Training (1)
“This humble servant of the goddess greets the Saintess.”
As soon as I stepped into the Knight Commander’s office, the grizzled yet stern-faced knight rose from his seat, bowed his head respectfully, and greeted me with a formal nod.
Here, I needed to project the utmost dignity and poise. After all, this was the moment I had to secure what I truly wanted.
“Please, have a seat, Saintess Maria.”
Saintess Maria. The man bearing the title of the strongest Holy Knight in history. I still remembered the lore that when ranking humanity’s mightiest, this name was always invoked.
The strongest Holy Knight. The man who stood at the pinnacle of humanity. Just look at those titles—they struck straight at a man’s heartstrings. Even if I tried not to remember, I couldn’t help it.
Although I was a woman now. Still.
“May I ask the purpose of your visit?”
“I have a request.”
And then I said it.
“Andreus, I want to learn close combat from you.”
I had decided to train under the strongest knight himself.
When he heard my words, Andreus closed his eyes and seemed to ponder for a long moment.
Neither of us spoke.
A heavy silence began to settle between us. It was cold, oppressive, pressing down on me as if trying to crush my spirit.
How much time had passed? Andreus finally opened his eyes.
“I’m sorry, Saintess. I cannot fulfill your request.”
“Why is that? Is it because I appear weak?”
Andreus shook his head and replied.
“No. If I were to teach you, I fear I might commit a sin against the Saintess. This Andreus is ashamed, but in truth—”
“I know. The Pope himself had to admonish you to restrain your methods because of your extremely harsh training policy.”
“How did you—?!”
Of course, I had read the game story. But since I couldn’t say it outright, I twisted my words slightly.
“When the goddess bestowed her grace upon me, she advised me on how I should proceed and spoke with me.”
“...The goddess herself!”
Saying it made my eyes widen, though I felt a twinge of guilt.
I couldn’t back down now. I had to achieve my goal clearly.
The goal of having the strongest knight as my close-combat mentor—the kind of thing that made one’s mouth water just to hear.
“However, I desperately need your support, Andreus. I assume you have heard that my grace is bombardment.”
Seeing Andreus nod, I continued.
“But isn’t it strange? Why has the goddess never once granted a grace related to combat directly to the Saintess, yet she has bestowed this ‘bombardment’ grace upon me?”
“I’m sorry. This Andreus’s foolish mind cannot comprehend the goddess’s profound will.”
Of course, I didn’t know either. How could I?
In the end, the truth remains hidden unless the one who lived it speaks.
But there’s a saying that dreams are better than interpretations, isn’t there? It’s all about perspective.
“The goddess has judged that the power to protect humanity is more necessary than the power to heal it at this time. Even to fulfill the goddess’s will, I must become strong.”
“T-thus!”
Perfect. It was working. Now it was time for the final blow. I smiled as demurely as a true Saintess.
“That’s right. Even to wield this power that punishes evil properly, I desperately need your help, Andreus.”
A brief silence fell.
Andreus slowly rose, walked before me, knelt on one knee, and said.
“...This Andreus will follow the will of the goddess and the Saintess.”
Looking at Andreus offering that greeting, I smiled inwardly.
Easy.
#
Honestly, I had been a little careless.
After all, I was the Saintess now. The highest-ranking person in the church.
So, no matter how harshly Andreus treated others, I figured he wouldn’t be too lenient with the Saintess.
The past me who thought that was an idiot.
“Hah, hah, hah. An-Andreus? I feel like I’m going to die. Just a moment—rest, then.”
How many laps had I run? My lungs burned and my head spun.
Starting with basic physical conditioning and it was this brutal? Even the gym trainer hadn’t been this intense.
I asked for a short break with a sincere heart that I couldn’t go on, but it was useless.
“It’s fine! People don’t die easily!”
No, I felt like I was dying. My throat felt raw from exhaustion.
I wanted water. With that desperate plea in my eyes, Andreus noticed and nodded.
“One more lap, then we’ll move to the next training!”
I resented the past me who had gone looking for Andreus.
No matter how much I thought of excuses, this was too much.
Even if I wanted to quit, the past me had spoken too grandly, so Andreus was in a half-berserk state.
Saintess Maria. These days, the world resents me more than ever.
And a few days later.
“Uwaaaaaah……”
My entire body screamed in agony. Of course, it wasn’t illness. I was simply suffering from ordinary muscle soreness.
After all, I had been overworking my body. Muscle pain was inevitable.
“Die. Really die……”
Considering Andreus’s training intensity, I should have been unable to move at all. But although it hurt, I could push through by clenching my teeth.
The reason was simple. I had treated the muscle soreness with holy power.
At first glance it seemed impossible, but upon closer examination it was possible.
Normally, to build muscle, you tear the fibers through intense exercise, then rest them. The fibers then multiply.
Here, treating muscle soreness with holy power was more than sufficient.
However, Andreus had not treated it perfectly.
He kept it just painful enough that I could feel the soreness, even though the fibers were nearly recovered.
Why? Because in battle, even pain must be endured to survive. It was training that considered that.
In a way, it was the most efficient method possible. For the trainee, it was pure agony.
Even if it hurt, deciding to move meant I could move. This truly ruined a person’s mood.
“I see why the Pope told you to restrain your training.”
Because they ignored human mentality and only chased efficiency.
But though it was agonizing, I couldn’t stop. My body improved day by day. After just a few days of training, I had an 11-shaped abs.
Of course, it was the result of my sweat and blood.
“...I should get going soon.”
She had even created separate training time for me and banned other knights from the training ground during those hours, so I could tell how sincere Andreus truly was.
When I changed into workout clothes, my strength seemed to drain away.
Who will save me…….
#
“...This seems to have raised my basic physical strength to a certain level.”
“Really?!”
At Andreus’s words, an unknown energy surged within me. Why was energy suddenly surging?
It was because I had been told that once basic physical strength reached a certain level, the weight of physical training would be greatly reduced.
“This should be enough to move to the next stage.”
“What is the next stage?”
When I heard my words, Andreus hesitated. But unable to withstand my intense gaze, he eventually confessed.
“It is to use holy power to reinforce the body.”
“...Then, didn’t I need to do this physical training?”
Andreus shook his head.
“No. If basic physical strength is poor, even body reinforcement will not have a great effect. At least, it should reach the level of the Saintess’s current physical strength for body reinforcement to be effective.”
“I see. ...By the way, I didn’t suspect that Andreus was giving me unnecessary training?”
It was just a bit curious. Really.
Whether my excuse was accepted or not, I don’t know, but Andreus continued.
“Also, there are quite a few people among those who can use holy power who cannot perform body reinforcement.”
The moment I heard those words, my facial muscles hardened. An ominous feeling wrapped around me.
With great difficulty, I managed to say one word while controlling my expression.
“Does that mean I might not be able to do body reinforcement either?”
“That’s correct.”
......Ah.
I slowly knelt. Then I clasped my hands together. When Andreus saw my appearance, he looked at me with a puzzled expression.
“Saintess?”
“Be quiet, Andreus. I need to pray to the goddess right now.”
By saying that, Andreus looked at me with an astonished expression, not as if he was surprised, but rather with admiration.
Of course, I started praying to the goddess regardless of whether Andreus was admiring or not.
Goddess. Your servant has shamelessly come to make a request. Now, I want to become your sword and defeat evil, but another wall is blocking me. Shamefully, it is difficult with my own strength, so I have come to pray. Please, at least allow me to reinforce my body with holy power. Your young lamb must walk a long way ahead. Please help a little so that this young lamb does not wander the long path. I will be grateful.
“Good. Now that the prayer is over, let’s begin.”
When I said that and stood up, Andreus hit his chest with his right hand and said.
“Understood. Saintess. This Andreus! Even if the Saintess’s achievements are lacking, I will never give up! Do not worry!”
Thus, the body reinforcement training began.
And the result was.
“...S-Saintess.”
“Don’t say anything, Andreus.”
I had been fooled again.
Conclusion.
Today, Nietzsche wins as well.