A Healthy Body for a Healthy Mind? (4)
Once we got back to the guild and sat down at the table, Celestine slumped forward, utterly exhausted. She propped her elbows on the table and cradled her head in both hands, her gaze dropping to the floor. Leana, who was prepping breakfast, spotted it and immediately scolded me.
"Even if she's a bit plump, you can't work her that hard!"
"No, she didn't do anything today. It's just that Celestine's stamina is really poor."
"Still, she looks totally wobbly."
"She'll get better with time. It's fine."
Today's menu was freshly baked croissants and café au lait served in bowls, with simple jam and cheese on the side. In the duchy, this was your standard, everyday breakfast. People here kept mornings light and casual, saving the hearty spreads for lunch and dinner. Judging by the food culture and all that, Nant Duchy was probably modeled after France. The name itself screamed it, not to mention the wine, the mild climate, and the flat terrain—it was France ripped straight out of a textbook.
"Thanks for the meal."
As I dipped a croissant into my café au lait, Leana came out of the kitchen with another plate. A nicely seared slab of meat, golden-brown on both sides.
"Oh, thanks."
I reached for it, but Leana pulled it back with a smile.
"This is for Celestine."
"Ah, right…."
"Eat up, okay?"
Leana set the plate right in front of Celestine and spoke warmly. Celestine glanced awkwardly at me, smiling shyly.
"Thank you."
"Eat together."
"No, eat it all yourself. You need meat when you're exercising."
"Ah, y-yes…."
Celestine really did polish off the meat and croissants all by herself, then chugged every last drop of café au lait from the bowl. Impressive for breakfast, even after a workout. She's definitely on track to become a healthy pig. But she's cute, so it's fine.
After that, Celestine kept up her dawn workouts every day. I'd wake up at the same time, jog along with her, then guide her through strength training when we got back. Last time, she complained her chest hurt while running, so I bought bandages from a clinic in town and told her to wrap them tight. At first, I got her just one roll, not knowing any better, but she said she needed five. Being too big is a problem too.
There were two reasons I dragged myself out of bed at that ungodly hour without complaint to tag along with Celestine. First, to stick with exercise, you need someone coaching you like a personal trainer. Second, I was worried. I'd jolt awake at dawn without fail. Celestine might be cute, but she was an idiot—an idiot. No way was I letting her exercise alone in the dark pre-dawn hours.
What if she took a wrong turn jogging and forgot the way back? What if she collapsed from exhaustion and no one found her? Or worse, what if she ran into some creeps and trouble started? And by "trouble," I meant for them, not her. If she ever used that barrier spell I taught her on some civilian, we'd be in deep shit. Border guards wouldn't care who started it—if they found half-mangled corpses with guts spilled everywhere, how do you think they'd react? And when they checked and saw she was an execution fugitive from the ascetic sect? Straight to the gallows.
For all those reasons, I ended up shadowing Celestine and getting my own workouts in. She seemed thrilled about it, and Leana started waking up even earlier too. When I asked why, she said people doing dawn workouts deserved a solid breakfast.
"You don't have to…."
"You gotta feed 'em first if you want 'em to work, like oxen."
"Is that how it works? But aren't you waking up way too early?"
"It's just a few dozen minutes earlier than usual."
And just like that, after Celestine's workout declaration, the whole guild accidentally shifted to dawn wake-ups. Well, except me—Leana and Celestine had always been early risers anyway.
Celestine's stamina improved bit by bit. A whole week in, she made it all the way to the entrance of Carla's ranch before collapsing. Before that, she'd drop at the start of the fence line—huge progress.
"¡Buenos días! What brings you two here?"
Tanned Carla flashed her brilliant white teeth in greeting.
"Hello. We were out exercising."
"Morning jogs are the best. Where'd you come from?"
"From the guild."
"The guild…?"
Carla's eyes flicked to Celestine, sprawled and panting on the ground. It was a fair distance, sure, but not enough to leave someone on death's door like her.
Carla jerked her chin toward the ranch.
"Come on in. Have some milk before you go."
"Hah… th-thank you…."
Celestine crawled on all fours, grabbed my pant leg, and barely hauled herself up. Carla led us to the milking shed, where women who looked like her kin were busy squeezing udders. Buckets brimming with fresh milk lined the entrance.
Carla grabbed two cups, scooped milk straight from a bucket, and handed one to each of us. Fresh-squeezed milk was incredible—rich, nutty, and full-bodied without any processing. Mouthwatering.
"It's so good."
Celestine smacked her lips, sporting a milky mustache, and Carla threw her head back in booming laughter.
"¡Tierna!"
Only after Celestine downed two cups in a row did we finally head back to the guild.
"Guild Master! My side hurts—I can't run!"
"Told you not to chug all that milk."
"It was too tasty! Milk doesn't make you gain weight anyway."
Celestine whined so much that we ended up power-walking back into town at a brisk pace. When we arrived at the guild, breakfast was laid out lavishly on the first-floor round table. Café au lait and croissants—the duchy staples—plus meat, finely chopped lettuce, and a mountain of other stuff. Insane.
"You two, come on over."
Leana, checking quest lists, gave us a warm smile.
"Heehee. Looks delicious."
Celestine, in high spirits, giggled and pulled out my chair.
"Sit down, please~."
"Feeling good?"
"Yesss~. I really like the Guild Master~."
"You like Leana too. I like her."
Leana smiled softly and portioned food onto our plates. It reminded me of our first meeting. The guild was on its last legs back then. She was passed out drunk on the sofa—that was Leana. Never imagined she'd turn out this domestic and affectionate.
"Um, I've been wondering…."
Celestine sliced her meat, sneaking peeks at Leana and me. Here we go again.
"Are you two… married, Guild Master and Manager?"
"Married? Where's this coming from?"
"Maybe you're hiding it so I don't feel awkward."
"What does us being married have to do with you feeling awkward? We're not, obviously."
"Well, I'm the outsider. If you two are family…."
"Haha, no. Total strangers. But why would you feel awkward?"
"Just… you know. You two match so well. I'd totally buy it if you said you were married."
Leana looked at me and smiled.
"Should I say thanks? Or what?"
"Haha, who knows."
The food was great, and Celestine's grin grew accordingly.
"I wish I had a mom like the Guild Master."
"You mean a young, pretty mom? Or one who makes tons of tasty food?"
"Both. I never had a mom."
"Then from today, call the Guild Master 'Mom' instead."
Celestine burst into giggles as I chimed in.
Late that night. Lying in bed, Celestine flexed her thighs, kneading the muscles. A week into training, they felt firmer—results showing. Amazing. I didn't even know how to tense them before.Thanks to the Manager guiding me every dawn. So kind and gentle. Gotta work harder to meet her expectations. Yeah, keep it up.
"Hnnng…."
Feeling good, she squeezed and released her thigh muscles—then a weird tingle hit her groin. She let out a strange noise without thinking.
What was that? Some odd sensation… Did I pee myself?
She checked between her legs—no sign of it. What the heck…?
Try again. She stretched her toes straight, tensed and relaxed her thighs—and nearly screamed at the same feeling. A ticklish, electric buzz spreading from deep in her groin up her thighs. Totally new.
This is weird. Overdid the workout? Pulled a muscle?Gotta ask the Manager tomorrow. Kinda scary, whatever it is.
But… it felt off. Bad? Good? Hmm, one more time.
"Hieeek…."
What is this…?
"What…?"
The next morning, hearing Celestine out, I was speechless and scratched my head dumbly.
"So, when I stretch my legs out straight and tense my thighs, I get this weird feeling below my waist. Is something wrong?"
She asked with an innocent face, and I felt even more flustered, forcing an awkward smile.
"From what I've heard, doesn't sound like a big deal…?"
"Really? So it's normal when exercising? Should I just ignore it? Or train harder?"
"What? Harder…?"