28. Exercise

28. Exercise

A day passed.

Sunday, the end of the weekend, arrived.

“Priscilla. Want to go exercise together?”

“Yes?”

Whether in my past life or this one, Sunday mornings never felt good. It’s probably because the next day is Monday.

Sunday signifies the end of the break, and realizing that I have to return to the busy daily life naturally makes my mind feel complicated.

And of course, exercise was the best way to overcome such complex feelings.

“Exercise all of a sudden…?”

“Of course. You have to exercise regularly to stay healthy.”

Jogging, a hobby I’ve only come to enjoy since gaining a superior physique in this life.

There was nothing more enjoyable than waking up early, running vigorously through the snow-covered fields, sweating it all out, and then taking a warm shower.

In my past life, I didn’t know the true pleasure of exercise and only hated it. Haven’t I truly lost half of my life?

“Uh… I’m okay.”

“You mean you’re coming?”

“Yes?”

After getting Priscilla’s consent, I took out a tracksuit from the luggage I had packed at home and put it on. It was functional clothing that closely resembled my training wear from my past life.

If I had to compare it, it’s like sweatpants. It’s entirely black, with a single white stripe on the arms and legs. The top has a zipper to fasten the clothing.

“Here, take this.”

“Yes?”

Priscilla, whose stamina was already weak, wouldn’t have any training clothes. I threw one of the two sets of training clothes I brought at Priscilla, and she caught my clothes in surprise.

She fiddled with the fabric for a moment in that state, and soon she couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration.

“What is this outfit made of? The design is a bit unfashionable, but the texture….”

“It’s made from a monster I defeated when I was about 14 years old.”

“A monster?”

“Yes.”

I don’t know the exact species, but considering its appearance, it was probably a wyvern. A lizard with wings, perhaps, a monster that looked similar to the dragons commonly known in my past life.

As usual, I was swinging my sword on the snowy field when it suddenly spread its white wings and lunged at me. Back then, I wasn’t that strong yet, so after a few exchanges, I only managed to chase it away with great difficulty.

This training outfit is made from weaving the scales that the wyvern dropped as it fled, drawing them out as finely as threads.

… Thinking about it now, it’s clothes I’ve used for a long time. But since the material is good, it’s no different from new.

“My goodness, a wyvern… Wait a moment, do wyverns live in the North?”

“They do. Though I’ve only seen the one I saw back then.”

“Is that so? That’s the first time I’ve heard that. I thought wyverns were monsters sensitive to temperature and only inhabited warm places….”

“Perhaps they evolved to suit the North?”

Monsters are born from the magic in the air, so it wasn’t strange for them to adapt to their environment. I don’t know anything about monster generation theories, but I guess that’s how it works.

“Could be. Hmm… I haven’t studied that, so I don’t know.”

“Well, that’s not important. Hurry up and put it on, Priscilla. We have to go exercise.”

“Do I really have to do it…?”

Yes.

Didn’t Priscilla herself not flatly refuse in the first place?

Of course, even if she refused, I intended to take her by force. Seeing Priscilla’s weak stamina, morning exercise like this was essential.

I decided to exercise together after seeing Priscilla often gasping for breath. I urged Priscilla on.

“Hurry.”

“Yes… Huh?”

Priscilla, who was reluctantly putting on the clothes, suddenly stopped as she brought her nose to the tracksuit.

“Priscilla?”

“….”

“Priscilla, what’s wrong?”

Priscilla’s breathing grew rougher. She didn’t answer me and started putting on the clothes with a blank expression. Her movements were so slow, as if she were meticulously showing each step of putting on clothes.

I don’t know why she’s acting like this… but it probably doesn’t matter.

I took Priscilla, who had finished dressing and had a flushed face, outside.

——

The air in the academy was still chilly. Perhaps it was because it was morning.

I adjusted my clothes, zipped up, and stood straight in front of the dormitory. Behind me, Priscilla stood still, her face still slightly blank, though less so than before.

“Alright, Priscilla. We’re going to run straight ahead now. Got it?”

“How far are we running…?”

“How far?”

I answered Priscilla’s worried question lightly.

“Until you can’t run anymore.”

“Yes…?”

“It’s okay. You still lack stamina, so I won’t push you too hard.”

It should be enough to run until you faint.

Just until you’re about to faint.

That’s about what my father advised me when he saw me running as a child.

I don’t know since I’ve never exercised in my past life, but it seems jogging is an exercise that pushes oneself to the limit.

Perhaps.

Even if I collapse from exhaustion, since this is a fantasy world, my stamina will return quickly with a little rest, so there’s not much to worry about. I patted Priscilla on the shoulder and prepared to run.

“Let’s go.”

“Yes….”

Starting with Priscilla’s weak reply, we ran.

Thump-!

Priscilla ran hard, pushing off the ground. But her speed wasn’t enough yet, so I ran alongside her and shouted to Priscilla.

“Priscilla, faster.”

“H-here?”

“Yes.”

With a light bounce of my feet, the wind hit my face and my hair fluttered wildly. I folded my ears to reduce air resistance and let my tail hang loosely.

Then, I shouted to Priscilla, who had picked up her speed a bit.

“Faster.”

“Yes?! I can’t go any faster! Huff, huff….”

“You can do it. Come on, hurry.”

Humans are inherently capable of having more energy when they feel they can’t go any further. It’s only when you push yourself further in that state that the exercise truly begins.

Priscilla heard my urging, closed her eyes tightly, and started moving her feet faster. However, this didn’t last long, and Priscilla’s speed gradually slowed down.

“Huff, huff….”

“You’re tired already after running so little?”

“How could I not be tired when I’m running at full speed…! Hhhuuuh, huff….”

In the end, I had no choice but to stop running, and Priscilla collapsed on the ground, panting. Priscilla’s characteristic red twin-tails were disheveled and messy.

Her stamina is weaker than I expected. I haven’t even gotten into the groove yet.

“Can’t you run anymore?”

“Yes… huff, huff….”

“Still, you have to run more.”

I tried to encourage Priscilla, who was gasping for breath. For some reason, I could hear people whispering around us.

-Now she’s even forcing her into abuse….

-Poor Priscilla…

-Don’t get too close. What if you get caught up in it!

“I really can’t do any more than this….”

“Hmm….”

As I was pondering how to get Priscilla to stand up, a voice suddenly came from the side. It was the voice of a mysterious woman.

“What are you doing here?”

“Huh? You’re….”

Short black hair, indifferent eyes. And a maid outfit. It was the same maid who had whisked the princess away.

“I am a maid, not a maid. Miss Lyra.”

“Isn’t that the same thing?”

“It is different.”

… It’s possible not to know.

“And what is that outfit? It’s a design I’ve never seen before.”

“This? It’s what I wear when I exercise.”

The maid reached out and touched the fabric for a moment. Then she muttered in astonishment.

“D-dragon scales?”

“It’s wyvern scales, not dragon.”

“Wyvern?”

Yes.

It’s natural for someone who has seen a monster directly to know better than someone who has only guessed from the fabric. My answer made the maid look surprised but also nod in agreement.

Anyway.

If there’s a maid here, the princess should be nearby.

And sure enough, a cute voice began to be heard from afar. Soon, a small, blonde child popped out from behind the maid.

“Edel! What are you doing here… Hah, you…!”

“Hello?”

Fancy meeting you here.

The princess greeted me cheerfully, waving her small hands and feet.

“Can I touch the sword?!”

It seems it wasn’t a greeting.

“No.”

“Why!”

“Because no.”

“Whyyy!”

… After a brief argument like that, and after I firmly refused several more times, the princess gave up her desire for the sword. Instead, she asked me what I was doing here.

I replied, supporting Priscilla, who was still panting.

“I was exercising.”

“Exercise?”

“Yes. Do you want to join?”

“No!”

Then the princess flatly refused my offer.

It’s understandable that she refused so firmly if she disliked it so much. I, accepting this, stood up Priscilla and decided to walk along the main road again….

“Wait, wait! Why are you just leaving!”

“Huh? Didn’t you say you didn’t want to exercise together?”

“No, uh, I mean, if you let me touch the sword just once, I might run with you, how about it!”

The princess stood with her hands on her hips, her expression confident.

Looking at her cute expression, I pondered. Normally, I would have refused such a proposal without a second thought, but this time, I had a companion beside me. I thought that if someone ran alongside Priscilla, she might be able to muster more strength.

I remember when I was young, running through the snow, my speed would naturally increase when monsters chased me from behind. Even though they aren’t monsters, perhaps having someone beside me would have a similar effect.

I reluctantly replied to the princess.

“… Just once.”

“Yay!! Edel, let’s go!”

“Yes, I understand. Hmm, it’s been a while since I’ve exercised.”

And so, the four of us-Priscilla and I, the princess and her maid-began to sprint across the academy.