9 – training

Silverin and I were out on the shore of a lake in the early hours when the morning fog had not cleared. From where we were standing to the other side of the horizon, there was a white sandy beach.

What Silverin gave me was an axe.

As I stared blankly at the ax she held out, she said,

“What are you doing? I don’t get it.”

“Ah yes.”

I was handed the axe and held it tightly with both hands. It’s pretty heavy.

But I have no idea what I’m trying to do with this. What does an ax have to do with swordsmanship?

“Go and cut down a tree. with a big one. Do not use that shiny sword.”

I’ve heard that I definitely practice swordsmanship.

She didn’t even bring a practice sword. I didn’t understand, but I headed to the nearby forest lined with tall trees without muttering.

There, I picked out the right size and started cutting the axe.

The sound of cutting trees echoed through the quiet forest.

It was thick enough that a grown adult could hug it with both arms, and it was so hard that it was hard to break the tree.

My forearms and shoulders are already sore. After twenty minutes of hitting the axe, the tree finally leaned sideways with a crackling sound. A branch made a snapping sound as it caught on another tree, then fell down with a thud.

I calmed my heavy breathing.

“after!”

It’s time to enjoy the joy of small achievements.

Silverin gave the following instructions nonchalantly behind me.

“I haven’t even started yet. One more tree.”

I took my time again and knocked down another tree, and there was no place where my upper body didn’t hurt. My arms trembled as if the muscles I wasn’t using were stimulated.

Silverin calmly ordered.

“not there yet. Prun all the fallen ones.”

With Silverin’s magic, in fact, it would have been done in an instant. Making me do it means that this process is also part of training.

After all the branches of the fallen trees were trimmed, only two long, straight logs remained.

Silverin stood next to the trimmed log, taking a step forward and making a mark.

“Cut everything at this interval.”

At this point, I can’t help but laugh. I wondered if I would have the strength to cut them all.

“If I can’t finish today, there will be no dinner.”

“… … Are you kidding?”

When my eyes met Sylverine, she smiled calmly at me without answering. Her appearance is terrifying.

I grabbed my ax and went to the first marked spot on the log.

Dozens of times to lower the ax like that.

Finally, with a click and a sound, the joint breaks. Even though I had barely cut a piece, I was exhausted all over. Now, the load is gradually entering the back and thigh muscles.

Walking to the next mark, I swung the ax again. Since I had no strength in my whole body, I twisted my body to find a trick.

After going through dozens of trials and errors like that, I learned how to wield an ax naturally.

It wasn’t just about giving strength to your arms.

Since I used weight and inertia to shoot down to my waist and legs, I dug deeper than if I was ignorant with my arm strength.

Things gradually got easier.

After I figured out how to relax, I hacked the tree into a near-trance.

After chopping down the tree five times, I breathed out and looked up at the sky to see that the sun was in the middle of the sky.

Silverin clapped her hands and shouted.

“stop!”

Looking back, there were two maids standing next to Silverin, each holding a bamboo basket. I was so engrossed that I didn’t even know someone else was nearby.

“Eat and do it.”

Silverin led the maid and me to the sandy beach by the lake. Because I overworked my whole body muscles, I slowed down and fell behind.

Silverin and the maid took twenty steps ahead. The maid spread a mat on the sandy beach and placed a basket on the end so that the wind wouldn’t blow it.

Silverin first sat down on the mat and waited for me. Like an old man who is dying, I squirm and catch up.

Then I sat down on the mat as if I had fallen halfway.

Sandwiches, cured pork, cheese, and milk come out of the basket in turn. The maid puts each on a plate and hands it to Silverine.

The daily meals here were more plentiful than the special meals I had at Harman. I might not be able to eat dinner, so I had to eat as much as possible.

After taking a bite of a sandwich, the cool breeze blows from the lake and cools your sweat moderately. Silverin also lightly brushed her hair and accepted the wind pleasantly.

“The weather is nice. Is not it.”

“… … Yes, I think I know why you brag so much.”

How would you feel if you went on a picnic with your family? The hardships disappeared like melting snow, and the body and mind became peaceful.

As long as I had this sweet rest, I could accept any hard training.

***

After eating, I went back to work.

It was only after dusk that I was able to cut down all the trees.

“Finally, finally.”

I dropped the ax to the floor and immediately lay down. Fortunately, I was able to save dinner.

It’s been a long time since Silverin returned to the mansion with the maid after lunch.

If I stayed like this, I felt like I would fall asleep with you. My eyelids were drooping down without even realizing it, and I woke up to the sound of someone by my bedside.

When I looked up, there was a maid there.

“Miss Silverin told me to make sure that the work is finished.”

“look. It’s over.”

The maid looked through the pieces of wood and said,

“It’s dinnertime soon, so you should go before it’s too late.”

I barely got myself up. As my hands and legs trembled, the maid looked at me with a pitying look.

I was worried about tomorrow, even though I was going to get over today.

How am I supposed to deal with that enormous muscle pain that will come tomorrow? can i move?

I moved about 20 paces and my legs were so weak that I had to hold on to a tree and rest for a while.

I took a few steps and rested, and then repeated.

“I will help you.”

When it seemed like I couldn’t make it in time for dinner, the maid eventually helped me.

I had no choice but to admit it. Even without swinging a sword, this had a tremendous effect on developing stamina and basic muscle strength.

The only thing that bothers me is that even after doing this, ‘I haven’t even started yet’. It’s a scary word the more you think about it.

I returned to the mansion only after the year was over. Fortunately, even though it was past dinner time, my portion of food was still on the table.

After eating, I took a bath and sat down in an armchair in my room. I was going to touch the meteorite since I had some time left, but I soon gave up my mind when I saw my arm tremble even with the slightest effort.

While I was massaging my still tense muscles, someone knocked on the door.

“Excuse me.”

A maid entered the room holding three smoking potion bottles on a tray.

As soon as she entered, the strong herbal smell tickled my nose.

The maid put all the potions on the table and said.

“A potion made of herbs that help with physical fatigue, muscle pain, and muscle building.”

“… .”

I never dreamed that I would be prepared for something like this. I’d be grateful if you provided me with meals and a bed on time.

I picked up the bottle and sniffed it. There is a faint smell of herbs that I remember.

It is the scent of Gallic herbs and Verocia flowers. Where did you get this precious thing?

In addition, other herbs were mixed together like a jumbled mix, making it difficult to tell which ones were more.

I put the potion into my mouth, thinking that the taste would not be too different from what I imagined since it contained herbs I knew.

“Oh. Whoops!”

But I took a sip and almost vomited it out. If I drank without knowing anything, I would have known that someone was poisoning me.

“… Is this made of herbs, right?”

It tastes like dirt, rotten pork, and raw fish intestines.

The maid looked at my face pitifully and said.

“… You should eat it every day from now on.”

***

The next day, as soon as the morning sun rose, we went out into the woods.

As if the terrible-tasting potion had worked properly, the muscle pain was mild and there was almost no fatigue. But I had no time to admire the miraculous effect of the potion. This is because I had to work hard on my body from the morning as soon as I recovered.

“Roll it.”

“Yes?”

“To the clearing over there.”

The clearing in the woods she points to is about a hundred steps away from where we are standing.

It is the sound of rolling a block of wood around the size of a boar’s trunk with force.

How many years have you moved this? A sigh comes out of nowhere.

The diameter of the log is vaguely about the height of the knee to the thigh, so it is impossible to stand comfortably and push it with your arms.

“The tools… Can’t we?”

“no.”

difficult. If you just push it with your hands, you have to bend down low, which puts a lot of pressure on you, and it is too heavy to push it with your feet.

There was no other way than to sit down and grab the bottom of the tree and roll it upside down as you get up.

Fortunately, the path to the clearing sloped slightly downward.

I started rolling the blocks one by one like that.

After pushing them out one by one, the trick was acquired again this time. However, this time, the load applied to the back, abdomen, and thighs was much worse than yesterday.

After moving about fifteen, lunch time came. I finished the food without leaving any crumbs and went straight into training.

Time passed quickly, and around the time of the evening sunset. I was able to move all the shards except for the last one.

I put my hands on my side and breathed, looking at the last piece of wood.

This time, the maid didn’t come, but Silverine. I thought you left first after lunch. When did you come back?

On the last piece sat cross-legged, wearing a straw hat and a beige dress. It looks pretty classy to read a book comfortably with one hand.

When she saw me standing in front of her, she put on a puzzled expression.

“… Why?”

“That is the end.”

Silverin glanced at the block of wood she was sitting on and immediately closed the book.

“Leave this. I need a place to sit while I wait.”

Then he got up, put his hands behind his back, and walked forward with light steps.

“Let’s go, I’m hungry.”

Saying that, he distanced himself and hummed softly.

Why does Silverine look more happy than me? I’m the one who should be happy because today’s hardships are over.

We left the forest and came out to the lakeside. Then I walked along the sandy beach in the direction of the mansion.

Silverin kept a certain distance and walked forward gradually.

Because I strained my leg muscles, I walked at less than half of my usual gait. It was impossible to walk alongside her.

The distance between her and me widens. If this is the case, I wonder why they waited for me while preparing the book.

“Teacher.”

Silverin said without looking back.

“Why?”

“together… Go.”

“no.”

“… .”

Silverine doesn’t seem to care about me, who works hard all day long.

Seriously, the maid helped me out yesterday.

She balances by stretching her arms out to the sides and walks, trying to set her footprints in a straight line on the sand.

The wind blows and the hem of the dress flutters lightly.

Then, when he loses his balance and takes a shot in the wrong direction, he complains a little.

“damn.”

Then, he walks far forward again, stretches his arms outstretched, and takes footprints in a straight line.

The terrifying magic science professor who spews flames from his hands was nowhere to be found, and an innocent girl about my age was playing in front of him.

I looked at the footprints she had left and followed them.