Chapter 122: Special Training 12
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 122: Special Training 12
Thirty minutes had passed since Sepia left to change into more comfortable clothes.
Behind his mask, Loki let out a long sigh.
It wasn't because he was tired of waiting or because he was angry. He had been a bit caught off guard when she first showed up for training in a one-piece dress, but...
‘If the only price for seeing her in that outfit is a thirty-minute wait?’
He could wait three hours, let alone thirty minutes.
Just as he was picturing Sepia in her dress again, he sensed someone approaching. This was the real reason Loki had sighed.
‘Is this the fourth one already?’
Then again, maybe not. Perhaps they were just heading this way because they liked the look of the bench he was sitting on...
"Hello there."
No such luck.
‘And it’s a girl this time.’
He could tell by the voice. Ever since Sepia left to change, people had been constantly approaching him. So far, three people had spoken to him, all of them male. Some offered a brief greeting, while others outright asked to hang out.
The girl who had just arrived introduced herself as a member of a Viscount’s family from the Croa Empire.
"Why are you wearing a black mask today instead of the white one?"
"I just switch them out every now and then."
An Imperial citizen...
Honestly, he had expected students from the other kingdoms to approach him more, but surprisingly, three out of the four people who had spoken to him—including this girl—were from the Empire.
The reason they were reaching out was obvious: word had spread that he was the Emperor’s disciple. An Academy student with no background suddenly being named the disciple of an Emperor who had never taken one before? If he were in their shoes, he would have done whatever it took to build a connection or scout him for his family.
‘Ever since His Majesty announced I was his disciple, the students who used to insult or ignore me have vanished.’
In their place, however, came these annoying encounters. He could easily ignore those who insulted or looked down on him, but it felt wrong to give the cold shoulder to people who were just making polite conversation.
‘I don’t care if my own reputation takes a hit, but it might reflect poorly on the people around me...’
Just as he was wondering how to get rid of the girl quickly—
Whoosh!
"What do you think you're doing?"
A cold voice drifted down from above as a figure descended from the sky. She had swapped her dress for practical clothes, and her fluttering pink hair was tied back for ease of movement.
"L-Lady Sepia Rivayden?"
The girl talking to Loki stammered in surprise at Sepia’s sudden entrance. To be fair, anyone would be startled if someone suddenly dropped from the sky, even if it wasn't a high-ranking noble like Sepia.
"So, what’s going on here?" Sepia asked, completely ignoring the other girl.
"Well..."
Loki hesitated, searching for an explanation.
If he said, ‘I don’t know either,’ it would probably just make Sepia angrier.
If he said, ‘She’s trying to get close to me because I’m the Emperor’s disciple,’ it was the truth, but it felt like he’d be unnecessarily humiliating the girl. If she had been picking a fight, he wouldn't have hesitated, but she hadn't.
As Loki struggled for words and Sepia’s eyes began to narrow—
"I just remembered I have an important appointment! I’ll be going now!"
The girl bit her lip after seeing the look on Sepia’s face and practically fled the scene.
"Pushover, what kind of conversation were you having with—"
Loki cut her off before she could finish.
"Thank you, Sepia. I was wondering how to get her to leave, but you showed up at just the right time. I was able to turn her away easily thanks to you."
Sepia found Loki exasperating. Honestly, what was so hard about turning someone down?
"Should I start calling you 'Idiot' instead of 'Pushover'? Just tell them you don't want to talk, or better yet... tell them to get lost. Most of them actually will, you know?"
"Gasp! How could you say something so harsh? And you know how introverted I am, Sepia. It’s not that easy."
"Ha! Unbelievable."
Sepia was dumbfounded by his shamelessness. Introverted? Him? The guy who walked around in a bright red cloak and the most eye-catching mask possible was calling himself an introvert?
"More importantly," Loki said, clapping his hands together. "That white dress and your hair looked great earlier, but this outfit and the tied-up hair suit you perfectly, too."
Sepia knew in the back of her mind that he was just trying to change the subject, but...
"......Really? I just threw on the first thing I saw."
She couldn't help but let it slide. For the record, Sepia had used a wind spirit to fly home in an instant. The reason it had still taken thirty minutes was that she had agonized over which outfit was both pretty and functional, and which hairstyle would look best.
And she had something else for him.
"Also, take this! I accidentally bought too much, and it’s a waste to throw it away, so I’ll give it to you. Consider it a special favor."
Sepia handed Loki the perfume she had brought from home. It was because he had mentioned he liked the scent earlier.
"What’s this?"
"Can't you tell by looking? It’s what you wanted earlier."
Sepia was too embarrassed to admit it was the exact same perfume she wore, so she spoke in circles. Loki, however, tilted his head as if he didn't understand.
"You said you wanted to know what perfume I was wearing!"
"But didn't you say you wouldn't tell me?"
"...Ugh! If you don't want it, give it back! There are plenty of other people who want this, you know?"
"No way. Once it’s been given, I’m the owner. Thank you, Sepia. I’ll make good use of it."
Watching him tuck the perfume carefully into his pocket, Sepia tried to suppress the corners of her mouth from twitching upward.
"Pushover, where are we training? The training grounds are in the opposite direction."
"I’ve already thought of a place. If it’s the spot I have in mind, the two of us can be alone without any interruptions."
Sepia unconsciously gulped.
"A-Alone? In a place where no one else is?"
No matter how she thought about it, there was no reason they had to train in a deserted place.
‘Wait, is the training just an excuse to get me alone and...?’
A perfectly logical thought flashed through her mind—that if that were the case, he wouldn't have told her to change out of the dress.
‘It’s a trap to make me lower my guard!’
But that logic was immediately trampled by Sepia’s delusions... or rather, her overactive imagination.
"Since you’ve changed and I’ve finished my mental preparations, shall we head out?"
Sepia lowered her head. If she agreed to go, there was no telling what he might do to her in a deserted place. She had to be firm here...
".....Okay."
* * *
The sound of sparrows chirping in the sky.
The rustle of countless trees swaying in the wind.
Even the scent of nature drifting into her nose.
"Pushover, is this 'deserted place' you mentioned just the forest?"
"Yup."
".................."
It was exactly as he said: a place with no one else around. This forest was owned by the Academy and was rarely used outside of exams.
"Well, since you can't enter without permission anyway, other students won't be able to—"
Sepia stopped mid-sentence as something felt off. She knew that getting a permit to enter the forest usually took at least three days. Loki had only suggested training together this morning.
"........Pushover?"
"Yes, Sepia?"
"I’m just asking, but... you did get permission to use the forest, right?"
"............. Right now, such trivial matters aren't important!"
"What if we get caught?"
"Then we just have to not get caught!"
He spoke with such confidence, as if he had done nothing wrong. His sheer shamelessness left Sepia sighing, unable to even scold him.
To be precise, it wasn't that she couldn't scold him, but rather that she wouldn't. If she insisted they go back because they might get caught, she didn't know when she’d get to spend time with him like this again.
"Fine. Like you said, we just won't get caught. So, how are you going to make me stronger?"
"Sepia, I don't know the first thing about Spirit Arts."
If Sepia had heard those words from Loki a while ago, she would have been furious, accusing him of tricking her. But now, her trust in him was overflowing, so she remained calm and listened.
Loki spoke with a rare, serious tone.
"I’m telling you now, this is going to be very difficult. I’ve set a timeframe of one month, but that’s assuming I push you to your absolute limits."
Because Loki was serious, Sepia answered in kind.
"I’ll work hard, even if it kills me."
"No, why would you say something so scary? The whole point is to stay alive. It’s useless if you die during training, Sepia."
"No! It’s just a figure of speech! A figure of speech!" Sepia snapped at him. She thought he was finally being serious!
"Sigh... So, what do I need to do for the next month?"
"Hmm, give me a moment, Sepia. This requires concentration and preparation."
Loki vividly visualized the image he wanted to create. To make it as accurate as possible, the mental image was paramount. Even if Sepia trained for a month with the help of the mask’s power, she would still be weaker than Betzdo. Furthermore, her opponent wasn't a normal knight or mage, but a necromancer—something Sepia had never faced before.
It was impossible for Sepia to become stronger than Betzdo in a single month. However, it was possible to make her capable of defeating him.
"Sepia, do you know the easiest way to study?"
"That’s........ huh?"
Startled by the random question, Sepia began to think, but then her eyes widened.
Skeletons were rising from the ground beside Loki. And not just one, but dozens of fully armed skeletons.
Loki had played Croaka for ten years, and naturally, all the information on Betzdo, one of the bosses, was etched into his mind. What kind of corpses he used, what attacks he performed, how he fought against Sepia, and so on.
The way for Sepia to defeat Betzdo...
"The answer is studying ahead."
It was to memorize every single one of his patterns.