Dana's Secret Training

What if Alvin had never given Dana a second chance?

It was a thought that crossed her mind more often than she cared to admit, because this moment — right now — felt like a dream. She still couldn't believe an opportunity like this had fallen into her lap. Once she finished this commission, she wouldn't have to worry about money for a good while, at least.

Alvin was someone she was truly, deeply grateful to.

I'd heard he was a delinquent, but he wasn't like that at all.

Alvin Gilbert had a reputation as a notorious wastrel, the shame of the Gilbert family. When she'd told the people around her that she was taking a job with them, she'd been met with nothing but worried looks. She didn't know what the truth of those rumors was, but to Dana, at least, Alvin was a benefactor. A prince.

Thanks to him, I even overcame my trauma.

A trauma she had been certain she could never conquer. Alvin had made it possible.

The moment she thought of him, Dana's hand drifted of its own accord. She started spanking herself.

Smack—

Because he had given her the courage to believe she could do it.

Smack—

"Hngh…"

Because he had cheered her on and believed in her.

Smack—

Every time she thought of Alvin, the pleasure of being struck by him came flooding back. That sensation had been so intense that Dana wanted to feel it again. And so, every night, she thought of Alvin as she spanked herself.

Haa… Lord Alvin.

If she hit herself while imagining it was him, she could recall just a sliver of that feeling.

It feels so good.

And then Dana had discovered something astonishing. She had thought she'd only overcome her trauma — but she had actually grown stronger than before.

That moment she had sparred with Alvin in the training grounds. Dana had felt herself drawing out power beyond anything she originally possessed. His fierce blade had gradually looked slower, and she had been able to react faster. Every time a little damage landed as she stood against Alvin's sword, energy had surged through her instead.

That something this miraculous could happen — it was all thanks to Alvin. She believed he had made her this way. So spending time like this while thinking of him was training. The more she immersed herself in thoughts of him, the higher her spirits soared and the more strength welled up inside her. The more time she spent thinking about Alvin, the stronger she seemed to become.

It was the best training there was.

It absolutely was not just because it felt good.

"I think I might get addicted…"

Absolutely not.

I followed a sound through the night and found Dana at the end of it.

She was hidden in the undergrowth. At first I couldn't figure out what she was doing down there on her hands and knees. And then I saw it.

Dana, carefully spanking her own ass.

Hngh—

A moan slipped from between her lips, the kind of sound someone makes when they're trying very hard to keep quiet. And that wasn't all. She was calling my name under her breath.

Lord Alvin… Alvin…

What the hell is this?

I was too stunned to move. I had never seen anything like this in the game. Spanking herself and moaning while she did it. Didn't that look exactly like she'd become a genuine masochist?

That was the trait description I'd been able to read ever since Dana awakened as a Masochist. Honestly, it wasn't much different from the description I'd seen in the game. So I hadn't given the Masochist trait much thought.

But this place was reality. It was different from the game. Things I had never even considered were being realized here, in the flesh. Without meaning to, I had been treating this world as nothing more than a game, somewhere in the back of my mind.

It wasn't. This was reality. From now on, I needed to face that fact seriously.

I felt a little sorry for Dana, first of all. In a way, I was the reason she'd ended up like this. But what was done was done. There was no taking it back.

I'll just do the best I can.

My head cooled. If I kept watching, she might notice me, so I headed back to where I'd been.

I returned to camp. Fortunately, everyone else seemed to be asleep. I sat down as I had before and stared into the fire.

Time passed, and then I heard what I assumed were Dana's footsteps.

"Lord Alvin."

"I was wondering where you'd gone. You weren't around."

I asked as if I didn't know a thing.

"Yes, I was just doing a bit of personal training."

"Is that so? Training at this hour. You're really dedicated, Dana."

"Haha, yes."

Dana fidgeted with her hair, looking embarrassed.

"I'm working really hard! Super hard."

Yeah. Hard enough that she hadn't even noticed I'd been there.

"Um, Lord Alvin — if you have time sometime, could I ask you for another spar like last time?"

"A spar?"

"Yes! I've gotten a lot stronger since then."

And then Dana came right up to me, fast.

"I need it!"

She shoved her face in close as she said it.

"Sure. If you need it, then of course."

"Thank you!"

I settled her down before her excitement could run any further away with her.

"You're on next watch, right? I'll leave it to you, then."

"Yes! Leave it to me."

With that, I went back to my spot and lay down. I had been trying not to overthink things, but seeing Dana again had tangled my thoughts all over. Even so, I was exhausted from the day's schedule, and I fell asleep almost immediately.

"Young Master."

After breakfast and packing up to move, we set out for the dungeon. We had been traveling for quite some time, and we were nearly there, when Faran came up beside me and spoke.

"Hm?"

"Are you all right, Young Master?"

Faran was looking at my face as she said it. I had been thinking about Dana the whole way here. I supposed my expression ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠had looked a little dark to her.

"Yeah. I'm fine. Why?"

"I am always by your side, Young Master. Please do not worry."

She seemed to think I was anxious about the dungeon ahead. Whatever her reason, I was grateful for the concern.

"Thanks. I feel better having you here, too."

"Hehe. Of course."

It was just a simple thing to say. But those few words from her put me at ease.

"We have arrived."

We had reached our destination: the dungeon.

"To think a place like this was here."

"How did nobody find this until now?"

The adventurers marveled at the dungeon we were about to enter. This was an area that showed quite a few traces of people passing through. In other words, it was the kind of place someone would have discovered if they had been looking carefully at all.

"Finding a place like this… the Gilbert family really is something."

The adventurers seemed to accept it readily enough — it was the Gilbert family, after all.

The ones who had taken my commission were people who had been operating around the front lines of the war against the Demon King. That meant they were experienced, with proven skill. They had happened to stop by the capital on business and taken my request as something of a vacation.

"Hmm. Looks like a decent place to warm up."

"Then let's go in as we discussed."

I spoke as I watched the adventurers check over their gear. Their main role was to observe us — myself and Dana included — and offer advice. Dana and Faran would take the front, with me behind them. The mage, the healer, and the ranged dealer would hold the center. The melee dealer would serve as a keeper against any unexpected danger. Last of all, the tank adventurer would watch our rear.

As you could probably tell, we were wildly over-specced. They were here to keep an eye on us and prepare for contingencies. In practice, they would almost never need to step in. But "almost never" was not the same as "never," which was why I had hired proper professionals.

"Then let's wrap this up quick."

The adventurers made no effort to hide how eager they were. For them, this was about as serious as a stroll.

We formed up as planned and entered the dungeon.

As an assassin, Faran was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠an expert not only at killing but ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠at traps ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and scouting as well. Calling a beginner dungeon like this one putty in her hands would not have been an exaggeration. We ran into a few traps along the way, but Faran dismantled every one of them as if nothing had happened.

The dungeon was populated mainly by goblin packs and orcs. A few groups appeared as we pushed toward the center, but they were usually handled by Dana and me. We moved through so quickly and cleanly that the adventurers I'd hired never needed to lift a finger.

What surprised me was Dana's skill.

"That young lady's changed beyond recognition."

The dwarf adventurer whistled in admiration as he watched her work. Dana stood her ground against the presence of those hulking monsters without flinching, holding the front like a fortress wall. After awakening her trait, she was showing the kind of ability that deserved the title of strongest tank. And if I considered how much further she could still grow, the future looked promising.

If I could just solve the problem with her trait, she'd be perfect.

Dana must have overheard the other adventurers praising her, because she looked back at me with a smile. She wanted me to compliment her too.

"Dana really has grown a lot."

I pulled up her information.

After awakening the Masochist trait, a few of her stats had risen further. Her skills had each gone up a rank as well — a significant result.

This was the first time I had used Relation Points on Dana. I spent ten Relation Points to raise her Strength by two. I hadn't felt the need to try it with Faran or Sir Jacqueline, but Dana's stats were still low enough that she made a good test case.

"This appears to be the central chamber, Young Master."

Because we had pushed toward the center without stopping, we had already arrived at what looked to be the heart of the dungeon. I recognized it from the game. Somewhere in here, there would be an entrance leading to the room where the reward slept.

It looked like an empty clearing. Quiet, as if there were nothing here at all.

"There's a door over there."

One of the adventurers pointed to a massive door. Aside from that, we couldn't find any other passage. That would be the way.

"Please be careful, everyone. There may still be more traps."

Faran kept scanning the surroundings for anything we might have missed. She had spotted and dismantled every trap we had encountered on the way through. As reliable as ever — Faran, S-class assassin.

Heeding her warning, we advanced carefully toward the passage.

"I'll try opening the door."

Dana eased the great door open. It swung wide at her lightest touch — and then,

"Waaah!"

Dana was sucked inside. I had been standing right behind her, and I reached for her. I got pulled in with her.

"Young Master!"

I heard Faran call for me as the door slammed shut.

At first, I couldn't see a thing inside. This was supposed to be an ordinary room, the one that held the reward.

Wait.

"What the hell is this…? A room you can only leave by being honest?"

Dana and I were trapped, just the two of us, in a room of inexplicable purpose.