Chapter 67: Laysia (5)
Chapter 67: Laysia (5)
I took a real thrashing.
Laysia was absolutely merciless once the fight began. She beat me down in every way imaginable.
When I tried to play defensively, bracing myself behind my shield, she would immediately launch a heavy kick that sent me flying in a single blow. When I was frantically trying to block her flurry of strikes, she would sweep my legs the moment she felt my focus shift, breaking my posture and subduing me instantly.
I was utterly helpless against her varied attack patterns and psychological feints.
At first, I felt a bit of a sting to my pride. It was impossible not to get frustrated when I was being one-sidedly pummeled without even being able to touch her. Nevertheless, I did my best to suppress my anger and focused entirely on how to block her attacks and find an opening to counter.
Of course, if I could have beaten her just by doing that, she wouldn't be a Follower of Tiamat.
Then, it suddenly occurred to me that Laysia was showing me how enemies would use diverse methods to attack, providing me with real-world examples of those erratic patterns.
What was supposed to be a light sparring session ended up lasting much longer than expected. Well, in truth, it was mostly just me getting beaten without being able to lift a finger, and since I asked for a rematch almost immediately every time, the actual time elapsed wasn't that long compared to the number of rounds we went.
Now, I was sitting on a chair, watching Grace and Laysia spar.
After the last time Laysia took me down, she suggested we call it a day for my turn and cast a healing spell on me. Since it was just sparring, she had clearly controlled her strength; I wasn't seriously injured—in fact, it was hard to even say I was "hurt" at all. I felt like I didn't really need a healing spell, but she insisted on using one anyway.
Being beaten up and then healed felt a bit like being given the disease and then the cure, but since she was doing it out of care for me, it only made me feel good.
Regardless, the spar between Grace and Laysia was incredibly intense. Watching them, I realized there was a massive difference between knowing they were strong in my head and feeling it with my own eyes.
I could see sparks flying amidst the continuous clashing of metal.
I realized then that what I had been doing wasn't even a proper spar. To an untrained eye, the two of them looked like they were in a life-or-death struggle. Just watching them was a huge help.
It was my first time facing a martial artist, and because the gap in our skill was so vast, I had been helpless. But Grace was different. Laysia couldn't toy with her the way she did with me.
While I couldn't shake Laysia off, Grace responded in various ways—shoving Laysia with her shield when she pressed in close or counterattacking with her pommel. Since Grace was much stronger than me, her sword speed was on a different level, meaning Laysia couldn't suppress her as easily as she had me.
I found it hard to take my eyes off them as I watched while drinking water. It was a high-level bout that showcased just how skilled both of them were.
Finally, the spar reached its conclusion.
The winner was Laysia.
Grace, who had allowed an opening to her flank just as I had at the start, stepped back slightly. It seemed Laysia was currently the stronger of the two.
"I yield."
"Good work."
Grace’s expression didn't seem to change much, but... she appeared to be frustrated. I could tell by the slight flush on her earlobes.
Perhaps it was because I had been with her for over a month now and we had grown closer, but I felt like I could read her emotional shifts much better.
I brought water and towels to Grace and Laysia, just as they had done for me earlier.
"Ah... thank you, Han Shin."
"Thank you."
Both of them wiped their sweat and drank the water. Judging by their reactions, it didn't look like they were going to go another round.
Come to think of it, we said we’d spar lightly, but it had gone on for quite a while. Noona might be waiting for us.
To be sure, I asked the two of them.
"Do you want to go one more time?"
"I think it's best to stop here for today," Grace replied.
I could sense a very faint trace of lingering frustration from her, but she seemed to have decided to stop, considering that Noona would be waiting. Grace was also aware that the training had gone on longer than expected. Laysia didn't object either.
Usually, after training like this, we would wash up at Grace’s Sanctuary before leaving, but we couldn't do that this time because Laysia was with us. Normally, I would have showered with Grace, but since Laysia was here...
Grace was likely thinking the same thing.
We held her hand, just as we had when entering the Sanctuary, and departed.
Upon returning to our villa in Kathmandu, Nepal, Noona greeted us.
"Welcome back. You took a bit longer than I thought?"
"Yeah, sorry, Noona. We ended up sparring a bit more than planned."
"It's fine. Go wash up quickly. I've prepared the ingredients, so I'll have dinner ready as soon as you're out."
"Okay, got it."
It seemed Noona had already done the prep work and was planning to finish the cooking so we could eat as soon as we were clean. If we were at our house, it would have been a bit awkward, but this villa had a bathroom in every room, so it was fine.
We agreed to meet in the kitchen after showering, and I headed straight to my room.
As soon as I entered, I stripped off my clothes and went into the bathroom. Standing under the hot water pouring from the showerhead, I mentally reviewed today's training.
It was true that I was weaker than Laysia or Grace, but fundamentally, I realized I hadn't been fighting with enough thought. I needed to calculate all sorts of variables quickly and respond, but I hadn't been doing that until now.
The enemies I face won't always fight fairly or according to my expectations. In fact, they’ll probably launch attacks far worse than what Laysia did today.
I felt grateful to Laysia all over again.
Hmm?
Now that I thought about it, I had been hit in many places today, but thanks to the healing spell, I didn't feel any muscle pain at all. My recovery rate had increased significantly since becoming a Follower of Tiamat, but usually, if I overexerted my muscles, I would still feel a bit of heaviness and soreness.
But right now, I was in peak condition, without a hint of discomfort. So that was why Laysia used the healing spell...
Naturally, I was the first one out of the shower. Men generally take less time to wash up.
Phew... That was refreshing.
I might have been thrashed without being able to do anything, but I had learned a lot, so it felt like time well spent.
When I walked into the kitchen, Noona greeted me wearing a white apron.
"Oh, Shin-a. You're out already."
"Yeah, Noona. Is there anything I can help with?"
"I appreciate the thought, but I'm almost done, so just sit down. I can't help you with your training, so I want to at least do this for you."
"Alright."
Noona used her psychokinesis to move the finished dishes onto the table, and the cutlery was set in front of me. As I sat in my seat watching this, Grace and Laysia came out one after the other.
Grace was wearing navy blue pajamas, while Laysia wore a thin, ivory-colored linen T-shirt and a long gray skirt.
Ugh...
I inadvertently looked at them and quickly averted my eyes at the sight of Laysia’s prominent breasts swaying. Her clothes weren't particularly revealing or tight—in fact, they were quite plain and ordinary—but as a man, it was impossible not to notice the movement of her chest.
They say that's why they don't often use models with very large breasts...
Ahem.
"I'm sorry for being late."
"Me too."
"No, I just got out myself."
Grace apologized for being late as she sat across from me, and Laysia followed suit. They weren't even that late, so I quickly told them it was fine.
Dinner began naturally.
Since we had been training, Noona had prepared plenty of meat dishes, and they tasted even better than usual today.
"This is delicious."
"Let me know if you want more. There's plenty left."
"Yes."
Laysia seemed to really enjoy Noona's cooking.
By the way, the female body is truly mysterious... When Laysia was fighting, she must have been binding her chest, because I didn't notice any swaying or even how large they were. But in casual clothes, it was a different story.
Come to think of it, if she left breasts that large unrestrained, it would probably hurt during intense movement. It made sense that she would compress them to keep them from moving.
As I was thinking this while stealing a glance at Laysia...
Our eyes met.
I immediately looked away, like someone caught peeking.