Chapter 339: Complacency(3)
Chapter 339: Complacency(3)
Kate’s regenerative abilities are insanely high, almost like a zombie’s, but her base physical fitness is no better than an average person’s.
Even after just five minutes of running, she huffs and puffs as if she’s about to keel over. Even when she uses divine power to recover, she’s out of breath again in no time. The strange thing, however, is that she somehow manages to keep up.
Cardio isn't easy just because it's cardio. Depending on how you do it, it can turn into high-intensity training.
For instance, instead of a slow jog, you maintain a pace that’s about 80% of a full sprint, or you accelerate the mana within your body as you move.
This is exactly why high-level experts can fight for three days and nights straight. They don’t go all out from the very beginning, and they possess an absurd amount of endurance coupled with proper stamina distribution.
Even I can handle intense exercise all through the early morning hours without a problem, so imagine how it is for those who actually train in the martial arts. Since I have divine power as well, I’m confident in battles of endurance.
Right now, rather than simply increasing my raw stamina, I’m focusing on developing the capacity to distribute it effectively. I was starting to hit a plateau in terms of just upgrading my "hardware."
Even if the gods are providing a generous supply of divine power, how you use it makes all the difference. Knowing that well, I make sure to exercise consistently whenever I have the time.
"Haah... haah... ugh..."
"Are you okay?"
"Yes... I am fine."
Perhaps because of that, it’s inevitable that Kate, who has zero base fitness, is struggling. She even stubbornly requested that I shouldn't feel the need to be considerate of her pace.
Her base fitness might be bottom-tier, but thanks to her insane regeneration, she’s somehow managing to follow along.
Still, I’m worried. I keep thinking she might just suddenly collapse.
Priests are fundamentally patient people, after all...
To be precise, I’m talking about those who are truly devout. They possess far more patience than the average person.
They are people who hold firm faith in their gods deep within their hearts, alongside their asceticism.
The reason the Holy Order’s paladins are treated with much more respect than ordinary knights is also due to this endurance. If it is the word of God, they follow it silently, no matter how grueling the task.
Furthermore, their versatility is overwhelming since they can perform "self-heals"—to use a gaming term—even when injured.
This is also why Kate can keep up even when she looks like she’s about to pass out. Usually, a healthy mind dwells in a healthy body, but in her case, it’s the complete opposite.
Even if her stamina is abysmal, with a mindset like that, she’ll grow quickly. I’ve experienced it myself, so I can guarantee it.
"Haah... haah..."
However, it seems even divine power can’t stop the sweat from pouring down like rain. Not only her hair but even the workout clothes she borrowed from Adelia are completely soaked.
If you have a healthy mind, building a healthy body is a piece of cake. However, if you aren't careful, you can break your body.
Unless stamina is there to back it up, mental strength doesn't mean much. If you push too hard, your body will collapse before your mind even has a chance to react.
Moreover, it’s not winter right now; it’s summer, with the hot sun beating down. We have plenty of time, so it seems better to take a short break here.
I caught Adelia’s eye as she ran beside me, and she nodded.
"Let's take a short break here."
"Haah... Yes. Understood."
At the declaration of a blissful break, Kate looked like she had been granted a new lease on life. No matter how strong her mental fortitude, this was high-intensity training for her.
Steel gets stronger the more you hammer it, but human mental strength isn't like that. If even a small crack appears, the aftereffects are severe.
This applies even to Kate, whose regeneration is far superior to others. Even if the physical wounds heal instantly, the traces of pain do not disappear.
She has to act as my guard, too...
I scanned the surroundings while Kate caught her breath. Perhaps because we were exercising so openly, quite a few people were watching us from a distance.
The saving grace was that they didn't approach easily. They just whispered from afar or looked at us as if they were seeing celebrities; they didn't even think about coming near me.
It probably wasn't just because of my guard, but because of the academy security guards patrolling the area. If I go out, the Academy is bound to find out naturally.
So, unless I approach them first, there’s no way they’d be crazy enough to come to me.
It’s a bit burdensome, but I’ll get used to this too.
Humans are creatures of habit. It’s difficult now, but after another week or two, I’ll get used to those stares.
"Phew... I feel like I can finally breathe."
While I was looking around, Kate’s voice reached my ears. When I turned my head at the sound, a rather vivid scene met my eyes.
Kate had half-removed her outer top to cool down her sweat. She was wearing a breathable t-shirt underneath, but even that was clinging to her skin with sweat, revealing her figure clearly.
It certainly wasn't meant to be an erotic scene, but given her physique, my eyes naturally drifted. Should I describe it as a "sinful body"?
However, because Kate naturally exuded a holy aura, I felt almost no lust. I could just pass it off with a thought like, Wow, she has a great figure.
"It's tough, isn't it?"
"My body is tired, but my mind is clear."
"Your spirit and energy are both excellent, Lady Kate. They were so excellent that they were even able to compensate for your physical body. I’m not sure since this is my first time seeing a case like this, but you’ll be fine if you keep going as you are."
Adelia offered advice as she handed Kate a water bottle she had prepared in advance. Adelia was sweating slightly from the heat, but she didn't look tired at all.
Kate nodded and took a careful sip of the water. To her right now, it must taste like the water of life.
Just as Adelia said, Kate is a unique case. Usually, one trains the body first and then develops mental strength, but she was walking the exact opposite path.
"Tell me whenever it gets too hard. We’ll rest immediately."
"No. If the two of you are inconvenienced because of me..."
"The person who is supposed to guard me shouldn't be faltering because of stamina. Got it?"
"...Understood. I shall work hard from now on."
I made sure her motivation was topped off. From now on, Kate would probably work out hard every weekend just like Adelia and me.
Exercise is always more motivating when there are more people doing it together. If I had been doing this alone without Adelia, I wouldn't have even stepped out of the dormitory.
After the break time had passed and Kate had taken one last sip of water, I gave her a bright smile and spoke kindly.
"Shall we run again?"
"......Yes."
Her expression remained the same, but the slight delay in her response suggested she was indeed struggling. This kind of physical pain is hard to get used to.
Seeing her show a human side, I gave her a grin and started moving my legs.
Adelia soon stood by my side and began running level with me, and Kate followed behind, drenched in sweat.
Honestly, it doesn't look like there's much danger, does it?
I glanced around as I ran. During the brief breaks, the distance between us and other people would close, but while we were running, people kept their distance.
The Academy is large, but there are many people like me who exercise because of its scale.
Because of that, if I saw someone running toward me from the opposite direction, I would lightly dodge them.
Furthermore, busy areas with a lot of foot traffic weren't included in our routine. In other words, the probability of a demon worshiper launching an ambush was very low.
I just need to be careful in crowded places... but would it be okay to just drop by somewhere quickly?
It would only take a moment. I was starting to run low on manuscript paper anyway, so it seemed like a good idea to visit a shop.
For safety's sake, I could ask Adelia, but I didn't want to put her through that trouble unnecessarily.
I'll run for about thirty more minutes, and then...
Thud—
"Ack."
Was it because I was too lost in thought? Or did I fail to notice a tree root in the middle of the path?
I felt something catch my foot, and in an instant, my balance pitched forward. At this rate, I was going to kiss the dirt.
Grip!
But that didn't happen. As soon as my balance shifted forward, someone grabbed my clothes to stop me from falling.
And it wasn't just one hand; two hands grabbed my clothes. I assumed Adelia and Kate had caught me at the same time.
"Are you alright?"
"Are you okay? That gave me a fright."
Just as I expected. Adelia was one thing, but I was slightly surprised that even the struggling Kate had reacted.
After regaining my balance with their help, I gave an embarrassed laugh. This was a minor mishap caused by me being lost in thought.
"Sorry. I was thinking about something for a second."
"About what?"
"Just something."
If I mentioned what I was thinking, I might get scolded by Adelia, so I gave a vague answer.
Adelia looked suspicious for a moment, then put her hands on her hips and spoke.
"Then let's rest for a bit here. It's about time for a break anyway. Do you agree, Lady Kate?"
"I wholeheartedly agree."
"It looks like Lady Kate is the one who wants to rest more, though?"
"It is embarrassing, but because I am still lacking, such a desire did arise."
As Kate admitted it honestly, Adelia and I let out soft chuckles.
Just then, a cool breeze blew by, cooling our heat at least a little.
While Kate was receiving the water bottle from Adelia, I looked around again. This was a route used mainly by people exercising, with very few people around.
There were almost no buildings, just a walking path lined with large trees on both sides. They were cherry blossoms, the kind of place that would delight the eyes with a beautiful view in the spring.
I took a few steps away from the women and slowly walked toward a tree. It wasn't strange that the mention of cherry blossoms made me think of Cherry.
Come to think of it, did they say these cherry trees were brought from Cherry’s family?
Probably. I heard that cherry trees this large only grow in the Roseberry family's estate.
I looked around while the others took their rest. Occasionally, people walking or exercising would spot me and look startled.
When I gave them a light nod, they didn't know what to do with themselves. It was a pretty amusing situation, one I might start enjoying soon.
Peaceful rest time flowed by, and just as we were preparing to start jogging again...
"Ugh...!!"
"Huh?"
Suddenly, a groan from up ahead reached my ears. As I mentioned, this was a walking path.
Since there were only people exercising or taking walks, there were far fewer people than in the busy districts. Naturally, even small sounds sounded relatively loud.
When I turned my head toward the source of the sound, I couldn't help but be startled. It was what you’d call an unexpected emergency.
Thump!
A man collapsed forward, clutching his chest. There was no staggering. He just crumbled helplessly.
"Kyaaaah!"
"A-A person...!"
"A priest! Is there a priest nearby?!"
As the man suddenly collapsed, various reactions erupted. Everyone was flustered, not knowing what to do.
As soon as I confirmed the sight of the man collapsing, I immediately looked at Kate. As soon as the emergency occurred, she took on a serious expression and rushed toward the man.
It looked like a heart attack, but since there was a priest here—and a more certain one than CPR—he should be able to be recovered without much trouble. Moreover, Kate was a Cardinal.
Still, I couldn't help but be curious. How would they handle a heart attack here? Would they heal this with divine power as well?
Just as I took a step forward.
Fweeeet—
The sound of something violently cutting through the air reached my ears.