episode_0148

“You’ve arrived. Since the meal preparations are almost finished, please wait a moment.”

Returning to the mansion after the morning training session, I found Mari, who had already left for work, preparing a lunch that made my mouth water.

Seeing her cooking, I let out a sigh of relief.

Finally, I thought, I can have a proper meal.

“Thank you for your hard work, Mari. We’ll quickly freshen up and come back down.”

“If you take too long, the food will get cold, Lady Esther.”

“I’ll be careful.”

Feeling uncomfortable eating with sweat and dirt all over our bodies, we went upstairs to wash our hair, faces, and hands thoroughly.

We also brushed off the dirt from our clothes.

When we came back downstairs, perfectly prepared dishes awaited us on the dining table.

From the steaming chicken stew to the slightly salty fried eggs and the soft, moist bread with a hint of sweetness.

“Is the meal to your liking?”

“Yes, thank you so much…!”

“Don’t mention it.”

Although the menu and flavors were nothing extraordinary, at that moment, their simplicity was incredibly comforting.

Both I and Freide ate heartily. I even finished my stew bowl completely.

It was truly fortunate that Mari prepared the meal, not Veloren. If Veloren had served us inedible food after such hardship, even someone as gentle as me would have likely lost their temper and turned into a tyrant.

I didn’t expect Veloren, who had lived his whole life as a knight, to have exceptional cooking skills, but he should at least provide edible food.

If we had been fed such awful food for a week, even an assassin trained since childhood to be a human weapon would undoubtedly surrender, confessing that their base was in the northern mountains.

◆◆

“Now that the meal is over, take about an hour to rest and regain your strength. After that, we’ll proceed with the afternoon training.”

The short rest time we enjoyed after the satisfying meal was a mere prelude to the impending hellish training session.

“Oh… already?”

Freide’s question seemed to imply, “After all the suffering until now, shouldn’t we rest today?”

However, Veloren seemed to have different thoughts. His puzzled expression seemed to ask, “What do you mean by that?”

“Do you have something else to do?”

“…”

His question left me speechless.

Something else to do…?

Well, there wasn’t really anything…?

Unless he planned to leave the village and explore the dungeon today, there wasn’t much else to do around here.

While there was a market street, it was small and offered little to see. The only place worth visiting was the riverside.

“Um, maybe buy some new clothes…”

Freide hastily came up with an excuse. Since we would be staying here for a while, it might be necessary to prepare some new clothes in advance.

“Oh, do you lack clothing? Don’t worry. Just ask Mari.”

But her suggestion was promptly rejected.

Wait, was this really a rejection? It felt like a defeat in a battle of wits.

Veloren shut Freide down by saying there was no need to go all the way to the shops to buy clothes for training or daily wear within the mansion. He suggested ordering ready-made garments from Mari, as he did.

Whether to call it straightforward or indifferent, he seemed genuinely uninterested in anything other than swordsmanship and training.

Was it this personality that allowed him to become a high-ranking knight?

Regardless, with even Freide defeated, we had no choice but to prepare for the upcoming harsh times, trembling in fear for the next hour and what would follow.

“I-I think I may have chosen the wrong status…”

“…It wasn’t my choice. That prince chose it.”

I vowed to repay this grudge someday, Argantir. With that promise in mind, I carefully put on the iron armor over my sweat-soaked leather tunic.

◆◆

And so five days passed.

Reveille, meals, drills, meals, training, meals, baths, sleep.

It was a rigorous routine, almost like being back at the army training camp.

“…You seem to be learning quickly. It’s only been five days, but many of your fatal flaws have been significantly improved.”

Midday on the sixth day. Veloren Kyeong, after finishing the morning drills, offered such praise with a faint smile, seemingly satisfied.

“Haah, haah… Is that so…? In that case…”

Is this hellish ordeal finally over? I looked up at Veloren with that gaze, sprawled on the training ground.

“Yes. Now we move on to the next stage.”

“The next stage…?”

Like hell it’s over. How could it be?

“It’s not easy to turn a blind eye to someone who wields such problematic swordsmanship under a false identity using my daughter’s name. I will teach you swordsmanship, so engrave it thoroughly into your body.”

“Um, is that really okay…?”

To be taught swordsmanship. It seemed like a promising offer from my perspective, but I still had my doubts.

“No problem. There’s nothing particularly sacred about it.”

That’s fine.

“Well then… I’ll gratefully accept your teachings.”

There was no reason to decline. Whatever she taught me would likely be more systematic and useful than what I was currently practicing.

Furthermore, unlike the current method of training where flaws were forcibly corrected through painful beatings, swordsmanship education seemed to involve less suffering.

While pain that doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, this pain seemed more likely to kill me.

Who in their right mind would wake up every morning after passing out from morning drills, strap weights to their armor, and spend five hours sprinting in full gear?

Even Veloren Kyeong couldn’t slack off or complain, running alongside us.

Perhaps her daughter’s escape wasn’t due to rebellion against a strict mother, but simply because it was the only way to survive.

Well, compared to that hell, swordsmanship training seemed almost heavenly.

If it were just physical training, it wouldn’t be as bad, but systematic swordsmanship couldn’t be taught through such brutal methods.

“Should I address you as ‘Master’ from now on?”

So, I promptly accepted Veloren Kyeong’s proposal, rising with a decisive attitude once I spoke. If she wanted to be called that, I wouldn’t object.

“…It’s not such a grand swordsmanship that warrants being called ‘Master,’ but if you wish, I won’t stop you.”

Veloren Kyeong slightly turned her head, gave a faint smile, shrugged her shoulders, and replied. If I wanted to call her that, it was fine.

…This means she wants to be called ‘Master,’ right?

It seemed like the title of ‘Master’ appealed to her quite a bit. I didn’t overtly show my approval, for the sake of appearances.

Anyway, from that day on, I began learning Veloren Kyeong’s… no, Master’s swordsmanship.

Devoting all the two-hour free time given after the afternoon training.

…In other words, even amidst the hellish daily routine, personal maintenance time had turned into training time.

I must be crazy.

Why didn’t I anticipate this happening? It brought tears to my eyes.

But thanks to that, my skills were rapidly improving.

◆◆

And so another week passed.

They say humans are creatures of adaptation. What was initially hellish—no, it was hell itself—even the training, as the month approached, began to feel somewhat familiar.

Still an incredibly tough and burdensome task, but somehow I managed to endure it, didn’t I?

Originally, after finishing training and lying down on the bed, I would immediately fall asleep as if passing out, but recently, I could stay awake for a while.

Sometimes, I even found myself waking up in the middle of sleep rather than sleeping through until morning.

Tonight was no different.

“Ah.”

Suddenly waking up in the middle of the night, I let out a faint groan-like sound and slowly sat up, rubbing my body.

“Ugh….”

Freida, who was lying next to me, groaned softly and tossed and turned. Unlike me, she seemed unable to escape from the dream world.

‘What time is it now…?’

I turned my head to look out the window.

It was dark outside, with a faint half-moon hanging in the sky. Dawn was still a long way off.

Should I go back to sleep….

No, first, let’s have some water at least.

Perhaps due to sweating a lot during training, my throat felt parched, and after taking a sip of water or something, I felt like I could fall back asleep.

Carefully getting up so as not to wake Freida, I walked to the corridor. I tried to minimize the sound of my footsteps for the sleeping people.

However, as it turned out, there was no need to be so cautious.

Passing through the corridor, I glanced at Veloren’s room, where a dim light seeped through the slightly ajar door.

Is he still awake?

Surprising. Considering his preference for a disciplined lifestyle, I thought he would be fast asleep by this time.

Curious about what he might be doing at this hour, I quietly approached the door and peeked inside.

“Hoo….”

A soft sigh. Veloren was leaning against the sofa, with a small candle lit on the table.

His transparent negligee revealed the contours of his body.

In his hand, raised to his face, he held a clear glass filled with a light golden liquid.

Alcohol.

Couldn’t sleep, huh? Veloren was casually dressed in his nightclothes, lying on the sofa and drinking.

Seeing three empty bottles on the table, it seemed like he was either drinking strong liquor or had quite a bit to drink.

I silently observed him for a moment before turning my head back and walking down the corridor.

I didn’t feel like striking up a conversation. Talking to someone who drinks alone late at night like that would only make things awkward.

Moreover, his expression was too gloomy to approach without thinking twice.

“Ferinhilde…..”

A sigh-like mutter echoed quietly through the deserted corridor, fading away into the darkness as if melting away.

My chest inexplicably twinged with discomfort.