Chapter 9
Silveryn and I were at a lakeside early in the morning before the morning mist had yet to clear. From where we stood to the opposite horizon, a white sandy beach stretched out.
What Silveryn handed me was an axe.
When I just stared blankly at the axe she held out, she said, "What are you doing? Take it."
"Ah, yes."
I took the axe and gripped it tightly with both hands. It was quite heavy.
However, I had no idea what I was supposed to do with it.
What does an axe have to do with swordsmanship?
"Go and cut down a tree. A big one. Don't use that glowing sword."
I thought I was going to be trained in swordsmanship.
She didn't even bring a practice sword. Although I didn't understand, I headed to the nearby forest full of large trees without a word.
There, I chose one of a suitable size and started chopping.
The sound of striking the tree echoed through the quiet forest.
It was incredibly difficult to chop the tree, given its thickness that even a full-grown adult couldn't fully embrace and its extreme hardness.
My forearms and shoulders were already aching. After about twenty minutes of chopping, the tree finally made a creaking sound and tilted to the side. The branches made cracking sounds as they caught on other trees, then finally crashed to the ground with a thud that shook the earth.
I tried to calm my heavy breathing.
"Whew!"
Just as I was enjoying a small sense of achievement.
Silveryn indifferently gave the next instruction from behind me, "We haven't even started yet. One more tree."
After taking time to fell another tree like that, there wasn't a part of my upper body that didn't ache. My arms were trembling, probably from stimulating muscles I hadn't used before.
Silveryn, regardless of my condition, calmly ordered, "Still far from done. Trim all the branches off the fallen ones."
With Silveryn's magic, this could have been finished in an instant. The fact that she deliberately made me do it meant this process was also a part of the training.
After trimming the branches from the fallen trees, only two long, straight, round logs remained.
Silveryn stood next to the trimmed logs and walked along them, leaving marks at one-step intervals.
"Cut them into pieces at these intervals."
By this point, I couldn't help but laugh bitterly. I doubted if I had the strength left to cut all of that.
"If you don't finish today, there’ll be no dinner for you."
"...You're joking, right?"
When our eyes met, she just smiled gently at me without answering. That expression of hers came across as eerie.
I took the axe and went to the first marked point on the log.
And so, I swung the axe down dozens of times.
Finally, with a crack, the joint broke. Even after cutting just one piece, my whole body felt drained. Now, the strain was gradually spreading to my waist and thigh muscles.
I walked to the next mark and swung the axe again. As my whole body lacked strength, I twisted my body, trying to find some technique.
After dozens of trials and errors like this, I naturally acquired a certain knack for swinging the axe.
It wasn't just about using arm strength.
When I used the weight and inertia of my waist and legs to strike down, it cut much deeper than just forcefully striking with my arms.
The work gradually became easier.
After learning how to conserve energy, I chopped the wood almost in a trance-like state.
After cutting the wood into pieces five times, I looked up at the sky while catching my breath, and the sun was high in the sky.
Silveryn clapped her hands and shouted, "Stop!"
When I turned around, two maids were standing next to Silveryn, each holding a bamboo basket. I had been so absorbed that I didn't even notice other people coming nearby.
"Eat and then continue."
Silveryn led me and the maids to the sandy beach by the lake. I lagged behind due to my slow steps from overworking all my muscles.
Silveryn and the maids went about twenty steps ahead. The maids spread a mat on the sandy beach and placed the baskets on the edges to prevent them from blowing away in the wind.
Silveryn sat on the mat first and waited for me. I followed, shuffling like a dying old man.
Then I collapsed onto the mat, half falling.
Sandwiches, salted pork, cheese, and milk came out of the baskets in order. The maid placed them on plates and handed them to me and Silveryn.
The everyday meals here were more abundant than the special meals I had when I stayed in Haman. I had to eat as much as possible since I might not get dinner later.
As I took a bite of the sandwich, a cool breeze from the lake pleasantly cooled my sweat. Silveryn also lightly brushed her hair, enjoying the breeze.
"The weather's nice, isn't it?"
"...Yes, I can see why you boasted about it so much."
Is this how it feels to go on a picnic with family?
The hardship melted away like snow, and my body and mind became peaceful.
If there were such sweet breaks, I could accept any harsh training.
After finishing the meal, I went back to work.
It was only when dusk fell that I was able to cut all the wood into pieces.
"Finally."
I dropped the axe and collapsed on the ground. Thankfully, I had managed to secure my dinner.
Silveryn had long since returned to the mansion with the maid after finishing lunch.
Lying still like this, I felt like I might fall asleep right there. As my eyelids were gradually drooping without me realizing, I felt a presence at my head and woke up.
When I lifted my head, there was a maid.
"Miss Silveryn asked me to check if you've finished the work."
"Look. It's all done."
The maid quickly scanned the wood pieces and said, "It's almost dinner time, so you should go before it's late."
I barely managed to get up. As my hands and legs trembled, the maid looked at me with pitying eyes.
I might somehow get through today, but I was worried about tomorrow.
How should I deal with that enormous muscle pain that would come tomorrow? Would I even be able to move?
After about twenty steps, my legs were shaking so much that I had to grab a tree and rest for a moment.
I repeated this process of walking a few steps and resting.
"Let me support you."
As it seemed I wouldn't make it to dinner time, the maid finally supported me.
I had to admit it. Even without swinging a sword, this was incredibly effective for building stamina and basic muscle strength.
The only thing that bothered me was that even after doing all this, she said, "We haven't even started yet." The more I thought about it, the scarier it sounded.
I returned to the mansion only after the sun had fully set. Fortunately, even though dinner time had passed, my portion of food was still on the table.
After finishing my meal and taking a bath, I sat in the armchair in my room. I had some time left and thought about working with the meteorite iron but seeing my arms trembling at the slightest exertion, I gave up on the idea.
As I was quietly massaging my tense muscles, someone knocked on the door.
"Excuse me."
A maid entered the room carrying three steaming potion bottles on a tray.
As soon as she entered, a strong herbal scent stimulated my nose.
The maid placed all the potions on the table and said, "These are potions made from herbs that help with physical fatigue, muscle pain, and muscle growth."
"..."
I never dreamed they would prepare even this. I would have been grateful just to be provided meals and a place to sleep.
I picked up a bottle and smelled it. There was a faint scent of herbs I remembered.
It was the scent of the Gallia herb and Verosia flower.
Where did they get such precious ingredients?
Moreover, various other herbs were mixed in like a jumble, making it difficult to distinguish what else was in there.
Thinking it wouldn't taste too different from what I imagined since it contained herbs I knew, I put the potion to my lips.
"Ugh. Hup!"
But after taking one sip, I almost spat it out. If I had drunk it without knowing, I would have thought someone was trying to poison me.
"...Is this really made from herbs?"
It tastes like a mixture of dirt, rotten pork, and raw fish innards ground together.
The maid looked at my face pitifully and said, "...You have to drink this every day from now on."
***
The next day, we came out to the forest as soon as the morning sun rose.
Whether the terribly-tasting potion had worked properly or not, the muscle pain was mild, and there was almost no fatigue. But I had no time to marvel at the miraculous effects of the potion. As soon as I recovered, I had to strain my body again from the morning.
"Roll it."
"What?"
"To that clearing over there."
The forest clearing she pointed to was about a hundred steps away from where we were standing.
She was telling me to roll a log as thick as a wild boar's body using nothing but my body strength.
How long would it take to move all of this? I couldn't help but sigh.
The diameter of the log was awkwardly about knee to thigh height, making it impossible to comfortably stand and push with my arms.
"Can I... use tools?"
"No."
This was difficult. If I just pushed with my hands, I had to bend my waist low, which was a big burden, and it was too heavy to just kick with my feet.
There was no other way but to sit down, grab the bottom of the log, and roll it over as I stood up.
The only fortunate thing was that the path to the clearing sloped slightly downward.
I started rolling the logs one by one like that.
After pushing out one or two, I acquired a knack for it this time, too. However, even with technique, the strain on my back, abdomen, and thighs was much more severe than yesterday.
After moving about fifteen logs, lunchtime arrived. I devoured the food without leaving a single crumb and immediately went back to training.
Time flew by, and by the time the evening glow set in, I had managed to move all but one piece.
I looked at the last log, catching my breath with my hand on my side.
This time, it wasn't a maid who came, but Silveryn. I thought she had left after lunch, but when did she come?
Silveryn, wearing a straw hat and a beige dress, was sitting cross-legged on top of the last piece. She looked quite elegant, casually holding a book with one hand.
She looked puzzled at me standing still in front of her.
"...What?"
"That's the last one."
Silveryn glanced at the log she was sitting on and then closed her book.
"Leave this one. I need a place to sit while waiting, too."
Then she stood up, put her hands behind her back, and walked ahead with light steps.
"Let's go, I'm hungry."
After saying that, she hummed a little tune at a distance.
Somehow, Silveryn looked more pleased than I did. I should be the one happy about finishing today's hard work.
We left the forest and came out to the lakeside. Then, we walked along the sandy beach towards the direction of the mansion.
Silveryn walked while maintaining a constant distance, then gradually moved further ahead.
I walked at a speed less than half of my usual pace due to overworking my leg muscles. It was impossible to walk side by side with her.
The distance between her and me gradually widened. I wonder why she waited for me, even preparing a book, if she was going to do this.
"Teacher."
Silveryn spoke without looking back, "What?"
"Let's go... together."
"No."
"..."
Silveryn seemed to have no regard for someone like me, who was staggering from overworking their body all day.
Geez, even the maid had supported me yesterday.
Silveryn stretched both arms out to the sides for balance, trying hard to leave footprints in a straight line on the sandy beach.
The wind blew, and the hem of her dress fluttered lightly.
When she lost her balance and stepped in the wrong direction, she made a small complaint.
"Darn it."
Then she walked far ahead again, stretching out her arms and leaving footprints in a straight line.
The fearsome magic professor who could spew flames from her hands was nowhere to be seen, and in front of me was an innocent girl about my age playing.
I looked at the footprints she left and followed them accordingly.