Chapter 005
Chapter Title: A Spiteful Lesson
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The next day, early in the morning.
Knock, knock—
I was reading a book in my room when I heard a knock.
“Come in.”
Creak—
The door opened to reveal Celia, dressed in the simple maid uniform worn by the Flove family's maids.
“I am Celia, and I will be serving as Young Master Leo's maid for one week. I look forward to working with you.”
Leo looked up from his book at Celia, who bowed with the eyes of a dead fish.
“Quite the professional, aren't you?”
“Take responsibility for your words. It is one of my family's mottos.”
Despite her dead-fish eyes, her posture was impeccable.
The very picture of an ideal maid.
She had a naturally good figure, so the navy-blue maid uniform with its white frills suited her very well.
Her black hair shimmered as it caught the sunlight.
As he gazed at her, Celia spoke.
“I can understand admiring my beauty, but if you're staring at me with lecherous eyes, I'll send you flying.”
“If I offended you, I apologize.”
Leo clicked his tongue.
“I had a friend who was a self-proclaimed artist. He was the type to praise beautiful things to an excessive degree, and it seems I've picked up some of his habits.”
‘Beauty is always supreme. It is eternal and immortal. Once peace comes to the world, I plan to spend my life spreading beauty to all!’
Dweno, the dwarven Great Hero now praised as the [Divine Blacksmith].
He always looked much happier creating art than forging weapons.
Even during our journey to subjugate Erebos, he never stopped his creative pursuits.
“He sounds like a wonderful friend, to be able to genuinely praise beauty.”
As someone born into the Jerdinger family, she needed the qualities to lead people.
Being charming was one such quality.
Leo rested his chin on his hand as he watched Celia preen at the compliment.
‘The problem was that he was less genuine and more of a fanatical pervert, demanding Lisinas and Luna pose nude for him to get inspiration.’
The old memory surfaced naturally.
‘Lisinas, Luna. Your personalities may be foul, but your figures are more outstanding than anyone's. Therefore, for the sake of art, become my nude models.’
Of course, there was no way Lisinas and Luna would ever agree to such a demand.
‘Even a pervert like that is revered as a Great Hero, so what does that make me?’
Ha ha ha— He let out a hollow laugh and gazed out the window.
Meanwhile, Celia observed Leo carefully.
She had clearly been defeated yesterday.
‘To think something like, *If I hadn't been careless, I would have won...* is just foolish.’
Last night's defeat was the result of her own naivety.
If word got back to her main family that she'd spent a week as a maid, she would surely become a laughingstock.
‘But this is something I must endure.’
To turn away from it would be an even greater shame.
‘Besides, there's something I'm curious about.’
She was curious how he could imbue his sword with such power without learning Aura.
“So you read books in the morning. I thought you would be practicing your swordsmanship.”
Celia had intended to observe his training methods.
‘Could that book be some kind of special training manual?’
“Mornings should be spent leisurely.”
He said, closing the book.
Seeing the book's title, Celia wore a puzzled expression.
‘It's a Great Hero fairytale book.’
Celia glanced at Leo's bookshelf.
‘They're all books related to the Great Heroes.’
It wasn't just fairytale books.
There were history books, research papers, and more.
A considerable collection of materials was gathered there.
“You seem to be very interested in the Great Heroes. They are the foundation of our history, after all.”
Celia, too, was very interested in the Great Heroes.
“May I look at your bookshelf?”
“Go ahead.”
Standing before the bookshelf, Celia was impressed.
“This is incredible. Most scholars who study the Great Heroes couldn't hold a candle to this collection.”
Research on the Great Heroes is still one of the most active fields of study today.
“There are a lot of books about Kyle.”
“Reference material.”
“I see. While it's unknown if Kyle was a real person, many believe his deeds were real.”
“You think so too?”
“Of course.”
Among the great feats accomplished by the Great Heroes, any that later generations couldn't definitively attribute to someone were all credited to Kyle.
‘Even if I've vanished from history, it seems I haven't been completely forgotten.’
He felt a sense of pride.
“It was probably some later fraud trying to steal the credit for the ambiguous achievements of the Great Heroes.”
Leo's eye twitched.
“So you're saying Kyle was a fraud?”
“It's highly likely.”
Celia shrugged.
This was the common view in academic circles.
“I see. So that's what you think.”
“Pardon?”
“Well then, shall we have breakfast and then begin training?”
Celia's eyes sparkled.
“If you'll allow it, may I train with you?”
Celia was curious about the secret to Leo's strength.
“My training will be hard to keep up with.”
“Hmph, I am someone who has handily endured the Jerdinger training.”
Seeing Celia's confident expression, Leo gave a twisted smile.
“Is that so?”
Later, she would think.
She should have run away then.
***
Whoosh—!
Thwack—!
“Ugh?”
“Too slow.”
Leo's wooden sword knocked Celia's aside.
Celia hurriedly tried to correct her broken stance.
But Leo's movements were faster.
Whoosh—
Thud—
“Gah—!”
“And that's why you leave your back open like this.”
Struck in the shoulder from behind by the wooden sword, Celia writhed on the ground in pain.
After breakfast, Leo's training continued without a break.
Once the pain subsided, Celia flared up.
“Young Master Leo! Is this really considered training?”
To Celia, Leo's training method felt less like conditioning and more like abuse.
He forced her to keep moving, squeezing out strength beyond her limits.
Naturally, they didn't borrow the power of Aura in the process.
She had never heard of or seen such a training method.
Watching the protesting Celia, Leo muttered.
“Kids these days are so weak.”
“What did you say!”
“I told you. My training is hard. Well, if it's too much, why not give up now?”
“Don't be ridiculous! Training like this? I can take it all day!”
Her pride wounded, Celia snapped back.
“Oh? Shall we start again then?”
“Fine!”
‘W-wait? This isn't what I meant.’
Having resumed the training in a moment of bravado, Celia soon found herself hit by the wooden sword and rolling on the ground again.
Without using Aura, the difference in their abilities was just too great.
‘Why! Why can't I win!’
She couldn't win, not just in strength, but in swordsmanship either.
Yesterday, and today.
Her pride was being thoroughly crushed.
‘Compared to 5,000 years ago, Aura training methods have certainly developed immensely.’
Leo looked down at Celia, who was collapsed on the ground gasping for breath, and marveled.
In the current era, the techniques for handling Aura had clearly advanced compared to 5,000 years ago.
Thanks to that, the average skill level of knights was much higher now.
However, the standard for absolute strength hadn't changed much.
‘If anything, I think we were stronger 5,000 years ago.’
In this era, as Aura training developed, physical training was being neglected.
Aura is a power that maximizes the body's strength.
Ultimately, if you temper the body, the Aura is also strengthened.
‘So the advancement of Aura cultivation methods has created this kind of problem.’
“Still, you're impressive. I didn't think you'd be able to keep up this much.”
“Don't underestimate me.”
“Shall we end the afternoon training here, then? We'll do more tonight.”
Pushed to her limit, Celia gritted her teeth.
‘I might lose in strength, but I absolutely will not lose in swordsmanship! I will win no matter what!’
***
“Don't you dare look down on me, you damn white-haired brat.”
After the evening training was over.
Celia dragged her trembling limbs back to the mansion.
Leo had already returned to his room.
‘Ugh... Is that guy a monster?’
Celia shuddered, recalling Leo swinging his sword endlessly without a hint of fatigue.
Moving like that every single day, it was only natural that his body would be so well-trained.
‘Huhu... Still, I didn't fall behind in swordsmanship during the evening training!’
Thanks to mobilizing every technique she knew, she hadn't been pushed back so easily in the evening session.
‘If I continue training like this, could I become like him?’
But she couldn't even fathom it.
She had thrown up five times today alone.
‘Thinking about it, that's incredibly embarrassing!’
Her face red, Celia huffed and then sighed.
‘I want to wash up and go to sleep quickly.’
But before that, she had to prepare Leo's bed.
After all, her current station was that of Leo's maid.
‘I'll just make his bed quickly, then I can wash up and sleep.’
Arriving in front of Leo's room, Celia took a deep breath.
She calmed her trembling limbs and feigned composure.
It was out of a defiant desire not to show any weakness.
Knock, knock—
“Come in.”
Creak—
“You look better than I expected.”
“Hmph— That much is nothing to me.”
Celia said with a confident expression.
“Didn't you throw up five times?”
“I'll get your bed ready.”
Completely ignoring Leo's remark, Celia began to make the bed.
“Well then, Young Master. I will see you in the morning.”
“Come here for a moment. I have a gift for you.”
‘A gift?’
At the sudden words, Celia approached Leo.
“Thank you for working so hard today.”
Leo handed her a gift box with a gentle smile.
‘So he does feel some gratitude.’
Celia felt the knot in her chest loosen a little.
‘That's right, he should be grateful that I, the daughter of the Jerdinger family head, am serving him.’
Feeling triumphant, Celia opened the box.
Inside was a simple, silver chain bracelet.
She felt an ominous premonition from the magic emanating from the bracelet.
“It's a bracelet enchanted with weight magic. Wear it during training starting tomorrow.”
Leo smiled.
Crack— Celia's face hardened.
“I'm fine without it.”
“It wouldn't be polite for a maid to refuse a gift from her master, would it?”
“Hey! You're just doing this to torment me, aren't you?! That's it! If I have to move like I did today while wearing this, that's not training! It's abuse!”
Finally exploding, Celia showed strong resistance.
“So weak.”
Celia's face flared up.
“Who are you calling weak!”
“I normally wear one when I train. Well, if you can't do it, I guess it can't be helped.”
“Who said I can't?! I'll wear this stupid thing as much as you want!”
Once again easily provoked, Celia made her declaration and stormed out of Leo's room.
And then, in front of Leo's door, she clutched her head and cursed her own foolishness.
‘So simple-minded.’
Leo snickered.
‘Who's the fraud now?’
Leo had been holding a grudge since the morning, when Celia called Kyle a fraud.
A pettiness unbecoming of a Great Hero who saved the world.
But of course, Leo felt not a shred of shame for his feelings.
‘If it had been any of the others, they would have put her through something far more terrible than this.’
His friends were even bigger psychopaths than he was.
‘I'll make this a week of blood.’
Thinking of Celia trembling in agony for a week, Leo let out a chilling smile.