Stepping out of the Healer's Guild, [The Hilté], alongside Amy and Irene, I couldn't help but grimace.
'Ugh, walking like this, I can really feel the current state of my body.'
I had just regained enough strength to move, but my body was still reeling from the muscle pain caused by [Overrun].
Proper rest is a crucial part of training.
Rushing things could only lead to further damage.
Taylor had also advised me to stop my training.
This week, I'd have to focus solely on recovery.
Meanwhile, my stomach growled with hunger.
I hadn't eaten anything since lunch yesterday.
The time was now 7:30 AM.
"Why don't we grab a bite to eat before we go?"
I suggested.
"Understood, Young Master."
"Sure, Theo."
Amy and Irene nodded.
We found a spot at an outdoor table of a brunch shop near the Knight Academy.
It was early, so the area was deserted, and the sky was clear, with not a cloud in sight.
A cool morning breeze brushed against my cheeks, soothing my mind pleasantly.
'Is this what healing feels like?'
As I enjoyed the surroundings, I felt Irene's intense gaze on me.
"Is there something you want to say, Rin?"
I asked.
"Uh, um, no. Nothing."
She replied hastily, diverting her gaze elsewhere.
Yet, I could feel her stealing glances at me.
"Just say it."
I urged.
"Uh, well, um..."
Irene hesitated, her eyes darting back and forth before she finally spoke.
"Your movement in the last 20 seconds of the final match..."
She continued, her eyes serious,
"Such movements, even Neike can't do that. I've never heard or seen such a technique before. Could you... tell me how you learned it?"
"It's less about learning and more about being able to utilize what I previously only understood theoretically. I learned it from the Waldeurk family."
I replied quickly, spinning a plausible explanation.
There was no benefit in revealing the existence of the hidden pieces to others.
Irene gasped in surprise.
"The Waldeurk family... you mean the main family's castle?"
"Yes."
"I see."
Irene responded, her smile tinged with bitterness as she lowered her head.
'Hmm? Did I accidentally say something wrong? It's hard to know sometimes.'
Anyway, as we were talking, I suddenly remembered the dream I had earlier.
In the dream, Theo was laughing eerily in the backyard of the Waldeurk family's castle.
There were these strange characters engraved on a stone near Theo.
I wondered if Irene, his fiancée, might know something about them.
"Amy, give me a pen and paper."
"Here you are, Young Master."
Amy pulled out a pen and notebook from her ever-present clutch bag and handed them to me.
I immediately wrote down the strange characters I had seen in my dream and showed them to Irene.
"Have you ever seen these characters before?"
"No, I'm not sure. But why do you ask?"
"I was reminded of them while we were discussing the main family's castle. I saw them in the castle's backyard, but I've never been able to figure out their meaning or origin."
"......"
Irene didn't respond.
Instead, she looked back and forth between the characters I had written in the notebook and me.
After a moment, she spoke with a grave expression, as if making a significant decision.
"......I'll look into it separately."
"I'd appreciate that."
I'm not overly concerned if we don't find out, but it would be welcome if Irene does manage to discover something.
I tore the page with the strange characters from the notebook and handed it to Irene.
She carefully folded the paper and tucked it into her bosom.
After finishing my breakfast, I immediately headed back to the dormitory, showered, and lay down on my bed.
Of course, I didn't forget to ask Amy to wake me up in the afternoon.
Today is Friday.
I have planned to meet Alphs at the Hero Department's training ground at 5 PM.
I need to sleep quickly to recover a bit more.
"Kr... Ugh."
After gulping down a bottle of the standard stamina recovery potion, I placed Little Fist, still asleep like the dead, beside my pillow.
Despite having slept for 12 hours, I felt sleepiness wash over me as soon as I lay down.
At 3:55 PM, in front of the Hero Department's shuttle carriage station.
"Uh, uh uh..."
Alphs, wearing the Knight Department's uniform, nervously stepped off the shuttle carriage.
She looked around with uneasy eyes.
Luckily, there were no people nearby.
"......Phew. Hoo, hoo, hoo..."
She took deep breaths that she had been holding in while inside the carriage.
Feeling relieved with no one around, she could finally breathe easily.
"I was supposed to go to the Hero Department's training ground..."
She vaguely knew the location.
She had seen it at the beginning of the semester during the Hero Department's practical evaluations.
Checking the time, it was 4 PM. There was still an hour left until her appointment with Theo.
But, just in case... afraid she might get on the wrong carriage, she came early.
"Let's move, let's move..."
As Alphs briskly walked towards the training ground, she pondered.
She didn't know what Theo would say to her, but she hoped it wouldn't be bad news.
Deep down, she was hoping for an invitation to join as an Aide.
The priest at the confession had also suggested it might happen.
But she tried not to think too negatively, fearing high expectations could lead to greater disappointments.
Throughout her life, her wishes had rarely come true.
"Ah... I shouldn't think negatively."
The priest had told her that positive thinking would bring good outcomes.
However, self-deprecation was almost an unconscious habit for her.
Biting her lower lip nervously, Alphs arrived in front of the Hero Department's training ground.
The time was 4:05 PM.
She still had 55 minutes to spare.
'Phew, thankfully I'm not late...!'
Feeling somewhat proud, she decided to wait quietly.
1 minute, 2 minutes, 3 minutes... 10 minutes passed.
Maybe because of the festival, there was no one passing by.
After about 30-40 minutes...
'Oh, who's that...?'
She noticed a woman walking towards the training ground, her eyes fixed on the ground.
It was Piel de Chalon, whom Alphs had seen before at the confessional and at the [Martial Arts Competition].
'Especially during the [Martial Arts Competition] finals, when she was cheering for Theo... she was really impressive.'
Even though Piel was three years younger, Alphs admired her ability to stand so confidently in front of so many people.
She was the exact opposite of Alphs, who couldn’t speak out against unfair treatment.
Thud, thud.
Piel, walking towards the training ground, stopped.
"Ah."
She looked at Alphs.
Alphs' eyes fluttered.
'Uh, oh no─ did I do something wrong? Why is she looking at me all of a sudden?'
She found it extremely difficult to maintain eye contact with someone for more than three seconds, especially with Piel, whom she admired.
'What should I do? What should I do??'
Standing there, gaping, Alphs was confronted by Piel who asked.
"Are you Alphs?"
"······! Ah, yes, yes. Ye-Yes, I am!"
Alphs hastily responded, then looked down, unable to muster the strength to maintain eye contact any longer.
Piel tilted her head in confusion.
"Eh, why the formal speech? Aren’t we both first-years?"
"Bu-But... how can I, da-dare to... to Piel... to you..."
Alphs protested in a shrinking voice.
Piel looked at Alphs with a puzzled expression.
"Whatever, it's fine. Anyway, you do have really white hair, just like I heard. Recognized you right away."
"Me? How... how did you..."
"Yeah? Of course, I know. Theo mentioned that he wanted you as an Aide. Everyone's talking about it."
Piel said it casually.
"······Uh, uh, uh······."
But Alphs’ whole body was trembling.
'Can I, really believe this?'
Her heart and mind were in conflict.
Believe it, even Piel, whom you admire, is saying so.
Don’t get your hopes up, when has anything you hoped for ever come true?
Lost in these thoughts, Alphs stood frozen as Piel said to her,
"Well, anyway, good luck."
With that, Piel entered the training ground.
5 PM.
Theo arrived at the Hero Department's training ground not a second off.
'What is she doing?'
He saw Alphs standing motionless ahead of him, her back turned.
They were about ten steps apart.
At this distance, she should be able to hear his footsteps, yet she remained still.
'Maybe she's deep in thought.'
Theo often found himself lost in his daydreams, suddenly coming up with ideas for new sword techniques or future plans.
Instead of approaching her, Theo decided to sit on a bench behind her.
"Sigh..."
About three minutes passed.
Still standing, Alphs took a deep breath.
"Yeah, it can't be. It can't be! But then, maybe it is... Piel did say so, it might be true!"
Alphs clenched her fists and murmured to herself, her voice tinged with liveliness.
Theo watched her quietly.
'Is it something serious, or something good...?'
He couldn't decide.
Swish.
He stood up, arms crossed.
"!"
Startled by the noise, Alphs quickly turned around.
"Oh, oh, oh... Theo?"
"Nice to see you."
Theo greeted her calmly, her face turning bright red.
