Ch.99. Rehabilitation (1)

Right, from now on, I should think of Sione’s behavior as just a child throwing a tantrum.

As a mature adult, I need to take good care of her.

“Lady Sione, you’ve started handling the bow. Even with today’s low-tension bow, it was difficult to pull the string. To pull an even stronger bow, strong physical strength and power are essential.”

“…Can’t I just use mana to pull it?”

Earlier she asked for help saying she wanted to shoot without mana, but now it’s like the Sione from a few hours ago and the current Sione are completely different people.

I shook my head inwardly while looking at her.

Using mana to pull the bowstring all the time causes serious mana consumption.

If you could channel that mana into the arrow’s power instead of using it for your arms, what a huge difference it would make.

Unless it’s a special bow, using mana to pull the string like today is definitely a habit that must be abandoned.

“Was shooting with mana the same as shooting without it?”

“Well… no.”

“Which one gave you a more definite feeling?”

“Clearly the one without mana…”

Ah, that’s when I started to realize something was off.

That reaction fits perfectly.

“Since you already know it physically, I won’t explain in detail.”

“But with this body, exercise is… more of a laughingstock than effort, becoming daily gossip. How funny would it look for a pig to be running around outside?”

“I clearly glimpsed fragments of hidden talent in your archery. You need to build a better body to use better bows and steadily progress.”

When I mentioned “hidden talent” for Sione’s sake, she swallowed whatever excuse she was about to make and pressed her lips shut.

This is working better than I expected.

Maybe it’s more effective because there’s quite a bit of sincerity mixed in.

I think this small hope that’s appeared needs to be consistently protected.

“But are you planning to let that talent rot away without properly developing it because you’re too lazy to move?”

I added several other comments that vaguely stimulated the area between her irritability and motivation.

Finally, Sione declared surrender as if she was fed up.

“Haah… Fine, I’ll do it. Just please stop that whining.”

But Sione, who’s very conscious of others’ gazes, wouldn’t give in so easily.

She put on a deliberately stern expression.

But perhaps because we’ve become somewhat close, the heavy atmosphere wasn’t as intense as when I first met her.

“However, I have conditions.”

She started stating her conditions with her arms crossed.

“Exercise will only take place in my room. If outdoor exercise is necessary, the time will only be permitted when no one can see me, like when I’m shooting arrows.”

“As you wish, no one will know about your efforts as long as you don’t want them to.”

“Good that you understand properly—”

“Then let’s start right now.”

“…What? Now?”

“There’s a saying about striking while the iron is hot. Please get out of bed now.”

Sione showed signs of bewilderment.

She probably never imagined I’d pull even my master out of bed.

But what does that matter?

If she’s in bed, I just need to pull her out, and if she’s sitting in a chair, I just need to force her to stand up.

As I approached her bedside and stared at her intently, Sione got up with an undisguised expression of disgust.

As I thought, Sione is secretly quite shy.

I should make good use of this knowledge in the future.

“Fine, I’ll do it. But—”

Sione’s gaze swept across her room before shifting to me.

“Looking at it now, this room doesn’t seem suitable for exercise. It’s not spacious enough for running and not appropriate for vigorous activities. I think it would be better to do it early every morning rather than now.”

…She’s trying to subtly wriggle out of it.

But contrary to her claim, there were plenty of cardio exercises that could be enjoyed indoors.

As expected of a wealthy count’s family, even Sione’s room, which the family had practically abandoned, was quite spacious.

Just a quick glance reveals several places with enough space for simple exercises.

“I know effective exercises that can be done perfectly well in a room, so don’t worry. And there’s enough space for you to do them comfortably.”

“Ah…”

Sione looked at me with a lost expression, as if her country had been taken away.

“Have you ever heard of the burpee test?”

“Burpee test? I’ve never heard of it.”

“Then let me demonstrate first.”

After loosening up with some stretching, I slowly demonstrated the burpee test movements.

Sione was surprised when I squatted down and then shot my legs back.

She despaired when I brought them together again.

And she seemed to silently scream when I finished with a jump.

“Now, are you telling me to do this…? Do you really think it’s possible for these pig legs to extend backward and then jump back again?”

“Pig legs? They look like a general’s strong legs, full of power. I have no doubt that you can do this easily, Lady Sione.”

“No, you’ve been following me around, so you should know about my stamina. I get out of breath just walking quickly, and you’re telling me to do that?”

“What could be impossible? Even if it seems so, I’ll make it possible for you.”

“You’re truly like a demon…”

“Now, let’s start with stretching to avoid injuries during exercise.”

“…You’re quite ruthless, contrary to your appearance.”

I responded to her words with a smile.

Sione finished stretching under my direction, and finally started the burpee test.

With each movement, the floor echoed with thumping sounds. Her weight seemed to be more than I had thought.

“Wow.”

It’s going to take some serious effort to lose all that.

She has to keep the promise she made to her personal attendant about exercising, but the workout is so intense she wants to quit right away.

Sione continued the movements with gritted teeth, sweating like rain.

I can’t help it. For the sake of Sione’s diet success as quickly as possible, I need to be even more rigorous.

Sione let out a groan as she completed one burpee test with a jump.

“Ughh… is this enough?! Huff huff…”

“Your legs are still supporting your body properly. You seem to have quite a bit of strength left…”

“…”

“Just three more. Just three more.”

“You’re a demon…”

“Lady Sione, I trust you know not to use mana, of course.”

“You cruel demon.”

Sione, perhaps having developed some determination, ended up doing more burpee tests until her legs gave out, just as I had hoped, and then collapsed.

She seemed to have no strength left to speak, just looking up at the sky and breathing heavily.

After a while, Sione caught her breath.

She raised herself up with a groan and met my gaze.

“Whew… is that enough now?”

“Well done. Here’s some cool water.”

“…Thank you very much.”

“Ah, it’s best not to drink too much.”

“Huh?”

“Drinking too much water before the next exercise might make you feel queasy.”

“W-what? There’s another exercise?”

Sione’s face turned pale.

Her pitiful trembling eyes evoked quite a bit of sympathy, but it didn’t work on me.

A lion throws its cubs off a cliff to make them stronger.

Though I’m not a lion, as Sione Sianella’s proud personal attendant, I intend to make her weight drop.

I cultivated an unwavering heart that wouldn’t be easily swayed by her pitiful appearance, like a small animal caught in the rain.

Well, even in Korean mythology, there was a bear that became human by eating only mugwort and garlic for 100 days in a cave.

Sione just needs to be reborn through diet food and exercise for 100 days in this cozy room.

I smiled, imagining Sione’s completely transformed appearance in the future.

“Of course. But you’ve reached the level of a sword user, Lady Sione. I believe you can accomplish it all.”

“…Are you trying to work me to death?”

“Of course not. Your lower body is exhausted, so we’ll do upper body exercises until your energy returns. If fat is lost evenly, you won’t die from starvation.”

“…Fine, do as you please. As you please.”

Indeed, her status as a sword user wasn’t just for show. Despite her complaints, Sione somehow followed my instructions.

I pushed her until I felt she had done enough exercise for today.

Thanks to that, she was now drenched in sweat.

“Well done. Your clothes are soaked with sweat, so I’ll bring you a change of clothes.”

“Haah… I’ll be lying on the bed, so go ahead.”

“Ah, I would appreciate it if you could refrain from getting on the bed until you’ve wiped your body with a towel and changed clothes.”

“…Now that I think about it, the cold floor might be better for cooling down. Bring some cool water when you return.”

“I will do so.”

I paused briefly before going to find Sione’s clothes.

“Ah.”

Sione’s attention, which had been scattered, focused back on me.

I smiled at her.

“…That smile is ominous. Just quickly say what you need to say.”

“I’ll also adjust your diet from now on so that you can change more quickly, Lady Sione.”

“…eat.”

Hm? What did Sione just say?

“Pardon? What did you say?”

“…I hope you won’t completely eliminate meat, even if it’s just a little.”

I saw desperation etched deeper on Sione’s face than ever before.