When I finished the obstacle course, I took several deep breaths and looked back at where I had come from. I waited for a few minutes. Finally, emerging from around a boulder, was the person I had been waiting for.
Her red hair swished back and forth within a leather cord at the back. It reminded me of fire. The hair framed a pale face that featured narrow green eyes, a small nose, and soft, luscious red lips. This young woman was currently wearing blue shorts that stopped just a few centimeters below where her thighs met her butt. Her long, pale, and muscular legs were glistening with a layer of sweat. The boots she wore were a dark brown. Similarly bare, her torso was covered only by a pair of thick strips of fabric that wound across her chest and back in an X-pattern, leaving her stomach, shoulders, and sides exposed.
Given our current activity, I could only assume she’d chosen something like this to avoid getting her clothes drenched in sweat. Her stomach and chest, glistening with rivulets of sweat that trailed down her body, might have been exposed to the sun, but at least she didn’t have to deal with soaking wet clothes like I did.
“How do you feel?” I asked as Fay finally stumbled into the clearing.
“How do… how do I feel?” she huffed, her face red as sweat dripped down her cheek and off her chin. Her shoulders heaved and her breasts jiggled within the confines of her… what did I call those strips of fabric anyway? It certainly wasn’t a shirt. Either way, she made for an enticing image. “I am fine. Thanks for asking.”
I couldn’t tell if she was being sarcastic yet. Fay had only begun exercising with me ten days ago.
Grabbing a leather pouch filled with cool water, I took a short swig before handing it to Fay. She looked at the pouch in her hand as if she didn’t know what to do with it.
“Aren’t you going to drink?” I asked. “You should drink some water to regain the fluids you lost.”
“Er… but isn’t this… I mean…” Fay’s eyes wandered around the clearing. It was the same clearing she and I had met in. Her cheeks were stained a brilliant shade of fetching pink. “It’s… you know…”
“No, I don’t know.” I withheld the urge to roll my eyes. “Is there something wrong with the water?”
Fay seemed startled, but as I stared at her, the feeble excuse she had for not drinking water seemed to disappear.
“No… there’s nothing wrong,” she said softly before taking the pouch from me and putting the opening to her lips. I sighed in relief. The last thing I needed was her passing out from dehydration on me.
“Once you’re done rehydrating yourself, join me in finishing the rest of our exercises,” I said.
“O-okay.” Fay nodded as she held the pouch close to her chest. I frowned at her for a moment, noticing her strange actions, but then I shrugged and began finishing the rest of my exercises.
Fay had been displaying some unusual behavior like this, though it had only been happening recently, within the last two days. She would occasionally blush, stutter, and sometimes question me on certain matters. It was like she was embarrassed. I didn’t really understand. Could anything be more embarrassing than when I cured her of Spiritual Poisoning? Given what happened between us, I didn’t think taking a sip from my water pouch or seeing me without a shirt was that big of a deal.
She eventually joined me and we finished our exercises, though she actually finished before me despite starting later. Since she had just started ten days ago, she didn’t have to do as many reps of each exercise as me, and she wasn’t wearing 348 kilos of additional weight.
“Take one of the Three-Way Spiritual Widening Pills and begin circulating your Spiritual Power,” I instructed as I began doing my squats. I needed to do 1,000 of them. “I’ll join you once I’m finished.”
“Yes.”
Despite being covered in sweat, exhausted beyond belief, and obviously sore from her exercises, Fay didn’t complain as she followed my instructions. Actually, I hadn’t heard a single complaint from her since we started training together. Her actions reminded me of myself. Back then, when Kari had first begun training me, I never once complained about how hard, grueling, or painful it was. I did everything I could to get stronger.
My respect for Fay grew.
I joined her after doing my squats. Fay blushed a bit when I sat beside her, but I think that was because I had removed my vest. I didn’t wear a shirt when training my Spiritual Power, so my torso was bare. That said, it wasn’t like her strips of fabric were covering much either.
We sat silently for a while, our legs crossed and our minds focused inward. Both of us were doing the same exercise. However, our reasons were completely different.
I was working on controlling the vast amount of Spiritual Power I had. Meanwhile, Fay was currently trying to increase her Spiritual Power. By using the Three-Way Spiritual Widening Pill and actively circulating the Spiritual Power within her body through her Spiritual Pathways, she was able to not only widen the pathways to allow for an increased flow of power, but the power that she did have also increased.
Of course, while we were both doing the same exercise, I had added to the difficulty of mine. I sat with my legs crossed, hands on my legs, palms pointed toward the sky. Floating two centimeters above my palms were a pair of leaves. While it looked like they were just floating there, the truth was that I was circulating my Spiritual Power through my palms to keep them in place. If I generated too much power, the leaves would blow away. If I generated too little, they wouldn’t float. It was all about control.
“Fay?” I asked suddenly.
“Y-yes?” Fay seemed startled. She opened her eyes and looked at me.
“Did you ask a seamstress to create those clothes I said you need?”
“I did.” Fay nodded several times. “I actually went to a seamstress the same day you said I needed them. She told me they should be ready in fifteen days.”
“So you have five more days before they are ready.” I mused over that information before nodding. “That should be enough time. I think you’ll be ready to use weighted clothes by that point. The timing is about perfect.” I nodded once more, and then asked, “How have you been feeling since you started training? There are no problems?”
Fay’s eyes widened a bit, but then her expression softened and a gentle smile replaced it. “There are no issues. Actually, I’ve been feeling great.” She paused, then grimaced. “Well, I don’t feel too great immediately after we finish exercising, but I always feel amazing the next day. I think those alchemy pills you created for me are the reason.”
“The Body Forging Pill,” I said. “It’s considered a middle-grade pill, but its ability to heal and strengthen your body is impressive. The effects will eventually wear off and the pill won’t work once your body reaches a certain point of acclimation. However, that generally takes between five to six months before the pill loses its effect. By that point, your physical capabilities should be a match for any Royal Guard Captain.”
“That’s really incredible!” Fay exclaimed in surprise. “The Royal Guard Captains are elite Spiritualists whose bodies have been honed by at least two decades of intense training and grueling combat. I’m told that a single Royal Guard Captain is capable of defeating a C-Rank Demon Beast on their own! Some are even capable of defeating a B-Rank Demon Beast, or so I’ve heard.”
“The ones who are capable of defeating a B-Rank Demon Beast are probably rare,” I said. “I’ve heard that Empress Hilda can defeat B-ranks, and that she even defeated an A-rank before, but I haven’t heard of anyone else who has defeated a B-rank on their own.” I paused and tilted my head. Even while thinking, I didn’t let my control over the floating leaves slip. “That said, you might have the physical strength to go toe-to-toe with a B-Rank Demon Beast, but it requires more than just strength to defeat one of those. Half the reason they are so much trouble to fight is because they can use Spiritual Attacks.”
Spiritual Attacks were Spiritual Techniques that Demon Beasts used. Because they did
not require movement to unleash like a Spiritual Technique, they were called Spiritual Attacks instead. While they were much more crude and inelegant than a Spiritualist’s Spiritual Technique, they were also incredibly powerful. I’d never seen a Spiritual Attack with less power than a B-Rank Spiritual Technique.
“Do you mind if I ask how strong you are right now?” Fay questioned, her tone laced with curiosity.
I shook my head. “You can ask, but I honestly don’t know how strong I am at the moment. I haven’t had a chance to really test myself against anyone.”
“Oh…” Fay looked disappointed. However, before she could get too sad, something caught her attention, causing her to gawk at me. “Do you mind if I ask another question?”
I shrugged. “Go ahead.”
“Why is there a snake hovering over your shoulder?”
…
…
I slowly craned my neck and found a snake centimeters away from my face. It was a pretty unusual snake. It looked like a member of the cobra family, but it was too long at almost six meters in length. Bright black and yellow scales covered most of its body. Two eyes that appeared somewhat golden in the sunlight were staring at me.
The snake flicked out its forked tongue and licked my cheek. I turned back to look at Fay.
“Don’t mind the snake,” I said in a nonchalant tone. “It just likes to follow me around.”
“O… kay.” Fay nodded slowly, and then refocused on her training.
No sounds were made as the two of us once again committed ourselves to our spiritual exercises… unless one counted the hissing sounds made by the snake.
My eyebrows twitched.
The Spiritualist Academy was a place where talented young men and women gathered and learned how to control their Spiritual Powers. It didn’t distinguish between social classes. While that had been the case once upon a time, Empress Hilda had opened the doors to anyone who possessed the talent to become a Spiritualist. This hadn’t made her popular with some of the nobles. However, ever since she’d done this, the number of talented Spiritualists in Nevaria had increased.
Kari was quite proud of her mother. She really was. Even if she was sort of at odds with the woman due to how her mother had restricted her freedom, she still cherished the woman who’d given birth to and raised her.
One day, I will prove to my mother that I am strong enough to journey outside of the city!
Walking through a wide hallway, Kari did her best to ignore the eyes of passing students as they lingered on her. She also tried to ignore the whispers. Because she was the daughter of Empress Hilda, there were a lot of people who heaped praises and expectations onto her. They complimented her beauty, her talent, her pedigree. None of these people actually knew Kari, the girl who wanted to explore ruins and go on adventures.
Eryk understands me, though…
Thoughts of Eryk warmed her heart. It had been over a month since the two of them had met. Even if she disliked a lot of what was happening in her life at the moment, he was the single thing about her current situation that remained bright. With him, she could be herself and forget about her troubles, even if it was just for a little while.
It was with these thoughts in her heart that she entered her classroom.
Classes at the Spiritual Academy were designed to be lecture halls; they were big, the seating was tertiary, and there was enough space for about 500 people to sit. Kari was not sure why the rooms were so big since most classes only consisted of about 50 to100 students, but she didn’t ask about it either. Sometimes people just like to build things big. That was what she assumed.
A lot of people gazed at her as she walked in. Kari almost shivered at the hungry leers several boys sent her way, but she had dealt with these looks for a long time. Ignoring the scrutiny, she walked up the stairs and searched for a seat.
Someone stood up and moved in her way. He had dark blond hair and blue eyes. His pale skin looked soft and unblemished, denoting his noble status. He didn’t look very muscular, but there was a broadness to his chest and shoulders, which couldn’t be hidden by the dark red tunic he wore. It was cinched together by a leather belt. A strap ran from his left shoulder to his right hip. Attached to the back was his weapon of choice, a glittering broadsword with a jeweled pommel.
“Lady Kari,” he greeted with a polite smile that couldn’t hide the blatant desire in his eyes. “You look lovely today.”
“Thank you, Grant.” Kari tried not to grimace as she smiled back.
“I’ve saved a seat for you,” he said, gesturing to the empty spot beside him. “Why don’t you and I speak today? I would love it if we could get to know each other a bit better, given our circumstances.”
“I am sorry.” Kari bowed her head slightly. “But I actually promised to sit with… Fay today.”
Grant’s eyes flashed, but he was able to mask it quickly. Had she been anyone else, she might have missed the anger that crossed his eyes at her rejection. The polite smile on his face also became fixed, like it had been sewn on.
“Then why don’t I sit with you both?” he suggested. “After all, given how the three of us will eventually be living together, it might be a good idea to strengthen our bond now. It will make our transition easier.”
It took everything Kari had to keep her smile in place. “I’m sorry, but Fay and I actually have some things to talk about. You know, girl talk.”
“Ah. That is unfortunate.” He inclined his head in a faux polite gesture. “Perhaps next time.”
“Perhaps,” she answered with a noncommittal reply before rushing past him and hurrying up the steps. She was keenly aware of his eyes on her as she raced up to where Fay was sitting. “Do you mind if I sit here?”
Fay blinked several times, looking quite startled. Her eyes had slight bags under them as she stared up at Kari. It looked like she was close to falling asleep.
“Go ahead,” Fay said with a soft yawn.
“Thank you.”
Sitting down, Kari glanced occasionally at the young woman beside her. Should she say something? She wanted to talk to Fay, but with their shared history, that might not be possible. Still…
“You look tired,” Kari said tentatively.
Fay blinked some more as if surprised to hear her talk. “I am. I’ve been training a lot recently.”
“Me too.” Latching onto the topic, Kari tried to keep it going. “Instructor Brynhild has been really hard on me, but I think I’m getting a lot stronger.”
“So you’ve been training hard too, huh?” Fay gave her a tentative smile. “I guess we both have it a little rough, though I can’t bring myself to complain.”
“Do you also have an instructor?” asked Kari.
Several seconds of silence passed as Fay seemed to consider the question before she nodded. “Yes, I suppose you could say that. He’s not really my instructor, though. It is more like we are training together.”
“So… this person is a friend?” Kari questioned.
“I guess,” Fay mumbled, her cheeks growing red. “I don’t know if you could call us friends, but… he’s really helped me out a lot. He’s very intelligent and knowledgeable, and he’s so dedicated to becoming stronger that I can’t help but be inspired by him, yet he also takes the time to train and teach me about things I never knew.”
Kari clasped her hands underneath the table. Her heart was beating wildly in her chest as she struggled to get the words out. She wanted to close her eyes, but she kept them open even as she chanted a prayer in her heart. It took her a long time before she could ask the question she wanted to.
“Do you… do you think I could maybe join you two sometime?”
While Fay appeared somewhat shocked by the question, she eventually shook her head. “Considering your social status, I do not think that would be a good idea.”
“Oh…” Kari uttered as her shoulders slumped. She wouldn’t cry. She wouldn’t. “That’s… Yes, I suppose you have a good point.”
“Don’t be,” Kari said.
An awkward silence hung in the air until class started.
Chapter 2
Depression and a Need for Money
I was facing a crisis. It wasn’t a life or death crisis… at least, it wasn’t yet, but it was still a serious problem.
Fay was at the Spiritualist Academy, so she didn’t train with me that morning.
The evening sun sprinkled into the library as I sat behind the counter and lamented my situation. I was all out of Three-Way Spiritual Widening Pills and Body Forging Pills, and I didn’t have the money to buy more ingredients.
This was a problem that I knew would come eventually. I’d been trying to think of ways I could earn more money. My first thought had obviously been to sell another Spiritual Technique to the Spiritualist Academy, but I discarded that thought real quick. Going there once to sell a Spiritual Technique Scroll I happened to find in my “family’s possession” could be written off as me just being lucky. Going there twice would raise suspicion.
It wasn’t that I didn’t trust the academy, but I also didn’t know them. Furthermore, I didn’t know which potentially dangerous elements were attending there. Grant Leucht was one such element. He was even in Kari’s class. The Leucht Family was something I needed to avoid at all costs until I was strong enough to kick their collective asses. If possible, I would like to avoid meeting him and anyone else from one of the Three Heavenly Families.
Also, I didn’t think I could stop myself from killing him if we met right now.
There was also the fact that several people from the Spiritualist Academy had been watching me. It wasn’t anything serious. I sensed no ill intent and the people stopped once they realized I lived in a squalor. Still, I’d prefer it if I didn’t have to deal with people I wasn’t sure I could trust.
WIEDERGEBURT: Legend of the Reincarnated Warrior: Volume 2 Page 2