Chapter 61
Chapter 61
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 61
Chapter Title: Back to the Academy (1)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
I had somewhat expected Marey to react this way.
After all, even though she landed the finishing blow on Raine, her performance throughout the process was a bit lacking for a hero.
“You’re already training during lecture hours, aren’t you?”
I had arranged with the Swordsmanship Department to handle Marey and Daisy’s swordsmanship lectures myself.
I thought I was giving them focused care without raising suspicions.
“That’s not enough. True hero must be strongest.”
“Hmm…”
Well, she’s the main hero of the hero party, so if she’s the weakest among the party members, it would bruise her pride.
I had worked hard myself not to fall behind Rainie, who was said to have the most outstanding talent in history.
I tapped the desk lightly.
“Are you prepared, Miss Marey?”
Marey tilted her head cutely.
“What preparation?”
“If you’re going to receive my personal tutoring, you’ll have to go through some pretty grueling training.”
Marey pondered for a moment, then nodded.
“Like training. No problem.”
“You have to follow my instructions well, too.”
“As long as not naughty instructions. Will follow well.”
Marey’s eyes showed no wavering, as if her resolve was firm.
Feeling her determination, I nodded.
“Good. If you want it that badly, Miss Marey, I’ll help you with all my heart!”
Marey gave a faint smile that you wouldn’t notice unless you looked closely.
“Thanks.”
***
Most students had already gone home for the day.
Instead of heading to the room where Nania usually waited, I went to the training grounds that could be used even at night.
The wealthy academy had covered the training grounds with expensive glowing magic tools for nighttime training, and unless it was exam period, they were always empty at this hour—perfect for training.
Thwack!
Thwack!
As I got closer to the training grounds, I started hearing the sounds of someone hitting the straw dummies.
It seemed Marey had arrived first and was practicing.
As an instructor, it’s always thrilling to see a student so eager to learn.
Feeling a bit uplifted, I approached the training grounds with light steps.
“Hoo…”
Marey, dressed in training clothes reminiscent of my past life’s workout gear with her hair tied in a ponytail, was swinging her sword while dripping with thick beads of sweat.
She was so immersed in her training that she hadn’t noticed my arrival.
I could have announced myself, but not wanting to interrupt her training, I sat on the bench nearby and watched.
Her form looked clean to the naked eye, a testament to the effort I’d put into teaching her during the past few weeks’ lectures.
Boom!
Boom!
Still, my eyes could spot the awkward and insufficient parts.
Small habits aren’t easy to fix, so during lectures, I’d only corrected the major movements. Now that we had time, I planned to iron out those minor habits one by one.
Bang!
Bang!
It had been about ten minutes since I started observing.
“Hah… hah…”
Exhausted from swinging her sword nonstop, Marey panted heavily and collapsed onto the ground.
That’s when our eyes met.
Marey nodded slightly, so I nodded back in greeting and sat down beside her as she lay there.
“How long have you been training?”
“5:30.”
“Hmm… about 30 minutes.”
Swinging a sword nonstop for 30 minutes was impossible for a normal person and even impressive among Swordsmanship Department students.
But for someone presumed to be born with the hero’s destiny, it was far too lacking.
She needed to build up enough stamina to swing a sword for at least an hour without rest.
I pinched Marey’s soft cheek as she lay there.
She furrowed her brows at my touch but was too drained to resist, submitting helplessly.
‘This is addictive.’
Feeling a slight calm wash over my mind and body, I spoke.
“I watched you swing the sword. Fortunately, the big bad habits are mostly fixed, but I can see some minor bad habits.”
“I know too.”
“They’re annoying, but unfortunately, these habits are hard to fix in the short term.”
“…”
“We’ll correct those slowly until the end of the semester. For now, let’s focus on stamina and strength training.”
Marey nodded, seemingly without much complaint.
With her agreement to my training policy, there was nothing left to hesitate about.
At that moment, I shed my kind, gentle Laden persona and switched to instructor mode—the one I used back in the territory to train problem children like Rainie and Laura.
I stood up, brushed the dirt off my butt, and extended a hand to Marey.
“Now that you’ve rested enough, time to exercise again.”
Bewilderment crossed Marey’s expressionless face.
“Still can’t. Legs won’t move.”
“Come on, you can move them.”
“My body. How you know?”
“Sigh, didn’t you just promise to follow all my instructions? If you’re like this already…”
As I trailed off, Marey bit her lip.
With a groan, she forced herself to stand.
Bravo!
Compared to Rainie and Laura back in the territory, who whined about dying after a little exercise, this was an outstanding attitude!
After dealing with women who always made excuses and fled at the mention of working out, seeing this cooperative spirit was a little touching.
I had planned to just watch her run, but with such enthusiasm, how could I sit idle?
Flashing a bright smile, I said.
“Don’t worry. I’ll run alongside you, Miss Marey.”
“Yeah.”
“How about three laps lightly from the Swordsmanship Department to the Archery Department first?”
“…Not listening.”
“Come on, I know you heard that.”
I firmly grabbed Marey’s small shoulders as she tried to sneak away.
Her tiny shoulders twitched.
“You want to be the strongest in the party, right? Then you have to do at least this much.”
“No way I can do three laps. Impossible.”
Marey resisted strongly, insisting she absolutely couldn’t run.
Pondering how to get her moving, I opened my mouth.
“Hmm… Daisy could probably do this easily…”
“Eek…”
“Well… if you hate it that much, Miss Marey, I can’t force you. Daisy would never betray you anyway, even if the sky fell, so you can just hide behind her from now on.”
“…”
“So, pillar hero? Sounds good…”
Mentioning Daisy worked wonders—Marey grabbed my collar.
“Just say I’ll do it.”
I grinned at Marey clutching my collar tightly.
***
The academy, bustling with vibrant students during the day, was eerily quiet at night, almost foreboding.
In this world where light was precious, people were accustomed to rising early and retiring early, so it was unavoidable.
“Hah… hah…”
I ran slowly beside Marey, who was panting heavily, matching her pace.
Rainie and Laura had called me a demon in human skin for my training, but I wasn’t some ruthless monster who ignored others’ conditions.
That’s why I kept our speed as low as possible without breaking into a walk.
“Phew, the night air feels nice, doesn’t it?”
“Hah… hah… don’t talk…”
“Come on, running quietly at night gets lonely. Be my running buddy.”
“Shut up.”
“Okay… yeah.”
Sensing she might really explode if I teased more, I stopped joking and enjoyed the academy scenery.
Living in the academy, I’d spent nights shuttling between Nania’s room and occasionally Daisy’s.
All I remembered was exhaustion from dealing with women visiting my room daily, so this free time felt blissful.
Is this why married men desperately try to escape the house?
Swoosh.
Running into the cool night breeze, the Archery Department building finally came into view.
“Half a lap left. Let’s go!”
Encouraging Marey, I rounded the corner.
That’s when I ran into an all-too-familiar face.
Rainie, Laura, and Yumi were huddled together in front of the Archery Department building, sharing snacks.
“Uh…”
Just as I spotted them, they noticed me too—their chocolate cookies frozen halfway to their mouths.
What on earth were they discussing in the middle of the night?
“Let’s take a break.”
I sat the truly collapsing Marey on a bench and walked over to them.
“H-Hi…?”
Rainie greeted me with an awkward smile.
Hmm, seeing Rainie smile like that meant they were definitely plotting something they didn’t want me catching.
Curious what they were hiding, but with level-headed Yumi there, it probably wasn’t anything outrageous.
About to brush it off, exchange greetings, and leave, a thought struck me, and I smiled.
Group exercise is even more effective.
They hadn’t worked out in ages, so it was time to start again.
“Kyaa…”
I grabbed Laura, who sensed something ominous and tried to slip away.
Then, smiling brightly, I said.
“Let’s exercise together!”
Rainie and Laura’s faces soured more than if they’d encountered Kallos in the Elf Empire.
I felt a little hurt.