracksuit that matched my hair color and headed outside. The refreshing morning air greeted me. It was truly perfect weather for light exercise.
First, the training ground...
I already had a restaurant in mind, so I could just head there later. It was a perfect fit for me—good taste and cheap prices.
It really is the weekend.
I looked around as I walked toward the public training ground. Being the weekend, there were far more people in civilian clothes than in school uniforms.
"Hey, that looks delicious. Should we go?"
"Let's go, let's go."
"Lady Sally! Wait for me!"
"Hurry up, Kay! This looks so much fun!"
The nobles wore clothes that were clearly crafted with great effort, while the commoners wore clothes easily found on the market.
Occasionally, I saw people in tracksuits like me, running hard without a care for the stares of others. Passersby would give them a glance before going back to their own business.
It seemed to be a familiar sight within Halo Academy. Everyone was busy enjoying what they wanted to do.
It’s like a college town.
During the week, the number of people coming and going was relatively small, partly because I usually went straight to the library or my dormitory after lectures. But on the weekend, the place was bustling and full of energy.
Moreover, I saw races I didn't usually encounter—not only Elves, who were called the incarnations of beauty, but also the occasional Dwarf. However, Beastkin were hard to find.
As for Demons...
Since Cecile was the only Demon enrolled in Halo Academy, it was natural there were no others. The reason for the lack of Beastkin was likely the current poor relations with humans. One only had to look through history to find out why.
As I walked along, taking in my surroundings, I soon arrived at the public training ground. To be precise, I was in front of the entrance.
"...It really is huge."
True to its "public" designation, it boasted a massive scale that would put a soccer stadium to shame. The Grand Hall was large, but the public training ground was on another level entirely.
The building's architecture was overall similar to the Colosseum, and since they had explained during the entrance ceremony that it was layered with defensive magic, it was likely top-tier in terms of durability.
"Oh? Isaac?"
"Huh?"
As I was admiring the imposing majesty of the training ground, a familiar voice reached my ears. I turned my gaze toward the source.
"...Sister?"
Standing there was a beautiful woman with long navy hair tied in a ponytail, wearing a navy tracksuit—my older sister, Nicole.
As soon as our eyes met, she crossed her arms and asked with a puzzled expression.
"What are you doing here? Don't tell me you're here to exercise?"
"Oh, yeah. I came to do some light exercise."
"Hmm..."
Nicole looked toward the training ground after hearing my answer. Then, she looked back at me and spoke firmly.
"I don't think that'll work."
"Eh? Why?"
"This is a training ground. A place for martial arts. It's definitely not the kind of place you're thinking of for just loosening up your body. Unless you mean 'discipline.'"
"I can't even do simple exercises?"
"It's possible, but..."
As if finding it difficult to explain, she scratched her chin while looking at the training ground, then spoke in an ambiguous tone.
"How should I put it... there are a lot of weirdos. Some of them enjoy picking on others."
"In what way? Like suddenly throwing down a gauntlet and demanding a duel...?"
"What era are you living in?"
Nicole replied with an exasperated look at my question. I let out an embarrassed laugh.
Still, seeing Nicole ask what era that was from, it seemed such a culture had existed at some point.
"Anyway, it's nothing like that. Just think of it as kids playing some mean pranks. Especially toward freshmen."
"Do students from the Literature Department come here too, not just Martial Studies?"
"Yeah. Commoners aside, quite a few nobles come. Most of them learned basic martial arts from their families before entering the academy. You're the outlier."
Just as Nicole explained, I knew almost nothing about basic martial arts. To be precise, I could understand it with my head, but my body wouldn't follow.
Furthermore, while I could control mana to enhance my physical abilities, that was the extent of it. I had barely used my body in my previous life, and being reincarnated into a fantasy world didn't change that.
My concentration had improved to a level that even surprised my father, but it was all for naught since my stamina couldn't keep up.
"I still want to go in. Now that you've said that, I'm even more curious."
"Sigh. Maybe I shouldn't have said anything. I regret it now."
Nicole scratched her head with a troubled smile, then placed her hands on her hips.
"Fine. It won't hurt to go in for the experience. But once we're inside, I won't be able to help you much."
"Why?"
"I have to spar with the students. Did you forget your sister is a TA?"
"Ah. Right."
Being a TA in Martial Studies was only possible if one possessed outstanding skills. And Nicole was currently serving as a TA at Halo Academy alongside Dave.
If you couldn't quite grasp what her role was, you could think of her as a martial arts instructor. Even if her stamina was depleted, she had to step up if a student requested a spar, so it was quite physically demanding work.
I nodded at her warning, then spoke as something suddenly occurred to me.
"Then can I watch the sparring?"
"Watching is fine. Are you going to write about it in your book?"
"Yeah."
"Alright. That much should be fine."
And so, I followed closely behind Nicole as we entered the public training ground. Once inside, contrary to my expectations, the layout was surprisingly simple.
There were locker rooms and showers divided by gender, and further inside, various weapons presumably for training were arranged. Out of curiosity, I pulled out a sword; as expected of a training weapon, it wasn't sharpened.
As I was looking over the training iron sword, Nicole stopped at a fork in the path and asked me.
"Where do you want to look first? The sparring area or the gym?"
"Huh? Is there a separate place for exercising?"
"Of course. Imagine trying to exercise while people are sparring right next to you. Do you think that would work? It's dangerous, too."
"Then I'll go to the gym first."
The reason I came to the training ground was to exercise, after all. Nicole nodded at my words and started walking.
"Oh, by the way. I'm telling you now, don't get intimidated after you see it. Got it?"
"I got it."
Just how impressive could it be for Nicole to say something like that?
"Haa...! Haa...!"
"Whoa! Nice! Nice! Pull faster!"
"Mike! If you lose this, you're dead meat!"
...I once had such naive thoughts.
As soon as I entered the gym, my jaw dropped at the sight before me. I couldn't tell if what I was seeing was reality.
To describe the situation, two men each had a rope tied around their waists and were dragging blocks of iron. They were so massive they were almost as big as houses. And a single person was dragging such a block of iron.
"Should I bring something bigger than this?"
"This is enough. Let's start."
"..."
But the other side was just as intense. A person doing push-ups with a massive iron weight on their back was the mildest case; there were people performing artistic feats on pull-up bars everywhere.
The commonality was that regardless of age, gender, or race, everyone wore outfits that fully revealed their physical builds. Most of the men were shirtless, and the women were all in sleeveless tops.
Thanks to that, it was a feast for the eyes, but more than that, I began to doubt if they were even human.
While I stood there agape in shock, Nicole asked me with a smirk.
"How is it? Impressive, right?"
"..."
"If you're planning to work out here, I won't stop you."
"...No. I'll just run outside."
I didn't have the courage to join those monsters. Nicole patted my shoulder as if to say it was okay.
"Then watch your sister spar for about an hour before you go exercise. Okay?"
"Yeah."
In the end, I turned back from the gym and headed toward the sparring area. At least I could watch the sparring with a peaceful mind.
I should bring a notebook and a magic pen next time.
As everyone knows, there's a world of difference between hearing about something and seeing it with your own eyes. Moreover, it would surely be a great help for the somewhat lacking combat scenes in the Xenon Biography.
For now, I’d have to settle for memorizing it, but it seemed like a good idea to take this opportunity and come every week. Conveniently, my sister was a TA, so I didn't need to worry about being out of place.
By the way, the hallway is quite long.
Perhaps for safety, the hallway leading to the sparring area was considerably long. Also, as we got closer to the exit, I could occasionally hear the sound of metal clashing against metal; it seemed a spar was already in full swing.
It was just as Nicole and I reached the exit.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, the sound of an object cutting through the air reached my ears. Just as I registered the sound—
Thud!
The object that had been flying fiercely through the air stopped right in front of my eyes. Before I could even raise my hands, Nicole had swiftly blocked it.
I blinked, not knowing what had happened, then checked what the object Nicole had blocked was.
It was just a simple ball. A ball that looked like it would be squishy. Even so, it had flown quite fast, and Nicole had snatched it before I could even react.
I blinked at the completely unexpected situation and stared blankly at the ball before glancing at Nicole. My reaction might have been a bit slow, but Nicole's reaction speed was truly impressive.
"...This brat, seriously... I told them not to do this...!"
Regardless, Nicole's expression was contorted with rage.
It was a face I had never seen as her brother, and a curse word I had never heard from her. And then...
"Ah~ Sorry, sorry. The ball I threw ended up flying that way."
A husky female voice drifted out from beyond the exit.